The Gentlemen's Alliance

Infobox animanga/Header
name = The Gentlemen Alliance †


caption = Shinshi Dōmei Cross Volume 1
ja_name = 紳士同盟†
ja_name_trans = Shinshi Dōmei Cross
genre = Drama, RomanceInfobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Arina Tanemura
publisher = flagicon|Japan Shueisha
publisher_other = flagicon|United StatesViz Media
flagicon|United Kingdom Viz Media
flagicon|Germany Tokyopop
demographic = Shōjo
magazine = flagicon|Japan Ribon
first = September 2004
last = June 2008
volumes = 11

nihongo|"The Gentlemen Alliance †"|紳士同盟†|Shinshi Dōmei Kurosu, known in Japan as "Shinshi Doumei Cross", is a shōjo manga by Arina Tanemura, and was published in Ribon. The name was taken from a Japanese song of the same title.

The atmosphere of the series is very different from Tanemura's previous manga series, as it is a school comedy rather than a fantasy series. Tanemura has said that it is that kind of manga that she has most wanted to write. There are 47 chapters total, and 10 volumes currently out in Japan. The series will be completed with 11 volumes total.

The manga is licenced in North America by Viz Media.

Synopsis

Haine Otomiya, a 15-year-old high school girl student at the elite private Imperial Academy (帝国学園 "Teikoku Gakuen"), was apparently sold to foster parents for fifty million yen. A one-time gang member, Haine reformed when she met Shizumasa Tōgū, who told her to live life how she wanted to. She fell in love with Shizumasa and entered the Imperial Academy to try and win his love.

Now, Shizumasa is the Koutei (皇帝, "Kōtei", lit. "emperor") of the school. Being the president of the student council and the only member of the gold class, he is the one who everyone looks up to. Through various circumstances Haine is tricked by Maora, a student council member, into becoming his bodyguard and joining the student council. However, Shizumasa claims not to know her and is unexpectedly cold towards her.

Characters

Student Council

; nihongo|Haine Otomiya|乙宮 灰音|Otomiya Haine
*Rank: Platinum (previously a Bronze): The main character of the story, Haine is the fifteen year-old bodyguard of the student council president. She is known for not being very bright, but she has a good heart. :Haine was born to the Kamiya family but was adopted into the Otomiya family when she was 10 for 50 million yen. At that time Haine believed it was because her father Kazuhito despised her for not being a good enough heir. It is later on revealed in Chapter 34 that her real father was Itsuki all along and that instead of selling her, all Kazuhito intended to do was to "return her to her real father." :Haine had a happy life with Itsuki until he married Ryouka and realized that now Kusame would become the heir to the Otomiya company. A ninth grader at that time, Haine turned into a nihongo|yankī|やんきい|yankī, juvenile delinquent. It was at that time that she met Ushio and bonded with her because of their similar situations. But, after meeting with Shizumasa, Haine changed her ways. When she told the leader of her yankī group (Kasuga) that she was going to leave, Kasuga went into a rage and broke Haine's front two teeth, causing Haine to now wear false teeth. Once those false teeth comes off, it is said that Haine becomes a 'beast'.:Once she discovered that Takanari is posing as Shizumasa, she wrestles with her feelings for the both of them, eventually choosing Takanari after she found out that he was the one who wrote her favorite book. She stated that when the time comes, she will choose one of them. In the final chapter, Haine decides to marry both Takanari and Shizumasa, since Takanari does not have a family register and would be unable to marry her otherwise. However, Shizumasa chooses to go abroad to study, leaving Haine only a letter to thank her and hoping that she will live a carefree life. Several years later, she marries Takanari and Shizumasa returns to see her; as the brothers fight over Haine, she runs away like Cinderella when everyone asks who she will choose.

