Marriage Royale
Encyclopedia
is a series of illustrated Japanese fictional short stories written by Shingo Hifumi and illustrated by Aoi Nishimata
Aoi Nishimata
is a female, Japanese visual novel character designer and illustrator who works for Navel.Hiro Suzuhira and Aoi Nishimata have known each other from high school; their first work, Ritual, was introduced in 1996. In 2003, she joined Navel along with Hiro Suzuhira, illustrating Shuffle!...

 and Hiro Suzuhira
Hiro Suzuhira
is a female Japanese manga artist, character designer and illustrator.Hiro Suzuhira and Aoi Nishimata have known each other from high school; their first work, Ritual, was introduced in 1996. In 2000, she joined BasiL and became the illustrator for Bless: Close Your Eyes, Open Your Mind. After...

; both illustrators are from Navel
Navel (company)
is a Japanese label of Omega Vision Inc. a publisher of bishōjo eroge visual novel video games. Its name is a reference to the navel orange.-Games produced:By Navel*Shuffle! *Soul Link...

. The short stories are a part of a reader-participation game in the Japanese bishōjo
Bishojo
is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo is not listed as a word in the prominent Japanese dictionary Kōjien...

 magazine Dengeki G's Magazine
Dengeki G's Magazine
is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and serializes manga and light novels based on such games. The "G's" in the title...

, published by ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...

, which started in the January 2006 issue. A 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...

 titled Marriage Royale based on the short stories, illustrated by Koko Natsuki from Lime, was serialized between the April 2007 and January 2011 issues of Dengeki G's Magazine. A second manga titled Marriage Royale: Prism Story illustrated by Junka Morozumi started serialization in Dengeki G's Festival! Comic on October 26, 2009.

Plot

Marriage Royales story revolves around the male protagonist, a high school student named Tsukasa Hinomoto, who is told one day by his parents that he was adopted. Furthermore, they tell him that his real father is a manager of a large company, meaning he is very rich and holds a lot of power. Tsukasa's real father wants his son to marry a good woman, so he sets up an event known as Marriage Royale where beautiful girls from all over Japan will come together at a school built especially for the event and vie to become Tsukasa's fiancée
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...

. The school is located on an isolated island near Japan, and Tsukasa himself is taken there to live in a mansion in the care of two twin maids: Miku, the elder sister, and Miu, the younger sister.

Main characters

Tsukasa is the protagonist of the story. He is the one all the bride candidates are trying to marry once the "Marriage Royale" is finished.


Miku is one half of the maid twins, the other being her younger sister Miu. She works for Tsukasa's father, and takes care of the mansion where he lives.


Miu is the younger sister of Miku, her twin sister, and fellow maid of the mansion where Tsukasa lives. She is in charge of educating Tsukasa in a more proper upbringing.

Bride candidates

Minato is from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

; her name comes from Minato, Tokyo
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...

, and Odaiba
Odaiba
is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. It was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s, dramatically expanded during the late 20th century as a seaport district, and has developed since the 1990s as a major commercial, residential...

. She is Tsukasa's childhood friend, and since she is prone to making silly mistakes, she sometimes appears younger than she is. She has known Tsukasa since they were in kindergarten, and went to the same junior-high, and high schools, and plans to go to the same university as him too.


Minami is from Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...

; her name comes from Namba
Namba
is a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...

, which is also known as Minami, and Umeda
Umeda
Umeda is the main commercial and central business district in Kita-ku, Osaka, Japan, best known as the city's main northern railway terminus .Umeda is a large traffic hub, as well as the principal office and hotel district...

. She and Tsukasa went to the same elementary school together, and Tsukasa developed his first crush on her. Despite being from Osaka, she can speak both standard Japanese dialent, and Kansai dialect, which is the main dialect of the region in and around Osaka. She has a high interest in fashion and styles of clothing.


Komachi is from Akita Prefecture
Akita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....

; her name comes from a brand in rice in Japan known as Akitakomachi. Her family holds friendly relations with Tsukasa's birth-family and is a typical daughter of a distinguished family. She was originally brought up to become Tsukasa's fiancé
Engagement
An engagement or betrothal is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage which may be lengthy or trivial. During this period, a couple is said to be betrothed, affianced, engaged to be married, or simply engaged...

.


Otoha is from Aichi Prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

; her name comes from Otowa, Aichi
Otowa, Aichi
was formerly a town located in Hoi District, Aichi, Japan. On January 15, 2008 Otowa was merged with the city of Toyokawa.As of November 1, 2007 , the town had an estimated population of 8,870 and a population density of 299.15 persons per km². The total area was 29.65 km².-Geography:*Principal...

, and Shinshiro, Aichi
Shinshiro, Aichi
is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 49,731 and the population density of 99.7 persons per km². The total area was 499.00 km².-Geography:...

. She is the niece of Tsukasa's adoptive parents, making her his cousin, though she also seems like a younger sister to him. She is generally innocent, though is also selfish and has an evil-streak.


Miyako is from Fukuoka Prefecture
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

; her name comes from Miyako, Fukuoka
Miyako, Fukuoka
is a town located in Miyako District, Fukuoka, Japan.The town was founded on March 20, 2006, by the merger of the towns of Katsuyama, Saigawa and Toyotsu, all from Miyako District....

