Characters appearing in Hakumei & Mikochi
Main Characters
Hakumei
- Voiced By: Risae Matsuda (Japanese), Brittney Karbowski (English)
An adventurous and hard working young woman. Before living with Mikochi, Hakumei worked for a traveling caravan and learned many survival skills from them.
- Action Girl: Her size greatly belies her courage. Wanting to tame Sunset Hawk who turns out to be Mikochi's pet bird Kafuu? Check. Fixing a windmill in the middle of a storm? Check. Riding on a paper plane to wage war? Check.
- Badass Adorable: Hakumei stands less than 4 inches tall, but will gladly face down an owl to save her friend, or wage war against the Honey Manor Old-timers in an effort to rescue Conju, who at that point wasn't much more than an acquaintance.
- Daddy's Girl: The chapter ”The Story About The Past” shows that Hakumei was very close to her adoptive father Loka when she was a child; He’s the one who taught her everything she knows about surviving in the wilderness, having been a traveller for most of his life, and she was inspired to become a traveller because of him. She was heartbroken when he told her that he couldn’t come with her on her travels once she decided to set out on her own, feeling guilty that he had to give up the travelling life just to raise her, but he reassured her that he was staying in their cliffside village so that she’d have a place to come home to if she ever felt lonely; Once she felt like she didn’t need to come home, he told her to contact him to let him know that he can resume his travels.
- Doorstep Baby: Her adoptive father Loka found the infant Hakumei in a basket left in the opening of a small cave.
- Dreadful Musician: In stark contrast to her housemate, Hakumei is tone-deaf and can't sing at all. She generally avoids even trying to sing, but give her enough alcohol... That said, Conju thinks her volume and rhythm aren't bad and it's worth training her.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Averted; despite being one of the more tomboyish characters she is actually a pretty good cook, though it's plain compared to what Mikochi does.
- Friendship Trinket: Her signature hat originally belonged to her adoptive father Loka, and he gave it to her when she left home.
- Genki Girl: Always full of energy and life, when she once accidentally ate one of Sen's transmitters it caused a skeleton fish to go wild for several days.
- Handy Man: Well, woman, but there is very little that Hakumei cannot fix. She earns money by doing various odd jobs around town before being hired on with a construction crew.
- Happily Adopted: Hakumei cares deeply about her father Loka; her biggest issue as she was about to leave home was that he couldn't come with her, blaming herself for him giving up the traveling life. From Loka's point of view, however, he wanted to be where she'd come home to if she ever got too lonely. He told her that if she ever decided she didn't need to come back - that is, if she found a new place to call home - then she should mail him to let him know, and he'd start traveling again.
- Hidden Depths: Hakumei is shockingly well-read considering her previous life as a traveler. Her ability to rapidly find just the right book for the moment has made her something of a nemesis for the Librarian.
- Lady Looks Like a Dude: Hakumei is mistaken for a guy by more than one character, though there's nothing overtly masculine about her appearance. Rather than looks, it may be because she has a tomboyish nature, works in a traditionally masculine field, and is implied to have a fairly deep voice for a woman.
- Meaningful Name: Hakumei can be read as ”daybreak” or ”crack of dawn”. Her adoptive father named her that because that’s the time of day when he found and adopted her.
- Outdoorsy Gal: Earlier in life, Hakumei was rescued by a caravan after her money and luggage were stolen by con men. During her time with them, she learned survival skills and how to live outdoors. Even now that she's found a permanent home, she still likes to go camping, fishing, and other outdoor pursuits.
- Parental Abandonment: In ”The Story About The Past”, Hakumei reveals to Mikochi when the latter asks about where she came from originally that her father Loka isn’t her biological dad; apparently, he and his travelling companion found her lying in a basket in a cave when she was a baby, and both of them decided to stop their travels in favor of raising her. It’s not known if her birth parents were also travellers who suddenly died after hiding her or if they just straight-up abandoned her, though.
- Super Drowning Skills: Surprisingly for one who spends so much time outdoors, Hakumei can't swim, float, or even hold her breath underwater properly. As the series goes on, however, she does get swimming lessons to the point that she can float on her back, albeit with inconsistent success.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Mikochi's Girly Girl.
- Walking the Earth: Spent several years traveling before she came to Makinata.
Mikochi
- Voiced By: Shino Shimoji (Japanese), Amanda Lee (English)
A goddess of the kitchen, Mikochi is a kind young woman who just can't help trying to take care of people.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: Mikochi is acknowledged In-Universe as having a gorgeous soprano. When a vote is held to decide who will be the featured performer at an upcoming festival, Mikochi ties with Conju, a professional musician, on write-in votes alone from people who overheard her singing while in the bath or doing housework.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: She started growing out her hair when she was young to make very certain people didn't keep saying she and her sister Ayune looked identical.
