Line #127 Manga/Arisa


1	[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arisa_5216.JPG]]
2	[[caption-width-right:230:Arisa and Tsubasa.]]
3
4	->''"I know everything about Arisa. She's her class representative, she has good grades, and she has a lot of friends. She's a very gentle girl who's liked by everyone. But... I didn't know anything about the real Arisa."''
5	-->--'''Tsubasa Uehara'''
6
7	''Arisa'' is a {{shoujo\|Demographic}} manga written and illustrated by Natsumi Ando, illustrator of ''Manga/KitchenPrincess''. The manga was serialized in ''Magazine/{{Nakayoshi}}'' from 2009 to 2012 and compiled into 12 volumes.
8
9	Tsubasa Uehara and Arisa Sonoda are twin sisters who haven't seen each other for three years due to their parents' divorce. They'd communicated through letters, but finally decide to meet each other again.
10
11	[[PolarOppositeTwins Tsubasa and Arisa are really different]]. Arisa is her [[ClassRepresentative class' rep]], [[BrainyBrunette has the best grades]] and a lot of friends. She is really [[TheIngenue good natured]] and everybody likes her. Tsubasa is known as the "Demon Princess" of her school, because she is a {{Delinquent}} who always gets into fights, and her [[OneOfTheBoys only friends are boys]] because the girls are dead scared of her. Also, [[BookDumb she's got really bad grades]].
12
13	So when Tsubasa says that she's envious of her, Arisa suggests they [[TwinSwitch change places for one day]]. However, there are things about Arisa and her school that she hasn't mentioned to Tsubasa -- dangerous things. And when Arisa [[InterruptedSuicide tries to kill herself]] in front of Tsubasa and [[AngstComa falls into a coma]], Tsubasa decides that she must know the truth about Arisa in order to save her.
14
15	And then she learns of [[BigBad the King]]...
16
17	----
18	!!Tropes in ''Arisa'' include:
19	* AbusiveParents:
20	** Implied with [[spoiler: Shizuka]] and [[spoiler: her aunt.]]
21	** [[spoiler:Midori]]'s mother, who took ParentalNeglect and [[ParentalAbandonment abandonment]] to a whole new level.
22	* TheAce: Tsubasa sees Arisa as this, and highly respects her. But soon she discovers that Arisa is not like she imagined at all.
23	* ActionGirl: Tsubasa is introduced as this, though she starts falling into FauxActionGirl territory later into the series. Justified, however, as the series conflicts requires using lots of mental brainwork to outrun the BigBad, so her more physically inclined skills are not of much use.
24	* AccompliceByInaction: Manabe calls the rest of 2-B by pointing this out [[spoiler:after the truth about Midori is revealed]], for all that they claim to never be at fault, they are all complacent and let the King rule the whole class freely as they pleased.
25	* AdultsAreUseless:
26	** You'd think that when two girls in the same class try to kill themselves in the same year and one of them is the ClassRepresentative the faculty or administration ''might'' be looking into it or launching some sort of investigation. Instead class 2-B continues to participate in King Time every Friday without any adults coming in to check on them or ever getting suspicious of the drawn curtains and closed doors or [[spoiler:that fire or the dead body or the missing student]].
27	** [[spoiler: Midori]] learned this early in life when [[spoiler: his mother abandoned him and his twin to die while also telling them that the world outside was full of monsters. When Midori finally dared to leave the apartment every adult he met pushed away or ignored him, forcing him to return alone. They were found a few days later, but by then his twin had already passed away]].
28	* AmbiguousGender: The title of the King can refer to a girl, since the Japanese word is gender neutral.
29	%% * AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Midori]], the true King.
30	* BatterUp: Tsubasa's hit by a cricket bat in volume 1.
31	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Played with. Most of the people are overlooking the obvious with rationalizations of "it could never happen to me" until it actually does, making selfish and arbitrary wishes without considering the side-effects. That is, rather than being about wish corruption, it's about the corruption by wishes (having your desires constantly fulfilled).
