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|Kanji = 桜島 麻衣 |
|Kanji = 桜島 麻衣 |
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|Romaji = Sakurajima Mai |
|Romaji = Sakurajima Mai |
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| − | |Age = |
+ | |Age = 17-18 |
|Gender = Female |
|Gender = Female |
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|Height = 5'5" (165 cm) |
|Height = 5'5" (165 cm) |
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| − | |Status = Alive |
+ | |Status = Alive (rewritten timeline) |
| + | Deceased (former timeline) |
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| − | |Birthdate = December 2 (Sagittarius) |
+ | |Birthdate = December 2, 1996 (Sagittarius) |
|Occupation = <span></span> |
|Occupation = <span></span> |
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*Student |
*Student |
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| Line 35: | Line 36: | ||
|Light Novel = Chapter 1 |
|Light Novel = Chapter 1 |
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|Manga = Chapter 1 |
|Manga = Chapter 1 |
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| − | |Japanese |
+ | |Japanese = [[Wikipedia: Asami Seto|Asami Seto]] |
| + | |English = [[Wikipedia: Erica Mendez|Erica Mendez]] |
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| − | |English Seiyuu = |
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| + | |French = Samira Mameche |
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| + | |German = Marcia Von Rebay |
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}} |
}} |
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{{Quote|Forget what you saw today. Also, don't have anything to do with me under any circumstances. If you understand, then say yes.|Mai Sakurajima to [[Sakuta Azusagawa]]}} |
{{Quote|Forget what you saw today. Also, don't have anything to do with me under any circumstances. If you understand, then say yes.|Mai Sakurajima to [[Sakuta Azusagawa]]}} |
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| − | '''Mai Sakurajima''' (桜島 麻衣, ''Sakurajima Mai'') is the main heroine of the ''[ |
+ | '''Mai Sakurajima''' (桜島 麻衣, ''Sakurajima Mai'') is the main heroine of the ''[https://mangakitsune.com/manga/seishun-buta-yarou-wa-bunny-girl-senpai-no-yume-o-minai/ Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai]'' series. She is a notable actress/model and a third year at Minegahara High School, the same school as [[Sakuta Azusagawa]]. |
| + | |||
== Appearance == |
== Appearance == |
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| − | Mai is an attractive |
+ | Mai is an attractive individual—described as an inside-out beauty by Kaede—with waist-length black hair that has bangs hanging on the left side with a bunny-shaped barrette in the back, blue-purplish eyes and a slim and fit figure. She's fairly tall for a Japanese girl, standing at a height of 165 cm. |
| + | |||
| ⚫ | In her bunny costume, she wears bright black high heels and wraps her long, slender legs in translucent black tights. Similar to a black leotard, the outfit highlighted the lines of her body, while the chest made a firm, modest valley. White cuffs accented her wrists and her neck was adorned by a white smart collar with a black bowtie. On the waist of the leotard, a white bunny tail is on her waist. Mai wears the bunny costume only twice throughout the series; she maintains the rabbit-themed motif by continuing to wear the aforementioned bunny-shaped barrette, while her phone is covered by a personalized phone case shaped like bunny ears. |
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| ⚫ | She is often seen in her school uniform, which consists of a white collared shirt, a red tie, a cream vest, brown shoes, and a blue skirt with a light brown blazer on top that she wears unbuttoned. She wears translucent black tights with her uniform as well. When not being at school, she usually wears her casual attire, which consists of a light blue button-up sleeveless shirt with a white jacket that is open up, dark blue long pants, and a pair of light black colored high heeled sandals. |
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| ⚫ | In her bunny costume, she wears bright black high heels and wraps her long slender legs |
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| + | In the trailer for the second movie, ''Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out'', Mai is shown to wear glasses. |
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| ⚫ | She is often seen in her school uniform, which consists of a white collared shirt, red tie, a cream vest, brown shoes, and a blue skirt |
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== Personality == |
== Personality == |
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| + | Mai is a kind yet serious individual, which is especially evident around [[Sakuta Azusagawa]]. Given her former bitterness, she seemed to have a slightly cold demeanor in the first episodes, with a tendency to want to be on her own; despite wearing a bunny costume at the library for attention, she wasn't willing to attract more attention than necessary for herself. When noticed and recognized, she would be listening to music using earphones. Largely justified by her fame-laden childhood, which stopped her from being in school long enough to make friends, her somewhat bitter attitude changed, also thanks to meeting Sakuta. Upon resuming her acting career, Mai gradually started opening up to people, and at that moment, it turns out she has all the kindness, maturity, and professionalism expected from an actress of her status. She is also a high achiever at school, helping Sakuta at studying, and good at cooking. |
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| − | Mai is a serious individual, especially around [[Sakuta Azusagawa]]. She can be considered as a type B tsundere: she isn't harsh by default, but she can be easily annoyed and come across as somewhat snappy or violent when Sakuta does or says something lewd. She usually responds to Sakuta's openly lewd remarks about her by pinching him, slapping him, or stepping on his foot, but can also be flustered just as easily and her tsundere act fails. Mai tends to ignore and stuff unpleasant feelings down rather than deal with them. Sakuta often points out that she is "dishonest", often lying about her feelings. She and Sakuta enjoy teasing each other, but despite her snarkiness, she's pure-hearted and even shy around Sakuta's jokes. |
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| + | She can be considered as a type B tsundere: she isn't harsh by default, but she can be easily annoyed by Sakuta's perverted jokes and come across as somewhat snappy or violent when he does or says something lewd. That said, her tsundere traits are largely downplayed, and she definitely doesn't deny her feelings; indeed, she has no problem telling Sakuta how much she loves him. |
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| − | Mai is very sensitive, polite, levelheaded, helpful, and kind. She also has a very soft spot for [[Kaede Azusagawa]], Sakuta's younger sister. Mai is also very intelligent, she's implied to have very good grades and even helps Sakuta study at one point. Though Mai can be somewhat harsh and strict towards Sakuta at times, and call him a pervert or an idiot, she is genuinely affectionate and kind to him as well, and often says that she loves him more than he thinks. |
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| − | + | Instead, when it comes to topics she's uncomfortable with, Mai tends to ignore and stuff unpleasant feelings down rather than deal with them, as seen when, before her invisibility was subdued by Sakuta, she harbored deep anxiety over the possibility that she could be forgotten entirely and over the topic of her hiatus, as she still harbored bitter feelings over the circumstances that caused them; these feelings have now subsided since she started acting at another agency. While, just like Sakuta, she has a sarcastic sense of humor, she really is innocent at heart and can become shy and flustered when Sakuta teases her. She is a genuine and kind-hearted person who would never harm anyone. |
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| − | + | Mai is actually very polite, levelheaded, helpful, and altruistic (examples include when Mai denounced the hospitalization incident as false for Sakuta's sake and when she gave [[Kaede Azusagawa]], Sakuta's younger sister, a dress both as a gift and to at least spark interest in returning to the outside world, showing her true soft nature). Kaede herself is very fond of Mai, seeing her as a role model for her beauty and kindness, and wishes she could be just like her. |
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| + | Though at first Mai could be somewhat harsh and strict towards Sakuta at times due to his lewd remarks and call him a pervert or an idiot, she is genuinely affectionate and kind to him as well, and she often says that she loves him more than he thinks - which is proven to be true. Then, as her relationship with Sakuta goes on, she becomes less strict and more cheerful and openly affectionate. |
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| − | She's also very selfless, sacrificing herself to save Sakuta from being hit by a car, and even becoming Shoko's heart donor. Still, Sakuta manages to get back in time to save her. |
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| + | In the end, Mai is definitely a kind, nice girl at heart, and, just like Sakuta, she has a quick wit yet is immensely good-hearted. She's unwaveringly loyal and virtuous, and shows the full extent of her kindness and selflessness as she sacrifices herself to save Sakuta from being hit by a car and become Shoko's heart donor. However, she's revived as Sakuta manages to get back in time to save her. |
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| − | Overall, she can be described as very similar to Sakuta: they're both quick-witted individuals with a sarcastic streak, yet very kind and helpful, with an immensely good heart and who always do what's right. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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| − | Mai |
+ | Mai began acting at the age of six. After landing the lead role of a morning drama (a character known as "Maiko-chan"), Mai's profile increased from there, and she began appearing in more and more movies, television shows, and commercials. Mai enjoyed the limelight despite the stress it gave her, but it suddenly ended after her mother, who was also her agent, forced her to participate in a swimsuit photoshoot despite her objections. Mai thus took a hiatus and attended high school, though because of work commitments made before then, she only joined on the second term of her first year. By then, social circles had formed, making her the "odd one out," causing her to be isolated. As a result, the student body didn't know how to deal with her. While they had no reason to bully her, they also feared associating with her would cause themselves to be isolated as well. Unbeknownst to Mai, these events caused a severe emotional disturbance in her, and the effects of adolescence syndrome caused her existence to become unnoticed by other people. While she initially enjoyed a respite from the spotlight, Mai soon realized she was in peril of disappearing altogether. |
| − | ==Plot== |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | Two years and several months since beginning her hiatus, Mai went to a library wearing a bunny costume to see if anyone would notice her. She then came across a boy named [[Sakuta Azusagawa]], who was the only person in the building who was able to see her. After introducing themselves however, Mai ordered Sakuta to forget about her. |
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| + | Due to her successful career pre-hiatus, Mai was able to go on the property ladder while still at high school. She lives in an apartment across the road from Sakuta's. Upon deciding to resume her career, she leaves [[Mai's mother|her mother's]] agency for the agency of [[Ryoko Hanawa]]. |
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| − | The next day, she was seen walking to school by Sakuta and his friend [[Yuuma Kunimi]]. After school in a train station, Mai overheard Sakuta scaring a teenage boy from taking a picture of her and thanked him for it. She did add that she was used to such situations, but confirmed Sakuta's subsequent guess that they still wore her down. The two boarded the train, where Mai becomes flustered after Sakuta mentioned how the bunny suit she wore made it impossible to forget about her. After a brief conversation about Sakuta's involvement in the "hospitalization incident" (which he confirmed that he had no involvement), Mai told him about her history as an actress; she loved the job, but it gradually became stressful to the point that she wanted to be in a world where nobody knew who she was. The two leave the train at Fujisawa station, where she went on to add that she started to notice that at the beginning of a 4-day weekend, no one was able to see or hear her, save for some people at Fujisawa; she would then go around in a bunny suit to see if anyone else would notice her. Mai then attempted to order a custard bun, but her invisibility forced her to let Sakuta do that instead. The latter suggested that her invisibility may have resulted from [[Adolescence Syndrome]], which Mai dismissed that as an urban legend. To prove its existence, Mai was invited to Sakuta's home to see the three scars on his chest and to hear the abnormal circumstances that caused them, while also introducing herself to his sister [[Kaede Azusagawa]]. Mai angrily told him to mind his own business after being suggested to return to show-biz, before storming out of the house. However, she was later found by Sakuta outside his apartment for some food and more importantly, to tell him that more people are unable to see her. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | The next day, Mai and Sakuta were shopping at the market, where she demonstrated that whatever she held turned invisible with her. She was asked by Sakuta to hold hands with him to see if he would turn invisible as well; she was briefly bothered after hearing Sakuta bluntly admit he had lewd thoughts, but flustered him by holding him even tighter in return. However, she ceased once she remembered they had a fight earlier. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | While walking home, Sakuta suggested that she return to acting, but Mai once again told him to mind his own business and that he didn't know anything. Sakuta revealed that he knew the circumstances which drove her to go on hiatus and added that Mai's decision was absurd. Provoked and in tears, Mai slapped Sakuta and bemoaned that she was a mere middle-school student forced to wear a swimsuit just so she could make money for her mother. Sakuta responded that was all the more reason to return to show business and encouraged her not to hold herself back if she wanted to, which allowed Mai to regain her composure. Mai then learned that Sakuta had received his information about her from [[Fumika Nanjo]] in exchange for a photo of his chest. Briefly angered that he risked his sister and himself being hounded by the media, Mai phoned Fumika to tell her not to release the photos of Sakuta's scars in exchange for a scoop from herself and concluded that she would return to show business, but from a different agency than her mother's. Mai then admitted to Sakuta that he was right about her wanting to return to the world of show-biz and that she kept lying to herself about those feelings; she revealed that was why she sat in front of his house. Before the two entered their respective apartments, Mai proposed they spend some time with each other at 2:30 the following weekend. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | Unfortunately on that day, Mai ended up having to wait an hour and thirty eight minutes more for Sakuta to arrive to the train station. She is mildly annoyed after Sakuta complained that she didn't wear a miniskirt, but pleasantly reacted after he commented that her outfit was nonetheless cute. On the train, Mai asked Sakuta why he cared about her, to which the latter replied that it being in trouble without anyone to rely on is difficult. She then listened to Sakuta tell his story about how [[Shoko Makinohara|one person]] helped him deal with what was happening to his sister and that he wanted to be to Mai like how the person was to him. However, Mai was able to deduce that the person was a woman, and got off the train, which forced Sakuta to follow her. The two then arrived at Shichirigahama Beach, where Mai learned the person's name was Shoko Makinohara, and was bothered by the fact that Sakuta used to have a crush on her. She then revealed that the beach was where she planned to talk with her mother before leaving for another agency and told Sakuta they would resume their date afterwards. To their shock, her mother did not notice her presence and walked right past her, and was subsequently unable to recollect any knowledge of having a daughter, much less a person named Mai. Distraught and near tears, Mai stopped Sakuta from protesting any further. Later at Fujisawa Station, Sakuta suggested they head to a distant town to see if anyone would see her. She questioned it by asking if any good would come from learning that nobody but Sakuta would see her, but decided to continue their date after hearing that at least he would be with her while they go. On the train, Mai asked if Sakuta remembered her and then listened to him tell her that she had a twisted personality and was never honest. Mai questioned that, and Sakuta replied that she was trying to hide her anxiety. Sakuta bluntly told Mai that he wanted to hold her hand, which Mai eventually obliged to. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | [[File:Sakurajima_pointing.gif|thumb|Mai signals Sakuta to leave the room]] |
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| ⚫ | Mai's effect was that she turned invisible, along with the things she touched, and that others began to forget her. As a result of wanting to be unseen by the public, Mai's existence slowly began to fade away. Over time, even those who had talked to Mai before would suddenly forget about her. This effect was subdued once [[Sakuta Azusagawa]], the last person to forget about her, publicly confessed his love for Mai in front of the school, effectively making her reappear, and forcing the students and staff to acknowledge her existence. |
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| − | At Ogaki, Mai and Sakuta decided to stay at a hotel for the night. The former stated that she would take a bath and made signs for Sakuta to leave the room, but was annoyed enough by his blunt teasing to shower regardless. Once she finished bathing, she and Sakuta went to go buy her some underwear at a convenience store. Mai asked if he would ever forget her, and Sakuta assured that he wouldn't. When the two went to bed, Mai asked Sakuta what he would do if she were trembling and crying over the fact that she didn't want to disappear, to which he replied that he would comfort her. She invited Sakuta to kiss her, which he refused. Mai called him an idiot and proclaimed he missed his last chance to steal her first kiss, but nonetheless thanked him for not giving up on her. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | After heading back to school with Sakuta, Mai was shaken after discovering that not even the students could see her, save for Sakuta. A few days pass during exam week, and it did not take her long to figure out that Sakuta had not been sleeping since then so that he wouldn't forget about her. During a study session with him, Mai put Sakuta to sleep by sneaking a few sleeping pills into his coffee. As he tried in vain to stay awake, Mai apologized, but acknowledged his efforts and sincerely thanked him for everything. |