; nihongo|Shizumasa Togu|東宮 閑雅|Tōgū Shizumasa
*Rank: Gold :The real Emperor, he is revered by almost everyone at Imperial Academy, helped by the fact that his family is very rich and famous. Shizumasa developed a love for Haine.He acts very cruel to Takanari because he wanted Takanari to hate him after what he did to Takanari in the trial test, but he's a real gentleman to Haine, because of his love for her. Due to his illness, which can be activated by running, however, his twin brother, Takanari, is currently posing as him. :A slight difference between Takanari and Shizumasa is that Shizumasa's hair is parted on his right. Tanemura made it easier for the readers to tell the differences between them by shading Takanari's hair and not Shizumasa's. Because of his illness he is MIA for a large portion of the series but returns at the end of Chapter 36. In Chapter 44, it is revealed that he has leukemia and needs Takanari's bone marrow to live but ordered Senri to never speak of it. This reveals that he was planning to die all along.

:In chapter 47, Shizumasa decides to leave Haine and Takanari, to go study abroad, after he has cured from his illness. His decision comes from his desire to become a better heir to the Togu family and to no longer rely on others, like Haine and Takanari. He returns to the people he cares about most, saying he could not forget about Haine, and he intends to become a "married woman's killer", exclusively focusing on Haine.

; nihongo|Takanari Togu|東宮 高成|Tōgū Takanari
*Rank: Gold:Takanari is the Emperor of the student council and Shizumasa's older twin brother. Because of Shizumasa's health problems, Takanari is posing as Shizumasa Koutei, though no one knows this except for the Tougu family and Touya (and, later, Haine and in chapter 42 rest of the student council). :In the beginning of the story, he is cold and distant but, once influenced by Haine, he becomes more kind and soft. He hated Haine at first and thought she was annoying. Takanari also accused Haine of having a false love for him, saying that she loves him simply because of his uncanny resemblance to Kazuhito. Later he genuinely falls in love with her and wants her to become his. Even though Haine chose him over his brother in chapter 41 (after learning that Takanari is the real author of the picture book she loved as a child), in chapter 42 Haine is told by Shizumasa that he officially "died" when he was seven, after failing the test given to all twins of the Tougu family. Because of this he technically no longer exists and therefore is unable to marry Haine, shattering her dreams of becoming his bride. Also Shizumasa is still angry with Haine for chosing Takanari over him so he kidnaps him. At the end of Chapter 44, he asks Senri to take him to the hospital so he can give Shizumasa the bone marrow he needs to save his life. Though this is only after he refuses Haine's aid because he doesn't want to take away Shizumasa's last wanted happiness. In order to allow both brothers to decide for themselves what lives they wish to live, Haine confronts their grandfather, who agrees to abolish the kagemusha system if Haine manages to clear the trial that originally determined that Takanari would become kagemusha to Shizumasa.:A slight difference between Takanari and Shizumasa is that Takanari parts his hair on his left.

:In chapter 47, Takanari is restored to his family's register; the revelation to the general public that he is actually still alive surprises many. Furthermore, he will become heir to the Kamiya family when he marries Haine. He eventually marries her, but he is still wary because of Shizumasa's early return, and the fact that all three of them will be living together in the Togu's house. In the last words of the story, Takanari states that he was glad that he fell in love with Haine.

