Girls Bravo

Girls Bravo (GIRLSブラボー, Gārusu Burabō?) is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Mario Kaneda and serialized from 2000 to 2005 in Shōnen Ace by Kadokawa Shoten. The story focuses on a young high school student who is kicked into a bathtub and transported to a mysterious world with a mostly female population.

The anime adaptation of Girls Bravo, directed by Ei Aoki and animated by AIC Spirits, aired in Japan from 2004 to 2005. There are 24 episodes total. The anime series was released in English by Geneon, and the manga was released in English by Tokyopop. A visual novel was also released for the PlayStation 2.

In July 2010, Funimation Entertainment released a statement on their Twitter feed confirming that they have licensed Girls Bravo.

Plot
Yukinari Sasaki is an average high school student who was teased and bullied by girls to the point that he developed an allergic reaction to them. As a result, he breaks out in hives whenever he comes into contact with a female. One day, when he returns home from school, he gets kicked into his bathtub by Kirie Kojima, his neighbor, and is transported to Seiren (セーレン, Sēren?, spelled as "Siren" in the Tokyopop manga translation), a mysterious world with a mostly female population. Eventually, Yukinari befriends Miharu Sena Kanaka as well as her sister Maharu.

Main

 * Yukinari Sasaki (佐々木 雪成, Sasaki Yukinari?)
 * Yukinari is the main protagonist of Girls Bravo. Because he has been bullied by girls all his life, he develops an extreme case of gynophobia where he suffers an allergic reaction whenever he comes into contact with one. After being kicked into his bathtub by Kirie Kojima, he is transported to the alien world of Seiren, a planet where men comprise less than 10% of the population. He meets Miharu, but does not break out in a rash on contact. He is often punished by Kirie for stumbling into inappropriate situations involving the girls. He is voiced by Mamiko Noto in Japanese and by Yuri Lowenthal in English. Daisuke Sakaguchi provides Yukinari's voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Miharu Sena Kanaka (ミハル·セナ·カナカ?)
 * Miharu is a resident of Seiren who pulls Yukinari Sasaki into Seiren and follows him back to Earth to live with him. She has a mark on her forehead shaped like three dots in a triangle called Seikon, which provides her with several powers, such as the ability to transfer between Seiren and Earth, and the power to create explosions whenever she is in emotional distress. She is also the only woman who can touch Yukinari without triggering his allergy. Miharu has a large appetite and a rapid metabolism. On Earth, much of her focus has been on questioning her friends on whether something is edible or not (like butterflies), and her continuous misunderstandings about Earth (such as believing that April Fools' Day means that everyone on Earth lies for one day) is the title's primary source of humor. Despite this, she has a heart of gold, an explorer's fascination with Earth, and has a close relationship with Yukinari. She is an extremely innocent girl who does not show any discomfort with being partially or fully naked in front of Yukinari, and she does not lose her temper even when made the target of Fukuyama's lecherous actions, unless the process involves food or disrupts her eating time. Miharu is voiced by Ayako Kawasumi in Japanese and by Michelle Ruff in English. Kawasumi also provides her voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Kirie Kojima (小島 桐絵, Kojima Kirie?)
 * Kirie is Yukinari Sasaki's neighbor and classmate who takes care of him from time to time. She is especially well-endowed, which makes her a natural target for Kazuharu Fukuyama's perverted actions. However, due to her physical aptitude and martial-arts abilities, she always defeats him. She regularly beats up Yukinari Sasaki for his bad luck. Kirie inadvertently sends Yukinari to his first arrival into Seiren when she slugs him for unintentionally walking in on her when her shower was not working correctly and she used Yukinari's instead, which led him to fall into the bathtub. Despite their often-times turbulent relationship, Kirie has a deep affection for Yukinari and usually tries to help him. Because of her strong character and appearance, Kirie attracts a large number of admirers among the boys in her high school. In the manga, Kirie is accosted by an alternate version of Lisa Fukuyama when she enters a parallel world through an enchanted mirror in Fukuyama's house. In the anime adaptation, she also attracts female admirers, specifically Kosame and Hijiri Kanata, much to her dismay. A running gag throughout the series is Kirie's complete lack of cooking skills which result in the creation of food that is inedible and dangerous. Kirie has a fear of ghosts and the paranormal, and despite her tomboyish character enjoys collecting dolls. Kirie is voiced by Chiwa Saito in Japanese and by Lulu Chiang in English. Masumi Asano provides her voice for the Drama CDs


