Mei Tachibana (2024)

"When you trust someone and get to know them, you eventually learn about their wounds, too."

- Mei Tachibana

Mei Tachibana (橘 めい, Tachibana Mei) is the main protagonist of the Say "I love you" series.

Appearance[]

Mei is a cute girl who stands at average height and has a slim build.

At the start of the series, Mei is shown to have brown hair that's styled to a chin length bob with longer fringes framing both sides of her face and wispy bangs that're cut just above her eyebrows. Later on in the manga, however, she's seen to have grown her hair out to where it's longer.

She also has a fair complexion and big brown eyes with prominent long lashes.

When seen in her school uniform, Mei prefers to wear the skirt's length down to her knees. However, when outside of school and/or work, she is seen wearing casual clothes like sweatshirts and jeans with trainers.

Personality[]

At the start of the serialization, Mei is introduced as the quiet, anti-social, and "gloomy" girl.

Due to a past incident that happened in her childhood, which involved kids blaming her for the death of their class pet, this event led her to believe that people can be quick to betray one another.

Despite wanting to distance herself from others, in order to not experience the same scenario again, things took a turn when Yamato was the first to befriend her and show her that not everyone is how she initially thought.

Over time, due to Yamato's influence, Mei's become more open and social with others around her - all while maintaining her clumsy, honest, and observant personality.

Not only did Yamato's influence helped her greatly, she also gains confidence to where she helps people who're in situations similar to the ones that she's experienced and even tries to offer advice to those every now and then.

It is also worth mentioning that Mei tends to be a tsundere - especially when it comes to Yamato being openly affectionate with her.

History[]

Mei is the only child to Mrs. Tachibana and Mr. Tachibana.

As a child, she had a relatively normal childhood before her father had passed away.

At some point during elementary school, when the class pet rabbit died, most of Mei's classmates, who were also her friends before then, blamed her when the teacher had asked what happened. Because of this traumatic event, Mei's view of people was soon warped to where she became the person she is until her teens.

Plot[]

Due to an incident that happened in her past, 16-year-old Mei Tachibana is scornfully perceived as the "gloomy" girl by her peers.

While Mei wants absolutely nothing to do with anyone, just because she didn't want to experience the same exact situation again, things eventually take a huge turning point in her life when she meets the handsome and most popular student, Yamato Kurosawa. Though, the impression she got from him was not a good one, as she roundhouse kicked him from a lecherous prank that Nakanishi pulled. However, after the misunderstanding was cleared, Yamato soon became persistent in becoming friends, to her dismay.

Despite wanting to maintain a good distance at all costs, Mei was soon followed by her Stalker on the way home from work, which resulted her to call Yamato. Knowing he'd be there for her beck and call. After Yamato had saved her, their relationship has transitioned from friends to lovers. They eventually marry and have a son together.

Relationships[]

Yamato Kurosawa[]

At the very beginning, Mei didn't want anything at all to do with him. Even so, Yamato was the first person Mei learned to trust. Yamato gave Mei his number of his own accord, and insisted that she call him some time. Despite vowing that she would never call him, Mei ended up calling Yamato out of desperation when she was being stalked by a man one night after work.

Solving the problem calmly, Yamato ended up being Mei's first kiss. He became Mei's first friend and, eventually, her boyfriend. Throughout both the anime and manga, Yamato and Mei continuously grow as individuals and as a couple. Yamato also introduced Mei to most of her current friends. Later in the show Mei’s feelings grow more and more as her and Yamato experience the relationship together. Mei soon comes to the realization of what kind of feelings she possess for Yamato.

In Chapter 39, the two are in a sexual relationship. It started at Mei's birthday, after the celebration.

In Volume 11 Chapter 72, Yamato and Mei eventually got married (which now makes her Mei Kurosawa) and she gives birth to a baby boy named Ken Kurosawa.

Kai Takemura[]

Mei and Kai first met at the bakery where Mei works. Mei later found out that Kai was Yamato's childhood friend, and that he was bullied in the past. As the two become friends and start to grow closer, Kai comes to the firm belief that he has more in common with Mei than Yamato does due to their similar histories, thus believing that he is able to understand her better. Although he eventually accepts her relationship with Yamato, Kai is still in love with Mei and is determined never to abandon her, even if he knows that she doesn't feel the same way.