; nihongo|Ushio Amamiya|天宮 潮|Amamiya Ushio
*Rank: Silver:The secretary of the student council and Haine's best friend, who is very protective of her. She constantly tells Haine that Haine is all she needs in life to be happy and regards Haine as being more than just a friend, although Haine herself doesn't realize it at first. In volume 7 however, Haine discovers Ushio's feelings but tells Ushio that she is lying to herself. Angered, Ushio threatens Haine that if she is not willing to be hers, she would not regard Haine as even a friend anymore. Haine obeys her and breaks up with Takanari to devote herself to Ushio, and as she expected, Ushio realizes that in the end she was wrong. She realizes that all along the only reason why she was so attached to Haine was because she didn't think anyone else would accept and forgive her. When Senri-sensei does so, however, she apologizes to Haine for being so selfish. Later in Chapter 34, she confesses that she loves Senri.:She is known as "Lady Hydrangea" (紫陽花の君) by the boys at school. Unfortunately, she absolutely despises boys, but uses them both for her own gain and she dated with a lot of guys. She dislikes social climbers, especially students in the higher ranks. She joined the Student Council to be with Haine, by donating money to the school. She is also very knowledgeable of Japanese quotes and proverbs. :Her father is in the real estate business and her mother is an ikebana master; Ushio had been adopted by her parents because they were unable to conceive an heir. However, they do not love her so she does not speak with her father for the most part and lives in her own apartment. It is because of their similar circumstances that Ushio and Haine first became friends.

:In chapter 47, Senri finally confesses his feelings for Ushio, and they become a couple.

; nihongo|Yoshitaka "Maora" Ichinomiya|一ノ宮 真央羅|Ichinomiya "Maora" Yoshitaka
*Rank: Silver:The treasurer and brains of the Student Council. Maora is a male, his real name being Yoshitaka Ichinomiya, and is childhood friends with Maguri. His parents are fashion designers and Maora usually dresses as a girl. He has a pet, a "mini-sheep" named Okori-makuri, who is the mascot of the series.

:Maora is secretly the Mailman of the Imperial Academy. As the Mailman, he bonds with Haine and falls in love with her. When his identity was revealed, he tells Haine he loves her and challenges "Shizumasa" (Takanari) for the Koutei title, just so he can make Haine his love. Haine becomes upset, not only because Maora is trying to take her away from Takanari, but also because Maora is only trying to use Haine as a substitute for Maguri, since they are both cheerful and can be rather stupid. Maora believed that he was too "weak" for Maguri, but after a confrontation from Haine, Maora realizes his love for Maguri and confesses to him.

; nihongo|Maguri Tsujimiya|辻宮 真栗|Tsujimiya Maguri
*Rank: Silver:The vice president of the Student Council. Maguri is Takanari's best friend, even giving him the nickname of Shi-zun (initially he didn't know that Takanari wasn't Shizumasa). His family are yakuza members, but even then he has a soft side. His brother is Yūkimitsu, who was the former Emperor before Shizumasa. He is also the only one of the student counsel members to not kiss Haine.:At the beginning of the series, he is the secret "lover" of Takanari, but Haine discovers it is just a rumor intentionally spread so that girls would stay away from Takanari. When Haine becomes Takanari's girlfriend, however, Haine realizes that Maguri's feelings for Takanari are real. Maguri graciously gives up and pursues the Mailman, only to find out that he is really Maora. Maora gets angry at him for being so weak, since when they were younger, they were laughed at by their parents for saying they wanted to marry one another. Maguri realizes that he too loves Maora and promises that he will become stronger for Maora's sake.:Arina Tanemura imagines J-Drama actor, Mokomichi Hayami as an ideal, cool, and tall Maguri. Their hair texture is about the same.

Otomiyas

; nihongo|Itsuki Otomiya|乙宮 樹|Otomiya Itsuki
*Rank: Formerly Gold:The former Emperor of the student council and secret boyfriend of the Bronze, Maika. Later, Haine finds out that he is and always has been her real father, and that Kazuhito Kamiya was not. Haine is the result of Maika and Itsuki, but was born after Maika and Kazuhito were married. Though it is given that because Itsuki was incapable of having children and as a result, Kazuhito offered to adopt away Haine to become the Otomiya heir, Kazuhito discloses to Maika that the his actual reason behind adoption was that he was returning Haine to her "real" father. Itsuki remains unaware that Haine is his biological daughter. After he adopting Haine, he later falls in love with and marries Ryouka and adopts Ryouka's son Kusame.

