Brigadoon: Marin and Melan tells the story of Marin Asagi, a young orphan girl and Melan Blue, a bionic alien warrior, who become friends and must work together to save both their worlds. The large and diverse cast of characters includes not only Earthlings but alien beings called Monomakia and a race of intelligent felines that make up the Central Assembly of Brigadoon.
Earthlings
Voice Actors: KAORI (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Marin is an orphan who was abandoned as a baby and raised by the poor but loving Asagi couple. At the start of the series she is a thirteen-year-old seventh grade student with a wild imagination, lots of energy and an optimistic attitude. Her peaceful life changes dramatically when she suddenly finds herself the target of killer aliens called Monomakia. Fortunately she meets Melan Blue, a powerful and mysterious being who becomes her protector. Soon Marin must deal with persecution from her classmates and increasing strains on her relationships with her family and friends. She gradually learns the reason the Monomakia are after her, the connection between Earth and Brigadoon, and the role she must play to save both worlds from destruction. On top of all this, she forms a powerful bond with Melan, whose fate seems to be bound to hers.
- A-Cup Angst: Played for Laughs.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Her classmates pick on her for being poor and an orphan.
- Blind Without 'Em: Taken quite literally with Cosmos. After episode 17, without Cosmos acting as her eyes in the form of glasses, Marin is fully blind.
- Bodyguard Crush: Her feelings of friendship for Melan start to run much deeper as the series goes on.
- Break the Cutie: Life gets progressively harder and harder for her with each episode. The series really makes no qualms about the fact that Marin's an innocent kid mixed up in a violent situation.
- The Chosen One: Played straight at first, but later becomes The Un Chosen One when she finds out the real Chosen One Missed the Call.
- Colourful Theme Naming: "Asagi" means 'light blue' in Japanese.
- Damsel in Distress: Grows into a Damsel out of Distress over time.
- Genki Girl: When she's especially happy she can be like this.
- Happily Adopted: She loves her foster family as if they were her blood relatives.
- Leitmotif: Very upbeat and cheery.
- Morality Chain: To Eryun later in the series, freeing her and prompting the otherwise ruthless warrior to help her save Moe.
- Morality Pet: She plays this role for Melan early on.
- Ms. Imagination: Wacky Imagine Spots are one of her trademarks.
- Mysterious Past: She doesn't know anything about her real parents, which might be a clue to her current situation.
- Parental Abandonment: Her birth parents literally did this to her.
- Plucky Girl: Sometimes it takes a little longer for her to bounce back, but she pretty much always does.
- Protectorate: Not just for Melan, but for just about everyone that cares about her.
- Rules of Orphan Economics: Type 3. Before school every morning she has a job delivering newspapers.
- The Scapegoat: Gets blamed for all the damage caused by the Monomakia who attack her.
- Significant Greeneyed Redhead: Doubles as Implausible Hair Color, since no native Japanese people have this as their natural color in reality.
- Justified in that Marin isn't actually from Japan, making her red hair actually plausible
- Talking to the Dead: Does this often with her deceased foster father, Grandpa Gen.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: She totally forbids Melan from hurting humans, and death in general terrifies her.
- Tomboyish Ponytail: Her preferred hairstyle.
- Verbal Tic: "Ah-haaa!" in the Japanese version.
Voice Actors: Ayaka Saitou (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)
Moe is Marin’s classmate and best friend. Rich in dollars but poor in health, she is a wallflower at school and a regular in the nurse’s office. Her mother is overprotective and doesn’t approve of her associating with the less fortunate Marin, forcing Moe to make difficult choices in order to maintain their friendship. Despite her limitations, Moe goes to great lengths to help Marin and tries to help her with her unusual challenges however she can. When it comes to Monomakia, she’s a bit envious of Melan’s ability to protect Marin from danger as well as the amount of time he spends with her.
- A-Cup Angst: Same as Marin.
- Big Fancy House: Her family is so rich that they have TWO of these, one in Tokyo and another in Kobe.
- Calling the Old Woman Out: On the rare occasions where she argues with her mom.