, and Asakura, Fukuoka
Asakura, Fukuoka
is a city located in south central Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city was created on March 20, 2006 when the old town of Asakura, from Asakura District, absorbed the former city of Amagi, and the town of Haki, also from Asakura District, to form the new city of Asakura.-Geography:Asakura is...

. She has a doting father, which humbles her view of male society. She hates to lose in anything, and when engaged in a challenge, she will stop at nothing to win. She typically has a cold attitude towards Tsukasa, giving her a tsundere
Tsundere
is a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...

 personality.


Yakumo is from Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

; her name comes from Yakumo, Hokkaidō
Yakumo, Hokkaido
is a town located in Futami District, Oshima, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 19,543 and a density of 23.08 persons per km². The total area is 955.98 km²....

, and Hidaka, Hokkaidō
Hidaka, Hokkaido
is a town located in Saru District, Hidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan.-Geography:Hidaka town is divided into two wards, which coincide with the former towns of Hidaka and Monbetsu. Biratori lies between the two wards separating them. Hidaka lies in the Hidaka Mountains at a cross road leading to Sapporo,...

. She is a hard person to figure out, and others do not readily know her intentions; part of the reason for this is that she dresses in a Gothic Lolita style of clothing. She is generally indifferent about the world around her, and can be blunt.


Sera is from Hiroshima Prefecture
Hiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...

; her name comes from Sera, Hiroshima
Sera, Hiroshima
is a town located in Sera District, Hiroshima, Japan.On October 1, 2004 the towns of Kōzan and Seranishi, both from Sera District, were merged into the expanded town of Sera....

, and Saeki-ku, Hiroshima
Saeki-ku, Hiroshima
is one of the eight wards of the city of Hiroshima, Japan.The Hiroshima Branch of the Japan Mint is located here.The ward added the former town of Yuki from Saeki District on April 25, 2005....

. Due to a traumatic event when she was a child, she has developed a fear of men
Androphobia
Androphobia is an abnormal fear of men. The word is derived from the Greek άνδρας and φόβος .:)Androphobia may be related to traumatic events in the sufferer's past...

. This fear is expressed especially in closed spaces near men, such as in elevators, or packed trains. She likes to collect stuffed toys and dolls, and generally likes things that are considered cute.


Asahi is from Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...

; her name comes from Asahi, Niigata
Asahi, Niigata
was a village located in Iwafune District, Niigata, Japan.The village was named after the Asahi Mountains.As of 2005, the village had an estimated population of 11,836 and a density of 18.69 persons per km²...

, and Sanjō, Niigata
Sanjo, Niigata
is a city located in central part of Niigata, Japan. The city has a Jōetsu Shinkansen stop at Tsubame-Sanjō Station.- Geography :Sanjō is located in the center of Niigata prefecture. It is about 2 hours from Tokyo by way of the Jōetsu Shinkansen or 4 hours on the Kan-Etsu Expressway and Hokuriku...

. She was raised by her father, and due to his influence, dresses and acts like a male, rarely wearing feminine attire.


Ena is from Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

; her name comes from the Tenryū-ku ward
Wards of Japan
A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...

 of Hamamatsu. During her junior-high school years, she was a junior of Minami Umeda, but afterwards transferred to Shizuoka Prefecture. She is usually a cheerful girl who is frank and manages the soccer club.


Iyo is from Ehime Prefecture
Ehime Prefecture
is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. The capital is Matsuyama.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, Ehime prefecture was known as Iyo Province...

; her name comes from Iyo, Ehime
Iyo, Ehime
is a city located in Ehime, Japan.On April 1, 2005, Iyo merged with the towns of Nakayama and Futami from the surrounding Iyo District to form the new city of Iyo, raising its population to over 40,000 and nearly quadrupling its area.-Geography:...

, and Uwajima, Ehime
Uwajima, Ehime
is a city located in Ehime, Japan. In 1595, what is now Uwajima was known as Itajima village. Takatora Tohdo became lord of the Uwa region, and ordered the restoration of Marugushi Castle...

. Despite being eighteen-years-old, she comes off as an older gyaru
Gyaru
is a Japanese transliteration of the English word gal, that of girl being . The name originated from a 1970s brand of jeans called "gals", with the advertising slogan: "I can't live without men", and was applied to fashion- and peer-conscious girls in their teens and early twenties. Its usage...

-like girl. She is the eldest of four sisters and likes to look after her younger siblings. She has the tendency to get wild ideas and can be seen as unreliable.


Ebino is from Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....

; her name comes from Ebino, Miyazaki
Ebino, Miyazaki
is a city located in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. Ebino shares borders with Kagoshima Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture and Kobayashi, Miyazaki.-History:The town of Ebino was created through the administrative merging of the towns of Masaki, Kakutō, and Īno in 1966...

, and the Japanese name for the Poisonbulb
Crinum
Crinum is a genus of about 180 species of perennial plants that have large showy flowers on leafless stems, and develop from bulbs. They are found along the sides of streams and lakes in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, including South Africa....

 flower. She has a bit of an evil-streak and is maniacal about many hobbies. She likes to call Tsukasa "Darling", and is the shortest of the bride candidates.


