Nagasarete Airantō

(drama CD), Hiro Shimono (anime):Ikuto, a fourteen-year-old boy, is the main character of the story and is currently stranded on Airan Island. At extreme odds with his father, he ran away from home on a cruise liner, resulting in his arrival on the island due to a storm. Exceedingly kind and helpful, Ikuto's physical ability pales in comparison to that of the women on the island, in the beginning he also couldn't understand any of the animals on the Island whereas the women could (he is able to understand them later on however). Nonetheless, he has inherited his grandfather's ideal of determination; the words "It's impossible!" send him into a state of berserk strength and tenacity. Once in this state, he usually either accomplishes his goal or is struck unconscious trying. He has a younger sister named Misaki back home in Japan. Owing to the conservative attitude with which he was raised, Ikuto finds it difficult to accept Airan's freer customs. This also makes it difficult for Ikuto to accept anything supernatural which, unfortunately, is abundant on the island (e.g. he refuses to accept that Tohno is a kappa and persistently insists that she is actually a turtle). Due to the Island's girls inexperience with boys they'll often try to seduce him, which results most of the time in failure or Ikuto having an exaggerated nosebleed and passing out. On occasion, Ikuto demonstrates his aptitude in kendo, which he points out to be something he learned from his grandfather.

;Nihongo|Suzu|すず:anime voices|Yui Horie (drama CD/anime):Suzu is the main female character of the story. She is an honest girl and can be very spontaneous when excited. She is the first person that Ikuto meets on the island and possibly the closest one to him. As the series progresses, Suzu develops feelings for Ikuto, but at first she has trouble realizing it due to her inexperience with boys. Later on, she gets very jealous whenever another girl gets close to him. She doesn't mind being naked around Ikuto and doesn't understand why Ikuto always gets nosebleeds and passes out whenever this happens. She is still very happy to have him in her life, since she had been living alone with her pet piglet Tonkatsu (lit. "breaded pork cutlet") since the death of her mother. Suzu loves sweets to the point where she can be easily bribed with them, especially with the special "Mame Daifuku" treats made by Ayane's and Machi's mother. Suzu is one of the best players of shogi and other strategy games on the island, to the point that she could easily beat Ikuto. She claims this is because she learned how to play from her mother on rainy days.

;Nihongo|Ayane|あやね:anime voices|Yukari Tamura (drama CD), Saeko Chiba (anime):Ayane is Suzu's rival, always being defeated by her and wanting to win at least once. The fact that she constantly loses makes Suzu somewhat doubtful of her ability as an individual. Despite her appearance, she is actually 16 years old, and being underdeveloped she is also jealous of Suzu's sudden growth. She is deathly afraid of Machi, her older sister, and uses anesthetic darts as her main weapon. She hopes to take Ikuto captive and trump Suzu. She is a miko at the local shrine along with Machi and their mother Chizuru (whom Ikuto mistook for her sister at first). She also frequently uses a giant ostrich named Monjiro as transportation.

;Nihongo|Machi|まち:anime voices|Masumi Asano (drama CD), Mikako Takahashi (anime):Machi is Ayane's elder sister and despite her appearance is smaller than Ayane; she is actually eighteen-years-old. Despite her innocent looks, Machi is something of a sadist: she often tortures Ayane with her voodoo doll, finding beauty in their pained, frightened expressions. She also tends to take the most dangerous methods to getting things done. Her weakness lies within being self-conscious of her age; she gets horrible shocks every time someone calls her old. Machi wishes to take Ikuto because her age means she should be getting married soon. She has a talent for magic, such as summoning "shikigami", though she usually ditches all other cleaning and cooking duties at the shrine. Like her sister Ayane, she is quite proficient with using the blowgun.

;Nihongo|Rin|りん:anime voices|Yu Asakawa (drama CD), Ryōko Shiraishi (anime):Rin is an apprentice carpenter who is popular on Airan due to her somewhat tomboyish outfit and attitude, she was the subject of a lot of attention and romantic interest from other women before Ikuto's arrival. She found this situation so uncomfortable that she developed a tendency to bathe alone. Rin's busty frame belies her amazing strength, although she thinks of herself as feminine: unlike the other girls, she hates being seen naked, and likes to dress in pretty clothes when no one is watching. She is also an excellent chef - in fact, as indicated in the manga, she is far better at cooking than she is at carpentry. Initially, Rin propositions Ikuto to be her husband to prove her heterosexuality (and so end the advances made on her by the other girls); however, she soon develops real feelings for him. She calls Ikuto "danna" ("hubby" or husband), much to Ikuto's chagrin.

