Runway de Waratte, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine, is a rare shonen manga themed around the fashion industry. However, it also depicts themes of friendship and hard work, typical of shonen manga, and has garnered a great response for its content that is captivating even for people who aren't interested in fashion. Runway de Waratte, which will also begin airing as an anime in January 2020, is a series that we'll be introducing today a ranking of the designers who appear in the series. Find out just how skilled these designers are at designing unique clothing.
5th Place: Ikuto Tomura
Ikuto Tomura, the protagonist of "Smile on the Runway," aspires to be a fashion designer. After graduating from high school, he considered getting a job to help take care of his younger sisters, but after meeting Chiyuki Fujito, he pursues his dream of becoming a fashion designer. Her father, Kenji Fujito, recognizes his talent, and he helps out at Yanagida Hajime's atelier. His steady growth is not to be missed. Also, the way he faces and overcomes obstacles each time is a highlight of the series.
An aspiring designer who creates clothes that are intimate with the wearer
A key feature of Ikuto Tomura's clothes is that they are intimate with the wearer. While his fashion shows often feature eccentric and flashy designs, each of his designs is crafted with the models who will wear them in mind. His designs are also highly praised by the models he works with. In episode 1, he created clothes that made Chiyuki Fujito look her most flattering, leading her to pass the Mille Neige audition.
His talent as a pattern maker is highly regarded
Ikuto Tomura aspires to be a designer, but Toh Ayano, one of the most talented characters in the series, only recognizes his talent as a pattern maker. He has the ability to visualize patterns just by looking at clothes, and he can use this ability to make last-minute changes to designs. However, because he aspires to be a designer rather than a pattern maker, he has the strength to wipe away tears and move forward, even when subjected to harsh criticism.
After graduating from high school, he becomes "Aphro I dite"
After graduating from high school, he enrolls in Fashion Art University as a scholarship student, but soon sees an internship advertisement for "Aphro I dite." With the help of Toh Ayano, he enrolls as an intern and is hired as a full-time employee a few months later. He's joined by not only Toh Ayano, but also Hajime Yanagida, who joined the company to raise his profile, and everyone who worked with him at "HAZIME YANAGIDA" finds themselves together.
4th Place: Karu Kizaki
Karu Kizaki, a student at Geika Fashion University, has a strong competitive spirit and is a student of Hajime Yanagida. She met Ikuto Tomura at Tokyo Collection and took a grudge against him for ruining Yanagida's designs. At the Geika Fashion Festival fashion show, the judges seemed to praise her designs and techniques. Although she only placed 7th, considering the talented people she was surrounded by, this was still a high evaluation.
A Geika University Student Admiring Yanagida Hajime
Karu Kizaki is one of Yanagida Hajime's idols, and early in the story, she helped out with the "HAZIME YANAGIDA" exhibit at the Tokyo Collection. Even the designs she showed at the Geika Festival reflected Yanagida Hajime's ideas and image, even Mai Ayano recognized his influence. The influence is evident in her designs, demonstrating her strong admiration for Yanagida Hajime. This is why she is often portrayed as showing strong hostility toward Ikuto Tomura, despite being close to him.
Viewing Ikuto Tomura as a Rival at the Fashion Show
She reunites with Ikuto Tomura at the Geika Festival at Geika University of Fashion and Design, where they compete against each other. The two engage in fierce competition from the start of the preliminaries, with Karu Kizaki winning by a landslide. Furthermore, she performs one stage ahead of Ikuto Tomura in the finals, stirring up excitement in the venue. However, at the core of her success lies her strong competitive spirit. Having lost to Ikuto Tomura at Tokyo Collection, she is determined to crush him with all her might when she enters the fashion show.
Highly Praised by the School Principal
The principal of Geika University closely monitors the talents of each student, and praises Kaoru Kizaki's exceptional technical skills. She praises her ability to consistently put together designs with a solid, unwavering design concept. The other judges also note her technical prowess, noting the embroidery on the leather accents. This makes her one of the most accomplished designers in the series.
3rd Place: Hajime Yanagida
Hajime Yanagida once worked as a designer for Mille Neige before going independent and launching his own brand. Kenji Fujito introduced him to Ikuto Tomura, and while he initially deemed him useless, he gradually came to recognize his talent. Tokyo Collection is a stage where future careers can be greatly influenced, and it can be said that he was able to succeed thanks to Ikuto Tomura. While he may have a rude demeanor, he is a passionate and ambitious person who pours everything into design.
Head of his own brand, "HAZIME YANAGIDA"
After leaving Mille Neige, Yanagida Hajime launched "HAZIME YANAGIDA." Despite a series of problems at the Tokyo Collection, his business seemed to be going smoothly, with the brand subsequently purchased by a buyer from Mitsumine. However, in reality, sales were poor, and Yanagida Hajime ultimately decided to close the brand. He then joined "Aphro I dite" to raise his profile, and is depicted as single-mindedly driven by his ambition.