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| − | After hearing Sakuta's loud confession of love in front of the school, Mai told Sakuta that he was being a public nuisance and tearfully slapped him for breaking his promise that he wouldn't forget her. She stepped on his foot to make him say that he loved her, but pressed harder to force out that he loved her very much. Wanting to avoid the suspension bridge effect, she told Sakuta to repeat what he said a month from now. The latter replied that he'd rather say it every day, to which Mai responded that he had to do so for a whole month. As she was now visible, Mai then loudly denounced the "hospitalization incident" as nothing but nonsense. Sakuta bemoaned the fact that they would be lectured, but Mai reassured him by stating that she would be lectured along with him. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | Sakuta was the only person to see Mai in a bunny costume at the library. Though Mai warned against seeing her again, Sakuta became interested enough to talk to her again the next time he did see her, after school. It is from Sakuta that Mai hears of adolescence Syndrome and how she could be suffering from it. |
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| − | On June 27 at lunch break, Sakuta bluntly told Mai that he loved her and asked her to go on a date with him, to which Mai replied that hearing that for an entire month did not make her heart race anymore. Mai announced she got a part in a drama that would start on July, which had a kiss scene; she disclosed that she had shared her first kiss with Sakuta, but was disappointed to learn that Sakuta was unable to remember it (as it was during the time he forgot her existence). She offered to do it again, but tricked him into kissing a piece of lunch in her chopsticks, and teased him for it. In response, Sakuta disturbed her by suggesting her apparent turn-off made him want to fall out of love. Her face now red, Mai timidly accepted his invitation. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | Unbeknownst to Mai, time had looped in an elicited future by [[Tomoe Koga]]. On the second June 27 at lunch, Mai repeated her interaction with Sakuta, but the latter flustered her by suggesting he find a new romance. With the same red face, she accepts his invitation, but adds that his method was quite cheeky. |
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| + | Although Mai isn't happy that Sakuta knew of her decision to quit acting, she takes action after finding out how Sakuta knew by calling the [[Fumika Nanjou|journalist in question that Sakuta found out from]], and stopping her from publishing Sakuta's scars in exchange for an exclusive interview about her return to showbiz with another agency. From that point she would credit Sakuta for her decision to return, although she takes care not to publicly reveal his name. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | On the third occurrence of June 27, Mai discovered Sakuta in an obscene position with Tomoe. This clearly angered her, as before Sakuta could explain himself, Mai sternly told him not to speak with her. Nevertheless, Mai eventually asked for an explanation on the night of June 28, and once Sakuta told her of the circumstances, she sympathized with Tomoe, stating that it was tough being a girl in high school. Once Sakuta explained that Tomoe's call for help reminded him of his sister, Mai decided to let him off the hook for the time being, but added that he needed to show enough faith to be exempt. After kicking Sakuta in response to his blatant advances, she informed him that starting tomorrow, she would be filming in Kagoshima for a week. She then gave Sakuta a pink dress she bought for Kaede; the latter tried it on, and Mai remarked that she looked cute. Mai approved Kaede's request to call her "Mai-san", and in return, she decided to call her "Kaede-chan". |
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| + | Mai did not reveal her relationship status until a tabloid-related "scandal" forced her to do so publicly in front of cameras at a press conference. Before then, there were already signs that she had fallen for Sakuta. She displays "Type B tsundere" tendencies during her first night with Sakuta at a hotel, after they flee more than two hundred miles west to find people who still recognize her. Since then, she mostly tolerates Sakuta's lewd jokes and snarky remarks, sometimes teasing him back. Mai twice displays gratitude to how far Sakuta will go for her, first on their night at the hotel, then three nights afterwards, when Mai became fully aware that Sakuta was staying awake in order to not forget her. |
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| − | On July 7, Mai spectated Sakuta knock down and humiliate [[Yosuke Maezawa]] at the train station after the latter slandered Tomoe. |
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| + | On the day Mai reappears after Sakuta confesses to her in front of the entire school, Mai doesn't take it well. She slaps him in the face, stamps him on the foot and dares Sakuta to prove his love for a whole month. She also refuses to answer Sakuta's confession while the rest of the school is watching, but does denounce the hospitalization rumors regarding Sakuta. Ultimately, Mai does not reject Sakuta, since she chooses to go with him when the teachers call him over. From then on, Mai and Sakuta would meet every day for lunch. |
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| − | On July 10, Mai studied with Sakuta for the upcoming exams; seeing that Sakuta was unmotivated, Mai offered to tutor him in her bunny outfit. The two then had a brief conversation about the fight at the train station. In response to Mai's request to humor her, Sakuta said that he loved her. Mai pinched his cheek and told him not to openly cheat, as he was still acting as Tomoe's boyfriend. |
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[[File:Mai_kisses_Sakuta.png|thumb|Mai kisses Sakuta on the cheek]] |
[[File:Mai_kisses_Sakuta.png|thumb|Mai kisses Sakuta on the cheek]] |
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| + | In the following month, Mai's relationship with Sakuta is threatened when she sees [[Tomoe Koga]] on top of Sakuta in the room they were supposed to be in for lunch. Though Mai tries to be understanding, even letting Sakuta go on the fake date with Tomoe, she would end up witnessing the scuffle in Shichirigahama station between Sakuta and [[Yosuke Maezawa]] that ended with Sakuta grabbing Tomoe by the hand and fleeing the station. Fortunately, Sakuta is able to get Tomoe to reset time so that none of the events above happened. Instead, on the reset June 27, Mai affirms her relationship with Sakuta by kissing him on the cheek. |
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| − | Once Tomoe ended her simulated future and reset time back to June 27, Mai and Sakuta repeated their interactions during lunch as they did in the second time loop. However, when Sakuta asked how Mai felt about him, she made him look in another direction and kissed his cheek. Sakuta openly wished it was mouth-to-mouth, prompting Mai to step on his foot. The couple would then repeat their interactions like how they were in the simulated future, save for spectating Sakuta and Maezawa's fight. |