Asami Oikawa[]

Asami is Mei's first female friend, and the first female she learns to trust. Mei even went as far as to defend Asami from two girls who were verbally bullying her. Asami is also one of the few people Mei opens up to. When Megumi Kitagawa succeeds in her efforts to distance Asami away from Mei, Mei feels devastated. They are currently very close friends, so much so that they adorn their cell phones with matching accessories.

Aiko Mutō[]

At first, Aiko felt Mei didn't deserve to be with Yamato, since she didn't work hard enough to get him. However, after she heard Mei talk about her own feelings for Yamato, Aiko accepted Mei and became her friend. Aiko always sees through Mei and can tell when she is hiding something. As soon as Aiko notices Megumi's plan to isolate Mei from her friends, she cuts Megumi off. Aiko remains close friends with Mei, and supports her in her relationship with Yamato.

Megumi Kitagawa[]

Right off the bat, Megumi considers Mei her enemy and love rival, believing herself to be deserving of Yamato's affections due to her looks and persona rather than Mei. At first, Mei was fooled by Megumi's bubbly "good girl" act, but she later found out about her true character: cruel, manipulative, and superficial. As the story progresses, Megumi's feelings toward Yamato drive her to try and drive Mei and Yamato apart, using whatever means necessary. When Megumi's true personality is exposed, she and Mei appear to have a strained relationship, but she seems to have grown as a person and given up on trying to steal Yamato's attention from Mei for the time being.

Nagi Kurosawa[]

Nagi is Yamato's younger sister. Nagi wasn't fond of Mei when the two first met, believing Mei to be just another girl who would "steal her brother away." However, when Mei told Nagi of her struggles with trusting and befriending others, she started to see Mei for who she really was, and understand how similar she and Mei actually were. Mei helped Nagi overcome her insecurities and encouraged her to try to trust people once again, motivating Nagi to try hard and return to school.

Ren Aoi[]

Mei and Ren first met when Ren left his little sister outside of a library, and Mei helped her find him. As thanks, Ren gives Mei some free passes to the gym where he works and gives her some diet advice, which Mei gladly takes.

When the Aoi twins begin attending Mei's school, Mei soon deduces that the quiet, standoffish male twin, Ren, might be just like she was in the past. She makes various efforts to talk to him and help him to open up, many of which he brushes off or responds stiffly to. In spite of his cold attitude and tendency to ignore people for video games, he seems to care about others to a certain degree, as seen when he aids Mei in getting a day-long pre-school teaching job in order to see if the position is right for her.

Etymology[]

• The name Mei (2) is written in hiragana (めい), which has no special meaning. However, when written in kanji (芽依, 芽生 or 芽衣), it could possibly mean:
  • 芽依 - "bud, sprout" (芽) (me) and "rely on" (依) (i).
  • 芽生 - "bud, sprout" (芽) (me) and "life, living" (生) (i).
  • 芽衣 - "bud, sprout" (芽) (me) and "clothing, garment" (衣) (i).
• Mei's surname Tachibana means "orange, tangerine" (橘).
  • Her married name Kurosawa means "black" (黒) (kuro) and "marsh" (沢) (sawa).

Trivia[]

• Mei is surprisingly talented at bowling.
  • In the manga, Mei is talented at most things (e.g. at the festival, she caught many goldfish).
• Mei finds herself in a state of trauma when cooking, due to her first cookies having broken her father's teeth.
• Mei tends to eat a lot whenever she is angry or nervous.
• Mei adores cats and she owns a large white one named Marshmallow.
• Mei lives in the Tachibana Residence.

Quotes[]

• "If you want to be happy, you have to treasure the people you meet...and when you fall in love, You have to say "I love you."
• "I do not want to worry about unnecessary things since I'll just be betrayed again. But that's just my opinion."
• "It's like a doll house.You hang out together and pretend to be good friends, but when it doesn't suit them, they just abandon you."
• "When you trust someone and get to know them, you eventually learn about their wounds, too."
• "Someday, maybe you'll find someone like you to share your pain with. I can't tell you when that will happen... but the important thing is not to reject them."
• "Kurosawa, when I think about you, my heart just keeps on pounding."
• "We all have scars from loving someone too much."