M to N no Shozo
Encyclopedia
is a manga
authored by Tachibana Higuchi
. It is published in Japan
by Hakusensha
and is serialized in Hana to Yume
. The manga series has 6 volumes and Tokyopop began its English publication on February 9, 2010.
Natsuhiko, is a guy who found out Mitsuru's secret on their first day of senior high school. Even so, he has an equally bad problem—the mere glimpse of his reflection can send him into a flying fit about how beautiful he is! He is nicknamed as N for narcissistic.
They both hope to minimize their chances of being exposed because of their weird behaviours
Mitsuru is beautiful, graceful, admired by many people, but she has a weird problem. As an effect of her mother's "Spartan Love", a single violent movement against her can get her begging sweetly for more. She returns to her normal self once she faints. Her nickname M is the first letter of her name, but also stands for masochistic. She has an elder brother and sister. She is in love with Amakasa and because of her friendship with both Amakasa and Hijiri this has subjected her to bullying by the other girls in her class. However, she is still admired by the male classmates. She "protects" Hijiri from dogs and considers it her duty.
Natsuhiko is a guy who has found out Mitsuru's secret on their first day of senior high school. Even so, he has an equally bad problem. Even the mere glimpse of his reflection can send him into a flying fit about how beautiful he is. He tries to hide that by wearing glasses in school, tripping over any objects at times, avoiding the girls admiration of him and especially mirrors. But he gets his own dose at his mirror shrine in his bedroom, because N is narcissistic. Natsuhiko is nicknamed as N. He considers Mitsuru his first friend and vows to protect her and later falls in love with her. He gets easily jealous when other males touch or fawn over her, particularly Hijiri who he (Natsuhiko)knows that Hijiri likes her. He is currently oblivious to Hijiri's fear of dogs.
). His biggest weakness are dogs and he dramatically screams and runs away whenever a dog is near or the very word 'dog' can send him into a fit. He also knows about Mitsuru and Natsuhiko's secret. Apparently, he is in love with Mitsuru, and though it's unrequited, he still tries to protect her. He just recently found out about Natsuhiko's weakness and frankly asks him (Natsuhiko) if an "N" can love someone other than themselves and claims that he (Eiichi) will steal Mitsuru.
, the latest series of Tachibana Higuchi. Just like Gakuen Alice, he has the ability to see spirits and controlling them. In extra stories, it seems that he is the one who doing work behind Eiichi's work.
. He has an Oedipus complex
that is not so apparent on the outside.
, the chapters of Portrait of M and N were serialized
in the Japanese magazine Hana to Yume
and collected into six tankōbon
volumes by Hakusensha
. The volumes were published from October 19, 2000 to August 19, 2003.
On May 30, 2009, Anime News Network
noted that Portrait of M and N had appeared on the Canadian Amazon.com
. Tokyopop licensed the series for an English-language release in North America.
's list of the 25 most anticipated new manga of 2010.
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...
authored by Tachibana Higuchi
Tachibana Higuchi
is a Japanese manga artist known for her works of Gakuen Alice and M to N no Shōzō.In year 1996, she first made her professional debut in Bessatsu Hana to Yume's 5th issue, entitled ....
. It is published in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
and is serialized in Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
. The manga series has 6 volumes and Tokyopop began its English publication on February 9, 2010.
Synopsis
Mitsuru is beautiful, graceful and admired by many people, but she has a weird problem—a single, violent movement against her can get her begging sweetly for more! Her nickname M, also stands for masochistic.Natsuhiko, is a guy who found out Mitsuru's secret on their first day of senior high school. Even so, he has an equally bad problem—the mere glimpse of his reflection can send him into a flying fit about how beautiful he is! He is nicknamed as N for narcissistic.
They both hope to minimize their chances of being exposed because of their weird behaviours
Mitsuru Abe
- Age: 16
- Hobbies: Watching TV and reading
- Good points: Does things seriously
- Bad points: Shy with people
Mitsuru is beautiful, graceful, admired by many people, but she has a weird problem. As an effect of her mother's "Spartan Love", a single violent movement against her can get her begging sweetly for more. She returns to her normal self once she faints. Her nickname M is the first letter of her name, but also stands for masochistic. She has an elder brother and sister. She is in love with Amakasa and because of her friendship with both Amakasa and Hijiri this has subjected her to bullying by the other girls in her class. However, she is still admired by the male classmates. She "protects" Hijiri from dogs and considers it her duty.