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| + | During summer break, Mai is told by her agency that she is not allowed to date; she relays the news to Sakuta, though she reassures him that they can still meet up in school. Though they meet several times afterwards, they are yet to kiss each other properly. |
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| − | After telling her manager that she was at her boyfriends's house, her manager later informed her that she couldn't make have any more public dates with her boyfriend, prompting to break the news to Sakuta. After she walked home with him, she shared a kiss with Sakuta and teased him before entering the building.<ref>[[Light Novel Volume 3]], Chapter 2</ref> |
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| + | |||
| + | ===[[Nodoka Toyohama]]=== |
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[[File:Mai_in_Nodoka's_body.png|thumb|left|Mai wakes up in Nodoka's body]] |
[[File:Mai_in_Nodoka's_body.png|thumb|left|Mai wakes up in Nodoka's body]] |
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| + | Nodoka is Mai's younger stepsister, who has looked up to Mai ever since watching her first role on TV. It is also revealed that Mai's parents had separated after giving birth to her, only for Mai's father to end up with Nodoka's mother, causing the two mothers to feud with each other through their daughters. Nodoka's jealousy towards Mai, who won the better roles when they were younger, eventually caused them to swap bodies. Mai keeps calm in spite of the event, contrasting with Nodoka's panic, and they agree to live in this predicament for a while. Nodoka's jealousy gets the better of her, and a day later, she launches a verbal tirade on Mai, making her refuse to see Nodoka again. Despite Mai's lack of singing and dancing experience, her professionalism ultimately prevails in the month that she has to rehearse for a live concert with Nodoka's idol group, while Nodoka struggles with a routine filming session while in Mai's body. |
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| − | On the morning of September 1, Mai was shocked to discover that she was living in the body of her half-sister [[Nodoka Toyohama]]. At her apartment, Mai speculated the cause to be [[Adolescence Syndrome]] and told Nodoka (in her body) that they would have to live each other's lives for the time being, before exchanging her agenda for the month with Nodoka's. Starting from September 3, Mai participated in dance practices with Sweet Bullet as well as their public performances. |
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| − | On September 12, Mai met up with Sakuta while going for a jog and learned that as a result of the pressure of being Mai Sakurajima, Nodoka had collapsed during her photo shoot. That evening, Mai handed Sakuta a spare key to her apartment, but directed him not to open the cabinets in a certain room. A few days after, Mai handed Sakuta tickets to the next Sweet Bullet performance. |
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[[File:Body_switch.gif|thumb|Nodoka and Mai regain their original appearances.]] |
[[File:Body_switch.gif|thumb|Nodoka and Mai regain their original appearances.]] |
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| + | Hours after the concert and an attempted suicide by Nodoka, Mai and Nodoka are able to reconcile at the former's home and revert to their usual bodies, after it was made clear to Nodoka that Mai did indeed love her, since she appreciated receiving the letters of support from Nodoka that kept her going in her early acting career. |
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| − | On September 21, Mai performed with Sweet Bullet and it was announced that she would be the featured singer on their next single, which earned praise from [[Nodoka's mother]]. Upon discovering at her apartment that Nodoka (who had found her box of letters thanks to Sakuta) was upset over that praise, she explained that she collected her letters to get through the stress of work and encouraged her to make her mom proud on her own terms. After spending a brief moment hugging a crying Nodoka, the sisters reverted to their original appearances. |
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| − | [[File:Mai_press_conference.png|thumb|left|Mai credits her boyfriend for her return to acting]] |
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| − | At her apartment, Mai showed Sakuta on her phone a picture of him walking with Nodoka (in Mai's body), which indicated that their relationship went public. To deescalate the situation with the media, Mai credited her boyfriend as the catalyst behind her return to acting and asked that his privacy not be invaded. |
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| − | |||
| − | When walking home with Sakuta on October 15, Mai suggested that she was in love with Sakuta more than he thought, before parting ways with him. The following day, Mai was summoned to the science room by Rio, where she permitted Sakuta to follow up with a planned meeting with the older [[Shoko Makinohara]]. After school, the couple came across Kotomi Kano, a childhood friend of Kaede; realizing how important it was for him to talk with Kotomi, Mai volunteered to meet Shoko at Shichirigahama Beach instead. Once Sakuta met up with her near sunset, he decided there was no telling if she would ever come and wrote on the sand that he already had a girlfriend, which Mai pleasantly reacted to. At Sakuta's home, Mai helped Kaede reach one of her goals for the year by helping Kaede answer her phone call. On October 19, Mai brought numerous clothing she wore from magazine shoots for Kaede to try on. |
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| − | |||
| − | On November 10, Mai along with Nodoka went to accompany Sakuta and Kaede at Shichirigahama Beach. After watching Kaede fail to remember Kotomi upon meeting her, Sakuta told Mai and Nodoka that she had no memories of her. At his house, Sakuta told them the full story of what happened with him and Kaede two years ago. |
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| − | [[File:Mai_and_Sakuta_cuddling.png|thumb|Mai and Sakuta cuddle]] |