Uruma is from Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...

; her name comes from Nago, Okinawa
Nago, Okinawa
is a city located in the northern part of Okinawa Island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 60,598 and the density of 288 persons per km². The total area is 210.30 km². The city was founded on August 1, 1970, and hosted the G-8 Summit in 2000.-...

, and Uruma, Okinawa
Uruma, Okinawa
is a city in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.It was formed on April 1, 2005, from the merger of the old cities of Gushikawa and Ishikawa, and the towns of Katsuren and Yonashiro, both from Nakagami District....

. She is the youngest child from a large, poor family. Due to a simplistic life with little to no luxuries, she was able to focus mainly on her school work and gets good grades because of it. She likes to refer to Tsukasa as "Onii-san", meaning "older brother".

Books and publications

Marriage Royale began as a reader-participation game in the January 2006 issue of ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...

'
Dengeki G's Magazine
Dengeki G's Magazine
is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and serializes manga and light novels based on such games. The "G's" in the title...

, where the profiles of two girls, Minato Daiba and Minami Umeda, were supplied for the reader. After reading the profiles, the reader could illustrate what they wanted the girls to look like, and send it in; out of all the entries, two were chosen for each girl, and the attributes of both were combined to create a single character design illustrated by either Aoi Nishimata
Aoi Nishimata
is a female, Japanese visual novel character designer and illustrator who works for Navel.Hiro Suzuhira and Aoi Nishimata have known each other from high school; their first work, Ritual, was introduced in 1996. In 2003, she joined Navel along with Hiro Suzuhira, illustrating Shuffle!...

, or Hiro Suzuhira
Hiro Suzuhira
is a female Japanese manga artist, character designer and illustrator.Hiro Suzuhira and Aoi Nishimata have known each other from high school; their first work, Ritual, was introduced in 1996. In 2000, she joined BasiL and became the illustrator for Bless: Close Your Eyes, Open Your Mind. After...

. Both illustrators are from Navel
Navel (company)
is a Japanese label of Omega Vision Inc. a publisher of bishōjo eroge visual novel video games. Its name is a reference to the navel orange.-Games produced:By Navel*Shuffle! *Soul Link...

, which is also known for producing the visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

s Shuffle!
Shuffle!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Navel. It was originally released as an adult game for Microsoft Windows on January 30, 2004. It was subsequently followed by an all-ages release for the PlayStation 2 and an expanded adult release for Windows...

, and Soul Link
Soul Link
Soul Link is a visual novel eroge developed by Navel, centering around a group of military cadets' adventure aboard a space hotel called Aries.A PlayStation 2 port of the original game Soul Link Extension was released in Japan on June 29, 2006...

. Every three months, two new profiles were published, and this pattern continued until the fourth round with eight girls at the time. The second round introduced Komachi Akita, and Otoha Shinjo; the third round brought in Miyako Asakura, and Yamuko Hidaka; and the fourth round had Sera Saeki, and Asahi Sanjo. In the September 2007 issue, four more profiles were published, with the same rules applying as with the previous rounds; the fifth round covered Ena Tenryū, Iyo Uwajima, Ebino Hamayū, and Uruma Nago. Aoi Nishimata has provided illustrations for Miku, Minami, Komachi, Yakumo, Sera, Iyo, and Ebino; Hiro Suzuhira drew Miu, Minato, Otoha, Miyako, Asahi, Ena, and Uruma.

The short stories themselves, written by Shingo Hifumi, are more or less vignettes
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...

 where each one gives a very brief glimpse of a scene between the protagonist, and the given heroine he is with in the story. The stories are accompanied by illustrations of the given heroine, and are drawn by either Aoi Nishimata, or Hiro Suzuhira depending on which artist originally drew which girl. The first batch of stories, serialized between the May 2006 and March 2007 issues, was under the collective title Girl's Heart, and contained eight chapters, one for each of the first eight heroines. A second batch under the general title Dearest Stories was serialized between the October 2007 and October 2008 issues and contained 13 chapters.

Two light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...

s titled
Marriage Royale written by Shingo Hifumi were published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko
Dengeki Bunko
is a publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works . It was established in June 1993 with the publication of Hyōryū Densetsu Crystania volume one, and is a light novel imprint aimed at a male audience...

 imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...

 between March 10 and September 10, 2010.

Manga

The
Marriage Royale 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...

, illustrated by Koko Natsuki of Lime, was serialized between the April 2007 and January 2011 issues of
Dengeki G's Magazine
Dengeki G's Magazine
is a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and serializes manga and light novels based on such games. The "G's" in the title...

, published by ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...

. Seven
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 were released between October 27, 2007 and January 27, 2011 under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comics
Dengeki Comics
is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label which publishes a lesser number of manga volumes...

 imprint. A second manga titled
Marriage Royale: Prism Story illustrated by Junka Morozumi started serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki G's Festival! Comic on October 26, 2009. The first volume of Prism Story was released on January 27, 2011.

External links

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