- Feminine Women Can Cook: Mikochi is the Girly Girl to her roomate Hakumei's Tomboy, and she's also the best cook in the series; Her skills in the kitchen are known throughout all of Makinata.
- Lovable Coward: Downplayed. Mikochi is easily startled and sometimes even passes out from fright, but usually does so under justifiable circumstances (such as first encountering Oroshi, an owl who could easily eat her in one bite). This trait becomes less prominent as the series goes on, to the point of almost disappearing.
- Stronger Than They Look: Despite being portrayed as the more feminine and indoorsy of the two leads, and someone who gets worn out easily in certain situations, Mikochi is physically quite strong. She routinely carries around large loads of food and kitchen supplies, and her first appearance shows her carrying a dresser that's at least twice her size on her back!
- Super-Senses: While not exaggerated to the point of doing the impossible, Mikochi is implied to either be a supertaster or have an incredibly refined palate, to the point that she can identify ingredients and flaws in dishes simply by tasting them once. Many other characters who work in food have taken notice, and consult her for various things.
- Supreme Chef: Mikochi is fairly well-known for being an excellent cook, to the point that cooks and food vendors in other cities actively seek her advice and opinions on culinary matters. Even so, she still actively tries to improve her skills, such as learning to cook for large groups through working with Hakuyo.
- Textile Work Is Feminine:
- Mikochi worked in a fabric shop prior to the events of the manga. She's also a skilled dexter and seamstress as well as a talented designer; her entry in a fashion show came in second only to Night Snail, a highly regarded fashion designer who's Mikochi's fashion idol.
- What she doesn't have experience with, though, is flat-out creating new clothes for a specific person, especially not stage clothing; she successfully manages it when asked in chapters 84-85, but she gets very stressed in the process.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Hakumei's Tomboy.
Supporting Characters:
Conju
- Voiced By: Aoi Yūki (Japanese), Allison Sumrall (English)
A songstress who befriends Mikochi.
- Beautiful Singing Voice: Considered In-Universe as one of Makinata's finest singers along with Mikochi, though they have different ranges: Conju is an alto, and Mikochi is a soprano.
- Damsel in Distress: In the ”A Very Long Day” mini-arc, the old-timers of the Honey Home, a ”lawless” district in Makinata which houses everyone from wanted criminals to struggling artists, decide to kidnap her as part of their strategy to ”do war” with the newcomers. note Ultimately, however, it’s downplayed; while Conju is scared at first, she’s never in any real danger as her kidnappers make sure to treat her well and often untie her to give her food, and it’s made clear that they’ll let her go as soon as the newcomers ”admit defeat”.note Conju herself even admits after a while that she finds the whole ordeal more akin to an unorthodox sightseeing tour:Conju: (as Miki and Yunaka carry her off) You know, this is almost starting to feel like an adventure. You guys are showing me all the exciting hidden places of the Honey Home!Miki: Thanks, I guess…
- Graceful in Their Element: For all her personal quirks and foibles, Conju really is a talented and dedicated musician. She's a bit of a mess otherwise, though.
- Hidden Depths: In addition to being an accomplished singer and musician, Conju is also a surprisingly adept soapmaker — so much so that she teaches Mikochi of all people how to create soap that customers will want to buy.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: Conju sometimes puts on airs of arrogance to hide the fact that her pride is quite easily hurt, to the point that she comes off as a bit of a bully in early appearances. Later appearances make it clear that she's actually quite kind, just insecure and a bit overly concerned about how others see her.
- The Klutz: While not particularly physically clumsy, Conju is a bit flaky and graceless for someone so concerned with how she's perceived: leaving her keys at Mikochi's house, oversleeping on a work day, or helping herself to her neighbor's leftover breakfast due to having nothing to eat.
- The Rival: Of the one-sided variety. She sees Mikochi as a rival or a threat in her first appearance where Mikochi tied with her to be the featured singer during a festival, even though Mikochi never entered the running and has no intention of singing in public (until circumstances basically force her to). She drops the act after her first couple of appearances, though.
- Sleeps in the Nude: A post-chapter gag sees Conju having to spend the night with her neighbor Laika after locking herself out of the house...and Laika is not amused when she finds Conju sleeping naked in her bed. A still-half-asleep Conju tells her she can't sleep with clothes "trapping her".
Sen
- Voiced By: Chika Anzai (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English)
A researcher who uses animated skeletons to work for her.
