Captive Heart

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Captive Hearts


caption = Cover of volume 1
ja_name = とらわれの身の上
ja_name_trans = Toraware no Minoue
genre = Comedy, Romance, SupernaturalInfobox animanga/Manga
title = Captive Heart
author = Matsuri Hino
publisher = flagicon|Japan Hakusensha
publisher_other = flagicon|Italy JPOP Edizioni
flagicon|United States VIZ Media
demographic = Shōjo
magazine = LaLa
first = 1999
last = 2002
volumes = 5

nihongo|"Captive Hearts"|とらわれの身の上|Toraware no Minoue is a shōjo manga series created by mangaka Matsuri Hino.

tory Summary

The story is about the Kuroishi and Kogami families that have a strange bond. For 100 generations, the Kuroishi clan is to serve the Kogami clan, with mind, body and soul.

For 14 years, all members of the Kogami family have disppeared and the Kuroishis have been left the house and all the wealth associated with the Kogamis. Megumi, the son of the Head Butler, Yoshimi, has thus lived a life of luxury for some time and looks forward to an easy future. This comes to a crashing halt when his eccentric father finds out that there may be one member of the Kogami clan still alive and well in China.

With the return of the sole heir, Megumi's dreams of a life of luxury are dashed. However, he is to learn about the 'curse' that the Kuroishis are under. Upon first meeting with the newly returned Suzuka, he finds himself kneeling before her and kissing her hand, welcoming the lady of the house. He even goes to the extent of carrying her into the house.

The story continues to unfold and more is learnt about the 'curse', astride with the budding romance between the servant and master. Needless to say, the main storyline of the manga is finding of ways to remove this 'curse' as Suzuka is discomfited that Megumi would have to suffer this curse where his free will may be thwarted. The story goes on to show that even in pressing situations, true feelings may blossom from originally false ones.

Characters

* Megumi Kuroishi - Son of the Head Butler, Yoshimi Kuroishi. He is the protagonist. Megumi is a 20 year old, Japanese university student who loved to live a carefree life inside the Kougami Mansion. Until one day, one of the missing Kougami family members returns from China and into his life, Suzuka Kougami. He is under a curse of the Kougami's Dragon that the Kuro-neko-mura theif caused about a 100 generations ago. Everytime when Megumi looks into Suzuka's eyes he is taken over by the curse of the dragon, and becomes a servent (or a nobleman) as he calls her "hime" or "princess".
* Suzuka Kogami - Sole heir to the Kogami fortune. Kougami is the heroine and she is 3years younger (at 17 years old) than Megumi. She was 3 years old when her parents took her to China and never came back. The people who set out to find them claimed the family to be dead. Then 14years later, they find one surviving Kougami member who was living in a Chinese Restrant. She returns to Japan to meet Megumi, again. As she was being tutored by Megumi on learning how to speak Japanese. He writes in Japanese/Chinese kanji to tell her the reason for his mood swings. She's a high school exchange student from China.
* Yoshimi Kuroishi - Head Butler to the Kogamis' and confidante and friend to Suzuka's late parents', Seigo and Kasumi Kogami. Yoshimi is Yoshimi, tough but strict and he truely cares about his "'Master'" even his/her needs.
* Kuronekomaru (means 'round black cat') - A theif from the muromachi era. He stole from the 'samurai's mansion' and he took a scroll from the Kougaami Family called the Kakejiku of Nonoriyuu (a.k.a Rising Dragon Scroll). Kuronekomaru is an ancestor of Megumi Kuroishi. When the theif got home with the stole scroll, he hurried to open it and the Dragon kamisama (dragon god) appeared, and put a curse of a 100 generations of servetude on the theif to serve the Kougami Clan.
* Sagara Goushi - Is a university student, who used to be a male until he decided to change his sex to become a female. He is Megumi Kuroishi's best friend and even though his body has changed Kuroishi is still friends with him (this is reveal in chapter 4).
* Takatsukasa Hiryuu - A rich boy who is 16 years old and he is 2 years younger then miss Suzuka. When he first arrives at the Kougami Mansion he asks Suzuka for her hand in marriage, but she refuses his offer.
* Shibata Minato - is Takatsukasa Hiryuu's guardian.
* Haruko Kougami Shibata - is the sister to her brother of the Kougami family and Shibata's grandma. She went missing 50years ago.
* Lion Eto Jishii (a.k.a Lion) - She is Megumi's mother. She works on the police force, mainly on children who are stolen and sold on the black market. Her nickname is "Lion". Megumi's mother is also very emotional just like him or should I say he's emotional because of her being related to him!
* Arjina Ritori - He is a boy from India. He and Suzuka met each other 12years ago after she was taken away from her parents and sold in a black market for money.

Media

Volumes

# ISBN 4-592-17743-6 published on November 5 1999
# ISBN 4-592-17768-1 published on August 5 2000
# ISBN 4-492-17505-0 published on February 5 2001
# ISBN 4-592-17506-9 published on October 5 2001
# ISBN 4-592-17297-3 published on April 5 2002

Drama CD

# Released on November 21 2001

External links

*ann manga|id=6477|title=Toraware no Minoue