Marmalade Boy
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo manga by Wataru Yoshizumi
. It was published by Shueisha
in the magazine Ribon
from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight tankōbon
volumes. The series was adapted by Toei Animation
as a 76-episode anime
television series which aired on TV Asahi
and Fuji TV in 1994 to 1995. This was followed by a prequel theatrical anime movie in 1995. The series was also adapted as a 30-episode live-action television series that was broadcast in Taiwan
in 2002.
The manga was published in English by Tokyopop
, which also licensed the anime series. Tokyopop has since lost the license to the manga series, as Shueisha refused to renew it, leaving the releases out of print. They were also unable to renew the license for the first twenty-four episodes of the anime.
Miki and Yuu's relationship starts to become complicated because of the previous relationships that they had and developed with other characters. These include Miki's long time classmate and former crush, Ginta Suou, and Yuu's former girlfriend, Arimi Suzuki. A secondary subplot develops when Miki's best friend, Meiko Akizuki, herself starts to have her own problems because of the relationship she has gotten into with one of the teachers, Namura Shin'ichi.
Throughout the series, Miki and Yuu's relationship is further developed and tried, influenced by other characters around them and the relationships that they develop with these characters.
is a cheerful, friendly, outspoken, and good-hearted high school girl. Miki had her heart broken in junior high by her best male friend Ginta, and while she got over it and was able to become friends with him again, she also showed no interest in moving on to someone else. When she was in high school, her parents returned from a trip to Hawaii and announced they were going to swap spouses with another couple. The Matsuuras had a son Miki's age named Yuu. The two families decided to share a house together. While having to get used to her strange new family, Miki also found herself falling in love with her stepbrother.
is smart and naturally athletic, able to excel in many sports. Personality wise, he is much the opposite of Miki, being more detached, less emotional, and less open about his feelings than Miki. Miki calls him "Marmalade Boy" because she thinks he is sweet on the outside but bitter inside, while he admires Miki's ability to clearly express her emotions. After their families move in together, Yuu falls in love with Miki while dealing with his own private demons regarding his birth.
first started planning Marmalade Boy, with Miki, Yuu, Ginta, and Meiko all the opposite genders of what they ended up being in the final versions. The original Miki looked similar to Yuu's final appearance, while Yuu was an attractive girl with long black hair and a "devilish" and "unpredictable" personality. Yoshizumi notes several reasons behind the changes. Part of the reason was that it was a request from the Ribon
publishers, who wanted a female as the central character as the story was going to be included in a "Mother's Day" set with magnets featuring the characters. Her associate editor also expressed concerns that a male hero would be a "sissy" when written about by a female writer. Finally, Yoshizumi herself decided that she would go with a heroine rather than a hero as most of the Ribon
readers are girls.
In the original story, the title of Marmalade Boy was an indication of the hero Miki's cheerful, sweet, and naive nature. After redoing the concept, she wanted to keep the original title, changing its meaning to what is stated in the first volume, that Yuu "has lots of bitter bits inside" him but people only see his sweet surface.
The ending for the series was also very different from the final version. Ginta and Arimi were not going to be a couple in the original version, nor was Meiko going to be reunited with Namura. Yoshizumi originally intended for Miki and Yuu to truly be blood siblings, and thus have to break up. Afterwards, Ginta would comfort Miki and promising to wait for her to get over Yuu. Yuu and Meiko would have been shown meeting four years later, having both having failed in their previous relationships. The ending would have been more open ending so readers would have had to wonder what really would happen to everyone. However, as she was writing the third chapter, Yoshizumi became less certain of the ending, as it made Miki and Yuu's parents appear to be awful people for doing such a thing to their children. She also was concerned how readers would react, and her own feelings of "emptiness" at the sad ending. Her editor agreed that the ending would be bad, so she changed it to the happier one now found in the series.
, calling it a classic lighthearted shōjo romance that's sweet and endearing and compulsively readable.
where it was serialized monthly until its conclusion in the October 1995 issue. The 39 unnamed chapters were collected and published in eight tankōbon
volumes by Shueisha
starting on December 12, 1992; the last volume was released February 20, 1996. Shueisha later republished the series in six special edition volumes. The first special edition volume was released on March 15, 2004, with new volumes published monthly until the final volume was released on August 11, 2004.
The series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
. The individual chapters were serialized by the company's manga anthology, Smile
, from December 2001 through April 2002. Tokyopop released the first collected volume of the series on April 23, 2002, releasing new volumes monthly until the final volume was released August 5, 2003. It was one of the first manga series that Tokyopop released in the original Japanese orientation, in which the book is read from right to left, and with the original sound effects left in place. Tokyopop's volumes of the series are out of print
. Shueisha refused to renew the company's license of the series after becoming part-owner of rival publisher Viz Media
. It is also licensed for regional language releases in France by Glenat
, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid
, in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini Comics, in Italy by Planet Manga, and in Germany by Egmont
.