- Appearance Angst: While not a major part of the character, Sen is somewhat self-conscious regarding her looks — specifically, her large mouth and pronounced, fang-like canine teeth. However, the former is a bit of an Informed Attribute — Sen's mouth isn't noticeably larger than those of other characters.
- Better with Non-Human Company: Sen is rather shy and keeps mostly to herself and people she's familiar with, though she's much less a cutesy Shrinking Violet than on-edge and irritable in social situations. She much prefers the company of her skeletal automatons.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite working with reanimated skeletons, living alone in a swamp, dressing primarily in dark colors, and looking vaguely vampiric with her purple eyes, pale skin, and white hair, Sen is no more malicious than any other character in the story. While somewhat prickly and irritable when forced to be social, she uses her skeletons to rebuild Hakumei and Mikochi's house after an explosion (and even offers to let them stay at her house in the meantime), and keeps watch over a runaway kid while visiting the city.
- Exotic Eye Designs: Sen has purple eyes with slit pupils, reminiscent of those of a cat. This becomes a minor plot point in later chapters, as Sen has unusually good night vision — also like a cat, she can practically see in the dark. Her eyes may also serve as a subversion of Hellish Pupils; despite her association with unsettling things, she's fundamentally a decent person.
- For Science!: Sen reanimates skeletons with music in order to study life, but asides from using the skeletons as something akin to machinery, it's not clear what practical uses her discoveries have.
- Innate Night Vision: Sen has extremely good night vision, which may be attributed to her distinctly catlike eyes. This serves her well when she, Mikochi, and Hakumei fall into a hole and get trapped...
- Not So Stoic: While it mainly comes from being rather shy and withdrawn, Sen is not one to express her emotions very freely or exuberantly. This only serves to highlight it whenever she does lose her composure, such as when she yells at Conju when she gets carried away with her music playing instead of maintaining Simon’s proper rhythm in ”Rhythm Of The Deep”, or when she bursts into tears upon seeing that Hakumei and Mikochi fell into the same hole as her in ”Deep Hole And Mountain Yam”. She’s actually rather embarrassed about the latter incident, especially after noticing how casual the other two are about the situation, though they reassure her that they’re not judging her for it.
- The Quiet One: She lives alone in the swamp, accompanied by the turtle-house and the skeletons animated by the lamp. Then again, she does have a girlish side that wants to dress better, even if she needs to bicker with Mikochi about the design.
Iwashi
- Voiced By: Masaya Matsukaze (Japanese), Ty Mahany (English)
A weasel who is Hakumei's carpentry mentor and boss.
- Big Brother Mentor: Iwashi and Hakumei are good enough friends that they joke around and bust each other's chops, but Iwashi also helps teach Hakumei a lot about both construction techniques and the business side of the occupation.
- Boring, but Practical: Iwashi is implied to lead this sort of life — he doesn't own many nice clothes, go out to eat much, or do much other than work and relax. While this isn't necessarily treated as a bad thing in itself, Hakumei and Mikochi do try to help break him out of his routine.
- Mr. Fixit: Besides being a carpenter by trade, Iwashi often gets roped into repair and construction jobs on his days off. He takes so much pride in his work that his projects often turn out much more elaborate than the requester intended.
- Unfortunate Name: Despite being a weasel, "Iwashi" is the Japanese word for a type of fish similar to a sardine or anchovy. Hakumei makes fun of him when he starts eating an anchovy, saying "the anchovy is eating an anchovy!"
Jada
- Voiced By: Mayumi Shintani (Japanese), Carli Mosier (English)
An eccentric, mohawk-obsessed beautician who lives in an ostrich egg out in the forest.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: While most of the rest of the cast are fairly practical and down-to-earth folk, Jada falls somewhere between "eccentric" and "downright weird". Be it her odd preoccupation with mohawks or her capricious methods of running a business, the other characters have a difficult time deciding what to make of her.
- One Head Taller: Jada stands almost a full head taller than the other Lilliputians. As almost all of them are drawn as roughly the same height, this makes her quite a standout.
- Painting the Medium: The only member of the cast with non-standard speech bubbles, Jada's bubbles are usually drawn with wobbly lines.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: When Jada's old acquaintance Carnelian shows up at her salon to get a haircut from her, she at first tries to hide since she finds him insufferable and wants nothing to do with him, but once they realize that he won't leave until somebody gives him a haircut, Hakumei and Mikochi dress her up in an improvised dress made from a blanket, a shawl around her head and over her mouth and a pair of braids made from Hakumei's recently cut hair and have her speak in a whisper. They then present her as "Jeda", Jada's apprentice. Of course, Carnelian is Smarter Than He Looks and sees through it right away, but merely plays along until she's done.