- Children Are Innocent: Perhaps the most innocent character in the whole cast.
- Colourful Theme Naming: The kanji for ‘moe’ in her name comes from the word ‘moegi’, which is a shade of yellowish-green.
- Lonely Rich Kid: She has no other friends besides Marin.
- Luminescent Blush: Does this at least once per episode.
- My Beloved Smother: Her mom keeps her on a short leash.
- Plucky Girl: She can be quite brave in her own way, especially when it comes to Marin.
- Punny Name: "Moe is
Moe Moe!". - Shrinking Violet: So shy and quiet that sometimes even Marin doesn't notice when she arrives.
- Tareme Eyes: Her eyes are drawn this way to enhance her moe personality.
- That Came Out Wrong: A result of her being Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense. Cue the Luminescent Blush.
Voice Actors: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English, as Dave Leleyveld)
Makoto Alo is an enigmatic young boy who seems to know a lot more about Brigadoon and Monomakia than a normal person should. On first meeting him Marin assumes he is a historical observer from the future, which seems to be true as he tells to keep this a secret and often knows about things before they actually happen. On their second meeting they introduce themselves more formally, and Marin gives him the nickname Aloma, which he keeps. He spends most of the series observing events from the background, commenting on what’s happening and only becoming directly involved much later on.
- Accidental Pervert: In the anime Marin jokingly accuses him of this when he points out that her underwear is showing. In the manga he walks in on her while she's naked.
- Ascended Extra: In the manga, he is much more directly involved in the plot.
- The Atoner
- Caught in the Rain: He has this scenario with Marin in the manga.
- Chick Magnet: In the anime Marin and Moe show some attraction to him. In the manga all the girls in class are into him.
- Fantastic Anthropologist: This seems to be the best definition of his mission. Especially when it's revealed last minute that he's not as human as he appears.
- First-Name Basis: He's the only human boy in the show who calls Marin by her given name, and sometimes calls her Marin-chan.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: He comes to the past from the future.
- Free-Range Children: He seems to have no parents and no home, yet it's never a problem for him.
- Greek Chorus: Never addresses the audience directly, but his commentaries are rarely heard by the rest of the cast.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: Although he isn't as innocent as he seems to be.
- In-Series Nickname: Once Marin starts calling him Aloma so does everyone else.
- Mysterious Watcher: Overlaps with The Watcher on the occassions that he gives the heroes helpful information.
- No Sense of Personal Space: In their second meeting, he leans pretty close to Marin while he's showing her how his name is written. There's moments where he gets too close in the manga, too.
- Oracular Urchin: Somewhat justified. Since he's from the future he would naturally have knowledge of past events.
- Promoted to Love Interest: In the manga, for Marin.
- The Reveal: In the last episode he's revealed to be Lulu from the future, disguised as a human.
- Sweet Tooth: Nearly all the food we see him eating is some type of candy, pastry or other form of junk food.
Voice Actors: Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Midori is a tough and tomboyish ninth grade student at Marin's school. A juvenile delinquent from a single parent household, she cuts classes and gets into fights often and has even been to jail. Despite all this she actually has a kind heart and becomes a loyal friend to Marin.
- Action Girl: Sort of. She can't really handle Monomakia, but she can deal with humans just fine.
- Alliterative Name: Midori Mano.
- Aloof Ally: She's Marin's friend but she's not exactly friendly.
- Colourful Theme Naming: Midori means 'green' in Japanese.
- Cool Big Sis: She’s the more cynical and jaded type.
- Delinquents: Just in case you hadn't figured it out, look how she's wearing her uniform in the picture.
- Delinquent Hair: According to one official source, the pink is really a dye job.
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga she doesn't exist.
- Disappeared Dad: She says she only has a mother but doesn't explain more than that.
- Rose-Haired Sweetie: The strong and passionate type.
- Tsurime Eyes: Her eyes are drawn in this style to show her strong will.
- Wooden Katanas Are Even Better: Her weapon of choice. Doesn't work on Monomakia, though.
