Ryuichi Sakuma

Ryuichi Sakuma (佐久間竜一 "Sakuma Ryūichi") is a fictional character in the anime and manga, Gravitation.

Basic information

Lead singer of the popular band Nittle Grasper along with Tohma Seguchi and Noriko Ukai, and friend of Shuichi. He left the band three years ago to pursue a solo career in America but returned to Japan to reform Nittle Grasper. Shuichi is excited at the news of Nittle Grasper's reunion, but that now makes Ryuichi his rival. Ryuichi is kind and sometimes seems to have the mind of a five-year-old, until he starts singing; then he becomes a really cool, mature, vocal god. Other characters have noticed that Ryuichi and Shuichi are quite similar in their child-like manner. His best friend is a pink bunny named Kumagoro (Mr. Bear in the english version), which is from K-san, his old manager. It contains a tracking device, and is from the K brand stuffed animal line. Not much is known about his past.

The author, Maki Murakami, supposedly named Ryuichi Sakuma after famous Japanese music composer and actor "Ryuichi Sakamoto."

Personality

One of Ryuichi's defining features is his personality. For the most part he goes about life in a childlike state, hyperactively and naively. To further define this attitude, he carries around a stuffed pink rabbit named Kumagoro that he regularly talks to as though it were a living person and often plays with in public. Though this sort of personality charms a lot of people, it also works for a lack of communication when other characters want to talk to him seriously.

There are few instances Ryuichi acts his age, most commonly when he's performing onstage. He'll drop the childlike demeanor and perform seriously. His serious side also emerges whenever he becomes upset or angry enough, which ends up scaring those who know his childlike side more. This side seems to emerge when he wants to make a point, though he acts more like a child when he wants to encourage someone or comfort them.

It has also been debated that Ryuichi shares in the homosexual plot. In the EX version of the manga, he is seen kissing Shuichi, making Eiri highly jealous. Most fans argue that this is only part of Ryuichi's childlike demure or that he's doing it to somehow bring Shuichi and Yuki closer together- perhaps to make Yuki appreciate Shuichi more.

Yet, fans who encourage this act say Ryuichi, does in fact, love Shuichi.In Gravitation there are clues that show how attached he is to Shuichi. In volume 12 of Gravitation he tells Tohma that he loves Shuichi, but he says it in a friendly way. In Gravitation EX, he got serious when his ringtone started playing and therefore acted infatuated with Shuichi. Ryuichi's character changes with his own or Shuichi's music. If he was acting like a child when he kissed Shuichi, it would have been obvious that he was scheming.

Check

Vocalist for the legendary band, Nittle Grasper which broke up for three years. Shuichi admires Nittle Grasper and in the manga admitted that he wanted to be like keyboardist Tohma Seguchi, and was a fan of Ryuichi. After the break-up, Ryuichi went over-seas to America to pursue a solo career and would do so unil there was a revival of Grasper. He is bad at Japanese (especially vague characters), English is his strong point.

He has random bouts of sensibility, which may add to the proof that Ryuichi may have Hypomania or Bipolar Disorder. There is much speculation over his mental state. Some fans argue that he does not have a disorder at all (Bipolar or otherwise), claiming that he instead behaves that way on purpose. His moments of maturity seem to be brought on by significant events, suggesting that he has control over his actions and behaviors. It should be noted, however, that there are times that he listens to his own music to come to his senses; as shown in the manga, when Sakano gives Ryuichi his own music to listen to before an interview.

External links

* [http://ryuichi.kachiky.net/frames.html Dedication - Ryuichi Sakuma fansite]
* [http://www.dustbunnystudios.com/gravitation/std/ryuto.htm Gravitation - Character Information]