History Manga / Kuragehime

* DistaffCounterpart[=/=]SpearCounterpart: It's kinda like a genderbent version of TheBigBangTheory. Only the NerdNanny is a WholesomeCrossdresser.
** For a more direct Japanese comparison, it often comes off like a distaff version of WelcomeToTheNHK.

Tsukimi, an extremely shy and self-deprecating 18 year old illustrator, has been fascinated by jellyfish ever since her now-deceased mother took her to an aquarium when she was young. To her, they're everything she isn't - beautiful and graceful. While jellyfish-watching at a pet shop, she sees a spotted jellyfish in the same tank as a moon jellyfish, a death sentence for the former. Overcoming her fear of stylish people (and men), she tries to talk the clerk into moving the spotted jellyfish to another tank. Apathetic to the plight of this nerdy girl, the clerk just ignores her and Tsukimi [[SeriousBusiness gets into a fight with him over it]]. Things are looking bleak for Clara (the spotted jellyfish) when a fashionable girl intervenes and talks the clerk into giving them the jellyfish.

* AngerBornOfWorry - The one time we see [[TheStoic Shuu]] get well and truly angry is when Inari [[spoiler: pretended she was going to commit suicide as a joke.]] He actually ''[[WouldHitAGirl hits]] [[ArmorPiercingSlap her]]'' for it. [[spoiler: When she sees that he was genuinely worried about her, she starts to develop real feelings for him.]]

** Kuranosuke wearing [[LadyGaga a long blonde wing with hair in the shape of a bow]].

* OddFriendship: If they hadn't met the way they did, there's no way Tsukimi and Kuranosuke would have become friends, let alone such good ones.

** Tsukimi sees herself as [[HeidiGirlOfTheAlps Heidi]] helping [[IllGirl Clara]] in one ImagineSpot.

* TakeThat: Mayaya is appalled by the MoeMoe version of a ''RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' character she finds at the local convenience store. [[KoihimeMusou I wonder which loose anime adaptation of that story this could be referring to...]]

* ShoutOut: The OP is Shout Out central, with nods to ''SexAndTheCity'', ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''Film/SinginInTheRain'', ''Film/MaryPoppins'', ''EmperorOfTheNorth'', ''GodOfGamblers'', ''Film/JamesBond'', ''GameOfDeath'' (or ''Film/KillBill'', your choice), ''Film/TheGraduate'' ([[TheGraduateHomageShot Elaine!!!!!]]), and ''Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind''.

* AgentPeacock: Kuranosuke is this, albeit a slightly more realistic than usual version.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Kuranosuke does this to Tsukimi and her friends when they give up on trying to save Amamizu Khan.

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The manga chapters titles [[ShoutOut reference or outright pull their names from other media sources]] (mostly film or television), ranging from [[Series/SexAndTheCity Sex and the Amars]] and [[Film/SlumdogMillionaire Jellyfishdog Millionaire]] to [[Film/TheSecretInTheirEyes The Secret In Their Eyes]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthu_%281995_film%29 Jellyfish: The Dancing Maharaja]]. See also the [[ReferenceOverdosed opening to the anime]].

* FirtstKiss: Who is the one to take Tsukimi's? Shuu or Kuranosuke? [[spoiler:It's President Kai]].

** I always knew Mayaya [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kuragehime/v06/c033/15.html just needed to ditch those bangs]].

* ButNotTooForeign: [[spoiler:Kuranosuke in all probability]].

* {{Catchphrase}}: Nisha: Are you stupid?! (of course, when you're trying to break into the already struggling fashion industry and ''you don't even know how to sew''...)

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Nisha. She constantly tells Kuranosuke and Tsukimi that they're idiots and her idea of encouragement is to tell them that she basically wants to watch them fail, but she's really trying to help since neither of them knows anything about the fashion industry (Nisha: You can't just sell couture clothes, you need things average girls can buy. Kuranosuke: That doesn't interest me.). The most obvious sign she's on their side is the fact that she didn't trick them into buying loads of expensive fabric.
* JiangShi: Mayaya thinks Tsukimi is cosplaying one after her clumsy attempts at removing her make-up. [[spoiler: And then the Nuns start goofing around playing too...]]

