Tsurune —Tsunagari no Issha— Official Fanbook: Character Highlights
Minato's Highlight
Things Gained and Things Lost
After overcoming target panic, Minato is filled with joy at becoming able to shoot the bow as he wishes, to the point he ends up preocupied with nothing but archery and doesn't put his mind into the sports tournament. And so, he is caught up in the desire to "shoot well", to "shoot more and more" at the regionals, not as a team but just by himself. As a result, he becomes overly conscious of Shuu and Nikaidou's shooting and loses sight of his own.
"I'll leave him speechless!"
After the regional tournament, Masaki forbids Minato of shooting. He instead draws the rubber bow every day, just as he did back when he still had target panic, yet he takes it positively, declaring that he will "leave Masa-san speechless!". The biggest difference from when he was troubled by his target panic is that he now has friends to support him. As the ochi of Kazemai and for the sake of said friends, he takes on the task he has been given straightforwardly.
Those Who Aim For the Top
Minato and Shuu have been deepening their bond through their bows ever since they were being instructed by Saionji. They acknowledge each other as comrades who have continued to shoot together. Their opportunities to draw the bow in each other's presence are limited, as they currently belong to different teams, but the bond that was connected through archery has remained unchanged from when they were children. As people who walk the same path and who are aiming for the top, they are conscious of one another.
Seiya's Highlight
President and Vice-President Duo
Seiya tends to get tunnel vision when it comes to Minato. Kaito is the only one in Kazemai who notices this. Seiya, too, is the only one who through what's inside Kaito, so when Kaito has a falling out with Nanao, Seiya urges him on with a, "Fight, Onogi Kaito", intentionally speaking in a way that Kaito would appreciate. They acknowledge one another as president and vice-president and balance each other out.
Hardworking Person
As he was refused by Saionji to become her disciple, Seiya began doing archery in middle school. He kept training by himself while learning from Minato, earning enough skill in a short time to be able to line up with Minato and Shuu. Moreover, he boosts a stable hit rate in matches, so much so that Sase describes him as having a strong mentality. He supports the team as the club president and as the "naka" out of the five archers.
Ryouhei's Highlight
"Archery's what matters most to me right now!"
Blessed with a good physique, Ryouhei is actually a kendo dan holder. He is selected as the MVP of the archery club for winning the kendo section of the sports club against a senior, who had been undefeated for two years. While he certainly does have a vocation for kendo, it seems fighting opponents does not sit well with him. By the looks of it, archery, where one has to face oneself in a match rather than an opponent, is what suits him best.
Realistic Words
Upon seeing Sae and Toujou in trouble at the regional tournament's venue, he immediately went to talk to them. He is so naturally considerate of others that Seo calls him a "natural-born nice guy". Moreover, when he visits the Fujiwara residence, he is able to tell Shuu, "So your family's rooting for you, huh" exactly as he thinks. Rouhei's honest words and actions move people's hearts without him even realizing it.
Kaito's Highlight
All-Out Only!
Kaito, who does not tolerate half-heartedness in anything, dashes out at full throttle even in the soccer match of the sports festival! Seiya cleverly takes advantage of this, making him run around too much and collapse from lack of stamina in the latter half of the game. He is the type of person to work hard and diligently at everything he does, but his stubborn attitude and rough behavior often cause him to clash with those around him, who tend to think that he is "scary".
A Caring Personality
After the regional tournament, he immediately noticed that Ryouhei was not in good spirits and called out to him, for he has a caring nature and an inability to leave people to their own devices when they are troubled. He is also skillful with his hands, enough to be able to fix the central part of Nanao's bow, and is the second best cook amongst the Kazemai boys after Minato. When Nanao, who is good at getting people to spoil him, asks Kaito for a favor, Kaito often ends up looking after him without even realizing it.
Loss and Pride
When the ochi, Minato, messed up the rhythm of the shooting at the regional tournament, Kaito was greatly affected, for he is supposed to follow after Minato as the oomae. The old Kaito would have probably lashed out at Minato, but due to his pride from being entrusted with the position of oomae, the first of the team to shoot, he insists that he was the one at fault. Although he understands that Nanao's argument is right, he ends up trying to shoulder everything by himself due to being so serious about it.
Nanao's Highlight
The True Hero
At first glance, it might seem like he enjoys being flashy due to his striking looks, but Nanao himself actually believes that "the true hero is the support role from behind the scenes", rather than someone who stands in the front and sticks out. He often acts out of consideration for others, doing things such as supporting his team with accurate tosses during the volleyball match of the sports festival, or calling Kaito out for trying to take all the blame for the loss against Tsujimine.
Someone He Can't Afford to Lose to
Whenever Nanao gets into trouble, Kaito helps him, and whenever Kaito is faced with a problem, Nanao takes him by the hand... Ever since they were little, he and Kaito have had what was supposed to be a mutually supportive relationship. However, at some point, he began to think that he has to be by "Kacchan's" side. In order to take care of Kaito, he has to be ahead of him – his rivalry with Kaito is what motivates him.
Shuu's Highlight
"I won't let anyone get in our way."
Minato is special to Shuu, enough that when Nikaidou suddenly came up to him to pick a quarrel in elementary school, he responded by declaring, "I'll never let anyone else get in our way"—his first-ever rival. They are sworn friends aiming for the same heights and competing with each other. It is not as if they are together all the time like regular friends, but he is lonely when he is not able to see Minato at the dojo. Despite him rarely showing emotion outwardly, when Minato was unable to come to the dojo due to the car accident, gloom was visible on Shuu's face.
No Intention to Let Go
When Sae says she wants to watch the archery tournament, Shuu says he "doesn't want her to see him fail". He was recalling the bitter memory of the prefecturals. He had been on a hit streak since the preliminaries and only missed the last shot. His heart was stolen by Minato's shooting, and for a moment, his mind distanced itself from his bow... He never intends to let go of it again. Before the regional tournament, which would determine who would compete in the nationals, Shuu renewed his resolution.
Distance from His Family
Shuu, who used to conceptualize "family" as a different category than "friends" and "clubmates", was somewhat embarrassed to let his family watch the archery tournaments. However, thanks to Sae telling him that she enjoyed watching his match and their busy father rushing to attend the national tournament, Shuu's internal sense of distance from his family gradually began to change.
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