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| − | On December 1, Mai went to Sakuta's house to cheer him up through his situation with Kaede, but stormed off after finding a note left by Shoko and learning from Sakuta that he became depressed after Kaede's memories returned. The following day (which was her birthday), Sakuta met up with Mai at her film location, before the couple went to a nearby park. As they cuddled together, Mai apologized for not being there during his ordeal, to which Sakuta responded that he was already satisfied to have her at his side. Mai asked Sakuta to close his eyes for what seemed to be a kiss, but pinched his cheek instead. In response to his confusion, Mai jokingly stated that was the best reward she could give him. |
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| − | |||
| − | At the hospital some time after, Mai was introduced to Sakuta's father and was also re-introduced to Kaede. |
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| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Mai's effect was that she turned invisible and that others began to forget her. As a result of wanting to be unseen by the public, Mai's existence slowly began to fade away. This effect was subdued once Sakuta publicly confessed his love for Mai in front of the school |
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| − | |||
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| − | For supernatural reasons, Sakuta is one of the people that can see and remember Mai. Due to his own traumatic past with [[adolescence Syndrome|Adolescence Syndrome]], he is one of the only individuals who can relate to and sympathize with her. In turn Mai holds a special affection for him as someone she can depend on, such as when she credited him as the influence behind her return to show business and asked for his privacy not to be violated during a press conference. While she recognizes that Sakuta will not cheat on her, such as with Tomoe Koga when he pretended to be her boyfriend, she is not surprised due to his kind nature and his willingness to go great lengths for people he cares about. Aware of Sakuta's sarcastic and joking nature, she'll generally react against it but every so often she plays along. |
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| − | |||
| − | She tells Sakuta that she loves him more than he thinks, to which he does not think so until the two become involved in Shoko Makinohara's Adolescence Syndrome. |
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=== [[Kaede Azusagawa]] === |
=== [[Kaede Azusagawa]] === |
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| − | Having heard about her past from Sakuta, Mai acts very gentle towards her. Kaede |
+ | Having heard about her past from Sakuta, Mai acts very gentle towards her. Kaede eventually opens up to her after Mai gives her some new clothes. She is very considerate towards Kaede, which can be seen when her phone rings. She leaves to a different room to answer the call. |
| − | Mai later arranges for |
+ | After Kaede gets her memories back, Mai later arranges for her to get a haircut before going back to school. |
| − | === [[ |
+ | === [[Shoko Makinohara]] === |
| ⚫ | |||
| − | Mai's half-sister. Although they look very much alike, they are very much different. Nodoka and Mai have known about each other but have never met face to face until Nodoka decides to "run" from home. Mai doesn't seem to like Nodoka since her father left her and her mother for some other woman but she doesn't seem to have any hate directed at just Nodoka alone. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | In Nodoka's arc, the two are faced with another form of Adolescence Syndrome and switch bodies. This happens mainly because Nodoka's jealously towards Mai's popularity compared to hers. But in each other's lives, they both begin to realize that aren't as different as they may think. Mai eventually reveals all of the fan letters that Nodoka had sent, telling her that the letters had meant a lot to her. The two make up for their differences and before they both know it, they are returned to their own bodies. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | === [[Shoko Makinohara]] === |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Upon learning of her circumstances, Mai becomes much more compassionate towards her and becomes much less hostile towards Shoko's feelings for Sakuta. She also tries to save her from her illness by sacrificing herself; however, the situation is resolved when Sakuta gets back in time to save Mai, and they decide together to change timeline where they risk sacrificing their memories of each other. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | == Etymology == |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | * The name '''[https://www.behindthename.com/name/mai-2 Mai (2)]''' means "linen robe" (麻衣). |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | == |
+ | == Trivia == |
| + | * In "The World Without You" and "Wash It All Away on a Stormy Night," the two episodes in which Mai wears the light blue button-up sleeveless shirt, it is shown to have six buttons, but in "This World You Chose" and "Sister Panic", it has five buttons, with the top button that's on Mai's shirt collar disappearing, most of which have it with five buttons, so its possible that this is an error in the animation. |
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| − | * Her first name '''Mai''' means "hemp, flax, linen" (麻)'''(ma)''' and "clothing, garment" (衣)'''(i)'''. |
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| ⚫ | |||
==References== |
==References== |
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Latest revision as of 05:41, 24 February 2024
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Kana | 桜島 麻衣 |
| Rōmaji | Sakurajima Mai |
| Characteristics | |
| Age | 17-18 |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5'5" (165 cm) |
| Personal Status | |
| Status | Alive (rewritten timeline)
Deceased (former timeline) |
| Birthdate | December 2, 1996 (Sagittarius) |
| Occupation |
|
| Year | 3rd year in high school |
| Affiliation | Minegahara High School |
| Relationships |
|
| Debut | |
| Anime | Episode 1 |
| Light Novel | Chapter 1 |
| Manga | Chapter 1 |
| Voiced by | |
| Japanese | Asami Seto |
| English | Erica Mendez |
| French | Samira Mameche |
| German | Marcia Von Rebay |
| “ | Forget what you saw today. Also, don't have anything to do with me under any circumstances. If you understand, then say yes. | ” |
— Mai Sakurajima to Sakuta Azusagawa
| ||
Mai Sakurajima (桜島 麻衣, Sakurajima Mai) is the main heroine of the Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai series. She is a notable actress/model and a third year at Minegahara High School, the same school as Sakuta Azusagawa.
Appearance
Mai is an attractive individual—described as an inside-out beauty by Kaede—with waist-length black hair that has bangs hanging on the left side with a bunny-shaped barrette in the back, blue-purplish eyes and a slim and fit figure. She's fairly tall for a Japanese girl, standing at a height of 165 cm.