;nihongo|Mikoto|みこと:anime voices|Akeno Watanabe:Mikoto is a kunoichi and an apprentice carpenter who is obsessed with Rin (Mikoto is so far the only girl identified as not developing any feelings for Ikuto) and always attempts to peek at or touch her body, particularly when she is bathing. She is often jealous of Ikuto to the point that she would either threaten to hurt him or outright throw shurikens and/or heavy objects at him, but in response Rin will often make short work of her. Her family, of which she is the youngest human member, consists entirely of practitioners of Ninpo and Bushido.

;nihongo|Shinobu|しのぶ:anime voices|Orie Kimoto:Shinobu is Mikoto's sister, but unlike her more of a practitioner of Bushido than a kunoichi, who first appears in episode eighteen of the anime. After her first meeting with Ikuto and Suzu, she determines that Ikuto is troubling Mikoto and decides to challenge him to a duel, much to his reluctance. Despite being a ninja, she's a bit on the clumsy side (she trips on her own sword, then later stumbles off the edge of a cliff), and has a horrible sense of direction. Takes many things as training when actually when it has little to do with training in the long run. After Ikuto unexpectedly defeats her in a match, to his exasperation, she decides to become his apprentice. She ends her sentences with the phrase "-de gozaru", similar to the phrase "-desu" but in an archaic form used by samurais in the past.

;Nihongo|Chikage|ちかげ:anime voices|Ai Nonaka (drama CD), Shizuka Itō (anime):Chikage is obsessed with scientific research, and wants Ikuto for the sole purpose of examining a real male and learning about the world beyond the island from him. She collects things that drift in from the modern world and plans on adding Ikuto to her collection, seeing him as a potentially invaluable source of information. Chikage lives in the only English-style house on Airan with her elephant maid, Panako. She has a habit of reading mature magazines and gets misguided ideas from them to use against Ikuto. Although Ikuto believes her to be a calm, well-behaved girl, Yukino has noted that Chikage tends to perform strange experiments and questionable research. In the manga, and episode 17, she proves the truth of this statement when she briefly gains access to magic and causes havoc around the island until it is taken away by an angry Panako.

;Nihongo|Yukino|ゆきの:anime voices|Rie Kugimiya (drama CD), Shizuka Hasegawa (anime):Yukino is the youngest girl on the island, being eleven years old, and is sensitive about her age. She has an affinity for animals and is usually seen riding one, most often a giant bear named Kuma Kuma. Her connection to nature dates back to when she was too young to help with farm work, and was often left to play with the woodland creatures. Her habit of riding everywhere would suggest that she should tire easily, but in the anime she is quite athletic, being able to race with her animal friends and win. She has a habit of referring to herself in the third person.

;Nihongo|Kagami|かがみ:anime voices|Mika Kanai:Kagami is Yukino's mother. Even at her full adult height, she stands little more than a head above her daughter, and has a childish personality to match her small stature. Kagami loves games and often steals the attention of Yukino's animal friends for playtime. However, she seems to possess a hidden maturity, and commands of her own right a loyal hawk named Taka-Taka.

;Nihongo|Mei Mei|梅梅 (メイメイ):anime voices|Hitomi Nabatame:Mei Mei is an outsider just like Ikuto. Her family worked as traveling performers, but she kept messing up and embarked on a journey that got her to the island. She is very shy and reclusive, to the point where she is forced to illustrate her thoughts through drawings and she cannot talk to a stranger unless she is wearing a disguise (usually a large tree costume). She befriended the kappa, Tono-san, during her travels, and the creature has accompanied her to the island. She develops feelings for Ikuto after he fought for her so she wouldn't get taken away by Tiger, who wanted her to become the North Leader.

;nihongo|Tohno|遠野|Tōno:anime voices|Rio Natsuki:Tohno is a kappa who, a thousand years before the events of the story, caused so much trouble that a monk sealed her away. Mei Mei freed her when she left the circus. Tohno is supposedly a skilled enough warrior to defeat Pandaro, the Eastern Leader.

;Nihongo|Obaba|オババ:anime voices|Kujira:Obaba, originally named "Koto", is the village chief, the village doctor, and probably the oldest person surviving on Airan — as depicted in the manga and the anime, she had survived since the shipwreck and is probably over 148 years old. Despite her age, she is still quite spry and strong, capable of inflicting physical punishment on the disrespectful or simply intimidating them back in line. While she mostly plays a minor role in the story, there are certain events that revolve around her. She has a descendant nihongo|Michiru|みちる, who appears in episode twenty-six of the anime for a moment.

