Bara no Tame ni (薔薇のために, lit. For the Roses' Sake) is a josei manga by Akemi Yoshimura. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Petit Comic between 1992 and 1998.[citation needed] The series received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 1994.
Bara no Tame ni | |
薔薇のために | |
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Genre | Romance |
Manga | |
Written by | Akemi Yoshimura |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Magazine | Petit Comic |
Demographic | Josei |
Original run | 1992 – 1998 |
Volumes | 16 |
Yuri Makurano is an unattractive girl who learns her mother is a famous actress named Shoko Hanai following her grandmother's death. Yuri begins to live with her mother's family which consists of three children named Sumire, Aoi, and Fuyo Hanatashiki. Yuri is treated as a maid at the household, eventually bonding with the family and builds up unrequited feelings for Sumire. Later, she comes to learn the only blood relation she has to the family is Aoi, her half brother.
Bara no Tame ni is authored by Akemi Yoshimura and was serialized in Shogakukan's Petit Comic between 1992 and 1998.[citation needed] It was compiled into sixteen tankōbon volumes released between September 1992 and January 1998.[1][2] The shinsōban contained nine volumes released between October 2000 and February 2001.[3][4] The series won a Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 1994.[5]
No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN | |
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1 | September 26, 1992[1] | 409134481X | |
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Yuri Makurano's grandmother dies and she learns from her will that she is to live with her mother, a famous actress named Shoko Hanai. Yuri is introduced to her three siblings, Sumire, Aoi and Fuya Hanatashiki, who treat her coldly. When drunk however, Sumire treats Yuri well, eliciting envy from Aoi who has an incestuous attraction to him. Yuri later learns that her first love from a movie was Sumire. | |||
2 | January 26, 1993[6] | 4091344828 | |
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Yuri's ex-boyfriend lodges at the Hanatashiki household due to his new girlfriend; when the couple insults Yuri, her siblings come to her defense. Yuri asks her mother about her father and learns that her father had an affair; however the maid explains to Yuri that her father faked the affair to spare her mother from learning about his terminal illness. Later, Yuri and Aoi are invited to the same wedding; Aoi forces Yuri on a diet causing her to faint. Expressing regret, Aoi monologues his reasons for bullying her. Yuri learns about Sumire's past and his engagement to Seri Tsubakaisawa and her death soon after. | |||
3 | July 26, 1993[7] | 4091344836 | |
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Aoi is divided between his feelings for Sumire and Yuri and deals with it during their vacation at a ski lounge. Later, one of Shoko's men attempts to kiss Yuri causing her to declare her hatred of men. In response, a drunken Sumire kisses her to convince her otherwise. Yuri learns she is not Shoko's daughter and flees from the ski lounge. A manga artist named Nekokichi Momoya deduces Yuri's situation and has her come to his house to cook for him and his assistants while they work. | |||
4 | October 26, 1993[8] | 4091344844 | |
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The maid reveals the full story about Yuri's father to Shoko, explaining he pretended Yuri was his child to have Shoko leave him, sparing her from suffering from his terminal illness. Yuri returns home and learns of her true relationship to the Hanatashiki family; Aoi also overhears the truth and realizes he likes Yuri. Later Yuri learns about Sumire's obsession with Seri and Fuyo's past. | |||
5 | January 26, 1994[9] | 4091344852 | |
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Sumire becomes curious on who Yuri likes; when Nekokichi brings up the possibility Yuri likes him, Sumire declares his disgust for incest. When Yuri and Aoi are home alone, Aoi confesses his love for her causing her to panic; Aoi then pretends his confession was a lie. Later a girl resembling Seri begins lodging at their household. Yuri and Aoi believe the girl is using her physical appearance to date Sumire, causing a dispute between the two group. | |||
6 | April 26, 1994[10] | 4091344860 | |
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Sumire explains he is only using the girl to satisfy his lust and was not manipulated by her physical appearance, settling the dispute between them; he later confides to Yuri about how unsettled he feels whenever something reminds him of Seri. Later, Fuyo and Nekokichi go on a date and discuss issues they have with their mothers. A professional cosmetician takes Yuri up as a challenge and succeeds; he asks her to work as a model for him but is refused. Yuri celebrates her 20th birthday and confesses to Sumire about how she admired his film debut. | |||
7 | October 26, 1994[11] | 4091344879 | |
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Yuri nurses Aoi and Sumire after they caught a cold; while sick, Sumire gives Yuri a letter from her adopted father. Yuri catches the cold and has Fuyo cook food for Nekokichi in her place. Yuri, Sumire, and Aoi travel to a beach where Sumire reminisces about Seri. Yuri meets an old colleague who attempts to convince her to sleep with him but is rebuffed. | |||
8 | March 25, 1995[12] | 4091344887 | |
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Shoko arranges a miai for Yuri; while at the miai Aoi declares he will give up on Yuri if Sumire takes her. Aoi confesses his love for Yuri and his old love for Sumire aloud before moving out of the house. After a discussion with Aoi he returns home. | |||
9 | July 26, 1995[13] | 4091344895 | |
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Sumire's American half sister visits him causing him to contemplate his feelings for Yuri; Sumire begins to realize he is overcoming his loss for Seri. Seri's best friend comes to the Hanatashiki household and attempts to convince Sumire to marry her. After being rebuffed, she tells Sumire that Yuri has the same aura as Seri, to which the latter agrees. The Hanatashiki family goes skiing again and Yuri is injured when she falls off a cliff. In a dazed state, Yuri confesses her love to Sumire and that they are not blood related. | |||
10 | December 13, 1995[14] | 4091344909 | |
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Yuri recovers but a psychological block causes her to become mute; Sumire convinces her to speak by accepting their non-blood relationship. Sumire becomes irritated of finding himself in Yuri's bed whenever he is drunk; Yuri deduces he is searching for Seri in his dreams and helps him overcome it. Later, a girl whom Aoi promised to marry as a child comes to the Hanatashiki household to make him honor his commitment but is rebuffed. | |||
11 | April 25, 1996[15] | 4091368417 | |
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Fuyo confides her past to Yuri and how she viewed the maid as a mother figure. Meanwhile, Aoi and the girl he promised to marry end their relationship amicably. | |||
12 | September 26, 1996[16] | 4091368425 | |
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Sumire's talent as a novelist causes him to become famous. | |||
13 | December 11, 1996[17] | 4091368433 | |
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14 | April 24, 1997[18] | 4091368441 | |
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15 | September 26, 1997[19] | 409136845X | |
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16 | January 26, 1998[2] | 4091368468 | |
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The manga was adapted into a Taiwanese drama titled The Rose (simplified Chinese: 蔷薇之恋; traditional Chinese: 薔薇之戀; pinyin: Qiáng Wéi Zhī Liàn) and directed by Chu Yu-ning. It was broadcast on Taiwan Television between March and November 2003. The series received a Golden Bell Award in 2004.[citation needed]