A Designer, But He Can't Sew at All
Unusually for a designer, Yanagida Hajime can't sew at all. According to the story, he once sewed his finger with a sewing machine. Since then, he has been unable to handle needles properly, and even wears thick gloves when handling them, displaying behavior that is completely unimaginable given his usual demeanor. However, his design sense is first-rate, and he continues to thrive after joining "Aphro I dite."
Closing the Brand and Joining "Aphro I dite"
After the Geika Festival, Ikuto Tomura attempts to study design under Hajime Yanagida, but is suddenly informed that the brand will be closing. This decision was made in light of poor sales at Mitsumine and, above all, his own lack of name recognition. Hajime Yanagida then decides to join "Aphro I dite," a top domestic brand, and make a name for himself there. His determination to set aside his cheap pride in order to revive his brand is evident.
2nd Place: Kokoro Hasegawa
Kokoro Hasegawa is a first-year student at Fashion University and works alongside Yanagida Hajime at his atelier. Due to his height (181cm), he had been working as a model even before entering university, but his true desire was to pursue a career as a designer. While his manager, Igarashi, is the only person who accepts his height insecurities, he also tries to force him into the world of modeling, which causes him to waver between feelings.
Starting Her Own Life as a Model
Leveraging her 181cm height, Kokoro Hasegawa began modeling even before enrolling in college. Scouted in high school and already walking in fashion shows, she was even recognized by Mai Ayano, CEO of the top brand "Aphro I dite." However, she struggles to stay positive about her modeling career due to fears such as having to get naked and change clothes in front of others and going blank when facing a runway.
Fighting for a Designer's Dream at the Geika Festival
Her manager, Igarashi, sees her talent and tries to get her to focus on modeling, but Kokoro is determined to pursue a career as a designer. Igarashi then offers her a condition: if she can perform better than Ikuto Tomura at the Geika Festival, she will give up her modeling career. This marks the start of Kokoro Hasegawa's big challenge. Additionally, Fujito Chiyuki was chosen to appear as a model in the show, pitting the rivals against each other for the first time since the beginning of the story.
Winner's Prize: Study Abroad in Paris
In the end, Hasegawa Kokoro placed second. However, Toh Ayano, who won the competition, was more interested in surpassing his aunt than in the show's results, and withdrew from the competition after the show ended. As a result, Hasegawa Kokoro was promoted to the top. Hasegawa Kokoro then pursued a career as a designer, becoming a student at Koto, and in December of the same year, she went off to study in Paris as part of her prize for winning the competition. At the same time, she also made clear her feelings for Ikuto Tomura, whom she regards as "senpai."
1st Place: Ayano Toh
Ayano Toh is regarded as one of the most skilled designers in the long history of Geika Fashion University. He joined Yanagida Hajime's atelier as an assistant and served as his right-hand man for a short time, making him arguably the most outstanding figure in the story. After the Geika Festival, he worked at "Aphro I dite," run by his grandmother. After Ikuto Tomura was promoted from intern to full-time employee, he quickly went independent and launched his own brand.
One of the Most Talented Designers in the Series
Ayano Toh is one of the most talented designers in the series, demonstrating a talent that can be described as a bundle of style and talent. His most notable achievement was the fashion show at the Geika Festival, where he transformed it into a show that promoted himself rather than a showcase for his honed skills. After the show, many buyers gathered around Ayano Toh, and he exuded such a strong presence that no one in the fashion industry could ignore him.
Working at "Aphro I dite," run by his aunt
At the Geika Festival, Ayano Toh wasn't aiming to win, but rather to surpass his aunt, a graduate of the school. While this was a personal competition, after the show, his aunt received 53 business cards, so Ayano Toh entered the fashion show with the goal of receiving even more. However, the final result was 52 pieces, one short. His aunt still offered him the freedom to go independent, but Toh Ayano replied, "Because I'm a narcissist, I'll keep my promises," and continued working at "Aphro I dite" for a while.
He's Strongly Interested in Ikuto Tomura
Toh Ayano is arguably the top designer in the series, and he takes a strong interest in Ikuto Tomura. However, this isn't because of his designer skills, but because he appreciates his skill as a pattern maker, able to accurately create clothing patterns just by looking at them. He even invited him to join his team at the Geika Festival, and even asked him if he would be open to working at Yanagida Hajime's atelier if he could join his own brand. Will the day come when he finally recognizes Ikuto Tomura as a designer? The interaction between the two is an essential part of the series.
Summary
While many characters appear in "Laughing on the Runway," designers are at the center of the story, featuring many designers, including Ikuto Tomura. Watching the aspiring designer meet a diverse range of designers, absorb knowledge, and grow as a person is a must-see. Above all, the costumes the designers create, expressing their personal tastes, thoughts, and feelings, are worth paying attention to more than any other scene. Don't miss the sight of designers expressing themselves in preparation for the fashion show.
