This portion of the site exists just for random fun. It'll be just listing down all the relevant info that Wild Vanilla has, and occasionally, little tidbits that don't fit anywhere in the site.
Hanakimi Character Poll
A Hanakimi Character Poll took place over at the official Site Wild Vanilla, taken from 24th December
2003 to 24th February 2004, where everyone could vote for their favorite characters. As it turned out, the one who garnered the most votes is none other than Umeda-sensei,
who took a total of 2679 votes, with Sano coming a very close second by six votes behind. Mizuki ranked third place with 606 votes. An interesting point to note
is that Ryouichi took place as the twelfth out of the sixty eight people who were nominated, quite a major achievement considering he made his appearance in only
one volume. Akiha Hara, on the other hand, ranked the seventeenth place. This is slightly more confusing in the sense that Akiha was introduced and earned his
place early in Hanakimi as a very well developed character while Ryouichi had less screen time. Perhaps Yume Miru Happa's influence had something to do with this.
Maybe he's just sex.
If anyone is interested how the poll turned out, visit Wild Vanilla for the rest of the results.
Hanakimi Couple Poll
What is even more interesting about the poll is that it didn't just stop at that point. Aside from voting for your favorite Hanakimi character, you can
also participate in the 'couplings' poll. The system is slightly different from usual couplings poll in that a list of characters can be nominated to earn his/her
place with only the winner. A special illustration would be drawn by Hisaya Nakajo herself to celebrate the couple who earned the most votes. In other words,
it serves as a poll to vote for the person which you think is best for Umeda.
(The existence of this shrine is enough to answer that statement, yeah?)
Who breezed through the top to earn his place alongside Umeda is none other than Kijima himself, who earned the love of 628 people. Akiha Hara came second with almost half the number of votes Ryouichi had with 307, and Umeda's... dad as the third. After experiencing a fit of disappointment because the gift illustration was nowhere to be found in the official site, I've finally came across one - and is later featured in the Hanakimi artbook itself. (I know I've said it before, but Holy Christ, it still remains the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. To find out that Kijima x Umeda is an extremely popular pairing is startling and yet, it's wonderful to know that I'm proven wrong when I thought I was alone in the corner waving the Kijima x Umeda banner while everyone's busy fawning over Akiha and his sensei. *_*) I say, not bad at all.
With Ryouichi's picture proudly framed, and that big '1' pasted on it, something which amused me to no end, Hisaya Nakajo's comments are as follows:
"全然出番ないのにペアキャラトップ当選お めでとう！比率では絶対Ａ氏の方が絡みが多 いのに…お見事です。綾梅派のファンの方々の 執念なのか、綾市くんの執念なのかゲストキ ャラでありながらよく粘り…がんばりました！ これから取りかかる１位コンビイラストを思 うと某Ａ氏がじだんだする様が目に浮かぶよ うです(笑)。梅の恋心は届くのか！？なにしろ 綾市くん強欲ですから、もっと渇望しないと ね北斗くん！"
"Even though he didn't appear at all, congratulations on getting chosen the top of the pair characters poll! Although by the ratio, Mr R has a lot of relationship, but... well done. Maybe it was the persistence of the Ryome fans or Ryouichi-kun's persistence, they stuck to it pretty well for a guest character... good work! Thinking of a first place combination illustration I'll be starting after this, a certain Mr R stamping his feet comes to mind (laughs). Will Ume's love reach him?! Anyway, since Ryouichi-kun is greedy, you're going to have to pine over him more, Hokuto-kun!"
There was a diary excerpt from the site that provided the thoughts of Nakajo sensei and the problems she had in drawing the RyouichixUmeda illustration. The finished illustration was something born out of the wishes of the Hanakimi fanbase who voted for them. Fans wanted Nakajo sensei to create Ryouichi and Umeda in a bold light (rated M, basically, and it goes without saying I echo their sentiments completely). There were a series of problems with this request; firstly, the fact that her site has visitors of all ages, and secondly, the inspectors who check illegal materials.
As a result, Nakajo sensei thought of another way to portray Ryouichi and Umeda, and finally decided on an atmospheric approach. In completing the illustration, she hoped to get favorable response from the fans, and of course, the inspectors. The diary excerpt ends with a mention about Nakajo sensei supporting the illustration. It was taken down from the website when the period expired but it can be found later in the Hanakimi artbook, which is provided below. For some reason, Umeda's glasses were erased in the artbook - perhaps Nakajo sensei wanted to get him into the mood more? ;)
I second what she wrote in that picture. It completely sums up with what I feel wholeheartedly about the two.
Mentions of Kijima - credits to Angelwing
Even before his guest appearance in Volume 14, there were three votes in favor of
Ryouichi in Volume 5, something that appeared quite odd,
as there was absolutely no mention of the man at all. It turned out that a lot of people had been asking Nakajo about who this mysterious person is
that Umeda fell in love with, and she had revealed Ryouichi's identity in a puzzle game in Hana to Yume. For the sake of those who only buy tankoubons, she
dedicated a tiny section to Ryouichi in the earlier volumes. Linking this to the very final character poll, Ryouichi shot up from the twenty-seventh place (in Volume 5) all the way to the eleventh. Go, you! Not much to say about
Umeda, however, since he's always in the Top 3. :)
October Wallpaper: Kijima Ryouichi
This month, as of October 2005, features Ryouichi in Wild
Vanilla's monthly wallpaper rotation. For general information, the site changes
its layout pics in the middle of every month, and this month features the theme
of Umeda in his high school years, which involves his younger self, young Rio, a
younger Io, and of course, Kijima. Translated from the site manager's diary excerpt:
"Ryouichi is on the current NEW page on the site, and Umeda's on some of the other pages. This wasn't planned like that, but I just realized that it does kind of give the impression that it was planned or something (laughs). The order the illustrations are used on the wallpapers is predetermined, and linking them with the other images on the site didn't cross my mind at all. It really was purely coincidental. When I'm picking what images to use on the site, I don't even think about the wallpapers... I guess Umeda and Ryouichi must just have some kind of connection (laughs). Ryouichi's a popular character, so I'd be thrilled if people like and use this wallpaper. "
Reaction to RyoUme's mystical link: That is so sweet! (I did say this section existed for random fun, you know.) I mean, it's not everyday when my ship gets this kind of reaction. *grin*
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