Mutsumi Sidepanel
Mutsumi Otohime (Otohime Mutsumi) is a very gentle, very frail, clumsy and soft-spoken 21 year old girl
who lives in Okinawa. Keitaro and Naru meet her while taking some time off for a brief vacation after
flunking their entrance exams. (In the anime, Keitaro has a brief and near-fatal encounter with her on his way to the entrance exam.)
Like Keitaro and Naru, Mutsumi had just flunked her entrance exam for Tokyo U, and was also taking a trip to
get a hold of herself again. And like Keitaro, she too is a third year Ronin.
The young Mutsumi played matchmaker to Naru and Keitaro after it became clear that
Naru wanted to go to Tokyo University with Keitaro. She deliberately lost a game of Janken
(rock-paper-scissors) which was to decide who out of Naru and Mutsumi would become Keitaro's wife.
She then made a promise with Naru that both she and Naru would later go to Tokyo University, so that
Naru would remember the promise (she was too young to be able to remember when Keitaro made the promise).
Despite being clumsy in small things and anemic, Mutsumi generally has good luck when it comes to life-changing
matters and always seems to come out all right, even if she gets a few bruises along the way.
Even more than Keitaro, Mutsumi has the tendency to fall down, run into things, and generally get
into injurous situations while recovering quite quickly. She also frequently has near-death experiences.
Her outlook on life is somewhat disconnected with reality, a point reinforced by her worldly
goods consisting of watermelons, her test study techniques consisting of random chance guessing,
and her almost unrealistically optimistic outlook on life. As something of a counterbalance to her
inability to do things anyone could do, she has a number of unusual qualities.
She can speak "turtlese" (though she claims she can't), and her guessing method for test taking,
involving the sides of a pencil, actually got her through the Tokyo U entrance exams.
Her surname, Otohime, comes from the legend of Urashima Taro, where Otohime is the beautiful daughter
of the Sea King and the eventual wife of Urashima. Otohime first appears in the legend as
a beautiful five colored sea turtle, providing the basis for Mutsumi's association with supernatural turtles.
Her character design was supposedly modelled on Aeris of Final Fantasy fame.
The portrayal of the Naru/Keitaro/Mutsumi relationship is somewhat different and more bluntly depicted in the anime.
She gave Narusegawa her Liddo-kun doll when she left Hinata when she was young.
It's a strange way how things turn out. If you were to put Keitaro and Mutsumi face to face, it'd almost be
like putting a mirror in their face. As Naru pointed out once, Mutsumi is practically a female version
of Keitaro. Like he, she's generally good natured, if clumsy and funny at times, and having a lot of Keitaro's habits.
Also like Keitaro, she seems to have made a childhood promise to someone to get into Tokyo University...and again
like Keitaro, she's a two-time Ronin, though not because she has trouble with the test persay. She could easily pass...
if she didn't faint the day of the test...or forget to write her name on the thing...you get the problem.
Her big failing is her tendency to choke when it really counts. She's anemic and prone
to fainting (the first time she and Keitaro met, they literally ran into each other, and she ended up catatonic for several minutes),
and she forgets things now and then.
Mutsumi has a tendency to kiss friends and acquaintances she happens to run into (friendly ones only, mind you).
She also has a pet turtle named Onsen Tamago (Tama for short), who she eventually gives to the Hinata residents as
a pet. She seems to be able to communicate with it.
.chronicles
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
November 2006
April 2007
May 2007
July 2008
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
February 2011
March 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
November 2011
January 2012
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Mutsumi Flat Extras
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
everyone, there's a bear on the couch.
"Yo." Kentaro-kun dropped by in the afternoon. "I just paid my tuition fees, Mutusmi-san. It was really exhausting, because everybody in campus was lining to pay their dues as well. The queue was so long. It took two hours for me to finally reach the clerk and hand my payment. I'm just taking two subjects this term -- I may take three this spring."
"Ara. I'm quite relieved I paid my tuition before the school closed before Christmas break."
"Do you mind if I take a nap on the couch? I just can't relax in the campus lounge."
"Sure." I told Kentaro-kun. He looked so tired. Like he came out from a brawl.
"Thank you, Mutsumi-chan indeed has a heart of gold."
"A heart of gold? Ara. But a heart made of gold can't really beat at all."
"No, I meant-- you're heart is tender-- nevermind. You're a good person, Mutsumi-san. Oyasumi." but it's still the afternoon... oh well.
"Oyasumi nasai." ara, Kentaro-kun is snoring already.
stamped at 4:43 PM
- otohime mutsumi
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
dear diary,
Ara ara. I feel kind of funny today. I've had an unexpected visitor as well. Guess who. I found it hard to get up when I heard my door ring.
"I've been thinking what you said, Mutsumi-san. And I've decided not to do anything today, nor tomorrow. How is that?!"
"Good work, Kentaro-kun. Would you like a cup of--" I felt dizzy.
"Mu-Mutsumi-san!" then Kentaro-kun felt my forehead. "Yikes!" his hand was so warm. "You're burning up!"
"Really? I thought it was just warm inside because of my heater. I've been napping beside my kotatsu."
"You should go to bed. I'll keep you company just in case something happens." said Kentaro-kun, I didn't quite understand what he was telling me.
"Eh? I thought you wouldn't do anything today." then Kentaro-kun pushed me back, back to my bedroom.
"Yes yes, I'm not going to do anything today. Staying over until your fever subsides is nothing. So please lie down and I'll make some porridge." stay over and make porridge?
"Okay. But I thought you--"
"Yes, like I said, I'm not doing anything. Cooking nothing means not doing anything. But cooking porridge is nothing. So I'd rather cook porridge and it's doing nothing with a benefit!" eh? I don't get it. "Plus I want to have porridge as well."
