Kazuya Shiranami

Infobox animanga character
name = Kazuya Shiranami
series = Galaxy Angel


caption =
first = Galaxy Angel II Zettai Ryouiki no Tobira (video game)
Galaxy Angel 3rd (manga)
Galaxy Angel-rune (anime) (Episode 12 & 13 only)
last =
creator =
voiced by = Hisafumi Oda
age = 16
born = December 27

nihongo|Kazuya Shiranami|カズヤ・シラナミ| is a fictional character and the protagonist of the anime adventure/ dating-sim game Galaxy Angel II series, the sequel to the original Galaxy Angel trilogy. He is voiced by Hisafumi Oda (小田久史).

In battle, he pilots the new (pseudo-)Angel Frame "Brave Heart", which combines with one of the other girls' Frames. During the strategy segments of the game, if the combined Frame or the Luxiole is defeated, the game is over.

Appearances

Prior to the release of the Galaxy Angel II game on 22 June 2006, Kazuya was among the new characters to be announced by Broccoli. Unlike his fellow Rune Angel troupe members, his voice was first heard on 1 CD released shortly before the game's release date (as opposed to two each for the others). The CD in question was a duet CD which featured two duets, two question and answer sessions and a mini-drama. He was paired up with Chitose Karasuma for this CD, as both of them are the sixth Angel of their respective teams.

As the player character, he is introduced immediately and provides a brief background of the events since Galaxy Angel: Eternal Lovers. Unlike Tact from the original trilogy (whose voice was only heard during certain events, cutscenes and battles), Kazuya is fully voiced. However, players do have the option to turn off his vocals.

While for a time there was speculation that Kazuya would appear in the anime based on GAII (Galaxy Angel Rune), this proved to be false once it actually aired. However, he did make appearances in the final two episodes (and like other characters in the anime, is unlucky in that he was promptly blown up).

He has a starring role in the manga version of GAII. Based on the pattern of the previous manga, it is expected that he will be paired up with Apricot Sakuraba.

Fictional biography

Kazuya is a native of the newly discovered dimension NEUE, as is most of the Rune Angel Troupe. He is the first male to ever become a member of any Angel Troupe, and was chosen by former Moon Angel Milfeulle Sakuraba to join the unit. He is a student of another ex-Moon Angel Troupe member, Forte Stollen, who he refers to as kyoukan (教官) meaning 'instructor'. At the beginning of the game, he has just arrived on the Lost Technology spaceship Luxiole.

He was a star student at an elite cooking school, specialising in desserts. The chef aboard the Luxiole is an ex-classmate of his named Ranti. Ranti is an expert cook, but admits Kazuya's skill in making desserts far surpasses his own already impressive ability. As a result, he can often be found helping Ranti in the kitchen, preparing desserts to go along with Ranti's meals.

In the extra route add-on to Galaxy Angel II's first game ( which came with the Galaxy Angel II sequel), Kazuya is forced into a maid outfit by the Luxiole's tea lounge waitress Melba. He reveals that it wasn't the first time he was forced into crossdressing. When he was younger, he worked at a cafe and was the victim of numerous pranks by customers, culminating in his being dressed up as a girl. He woefully adds that people who saw him thought he looked good in women's clothes. This was the single biggest reason why he applied to join the Angel Troupe.

Personality

Unlike the previous protagonist Takuto Meyers, he is a diligent and hardworking young man. He uses the humble male pronoun "boku" when referring to himself (as opposed to Takuto's more self-confident "ore").

He is rather docile and occasionally quite meek. He is also easily embarrassed, especially by members of the opposite sex. However, he is also courageous under pressure and cares deeply for his teammates. He is quite willing to die to protect them. In fact, he comes close to death on one Angel's route and actually perishes in another route.

Like Chitose when she first joined the Angel Troupe, Kazuya is uncomfortable referring to his superiors on casual terms. And also like Chitose, he has to be forced into referring to his perceived superiors by name. In Chitose's case it was referring to Takuto as "Takuto-san" rather than "Commander Mayers". In Kazuya's, it was referring to Lily C. Sherbet as "Lily-san" rather than "Sherbet-senpai" ("senpai" being an honorific bestowed on seniors and upperclassmen).

Another similarity to Chitose is how Kazuya's reactions to the quirks of his teammates and commander are the source of much comic relief. For example, when Anise Azeat beats him in a race and casually puts his hand over her heart so he can feel how much effort she had to put into winning (which to his embarrassment means putting his hand over her breast), he screams at her and calls her a tomboy before running away in tears.