Voice Actors: Rikako Aikawa (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Moto is Marin's foster mother and the tenement house's unofficial matriarch. At 68 years old, she is a widowed housewife with wisdom and energy to spare. She is very kind, motherly, and wise, but as soon as Marin is in danger she will rush to her aid without hesitation, no matter what that danger may be. When Melan comes along, she welcomes him into her home and treats him like another member of the family.
- Colourful Theme Naming: Asagi means light blue in Japanese.
- Cool Old Lady: Cool enough to let an alien live in her house and stand up to the cops!
- Mama Bear: She's very, very protective of Marin.
- Miniature Senior Citizens: She wasn't very tall when she was young, either.
- Outliving One's Offspring: She and her husband survived World War II, but their only child did not.
- Team Mom: Mostly for Marin, but she acts this way towards just about everybody.
- Tragic Keepsake: Her teddy bear was a gift from her late husband.
Voice Actors: Isamu Tanonaka/Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Bob Johnson/Tony Oliver (English)
Shuta is a 75-year-old inventor and Mike is his 22-year-old American assistant. Practically always together, they both have their fair share of quirks and are perhaps the oddest residents in the tenement house. When Monomakia start coming after Marin, they waste no time trying to invent devices to protect her from them. Unfortunately, most of these devices are impractical if not totally useless.
- Bungling Inventor: Some of the stuff they create actually works, though in a rather silly way.
- Colourful Theme Naming: For Shuta, the kanji for 'ai' in Aian means indigo. For Mike, it's...well, white.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Mike later in the series. You have to see it to believe it.
- Ditzy Genius: Mike is more 'ditz' and Shuta is more 'genius'.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Both of them qualify as Type 2, the Patient Friend. In the manga Shuta was in love with Moto, and in the anime Mike has a crush on Jun.
- Draft Dodging: Mike ran away to Japan so he wouldn't be sent to fight in The Vietnam War.
- Einstein Hair: Shuta.
- Funny Foreigner: Mike.
- Gratuitous English: Mike again.
- Intergenerational Friendship: With each other!
- Invisibility Cloak: It takes a long time, but they eventually invent one of these that works.
- Manly Tears: Mike is the most emotional guy in the household and the only one to cry over Moto’s death.
- Mr. Exposition: Shuta.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Mike is the only American character in the show to have wavy blond hair and blue eyes.
- The Professor: Shuta.
Voice Actors: Kae Araki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Jun is a pretty and gentle 22-year-old with a demanding job as a nurse. One of the more sensible residents of the tenement house, she works to support herself and her alcoholic father. She often tends to Melan's wounds and Marin looks up to her as a role model. Unbeknownst to all, this respectable young lady leads a secret double life.
- Calling the Old Man Out: She only criticizes her father when he's too drunk to be listening.
- Colourful Theme Naming: The kanji for 'toki' comes from the name of a particular shade of pink.
- Family Eye Resemblance: She gets her purple eyes from her mother, apparently.
- Funbag Airbag: Happens with Marin in two episodes.
- Hospital Hottie: She's pretty much the family doctor.
- Meaningful Name: One of the meanings for the kanji of her given name is 'chaste.' Isn't It Ironic?.
- Missing Mom: Left because her dad drank too much.
- The Mistress: She has an affair with a man who is already married.
- Ms. Fanservice: Until Erin comes along, that is.
- Not So Weak: In Episode 9.
- Only Sane Man: Nobody ever seems to listen to her when she tries to be the voice of reason.
- Proper Lady: She looks like one and acts like one but there's a very improper hidden facet of her life.
- Put on a Bus: Leaves the show halfway through part one, returns to stay in part two.
- Stepford Smiler: Type A. She's really quite broken inside.
Monomakia
Voice Actors: Hōchū Ōtsuka (Japanese), Tony Oliver (English)
- Arm Cannon: Has one on his left arm.
- Big Eater: He can scarf down up to fifty bowls of rice in one sitting.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Has one on his right arm.
- Bully Hunter: At Marin's school, he chases down and terrorizes the three girls severely bullying her. Though he puts the fear of God into them, this doesn't last and it culminates into Marin's attempted murder by the lead bully later in the series.