 * Kazuharu Fukuyama (福山 和春, Fukuyama Kazuharu?
 * Fukuyama is a classmate of Yukinari Sasaki and Kirie Kojima. Fukuyama is rich, powerful, and perverted, and while he often chases girls and insults Yukinari by calling him "Puny-Nari" (チビなり, Chibi-nari?), he does show a serious, caring side in critical situations. He suffers androphobia to the point that he has developed an allergy that causes him to break out with a rash whenever he comes into contact with another male. He often appears without the others noticing until he announces his presence, whereupon he either gropes or strips the girls of their clothing, which always earns him a severe beating from Kirie. Despite his own lecherous behavior, Fukuyama is highly protective of his younger sister, Lisa, and strongly objects to her affections for Yukinari. Fukuyama is voiced by Ryōtarō Okiayu in Japanese and by Liam O'Brien in English, of which O'Brien received a nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy at the American Anime Awards. Shin-ichiro Miki provides Fukuyama's voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Lisa Fukuyama (福山 リサ, Fukuyama Risa?, spelled as "Risa Fukuyama" in the Tokyopop manga translation)
 * Lisa is Kazuharu Fukuyama's slightly insane younger sister. Lisa is a master of black magic, which causes several issues throughout the series such as infesting her family's mansion with ghosts, summoning a giant octopus in the school swimming pool, and causing an explosion within a shopping center. Lisa is constantly accompanied by Hayate and Kosame, who cater to her every whim such as gathering intelligence or even kidnapping. She develops an infatuation for Yukinari after his appearance matches a description in her horoscope for her soul mate and often employs her magic to get closer to him—with predictably disastrous results. Although she considers Miharu a rival, she is very fond of Ebi, who reminds her of the pet cat she owned when she was a little girl. In the anime adaptation, Ebi's girl form reminds her of a doll she used to spend her days with, which she reunites with later on thanks to Tomoka's magic. Lisa is voiced by Yuki Matsuoka in Japanese and by Hunter MacKenzie Austin in English. Satomi Koorogi provides her voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Koyomi Hare Nanaka (コヨミ·ハレ·ナナカ?)
 * Koyomi is an androphobic resident of Seiren. Her phobia is only made worse by being one of Kazuharu Fukuyama's favorite targets; in the manga, she keeps a diary of how many times he has accosted her. Originally sent to Earth on a mission from the Space Travel Agency to 'retrieve' Miharu Sena Kanaka, she later moves into Yukinari's house on a prolonged mission to find a husband for Miharu's sister Maharu. However, her fear of men makes the act of even talking to a man nearly impossible. Koyomi's favorite pastime is reading, but she has a natural talent for table tennis, having won a tournament for a similar sport on Seiren. In the anime adaptation, Koyomi is also searching for her father, a native of Earth, whom she eventually reunites with. Koyomi's mother possessed a Seikon mark, and Koyomi herself possesses a dormant form of Seikon allowing her to create a portal to Seiren after Miharu is kidnapped by Hijiri Kanata. After she loses in Fukuyama's Cosplay Mahjong game, she is forced to wear nothing but a python, which she later ironically adopts as a pet. Koyomi is voiced by Masayo Kurata in Japanese and by Carrie Savage in English. Hekiru Shiina provides her voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Tomoka Lana Jude (トモカ·ラナ·ジュード<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Tomoka Rana Jūdo<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Tomoka is a resident of Seiren who is sent to aid Koyomi Hare Nanaka in finding Maharu a groom after her less than productive efforts. Although a child, Tomoka deeply resents being treated as one and insists that she is as mature as anyone else, despite frequent actions by her which prove otherwise. She gets along fairly well with Fukuyama, whom she later refers to as an older brother after the two team up to obtain some mutual objective. She has developed a small crush on him but it is not something he is aware of. Tomoka can also use transformation magic. In the anime adaptation, Tomoka frequently uses Ebi as a makeshift club for hitting almost anything and anyone; she becomes friends with Lisa after conceding defeat in a magical duel. She is also obsessed with Poyon, her favorite TV show character. Because she is a child, Tomoka is able to have contact with Yukinari without triggering his female allergy. She also looks up to Kirie as an older sister. For example, she follows Kirie's example of drop-kicking Fukuyama right in the face. Tomoka is later revealed to be a genius capable of instantly answering a complex math equation from a college entrance exam. Tomoka is voiced by Ayaka Saitō in Japanese and by J-Ray in English.