In addition, Kazuya enjoys trying new recipes, especially desserts. He seems unable to control himself when presented with new cakes and pastries, often trying to learn to make them himself. This is shown when Rico and Kahlua Marjoram show him a cookery book filled with wonderous dessert recipes, suspecting that the young man would be unable to resist the temptation to make them. True enough, Kazuya eagerly borrows the book and walks away, muttering to himself and trying to decide which one to try first.

Abilities

As mentioned above, Kazuya is an excellent cook specialising in desserts. He is capable of cookng full course meals, but as his friend Ranti is better at it he focuses on desserts for the most part. As a member of the military, he is ranked "shouii" (少尉) or ensign and has had training in hand-to-hand combat.

He is a good, if not exceptional, pilot as are the members of both Moon and Rune Angel Troupes. His Emblem Frame "Brave Heart" is weakly armed and armoured compared to other Emblem Frames, but can combine with those of his teammates in the Rune Angel Troupe. The Brave Heart boosts the Emblem Frame's speed and firepower.

As of the first Galaxy Angel II game, he is in possession of an item known as "telepath fur". A gift from the Luxiole's captain Takuto Mayers, it allows him to sense the mental condition of his fellow pilots (in essence fulfilling the role previously filled by Kuromie Quark and the Space Whale from the original Galaxy Angel games). The item, in fact, may be a reference to a yonkoma from the original series in which the telepathic Space Whale grew a fur coat.

He also has leadership potential, prompting Takuto Mayers to appoint him "taichoudairi" (隊長代理) or acting captain of the Rune Angel Troupe. Presumably, Kazuya was only appointed acting captain rather than simply captain because he and the other Rune Angels have the same rank. In the Moon Angel Troupe, team leader Forte Stollen was of higher rank than her teammates (being a first lieutenant while the others were second lieutenants). Like his commander, Kazuya is able to quickly gain the trust and friendship of much of the Luxiole's crew.

Trivia

*According to one of the cutscenes from the game, Brave Heart appears to be the most weakly armed of the Emblem Frames. Its only armaments appear to be machine-gun-like beam guns.

*While Brave Heart is referred to as an Emblem Frame in the game, it does not come equipped with a H.A.L.O. system like those of the other Angel Troupe members. As a result, fans occasionally refer to it as a pseudo-Emblem Frame rather than a true Emblem Frame.

*Lily actually wanted Kazuya to simply refer to her as "Lily" without any honorifics the way he does with the other Rune Angel troupe members, but was only able to get him to use her first name and add a "-san".

*Despite not having shown any musical inclination, Kazuya has a guitar in his room.

*Takuto's blue hair and brown eyes seemed to have been reversed with Kazuya as he has brown hair and blue eyes.

*A common running joke in the manga is that the other characters often comment on how cute Kazuya's face is to the point where he looks feminine. When Takuto first meets Kazuya, Takuto says that "he's cute, but he's not a girl, is he?" In a flashback, a couple of customers persuade him to enter the Celdar Dessert Contest, a contest reserved normally for women, by dressing up as a girl, commenting on how cute he'd look in a dress.

Relationships

Similar to Takuto's experiences in the original Galaxy Angel trilogy, Kazuya has the opportunity to become romantically involved with one of the Angels. Many fans expect that in the ongoing manga, he will be linked to Apricot Sakuraba (known as Rico to her friends) the way Takuto and Milfuelle are paired up in the Galaxy Angel manga.

At one point of the game, the Rune Angel Troupe are given leave on a resort planet while the Luxiole undergoes repairs. Like the dance from the first Galaxy Angel game, the three Angels with the highest trust will invite Kazuya to go with them. Whoever is chosen by the player will be the one Kazuya will be romantically linked to for the remainder of the game.

The series of events closely follows those of the original Galaxy Angel game. First, the main character (Takuto, Kazuya) is invited to an event (a dance party, a beach vacation) by three of the Angels. The next chapter is a character specific one that further builds on the relationship between the protagonist and his chosen partner. This will often stem from an incident from the previous chapter, and often involves some sort of difficulty that forces both to confront their feelings and come to terms with them. The following chapters will have the same title no matter which Angel was chosen, but will have slightly different dialogue to reflect the hero's choice.

This section offers a brief summary of each Angel's route. For details of each route, please see the relevant Rune Angel's page.