- Chaste Hero: Melan qualifies as this due to his lifetime of intense training, being a dedicated bodyguard and his blunt honesty. He tends to catch Marin off guard with his actions, whether he's naively grabbing her the wrong way or kissing her to neutralize the effects of a hallucinogen or telling her what she means to him, making her blush by his blunt yet "platonic" confession.
- The Comically Serious: Picture a robotic alien warrior seated at the dinner table reading the newspaper and you'll get the idea.
- Defrosting Ice King: Melan comes off as cold and well, alien to most due to his detached and sometimes violent mannerisms, but spending time with Marin, her adoptive family and Moe helps him better exercise his sense of compassion.
- Healing Factor: Has rapid body regeneration, and even his armor and weapons can repair themselves if they break.
- Humanity Is Infectious: He was raised from a young age to be a stalwart protector of Brigadoon, and his closest relationships back then were really only Pyon and Erin, who underwent the same grueling training. While acting as Marin's bodyguard, being exposed to the more nurturing environment of her home has him struggling with a stunted sense of empathy, especially when he doesn't know how to comfort Marin during times of emotional distress.
- Ignore the Fanservice: Being the staight-faced stoic he is, he almost never reacts to some of the... compromising situations other female characters find themselves in. In fact, a hallucinogenic vision of Erin licking his face like a puppy just assures him that something is off.
- Knight in Shining Armor: So very much.
- Leitmotif: Very cool and mysterious, usually plays when he comes out of his ampoule and during his battle scenes.
- Monster Roommate: He becomes a member of Marin’s household as of Episode 2.
- Mr. Fanservice: While his design makes him out to be a bizarre mish-mash of man and machine (to the point he has robotic appeandages), it also lovingly shows off his sculpted midriff and rear.
- Mysterious Protector: It takes about 16 episodes before he fully opens up to Marin about his mission.
- Ridiculously Human Robots: Becomes gradually more humanlike with each episode.
- Silent Scapegoat: As part of his secret mission.
- Sleep-Mode Size: His ampoule can fit inside Marin’s pocket.
- Spock Speak: He learns to use less complicated words, but in general he talks like this.
- The Stoic: Very much so, though he becomes Not So Stoic as the show progresses.
- Technical Pacifist: He becomes this way thanks to Marin.
- Tin Man: He does possess emotions, it just takes a while for him to learn how to express them.
- Winged Humanoid: He’s a robotic alien version of this. And yes, he can fly.
Voice Actors: Yuuji Takada (Japanese), Bob Johnson (English)
Pyon (pronounced Paion) is the strongest of the Gun-Swordsmen and a former friend-turned-enemy of Melan. He is a noble fighter and follows a strict code of honor, confronting his opponents directly. He has no problem killing people who get in his way, but he’ll give them a fair warning first. Pyon regrets having to fight Melan, but considers him a traitor and intends to bring him to justice.
- Break the Haughty: Subject to this when Melan bests him in their duel.
- Color-Coded Characters: Black and white with silver.
- Colourful Theme Naming: Silver.
- Dark Is Not Evil: His color scheme is an obvious clue to his morally ambiguous nature.
- Duel to the Death: Challenges Melan to this at least once.
- Dynamic Entry: His first day on Earth has him slicing a fighter jet in half, blowing up a police station and shooting more cops than you can count on one hand.
- Excalibur: Calls his sword by this name and even claims it to be sacred.
- Gatling Good: His Arm Cannon is this type of gun.
- Good Is Not Nice: He's on the side that's trying to save the world, but his methods are questionable.
- Honor Before Reason: Takes honor so seriously that he'd rather kill Melan in a fair fight.
- Master Swordsman: According to Melan, and he does prefer using his sword to his gun.
- The Paladin: He certainly considers himself to be this and play the part pretty straight.
- Pride: The word 'proud' shows up often in his dialogue, so it's clearly a big deal for him. It's also his greatest weakness.
- Right Hand Versus Left Hand: If he knew the reason for Melan's 'betrayal,' he wouldn't be so determined to kill him.
