Kasumi



Kasumi is a shoujo Manga series published in 2008-2009, currently at two volumes and on a Series Hiatus, written by Surt Lim and illustrated by Mangaka Hirofumi Sugimoto.

Sixteen-year-old Kasumi Morioka never stays in one place too long due to her father's profession as a botanist. One day she and her father are driving to their new home when her father stops in a forest along the way, examining the plant life. Kasumi, exploring the forest on her own, finds a sphere of light which leads her to a magnificently tall tree; Kasumi climbs it to chase the sphere of light further. When she almost reaches it the branch she is standing on breaks; Kasumi cuts open her left hand when she tries to grab a higher branch. As she is falling she fervently wishes not to leave her father alone, since her mother died long ago. Many more spheres of light furiously surround her, breaking her fall.

When next she wakes up she is in her new home, the cut on her hand completely gone though Kasumi can still feel it pain her occassionally. On that day she is to start at her new school, Seiran Academy, where only the highest elite attend. Upon arrival Kasumi is met by the Student Council President Ryuuki Hasegawa and the Vice President Reika Takemoto. Later, due to a misunderstanding with Ryuuki, Kasumi becomes the target of bullying by Reina and the RSF (Ryuu-Sama Fanclub). With the help of her new friends Yuuta Goodwin and Maiko Koyanagi, not only does Kasumi have to fend against the RSF and an indifferent Ryuuki, but also has to figure out a New Super Power she discovers she has: an ability to turn invisible when holding her breath. However, one question remains: how does Ryuuki know about Kasumi's new ability?

Kasumi provides examples of:

 * Alpha Bitch -- Reina. She and the RSF constantly bully and humiliate Kasumi so she will leave Seiran Academy and, as a result, stop any further communications between her and Ryuuki.
 * Beauty Mark -- Seiji's Shape Shifter ally has one under her left eye.
 * Bob Haircut -- Noriko.
 * Blood Oath -- . See The Chosen One below.
 * Blush Sticker -- Practiced by various characters on occasion.
 * Character Title -- The series is named after The Protagonist Kasumi Morioka.
 * The Chosen One --.
 * Cross-Popping Veins -- These crop up from time to time.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond -- Seiji's female friends in his circle, who wear their own variations of the school uniform.
 * Elaborate University High -- When first seeing Seiran Academy, Kasumi was surprised at how large and elegant the campus looked.
 * Hair Decorations -- Kasumi and Maiko wear fashion barrettes.
 * Fan Service -- Kasumi's see-through School Swimsuit (a cruel joke of Reina's), and the Shape Shifter's transformation.
 * Girlish Pigtails -- One of the members of the RSF sports this hairstyle.
 * Instant Fanclub -- The RSF.
 * Intangible Man -- 's power is to go through walls and objects at will.
 * I See Dead People -- . See Miko below.
 * Last of Her Kind -- . See Miko below.
 * Luminescent Blush -- Seen occasionally.
 * Magical Girl -- Kasumi and Maiko.
 * Megane -- Yuuta.
 * Miko --.
 * Missing Mom -- When Kasumi was younger, her mother died of a fatal illness.
 * Nature Spirit -- Kamiki.
 * New Super Power -- Kasumi's Invisibility is invoked when she holds her breath.
 * New Transfer Student -- Kasumi. She is the first transfer student in Seiran Academy's history.
 * Omake -- Seen at the end of Volumes 1 and 2. The first Omake involves Maiko attempting to be Hirofumi's assistant; the second further shows Yuuta's and Maiko's exploits at SugoiCon. The author and artist of the series insert themselves into each story.
 * Ordinary High School Student -- Kasumi.
 * Otaku -- Yuuta is a big super-hero fan, especially for his favourite hero Superguy. He is derisively called "Otaku-Ken" by his classmates. In Volume 2 he and Maiko get gold premium all day passes to SugoiCon, where Yuuta plans to get the new release of Superguy.
 * The Protagonist -- Kasumi Morioka, who also is the Character Title for the series.
 * Rescue Chapter -- In order to draw out Kasumi, Seiji's crew leave photos of Yuuta and Maiko bound and helpless in her vandalized locker. Kasumi goes to their rescue alone, disregarding Noriko's claim of this being a trap.
 * Sailor Fuku -- Kasumi's previous school uniform before her transfer.
 * Series Hiatus -- According to a post written on January 27 2010 at the official blog, the release of Volume 3 will be delayed "due to the state of the manga market and other various circumstances." Later that year, according to The Other Wiki's article on Del Ray Manga, which was previously the distributor, the company became defunct on December 1 2010. Despite the assurance from the U.S. faction of Kodansha on continuing all current Manga series, we still have yet to see a Volume 3 in print.
 * Shape Shifter -- One of Seiji's allies has the ability to transform her looks magically. Kasumi, while invisible, witnesses one of these transformations in the women's washroom, seeing the as-yet unnamed girl's uniform ripping apart, especially due to a massive Breast Expansion.
 * Shoujo
 * Stage Magician -- Kasumi's hobby is to perfom magic tricks for others; this is likely influenced by her mother. Due to a bet with Reina, Kasumi performed her magic tricks in the school auditorium in front of her classmates ... after Reina and the RSF sabatoged her magic tools behind her back.
 * The Stoic -- Ryuuki.
 * Strange Girl -- Maiko is viewed by others as spacey, and often seen dancing on whim no matter where she is.
 * Student Council President -- Ryuuki.
 * Super Strength -- 's power is illustrated when he stops a shed from falling by grabbing it from underneath, all on his lonesome.
 * Sweat Drop -- Done often by Kasumi and practiced by others.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome -- Ryuuki.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy -- Seiji.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl -- Maiko.
 * Wingding Eyes -- Yuuta does this once to placate Reina, when he praised Kasumi for her disappearing trick on stage, and generally whenever he is being enthusiastic about something.
 * Zettai Ryouiki -- The Grade "A" look is the standard for the girls' uniforms, with Grade "C" outdoor boots.