Line #98 Characters/StrawberryMarshmallow


1	Tropes (and other stuff) about the main girls of Barasui's SliceOfLife comedy, ''Manga/StrawberryMarshmallow''.
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4
5	[[folder:In General]]
6	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience:
7	** For Nobue, black or grey are her usual clothing colors of choice.
8	** Blue is the primary clothing color for Chika.
9	** Miu prefers her clothes to be Pink/Red.
10	** Matsuri wears primarily green clothing.
11	** Ana's clothes are either Lavender or White.
12	* KiddieKid: The younger girls are 11 and 12 years old, but tend to act more like eight-year-olds.
13	* MeaningfulName: In the dictionary episode, the girls look up the meaning of their own names - Nobue means "increase faith," Chika implies "thousands of skills" - basically being good at lots of things, Miu means "beautiful wings", (and she's very proud of it), and Matsuri means "festival", and it's also a type of flower.
14	** Ana is furious when Miu spells her name in kanji to mean "hole", "bone", and "cave", which becomes a RunningGag.
15	[[/folder]]
16
17	[[folder:Nobue Ito]]
18	!!Nobue Ito
19	!!!Voiced by: Creator/HitomiNabatame (Japanese), Creator/CarolAnneDay (English)
20	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ichigo-mashimaro-nobue_7300.jpg]]
21
22	The oldest of the bunch, at 16 years old (20 in the anime). Elder sister to Chika, whom she loves to mess with when in need of money to feed her smoking habit.
23	----
24	* AgeLift: Goes from 16 in the manga to 20 in the anime in order to keep from displaying underage smoking and drinking (in the anime, she at first claims to be 16, but then admits, that it was a lie).
25	* AudienceSurrogate: Arguably; she acts more like a teenage boy, the target audience of the work.
26	* BerserkButton: Don't make jokes about her age or weight, or else she'll kick your ass, or at least [[FaceDoodling scribble nonsense on your face]].
27	* BigSisterInstinct: Frequently exhibits a protective attitude towards Matsuri and Ana, hardly ever to her actual sister, however.
28	* CoolBigSis: She nominally functions as one to Chika, but acts more like this toward Chika's friends (except [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Miu]], of course)
29	* CutenessProximity: Her trigger is Ana and Matsuri.
30	* EvilChef: One time, when Miu kept dragging the rest of the crew to the café, where Nobue worked part-time and repeatedly extorted fancy ice cream from her, she spiked Miu's ice cream with hot sauce. This escalated to a big food fight between Miu and Nobue, which got Nobue fired and not only without pay for the days she worked there, but even with debts to the café for cleaning and damages.
31	* GallowsHumor: Loves to mess with the girls and nothing’s particularly off limits, no matter how dark.
32	-->'''Nobue''': "Matsuri! it's Miu! She's ''dead!''"
33	* MustHaveNicotine: Gets really tetchy and irritable when she’s out of cigarettes — and too broke to buy more.
34	* {{Tomboy}}: She's deeply embarrassed by the frilly skirt and pinny she has to wear for her part-time job at a family restaurant - the girls can't believe what she's wearing.
35	* WomanChild: She's definitely not above playing pranks on the girls...
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Chika Ito]]
39	!!Chika Ito
40	!!!Voiced by: Creator/SaekoChiba (Japanese), Wendy Morrison (English)
41	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ichigo-mashimaro-chika_3737.jpg]]
42
43	Nobue's younger sister, a laid-back 6th grader. Described by her as the "normal" one of the group.
44	----
45	* TheGenericGuy: Her sister describes her as such, and she’s presented as an ordinary, relatively nondescript kid whose role in the series is to act as “the normal one” or StraightMan to her sister and wackier friends.
46	* OnlySaneMan: Amongst a cast of eccentrics of various types, Chika stands out as the sensible one of the gang.
47	* StraightMan: She’s frequently the butt of both Nobue and Miu’s jokes, especially when she’s peacefully trying to get on with her homework.
48	* StraightManAndWiseGuy: With Miu playing the part of the "wise guy".
49	* TeamChef: She’s constantly cajoled into making treats for the girls, but a lot of the time, she’s happy to oblige.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Miu Matsuoka]]
53	!!Miu Matsuoka
54	!!!Voiced by: Creator/FumikoOrikasa (Japanese), Creator/CaitlynneMedrek (English)
55	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ichigo-mashimaro-miu_7729.jpg]]
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57	Nobue and Chika's neighbor, who seems to spend a lot more time at the Ito house than her own. She is in the same grade as Chika, and has been friends with Chika since they were little.
58	----
59	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Though Chika doesn't like to admit it, she does secretly find ''some'' of Miu's pranks funny.
60	* AttentionWhore: Miu does everything she can to "act cute" to try to get Nobue to notice her over Ana and Matsuri, often resulting in Miu getting bonked on the head.
61	* BlackComedyRape: As seen when Ana needs a yukata:
62	--> '''Nobue''': "Miu, take off your clothes."
63	--> '''Miu''': "Oh please no, Lord Magistrate!"
64	--> '''Nobue''': [[DudeNotFunny "Idiot..."]]
65	* TheChewToy: She has it coming, since she's often a pain in other people's asses and gets [[FacePlant faceplanted]] by Nobue and the others for this.
66	* CloudCuckoolander: She’s completely nuts, with a bizarre sense of self-perception and a trolling sense of humour.
67	-->'''Miu''' (whilst dressed as a doctor): "I'd describe your condition as "clenchy".
68	* CuteLittleFangs: Occasionally flashes these in moments of mischief.
69	* DeliberatelyCuteChild: Tries to use this to her advantage, but fails repeatedly.
70	* DropInCharacter: Her bedroom window is literally a short hop across the rooftop from Chika’s, and she frequently climbs in through the latter’s window, almost-always uninvited.
71	* TheFakeCutie: She's very fixated on being the cutest girl ever, but it's largely to get attention and she's actually more of a bratty JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
72	* FieryRedhead: Sports (dyed) orangey-brown hair and is quick to meltdown if things don’t go her way.
73	* TheFriendNobodyLikes: But they still invite and include her in their daily lives, so it's only on a shallow level.
74	* HomosexualReproduction: After she spent a night in Nobue's bed, she stuffed two pillows under her shirt and pretended to be pregnant.
75	--> '''Nobue''' (''after seeing Miu pretending to be pregnant''): [[ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels Everything about this is wrong]].
76	* GirlishPigtails: Always wears her hair like this as part of her GirlyGirl schtick.
77	* GreenEyedMonster: Especially where Ana and Matsuri are concerned, if they are shown more attention.
78	* InsaneTrollLogic: Practically runs on this. Chika [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] on it when Miu suggests how the other girls can become "more flexible".
79	-->'''Chika:''' Watch, it's going to be totally deranged, like, "bury rubber bands in your garden" or something.
80	-->'''Miu:''' I'm not gonna give you some fruitcake advice. [[DoubleSubversion I was about to say you should do stretching exercises after every bath!]]
81	-->'''Chika:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Yep. Like I said. Deranged.]]
82	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's mostly jerkish, though she does have some PetTheDog moments with the Itou sisters and even Matsuri. Also, deep down, she just wants to be loved and admired.
83	* SkinshipGrope: When Miu discovered a bikini in Ana's wardrobe, she checked if Ana has the assets for it. Turned out, she hasn't any more than herself.
84	* StraightManAndWiseGuy: With Chika playing the part of the StraightMan
85	* ToiletHumour: Miu farts in the hot tub during "Into Hot Water". The other girls are not amused.
86	** A bigger deal is made out of it in the anime. This is somewhat of a running gag seeing how she not only does this again in the 3rd OVA as well, but also in the video game depending on the scenario
87	* UnlimitedWardrobe: To a deranged degree, including a santa costume and 3 matching reindeer outfits, ninja gi's, obscure basket-hats and nurses outfits, as well as an extensive amount of {{Kawaiiko}} every-day clothes.
88	* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: She’s mostly this, though her rarely glimpses vulnerable side mitigates her being completely unsympathetic.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Matsuri Sakuragi]]
92	!!Matsuri Sakuragi
93	!!!Voiced by: Creator/AyakoKawasumi (Japanese), Kylie Beaven (English)
94	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ichigo-mashimaro-matsuri_855.jpg]]
95
96	A 5th grader who is friends with Chika and Miu. She is timid and tends to scare (and [[CuteClumsyGirl fall down]]) easily. Nevertheless, Nobue seems to be attracted to her particular brand of cuteness for some reason.
97	----
98
99	* BespectacledCutie: A classic example, she sports huge, round glasses and is of a studious, gentle disposition.
100	* BlindWithoutEm: Literally can’t see more than a few feet in front of her without her specs.
101	* ButtMonkey: Miu takes great pleasure in messing with her — especially as she’s such a wet-wipe and almost never fights back.