 * Ebi (えび<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Ebi is a creature from Seiren that resembles a plump miniature seal with the face of a cat and a pair of large bobbing antenna, which causes Miharu to claim she resembles a shrimp (ebi is the Japanese word for shrimp). She is accidentally summoned by Miharu during a bath, and becomes a pet for the Miharu and the girls. In the anime adaptation, Tomoka pulls her out of her bag. She suffers a great deal of torment at the hands of Tomoka, who uses her as a club, flail, fishing bait, or handball. When Tomoka transforms Ebi into a girl for a brief amount of time, Yukinari and Kirie pay more attention to the transformed Ebi than to her. In the anime episode where the gang play Mahjong, Ebi is able to think through the entire play in her mind but is unable to communicate the move to novice Tomoka, rendering her plan fruitless. Also in the anime, Ebi can shoot a powerful beam attack called the E-beam from her mouth although it takes a while to recharge. Ebi is voiced by Tomoko Kaneda in Japanese and by Karen Thompson in English. In the Mahjong episode, Ebi's monologues are done by Fumihiko Tachiki in Japanese and Dameon Clarke in English.

Supporting

 * Maharu Sena Kanaka (マハル·セナ·カナカ<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Maharu is Miharu's well-endowed older sister. She is very determined and will not hesitate to use violence to get her way. Although initially jealous of Miharu's relationship with Yukinari Sasaki, she eventually gives them her blessing. Much to Yukinari's dismay, that does not stop her from flirting and fondling him whenever she gets a chance. Due to Seiren's low male population and the fact that she is close to 30, Maharu assigns both Koyomi and Tomoka to find a man of her own on Earth. Though flirtatious, she is, in fact, quite picky by Seiren standards, rejecting Kazuharu Fukuyama immediately upon discovering his perverted nature. In the epilogue for the anime adaptation, she proposes to Hayate. Maharu is voiced by Sayaka Ohara in Japanese and by Karen Thompson in English. Kotono Mitsuishi provides her voice for the Drama CDs.


 * Lilica Stacy (梨々花·ステイジー<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Ririka Suteijī<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Lilica is the Fukuyamas' chief maid. She is stoic and polite, even when Kirie destroys some expensive equipment. However, she shows shock when Kirie and Yukinari introduce themselves as Fukuyama's friends. She later reveals that she has fought in military operations in Bosnia, Somalia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan. She is highly intelligent and is sometimes seen with a laptop which operates mechanical devices within the Fukuyama mansion, and also a spy satellite, which explains how Kazuharu Fukuyama constantly finds Koyomi and the others. In the anime adaptation, Lilica places Mamoru Machida as an apprentice after being impressed by his desire to clean the world. She is also occasionally hinted to be in love with Fukuyama. Lilica is voiced by Natsuko Kuwatani in Japanese and by Willow Lane in English.


 * Hayate (疾風<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Hayate is one of Lisa Fukuyama's attendants. While he only makes a handful of appearances in the manga, Hayate in the anime forms a strong rivalry/friendship with Tomoka, and the two occasionally battle one another in friendly duels. Hayate is a very calm, loyal, and serious individual who will go to great lengths for his mistress, Lisa; this usually involves doing some sort of research or private investigating. Tomoka nicknames him "ninja" because of his stealthy ways, only revealing himself when attending to Lisa, or to attack. Hayate is voiced by Takanori Hoshino in Japanese and by Patrick Seitz in English.