32	%% * BigBad: The King. More specifically, [[spoiler:Midori]].
33	%% ** Though since he also has help from [[spoiler: Kudou]] at one point, this could count as a BigBadDuumvirate.
34	%% * BitchInSheepsClothing: Mariko. [[spoiler:Also, the true King.]]
35	%% * BrokenBird: Shizuka (both figuratively and literally), though arguably this goes for a LOT of the characters in ''Arisa''.
36	* BrokenPedestal: Tsubasa tries to inflict this status on the King, but the class just hates ''her'' for interfering with his wish granting. [[spoiler:This is, however, played straight near the end when the class learns the full truth at how much Midori had been using them.]]
37	* BrokenSmile: [[spoiler:Midori shows a lot of these even without the King's {{Slasher Smile}}s.]]
38	%% * [[CallingTheOldManOut Calling the Classroom Out]]: [[spoiler: Manabe tells the class off after Midori was revealed]].
39	* CheshireCatGrin:
40	** The King, seen in shadows, often has these.
41	** [[spoiler: So do Kudou and Midori, both of whom play the part of the King.]]
42	** Mariko's prone to them too.
43	%% * TheChessmaster: The King is one.
44	* TheChosenOne: The King chooses 5 members of the class as his representatives. [[spoiler:He himself is among them]].
45	%% * ClassRepresentative: Arisa.
46	* ClingyJealousGirl: Mariko for Arisa; she's jealous whenever she hangs out with others. This is part of why [[spoiler:she realizes "Arisa" isn't herself when Tsubasa ignores her to hang with Midori]].
47	* CreepyChild: A lot of them, notably [[spoiler:Midori. When he went to the foster home shortly after being abandoned by his mother and seeing his twin die the kindly matron thought that ''he'd lost his soul''.]]
48	* CreepyCleanliness: [[spoiler:Midori, the result of being left alone in a filthy apartment for most of his early life by his mother]]
49	* CreepyDoll: The King's messenger doll in chapter 7 is both a MonsterClown AND a CreepyDoll that speaks its threatening message and then laughs maniacally. Then it explodes. He later uses them to [[spoiler:attempt to murder Tsubasa, Kudou, and Arisa's mother]].
50	* CultOfPersonality: One has developed around the King, who the class worships as a god and obeys without question.
51	* CuteAndPsycho: [[spoiler:Midori]] can somehow maintain an extremely charming appearance while at the same time [[spoiler:plotting ruin for most of the main cast]].
52	* DarkerAndEdgier: The manga's a good deal heavier than some of Ando's previous titles.
53	* DisneyVillainDeath: Seems to be the preferred form of suicide in class 2B, though overall it seems to be oddly ineffective.
54	* DissonantSerenity: Mariko has this when talking about the King.
55	* DrivenToSuicide:
56	** Anyone ostracized by the King.
57	** When Kudou is first introduced, he brings "Arisa" to the roof with him and nearly throws himself off. Tsubasa talks him out of it.
58	* DrivingQuestion:
59	** Who is the King? [[spoiler: It's Midori, Arisa's really, ''really'' devoted boyfriend]].
60	** Also, why did Arisa try to kill herself? [[spoiler: When Tsubasa went to Arisa's she (Tsubasa) felt homesick and Arisa overreacted because she was afraid she (Arisa) would be separated from her mother]].
61	* DrowningPit: Tsubasa's pushed into a pool in volume 2; what makes this a DeathTrap is that she had been drugged and was unable to move.
62	* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler: Mariko]] is very easily forgiven after trying to drown Tsubasa. This continues into the final arc, where [[spoiler:Midori]] is forgiven for all he's done because Arisa truly loves him.
63	* EvilTwin: [[spoiler:Heavily implied with Arisa, but not proven. Considering his twin is dead, Midori is this by default]].
64	%% * EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Midori]].
