Momiji

### Fashion Style

Casual tomboy fashioned girl, however, often mistaken for a young boy from their appearance and clothing styles

### First Appearance

Manga Chapter 11 / Anime Episode 4

MOMIJI HOZUKI

## Appearance

Momiji, indeed, looks like a young boy. She is somewhat tall and looks athletic. She has a rounded, slightly angular face, giving her a boyish look. However, she has big 'manga girl' eyes with a pale pink eye color, that give a dramatic appearance. Her thick eyelashes add to the dramatic effect. She has prominent ears, but they are mostly covered by her long side bangs. She also has mini-bangs covering most of her forehead. Momiji wears her hair in a page boy cut, but with a knot of hair at the back of her neck. Later, she drops the knot, and has the back of her hair cut straight across. Her hair is a mild reddish-light brown coloration, with pink highlights. Her neck is long, and she has, for a tween, level, firm shoulders. Furthermore, her body is thin and a bit lanky. She has an even pale skin tone all over, so like many tween girls. She has proportional hands and feet, but with long, attractive legs.

When Mahiro first met Momiji, Mahiro was thoroughly convinced that she was a 'boy'. Momiji at that time was wearing a black long sleeved shirt, with a boy's white short sleeve t-shirt over it, and a light jacket over the two shirts. She had on boy's walking shorts, bare legs, white athletic socks, and boy's sneakers. She was wearing a baseball cap on backwards, just like many boys do. Most of the time Momiji dresses casual, but with casual boy's clothes. Only occasionally will she dress in attire that is more in line with a typical tween girl. Momiji is definitely a tomboy, but maybe even a little beyond that, such that regardless of her clothing style, many times she is taken for a young boy. However, all that is okay with her.

## Personality

Overall, Momiji is a good girl who enjoys, among other quirks, looking like a boy. Prominent in her personality is a strong sense of loyalty to family. She especially looks up to her big sister, Kaede. They have a good working relationship between the two of them, with Kaede an excellent role model. She also has a social circle of friends, tween girls like herself, that she is friendly with and loyal towards. Momiji does well in school, too, getting good grades and is active in PE class. Implied with her good standing is that she is, more or less, obedient to those around her that have authority. And with this comes to her a measure of independence and responsibility. This can be seen when she is allowed to go out in public by herself, and can take care of herself in those situations. However this personality trait of self independence cuts both ways. Potentially, Momiji can use that trait to be a 'self-starter', or in a possible negative sense, use the trait to become rebellious and show extreme non-conformance. Only time will tell how this works out in her personality and attitudes, and personal expressions.

Momiji has awesome self-confidence and self-worth. It probably is this personality trait that she can access to be able to be out in public and be dressed in ways that please her. This also explains why she is comfortable in approaching and getting to know ones who are strangers to her. She did this with regard to approaching and trying to help Mahiro at the grocery store. A couple of older women in the store even made the supposition that Momiji and Mahiro were obviously such a young, cute, romantic boyfriend and girlfriend couple ! Also, Momiji enjoys her company in among her friends. She is almost always seen with the social circle of three other friends at school, namely, Mahiro, Asahi, and Miyo-chan. She is outgoing, though not as much as Asahi, and enjoys doing things together with her friends.

It is implied in the manga story that Momiji has a slight crush and romantic interest in Mahiro, although Mahiro is slightly older than her. The two girls came to be in a close, intimate yuri friendship during and after the sleepover that occurred on winter break. Mahiro covered Momiji when Momiji made an embarrassing social blunder, with Mahiro taking the heat for what happened, although Mahiro was innocent of any culpability. This tentative beginning of a shipping between the two can be inferred from when Momiji gave Mahiro lover's chocolates on St. Valentine's Day. Momiji seems to be on a good path towards adulthood and increased adult style responsibilities. Kaede is sure to guide her towards this goal, something that all tweens will find happening to themselves when they get older.

## Momiji's Story

Momiji is the younger sister of Kaede. She is in middle school, and is in the same class that Mahiro enters when they reenter school. Momiji likes to dress, look, and act as a tomboy, and many times she is taken for a young teen/tween boy. However, Momiji gives no indication that she is in any way a transgender tween. She appears to only be gender non-conforming, and has the looks and self-confidence to pull it off very well.

However, she can be quite feminine in appearance on select occasions, like when she wears the middle school female uniform, a cute jumper dress, to school. She forms a strong friendship with Mahiro, and helps Mahiro navigate the middle school academic and social challenges of school. Many times she comes to Mahiro's defense when Mahiro is bewildered or frightened by somebody or something happening at school, or if it is perceived that the boys are picking on her. Mahiro and Momiji's friendship deepens after a sleepover at Mahiro's house with the two of them, and the other two friends. Mahiro takes the blame, something very unlike her usual self, for a mistake and embarrassment that Momiji had caused. Momiji is part of a tight-knit social circle foursome of friends at school, with the other three girls being Mahiro, Asahi, and Miyo-chan.

In addition to frequently dressing as a tomboy, and enjoying being though of as a young boy, Momiji loves to cross-cosplay as male characters. On New Years' Day, she cross-cosplayed as a warrior wearing an authentic crested *hamaka* costume, an outfit that is the choice of formal wear by Japanese men. Miyo-chan simply loved her costume (see Chapter 30)! On another occasion, Momiji dressed as a male Samurai.

## Trivia

In the Japanese language, the first name 'Momiji' can be either female, or on rare occasions, male. The first name 'Momiji' means colorful falling leaves coming down from a maple or birch tree during the autumn season.

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The mangaka, Nekotoufu, drew the following pix of Momiji dressed as a cute, young boy---

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A picture of Momiji, as she may come to look like in high school, with longer hair, was transferred from Omake 39.5, and placed here.

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Momiji as she appears in the anime, often mistaken for a teenage boy due to her tomboy fashion styles, and practically flat chest.

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