Yukari Yukino (雪野 百香里, Yukino Yukari) is one of the main characters in The Garden of Words, as well as a minor character in Your Name.
Background[]
Ever since her childhood in Imabari, Ehime,[2] Yukari stood out for her beauty, which made her feel awkward around others. In high school, she was very fond of her literature teacher, who made her feel at ease in the class and was her inspiration to become a teacher. Yukari first taught at a school in Kokubunji, before transferred to Tokyo in 2011.
When Yukari started teaching in Tokyo, she befriended Shōko Aizawa, a student with whom she had a relationship very much like the one she had with her teacher. She also dated a colleague. However, due to Yukari's popularity with boys, Aizawa's boyfriend tried to ask her out. Despite Yukari's rejection, the fact triggered Aizawa's jealousy. The girl and her friends stopped attending Yukari's lessons, and the situation degenerated to the point the classroom no longer had literature classes. Yukari tried to talk about it with Sōichirō Ito, however he did nothing because he believed it was better for her to deal with it by herself. In the end, Yukari could no longer go to work: she would rather go to Shinjuku Gyo-en and drink beer by herself. She could not taste anything but beer and chocolate, and ultimately broke up with Ito.[2]
In The Garden of Words[]
Yukino recites a tanka.
One day, while Yukino was drinking beer in an azumaya inside Shinjuku Gyo-en, a boy who was seeking shelter from the rain came under the roof. While they did not talk much, she recited a tanka before leaving.
The next time they met, once again on a rainy day, Yukino asked the boy if he was skipping school, only to be questioned about her not going to work. She replied that she could not go, and stated that every person had a screw loose. Before leaving, the boy explained to her that he was skipping school only on rainy days, and only the morning classes at that. The two of them wondered whether they would meet again. That day was the beginning of the rainy season in the Kantō region.
In subsequent meetings at the park, Yukino learned of the boy's interest in shoemaking. When he doubted himself, she wondered aloud whether he wanted to give up on such a dream. After going home, she found a book that she read in high school, and reminisced about how passionate she was back then. In the next encounter at the park, she gave a gift to the boy: a book about shoemaking. Enthusiastic, the boy asked her to be the model for a pair of shoes he was making, and she allowed him to take her foot's measures.
Yukino in hopelessness.
With the end of the rainy season, Yukino could no longer meet the boy. Ito called her, saying that the documents were ready, and she went to school for one last time. There, her former students called out to her, and the boy from the park was present at the scene.
After school, Yukino went to the park and stood beside the lake. The boy came with his face covered in bruises, and greeted her by reciting a tanka that was the answer to the one she said on their first meeting. When she asked him about the bruises, he jokingly answered that he tried to drink beer, but then admitted he got in a fight. When it started to rain, the two went under the azumaya but the downpour was too fierce. Yukino suggested to go to her house.
Yukino has a mental breakdowns.
After giving Takao a change of clothes, as she put his wet clothes to dry she cooked omurice for both of them. While drinking coffee, Takao confessed his feelings to Yukino. Despite blushing, Yukino told her student to call her "sensei", rather than "miss," and thanked him for all he had done for her, saying that she would return home in a week so that she could learn to walk, even by herself, even without shoes. He coldly told her that he would be leaving now, regardless of whether his clothes were dry or not.
Yukino teaching at the new school.
Alone in the dinner room, Yukino started to reminisce about the moments she had with Takao. Realizing that she could not just forget about him, she ran down the stairs, finding him. He told her to forget about what he had said before, because he must have been stupid to say such things to a teacher. Carrying on, Takao told Yukino off, because she should have told him to stop dreaming about becoming a shoemaker and to focus on studying; it was selfish of her to know things about him without sharing anything about herself. She could not take it anymore and ran to him, hugging him tightly and crying. With her emotions no longer restrained, Yukino told him about how she had tried to go to work every single morning, but was too scared to actually get there. Seeing him at the azumaya on rainy days actually saved her. After calming down, the two returned to Yukino's apartment, and Takao told her that he would finish the shoes, even with her transferring to Shikoku.
In The Garden of Words novel[]
She exchanged emails with Takao Akizuki as he was studying in Italy, but they avoided discussing personal issues.
In May 2018, she reunited with him as he spent his days off in Japan and received the shoes that he promised.
In The Garden of Words manga[]
Yukino's confidence reinforced with her lucky charm
At the end, Yukari Yukino was seen wearing Takao Akizuki's shoes as her lucky charm.
In the one-page special at the end of the volume, one of Yukino's students questioned her about literature terms, complaining that it was too complex. Yukino told the girl not to focus too much about the terminology, but rather to just read the tanka and understand what emotions the author wanted to convey through it. The girl understood what Yukino means after reading a tanka picked by her teacher, and commented about how the tanka talks about a long-distance love relationship, to which Yukino blushed, thinking she wanted to hear a certain person's voice.
In Your Name.[]
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The Kimi no Na wa. Wiki has an article about this subject. |
In Your Name, she made a cameo as Mitsuha's literature teacher in Itomori, a fictional town in the Gifu Prefecture. In the movie's credits and in the novel adaptation, she was named "Yuki-chan sensei" (ユキちゃん先生).[3]
At the end of The Garden of Words, it is stated that Yukino had a teaching job in her hometown in Shikoku,[2] so she is not the same Yukino from The Garden of Words.
Behind the Scenes[]
Portrayal[]
Yukari Yukino is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in Japanese. In the English dubs, she is voiced by Maggie Flecknoe in The Garden of Words and Katy Vaughn in Your Name..
In the stage play, she is played by Aki Nakagawa in the British version and Mitsuki Tanimura in the Japanese version.
Trivia[]
- "Yukino" (雪野) can be translated as "snow field." Takao finds it ironic because she does not like winter.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Characters page at Kotonoha no Niwa website
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Garden of Words novel
- ↑ Your Name