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Her Looks and Style

The look of Riyoko Ikeda's version and that of Osamu Dezaki's version have differences, of course! As all manga to anime transitions go, the styles of drawing tend to differ quite a bit. There is more feeling from manga as it comes from the very creator's hand and expresses the thoughts and emotions. Anime is more along the lines of being manufactured because it is not from the author; it is second hand. The difference would be the following: Manga has something that is not quite structure. Anime on the other hand does.

Kaoru has more emotion and gracefulness expressed on sheets of paper than she does on the screen. You can imagine her composed air just by seeing how she holds herself in a single drawing. The animation has her slightly more along the lines of stiff. Now, I am not saying animation is bad - far from it. Nevertheless, there is that difference. The illustrations seem to give more depth in just the feeling they give. Animation usually can give more by adding to the plot and expanding the character through directed scenes.

Both work together well. Together they give the character personality and a sort of reality in form. In all due respect though, I am mainly for the manga. The reason is not only that the art has a delicate air to it as well as more expression; it also stays true to what the author intended. Anime can change that.

There are quite a few differences in the manga and the anime when it comes to her appearance. In the manga, her hair is black while in the anime it is brown. In the manga, her hair frames her face wonderfully. It is thicker, curlier, and emphasizes that she is a woman and has no intention for anyone to think other wise. In the anime, she has a more boyish look to her. Sure, she is androgynous, but the anime does not capture her beauty. The hair is not wispy in the anime like how it is in the manga. She has something more of an average look on cell rather than charismatic on paper.

For the face, the manga uses simple, elegant lines with no shading. The anime has deliberate ones and has shading to the cells through painting. The shading itself can give and take away to the look and feel. The face is not as refined with the crisp colors that are in exact form and layer. There are also faint distinctions. Her nose has more of a tilt and her mouth is positioned faintly different. In profile shots, her face in the anime has perhaps a more realistic look.

In the manga, her eyes are brown while in the anime they are green-blue. I find the illustrated ones to be more soulful and beautiful. They are more regal. The brows are different in how they tilt. Her eyes have more distinction in shape and size through a subtle way. The anime does not have the sort of shading, delicate changes or expressiveness. I do enjoy the color choice the animation gave for her eyes though.

In the manga, the clothing style is set for the mid-seventies period. The anime was released sixteen years later, thus the style was set differently. The idea of their looks remained in tact, but how they were carried out had a more modern look embedded that also gave a vague timeless sort of appeal.

This page shall now end in mere comments in regards to her fashion.

Her style is simple, enhancing her down to earth ways and emphasizing that her beauty is natural, needing no aids. She naturally smells of sandalwood and has a languid feel to her.

Kaoru's fashion statement is quite casual and perhaps femininely masculine. She usually wears long-sleeved outfits. She tends to favor long sleeved shirts that will end quarter length or below. She will wear a jean-like outer covering or jacket, which is only buttoned at the very last button. She is usually in pants. She wears dresses perhaps only on special or important occasions. When practicing she always wears a long-sleeved top, usually two, as opposed to the tank tops and t-shirts the other girls wear. She is quite on the conservative side and if she displays anything graciously, it would be her legs.

She would be considered tomboyish, but she is all in fact a woman and intends people to see her as one.

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