"Ueno-san wa Bukiyou" is a manga by tugeneko that was serialized in short bursts in the biannual manga magazine "Young Animal." It was adapted into a TV anime in January 2019 and is scheduled to air mainly on TOKYO MX. The main character is a middle school student named Ueno. The story follows Ueno as she tries various ways to confess her feelings to Tanaka, the girl she has a crush on, but always fails. In this article, we'd like to introduce the charms of Tanaka, the love interest of Ueno, the main character of "Ueno-san wa Bukiyou."
① Science Club Member, Second-Year Junior High School Student
Source: Miss Ueno is Clumsy ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno is Clumsy Production Committee
Tanaka is a second-year junior high school student who is a member of the science club. He has black hair with M-shaped bangs and a tuft of hair on top of his head, nicknamed "Tanaka Point." Tanaka doesn't seem to be very interested in anything, and it's not clear why he's in the science club. But Tanaka is a modern kid, and seems to spend any free time he has on his smartphone. His favorite food is the outer shell of daifuku mochi. He also says he prefers long hair. Tanaka also has twin sisters, Tanaka Mizuna and Tanaka Yomogi.
② Exquisite Insensitivity
Source: Miss Ueno is Awkward ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno is Awkward Production Committee
Tanaka is loved by Ueno, the main character of "Miss Ueno is Awkward," but she seems unaware of his feelings despite his aggressive advances. Even Yamashita, a first-year middle school girl who is also a member of the science club, says, "Tanaka-senpai, you're so slow." No matter how Ueno tries to convey her feelings to him, he still doesn't seem to notice, and when asked, "What's wrong with Tanaka? Are you just spacing out even after being confessed to?", he blushes and replies, "Well... I've never had anyone confess their feelings to me before." There's also a scene where Ueno blushes and exclaims, "They're practically confessing to me right now, in the moment!" to which he responds with genuine surprise, "What! By whom?!" This kind of exquisite insensitivity, which could even be called natural, is part of his charm.
③ Calm and collected
Source: Miss Ueno is Awkward ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno is Awkward Production Committee
Tanaka, the protagonist of Miss Ueno is the head of the science club and is constantly pursuing her in various ways. Despite this, Tanaka remains calm and collected at all times. He also has a twin sister, and in front of her, he has the firm attitude of an eldest son, demonstrating his caring nature.
④ He's a very clear-spoken character
Source: Ueno-san wa Bukiyou ©tugeneko・Hakusensha/Ueno-san wa Bukiyou Production Committee
Always calm and collected, Tanaka is a very clear-spoken character, always speaking clearly and matter-of-factly about things. The story begins when Ueno, the protagonist of this work who is in love with Tanaka, creates a portable filtering device called "Rokka-kun" and filters his own urine. Ueno asks Tanaka to drink the filtered water, but Tanaka refuses. Despite Ueno blushing and saying, "It's no good if Tanaka doesn't drink it!" and "Of course I want you to drink it!!", Tanaka continues to firmly refuse, ignoring Ueno's feelings, saying, "It's really dirty!" and "Really!! Really dirty!!" In response to Tanaka's straightforward attitude, Ueno once burst into tears, saying, "You're exaggerating when you say dirty, you idiot!!" Another time, Tanaka smelled Ueno's tights for an experiment, and continued to say, "They stink", with a surprised expression on his face.
⑤ She also has a lazy side
Source: Miss Ueno is Awkward ©tugeneko・Hakusensha/Miss Ueno is Awkward Production Committee
Tanaka is a member of the Science Club, but her reason for being a member is unknown. She regularly visits the clubroom, but unlike the club president, Ueno, she doesn't seem to be inventing anything. She's always at her desk, probably doing her homework or writing something. Tanaka often gets dragged into Ueno's experiments, but he seems somewhat annoyed. He doesn't seem particularly interested in Ueno's inventions. However, there are times when his eyes light up when he sees a practical invention.
⑥ Poorly informed, but curious?
Source: Miss Ueno ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno Production Committee
When Ueno invented "Kumatander 2," she manipulated the mysterious dark matter present in space, transforming a localized area into invisible space. Apparently created to prevent panty shots, she decided to experiment with how far the skirt corners could be protected. So Ueno tested the effect on her own skirt and appointed Tanaka as recorder. Ueno was absolutely confident in the experimental product and declared that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Ueno's statement surprised Tanaka, but she didn't seem particularly bothered. The experiment then began, and she finally pulled her skirt up 90 degrees. The effect seemed to be continuing, and the inside of her skirt became completely black. Despite the fact that it was an experiment, Ueno seemed annoyed that Tanaka showed no signs of embarrassment, even though she was right in front of him. "Imagine that thing completely exposed in the darkness and come at me!" Ueno said, to which Tanaka replied, "What's that thing?" Ueno tried to evade the question, saying, "It's something that boys have...but girls don't!" Tanaka, however, seemed genuinely confused and tried to lift Ueno's skirt, saying, "Let me see it." He even turns off Kumatander No. 2 and demands to see it. He doesn't have much knowledge yet, but he seems very curious.