65	%% * EvilCripple: Shizuka has this effect. Then again, given her backstory, she can easily be read as a WheelchairWoobie.
66	* EyeScream: The King inflicts this on a girl who judged people by their looks.
67	* FakingAmnesia:
68	** Tsubasa does this while posing as Arisa.
69	** [[spoiler:Arisa does this on waking up from her coma.]]
70	* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:The criminal the class murdered was actually faking. The police caught him just as he was about to leave the country.]]
71	* FreudianExcuse:
72	** [[spoiler:Midori and his twin brother Akari were neglected and abandoned by their mother to the point that Akari fell ill. When Midori tried to get help for his ailing brother, he was ignored and rejected by everyone he turned to, causing him to see everyone as a monster. His brother died soon after. This, combined with a bit of LoveMakesYouCrazy, is what motivates his despicable actions; he wants revenge, but he also wants to help the one person whom he felt something besides hatred for, Arisa.]]
73	** [[spoiler:Kudou could also count, as it was his parents' abandonment of him due to his heart condition that caused him to resent the world. Ultimately, he also wanted to help Arisa, who was the only person that treated him with kindness.]]
74	%% * FriendlessBackground: [[spoiler: Mariko]].
75	* GenkiGirl: Mariko is perky and very energetic.
76	* GoneHorriblyRight: The status of the King and his power over everyone.
77	* HallOfMirrors: The King escapes through one of these in Volume 3.
78	%% * HiddenVillain: The King.
79	%% * HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler: It appears that King Midori's abuse of his "subjects" has finally come around to stab him in the back.]]
80	* IgnoredEpiphany: Class 2B seems to show some remorse and guilt after [[spoiler: they assist in murdering a criminal]], but their complaints are selfish, and soon after they join in beating up Tsubasa.
81	* InformedAttribute: Tsubasa's "tough girl" personality. This is justified by how much of the story's conflicts involve psychological warfare, leaving Tsubasa's physically inclined abilities to have little use and Tsubasa spent much of her time in the manga disguising herself as Arisa in order to learn the truth of her twin sister's life.
82	%% * IronicHell: Some of the King's granted wishes.
83	* JapaneseDelinquents: Manabe seems to qualify as one of these. He skips classes, gets into fights, and has light hair (which a teacher presumed was dyed, to his dismay).
84	%% * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Manabe qualifies, though he might be equally classifiable as Tsundere as well.
85	* KeepingSecretsSucks: This trope is at the crux of the story.
86	* KickTheDog: When [[spoiler: Midori tears the wings off a butterfly.]]
87	* LikeAGodToMe: Members of Class 2B see the King as this, particularly Mariko.
88	* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Arisa is one for [[spoiler:Kudou]].
89	* MacGuffin: The King's cell phones.
90	* MadBomber: [[spoiler:Midori with]] the King's exploding clown dolls.
91	* ManipulativeBastard:
92	** The King, able to control a whole classroom via cell phone.
93	** Kudou, who [[spoiler: turns a whole classroom into a vigilante mob and use them to get away with arson and possibly murder]].
94	** [[spoiler: Arisa's boyfriend Midori, who is manipulating them all.]]
95	* MeaningfulName: "Tsubasa" means "wings".
96	* MonsterClown: The King's messenger doll.
97	* MoreThanMindControl: Part of the King's power is that the class and his minions ''want'' to do what he tells them, no matter how extreme.
98	* MouthToMouthForceFeeding: Towards the climax, The King [[spoiler:Midori]] pretends to reciprocate Tsubasa's affections, then drugs her with a pill when they kiss.
99	* NeverBareHeaded: Mariko always wears ribbons in her hair, emphasizing her childishness.
