Maki

Maki
Name	Maki
Nihongo	真希 (anime) まき (manga)
Information
Gender	Female
Affiliates	Unnamed mother Yoshi Mami
Former Affiliates	Yukio Washimine
Race/Nationality	Japanese
Status	Alive
First Appearance
Manga	Chapter 24: Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise Part 3
Anime	Episode 20: The Succession
Anime Voice
Japanese Voice	Shiho Kawaragi
English Voice	Ashleigh Ball
Image Gallery

Maki (真希（まき）) is a high school junior and a close friend of Yukio Washimine. Maki's carefree life stood in stark contrast to Yukio's after the death of the latter girl's father. She is interested in skin care, has a part-time job, reads light horror novels, and has poor school grades.

Appearance

Maki is a young Japanese girl with dark eyes and pale skin. She has short black hair tied up in two pigtails by blue hair ribbons. Her bangs curve toward the right half of her head, giving a stylized, combed look. She wears a dark blue, sailor-style Japanese school uniform with a red ribbon and matching skirt. Her shoes are typical rounded loafers in black, with dark leggings cut off above the knee and occasionally a brown trench coat worn over the uniform when it snows.

History

Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise

Though Maki was not shown for long, it becomes apparent through her conversations with Yukio that the two were close friends and had a mutual respect. As such, Maki took notice when Yukio became increasingly emotionally distant and heavily distracted during their time together. One day when Yukio was reading a Martin Heidegger book in the school library, Maki sat opposite of her "senpai." Surprised at the subject of philosophy, Maki politely denied to read it in the future, commenting that she read contemporary horror and romance novels. When Maki asked her what she did for light reading, Yukio answered with Natsuki Ikezawa and other Japanese writers and philosophers, turning off Maki's interest. The young girl asked her senpai if she read any horror books like those by Edgar Allen Poe, but Yukio replied that she did not read any horror, specifying that she did not like gloomy and lonesome stories, and she especially disliked nighttime and snowy nights due to the feeling that the night would suck her in.

Another day later, fellow students Yoshi and Mami apologized for having to leave early which would leave responsibility for the library tasks to Yukio, but she assured them that it was all right. After the two girls departed, Maki gloomily spoke to Yukio about the former's gripe with her failing grades and her argument with her mother about keeping a job while still in school. At the same time that she ranted, Yukio was distracted by thinking about her clan's destruction, focusing on a flashback to her talk with Ginji Matsuzaki and Tsugio Bandō. Seeing that her senpai was distracted, Maki interrupted Yukio's loss in thought. Putting her head down, she asked her if she was even listening to the former's gripes about her grades and job, so Yukio apologized for being distracted. Curious, Maki wanted to know what was troubling her, but the senior student politely refused to elaborate, disappointing her since she felt that she should be able to confide in her about big problems.

Once Yukio volunteered to become the Washimine Group's leader, Maki was the last tie to Yukio's old life that the latter severed, and Yukio did so in person. The next night as Yukio finished arranging books at the school library, Maki thanked her for her hard work since the other students apologized for not being able to help her. At the library entrance at night, cars full of strange men arrived and Yukio told the frightened Maki that she was a very good girl and should get along with her mother. At that point, Ginji informed her that they were ready to follow her orders, and Maki was confused by the odd behavior exhibited in what should have been a typical departure. Coldly, Yukio chose to walk away as Maki fell on her feet, and the latter cowered behind her from the yakuza gangsters, leaving with them. As the cars drove away, she yelled out for Yukio and profusely cried since her friend had cut ties to become a gangster. That same night, Yukio also briefly shed some tears since she had to sever ties with her dear friend in such an open and quick manner. Maki does not appear again after this decision, presumably continuing to live a life not privy to the horrors of the underworld that Yukio was facing.

Trivia

• In a popularity contest released in the May/June 2008 issue of Monthly Sunday Gene-X, Maki ranked 20th (tying with Garcia Lovelace, Tsugio Bandō, and Benny) with an unspecified number of votes.
• In a popularity contest during the 10th manga collection release, Maki ranked 23rd with 43 votes.
• In a popularity contest during the 12th manga collection release, Maki ranked 35th (tying with Janet Bhai) with 33 votes.