⑦ Lack of tact?
Source: Miss Ueno ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno Production Committee
This is the story of when Ueno created the instant deodorizing device "Dash-tan." This invention, by irradiating a target with mysterious electromagnetic waves, instantly sends any odorous substance to heaven. For the experiment, Ueno used tights, Yamashita used socks, and Tanaka used indoor shoes. Before conducting the experiment, each person decided to test the scent of a different person's target. Ueno sniffed Yamashita's socks and said, "They smell like the socks a girl wears after school." Next, it was Tanaka's turn to sniff Ueno's tights. Ueno grinned at the thought of Tanaka humiliating him by having to smell a girl's tights in front of her and give his opinion. Meanwhile, Tanaka, upon sniffing the tights, exclaimed in surprise, "They stink!" Ueno responded, "It wouldn't be a test if they weren't smelly," but Tanaka couldn't hide his surprise, saying, "Well, of course they are, but these... stink." "Wait... eh... does it really turn out like this?" Yamashita then reassures Tanaka, saying, "My socks are like this too," and Tanaka sniffs Yamashita's socks, but says, "No, the chief's tights smell worse," and adds, "The chief's are about the smell of eight pairs of socks." He even goes so far as to insist, "They stink! They definitely stink!!" One of his charms is that he speaks his mind without wavering, but it seems that he can sometimes lack tact.
⑧Once she gets motivated, she goes all out
Source: Ueno-san wa Bukiyou ©tugeneko・Hakusensha/Ueno-san wa Bukiyou Production Committee
Ueno developed a protective fabric that absorbs all impacts while being about the same thickness as regular fabric. Ueno told Tanaka that he had already put the cloth on, and that Tanaka should try to determine where it was and hit it. Ueno had used the fabric to make a bra-type protective suit, so she was wearing it on her chest, and began the experiment with the intention of getting Tanaka, an adolescent boy, to focus on her breasts. However, regardless of Ueno's thoughts, Tanaka said, "Ah, I get it," and hit Ueno's buttocks. "Wait a minute!" Ueno said, but Tanaka replied, "I knew it was here!" and hit Ueno's buttocks again. Tanaka, who mistakenly thought he had hit the target, seemed happy that he had hit Ueno, and followed Ueno tentatively, trying to hit her buttocks. "I told you it wasn't here!" Ueno said, and tried to run away, but Tanaka eventually hit her on the buttocks and she fell over. To add insult to injury, Tanaka grabs Ueno's arm and continues to hit her with glee, saying, "I won't let go until you admit it. Come on, just admit it already. This is the right answer, isn't it?"
⑨ Honest and Straightforward
Source: Miss Ueno is Awkward ©tugeneko・Hakusensha/Miss Ueno is Awkward Production Committee
Tanaka speaks clearly and instinctively follows her curiosity and inquisitiveness. As these things suggest, she has an honest and straightforward personality. She says she doesn't know when she doesn't understand something, and answers questions immediately. Furthermore, unless it's absolutely necessary, she seems to listen carefully to what Ueno, the head of the science club, has to say. While she doesn't seem particularly interested in Ueno's inventions, she does offer honest praise when he creates something incredibly useful. When Ueno tells her, "An idiot wouldn't understand," she admits, "Sorry, I'm an idiot." She rarely gets angry and gives the impression of being calm and collected, but she actually has a pure and innocent personality.
⑩ The voice actress for the anime version is Aimi Tanaka!
Source: Miss Ueno is Clumsy ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno is Clumsy Production Committee
In the anime version of Miss Ueno is Clumsy, Tanaka Aimi voices Tanaka. Previous roles include the protagonist Umaru Doma in Himouto! Umaru-chan and Hiyori in Washimo.
Summary of Tanaka's Charms!
Source: Miss Ueno is Awkward ©tugeneko, Hakusensha / Miss Ueno is Awkward Production Committee
What did you think? This time, we introduced the charms of Tanaka, the love interest of Ueno, the protagonist of "Miss Ueno is Awkward." Tanaka, who has a twin sister, has a calm and reliable side, but he seems inexperienced when it comes to love and doesn't realize Ueno's feelings. However, it is this insensitive and naive side that makes him such an appealing character. Thank you for reading to the end.
