History Manga / AiRen

%%* ArtificialHuman: Ai

* CantHaveSexEver: Haruka-sensei. Apparently, humanity in general seems to have become afflicted with this trope due to the curse.

%%* AfterTheEnd

''Ai-Ren'' is a {{manga}} by Creator/TanakaYutaka chronicling the last days of our hero Yoshizumi Ikuru.

[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture In the not too distant future]], [[AfterTheEnd the world has just recovered from a conflict that nearly ended it]], and humanity is slowly becoming extinct. All this takes a back seat to the story of Ikuru.

* ClimateChange: The weather is described as being warm and at times unpredictable, with a good chunk of the Japanese coasts flooded.

* {{Odango Hair}}: Haruka-sensei fixes up Ai's hair in this manner once.

%%* SnowMeansLove: [[spoiler: Snowy Landscape: Humanity's Hometown]]

* GlobalWarming: The weather is described as being warm and at times unpredictable, with a good chunk of the Japanese coasts flooded.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile]]

* AfterTheEnd
* ArtificialHuman: Ai

* CantHaveSexEver: Haruka-sensei.
** Apparently, humanity in general seems to have become afflicted with this trope due to the curse.

* DarkSkinnedBlond: Carmelo Carmel

* EnfantTerrible: The child Ikuru carries outside the dome.

** Haruka-sensei also sees the silhouette once or twice.

* MindScrew: Most of HITO's interactions with Carmelo Carmel end up being like this.
** Especially when it's revealed that HITO [[spoiler:never existed. In fact, it was humanity's collective consciousness that came to life from a LostColony.]] And it's now basically calling [[DespairEventHorizon mankind to kill itself for the creation of a new generation of humans]].

* MoodWhiplash: Also happens rather often. [[spoiler: Chapter 40.5 has a rather jarring one.]]
** If it has the name Tanaka Yutaka on it, expect lots of whiplash and get some tissues handy. He's the patron saint of the trope.

* NoExportForYou: Not if you know where to look.

* [[spoiler: PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath]]
* PornWithPlot: very, '''very''' light on the "Porn" part.

** The Japanese kana for "artificial" (人工) looks very much like romaji "AI", which itself is an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence." ([[EpilepticTrees Almost certainly unintentional.]])

* SceneryPorn: Happens a lot throughout the manga, but not to the point where it becomes egregious.
* SliceOfLife
* SnowMeansLove: [[spoiler: Snowy Landscape: Humanity's Hometown]]
* [[spoiler: SomeoneToRememberHimBy: At the end of the series, Ai and Ikuru's child is being raised by Haruka-sensei.]]

** "Ai-ren" means "lover in Chinese (literally 'love person') and Ai wears Chinese-inspired clothes.

* MeaningfulName: "Love" in Japanese is "Ai".
** As is [[spoiler: sorrow]]. (Same pronunciation, different kanji.)

* {{Minimalism}}: It's TanakaYutaka's SignatureStyle.

''Ai-Ren'' is a {{manga}} by TanakaYutaka chronicling the last days of our hero Yoshizumi Ikuru.

* BleachedUnderpants: Kind of, because this manga has '''much more''' plot than it does porn. Tanaka-san's resume also includes ''Virgin Night'' and MyLovelyGhostKana, which ups the plot-to-porn ratio significantly enough for this manga to technically qualify for this trope.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_url25.jpg]]

[[{{TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture}} In the not too distant future]], [[{{AfterTheEnd}} the world has just recovered from a conflict that nearly ended it]], and humanity is slowly becoming extinct. All this takes a back seat to the story of Ikuru.

----

* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. [[spoiler: Ai, even though she ''isn't supposed to'' have one. Haruka-sensei ends up contemplating on the ramifications and consequences should Ai end up pregnant with Ikuru's child.]]

''Ai-Ren'' is a {{manga}} by TanakaYutaka chronicling the last days of our hero Yoshizumi Ikuru.

[[{{TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture}} In the not too distant future]], [[{{AfterTheEnd}} the world has just recovered from a conflict that nearly ended it]], and humanity is slowly becoming extinct. All this takes a back seat to the story of Ikuru.