; nihongo|Ryouka Otomiya|乙宮 緑香|Otomiya Ryōka
*Rank:Formerly Bronze:Ryouka is Itsuki's wife, and claims she fell in love with him at first sight (when actually, she liked him when they were still in school). Before her marriage to Itsuki, Ryouka had already been married and had a son, Kusame, though her first husband is now deceased. She is a cheerful woman who likes to tease both her son and Haine, whom she cares for like her own daughter. During high school, Ryouka had observed Maika and Itsuki and knew that they were "close friends". She also said that she loved Maika when Haine asked her if a girl ever liked her.

; nihongo|Kusame Otomiya|乙宮 草芽|Otomiya Kusame
*Rank: SilverBirthday; May 1Blood Type : AB:Haine's stepbrother and Itsuki's stepson, Kusame is the heir to the Otomiya family. Secretly, he fell in love with Haine at first sight and refuses to call her "onee-chan" ("big sister") for that reason. Kusame is a silver, honor student and vice president of Imperial Academy Junior section's Student Council. He became vice president by earning points, not with money. He works in the Junior Student Council with Komaki and is forced to become her boyfriend because of a public confession. However, in a special not seen in the regular chapters of the manga, Kusame realizes that he likes Komaki and they become a real couple. After accepting Komaki's feelings for him, Kusame ends up competing with Tachibana for Haine's affection as their older sister.

Kamiyas

; nihongo|Kazuhito Kamiya|香宮 和仁|Kamiya Kazuhito
*Rank: Gold (although he was Silver before):Kazuhito is married to Maika, Haine's mother. Kazuhito was originally the Vice Chairman of the Student Council when he was at the Imperial Academy while Itsuki was the Emperor. When Kazuhito first saw Maika, she was practicing ballet under a cherry blossom tree when she kicked out her leg and accidentally landed on him. He fell in love with her and believed that she loved him as well, but after seeing her and Itsuki kissing, he lost control and stole Itsuki's position through having a new election. He won the election by the students' "lack of confidence" in Itsuki and became the new Emperor. Immediately, he formed the rank of "Platinum" and granted the title to Maika, who became the first Platinum ever, announcing her as his girlfriend and almost forcefully binding her to him. Although he seems cold, he genuinely loves Maika and it is very evident in the later chapters that he cares deeply for her.

:He was believed to be Haine's father until it was revealed in the end of Chapter 35 that Itsuki is Haine's biological father. As a result, it is believed that Kazuhito does not care for Haine and has known for some time that she was not his biological daughter; his reasoning for "selling" Haine to Itsuki Otomiya had not only been for the money he needed, but also to return her to her "real father". In Chapter 37, however, it was revealed through a letter Kazuhito wrote to the Principal of the Imperial Academy that he does very much care about Haine and her well being, despite how coldly he acts toward her. It is also revealed that he gave her to Itsuki because she reminded him too much of Maika and he did not want Haine to be unhappy like Maika; therefore he thought selling her to Itsuki would make her free of the rules in the Kamiya family.

; nihongo|Maika Kamiya|香宮 舞加|Kamiya Maika
*Rank: Platinum (was a Bronze before):Maika is married to Kazuhito and mother to Haine, Komaki, and Tachibana. Originally Maika Rikyuu (離宮 舞加, "Rikyū Maika"), a Bronze and the secret girlfriend of Itsuki Otomiya, she became friends with Kazuhito, who fell in love with her. After Kazuhito won the Emperor election, she was forced to become his girlfriend. Her family pushed her to marry Kazuhito as her father was ill and their company would suffer without the money they would receive from her marriage. Itsuki encouraged her to marry Kazuhito because it would benefit her family, though he went through pain in order to do so. She pledges that though Kazuhito may have her through marriage, he would never have her heart. However, she finds herself unable to leave Kazuhito after learning how lonely he has always been and that she is an extremely important person to him.

