Kunisaki Izumo no Jijō (國崎出雲の事情, lit. Some Personal Problems of Izumo Kunisaki) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Aya Hirakawa (ひらかわ あや, Hirakawa Aya). The series began on January 2010 in the Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine. Before the series, a one-shot by the same title was featured in Weekly Shonen Sunday in February 2009, as a prototype. This article is written mostly about the series, as major changes were made between the one-shot and the series.
Story
Izumo Kunisaki, a boy with lovely features often mistaken as a girl, is an onna-gata (female role) actor in the Japanese traditional stage play kabuki. The series is a comedy following Izumo's school and actor life. Izumo performs some of the most famous roles in kabuki, solving problems and gaining friends on the way.
Production
A prototype oneshot of this series was a battle story, in which the hero Izumo transforms into a battle form of Izumo no Okuni, founder of kabuki and beautiful lady. This prototype first appeared in Weekly Shonen Sunday in February 2008, and reprinted in Shōnen Sunday Super, January 2011.[1]
The series, greatly revised from the prototype to a school and actor slice-of-life comedy, is stated to be in the Otokono-ko (男の娘) genre in the obi strip and media sources introducing this manga.[2] On the other hand, this series highlights the Japanese traditional performing art kabuki, which is rather rare to be a manga theme.[3][4]
Aya Hirakawa comments that kabuki is a theme she always wanted to write about. She was born and raised in Shimane Prefecture, believed to be the birthplace of Izumo no Okuni, founder of kabuki. She became interested in kabuki when she participated in a play about Izumo no Okuni when she was in junior high school.[5]
First edition of the comics published in Japan has illustration printed on the backside of the cover. Also, Omake such as illustrated papers are bundled in the book as sales promotion in bookstores such as Animate and Comic Toranoana after each comic release.[6]
Drama CD
A drama CD was released in October 19, 2011 as a bundle for the limited edition of Volume 7 of the manga.[7]
The main character of the story. Onna-gata (女形, female role) kabuki actor and first year student of the entertainment division in Shijogawara High School.
Born to a kabuki-performing family Kunisaki-ya (國崎屋, Kunisaki family), he began his acting career in his childhood, but had not performed for eight years due to his parents' separation and his own antipathy for playing female roles. With his feminine looks, he is a natural as a female impersonator, and attracts both male and female characters in and out of the stage. He dislikes cross-dressing, but is often forced to wear female clothing. He works part-time as a maid in a maid cafe.[8] In school he proves to have good sense in sports. He is also an excellent cook.
An Onna-gata actor in Kunisaki-ya. As a senior apprentice, Kagato teaches Izumo female role performance. He is a talented actor with beautiful features and delicate health. He falls ill before his stage in chapter 1, forcing Izumo to fill in and re-start his Onna-gata career. He often cross-dresses under the pretext of the "study of Onna-gata", but Izumo suspects he only likes it. He is enthusiastic about teaching Izumo the art of the Onna-gata, but sometimes his enthusiasm is a little too overwhelming...
Yakumo Kunisaki (國崎 八雲, Kunisaki Yakumo)
Izumo's father and the present head of Kunisaki-ya. He loves his son, apparently too much, getting sexually aroused by Izumo dressed in female costumes. Because of his obsession with his son, his wife left him and took Izumo with her.
Son of a distinguished kabuki family Togashiki-ya, and a tachi-yaku (立役, male role) actor. Second year student of the entertainment division in Shijogawara High School. He comes to believe Izumo is a girl after performing with him in the play Narukami, as he touches Izumo's breasts and find it soft (actually it was a donut). He has a crush on Izumo ever since. He's very flamboyant and likes to show off that he is handsome. He often tries to protect Izumo but also holds himself back so that Izumo can grow for the sake of Kabuki.