Several years ago, Ikuru and his family had been in a grievous accident (of which he was the sole survivor) and the only way to save him was to transplant a significant amount of parts from someone else. While this was done to save his life, it turned out that in the long run, these transplanted parts were actually killing him gradually.

Thus we come to our hero, who at the story's start comes to terms with his mortality and orders a companion for him to live out his last days in relative comfort - an artificially-created girl who Ikuru names [[MeaningfulName Ai]]. Ai gives Ikuru's remaining days a surprising amount of meaning - running him through a veritable emotional roller coaster.

This manga is a SliceOfLife story set in a dystopian world, which shows off the contrasts between Ikuru and Ai's existence with the state of the world they live in. While the setting is admittedly bleak, many things (Ikuru and Ai's relationship is a significant one) show that even in mankind's darkest hour, meaning can be found amidst the end... and ThePowerOfLove can be miraculous.

All that aside, this is a wonderful {{manga}} series that will probably never get as wide an audience as it should, because of its {{seinen}} aspects, foremost of which is Ikuru and Ai consummating their relationship, among other, smaller things.

'''Troper's Note:''' Because up to now there has been no official English translation of ''Ai-Ren'', all quoted lines are from the Solaris-SVU fan translation.

!!This manga contains the following tropes:
----
* AfterTheEnd
* ArtificialHuman: Ai
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Ai and Ikuru do die, but Haruka-sensei is raising their artificially-gestated child.]]
* BleachedUnderpants: Kind of, because this manga has '''much more''' plot than it does porn. Tanaka-san's resume also includes ''Virgin Night'' and MyLovelyGhostKana, which ups the plot-to-porn ratio significantly enough for this manga to technically qualify for this trope.
* CantHaveSexEver: Haruka-sensei.
** Apparently, humanity in general seems to have become afflicted with this trope due to the curse.
* ContemplateOurNavels: A lot of the interaction with HITO comes across this way.
* CozyCatastrophe: Subverted. Japan is shown to be more or less coping with the chaos in a ''very'' sedate manner. In some other parts of the world...[[CrapsackWorld not so much]]. And by the end [[spoiler:even the Institute isn't spared]].
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Carmelo Carmel
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Humanity as a whole]] subconsciously undergoes this [[spoiler:in the form of HITO]].
* EnfantTerrible: The child Ikuru carries outside the dome.
* FromBadToWorse: As the series progresses, the wider world grows [[CrapsackWorld increasingly bleak]]. What starts off as reports of famine and civil unrest eventually turns into global war and [[spoiler:the near extinction of the human race.]]
* GlobalWarming: The weather is described as being warm and at times unpredictable, with a good chunk of the Japanese coasts flooded.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile]]
* TheGrimReaper: Ikuru sees a girl's silhouette he feels to be this. [[spoiler: It's actually an older-looking Ai. She also saw herself in that form several times.]]
** Haruka-sensei also sees the silhouette once or twice.
* HopeSpot: The long-lived tomato plant.
** Haruka-sensei mentioning in the end that there are other curse-free children being born around the world.
* HotForStudent: Ikuru and Haruka-sensei. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* IllBoy: Ikuru. Technically, Ai also counts as she has a limited lifespan.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Ai, especially in the earlier chapters.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: Soon after Ikuru acquires Ai, she strips naked and comforts him with a hug. Not long after that, Ikuru reciprocates when he finds her crying and fearful of her death after witnessing his near-death experience. Both are done in a very tender, nonsexual manner.]]
* KilledOffForReal: Ikuru and Ai, bordering on ItWasHisSled territory.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played straight [[spoiler: and possibly subverted]] with Ai. [[spoiler: She's the silhouette of the girl Ikuru sees whenever he's close to death.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Love" in Japanese is "Ai".
** As is [[spoiler: sorrow]]. (Same pronunciation, different kanji.)
* MindScrew: Most of HITO's interactions with Carmelo Carmel end up being like this.
** Especially when it's revealed that HITO [[spoiler:never existed. In fact, it was humanity's collective consciousness that came to life from a LostColony.]] And it's now basically calling [[DespairEventHorizon mankind to kill itself for the creation of a new generation of humans]].
* {{Minimalism}}: It's TanakaYutaka's SignatureStyle.
* MoodWhiplash: Also happens rather often. [[spoiler: Chapter 40.5 has a rather jarring one.]]
** If it has the name Tanaka Yutaka on it, expect lots of whiplash and get some tissues handy. He's the patron saint of the trope.
* MysticalWhiteHair: Haruka-sensei, as befits her status as one of the Sixes, humanity's elite.
* NoExportForYou: Not if you know where to look.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. [[spoiler: Ai, even though she ''isn't supposed to'' have one. Haruka-sensei ends up contemplating on the ramifications and consequences should Ai end up pregnant with Ikuru's child.]]
* {{Odango Hair}}: Haruka-sensei fixes up Ai's hair in this manner once.
* [[spoiler: PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath]]
* PornWithPlot: very, '''very''' light on the "Porn" part.
* ThePowerOfLove: It's what rescues Ikuru from despair. [[spoiler: It also saves Haruka-sensei from her own despair at Ikuru's (impending) death.]]
* PunnyName: Not intentional, but "Ai" sounds a great deal like the word for "love" (ai); and the pronoun referring to oneself ("I").
** BilingualBonus: The title is homophonous to ''lover'' in Mandarin Chinese.
** The Japanese kana for "artificial" (人工) looks very much like romaji "AI", which itself is an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence." ([[EpilepticTrees Almost certainly unintentional.]])
* RealMenWearPink: Ikuru is a skilled chef.
* SceneryPorn: Happens a lot throughout the manga, but not to the point where it becomes egregious.
* SliceOfLife
* SnowMeansLove: [[spoiler: Snowy Landscape: Humanity's Hometown]]
* [[spoiler: SomeoneToRememberHimBy: At the end of the series, Ai and Ikuru's child is being raised by Haruka-sensei.]]