- Sleep-Mode Size: His ampoule is the only one we never see.
- Spock Speak: Similar to Melan, but he never adopts any simpler vocabulary.
- The Stoic: Almost more than Melan, though he does express certain strong emotions a bit sooner.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: After Melan tries this on him, he tries to use it on Kuston. It doesn't quite work.
Voice Actors: Kae Araki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Erin is the only female among the Gun-Swordsmen. Like Pyon, she is a former friend of Melan who is now his enemy, but is far more angry and violent toward him. Fierce and ruthless in battle, she doesn’t care if innocents get hurt and will settle for nothing less than total victory. Perhaps the true reason she’s so angry with Melan is because she had special feelings for him in the past.
- Color-Coded Characters: Pink and purple, just in case you couldn't already tell she's a girl.
- Colourful Theme Naming: Garnet, specifically the reddish type.
- Dub Name Change: Her name is "Eryun" in the original Japanese anime. Strangely enough, it's spelled that way in the English version of the manga, and both translations were done by Tokyopop.
- Duel to the Death: Same as Pyon, though she's not quite so chivalrous about it.
- Girlish Pigtails: Has mechanical versions of these and can control their movements, too.
- Good Is Not Nice: She's on the side that's trying to save the world, but her methods are questionable.
- Honor Before Reason: Sometimes seems to overlap with Revenge Before Reason.
- The Paladin: She pushes the limits more than Pyon does.
- Pinball Projectile: Has a set of discs she can use to reflect her lasers in any direction she wants.
- Right Hand Versus Left Hand: Refuses to listen to Melan's side of the story until Episode 23 when he defeats her in combat and she has no secret weapons left.
- Sleep-Mode Size: Her ampoule looks the same as Melan's, only pink instead of blue.
- Spock Speak: Same as Pyon, though she sometimes slips into Sophisticated as Hell.
- Stoic: The strongest emotion she shows is anger, and you don't want to be around to see it.
- Trigger-Happy: Her gun is much more powerful than her sword, and she knows it.
Voice Actors: Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)
Poikun is the second Monomakia ally Marin finds on Earth. Designed for transport over land and through water, he has very few offensive abilities but is quite helpful when someone needs to escape or be taken to safety. He's also very cute and friendly, more like a pet than a bodyguard.
- Color-Coded Characters: His body is almost entirely purple.
- Fartillery: Smelly gas bubbles are one of his few attacks.
- Fragile Speedster: He can move pretty fast, but his defenses aren't the best.
- Leitmotif: Cute and quirky, just like him.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Played straight through the whole series.
- Put on a Bus: After Episode 13 he isn't seen again until Episode 24.
- Removable Shell: Not only does it come off, it serves as an emergency escape pod for his passengers.
- Sleep-Mode Size: His ampoule is purple and resembles a bottle of soap.
- Speech-Impaired Animal: The only sound he can make is the word "kyu."
Voice Actors: Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)
Kushatohn is the third Monomakia ally Marin finds on Earth. Designed for combat, she is a gigantic beast and very fierce in both nature and appearance. She's also incredibly strong, able to tear apart foes that are even larger than she is. These abilities make her a good bodyguard, but due to her size she remains in her ampoule until she's needed.
- Action Girl: Perhaps the least girly variety there is.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: The appear to be in her hands and shoot out jets of water.
- Fiery Redhead: An especially hot blooded, berserker type.
- Impossibly Graceful Giant: Plays this straight, though she's more like a Kaiju than a Humongous Mecha.
- It Runs on Nonsensoleum: Consumes water as fuel.
- Leitmotif: Starts off with the chanting of an ethereal chorus and quickly escalates into an electric guitar battle theme.
- Lightning Bruiser: Big, strong, and fast. Thank heaven she's one of the good guys.
- Making a Splash: Shoots highly pressurized liquid from her palms that can slice seeminly anything in half.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Played straight throughout the series.
- Put on a Bus: After Episode 13 she isn't seen again until Episode 24.
- Samus Is a Girl: Marin initially mistook her for a male. It's hard to tell at first glance.
