Little bits about Kaoru, that add to his character

I was just reviewing vol 5 and noticed a few bits that contribute to understanding Kaoru better.

First, his friends and acquaintences. For obvious story reasons Kou Fumizuki hasn't shown us many of Kaoru's friends and acquaintences beyond the household and Mayu. But in real life people have some more. In vol 1 we see two of his drinking buddies. They look a lot like Satou and Suzuki of the photo club. Hmmm. In vol 5 ch 43 (Santa-san story) we see four more of his drinking buddies. We haven't seen them since. As an added bonus, I think he speaks with those four in front of his then-place-of-employment (job).

Second, vol 5 ch 43 gave us perhaps the best views of his old apartment. Page 110 gives one view, and page 121 provides an overhead view. I counted the six tatami mats mentioned in vol 2. The room is about 4m x 3m (12 ft x 9 ft). Add closet and bathroom. Yep, Miyabi was right. Tough to fit the love-birds, plus Miyabi!, in that space. (A reminder of different space usage in Japan compared with our experience.)

I see in vol 5 special chapter that he still has the table from his old apartment and leans it against the wall on the same side of the room when he isn't using it.

Good points Quadratic. (It's supposed to be a sign of friendship in mangas to give your associates nicknames...hope it's okay.)

I recall that the Santa-san story was kind of a flashback episode, pre-Aoi. So his drinking buddies there were definitely from where he worked at that time, and they have not re-entered the story.

I really like the artist's attention to detail. It helps to maintain consistency and interest in the story.

A (semi-)new topic, which seemed easier to place here, rather than to start a new topic.

Seems to me that every chapter of the manga features Kaoru and Aoi. That need not have been so. Aoi didn't need to appear in ch 32 or 33, Solitude and Puppet, when Kaoru (had to) spend the night with Mayu. But both have appeared in every chapter.

Anticipating vol 11 and +, has Kou Fumizuki managed to write chapters so that both Kaoru and Aoi appear in every one, or will we get the first chapter that omits one or the other?

I was doing some checking in vol 5 and vol 10 and noticed that Kaoru's room has changed from 5 to 10. How many differences can YOU spot?

I haven't really payed attention to that really. I am more interested to see what Kaoru Hanabishi will do next. I own the complete series including Enishi. I wish they would have made more between Ai Yori Aoshi ANd enishi becuase that 2 year gap is to big......

Kaoru Hanabishi Posted: Oct 5 2005, 11:02 AM

Elsewhere on this website I have posted a calendar of what has occurred in Ai Yori Aoshi. [manga, to_look_for, http://s8.invisionfree.com/Ai_Yori_Aoshi/i...hp?showtopic=70 ]
Take a look at that. Also get ahold of the manga, and then take another look at the two animes.

See that six months pass between the start of the story, when Kaoru meets Aoi again, and the point in the story when we see Tina for the first time. That cuts "that 2 year gap" down to 1 year six months. ... and so forth.

still thats still a big gap, I hope they add more to it. Ai Yori Aoshi & Enshi are the best anime series I have very seen next to .hack//sign and Please Teacher and GTO.
Put it this way I have just started my college life Like Kaoru Hanabishi, I just wish what happened to him would happen to me. Lets be honest its not the sex that most college students like me or interested in, its having that special someone next to you to hold to take out to be with and to share new stuff with.
And for the record yes I did cry when i started watching Ai Yori Aoshi. And I'de do it again.

Kaoru Hanabishi Posted on Oct 6 2005, 12:58 PM

I haven't seen the anime. This is a quote from the back cover of Ai Yori Aoshi vol 4. Truly Yours. I copied/pasted it from amazon.com.

Notice that the episodes on vol 4 anime are out-of-order compared with the manga.
The 1st and 2nd are from vol 7 of the manga.
The 3rd and 4th are from vol 5 of the manga.
The 5th sounds like it is from vol 2 of the manga.

I checked the amazon.com descriptions of the Enishi anime. I couldn't positively identify any episodes with chapters in the manga. Three of the vol 1 episodes might be drawn from vol 4 of the manga.

In any case, vol 7 manga, which introduces Chika, is only six months before Kaoru passes his grad-school entrance exam, getting into the "Enishi" anime and cutting "that two year gap" to six to eight months. ... FYI. Vol 1 ch 1 of the manga is titled "Enishi", Connection.

For the geeks and otakus: ever wonder what happened during the three months between the beginning of Ch 10 (Morning After) when Kaoru and Aoi confront Aoi's mother, and the end, three months later when Aoi is permitted to rejoin Kaoru?

a2plusb2equalc2 Posted on Oct 2 2005, 12:57 AM

Update. Vol 11 chapter 85, "A Thousand Years", when everyone notices that Kaoru is missing, was the first chapter in which Kaoru did not appear. Chapter 86, "Dregs", was the first chapter in which Aoi did not appear.

Quadratic -- The only explanation must be that the mangaka is following our comments on this board! :D