Gacha Gacha

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Gacha Gacha


caption = "Gacha Gacha" Volume 1
ja_name = ガチャガチャ
ja_name_trans = Gachagacha
genre = ComedyInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Hiroyuki Tamakoshi
publisher = flagicon|Japan Kodansha
flagicon|United States flagicon|Canada Del Rey Manga
flagicon|Germany Heyne
demographic = Shōnen
magazine = Magazine Special
first = 17 December, 2002
last = 23 June, 2008 (Completed)
volumes = 16 [ [http://www.shonenmagazine.com/php/comic.php?sakuhin_id=69 "Shōnen Magazine"] . Accessed 2007-03-15.]

nihongo|"Gacha Gacha"|ガチャガチャ|Gachagacha is a shōnen manga by Hiroyuki Tamakoshi. As of November 2007, the first 10 volumes have been published in North America by Del Rey Manga. According to Del Rey, 8 volumes were released in Japan. However, according to the Anime News Network, there are 16 volumes released so far and the series is still ongoing. The reason for this discrepancy is likely because the series is broken up into two story arcs, the first being "Capsule", and the second being "Secret." A recent interview with David Ury [http://web.archive.org/web/20070113085213/http://ikimashou.net/2006/05/18/interview-with-a-translator-david-ury/] , the series' translator for Del Rey shows that they are planning to release all of both arcs.

ummary

Capsule (Volumes 1 - 5)

Nanjou Kouhei has been classmates with Hanazono Kurara since elementary school, and he has recently realized that he has developed a crush on her. However, after a fateful trip to Hawaii, Kurara has started to behave oddly at times – specifically acting extremely promiscuous and flirting shamelessly for short periods, then remembering nothing. Kouhei is often the target of this flirty and exhibitionistic behavior, leaving him to take the blame when Kurara returns to normal.

After one such episode, leaving Kouhei – and Kurara – in an uncomfortable position, Kurara tells Kouhei that she now has multiple personality disorder, with her other, uninhibited, personality being named Arisa. After her confession she enlists Kouhei's help in dealing with her while the Arisa personality is in control, as well as covering up the existence of her embarrassing promiscuous side from other people.

As Kouhei and Kurara try their best to control Arisa, several other personalities emerge: Alice, the young, questioning adolescent; Rin, the martial arts expert; and Meow, a housecat. As Kouhei and Kurara try their best to remove the disorder while controlling the wild and wacky personalities that emerge, their relationship begins to grow into love.

ecret (Volumes 6 - 16)

Known as Next Generation in English

The "Secret" story arc starts in Japanese volume 6 of "Gacha Gacha". It revolves around a malfunction at the "Gacha Gacha" virtual reality video game, which has since gone retail after the events in the "Capsule" story arc. The malfunction leaves the main character, an unlucky young man named Akira Hatsushiba, transforming into a young girl whenever he sneezes. The body is the tutorial character's body which he was interacting with when the "Gacha Gacha" game crashed. He later finds out that eating Natto (fermented soybeans) would transform the girl form (Akira-chan) into a taller and much more buxom form.

Akira uses his newfound body to learn more about women, specifically getting closer and improving his relationship with the girl he is infatuated with, Yurika Sakuraba.

Characters

Capsule

ecret

;Hatsushiba Akira:A 17 year old boy in his senior year of high school. A huge fan of pornographic material, he was seen by the girl he likes while trying to rent porno at the local video store. He is a pervert that gets massive nosebleeds whenever he gets stimulated. Also, he's very thickheaded and clumsy, giving him almost no chance with women. However he does have good points. He has been complemented for his unwavering willpower, his dependibility and sometime cool behavior despite his usual dorky demeanor. Even though as the story progresses, he receives favorable attention and romantic feelings from the many girls he knows, he only has eyes for Sakuraba Yurika.

:His most imporant secret in the manga is that when he sneezes he becomes a girl with blond hair and a somewhat underdeveloped body with a "cute" charm rather than a mature sexy charm. This leads him to get into some unfortunate (and hilarious) situations. He originally uses his female form to become successfully become friends with Sakuraba Yurika and continues to use it when he feels like being with Yurika. He resorts to using a piece of tissue to make himself sneeze and become a girl whenever he pleases. As a girl he gets himself into places and situations he never could have imagined as a boy. He also transforms into a girl to gather information about the girls and accompany them to baths, hot springs, lingerie stores and so on.

;Sakuraba Yurika:The goddess in the eyes of Hatsushiba Akira. She is beautiful beyond words and is very kind. She has very large breasts, an awesome figure, and makes all the men turn their heads wherever she goes. She can be somewhat naive and innocent, which is a part of her charm. She currently works at her uncle's coffee and cake shop called Rock Stock, and works as both a waitress and a patissier. She loves to eat cake and make them as well. Although she has feelings for Hatsushiba, but she cannot admit to them to herself readily.

;Sakuraba Anju:Sakuraba Yurika's younger sister. She is a returnee from France, where she was staying with her parents. She is first mistaken by Hatsushiba for a boy and he accidentally walks in on her while she was changing. She is a 2nd dan karate master and is in very good shape, which allows her to beat up Hatsushiba whenever he does something inappropriate. As the series progresses, she falls for Hatsushiba more and more and tries to get his attention and his love. However, she is having trouble due to Akira's thickheadedness. She also has tough competition in the form of her sister, whom Hatsushiba loves. She is also self conscious of her figure, since she is not as beautiful as her sister or her mother.

;Sakuraba Ran:The mother of Anju and Yurika. She also has a very attractive figure despite her age, and was first mistaken by Hatsushiba to be a 'Gyuakunan' (a woman who hangs around trying to hook up with men). She also has very large breasts, which explains Yurika's well developed body. She also seems to have a rather frightening side to her personality. She is fickle and loves to tease her daughter, or in this case, sexually harass them. She is very perceptive and catches easily that the both Akira were one and the same.

;Haruna Yun:A girl in the same class as Sakuraba Yurika and Hatsushiba Akira, she is introduced midway through the series as being a classmate who had known Akira since middle school. She is an artist and loves to draw. Her parents own a Chinese restaurant where she lives as well. She volunteers to be help Akira with the cultural festival activity because she wanted to be in the inner group of friends Akira hangs out with since they always seem to be having a good time. She can also be straightforward and direct in the things she says, very often offending Hatsushiba, not to say she doesn't have any feelings for him though.

;Masamune Kikuchi:Hatsushiba Akira's best friend. Partners in crime in all their perverted activities whether it be wanking off to porn, renting porn, searching for porno mags or watching porno mags, they are inseparable. He seems to be rather rich, owning a hot spring resort villa, and being engaged to an equally rich fiancé. Like Akira, the other girls don't seem to think much of him, other than his fiancé that is. He is also madly in love with Akira (female version) not knowing it is the transgender transformation of his best friend. He also often accompany Hatsushiba and the girls in their adventures.

;Morinoin Mitsuba:She is Kikuchi's fiancé. She is treated rather poorly by Kikuchi, who wants nothing to do with her. She is extremely giddy and would do anything in order to get Kikuchi's attention and his love because she truly loves him. She finds herself in competition with Akira (female) to get Kikuchi's attention despite Akira not wanting it in the first place. She also owns a deserted island where she brings everyone on a private beach party, where she plans to attack Kikuchi head on and earn his love.

References

Capsule Volumes 1 - 5

External links

* [http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/manga/gachagacha/ Official Del Ray site]
* [http://www.shonenmagazine.com/works/gachagacha/index.html Official Japanese site]
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Capsule Volumes 1 - 5