----

->''Even if the world comes to an end...''
->''Even if you die... or I die...''
->''It's not that big a deal...''

->''...it's not that big a deal.''
----

[[redirect:Manga/{{Ai-Ren}}]]

{{Ai-Ren}} is a {{manga}} by TanakaYutaka chronicling the last days of our hero Yoshizumi Ikuru.

[[{{TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture}} In the not too distant future]], [[{{AfterTheEnd}} the world has just recovered from a conflict that nearly ended it]], and humanity is slowly becoming extinct. All this takes a back seat to the story of Ikuru.

Several years ago, Ikuru and his family had been in a grievous accident (of which he was the sole survivor) and the only way to save him was to transplant a significant amount of parts from someone else. While this was done to save his life, it turned out that in the long run, these transplanted parts were actually killing him gradually.

Thus we come to our hero, who at the story's start comes to terms with his mortality and orders a companion for him to live out his last days in relative comfort - an artificially-created girl who Ikuru names [[MeaningfulName Ai]]. Ai gives Ikuru's remaining days a surprising amount of meaning - running him through a veritable emotional roller coaster.

This manga is a SliceOfLife story set in a dystopian world, which shows off the contrasts between Ikuru and Ai's existence with the state of the world they live in. While the setting is admittedly bleak, many things (Ikuru and Ai's relationship is a significant one) show that even in mankind's darkest hour, meaning can be found amidst the end... and ThePowerOfLove can be miraculous.

All that aside, this is a wonderful {{manga}} series [[NeedsMoreLove that will probably never get as wide an audience as it should]], because of its {{seinen}} aspects, foremost of which is Ikuru and Ai consummating their relationship, among other, smaller things.

'''Troper's Note:''' Because up to now there has been no official English translation of {{Ai-Ren}}, all quoted lines are from the Solaris-SVU fan translation.