In her bunny costume, she wears bright black high heels and wraps her long, slender legs in translucent black tights. Similar to a black leotard, the outfit highlighted the lines of her body, while the chest made a firm, modest valley. White cuffs accented her wrists and her neck was adorned by a white smart collar with a black bowtie. On the waist of the leotard, a white bunny tail is on her waist. Mai wears the bunny costume only twice throughout the series; she maintains the rabbit-themed motif by continuing to wear the aforementioned bunny-shaped barrette, while her phone is covered by a personalized phone case shaped like bunny ears.
She is often seen in her school uniform, which consists of a white collared shirt, a red tie, a cream vest, brown shoes, and a blue skirt with a light brown blazer on top that she wears unbuttoned. She wears translucent black tights with her uniform as well. When not being at school, she usually wears her casual attire, which consists of a light blue button-up sleeveless shirt with a white jacket that is open up, dark blue long pants, and a pair of light black colored high heeled sandals.
In the trailer for the second movie, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out, Mai is shown to wear glasses.
Personality
Mai is a kind yet serious individual, which is especially evident around Sakuta Azusagawa. Given her former bitterness, she seemed to have a slightly cold demeanor in the first episodes, with a tendency to want to be on her own; despite wearing a bunny costume at the library for attention, she wasn't willing to attract more attention than necessary for herself. When noticed and recognized, she would be listening to music using earphones. Largely justified by her fame-laden childhood, which stopped her from being in school long enough to make friends, her somewhat bitter attitude changed, also thanks to meeting Sakuta. Upon resuming her acting career, Mai gradually started opening up to people, and at that moment, it turns out she has all the kindness, maturity, and professionalism expected from an actress of her status. She is also a high achiever at school, helping Sakuta at studying, and good at cooking.
She can be considered as a type B tsundere: she isn't harsh by default, but she can be easily annoyed by Sakuta's perverted jokes and come across as somewhat snappy or violent when he does or says something lewd. That said, her tsundere traits are largely downplayed, and she definitely doesn't deny her feelings; indeed, she has no problem telling Sakuta how much she loves him.
Instead, when it comes to topics she's uncomfortable with, Mai tends to ignore and stuff unpleasant feelings down rather than deal with them, as seen when, before her invisibility was subdued by Sakuta, she harbored deep anxiety over the possibility that she could be forgotten entirely and over the topic of her hiatus, as she still harbored bitter feelings over the circumstances that caused them; these feelings have now subsided since she started acting at another agency. While, just like Sakuta, she has a sarcastic sense of humor, she really is innocent at heart and can become shy and flustered when Sakuta teases her. She is a genuine and kind-hearted person who would never harm anyone.
Mai is actually very polite, levelheaded, helpful, and altruistic (examples include when Mai denounced the hospitalization incident as false for Sakuta's sake and when she gave Kaede Azusagawa, Sakuta's younger sister, a dress both as a gift and to at least spark interest in returning to the outside world, showing her true soft nature). Kaede herself is very fond of Mai, seeing her as a role model for her beauty and kindness, and wishes she could be just like her.
Though at first Mai could be somewhat harsh and strict towards Sakuta at times due to his lewd remarks and call him a pervert or an idiot, she is genuinely affectionate and kind to him as well, and she often says that she loves him more than he thinks - which is proven to be true. Then, as her relationship with Sakuta goes on, she becomes less strict and more cheerful and openly affectionate.
In the end, Mai is definitely a kind, nice girl at heart, and, just like Sakuta, she has a quick wit yet is immensely good-hearted. She's unwaveringly loyal and virtuous, and shows the full extent of her kindness and selflessness as she sacrifices herself to save Sakuta from being hit by a car and become Shoko's heart donor. However, she's revived as Sakuta manages to get back in time to save her.
History
Mai began acting at the age of six. After landing the lead role of a morning drama (a character known as "Maiko-chan"), Mai's profile increased from there, and she began appearing in more and more movies, television shows, and commercials. Mai enjoyed the limelight despite the stress it gave her, but it suddenly ended after her mother, who was also her agent, forced her to participate in a swimsuit photoshoot despite her objections. Mai thus took a hiatus and attended high school, though because of work commitments made before then, she only joined on the second term of her first year. By then, social circles had formed, making her the "odd one out," causing her to be isolated. As a result, the student body didn't know how to deal with her. While they had no reason to bully her, they also feared associating with her would cause themselves to be isolated as well. Unbeknownst to Mai, these events caused a severe emotional disturbance in her, and the effects of adolescence syndrome caused her existence to become unnoticed by other people. While she initially enjoyed a respite from the spotlight, Mai soon realized she was in peril of disappearing altogether.
Due to her successful career pre-hiatus, Mai was able to go on the property ladder while still at high school. She lives in an apartment across the road from Sakuta's. Upon deciding to resume her career, she leaves her mother's agency for the agency of Ryoko Hanawa.
Adolescence Syndrome
- Main article: Adolescence Syndrome
Mai's effect was that she turned invisible, along with the things she touched, and that others began to forget her. As a result of wanting to be unseen by the public, Mai's existence slowly began to fade away. Over time, even those who had talked to Mai before would suddenly forget about her. This effect was subdued once Sakuta Azusagawa, the last person to forget about her, publicly confessed his love for Mai in front of the school, effectively making her reappear, and forcing the students and staff to acknowledge her existence.
Relationships
Sakuta Azusagawa
Mai hugs Sakuta's arm
Sakuta was the only person to see Mai in a bunny costume at the library. Though Mai warned against seeing her again, Sakuta became interested enough to talk to her again the next time he did see her, after school. It is from Sakuta that Mai hears of adolescence Syndrome and how she could be suffering from it.