:When Haine is adopted away to Itsuki, Kazuhito reveals that he had been aware that Haine was actually Itsuki's daughter, a fact that Maika believed she had successfully concealed from everyone since Haine's birth. Something inside Maika breaks and she mentally loses herself, eventually becoming ill and hidden from the world. In Chapter 38, she regains her memories and reunites with Haine at the hospital in Chapter 39. She also confesses her love to Kazuhito after reconciling her own feelings for Itsuki and realizing that she had fallen in love with Kazuhito. In the final chapter, it is revealed that she and Kazuhito are expecting their fourth child, who will be another girl.

; nihongo|Komaki Kamiya|香宮 小牧|Kamiya Komaki
*Rank: Gold (was Silver before):Komaki is Haine's biological little sister from the Kamiya family. She posed as Takanari ("Shizumasa") Tōgū's fiancée to protect Haine from being sent back to their father. Though proper and lady-like, she tends to have her moments of outburst, proving that she is indeed Haine's sister. She harbors a love for Kusame and she loves her sister, Haine, whom she refers to as "onee-sama" ("big sister"), although she knows that Haine is only her half-sister. Komaki is the President of the Imperial Academy's middle school Student Council. She is also very stubborn and, on her first date with Kusame, kissed him.

; nihongo|Tachibana Kamiya|香宮 橘|Kamiya Tachibana
*Rank: Silver:Tachibana is Haine's biological little brother. Upon seeing Haine, he mistakes her as their mother because they are alike in appearance. He was rude to her until he finds out Haine is his older sister. Later, he is very kind to Haine and has that "little boy" nature around her. Kusame was jealous of him because he spent so much time near Haine. When he was born, it was expected that he would become the next heir of the Kamiya family as its only male heir; in the final chapter, it is revealed that Takanari, by marrying the Kamiya family's eldest daughter, Haine, would become Kazuhito's successor.

Togu household

; nihongo|Shouka Togu|東宮 抄花|Tōgū Shōka:Shouka is the biological mother of Shizumasa and Takanari. She had Senri as her assistant, but as they got older, they fell in love with each other. They eloped, but she eventually passed away because of her frail body. Their current mother is Shouka's identical sister, nihongo|Kyouka|莢果|Kyōka, for whom Shouka had been the "shadow" of.

; nihongo|Kasuga Togu|東宮 春日|Tōgū Kasuga:Kasuga is, surprisingly, Takanari and Shizumasa's cousin. She is a member of Haine's old gang (Dark Mermaid), and she admitted that she was the most disappointed when Haine left. Called 'Top 2', they had fought well together. When Haine announced that she was quitting, Kasuga knocked out her teeth. She had kept them with her, and later handed them over to Takanari and Shizumasa.

;nihongo|Kyouka Togu|東宮 莢果|Tōgū Kyōka:Shizumasa and Takanari's mother, the older identical twin sister of their biological mother, Shouka. Kyouka is apparently away on business on a frequent basis, so neither Takanari or Shizumasa see her often. Compared to Shouka, Kyouka's health has been stable, which was why Shouka became Kyouka's shadow. When Haine meets her, Kyouka helps Haine find and save Takanari, who had been imprisoned as Shouka had, as Kyouka believes she does not have the power to approach her father or stop Shizumasa from continuing the kagemusha system.

; nihongo|Touya|十夜|Tōya:"Shizumasa"'s servant and one of his best friends. "Shizumasa" (Takanari) once said that Touya is "the only person who understands me". He has a calm nature, and cares much about Takanari's happiness. He is very polite, gets nervous easily, and is friends with Riiko. He was adopted by the Togu family, therefore he serves them. He wants Haine and Takanari to be together. Touya gave Shizumasa Takanari's location in order to receive information about his parents whereabouts. His parents abandoned him as a child, and it has been revealed that one of his intentions is to get revenge on them.

