"The Wallflower" (Japanese: ヤマトナデシコ七変化, Hepburn: Yamato nadeshiko Shichi Henge; "The Seven Transformations of Yamato Nadeshiko") is a manga series created and drawn by Tomoko Hayakawa. The individual chapters were published in parts in the magazine Bessatsu Friend starting in 2000. In Japan, the series was released in 36 book volumes by Kodansha. The series was made available in English in North America by Del Rey Manga and in Singapore by Chuang Yi, under the title My Fair Lady. The series concluded in January 2015 after 36 volumes were released.
Nippon Animation adapted part of the manga into a 25-episode anime series. The anime aired on TV Tokyo and other channels from October 3, 2006, to March 27, 2007. A.D. Vision licensed the anime for release in Region 1 and paid $500,000 for the rights. In 2008, The Wallflower became one of more than 30 ADV titles whose North American rights were given to Funimation Entertainment.
A television drama adaptation of the series aired on TBS and its affiliated stations from January to March 2010.
Plot
The story The Wallflower follows a girl named Sunako, who is called ugly by the only person she ever told she loved her. This experience causes her to change her life, and she stops caring about her appearance or the beauty around her. Her aunt, who owns a large mansion where four handsome high school students live for free, is worried about Sunako’s change. To help her niece, the aunt asks the boys to make Sunako into a "perfect lady." In return, the boys can keep living in the mansion for free. They are given a deadline, and if they fail, they must pay a large sum of money or leave the house.
The boys manage to help Sunako look physically beautiful enough to seem like a proper lady. However, her attitude and interests remain unchanged, and she has no desire to alter them. So far, the boys have convinced Sunako’s aunt that her niece is now a suitable lady for the mansion, preventing the rent from increasing greatly. In reality, Sunako has not changed at all. She often experiences nosebleeds when she sees bright objects, especially when near a boy named Kyohei.
The story is humorous and follows Sunako and the four boys as they face strange and silly situations. Sunako is forced to deal with unwanted experiences of being a lady, while the story also explores ideas about self-identity and the meaning of beauty.
Media
The Wallflower manga series is written by Tomoko Hayakawa. The individual chapters were published in a magazine called Bessatsu Friend starting in 2000. In Japan, the series has been released in 36 printed books by Kodansha. The series is available in English in North America by Del Rey Manga and in Singapore by Chuang Yi, where it is called My Fair Lady. In Indonesia, it is released by Level Comics under the name Perfect Girl Evolution.
The manga’s creator, Tomoko Hayakawa, is a big fan of the rock singer Kiyoharu. Because of this, Kiyoharu was chosen to perform the theme music for the Wallflower anime. His songs, "Slow" and "Carnation," play during the opening and closing themes, respectively. These songs were created by Kiyoharu and Takeshi Miyo. The background music was composed by two well-known Japanese composers, Hiromi Mizutani and Yasuharu Takanashi.
The opening theme, "Slow," plays over reused footage from the first episode and is a romantic song. Starting from episode 14, the opening sequence shows new scenes instead of reused footage. It is not known whether this change was made because of the series’ popularity or its initial reception.
The first closing theme, "Carnation," is a more upbeat song. It features a short computer animation of Hiroshi dancing in the corner as the credits roll.
The second closing theme, "∞ Changing ∞," by Bon-Bon Blanco, has a faster rhythm. It also uses computer animation to show Hiroshi, Josephine, and Akira dancing to the song.
The series has 25 episodes.
Concerns about racism have been raised about two characters who ring a gong. These characters have darker skin than the others and wear only simple clothing. Japan has a history of dealing with racism.
In the 18th issue of Bessatsu Friend, it was announced that a live-action drama adaptation of the manga would air in January 2009. On November 30, the cast was chosen for the drama. Actor Kazuya Kamenashi, a member of the J-pop group KAT-TUN, plays Kyohei. Actress Aya Ōmasa plays the main character, Sunako. The drama is broadcast on TBS with the opening theme song "Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki)" by KAT-TUN. The drama added one more main character, Nakahara Takeru, who is the landlady’s son.
Influence
The Wallflower inspired a fashion line created by Julie Haus. This fashion line was shown during the 2008 New York Fashion Week.