- Sleep-Mode Size: Her golden ampoule is somewhat larger than Melan's and Poikun's.
Brigadoon Central Assembly
Voice Actors: Mayumi Shintani (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Lolo is a small, feline alien who showed Marin where Melan’s ampoule was located. He tends to pop up out of thin air and in the oddest of places, and doing the oddest of things. He appears continuously as a sort of trickster mentor, offering advice and giving information to the heroes as needed. It is later revealed that he serves Brigadoon as the Chairman of the Life Improvement Committee. He is also aware of a large conspiracy going on within Brigadoon’s Central Assembly, and his associations with Marin and Melan are part of a larger plan to thwart the unknown enemy’s plans to destroy Earth and Brigadoon.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: For all of his goofy antics, he has a position of high status and takes it pretty seriously.
- Chekhov's Gunman: He's almost a background character at first, but he's absolutely essential to the plot.
- Funny Animal: He's a catlike alien yet his intelligence and lifestyle are almost identical to those of humans.
- Fur Is Clothing: He has multiple furry green suits hanging up in his closet, though we never see how he looks without them.
- Herald: Plays this role in Episode 1 by leading Marin to where Melan's ampoule was located.
- The Lancer: While providing assistance to the heroes on Earth, he does a lot of solo work on Brigadoon.
- Leitmotif: A rather quirky piano tune plays whenever he shows up.
- Mysterious Informant: In the first part of the series.
- Non-Human Sidekick: Seems to play it straight until he turns out to be a Mentor Mascot.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Does this to fool his enemies and protect his friends from getting hurt.
- Offscreen Teleportation: Even when you see how he does it, he plays this pretty straight.
- Plucky Comic Relief: His presence almost never fails to lighten the mood.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Emphasis on the ‘ridiculous’ part.
- Series Mascot: Doubles with Mentor Mascot.
- Spirit Advisor: Marin and Melan are the only people who see him on Earth, and he has a habit of coming and going unexpectedly.
- Verbal Tic: Says his name repeatedly, but not quite to the point of Pokémon Speak. Not present in the dub.
- Zero-Approval Gambit: His entire modus operandi is this.
Voice Actors: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)
Lala is friends with Lolo and Lulu, and the Chairman of the Ecological Control Committee. She’s an expert on Monomakia and can even create new ones. Bright and bubbly, she cares about Lolo a lot and worries about his strange behavior, but she also has a short temper and can get violent when she's mad.
- Funny Animal
- Gadgeteer Genius
- Mr. Exposition: Especially in Episode 14.
- Pie in the Face: Her preferred method of punishment.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Pink? Check. Girly hairdo? Check. Eyelashes? Check.
- Tsundere: Type B.
Voice Actors: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English)
Lulu is Lolo’s friend and the Chairman of the Space-Time Observation Committee. His main responsibility is to monitor the warps between Brigadoon and Earth to make sure the two worlds don’t destroy each other. He also loves to eat junk food, just like someone else...
- Big Bad Friend: In the last episode, he's revealed to be Hensu-chi itself.
- Fantastic Anthropologist: Again, just like someone else.
- Funny Animal
- Karma Houdini: After having his plans thwarted, he just teleports away without receiving any punishment whatsoever.
- Sweet Tooth: Loves sweets so much that he complains any time somebody throws a pie.
- Walking Spoiler
Voice Actors: Kentarō Itō (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)
Lele is the Chairman of the Pasca Executive Committee. As his title says, his job is to make sure the Day of Pasca occurs without a problem. This means finding and retrieving the missing Creis from Earth, which is no easy task. He has a very smug, sarcastic attitude, doesn’t get along with Lolo or his friends, and seems to have a hidden agenda.
- Cats Are Snarkers
- Funny Animal
- His Name Is...: He is killed right when he's about to reveal Hensu-chi's real identity.
- Pie in the Face: He starts the big pie fight of Episode 14.
- Red Herring
- The Mole: He was tricked into believing that Lolo and Lala were working for the Hensu-chi. Little did he know that the one who tricked him was Hensu-chi itself.
- Smug Snake