 * Kosame (小雨<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Kosame is Lisa Fukuyama's second attendant. In the anime adaptation, Kosame is also a considerably stronger fighter than Kirie Kojima, and after fighting with Kirie, she becomes attracted to her. Her obsession is so strong that just being in Kirie's presence is enough to make Kosame either grope or make some other pass at her, which usually requires Hayate to rein her in. When not fawning over Kirie, Kosame is as stoic a figure as Hayate and frequently uses her gun to either pry information out of others or to force them into doing her bidding. Kosame is voiced by Nozomi Masu in Japanese and by Robin Rhodpa in English.


 * Nanae Kuh Haruka (ナナエ·クウ·ハルカ<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Nanae Kū Haruka<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Nanae is Koyomi and Tomoka's superior in the Space Travel Agency. Nanae is in charge of the missing persons department and assigns agents to find and retrieve residents of Seiren who have accidentally been transported to Earth. In the anime adaptation, she helps Maharu Sena Kanaka contact Yukinari so that the others can rescue Miharu. Nanae is voiced by Yukiko Iwai in Japanese and by Rita Stevens in English.


 * Mamoru Machida (町田 守<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Machida Mamoru<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * Mamoru is an obsessive-compulsive classmate of Yukinari Sasaki's. He dons an alter-ego, Lightning Squadron Mamo Ranger - a parody of the Super Sentai series - in the pursuit of his passion for cleaning and pointing out litterbugs, although at first glance his 'squadron' consists of only him. Extremely accident prone, he tends to cause more problems than he solves, whereupon his deluded sense of reality causes him to blame his "villainous opponents." He later drafts the others into the Mamo Rangers, although they want absolutely nothing to do with it. In the anime adaptation, Mamoru becomes an apprentice to Lilica which turns him from a mild annoyance into a serious threat to public safety. Mamoru is voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino in Japanese and by Sam Regal in English.


 * Hijiri Kanata (彼方 ヒジリ<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kanata Hijiri<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?, spelled as "Hiziri Kanata" in the Tokyopop manga translation)
 * Hijiri is a strict teacher who joins Yukinari's high school. In the anime adaptation, she serves as a subordinate for Yukina, whose mission is to observe and eventually kidnap Miharu. Hijiri had been obsessed with Miharu since they were both children, and Yukina promises to give Miharu to her in exchange for helping her achieve her goals. However, Hijiri is eventually defeated by Kirie, and forgets about Miharu and begins to obsess over Kirie instead. Hijiri is voiced by Aya Hisakawa in Japanese and by Erica Shaffer in English.


 * Mrs. Sasaki
 * Mrs. Sasaki is Yukinari Sasaki's mother. As Yukinari keeps Miharu Sena Kanaka a secret from her, Mrs. Sasaki begins to fear that the strange occurrences in her house were due to a ghost, but eventually decides not to worry about it since all the "ghost" did was eat all the food. She later leaves Yukinari to be with his father, who is on a business trip.


 * Vegetable Store Keeper
 * A local grocer who befriends Miharu at the start of the series, and gives her the nickname Banana Girl. He is voiced by Takashi Nagasako in Japanese and by Doug Stone in English.


 * The Boss (弟分<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Otōbun<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * A character exclusive to the anime adaptation, The Boss is an overweight and soft-spoken thug dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and is usually accompanied by an exuberant man in a blue leisure suit. The thugs cross pass Yukinari Sasaki and his friends throughout the series. However, after Miharu Sena Kanaka is kidnapped by Hijiri Kanata, the Boss helps Yukinari realize that the only way to get Miharu back is to fight for her with everything he has got. When his friend later asks why he never spoke before, the Boss tells him that he simply never had anything to say. The Boss is voiced by Toshihide Tsuchiya in Japanese and by J.C. Miller in English.