Kentaro-kun pulled out his fancy cellphone and started touching the screen. It was one of those really nice phones with a big and shiny screen. Looked expensive too. I didn't understand what he was doing with the phone.
"Yosh! I'll make the best porridge!" then I sneezed. "Wait a minute.--" Kentaro-kun kept flicking his cellphone, "I'll go check the fridge, is it okay?"
"Yes." I said.
"Good." then off he went to the kitchen.
He was humming too while I was laid flat on my bed. Then he went back to my room and said that the stove was set and that he's just waiting for the pot to boil. He placed a cold pad on my forehead. And adjusted my thermostat to room temperature. He said I had a cold. I just remembered eating the porridge that Kentaro-kun made and falling asleep. I woke up around 7pm and I felt really better. I bid my thanks and I'm grateful to Kentaro-kun that he passed by today.
"No goodbyes, I'll go back tomorrow, Mutsumi-san. As I said this morning, I'm doing nothing tomorrow too. And it's crucial to make sure you're fine after a cold. They can come creeping in any moment."
"I'll make sure to finish everything in the pot." I smiled.
"See ya."
stamped at 8:45 PM
- otohime mutsumi
Monday, November 14, 2011
"Ohayou, Kentaro-kun."
"Mutsumi-san. You're awfully early." Kentaro was preparing to open the tea house.
"Well, I jut finished my midterm and I have free time now."
"Oh. That. My midterm was yesterday too, Mutsumi-san. It's great we have free time. Are you looking for Keitaro?"
"Iie. No in one particular. I just want to hang out with friends." I said.
"Mutsumi-san..." he said while wiping the counter. "... nothing."
"Hm? Nani? Looks like there's something you want to tell me, Kentaro-kun."
"No, it's nothing." he goes back to wiping a drinking glass.
"Are you sure?"
"It's just that. Mutsumi-san, you look like you don't have any problems in life. You're always cheerful and if you do have any problem, you don't seem bothered by it. How do you stay carefree in life?" It does look like Kentaro-kun is bothered by something. But I'm not really sure how to answer his question.
"You just need to relax. I know for sure that it doesn't help to solve a problem when you're tired. Have some time doing nothing. And when you've finally let your mind make room to think, I'm sure you'll be able to find the answer."
"Have some time doing nothing?" he asked. "I'm not sure what that exactly means, but I'm going to give it a try."
stamped at 12:04 PM
- otohime mutsumi
Saturday, July 16, 2011
searching for a thought bubble
dear diary,
"Keitaro-san."
"M- Mutsumi-chan? Konbanwa." Keitaro-san was seated on the bench looking over the lake.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I come here in the park when I think."
"Oh, wow. I come here to think too." I said.
Keitaro-san said that he was working on an autobiography of his professor. I wanted to get some fresh air. I'm writing two reaction papers. They're due four days from now. I'm not worried.
"'looks like it's going to rain." I uttered. After a few seconds, the rain suddenly poured down on us. Keitaro-san and I ran under a shed. "The weather news said it's going to rain." oh yeah. I shouldn't have gone outside, right? But it's okay. I wanted to leave the apartment.
"I didn't know. I thought it was just going to be real cloudy." I wanted to have some company too. "This is some serious rain." Keitaro-san said.
The rain didn't stop. And we found ourselves chatting for hours inside the shed. It's a pleasant surprise that I'd have so much fun just talking to each other. Normally, people would just get bored waiting for the rain to pass. But we didn't. Maybe it also depends to the person you're talking to. Keitaro-san is a fun person to talk to. He's got all this funny stories too. And some weird ones.
I think Keitaro-san also told me that he's been feeling like someone's watching him in the past days. I couldn't really understand that feeling, but I know there's such a thing. What do you call it? Being paranoid? It's not that I think Keitaro-san's being weird, but I believe this is the first time that he's mentioned this feeling. So I think he's telling the very truth.
"You must have it hard, Keitaro-san. How's the work on your book?"
"I'm managing. I just started recently. I think I won't be working on it alone. But that means I get only a portion of payment from my professor. Still I don't think it's bad at all."
"That's nice."
"I don't think this rain's going to let up." he smiled. "Do you want to make a run for it?" he laughed afterwards.
"Sure!"
After leaving the hot bath, it's 7pm in my apartment, and it's still raining, finally I can start writing again, diary. What's amazing is that I exactly know what to do on both papers. Today's been a good and fun day.
stamped at 7:13 PM
- otohime mutsumi
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
It isn't nice to pretend encouraging someone. Especially when you're talking about someone behind their back.
It was really hot today and so I stopped by to get a watermelon slushy. When I was falling in line to get my order, the high schoolers in front of me were talking about someone. I overheard that they had this new member who was always showing up for practice but always produced the worst result compared to everyone.
"Ah! But she really works hard, how can we just ignore that?"
"We're going to pick the best runners in our school, so it's common sense not to pick the worst runner, right?"
"Yeah and I doubt she'll make it on Friday. We have two more intense practice, tomorrow and Thursday. And she's sick today. So we can't risk it. We need to make a decision already. We'll pick someone else."
"If our school wins the majority of the competition, we'll represent the district. It wouldn't hurt even if she loses, I mean, the team who will advance to the prefectural meet would be most likely us, since we have the best runners in the district. So why can't we choose her?"
"Because it's embarrassing."
When they left, I forgot what to order because what they said last repeated over and over. Are they really working as a team? Or do they want to win just for themselves? I just admired one of them when she constantly tried to defend their new member. I wish I could've said something as well. What school do they go to?
stamped at 10:40 PM
- otohime mutsumi