100	* NeverMyFault: When the students of Class 2-B are confronted with the truth about [[spoiler: what Midori did, and what they were involved with,]] they immediately justify their actions as because of the King's manipulation, despite the fact that all of them were willing to sit by while their classmates were abused and people were hurt. That's ignoring the fact that it was their idolizing the King which gave [[spoiler: Midori]] his power in the first place. Manabe rightly calls them out on this. While it wasn't able to change much in the end, the class's reaction towards his words showed that his words affect them more than they let on.
101	%% * NiceGuy: Midori.
102	* OneOfTheBoys: Tsubasa. She's ''not'' happy about that.
103	-->'''Tsubasa''': "How come only the guys befriend me?!"
104	%% * OnlySaneMan: Tsubasa, Takeru, Manabe, and Midori, the only people not being manipulated/hypnotized by the King. [[spoiler:Subverted with Midori, who turns out to be the true King and completely AxCrazy.]]
105	* ParentalNeglect:
106	%% ** Shizuka's foster mom.
107	** Arisa and Tsubasa's mother (mostly towards Tsubasa, but she's a fairly distant parent in general) [[spoiler: when Tsubasa crashes the class's ceremony her mother's so embarrassed she pretends not to know her. Since Midori's mother is dead he'll settle for the next best thing]].
108	** Kudou's parents have effectively left him to die alone (or that's what he says). At least they left him to die in a BigFancyHouse.
109	** Seems to be a theme: Worst example is [[spoiler: Midori and his twin's mother, who actually abandoned them in the middle of the winter in a tiny, filthy apartment without food and heat, which lead to Akari dying]]. She did name [[spoiler: Midori]] as her insurance beneficiary but that just makes the hatred worse.
110	%% * PolarOppositeTwins / SiblingYinYang: Arisa and Tsubasa. So, so much.
111	* PoorCommunicationKills:
112	** [[spoiler: Arisa tried to kill herself because she overheard Tsubasa telling her father how homesick she was and she was afraid this would get her taken away from her mother.]]
113	** The King just didn't ''get'' Arisa's wish: [[spoiler: She didn't want to punish her mother or Tsubasa, she wanted to be with Midori forever because she loved him.]]
114	* PsychoSupporter:
115	** [[spoiler: Arisa has two: Her boyfriend wants to punish Tsubasa for "so casually stealing Arisa's boyfriend"; Kudou proclaims that he will always be her ally because she was the one who gave him the will to live.]]
116	** Mariko is one for the King, until [[spoiler: he betrays her]].
117	* PutOnABus: Mariko due to being transferred out early on.
118	%% * RedHerring: There are quite a lot of suspects for the King's identity. Namely, Arisa [[spoiler: who in fact was the King, but ''not'' the current, corrupt King]], Manabe, Mariko, Shizuka, Midori and Kudou. [[spoiler:Subverted with some of them.]]
119	* {{Revenge}}: Everything the King has done is to avenge [[spoiler: his dead twin brother, but since the mother who killed him is dead he'll settle for the next best thing -- his girlfriend's mom who makes her miserable will do nicely.]]
120	* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler: Midori's attitude toward Arisa has shades of this. He sees her as a replacement for Akari.]]
121	* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves:
122	** Those who betray or doubt the King are punished by him and ostracized from the class. This even includes his own followers, such as [[spoiler: Mariko]].
123	** [[spoiler: Midori is punishing Tsubasa for replacing Arisa and "stealing" him from her.]]
124	* SecretKeeper:
125	** Only Takeru, Manabe, and [[spoiler: the King]] know Tsubasa's posing as Arisa at first.
126	** Class 2B shares the secret of the King, as well.
127	%% * ShrinkingViolet: Shiori.
128	%% * SlasherSmile: The King.
129	* SlippingAMickey: Tsubasa's tricked into eating drugged apple cookies, making her too tired to resist being pushed into the pool.
130	* StalkerShrine: Manabe has one to Arisa, though it's not out of love.
131	%% * StepfordSmiler:
132	%% ** [[spoiler: Midori]]
133	%% ** Arisa is also one of these.
