| “ | I would be lying if i said i don't want to touch her... But... Before marriage, there's dating, and we've only just started. And in order to respond to her sincerely, I should properly go through the steps from the very beginning. | ” |
–Mei Aihara to Matsuri Mizusawa, in June 2nd. [1] | ||
Mei Aihara (藍原 芽衣 Aihara Mei?) is the deuteragonist of the manga Citrus. She is the Student Council president, the daughter of Shō Aihara, the stepdaughter of Ume Aihara and the younger stepsister/wife of Yuzu Aihara.
Appearance[]
Mei is a very beautiful light-skinned young girl with straight silky mid-back length black hair that has bangs hanging over her forehead, purple eyes and a slender body.
Whilst in school, she dresses formally in uniform with an additional arm-band on her left arm, which identifies her as a part of the student council. When attending events outside of school, she wears ordinary plain clothes which attract little attention to her. She starts wearing a ring that Yuzu gave her but only outside of school.
Gallery[]
Personality[]
On the outside, Mei appears to have a cold and ruthless attitude towards her peers. She's obtained a stern and short-tempered personality from her father's abandonment of her. She is unable to communicate with Yuzu normally and struggles to convey her feelings properly, this results in her often making frequent sexual advances towards Yuzu. Despite her behavior, on the inside, she is sensitive, lonely, and hides a heart that can be easily hurt.
Her usually hard personality contrasts her emotional side, which manifests often. Mei struggles to understand Yuzu's optimistic and impulsive nature, as it harshly mirrors her pessimistic and measured one. As the series progresses, she slowly changes, becoming less-cold to Yuzu, and a bit more caring towards her. She still has a hard time being honest and understanding what she's feeling. She sometimes does childish things[3] [4] and likes teddy bears. She's more confident than Yuzu knowing the fact that not everyone will approve of their relationship.
After dating Yuzu then later being engaged to her, Mei start to open up more being gentle and warm, while still keeping her calm and strict demeanor.
Anime & Manga Differences[]
Episode 1
- Mei frisking Yuzu for her phone seemed to be longer in anime than it was in manga.
- Mei is shown to be in the same class as Yuzu, but in the manga it doesn't show that they are in the same class until out of love.
- Her kiss with Amamiya didn't look as forced in the anime as it was in the manga.
- Mei comes home just after Yuzu, while in the anime she comes home after Yuzu and Ume get back from grocery shopping.
- In the manga, Mei's discussing about life before she moved in with Yuzu and Ume takes place at the mall, but in the anime it take's place at home.
- The stuffed bear keychain she has originally belonged to Yuzu, but Yuzu later gave it to her in the manga, while in the anime she already has it in her possession, having been given to her by her Father.
- In the anime, her first kiss with Yuzu is more drawn out and a bit forceful, possibly to show to Yuzu that her kiss with Amemiya was forced.
Episode 2
Episode 3
- In the anime, Mei is wearing a causal outfit when with Yuzu on the terrace of the hospital after visiting her grandfather while in the manga she is still in her school uniform.
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Episode 11
Episode 12
Etymology[]
- The name Mei means "bud, sprout" (芽) (me) and "clothing, garment" (衣) (i).
- Mei's surname Aihara means "indigo" (藍) (ai) and "field, plain" (原) (hara).
Trivia[]
- Mei is not very good at sewing.[5]
- Mei likes teddy bears.
- Mei's ears are sensitive.
- Mei falls asleep quickly.
- In the initial setup, Saburo set Mei as an older sister and her height was setup to be 159cm.
- In Citrus +5, Yuzu found out that Mei is not ticklish.
- As shown in Citrus+ 2, Mei has a scar on her right thigh from elementary school.
- The small stuffed bear keychain given to Mei by Yuzu.
Quotes[]
- (To Yuzu) "Living by the rules of the school prepares you for society. We are all under the same conditions, so if you want to go to this school, you will abide by the school's regulations!" [6]
- (To Matsuri) "That was to take back the kiss you took from Yuzu."
- (To Matsuri) "The Two of us aren't so different. My whole life, I’ve desired affection from others, I felt bitter to the people around me and I closed off my heart, and a heart that lets nothing in... will become empty before you realize it. But, in this world, you'll sometimes meet meddlesome people who will, even without asking, give you the love you need. And for someone like you or me, meeting such a person is very blissful." [7]
- (To Yuzu) "In that case, maybe I should try being a little more direct. Well? Can you hear what my heart is saying? Yuzu, inside of me, when it concerns my feelings for you, I have a part that's "good", but also a part that's "bad". Knowing that, do you still want to take a peek inside of me?" [8]
- (To Sara) "The truth is I am not allowed to ask for anything."
| “ | I can't bear being only your "sister". | ” |
–Mei Aihara to Yuzu, in Love forever[9] | ||
| “ | I would be lying if I said I don't want to touch her... But... Before marriage, there's dating and we've only just started. And in order to to respond to her sincerity, I should properly go through the steps from the very beginning. | ” |
–Mei Aihara to Matsuri, in Plus chapter 3. [10] | ||
References[]
- ↑ Citrus Plus Manga: June 2nd, page 17
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Citrus Plus Manga: Plus chapter 10, page 3
- ↑ Citrus Manga: Citrus 5 Leaflet
- ↑ Citrus Manga Chapter 29, page 6-11
- ↑ Citrus Volume 1 Extras
- ↑ Citrus Manga: Chapter 1, page 8
- ↑ Citrus Manga: Chapter 12, pages 26-27
- ↑ Citrus Manga: Chapter 12, page 34-36
- ↑ Citrus Manga: Chapter 41 page 17
- ↑ Citrus Plus Manga: Plus chapter 3, page 17
[]
| e - d - vCharacters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Main Characters | ||
| Yuzu Aihara • Mei Aihara • Harumi Taniguchi • Himeko Momokino • Matsuri Mizusawa | ||
| Others | ||
| Ume Aihara • Shō Aihara • Mei's Grandfather • Kayo Maruta • Sara Tachibana • Nina Tachibana • Mitsuko Taniguchi • Nene Nomura • Udagawa • Yuzu's Father • Mei's Mother • Mineko Fuji • Mayu • Kana • Manami • Amamiya • Yuzubocchi • Pucchi • Sayaka Hikami • Miyabi Sakuraba • Inori Mizusawa • Arata Akamine | ||