GWMitsuru

Also known as: Mitsuru-sempai, "Ikeda-sempaiii!"

Grade: Second Year at the start of the series

Room: 211 (with Tezuka Shinobu)

Birthday: March Twenty-somethingth

Sign: Aries

Blood Type: A

Height: 176 cm (~5'10")

Weight: 58 kg (~128 lbs! Yikes! Quick! Get the man some food!)

Seiyuu: Iwata Mitsuo (Kaneda/Akira, Suzy/Kodomo no Omocha TV)

History:

Mitsuru is the eldest son of the Ikeda family and heir to the Kouryu Temple
in Uguisudani. He is also adopted, having been found abandoned outside
the temple on the day his brother, Masato, was born. Although he lives
close enough to Ryokuto Academy to easily commute, Mitsuru has chosen to
live in the dorms to distance himself from his family. There are rumors that
Mitsuru was a member of a gang in junior high, but they are unconfirmed.
Mitsuru is the dorm head of Greenwood in his second year.

Appearance:

A handsome, tall and slender young man with blond hair and rose-colored
eyes. Likes to dress casually when given the opportunity, and often loosens
his tie or rolls his shirtsleeves up. Often swarmed by girls.

Personality:

Mitsuru is extremely charismatic, with an open, sunny personality. He also
has a mischievous streak, and isn't above teasing his kouhai mercilessly.
(Mitsuru is the one who shortens Hasukawa's name to "Suka-chan", or

"little nothing", by deleting the first and last syllables.) Although he can be
annoying, Mitsuru looks after the dorm residents well and is always
available to help them with their problems. He likes to think the best of
everyone and is forgiving of his enemies (in volume two of the manga he
even restrains Shinobu from venting his wrath on Nagisa). Mitsuru is
capable of the judicious use of violence, when appropriate, but does not
resort to violence when angry (which he very seldom is).

Special Abilities/Points of Interest:

Any wound to Mitsuru's face heals in less than a minute. He uses this as an
excuse to steal food from Hasukawa in order to "maintain his face."
(Mitsuru tends to steal food from a lot of people, actually.)

Mitsuru knows karate and has used it to KO shoji screens, Nagisa's
henchmen, a random kidnapper, and Shinobu (manga only).

Mitsuru's Japanese is less polite than that of the other boys. This probably
perpetuates the rumors of his gang association.

His sexual orientation is ambiguous. In the manga, Mitsuru is easily
embarrassed by just the sight of ladies' underwear, which leads one to
believe he has had little experience with women, at least.

Mitsuru is currently one centimeter taller than Shinobu. According to the
manga, at some unspecified date in the future he will be one centimeter
shorter than Shinobu.

Mitsuru plays the trombone. He joined brass band in junior high because
all the sports clubs at his school had members with shaved heads. ^_^;;

He wears briefs. (But looks better in swim trunks! ^_~)

In the manga, Mitsuru shows these abilities:

Pachinko wizard (illegal, since he's a minor)

Note: Pachinko is a form of gambling -- kind of a cross between slot
machines and pinball.

Running (he is the anchor of a relay race)

High Jumping (he clears two meters in his first year at Ryokuto)

Baseball Playing

Ghost repelling (from his childhood living in a Buddhist temple)

Sewing (he's seen making school festival costumes in volume 6)

Cross-dressing (he won the title of "Ryokuto Queen" in volume 4)

Making grotesque faces (he scares Nagisa into feeding him in volume 2)

Imo-girl Recommends:

If you like Mitsuru (and who doesn't?!) because. . .

. . .he's got brains, beauty and heart, see Matsuura Yuu (Marmalade Boy).

. . .he's sometimes annoying, but takes good care of his kouhai, watch
Miwa Satoshi (Marmalade Boy).

. . .he's a karate-chopping blond kid, take a gander at Hayama Akito
(Kodomo no Omocha).

. . .Lemon Herb has great shoulder pads, lay your eyes on Gourry (Slayers).

. . .he's a gorgeous smart-ass, check out Gieve (Arslan Senki).

Relationships:

I think Mitsuru sees Kazuya as both a little brother and also a younger
version of himself. It's tempting to think that Mitsuru is so hard on
Kazuya because he identifies with him. (Anyone want to take bets on
whether *Mitsuru* wanted to go home for winter break his first year?)
My own take on the Shinobu: "How long is this going to last? . . . I meant
you" line is that Shinobu is (gently) chiding Mitsuru for letting his own
personal history affect his treatment of their kouhai.

Mitsuru and Shun are friends, of course. It's cute to see them act happy
and excited together (see Manga vol. 5, "The Girls of Summer").

The relationship between Mitsuru and Shinobu is complex and the
subject of endless speculation. A few statements can be made, however.
First, they are friends. Very good friends. Best friends, in fact. There
is no proof in the manga or anime that they are anything more than that
(although some may choose to believe they are, and they *would* make
a good couple). Mitsuru sees the good lurking in Shinobu and is quite
ruthless (and fearless) when it comes to forcing him to see it, too. It's
not generally a good idea to pick a fistfight with the person you're going
to have to live with for the next three years, but Mitsuru risks suspension
(and retribution! *shudder*) to break through to his roommate.

Mitsuru's relationship with his family is only hinted at, but it is one of
the more interesting and poignant aspects of the series. Frankly, a whole
OAV series could probably be devoted to the subject, and I, for one,
would buy it! They love him, he loves them, he feels unworthy, he
leaves, and it's never resolved. Aaaaargh! I just want to shake the boy!

Why I Worship:

It's not just because he's smart and beautiful and talented. No, really.
It's because *despite* his smarts, beauty and talent, he's a truly caring
person. Whether he's rescuing a little girl from a kidnapper (and more
importantly, letting her eat *his* food!), cross-dressing for a catfight or
giving his kouhai a smack upside the head with a rolled-up magazine,
Mitsuru never stops trying to do right by the people he considers his
friends and family. (Of course, his sense of "right" may cause him to
beat up, humiliate, or otherwise *piss off* said friends and family, but at
least his heart is in the right place.) Add that touch of angst to the mix
and he's irresistible.