Ayumu Shiiba

Ayumu Shiba is a fictional character in the manga Life by Keiko Suenobu.

Background

Ayumu Shiiba first appears as a student at Sakuradani middle school, getting back bad results from a class test; her best friend, Shinozuka (whom she calls Shii-chan), studious by nature, has the highest scores.

After school, as the two are walking home, Shii-chan tells Ayumu all about her dreams of going to a high school called Nishidate. Ayumu, not wanting to be separated from her best friend, vows to try much harder with her studies and pass the Nishidate entrance exam.

Ayumu asks Shii-chan to help her study and to give her all her class notes. Shii-chan then spends much of her own time helping Ayumu study; as a result, Shii-chan's grades start to drop. Ayumu, not noticing this, continues to ask her friend to study with her; Shii-chan reluctantly agrees. They then take the entrance exam, both expecting to pass. However when the results come back, they discover that Ayumu got in and Shii-chan did not. In a fit of anger Shii-chan tells Ayumu she was always a burden and that she was annoying Shii-chan by asking her for her help. This is when Ayumu starts to become a cutter (a manga-only trait of her character).

Ayumu forges ahead with getting ready for Nishidate; however, during this time she feels hurt and guilty, even to the point that she regrets ever trying to get into Nishidate. On the first day she attempts to keep to herself, not wanting to "hurt anyone else," but is unexpectedly befriended by Manami Anzai; self-confidence restored, Ayumu starts trying to make friends again, despite a lingering paranoia of being hated. Manami's group of best friends sense this and Ayumu becomes an easy target for bullying.

Her family situation differs slightly between the manga and J-drama. In the manga she has a mother and a very intelligent little sister (the latter named Akane), who their mother is always paying attention to; in the drama the sister is exchanged for a little brother, Makoto. In the drama, the explanation for her father's absence is that he is "always out of town on business trips"; however, in the manga there is no mention of him, hinting at a possible divorce.

Character outline

Personality

Ayumu is portrayed as very aware of what other people think of her. She has a prominent fear of being hated by others. She does everything in her power to try to make people like her; however, when she starts being bullied by the majority of her high school, she learns to overcome this and become more self-confident. This is partly due to her idolizing her classmate Miki Hatori, a strong, independent girl.

Ayumu is a cutter but towards the end of the manga she starts to overcome this as well.

Bullying

Due to a misunderstanding with Manami about Manami's boyfriend, Katsumi Sako, Ayumu becomes a victim of severe bullying by nearly the whole school. This affects Ayumu, because of her sensitivity to what others think about her. Despite warnings by Manai and her squadron, Ayumu befriends Miki and learns to overcome. Gradually, it is revealed that Manami is a bully herself and seems to be the cause of Ayumu's and Miki's difficulties.

Appearance

Ayumu is first seen with dark, shoulder-length hair; after the fallout with Shii-chan, it suddenly appears shorter. It is unknown if she had it cut or cut it herself due to stress; in the drama, the latter is the case. Also, after a certain point in the manga, she is shown to always wear a sweatband or her arm to cover up her scars from cutting; this sweatband, given to her by Miki, acts as an object of security for Ayumu, and she is somehow able to draw self-confidence from it.

Referances

• Life volumes 1-16

External links

• http://www.tokyopop.com = English publisher