Flunk Punk Rumble

Flunk Punk Rumble
ヤンキー君とメガネちゃん (Yankee-kun to Megane-chan)
Genre	Slice of life story, Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by	Miki Yoshikawa
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	Chuang YiTemplate:En icon
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Magazine Weekly Comic
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	October 18 2006 – ongoing
Volumes	11

Flunk Punk Rumble, known in Japan as Yankee-kun to Megane-chan (ヤンキー君とメガネちゃん, Yankī-kun to Megane-chan) is an ongoing manga series written and illustrated by Miki Yoshikawa. The series began as a three-part short story that was later developed into a full series and serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine starting October 18, 2006. It is being collected in tankōbon volumes by Kodansha, who has released eleven volumes as of February 11, 2009. Reviews of the series have been very positive. The series has been licensed in Chinese and English by the Singaporean publishing company Chuang Yi under the title Flunk Punk Rumble. As of January 20, 2009, they have released eight volumes in Chinese and three in English.

Plot

Daichi Shinagawa was just a Yankee (Japanese term for delinquent) who wanted nothing to do with his high school life. Hana Adachi, the dedicated class representative, however would not allow it and constantly bothers him to be involve in school life. Shinagawa is first confused on why does she keep pestering him until he discovers her secret.

While she may look like a typical class representative stereotype, Adachi is actually not very smart and lacks common sense, and Shinagawa eventually learns that Adachi is a former delinquent. Regretting being a yankee during her middle school years, Adachi decides to change her ways to achieve her dream of becoming the best class representative. She decides to help Shinagawa so he will not continue to make the same mistake that she did. Thus begins the adventures of these two unlikely friends and their classmates.

Characters

Class 1A/2A

Daichi Shinagawa (品川 大地, Shinagawa Daichi)

The male protagonist of the story, Shinagawa is a short-tempered delinquent who does not like to be bothered and has no plans for his high school life until he meets Adachi. At first he is constantly annoyed about her repeated attempts at making him come on a school field trip until he learns about her past and her resolution to become a class representative. He is also an honorable person who will try everything to protect others.

He has a love-hate relationship with Hana Adachi, liking her due to her nature to help others no matter what, but becoming annoyed with her due to her idiocy, lack of common sense, and forcing him to help with her bizzare plans and antics. He suspects that she is constantly with him because she likes him, but whenever he asks her about it, she ignores the question or acts ignorant on the subject. He is also known as Yankee-kun by most people at his school.

Hana Adachi (足立 花, Adachi Hana)

The female protagonist of the story. Adachi is the class representative who always hangs out with the delinquent Shinagawa. While she may appear to be the dutiful, respectful, and bespectacled class representative, there is more to her then meets the eye. In reality, she is poor, not very smart, absent-minded, oblivious and clueless in present situations, lacks common sense, and actually has great eyesight (her glasses do not provide any eye correction). Her strength and fighting skills left over from being a former delinquent overshadow these aspects. She enjoys blaming Shinagawa for everything.

Her past is a mystery, other than that she was fearsome delinquent in middle school. Even the mention of her name was enough to inspire fear in anyone. She is even able to influence a group of Yakuza gangsters to release Shinagawa and Nerima.

Seiya Chiba (千葉 星矢, Chiba Seiya)

A tall, bespectacled, fearsome-looking student with noticable scar extending across his forehead and left eyebrow. When first introduced, he became a hikikomori a week after he got into trouble with a gang. Adachi and Shinigawa beat the gang (without knowing they themselves were the cause of his self-isolation) which allows him overcome his fears. When they forget about him, he is shattered again. Adachi tries to get him to attend school and take the exams, but he refuses, saying he is afraid of sitting next to Shinagawa. But Shinagawa realizes that Chiba is merely looking for Adachi's attention, and tells him to attend school and take the exams or she will never visit him again. Chiba is very smart and rich, and his mother is young and beautiful. He has a habit of unknowingly glaring at people which often cause a misunderstanding.

Rinka Himeji (姫路 凜風, Himeji Rinka)

Adachi's kohai from middle school who transfers to Adachi's high school in Volume 3, Chapter 23. Known as "The Bloody Pantheress", she was a Yankee and Hana's right hand man back in middle school. She is still very devoted to Adachi, has been ever since Adachi saved her and they became friends. While Adachi has reformed herself to become a good student, Himeji on the other hand still acts like a delinquent and believes that Chiba and Shinagawa are her gang subordinates. She has a bad relationship with her family because she is adopted, and when she told them that she wanted to move to Adachi's school, they kicked her out of their home. Adachi took her to live at her house after finding about it, and after Himeji had spent a few nights sleeping on Shinagawa's floor. She appears to have a crush on Shinagawa and like Hana, has very strange way of thinking.

Kasukabe (春日部)

A fellow classmate of Shinagawa and Adachi. She is one of the few girls that talks to Shinagawa without being afraid of him. She is currently dating Sasagami, a student from another school.

Gaku Izumi (和泉 岳, Izumi Gaku)

Student council Vice President along with Shinagawa. He is really good at fighting but cannot beat Adachi in a fight. He is also good at studying (grades aren't as good as Chiba's) and gets really hyped up over the smallest things. He used to be in a motor cycle gang and still loves to wear his old gang outfit.

Other Characters

Sasagami

A delinquent from an all boys high school. He first appears when he and his gang try to find Shinagawa at his highscool after having a fight with him. Adachi helps Shinagawa escape but were soon found by Sagami's gang. He tries to harass Adachi, a fatal mistake when he suddenly realizes who she is and she attacks him. When the gang realizes who they are dealing with, they flee in terror. He is currently dating Kasukage, thanks to Adachi helping him confess his feeling for Kasukabe, on the condition that he cleans up his act in the future.

Seiun Nerima

Shinagawa's childhood friend who attends the same school as Sasagmi. He finds ugly girls attractive and gets into trouble with the Yakuza after unknowingly dating a gangster's wife online. He is secretly saved from this situation by Adachi.

Arisa Oomiya (大宮 有砂, Ōmiya Arisa)

A blonde teenaged girl introduced in Chapter 11. She is a hotheaded but honest girl whose attitude is reminiscent of Shinagawa. Adachi and Shinagawa meet her when her father (who Shinagawa has saved from committing suicide) askes them take money to her at the Shibuya District so that she can come home to celebrate New Year's with her family. But she refuses, instead staying with her friend Misora. However, it becomes clear that Misora is extorting money from her. Oomiya had become friends with Misora because she made her "cool" and because didn't mind giving her money. When the money given by Oomiya's father isn't enough for Misora, and Oomiya fails to use Adachi for more money, Misora has Oomiya kidnapped and sold into a prostitution ring at a Love hotel. Oomiya is saved by Adachi and agrees to go home to her father with Adachi and Shinagawa.

Kairi Shinagawa

Shinagawa's older sister. She and her brother share the same lazy, stubborn, and brutally honest attitude, but Kairi tends to be a bit nicer than her brother.

External links

• Kodansha's official Yankee-kun to Megane-chan manga website Template:Ja icon
• Chuang Yi's official Flunk Punk Rumble manga website (Singapore publisher)
• Flunk Punk Rumble (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia