The School Rumble manga and anime series features a cast of characters designed by Jin Kobayashi. The story takes place mostly in a Japanese high school and revolves around various love triangles and polygons. The manga series is followed by a short parallel world story, School Rumble Z.
The manga alternates between several main protagonists. In the main storyline chapters, the protagonists are Tenma Tsukamoto and Kenji Harima. The side chapters focus on many of the side characters from the main chapters, with most of them focusing on Yakumo Tsukamoto. While many of the chapters are gag stories, the central theme of School Rumble is relationships, mostly because of love, and as the series progresses, characters are introduced, and situations are misinterpreted. Hence the relationship web becomes more complex. Since the characters are unable to let their true feelings be known to the one, they like tension, and rivalries build.
Creation and design
Jin Kobayashi started writing the series School Rumble because he found the idea of a manga involving a delinquent falling in love interesting. Kobayashi's favorite character, Kenji Harima, is based largely on an amalgam of various friends, although he estimates "about 30%" of Harima is a reflection of himself. However, despite putting most of his personal feelings into the female characters, he stated that Ryuuhei Suga, a minor supporting character, is the most autobiographical. Most of the other characters are based on memories of former high-school classmates; As a manga author, Kobayashi also designed the cover art. Originally, the fifth volume's front cover was to feature Akira Takano, but after re-reading the volume Kobayashi concluded that since much of its plot in that volume revolves around Karen Ichijo, she should be on the cover instead. Desiring to feature a male character, he placed Harima on the cover of volume six.
An anime adaptation of the series was never envisaged by Kobayashi, and he was skeptical of the project when first approached. Negotiations and preparation took some time, but he claims to be happy with the end result. On viewing the first anime footage, Kobayashi was astonished; he recalls in an interview his emotions at the time, stating "I was incredibly touched by it. Completely overcome." Impressed with the adaptation of his work, Kobayashi allowed the voice actors who voiced his characters significant freedom to interpret them as they chose. There were a number of cast changes throughout the production; Ami Koshimizu, the voice actress for Tenma, had initially auditioned for the role of Yakumo, and between School Rumbles first and second seasons the voice actors for both Karen Ichijou and Yoko Sasakura were replaced. Mako Sakurai took over Karen's role from Yuuka Nanri, and Aya Hirano replaced Akiko Kurumado as Yoko.
Main characters
Tenma Tsukamoto
Profile: Birthday: November 30 Blood type: A
The female protagonist. Short and fairly childish for her age, Tenma is often mistaken as being younger than her classmates and her younger sister Yakumo.
She does not perceive herself as particularly attractive to boys, although many of them acknowledge her cuteness. She aspires to be seen as a mature woman and endeavors to impress Karasuma through her cooking skills. One of her distinctive physical features are the little pigtails in her hair, which often wiggle if she is happy, excited and sometimes shocked. They also sag down if she is disappointed or sad. She is also slow and unreliable; she often misunderstands obvious situations. Despite her negative qualities, Tenma is good-natured, friendly, sweet, and very determined. She enjoys professional wrestling and, along with Harima, is a fan of the jidaigeki television show . Tenma also has relatively low academic scores. Both she and her sister have part-time jobs to make ends meet.
After knowing of Karasuma's disease, and even finding out that he lost all memories of her, she decided to transfer to the United States and continue her studies there in order to stay beside him. When she learns there is nothing that can be done, her life is given meaning and she decides to study medicine.
She makes her last appearance at the end of School Rumble Z comforting her sister.
According to the last Japanese poll performed by the publishers of the manga, Tenma is currently the fourth most popular character in the series.
In the anime adaptation of Natsu no Arashi! (which was also made by Jin Kobayashi), she and Harima made a cameo appearance at the cafe as customers wearing their school uniforms.