!!This manga contains the following tropes:
----
* AfterTheEnd
* ArtificialHuman: Ai
* BleachedUnderpants: Kind of, because this manga has '''much more''' plot than it does porn. Tanaka-san's resume also includes Manga/VirginNight and MyLovelyGhostKana, which ups the plot-to-porn ratio significantly enough for this manga to technically qualify for this trope.
* CantHaveSexEver: Haruka-sensei.
* DarkSkinnedBlond: Carmelo Carmel
* EnfantTerrible: The child Ikuru carries outside the dome.
* [[spoiler: GoOutWithASmile]]
* TheGrimReaper: Ikuru sees a girl's silhouette he feels to be this. [[spoiler: It's actually an older-looking Ai. She also saw herself in that form several times.]]
** Haruka-sensei also sees the silhouette once or twice.
* HopeSpot: The long-lived tomato plant.
* HotForStudent: Ikuru and Haruka-sensei. ItMakesSenseInContext.
* IllBoy: Ikuru. Technically, Ai also counts as she has a limited lifespan.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: Ai, especially in the earlier chapters.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: Soon after Ikuru acquires Ai, she strips naked and comforts him with a hug. Not long after that, Ikuru reciprocates when he finds her crying and fearful of her death after witnessing his near-death experience. Both are done in a very tender, nonsexual manner.]]
* KilledOffForReal: Ikuru and Ai, bordering on ItWasHisSled territory.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Played straight [[spoiler: and possibly subverted]] with Ai. [[spoiler: She's the silhouette of the girl Ikuru sees whenever he's close to death.]]
* MeaningfulName: "Love" in Japanese is "Ai".
* MindScrew: Most of HITO's interactions with Carmelo Carmel end up being like this.
* {{Minimalism}}: It's TanakaYutaka's SignatureStyle.
* MoodWhiplash: Also happens rather often. [[spoiler: Chapter 40.5 has a rather jarring one.]]
** If it has the name Tanaka Yutaka on it, expect lots of whiplash and get some tissues handy. He's the patron saint of the trope.
* NoExportForYou: Not if you know where to look.
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Averted. [[spoiler: Haruka-sensei also ends up contemplating on the consequences should Ai end up pregnant with Ikuru's child.]]
* {{Odango Hair}}: Haruka-sensei fixes up Ai's hair in this manner once.
* [[spoiler: PartlyCloudyWithAChanceOfDeath]]
* PornWithPlot: very, '''very''' light on the "Porn" part.
* ThePowerOfLove: It's what rescues Ikuru from despair. [[spoiler: It also saves Haruka-sensei from her own despair at Ikuru's (impending) death.]]
* PunnyName: Not intentional, but "Ai" sounds a great deal like the word for "love" (ai); and the pronoun referring to oneself ("I").
** BilingualBonus: The title is homophonous to ''lover'' in Mandarin Chinese.
** The Japanese kana for "artificial" (人工) looks very much like romaji "AI", which itself is an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence." ([[EpilepticTrees Almost certainly unintentional.]])
* RealMenWearPink: Ikuru is a skilled chef.
* SceneryPorn: Happens a lot throughout the manga, but not to the point where it becomes egregious.
* SliceOfLife
* SnowMeansLove: [[spoiler: Snowy Landscape: Humanity's Hometown]]
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Haruka-sensei.

----

->''Even if the world comes to an end...''
->''Even if you die... or I die...''
->''It's not that big a deal...''

->''...it's not that big a deal.''
----

* BleachedUnderpants: Kind of, because this manga has '''much more''' plot than it does porn. Tanaka-san's resume also includes VirginNight and MyLovelyGhostKana, which ups the plot-to-porn ratio significantly enough for this manga to technically qualify for this trope.

* PlotWithPorn: very, '''very''' light on the "Porn" part.

** The Japanese kana for "artificial" (人工) looks very much like romaji "AI", which itself is an acronym for "Artificial Intelligence." ([[EpilepticTrees This also probably unintentional.]])

Thus we come to our hero, who at the story's start comes to terms with his mortality and orders a companion for him to live out his last days in relative comfort.

The companion was an artificially-created girl who Ikuru named Ai, who gives Ikuru's remaining days a surprising amount of meaning - running him through a veritable emotional roller coaster.

This manga is a SliceOfLife story set in a dystopian world, which shows off the contrasts between Ikuru and Ai's existence with the state of the world they live in.

And while the setting is admittedly bleak, many things (Ikuru and Ai's relationship is a significant one) show that even in mankind's darkest hour, meaning can be found amidst the end... and ThePowerOfLove can be miraculous.