Son of kabuki family Minamoto-ya, and a tachi-yaku actor. First year student of the entertainment division in Shijogawara High School. Having childish features, he had played only child roles until the age of 15, as he was afraid the audience will not accept him as an adult. Izumo encourages him to play his first adult role in the play Kamakura Sandai Ki. He's clingy to Izumo. Many scenes show that he has a much darker, imp-like personality underneath his cute exterior.
First son of kabuki family Sugawara-ya, one of the most prominent families in the Rien (梨園, Kabuki world). tachi-yaku actor, and second year student of the entertainment division in Shijogawara High School. As the heir of his family, he was promised good roles but was eventually spoiled by it, having rough manners and not showing up for practice. He actually acted this way because he wanted Matsuki to become the head of house, not himself. Despite his delinquent attitude, he is extremely attached to his younger brother. Examples include snapping at Kuroe for calling Matsuki 'Brother Matsuki' ("Don't call him that! He's my brother!") and angrily crying when Matsuki calls him 'stupid'. ("What the heck? That's too hurtful, Matsu! Always calling others stupid!")
Second son of kabuki family Sugawara-ya, tachi-yaku actor, and first year student of the normal division in Shijogawara High School. He is also a regular customer of the maid cafe where Izumo works part-time. Matsuki hated his older brother Umeki, for his rough behavior and loss of respect for Kabuki. Dispute between the brothers came to a solution after Izumo served to bridge them in the play Kagotsurube. The first time he met Izumo was when Izumo was working in a maid cafe. He developed some feelings for the 'female' Izumo but immediately squashed them when he realized that Izumo was male. Despite that, he still calls Izumo 'Maid', much to the other's chagrin.
Kiyora Azami (薊 清良, Azami Kiyora)
Leader of a new kabuki troupe Zan-Kabuki (斬歌舞伎, Zan Kabuki). He bears a grudge against traditional kabuki, and goes hard on traditional actors like Izumo. He once belonged to a traditional kabuki family, but was banned from it because his teacher decided his performance did not follow traditions. Recovers relationship with his former teacher through the play Yamatotakeru.
Iori Sakura (佐倉 伊織, Sakura Iori)
A son of a traditional kabuki family, he was tortured in Kiyora's Zan-kabuki troupe. He is an extremely optimistic person, and does not think he was being ill-treated at all.
A childhood friend of Izumo, and daughter of kabuki family Nakamura-ya. She is not a kabuki actress, as kabuki is only performed by men, but knows a lot about kabuki and the Rien. She is a first year student in the entertainment division just like Izumo, and is hinted to be a TV talent of some sort.[9] Calls Izmo "Ikkun". A fan of Kagato.
Student guidance teacher of Shijogawara High School. She strictly keeps an eye on her students, but she does not hide her sexual arousal for Izumo. A kabuki fan in her childhood, she was hurt by the haughty behavior of an actor she liked, causing her to abandon her love for kabuki until she was ordered to check Izumo's performance in the play Sannin Kichiza.
Shuichiro Kagami (各務 秀一郎, Kagami Shūichirō)
A rich kid suffering from a lack of attention from his father, who is an important patron of Kunisaki-ya. After watching Izumo's kabuki stage performance in Yotsuya Kaidan, the father and son began to take time together.
Rui Shiga (志賀 累, Shiga Rui)
Izumo's apprentice. He declared love to Izumo while dressed in girl's clothing, and demanded to enter Kunisaki-ya as a Onnna-gata to be. A third year junior high school student, he wishes to become a Kabuki actor after being enthralled by Izumo's stage performance during a school trip to the theater.
Tojiro Izaya (伊左屋 藤次郎, Izaya Tōjirō)
An actor from the Kansai region, who claims himself to be the top young actor of Kansai-style kabuki, or Kamigata-Kabuki. He seems to be arrogant and proud, but is actually very serious about acting and therefore, sensitive. He suffers from a slump due to poor relationship with other actors while practicing for the kabuki play Sonezaki Shinju, but eventually managed to overcome that with the help of Izumo and Umeki.
