is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series written and illustrated by Kei Kusunoki

Kei Kusunoki

, real name , is a Japanese manga artist best known for her horror and comedy manga series. She debuted in 1982 in Ribon Original with Nanika ga Kanojo Tōri Tsuita?. Her twin-sister Kaoru Ōhashi also works as a manga artist.- Works :...

 and published by Shogakukan

Shogakukan

is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...

. The individual volumes were collected and published in three tankōbon

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes between March 2002 to December 2002. Kusunoki followed up Girls Saurus with a sequel, called . The individual volumes of Girls Saurus DX were collected and published in ten tankōbon volumes between August 2003 to December 2008.

The story revolves around 16-year-old Shingo Chiryu who had been beaten and hospitalized for a month by a morbidly obese girl whose naked confession he had rejected. As a result of the encounter, Shingo has developed a fear of all women, called gynophobia

Gynophobia

Gynophobia is an abnormal fear of women. In the past, the Latin term was used, horror feminae, meaning "fear of women"....

. While Shingo tries to hide his fear, the school nurse notices it and advices him to join the boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 club. However, Shingo soon finds out that all of its members are girls, the club's adviser is the school nurse, and one of the clubs members, the now slim Haruka Nishiharu, is the very girl who had put him in the hospital.

Boxing Club

Shingo Chiryū

The 16-year-old male protagonist. A morbidly obese girl takes her clothes off and confesses her love to him. When he rejects her, the girl beats him up and he lands in the hospital for a month. He develops gynophobia

Gynophobia

Gynophobia is an abnormal fear of women. In the past, the Latin term was used, horror feminae, meaning "fear of women"....

, viewing all women as "dinosaurs." A running gag throughout the series is even though he is terrified of women many women fall in love with him, most of the time through a misunderstanding through his fear of women. However, he later has revealed to have growing feelings to Haruka, but not enough to overcome his gynophobia.

Haruka Nishiharu

The formerly obese girl who crushed Shingo under her enormous weight. When Shingo gets back to school Nishiharu has lost a lot of weight and Shingo doesn't recognize her until he notices the double mole on her breast. She still has feelings for him and often tries to make situation in which they are together, but this is often interrupted by one of the other girls or his own gynophobia.

Nozomi Kanayama

Another member of the boxing club who has a very underdeveloped body; having the appearance of an elementary school aged girl. She has loved Shingo and will do anything to get him, though her flirting is usually overlooked due to her childlike body.

Akira Sakō

A tomboy

Tomboy

A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...

 and the heiress of a very traditional and wealthy family. She is a second-year student and the president of the school boxing club. Akira wishes she had been born a boy, and consequently often acts and dresses as one, making Shingo very uncomfortable as she will undress in front of him. She later shows an attraction to Shingo, and often shows jealousy when a girl outside of the Boxing Club shows interest in him.

Hijiri Fusō

An attractive School's nurse and the leader of the boxing club. She often treats Chiryu as her dog and has severe narcissism

Narcissism

Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...

, where she truly believes every guy is in love with her and every girl is jealous of her beauty.

Hotaru Hoshigaoka

A busty transfer student whose clumsiness often results in property damage and injuries to bystanders. She too fell in love with Shingo when he tries to help her or prevent her destruction.

Others

Subaru Chiryū

Shingo's little sister, who for a while dresses like a boy, but now looks and dress like a teenage girl despite being in elementary school. She has a strong brother complex, wishing more than anything to be her brother's wife.

Arahata Tsuyoshi

A guy who loved Nishiharu back when she was fat, with a fetish for fat girls

Fat fetishism

Fat fetishism is the strong or exclusive sexual attraction to overweight or obese people.As well as traditional attraction, the topic also incorporates feederism and gaining, where sexual gratification is obtained via the process of gaining body fat...

. Leader of the Boxing Club at his school. He tries to fatten Nishiharu by baking sweets, and gladly cooks for her when asked.

Tsubasa Kōnan

A cute boy who is often mistaken to be a girl. Has a crush on Nozomi. He goes to the same school as Arahata.And he is embarrassed that all guys looks at him as if hes a girl thats why he wants to become the ideal man.

Shiogamaguchi Ichigo

A sickly skinny girl who is obsessed with Shingo, using any means necessary, even black magic

Black magic

Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...

, to get a hold of him. She has shown the reason she is so skinny is because she cannot hold food down(When she does eat a lot though she is rather attractive).

Misao Sakō

Akira's Mother. A very traditional woman and the head of the Sakō family. She has a very scary glare(which has a demonic face in the background). Once a year she has a ritual performed to have her husband possess someone for a bit(It doesn't work if one of the maidens aren't maidens. She desires to have another child to be sired by him).

Shizuku

A mischievous little girl whom Shingo met when he was hospitalized for a second time. Shingo first thought she was terminally ill.

Tomoe Hongo

A female detective who often accuses Shingo of a crime he did not commit.

Tsurumai Shiori

A very pretty girl in Shingo's school with a bodyguard, considered the school's Madonna she is actually a sadist

Sadism and masochism as medical terms

In psychiatry, the terms sadism and masochism describe a personality type characterized by the actor or actrix deriving pleasure and gratification from inflicting physical pain and humiliation ; and from suffering pain and humiliation upon the self ; such pleasure often is sexual, but not...

 and falls for Shingo due to the pure and utter fear he displays when near her. She has a rottweiler named Alexander.

Natsume

The nurse who looked after Shingo when he was hospitalized.

Kaede

A ninja serving the family of Akira. who seems to have fallen for Chiryu.

External links

• Official site by Shogakukan
  Shogakukan
  is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...