With Apricot Sakuraba

Kazuya and Rico's hinted attraction grows, and Kazuya attempts to help Rico overcome her reflex action (bodily hurling any men who come into physical contact with her into the air) with the aid of other male characters including Takuto himself.

While only partially successful, Rico is finally able to talk to other men without risk of accidentally hurting them. This has the unfortunate side-effect of making Kazuya, who has acknowledged his growing feelings for his teammate, feel left out. His attempts to get closer to her own seem to drive her further away, and eventually Rico's ability to pilot her Emblem Frame is affected.

Takuto attempts to force them to deal with their problems by sending them on a mission together, but an accident nearly claims their lives. Suffering heavy wounds from protecting Rico, Kazuya confesses his feelings before blacking out.

When Kazuya comes too, Rico manages to admit her own feelings for him and clears up the misunderstanding that led to the ill-fated mission. The new couple quickly find themselves a vital part of Takuto's plan to rescue Milfie, their feelings for each other powerful enough to awaken the famed "Angel Feather".

With Anise Azeat

Anise is initially distrustful of Kazuya's acceptance of her offer, thinking he is attempting to pay her back for a trick she played on him earlier. Once she is convinced otherwise, she eagerly shows him a treasure hunting contest flier she was hoping to join on the resort world.

Once there, Kazuya and Anise handily win the contest thanks to Anise's uncanny intuition. In addition, they also find a small blue stone that Anise points out is pretty but worthless. Nevertheless, Kazuya keeps it.

This proves to be a lucky coincidence, as upon their return to the Luxiole Kazuya learns that Anise has lost her two hairpieces. Distraught at seeing the normally lively Anise so depressed, Kazuya uses the stone from the resort world to handcraft new hairpieces for her.

This act of kindness surprises Anise, and she suddenly finds herself trying to cope with feelings she has never felt before. However, her competitive nature ensures that it will not be easy to deal with how she feels about Kazuya.

With Nano-Nano Pudding

Nano-Nano and Kazuya initially have a good time together, but when Nano-Nano notices Kazuya eyeing a couple of shapely beauties she begins to feel inferior due to her body's lack of development. She uses her nanomachines to disguise herself as a beautiful woman named Nagisa. Kazuya at first has no idea why such a beauty is approaching him, and despite Nagisa's attempts to get him to go with her declines to wait for Nano-Nano. He eventually sees through her trick, telling her she's fine the way she is. Pleased, Nano-Nano agrees.

Upon returning to the Luxiole, Nano-Nano is inspired by a conversation with another crew member to kiss Kazuya. Unhappily for her, she is foiled at every turn as every time she attempts to kiss him they are somehow interrupted. Her frustration finally gets the better of her and she gets into a fight with Kazuya, but this leads to her getting her wish when Kazuya catches her after a fall and the two wind up kissing.

The new couple's happiness is cut short not long after when tragedy strikes, robbing the team of one of their members.

With Kahlua Marjoram

Kahlua's magical powers ensure she and Kazuya have a unique vacation, one that solidifies their relationship when she kisses him while drunk for the first time.

Upon returning to the ship, Kazuya then deals with the fact that Kahlua is essentially two people in one by confessing his feelings for Tequila. While initially outraged because she believes Kazuya loves Kahlua, she is silenced by a kiss.

While things go well for a time, a curse from a fallen enemy puts Kazuya's life in mortal danger and forces Kahlua to take extreme steps to protect him. This is no easy task, considering the threat to Kazuya is Tequila!

With Lily C. Sherbert

Kazuya and Lily's vacation is an eventful one, starting with Kazuya's reaction to Lily's skimpy swimsuit. They also encounter three salepersons, one selling ice cream (which they, as natives of NEUE, have never seen before), another offering to take holographs (holographic pictures) and a third selling watermelons.

After short misadventures with each salesperson that culminates in Lily accidentally knocking Kazuya out, the two settle down to enjoy their time together.

Unfortunately, Lily's serious personality causes her to inadvertently hurt Kazuya's feelings badly upon their return to the Luxiole. She does not realise anything is particularly wrong until he uncharacteristically loses his temper with her, leaving her struggling to understand what she did wrong.

External links

* [http://galaxyangel.wikia.com/wiki/Kazuya_Shiranami Kazuya Shiranami] on [http://galaxyangel.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The Galaxy Angel Wiki] at [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] .