* {{Landlady}}: Chieko, also a TeamMom and ''a bit'' more socially capable one than the others.

Tsukimi, an extremely shy and self-deprecating 18 year old illustrator, has been fascinated by jellyfish ever since her mother took her to an aquarium when she was young. To her, they're everything she isn't - beautiful and graceful. While jellyfish-watching at a pet shop, she sees a spotted jellyfish next to a moon jellyfish in the same tank, a death sentence for the former. Overcoming her fear of stylish people (and men), she tries to talk the clerk into moving the spotted jellyfish out of the tank. Apathetic to the plight of this nerdy girl, the clerk just ignores her and Tsukimi [[SeriousBusiness gets into a fight with him over it]]. Things are looking bleak for Clara (the spotted jellyfish) when a fashionable girl intervenes and talks the clerk into giving them the jellyfish.

Tsukimi, an extremely shy and self-deprecating 18 year old illustrator, has been fascinated by jellyfish ever since her mother took her to an aquarium. To her, they're everything she isn't - beautiful and graceful. While jellyfish-watching at a pet shop, she sees a spotted jellyfish next to a moon jellyfish in the same tank, a certain death for the spotted jellyfish. Overcoming her fear of stylish people (and men), she tries to talk the clerk into moving the spotted jellyfish out of the tank. Apathetic to the plight of this nerdy girl, the clerk just ignores her and Tsukimi [[SeriousBusiness gets into a fight with him over it]]. Things are looking bleak for Clara (the spotted jellyfish) when a fashionable girl intervenes and talks the clerk into giving them the jellyfish.

The mysterious "princess" follows Tsukimi to the "Nunnery", the boarding house she shares with a bunch of fellow nerdy {{otaku}} girls, and ends up sleeping in Tsukimi's room. This dreamy girl, however, is not all what [[WholesomeCrossdresser she looks...]]

A [[LiveActionAdaptation Live Action Film Adaptation]] has been announced for a Winter 2014 release, starring Masaki Suda of ''KamenRiderW'' fame as Kuranosuke, and Rena Nōnen as Tsukimi.

!! ''Kuragehime'' has examples of:

* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/JunichiSuwabe, who has a long list of LargeHam / SmugSnake characters under his belt, plays the quiet, serious, 30-year-old virgin Shu.

* WriteWhoYouKnow: Tsukimi is [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kuragehime/v01/c006/32.html almost exactly how the author was as a young girl]], jellyfish obsession and all, but aged up for extra pathos.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Creator/KanaHanazawa playing an {{adorkable}} girl [[SeikimatsuOccultGakuin again]], MamikoNoto as Jiji, Creator/MitsukiSaiga as Kuranosuke.
** Creator/JunichiSuwabe as Shuu, Creator/TakehitoKoyasu as Hanamori...

A live-action film adaptation has been announced for a Winter 2014 release, starring Masaki Suda of ''KamenRiderW'' fame as Kuranosuke, and Rena Nōnen as Tsukimi.

* {{Mukokoseki}}: Averted. The only character with non-traditional (natural) Asian features is Kuranosuke, and it turns out this is due to him having a white biological mother. His half-brother Shuu looks decidedly Japanese, as do the rest of the characters.

* {{Mukokoseiki}}: Averted. The only character with non-traditional (natural) Asian features is Kuranosuke, and it turns out this is due to him having a white biological mother. His half-brother Shuu looks decidedly Japanese, as do the rest of the characters.

** Back to movie references: Kon Ichikawa's ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burmese_Harp_%281956_film%29 The Burmese Harp]]'' in the last episode.

** {{Barbie}}, used straight as a symbol of unattainable beauty.