Maria Ichinose: About
[Name] Maria Ichinose
[Canon] Bokurano (novel-only)
[Age] 14
[Birthday] February 21, 2036
[Race] Asian (Japanese) and African (Kenyan)
[Blood Type] O
[Height] 160 cm (5'3'')
[Skills] Cooking
[Likes] The ocean, noodle dishes, Kirie, Waku, Nakama, Mayako (secretly)
[Dislikes] Winter, school, men, beef dishes
Her mother is from Kenya, her father from Japan. Her mother is frequently out of the story as she is busy with aid work in East Africa. Her father, too, is frequently out of the story, because he is a renowned concert violinist who constantly travels from one city to another for recitals. Because of her parents' absence, Maria lives with her grandmother from her father's side, who owns a traditional Japanese restaurant.
Maria is bullied in school for being black in an Asian society. This does nothing for her unhealthy self-esteem. However, she makes friends in the series. Takashi Waku is her childhood friend, whom she has known since they attended kindergarten together. In middle school, she befriends the studious Mako "Nakama" Nakarai, and then later Mayako Makishima (both Maria and Nakama try to push the overbearing Mayako away, but secretly come to care for her).
And then there is Yousuke Kirie. Kirie, Maria's classmate, is like Maria in a lot of ways. They are both shy and ostracized by their peers, Maria for being black and Kirie for being overweight. But Kirie is very patient and kind, something that astounds Maria. The bullying he receives does not bother him the way it bothers Maria, and he withstands it very well. Maria learns to lean against him to endure the bullying, and gradually falls in love with him. She does not care about his appearances, yet worries that he finds her ugly.
Maria's personality is distant, cautious, reserved, and a little cold, but when she is angry, her temper is uncontrollable. She is shy and has a hard time socializing or dealing with her feelings. The person she is most comfortable around is childhood friend Waku. In some way, however, she believes that men will always let you down, stemming from experiences with her father constantly being out of the picture, and has an unhealthy view of the opposite sex. She has a deep, unhealthy hatred of her skin color and sees herself as an ugly person. This then manifests in frustration, which she sometimes takes out on people who have done nothing to her. Her self-image is her biggest obstacle in life.