Mai vents her feelings over why she went on hiatus
Although Mai isn't happy that Sakuta knew of her decision to quit acting, she takes action after finding out how Sakuta knew by calling the journalist in question that Sakuta found out from, and stopping her from publishing Sakuta's scars in exchange for an exclusive interview about her return to showbiz with another agency. From that point she would credit Sakuta for her decision to return, although she takes care not to publicly reveal his name.
Mai signals Sakuta to leave the room
Mai did not reveal her relationship status until a tabloid-related "scandal" forced her to do so publicly in front of cameras at a press conference. Before then, there were already signs that she had fallen for Sakuta. She displays "Type B tsundere" tendencies during her first night with Sakuta at a hotel, after they flee more than two hundred miles west to find people who still recognize her. Since then, she mostly tolerates Sakuta's lewd jokes and snarky remarks, sometimes teasing him back. Mai twice displays gratitude to how far Sakuta will go for her, first on their night at the hotel, then three nights afterwards, when Mai became fully aware that Sakuta was staying awake in order to not forget her.
Mai thanks Sakuta for everything before he falls asleep
On the day Mai reappears after Sakuta confesses to her in front of the entire school, Mai doesn't take it well. She slaps him in the face, stamps him on the foot and dares Sakuta to prove his love for a whole month. She also refuses to answer Sakuta's confession while the rest of the school is watching, but does denounce the hospitalization rumors regarding Sakuta. Ultimately, Mai does not reject Sakuta, since she chooses to go with him when the teachers call him over. From then on, Mai and Sakuta would meet every day for lunch.
Mai kisses Sakuta on the cheek
In the following month, Mai's relationship with Sakuta is threatened when she sees Tomoe Koga on top of Sakuta in the room they were supposed to be in for lunch. Though Mai tries to be understanding, even letting Sakuta go on the fake date with Tomoe, she would end up witnessing the scuffle in Shichirigahama station between Sakuta and Yosuke Maezawa that ended with Sakuta grabbing Tomoe by the hand and fleeing the station. Fortunately, Sakuta is able to get Tomoe to reset time so that none of the events above happened. Instead, on the reset June 27, Mai affirms her relationship with Sakuta by kissing him on the cheek.
During summer break, Mai is told by her agency that she is not allowed to date; she relays the news to Sakuta, though she reassures him that they can still meet up in school. Though they meet several times afterwards, they are yet to kiss each other properly.
Nodoka Toyohama
Mai wakes up in Nodoka's body
Nodoka is Mai's younger stepsister, who has looked up to Mai ever since watching her first role on TV. It is also revealed that Mai's parents had separated after giving birth to her, only for Mai's father to end up with Nodoka's mother, causing the two mothers to feud with each other through their daughters. Nodoka's jealousy towards Mai, who won the better roles when they were younger, eventually caused them to swap bodies. Mai keeps calm in spite of the event, contrasting with Nodoka's panic, and they agree to live in this predicament for a while. Nodoka's jealousy gets the better of her, and a day later, she launches a verbal tirade on Mai, making her refuse to see Nodoka again. Despite Mai's lack of singing and dancing experience, her professionalism ultimately prevails in the month that she has to rehearse for a live concert with Nodoka's idol group, while Nodoka struggles with a routine filming session while in Mai's body.
Nodoka and Mai regain their original appearances.
Hours after the concert and an attempted suicide by Nodoka, Mai and Nodoka are able to reconcile at the former's home and revert to their usual bodies, after it was made clear to Nodoka that Mai did indeed love her, since she appreciated receiving the letters of support from Nodoka that kept her going in her early acting career.
Kaede Azusagawa
Having heard about her past from Sakuta, Mai acts very gentle towards her. Kaede eventually opens up to her after Mai gives her some new clothes. She is very considerate towards Kaede, which can be seen when her phone rings. She leaves to a different room to answer the call.
After Kaede gets her memories back, Mai later arranges for her to get a haircut before going back to school.
Shoko Makinohara
As Sakuta's first crush, Mai expresses some jealousy towards her and is uncomfortable with the two of them spending time alone. Part of this comes from Shoko openly admitting her affection for him.
When Shoko arrives at Sakuta's apartment for a prolonged stay, Mai momentarily loses her composure while cooking. She then nearly greeted her with a kitchen knife in hand.
With this though, Mai understands that Shoko was there for Sakuta when she was not, as she was busy with work.
Upon learning of her circumstances, Mai becomes much more compassionate towards her and becomes much less hostile towards Shoko's feelings for Sakuta. She also tries to save her from her illness by sacrificing herself; however, the situation is resolved when Sakuta gets back in time to save Mai, and they decide together to change timeline where they risk sacrificing their memories of each other.
Etymology
- The name Mai (2) means "linen robe" (麻衣).
- Mai's surname Sakurajima means "cherry blossom" (桜) (sakura) and "island" (島) (shima/jima). Therefore, put together, her last name means "cherry blossom island". Sakurajima is also the name of a real-life volcano in southern Kyushu.
Trivia
- In "The World Without You" and "Wash It All Away on a Stormy Night," the two episodes in which Mai wears the light blue button-up sleeveless shirt, it is shown to have six buttons, but in "This World You Chose" and "Sister Panic", it has five buttons, with the top button that's on Mai's shirt collar disappearing, most of which have it with five buttons, so its possible that this is an error in the animation.