102	* CatGirl: Ashamed of her odd hair, she invests in a cute hat with cat-ears attached. Bizarrely, she spontaneously sprouts a cat ''tail'' as well. Nobue, quite taken with her new look, insists she add a little "Nyah" (meow!) to the end of every sentence...
103	--> '''Matsuri''': "Konnichi-nyah~"
104	* CuteClumsyGirl: In one episode, Ana recounts her day spent with Matsuri — a catalogue of unfortunate mishaps that culminates with her having to have a lay down in the school nurse’s office.
105	* LoyalAnimalCompanion: Her ferret, Jon.
106	* PrematurelyGreyHaired: Matsuri’s previously brown hair grows out grey from the roots — perhaps due to the stress of having to deal with Miu’s gags, and her overall timid, nervous personality.
107	* ShrinkingViolet: She’s painfully shy and hates speaking up in class.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Ana Coppola]]
111	!!Ana Coppola
112	!!!Voiced by: Creator/MamikoNoto (Japanese), Katie Rowan (English)
113	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ichigo-mashimaro-ana_9780.jpg]]
114
115	Originally from Cornwall, England, Ana is one of Matsuri's classmates. She loves Japanese culture, but tries to disguise this fact in front of her peers even though her family has lived in Japan for a while and, as a result, don't speak English as much anymore.
116
117	Ana first appears in Episode 2 of the anime, and chapter 11 of the manga.
118	----
119	* BigFancyHouse: Ana's house is huge by Japanese comparison, and actually has a proper lawn (as well as a fancy gate-buzzer), which is a rarity reserved for only the very wealthy.
120	* BigFriendlyDog: Her yellow labrador, Frusciante (dubbed "Fu-chan" by Miu).
121	* BritishStuffiness / JapanesePoliteness: She presents a curious blend of both, and is often seen to be very flustered and confounded by the mayhem surrounding her.
122	* EnglishRose: A beautiful Cornish girl with skin described as being “white as porcelain” and looking “like a porcelain doll”, who comports herself properly at all times and is of a reserved, charmingly polite disposition. Nobue and the rest of the girls are instantly captivated and intrigued by her.
123	* {{Fauxreigner}}: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged:]] Although she ''is'' a foreigner (she and both of her parents are British), [[GoingNative she lived in Japan from a young age and only spoke only Japanese even at home, resulting in her almost entirely forgetting her own mother tongue]]. She tried to feign ignorance of Japanese language and customs and proficiency in the English language, but failed at both tasks (the Japanese language and culture were too deeply ingrained in her for that, her Japanese classmates speak English better than her and she has a better command of the Japanese language than her native Japanese classmates have). That bothers and embarrasses her very much, since she wants to keep her cultural identity and connection with her country of birth and even tries to re-learn English with her friend Matsuri's help.
124	* GorgeousGaijin: In-universe example — when Nobue meets Ana for the first time (whilst a little tipsy), she's instantly smitten with her.
125	-->'''Nobue''' (''thinking''): "Smooth, blonde hair, clear blue eyes, skin as white as porcelain, slender long legs..."
126	-->'''Nobue''': "[[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe She's mine!!!]]" [==]{{Glomp}}[==]
127	* GratuitousEnglish: Having lived in Japan for so long has seriously impaired her ability to speak her native tongue, so when she actually does try to speak English, it comes out like this.
128	* HeritageDisconnect: She has lived in Japan so long she's more Japanese than her Japanese peers, culturally speaking. This bothers her enough to ramp up the "foreignness" at school and work with Matsuri to re-learn English.
129	* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: She was named after film director Creator/SofiaCoppola.
130	* NewTransferStudent: She turns up in book 2 of the manga and Matsuri is allocated to be her school buddy and show her the ropes — something she’s utterly terrified to do.
131	* OccidentalOtaku: Though she'd never admit it of course, as she's a proud Brit.
132	* {{Ojou}}: A classic example; Mr and Mrs Coppola are clearly enormously wealthy, judging by their huge house, and Ana is their only child. However, her mother, briefly seen in one episode, doesn’t spoil her and is seen to be quite firm when Ana initially refuses to finish her broccoli.
133	* PhenotypeStereotype: Blue eyes? Check. Golden hair? Check. Originally from an English-speaking country? Check. It's fairly justified where Ana is concerned, as England (being in Northern Europe) is a nation with a relatively high occurrence of fair-hair, especially amongst children.
134	* TokenWhite: She's the only non-Japanese member of the main cast.
135	* UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry: Her origin, more specifically Cornwall, before the move to Japan.

Context Characters / StrawberryMarshmallow