;nihongo|Panako|ぱな子:anime voices|Mayumi Iizuka:Panako is Chikage's maid who first appears in episode eight of the anime. She is a pink elephant who is very kind to others, if a bit clumsy. The citizens of Airan, animal and human alike, refer to her as the most beautiful creature on the island.

;nihongo|Misaki Tōhōin|東方院 美咲|Tōhōin Misaki:Misaki is Ikuto's little sister. Although it was not explored as much, in the letter Misaki sends to Ikuto, it can be assumed that she is very talkative. She has a bad sense of direction as she needed guidance from Ikuto to always go home. She is introduced when Suzu and the others (aside from Mei Mei) saw a picture of her with Ikuto and mistook her for his lover. When Ikuto finally met with Misaki in the final episode of the anime, she reveals to him she also ended up on an island after looking for Ikuto, although in her letter, she states that she ended up being lost first and then finding herself on the island. The irony is the events she went through parallel to Ikuto's, but instead with an island with the men who were separated with the women from Airan Island.

;nihongo|Sakuya|さくや:anime voices|Yumi Kakazu (drama CD), Yuki Matsuoka (anime):Sakuya is a female mechanical doll who was built about 130 years ago on Airan by an unknown creator. She owns and runs a hot spring and hotel resort at one end of the island. At times, her body parts fall off; she needs only reassemble herself to resume perfect working order. Her utmost and constant concern is the well-being of her customers, which she is programmed to protect using an arsenal of built-in weapons and surveillance equipment.

Leaders

:Airan is divided into four sections, five if the surrounding waterways are included: North, South, East, and West, but also includes the surround water. Each section has its own Leader who maintains the law and order of the area. The main mission of the leaders is to not only protect their area but also the Sea Dragon God who is the Great Lord of the island and has the power to protect those from large storms. He was responsible for bringing Ikuto safely into Airantō. The leaders are as follows: The Northern Leader is a two-tailed oddly bipedal tiger with a prominent scar on his face named Taiga. The Southern Leader is a two-tailed cat named Shima-Tora, who was Suzu's master in the martial arts and shapeshifting, and is said to have lived for over one hundred years. The Eastern Leader is a panda named Pandaro, who seems to fear the other Leaders, implying that he is the weakest of the Leaders; he rules over the eastern forest which is feared for the fact that it is home to carnivorous plants, he was also the first Leader whom Ikuto encountered. The Western Leader is a rooster named Karaage, who lives very close to Suzu and Ikuto's house; he even has a wife living with them. He is also the strongest fighter on the Island. In addition, a female orca named Sashimi dwells in the waters that surround the island. Though she does not speak, Suzu seems able to communicate with her. Sashimi's duty is to stop those who wander too close to the dangerous whirlpools that surround Airan.

Media

Manga

The "Nagasarete Airantō" manga was first serialized in the January 2002 issue of "Monthly Shōnen Gangan", published by "Square Enix". The manga is currently serialized in the magazine "Gangan Powered". So far, thirteen bound volumes and one "guide book" containing various background information have been released in Japan.

Drama CDs

There have been two drama CDs released based on the series.
*"Comic CD Collection 30 Nagasarete Airantō Vol.1", ISBN 4-7575-1154-X, released February 20 2004
*"Comic CD Collection 32 Nagasarete Airantō Vol.2", ISBN 4-7575-1380-1, released February 10 2005After the airing of the anime adaptation, several drama CDs has also been released, with the anime cast voicing their respective characters.

Light novels

There have been two light novels based on the manga version of "Nagasarete Airantō" written by Shōgo Mukai and illustrated by Ken Fujiyo. The first went on sale on November 30 2004 and the second went on sale on March 22 2007.

Anime

The anime adaption of "Nagasarete Airantō" began airing on April 4 2007. It was produced by the animation studio Feel, directed by Hideki Okamoto and written by Mamiko Ikeda. It contains twenty-six episodes.

Episodes

Theme songs

;Opening theme: "Days" by Yui Horie;Ending themes:
#"Say cheese" by Yui Horie (episodes 1-12)
#"Pu~!" by Akeno Watanabe (episode 13)
#Nihongo|"Koisuru Tenkizu"|恋する天気図 by Yui Horie (episode 14 onwards)
#"Days" by Yui Horie (episode 26)

External links

* [http://gangan.square-enix.co.jp/airantou/ Official manga website] jp icon
* [http://www.starchild.co.jp/special/airantou/ Official anime website] jp icon
*ann anime|id=7303