Marmalade Boy was adapted into a series of Japanese light novels by Yumi Kageyama, with Wataru Yoshizumi acting as illustrator. The ten volume series was published under Shueisha's Cobalt Bunko
label from July 1994 through March 1996.
adapted Marmalade Boy into a 76-episode anime
television series which aired on TV Asahi
in 1994 to 1995. This was followed by a prequel theatrical anime movie in 1995. The anime series was licensed for Region 1 DVD
release by Tokyopop
, which released the series in four box sets. Tokyopop's license for the first twenty-four episodes has since expired, leaving the anime out of print.
system in Japan on January 1, 1995. Based on the manga, the game puts players in the role of Miki, who must try to win the heart of one of her three potential suitors from the series: Yuu, Ginta, or Kei. It was released for the Super Famicom
system on April 21, 1995.
, Marmalade Boy was made into a 30-episode live-action television series called 橘子醬男孩 (pinyin
: Júzǐjiāng Nánhái). The series starred pop star Stella as Miki and F4
member Ken Zhu as Yuu; Stella also sang the theme song, "溫室的花 Wēnshì de Huā (Greenhouse Flower)". Although the basic premise was the same, it did not feature many of the characters of the anime, and the love triangles were considerably simplified.
Wataru Yoshizumi
is a Japanese manga artist. She was born as on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated with a degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University....
. It was published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
in the magazine Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
from May 1992 to October 1995 and collected in eight 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. The series was adapted by Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
as a 76-episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series which aired on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
and Fuji TV in 1994 to 1995. This was followed by a prequel theatrical anime movie in 1995. The series was also adapted as a 30-episode live-action television series that was broadcast in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in 2002.
The manga was published in English by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which also licensed the anime series. Tokyopop has since lost the license to the manga series, as Shueisha refused to renew it, leaving the releases out of print. They were also unable to renew the license for the first twenty-four episodes of the anime.
Plot
Miki Koishikawa's ordinary life as a high school sophomore is turned upside down when her parents suddenly announce that they are getting divorced in order to swap partners with a couple they met in Hawaii. They seek her approval of the shocking change, and at a dinner where Miki meets the other couple as well as their son Yuu, who is about her age, she reluctantly agrees to the arrangement. Yuu, while at first a jerk who takes every opportunity to make fun of Miki, turns out to be fun and attractive, and Miki finds herself falling for him. Little by little, she accepts her new family arrangement, and opens up to Yuu as they become friends.Miki and Yuu's relationship starts to become complicated because of the previous relationships that they had and developed with other characters. These include Miki's long time classmate and former crush, Ginta Suou, and Yuu's former girlfriend, Arimi Suzuki. A secondary subplot develops when Miki's best friend, Meiko Akizuki, herself starts to have her own problems because of the relationship she has gotten into with one of the teachers, Namura Shin'ichi.
Throughout the series, Miki and Yuu's relationship is further developed and tried, influenced by other characters around them and the relationships that they develop with these characters.
Characters
The cast of Marmalade Boy is diverse, and largely defined by their relationships with Miki Koishikawa and Yuu Matsura. Although the relationship between these two protagonists is the primary focus of the series, many of the supporting characters are also well-developed.is a cheerful, friendly, outspoken, and good-hearted high school girl. Miki had her heart broken in junior high by her best male friend Ginta, and while she got over it and was able to become friends with him again, she also showed no interest in moving on to someone else. When she was in high school, her parents returned from a trip to Hawaii and announced they were going to swap spouses with another couple. The Matsuuras had a son Miki's age named Yuu. The two families decided to share a house together. While having to get used to her strange new family, Miki also found herself falling in love with her stepbrother.
is smart and naturally athletic, able to excel in many sports. Personality wise, he is much the opposite of Miki, being more detached, less emotional, and less open about his feelings than Miki. Miki calls him "Marmalade Boy" because she thinks he is sweet on the outside but bitter inside, while he admires Miki's ability to clearly express her emotions. After their families move in together, Yuu falls in love with Miki while dealing with his own private demons regarding his birth.
Production
When Wataru YoshizumiWataru Yoshizumi
is a Japanese manga artist. She was born as on June 18, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated with a degree in economics from Hitotsubashi University....
first started planning Marmalade Boy, with Miki, Yuu, Ginta, and Meiko all the opposite genders of what they ended up being in the final versions. The original Miki looked similar to Yuu's final appearance, while Yuu was an attractive girl with long black hair and a "devilish" and "unpredictable" personality. Yoshizumi notes several reasons behind the changes. Part of the reason was that it was a request from the Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
publishers, who wanted a female as the central character as the story was going to be included in a "Mother's Day" set with magnets featuring the characters. Her associate editor also expressed concerns that a male hero would be a "sissy" when written about by a female writer. Finally, Yoshizumi herself decided that she would go with a heroine rather than a hero as most of the Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
readers are girls.
In the original story, the title of Marmalade Boy was an indication of the hero Miki's cheerful, sweet, and naive nature. After redoing the concept, she wanted to keep the original title, changing its meaning to what is stated in the first volume, that Yuu "has lots of bitter bits inside" him but people only see his sweet surface.
