Hanasaku Iroha

Hanasaku Iroha centers around Ohana Matsumae, a 16-year-old living in Tokyo, who is left in the care of her estranged maternal grandmother, following her mother's elopement with her boyfriend. Ohana arrives at her grandmother's country estate to realize she is the owner of a Taishō period hot spring inn called Kissuisō. She begins working at Kissuisō at her grandmother's request, but finds herself at odds with many employees and customers at the inn. Initially feeling discouraged, she decides to use her circumstances as an opportunity to change herself for the better and to make amends with her deteriorating relationship with the Kissuisō's staff for a more prominent future. Characters ; : : Ohana is an energetic and optimistic 16-year-old girl and the main protagonist of Hanasaku Iroha. She is sent to live at her estranged grandmother's hot spring inn, Kissuisō, after her mother elopes with her boyfriend to evade his debt. Her best friend, Kōichi Tanemura, confessed his feelings to her before her departure, which was left unanswered until later in the series. At her grandmother's demand, she works at the inn as compensation for staying there. After parting with Koichi, she realized she has feelings for him, and she still hasn't admitted it yet. However, she is always dependent on him. She is a strong-willed girl who is stubborn and is realistic for her age. She likes to drink a mix of cola and black tea. ; : : Minko is a 17-year-old chef apprentice and resident at Kissuisō. She is a tsundere, and dislikes Ohana from their first meeting, nicknaming her balut, the original Japanese term of which is , an abbreviated phrase from one of the lines Minko jotted down in her notebook for an idea to address Ohana in lieu of "Die!": ("HOnto ni BIkkuri suruhodo RONgai"【ほ】んとうに【び】っくりするほど【論】外 "Truly Shockingly Out of the Question"). It is also a pun of the Vietnamese dish hột vịt lộn which is a turn-off for many. Minko (nicknamed Minchi by Nako) slowly accepts Ohana as a friend. Against her parents' wishes, her dream is to become a professional chef, resulting in her search for training opportunities. Her search led her to Kissuisō, where Tōru Miyagishi accepted her as a chef apprentice. Since then, she has developed strong feelings for him and becomes jealous when he talks about other girls, especially Ohana. ; : : Nako is a shy and timid 17-year-old part-time maid and server at Kissuisō. She has three younger siblings whom she assists her parents in raising. She becomes close friends with Ohana and teaches her how to perform her duties. Nako is very good at swimming, due to she has had the nickname "Kappapa" since childhood, after the aquatic mythic creature, kappa. Ohana calls her Nakochi (no one else uses this nickname). ; : : Yuina is the 16-year-old daughter and heiress to the Fukuya Inn, the rival inn of Kissuisō. She is in the same high school as Ohana, Minko, and Nako, and is seen hanging out with them on several occasions. She is divided on the choice of whether to go on with her family's inn-running business, or to find herself a different career. ; : : Kōichi is a 16-year-old and Ohana's best friend. Kōichi confessed his feelings to Ohana before her departure, but was too afraid to hear her answer and ran away. He often offers support to Ohana when she feels down. He feels abandoned by Ohana as she adjusts to her new lifestyle. However, he realizes Ohana still harbors feeling for him and eventually tries to repair their relationship. ; : : Ohana's 68-year-old grandmother and owner of Kissuisō. Behind her fierce and strict composure towards her employees (to the point of physically reprimanding them), Sui eventually reveals herself as comprehensive and caring toward them when most needed, thus earning not only obedience from them, but also respect and devotion. ; : : Tomoe is the 28-year-old head server working at Kissuisō. She enjoys hearing gossip about other employees and customers lodging at the inn. As a single woman near her thirties, Tomoe is usually reminded by her mother she should start looking for a husband and start a family. ; : : Ohana's 32-year-old uncle. He was bullied by Satsuki during their childhood. He often calls upon Takako and considers her his partner. The two marry late in the series. After Kissuisō's closure, Enishi plans to improve his management skills in order to succeed his mother. ; : : A 23-year-old junior chef working at Kissuisō. He is very outspoken and easily frustrated. He strictly mentors and supervises Minko's training, often going too far with verbal abuse. Ohana was initially intimidated by him, but has since developed a dislike for him. However, Tōru appears to develop feelings toward Ohana, as he feels she is the only one who is willing to say she needs him. Afterwards, he is often seen looking out for Ohana, much to Minko's jealousy. ; : : A 42-year-old head chef working at Kissuisō and Tōru's mentor. He has a very gruff appearance, evidenced by a small facial scar, but has been shown to have a lighthearted side on occasion. He gets nervous very easily when under pressure, but is usually well-focused on his job. ; : : A 30-year-old business consultant adviser for Kissuisō. She attended the same university as Enishi. She often has erratic plans to improve the inn and tends to spout out random English sayings. She eventually marries Enishi late in the series and takes on his family name as Takako Shijima. ; : : A 31-year-old novelist who frequently lodges at Kissuisō. He writes erotic novels using the Kissuisō's staff as character references. He eventually starts working at the inn after it is discovered he can't pay his bill. Ironically, his past works include a cooking manga which inspired both Minko and Tōru to become chefs themselves. ; : : A 73-year-old janitor and boiler maintenance man working at Kissuisō. He has been working at Kissuisō since its establishment and is in charge of Kissuiso's daily business journal. The staff call him "Beanman" because of a popular commercial bean snack by the same name as his. ; : : Ohana's 38-year-old mother. She is a journalist who elopes with her boyfriend to evade his debt. She leaves Ohana to the care of her mother, who claims to have disowned her daughter. She neglected Ohana as a child and raised her with the mentality of relying on oneself. Satsuki is a talented freelance writer, being willing and able to write about virtually any subject upon request, among which are hotel and inn reviews with acerbic tones. She meets Ayato Matsumae (see below) as a high school student when Ayato was staying at Kissuiso. ; : : He was Ohana's father, who died when Ohana was a baby. He was a photographer and inspired Satsuki to be an editor. ==Media==