Okujyou Hime (Rooftop Princess) is a short manga by TOBI, the author of Megane Na Kanojo. The manga, at only 21 chapters and published in 2010, makes up for a enjoyable, bittersweet romance drama.
Mayuzumi Youhei, Genjyou Nobutada and Ijyuuin Yuiko have been best friends since elementary. Mayu is the timid, nerdy one; Nobu, the confident, outgoing one and Yuiko, the only girl of the trio, the introverted and cute one. It's a new high school and a new season, one that has the trio in high spirits and high hopes.
When Yuiko gets hitted-on by some random skirt chaser, she's saved by a tall, beautiful white-haired girl. That's when Mayu sees Kasugami Sumika, the Rooftop Princess, for his first time. Obviously, something happens inside Mayu at that time.
That very same afternoon, he sees Sumika dropping a bouquet of roses from the rooftop, and when he goes there to return the flowers, he gets out with the cool, sad princess as his new girlfriend. And so it begins a story of love, loss, sadness and strength.
This series provides examples of:
- All Love Is Unrequited — Nobu loves Yuiko, Yuiko loves Mayu, Mayu loves Sumika and Sumika's still carrying a torch for her dead brother. It's actually sadder that what you might think; the author pulled this very well.
- Big Brother Attraction — The reason for Sumika's suffering and loneliness.
- Broken Bird — Sumika is stoic and detached for a very good reason.
- Defrosting Ice Queen — Mayu's innocence and sincerity makes more effect in Sumika's heart than what he actually realizes.
- Even the Girls Want Her — Comes with the School Idol package for free.
- Freudian Slip — Chapter 14 has one that slaps the reader and sets the sadness spiral in motion.
- Loners Are Freaks — Sumika is seen as this sometimes.
- Mayu gets a free out-of-trope card by virtue of his friends and because he's seen as "extremely normal". The comparison doesn't sound well with him in chapter 10.
- Love Triangle — Yuiko is in love with Mayu, who is in a relationship with Sumika. Sumika then dumps Mayu in realization that she was seeing him just as a replacement of Kyouya.
- Mystical White Hair — Played with. Sumika does not boast any extraordinary powersnote , but her white, long hair adds to her special, mystical aura.
- School Festival — The climax of the story is placed in one of these.
- School Idol — Sumika is admired by the entire school and respected by the rest.
- Nobu is a bit of this too, the girls in the first chapter giggling when finding out that he's going to the same high school as them are evidence that he's moderately popular with the opposite sex.
- The Face — Of the trio, Nobu is the most popular and outgoing. Actually, he's well liked by the girls. It never reaches Chick Magnet or The Casanova levels because he's a good, honest man and his infatuation with Yuiko.
- The Reveal — Comes in 2 parts:
- One, the small, but completely out-of-nowhere phrase that gets readers sucker-punched in chapter 5.Sumika: In the end, I definitely love Nii-sama...
- The second one, near the climax of the story, when she tells Mayu and Yuiko the sad, horrible truth of her actions.
- One, the small, but completely out-of-nowhere phrase that gets readers sucker-punched in chapter 5.