The ending for the series was also very different from the final version. Ginta and Arimi were not going to be a couple in the original version, nor was Meiko going to be reunited with Namura. Yoshizumi originally intended for Miki and Yuu to truly be blood siblings, and thus have to break up. Afterwards, Ginta would comfort Miki and promising to wait for her to get over Yuu. Yuu and Meiko would have been shown meeting four years later, having both having failed in their previous relationships. The ending would have been more open ending so readers would have had to wonder what really would happen to everyone. However, as she was writing the third chapter, Yoshizumi became less certain of the ending, as it made Miki and Yuu's parents appear to be awful people for doing such a thing to their children. She also was concerned how readers would react, and her own feelings of "emptiness" at the sad ending. Her editor agreed that the ending would be bad, so she changed it to the happier one now found in the series.
Reception
The English translation of the manga was favorably reviewed by Anime News NetworkAnime 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...
, calling it a classic lighthearted shōjo romance that's sweet and endearing and compulsively readable.
Manga
Marmalade Boy first premiered in the May 1992 issue of RibonRibon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
where it was serialized monthly until its conclusion in the October 1995 issue. The 39 unnamed chapters were collected and published in eight 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 Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
starting on December 12, 1992; the last volume was released February 20, 1996. Shueisha later republished the series in six special edition volumes. The first special edition volume was released on March 15, 2004, with new volumes published monthly until the final volume was released on August 11, 2004.
The series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
. The individual chapters were serialized by the company's manga anthology, Smile
Smile (magazine)
Smile was a magazine aimed at teenage girls. At first it was supposed to be a mainstream teen mag similar to Seventeen, but with added manga; later, it became more focused on manga and removed most of its other features. It was discontinued in 2002. It was published by TOKYOPOP.Sailor Moon, Peach...
, from December 2001 through April 2002. Tokyopop released the first collected volume of the series on April 23, 2002, releasing new volumes monthly until the final volume was released August 5, 2003. It was one of the first manga series that Tokyopop released in the original Japanese orientation, in which the book is read from right to left, and with the original sound effects left in place. Tokyopop's volumes of the series are out of print
Out-of-print book
An out-of-print book is a book that is no longer being published. Out-of-print books are often rare, and may be difficult to acquire.A publisher will usually create a print run of a fixed number of copies of a new book. These books can be ordered in bulk by booksellers, and when all the...
. Shueisha refused to renew the company's license of the series after becoming part-owner of rival publisher Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. It is also licensed for regional language releases in France by Glenat
Glénat
Glénat can refer to:* Glénat, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal département in France.* Glénat , a French publisher, specialising in comics and manga....
, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid
Grupo Editorial Vid
Grupo Editorial Vid is a Mexican comic, manga and books publisher. It was founded in the early 1940s as Editorial Argumentos ....
, in Spain by Planeta DeAgostini Comics, in Italy by Planet Manga, and in Germany by Egmont
Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime is one of the largest publishers of manga in Germany. It was founded in the year 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, after the manga boom in Germany became apparent around the turn of the millennium. Since 2003, EMA has been part of Egmont vgs in Cologne.- History :In...
.
Novels
Cobalt (magazine)
is a bi-monthly anthology of shōjo fiction, published in Japan by Shueisha, since May, 1976. Shueisha also publish light novels under the Cobalt imprint, many of which were originally serialised in the magazine.-Writers and series featured in Cobalt:...
label from July 1994 through March 1996.
Anime
Toei AnimationToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
adapted Marmalade Boy into a 76-episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series which aired on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
in 1994 to 1995. This was followed by a prequel theatrical anime movie in 1995. The anime series was licensed for Region 1 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which released the series in four box sets. Tokyopop's license for the first twenty-four episodes has since expired, leaving the anime out of print.
Movie
The movie for the anime acts as a prequel to the story. Taking place as a flashback after Yuu kisses Miki in the nurse's office, he recalls the first time he met Miki, shortly after his parents told him of their impending divorce and spouse swap. He found Miki practicing tennis in the park and spent the rest of the day following her around, eventually finding out she was to be his new stepsister. According to this movie, Yuu was in love with Miki before the family's meeting.Art books
- Marmalade Boy: Koi no Style Book, ISBN
- Marmalade Boy: Yoshizumi Wataru Illust-shū, ISBN 4-08-855091-9
Games
A Marmalade Boy dating simulation video game was released by Bandai Entertainment for the Nintendo Game BoyGame Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
system in Japan on January 1, 1995. Based on the manga, the game puts players in the role of Miki, who must try to win the heart of one of her three potential suitors from the series: Yuu, Ginta, or Kei. It was released for the Super Famicom
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
system on April 21, 1995.
Live-action television series
In TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Marmalade Boy was made into a 30-episode live-action television series called 橘子醬男孩 (pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Júzǐjiāng Nánhái). The series starred pop star Stella as Miki and F4
F4 (band)
F4 is a Taiwanese boy band. The group began in the Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden as F4 with members Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken Chu, and Vic Chou...
member Ken Zhu as Yuu; Stella also sang the theme song, "溫室的花 Wēnshì de Huā (Greenhouse Flower)". Although the basic premise was the same, it did not feature many of the characters of the anime, and the love triangles were considerably simplified.