134	* StockShoujoBullyingTactics: Shiori gets trash dumped on her desk, which is referred to as "the garbage," and Tsubasa is beaten, harassed, and threatened for daring to go against the King. The King himself also engages in such tactics to appease his subjects.
135	* TakingYouWithMe: This appears at first to be Kudou's intention in essentially becoming the dictator of class 2B, since he's going to [[spoiler: die of a weak heart and therefore wants to make as many of the students suffer as possible]]. Subverted when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Kudou only wants to make class 2B the best class in the world for Arisa's sake but does so in an extremely dangerous and tyrannical manner. Midori twists that so the class's fame and/or where they're going will get the attention of his mother, but since she's already dead he'll settle for killing Arisa's mother and humiliating Tsubasa]].
136	%% * TeensAreMonsters: Might as well be the name of the manga.
137	* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Tsubasa is the tomboy, Arisa the girly girl.
138	* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: Tsubasa, who wants to be girly more than anything.
139	* TooDumbToLive: The police in chapter 42. [[spoiler:After apprehending Midori, they don't bother to handcuff or disarm him, which reluctantly allows him to escape and stab Arisa with a concealed blade meant for her mother.]]
140	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Invoked; Tsubasa fakes amnesia while pretending to be Arisa. [[spoiler: Arisa wakes up from her coma with amnesia -- except she's lying about it.]]
141	%% * {{Tsundere}}: Manabe, Type A.
142	* TwinsAreSpecial: In Volume 8, when Tsubasa is hurt, hospitalized twin sister Arisa [[{{Synchronization}} flatlines]]. Tsubasa later lampshades this trope by saying you should not underestimate the bond between twins.
143	%% * TwinTelepathy
144	* {{Unperson}}: Class 2B does this to people marked as traitors.
145	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler: The reason Midori eventually took control of Arisa's King's time forum? It all started because Mariko wanted the king (Arisa at the time) to actually give her the questionnaire of the next test. And Arisa happen to overhear it.]]
146	* UnwittingPawn: Class 2B in general, and [[spoiler: the King's Chosen Ones, especially Kudou, who takes the King's betrayal particularly badly]].
147	* WhenItAllBegan:
148	** [[spoiler: Shizuka]] was the first person marked as a traitor by the King.
149	** [[spoiler: Tsubasa goes to the orphanage/foster home where Midori was raised and learned his tragic backstory.]]
150	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: King Time started out innocently enough, but when the eponymous figure started to become deified by the students in 2B, [[spoiler:Arisa]] found out the hard way that [[spoiler:she could no longer control her creation, especially after [[AxCrazy Midori]] took over]].
151	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds:
152	** At least three of the King's pawns had very sad lives which made it easier for the real King to manipulate them: [[spoiler: The girl who tried to drug Tsubasa and drown her was shunned and bullied; the girl who pushed Tsubasa off a cliff and beat her own aunt tried to commit suicide and is now paralyzed; Kudou, who burned down a house so that class 2B could save the inhabitants and appear as heroes, has a weak heart and has been effectively abandoned by his parents]].
153	** [[spoiler: Arisa's boyfriend wants to "erase" Tsubasa because she accidentally drove Arisa to suicide, because his own twin brother ''died'' when he "abandoned" him (went outside to find help). Falling for him and letting him kiss her wasn't a good idea either. Midori's current plan is to get his class famous so that his mother, who abandoned him and his twin, will notice him (or possibly go to her location). Unfortunately Midori finds out she died some time ago so he settles for Arisa's mother.]]
154	%% * {{Yandere}}:
155	%% ** Mariko for Arisa. She gets better.
156	%% ** [[spoiler:Kudou]] and [[spoiler: Midori]] for Arisa, the latter dangerously so.
157	%% *** Turns out [[spoiler:Midori]] is more yandere for [[spoiler:his dead twin brother, Akari, who he has projected onto Arisa]].
158	----

Context Manga / Arisa