- Playful Cat Smile: In Jada's case, this is less of a facial expression than a facial feature — the feline shape of her mouth carries over regardless of her facial expression.
- Shrinking Violet: Jada gets a bit shy around new people, and is distinctly uncomfortable with loud and intense types. She's much more at ease with people like Sen. Though it's amusingly subverted when it comes to Carnelian; He mentions that, when they were both in beautician school, Jada was always working by herself and never wanted to hang out with him, which he assumed was due to her being withdrawn and needing to come out of her shell... when actually, the reason Jada avoided him was because she thought he was annoying, something she tells him while in her "Jeda"-disguise.
Maya / Master / Owner
- Voiced By: Megumi Ogata (Japanese), Shelley Calene-Black (English)
Owner-manager of Kobone (Ossicle in the manga translation), a café/pub frequented by Mikochi and Hakumei.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Most of the characters — particularly Hakumei and Mikochi — only ever call Maya by her title, to the point that it's uncertain that they even know her name. However, one scene has a pub regular calling her by her given name "Maya."
- Only Sane Man: Ends up filling this role whenever the usual suspects at her tavern get liquored up. She even says she can't have anything to drink because things would really lose control if she were to get drunk.
Narai
- Voiced By: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese), Josh Morrison (English)
President of the Rockpiercer's Union and Iwashi's mentor.
- A Father to His Men: Though more on the side of the "gruff and distant" sort of father, Narai's union workers are fiercely loyal to him and his wife Hakuyo. They're so loyal that, during an (imagined) dispute between the couple, they start apologizing to Hakuyo as though they were their own children!
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite his gruff exterior, Narai is surprisingly reasonable when dealing with his union members. When another union attempts to recruit Hakumei, he doesn't threaten her or try to convince her to stay, and leaves the decision up to her.
- The Stoic: Narai's subdued, unaffected manner, combined with his harsh look and way of speaking, makes him come across like a stereotypical "tough" boss. In reality he's softer than he looks, and tends to overthink even the smallest mistake, according to his wife.
Hakuyo
- Voiced By: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Joanne Bonasso (English)
Narai's wife who occasionally cooks for workers in the Rockpiercer's Union.
- Camp Cook: While the Union workers typically bring their own lunches, during particularly busy times Hakuyo comes and cooks for the entire company. She's done it enough that the speed and efficiency with which she works shocks even Mikochi, who volunteers to help out in order to learn from her example.
- Team Mom: While Hakuyo's relationship with the Union workers is primarily that of a cook, the workers are apparently close enough to her and Narai that they all apologize and beg her for forgiveness when they think Narai might have upset her. Narai had only used one of her rags to clean some rusty tools, and Hakuyo wasn't upset at all.
Ryokubirou
- Voiced by ??? (Japanese) Courtney Lomelo (English)
A large wolf who leads a caravan between various cities. Hakumei travelled with her in the past and remembers her fondly. She has a lock of Hakumei's hair tied to one of her braids as a keepsake.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: she's one of the largest creatures seen in series, and is feared by bandits.
- Cool Old Lady: No one knows how old she is, but she's well respected and admired by everyone who knows her.
- Cuteness Proximity: Not overwhelmingly, but it's clear she thought Hakumei was cute and enjoyed spending time with her.
- Early-Bird Cameo: We're shown a photograph of her done by Mimi, who also traveled with her.
- Eyepatch of Power: wears an eye patch where her left eye should be, and is easily on of the strongest characters in the series.
- Gentle Giant: For all of her size and power, she's soft-spoken, kind, and only uses her teeth and claws in defense of others.
- Hair Memento: a lock of Hakumei's hair is tied to one of Ryokubirou's braids as a keepsake.
- Large and in Charge: Ryokubirou is the largest animal seen in series. She's also the leader of a caravan.
- Noble Wolf: A wolf who safeguards a caravan of merchants and vigilantes, soft-spoken and gentle, but more than capable of dealing with threats.
- Reasonable Authority Figures: Obeys the law regarding size restrictions when she leaves Hakumei at her destination in Makinata.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She and her caravan took in Hakumei and escorted her to Makinata. She only appears in one episode, but she's clearly someone Hakumei admires and respects.
- Tranquil Fury: When dealing with a group of bandits who'd tried to attack the caravan, she cut off their escape by nonchalantly heaving a burning log in the path of the bandits, then, without raising her voice, says, "Will you be killed here, or will you help us carry our goods? You choose."