:Touya later on "betrays" Takanari so he can have his revenge on his parents, and also out of fear that Takanari might "replace" him with Haine in his heart. However, in chapter 44, it is revealed that Takanari sent him to spy on Shizumasa. When Haine decides to take upon Takanari and Shizumasa's grandfather's challenge, Touya interrupts her quest by threatening to kill her; while the twins have reconciled, Touya believes that as long as Haine exists, the twins will always fight. Haine simply understands that Touya is only afraid of happiness because it might betray him, so she promises him a happy ending; she even forgives him for accidentally shooting her.

:At the end of the series, Touya accidentally catches Haine's wedding bouquet and gives it to Riiko. He reveals that he does love her back and apologizes for hurting her.

; nihongo|Kiriaki|桐彬|Kiriaki:Caretaker of the real Shizumasa. At the end of the series, Kasuga is revealed to have a crush on him and has given up her yanki ways in order to pursue him, though her feelings are unrequited.

; nihongo|Senri Narimiya|成宮 千里|"Narimiya Senri":The school physician, who loves cute high school girls. Apparently, he is a master of the martial arts as he was able to make Haine faint when she came to visit Shizumasa. He is a butler of the Tōgū family and is especially interested in Ushio, which in later chapters he says is because she looks exactly like Shouka. Senri had once eloped with Shouka, Takanari and Shizumasa's mother, but when Shouka died, he came back to the Togu family pledging his loyalty, and to repent for the elopement. When Ushio falls in love with him, she demands that Senri remove his glasses, which he strongly refuses.

:In the final chapter, he finally takes off his glasses in front of Ushio, and proclaiming his love for her. It is also revealed, that as part of a dying wish from Shouka, she told Senri that if he ever falls in love with another, he is to come back to the place where she died, and take them off in front of her.

School staff

; nihongo|Postman|郵便屋さん|Yūbinya-san
*Rank: Silver (being Maora):The Mailman of Hope and Love at Imperial Academy; he works hard at his job, and appears to be interested in Haine. After Maguri accepts Shizumasa (Takanari) and Haine's relationship, he decides to pursue the Mailman, unaware that the Mailman is actually Maora. The Mailman has a cat with him in some parts of the manga.

; nihongo|Strahl Tachimiya III|シュトラール＝立宮３世|Shutorāru Tachimiya Sensei:The guard at Imperial Academy, and a friend of Haine and the Mailman. Surprisingly, he is also the principal of the high school. He is known as the Warden in Viz's English adaption of the manga.

Kagemusha

There is a reason why Takanari is Shizumasa's "shadow". In the Togu family, siblings were often forced to marry each other in the past in order to keep their bloodline clean, thus having weak and fragile children. According to family tradition, if identical twins are ever born, the current head of the family chooses who will be in the light and who will act as the shadow. If the one in the light becomes ill, his/her shadow will pose as him/her, until a "trial" is performed to determine who will stay in the light.

Takanari and Shizumasa's mother Shouka was also a "shadow" for her sister Kyouka.

Drama CD

In 2004, Shueisha made a drama CD adaptation of the first chapter of "Shinshi Doumei Cross" as a Ribon zen-in. The cast is below.

* Haine Otomiya: Hōko Kuwashima
* Shizumasa Tōgū: Junichi Suwabe
* Ushio Amamiya: Yui Horie
* Maora Ichinomiya: Arina Tanemura
* Maguri Tsujimiya: Kenji Nojima
* Senri Narimiya: Tomohiro Tsuboi
* Strahl Tachimiya the Third: Noriaki Sugiyama
* Mailman-san: Arina Tanemura

Crossovers

* In Chapter 15, Mitsuki is mentioned and Jonathan is glimpsed in chapter 28 as an allusion. Both are characters from the manga series "Full Moon o Sagashite", one of the author's previous works.
* It was also once stated by Arina Tanemura that Touya is a relative of Kagura from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne.

External links

*
* [http://annex.s-manga.net/arinacchi/main.html Shinshi Doumei Cross Special Corner (Japanese)]