Natsuhiko Amakusa
- Age: 15
- Wants to be: Civil servant
Natsuhiko is a guy who has found out Mitsuru's secret on their first day of senior high school. Even so, he has an equally bad problem. Even the mere glimpse of his reflection can send him into a flying fit about how beautiful he is. He tries to hide that by wearing glasses in school, tripping over any objects at times, avoiding the girls admiration of him and especially mirrors. But he gets his own dose at his mirror shrine in his bedroom, because N is narcissistic. Natsuhiko is nicknamed as N. He considers Mitsuru his first friend and vows to protect her and later falls in love with her. He gets easily jealous when other males touch or fawn over her, particularly Hijiri who he (Natsuhiko)knows that Hijiri likes her. He is currently oblivious to Hijiri's fear of dogs.
Eiichi Hijiri
Eiichi is Mitsuru's popular senior in school. He's handsome, athletic, and has the style of a strategist. He is also Yōichi's older brother (see Gakuen AliceGakuen Alice
, also known as Alice Academy, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, currently being serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume. It was adapted into an anime series produced by Aniplex and Group TAC which originally premiered on NHK BS-2. It spanned...
). His biggest weakness are dogs and he dramatically screams and runs away whenever a dog is near or the very word 'dog' can send him into a fit. He also knows about Mitsuru and Natsuhiko's secret. Apparently, he is in love with Mitsuru, and though it's unrequited, he still tries to protect her. He just recently found out about Natsuhiko's weakness and frankly asks him (Natsuhiko) if an "N" can love someone other than themselves and claims that he (Eiichi) will steal Mitsuru.
Ririka Tsuji
Ririka is Mitsuru's friend from the same year. It appears that she is the only normal character throughout the series.Yōichi Hijiri
Yōichi's is Eiichi's younger brother. He is 3 years old. He appears as a student in the Gakuen AliceGakuen Alice
, also known as Alice Academy, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tachibana Higuchi, currently being serialized in the shōjo manga magazine Hana to Yume. It was adapted into an anime series produced by Aniplex and Group TAC which originally premiered on NHK BS-2. It spanned...
, the latest series of Tachibana Higuchi. Just like Gakuen Alice, he has the ability to see spirits and controlling them. In extra stories, it seems that he is the one who doing work behind Eiichi's work.
Kazuomi Abe
Mitsuru's older brother works as a dentistDentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
. He has an Oedipus complex
Oedipus complex
In psychoanalytic theory, the term Oedipus complex denotes the emotions and ideas that the mind keeps in the unconscious, via dynamic repression, that concentrate upon a boy’s desire to sexually possess his mother, and kill his father...
that is not so apparent on the outside.
Saaki Amakusa
Saaki Amakusa is Natsuhiko's mother. She used to be a member of Takarazuka, causing her to display an extreme character by dramatizing every single thing.Noriko Hijiri
Noriko is Eīchi and Youichi's mother. Eīchi and Youichi's father died when they are young. Noriko remarried later on. She usually looks very plain and speaks in a weird accent, but her personality drastically changes when she wears make up.Nariaki Madenokōshi
When Mitsuru was only 3 years old, her parents chose a person for her to marry. He is now 32 years old.Kaname Miki
Kazoumi's friend during high school and Nariaki's secretary.Manga
Written and illustrated by Tachibana HiguchiTachibana Higuchi
is a Japanese manga artist known for her works of Gakuen Alice and M to N no Shōzō.In year 1996, she first made her professional debut in Bessatsu Hana to Yume's 5th issue, entitled ....
, the chapters of Portrait of M and N were serialized
Serial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
in the Japanese magazine Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
and collected into six 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 by Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
. The volumes were published from October 19, 2000 to August 19, 2003.
On May 30, 2009, Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
noted that Portrait of M and N had appeared on the Canadian Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. Tokyopop licensed the series for an English-language release in North America.
Volume list
Drama CD
There is a drama CD released on February 22, 2002 in Japan by the same name as the manga. The cast is as below.- Yuko MinaguchiYuko Minaguchiis a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!...
- Mitsuru Abe - Minami TakayamaMinami Takayamais a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She was married to manga artist Gosho Aoyama on May 5, 2005 but they divorced on December 10, 2007. Minami is also a member of the pop group Two-Mix, and a part of DoCo when it was active....
- Natsuhiko Amakusa - Akira IshidaAkira IshidaAkira Ishida is a prolific male seiyū born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.He was a part of Mausu Promotion from 1988 until March 2009...
- Eiichi Hijiri - Chika SakamotoChika Sakamotois a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo affiliated with Arts Vision.-Television animation:*Baby and Me *Ashita no Nadja *Legend of the Mystical Ninja *Fighting Foodons *Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ...
Reception
Portrait of M and N ranked 18th on About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
's list of the 25 most anticipated new manga of 2010.
External links
- Portrait of M and Ns ANN Right Turn Review
- About.com review
- Portrait of M and N at Tokyopop's website