 * Hakana (はかな<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * A ghost who has been haunting the Fukuyamas' private hot spring. Last winter, she bathes at the spring when a pervert catches and gropes her, but when she tries to catch him, she slips on a wet rock, bumps her head and dies. In order to move on to the afterlife, she wants to catch a pervert. Lisa suggests they re-enact the scene, and volunteers Yukinari and herself, although Hakana accidentally possesses Kirie instead. When Kirie tries to resist the groping, Hakana realizes that Kirie does like Yukinari. When Kirie and Yukinari hug, Hakana is freed; she thanks the group and tells Kirie what a wonderful person Yukinari is. She is voiced by Ai Shimizu in Japanese and by Tara Platt in English.


 * Yukina (ユキナ<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?)
 * A character exclusive to the anime adaptation, Yukina is the ruthless leader of the Space Management Bureau's Special Forces Division in Seiren, who also has the power of Seikon. Because of her slight build and Seikon markings covering her body, Yukina felt that no man would ever love her and developed a condition that causes her to break out in hives upon contact with men. Her illness and anti-masculine prejudices are what cause Yukina to decide that if she could not be loved by men then no one in Seiren would. Eventually, Yukina has her subordinate Hijiri Kanata send Miharu Sena Kanaka back to Seiren to permanently seal the gateway to Earth using her power, making Seiren a "women-only paradise". But after being shown kindness by Yukinari Sasaki, Yukina returns Miharu and eventually falls in love with him. Yukina is voiced by Sakura Nogawa in Japanese and by Elise Baughman in English.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Mario Kaneda, the manga was originally serialized in 2000 in Kadokawa Shoten's Shōnen Ace magazine and has since been released in 10 tankōbon volumes. The first volume was published and released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten on June 27, 2001 and the last volume was released on April 9, 2005. In English the series was released by Tokyopop. Book one was released in September 2005 with the last book being released in December 2007.

The series has also been licensed in Europe and Asia. In Europe, the series was published in French by Pika Édition and in German by Carlson Comics. In Asia, the series was published in English by Chuang Yi.

Anime
An anime adaptation of the manga was directed by Ei Aoki and produced by Anime International Company's AIC Spirits division. It aired on Fuji Television on July 6, 2004 and ran until September 28, 2004, spanning 11 episodes. A second season, consisting of 13 episodes was later broadcast on WOWOW from January 27 to April 21, 2005. Four pieces of theme music were used in the series. The first opening theme, titled "Going My Way", was performed by Yozuca*. Yozuca* also sang the second opening theme, titled "Ever After". "Koko ni Iru kara", the ending theme, was performed by Miyuki Hashimoto, who also sang the second ending theme "And Then...". In Japan, the series was released across 13 Region 2 DVD compilation volumes. Geneon Entertainment also licensed the series for an English-language dubbed release in North America. Madman Entertainment also licensed the series for release in Australian and New Zealand.

In July 2010, North American anime distributor Funimation Entertainment announced on their Twitter feed that the company has licensed Girls Bravo after streaming the first episode of the series on Youtube.

Video game
Kadokawa Shoten published a video game based on the series for the PlayStation 2 in 2005, entitled Girls Bravo Romance 15's (GIRLSブラボー Romance15's<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?). The game received a CERO rating of "15 up".

Reception
Chris Johnston of Newtype USA comments that "The 17+ rating is well-earned," and that "The raunchy, raucous humor is definitely not for young ones." Carlo Santos of Anime News Network writes "Girls Bravo has moments of promise as a screwball comedy, but as a whole, it falls victim to the same flaws of every other harem anime." Mania reviewer Chris Beveridge wrote "Though Girls Bravo does dip into some of the traditional elements of the harem anime design, it's naughtier and slightly raunchier take along is a welcome change for a lot of it." In his review Stig Høgset ofT.H.E.M. Anime Reviews wrote that "Characters get kicked, kneed in the face, stomped on and god knows what else" and that "the show is THICK with fan service that, while censored in the fansubs, might be VERY explicit in any potential future release."