Nodoka Toyohama

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**Nodoka Toyohama** (豊浜 のどか, *Toyohama Nodoka*) is one of the main characters of *Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai* series. She is the younger half-sister of Mai Sakurajima and a member of an idol group named Sweet Bullet.

## Appearance

Nodoka has wavy blond hair tied back into a ponytail by a red scrunchie, and blue eyes. As a child, her hair is light brown. It may be possible that her hair is dyed or she uses contacts as part of her idol job, since her hair and eye colors changed compared to when she was younger. Her eyes as a child are a chocolate-brown color, which becomes blue like her sister's as a teen.

Her usual attire consists of a V-neck Tank-top. Her costume while performing with Sweet Bullet consists of a top with a tartan design, a jagged black skirt, grey tights with suspenders, black shoes and a small top hat. Her school uniform consists of a brown sailor-suit.

## Personality

Nodoka is quite confident and competitive, but has a strong inferiority complex towards her sister. Her tsundere tendencies are more pronounced than her sister's, being also more immature and short-tempered, and this is especially evident when interacting with Sakuta Azusagawa; that said, just like her sister and despite her somewhat whimsical nature, she's a genuinely kind person, and also becomes close friends with Kaede.

She appears to be fond of beaches, since where she normally lives, Yokohama, doesn't have them despite being near the sea itself.

Unlike Mai, Nodoka doesn't clean up after herself; Sakuta notices this when visiting Mai's apartment with her permission, in order to check on Nodoka. Later on it is revealed that Nodoka is just as competent as Mai academically, unlike Sakuta.

## History

Nodoka was born after Mai Sakurajima's father remarried another woman. As a child, she went to go meet Mai for the first time during one of Mai's auditions and beamed after Mai mentioned that she wanted a little sister.

After Mai's mother made Mai join a troupe out of spite for her ex-husband and Nodoka's mother, the latter made her own daughter join a troupe as a way to get back at her. Nodoka later developed an inferiority complex towards her half-sister after her mother kept comparing her own success to Mai's. Near the end of summer break during her second year in high school, she ran away to Mai's home after a fight with her parents.

## Plot

On the morning of September 1, Nodoka and Mai Sakurajima switched bodies as a result of Adolescence Syndrome, which prompted Nodoka to head to Mai's apartment. She showed disgust in response to Sakuta Azusagawa's remarks and questioned how he could be her sister's boyfriend. Mai, in Nodoka's body, soon met up with them and speculated the body switch as a result of Adolescence Syndrome. Inside Mai's apartment, upon being asked if she knew anything that would've caused the body switch, Nodoka frantically stated she had no knowledge and questioned how Sakuta and Mai were staying calm in the wake of their current dilemma. Deciding that they would have to live under each other's lives, she and Mai exchange and discuss their agendas for the month.

The next day at the train station, Nodoka was asked by Sakuta if Mai (in Nodoka's body) wouldn't catch the attention of the people around her. She dejectedly replied that despite being an idol, she wasn't that popular. At Minegahara High School, Sakuta noticed the way she spoke was much like Mai's, to which Nodoka revealed that she impersonated her as a kid and looked up to her. At the beach, Nodoka denied Sakuta's suggestion that she wanted to tell Mai that she hated her, but realized that Mai most likely had such an idea as well. Sitting on a bench, Nodoka asked Sakuta if she could sleep at his house, but was interrupted by Mai. Nodoka then went up and revealed to her about her feelings of inferiority towards Mai's own success, before proclaiming that she hated her. Mai claimed ill feelings towards Nodoka as well, but put the blame on their father.

Starting on September 3, Nodoka began life as Mai Sakurajima; from her lonely status at school to modelling for photo-shoots along with being interviewed. However on September 12 during a photo-shoot, the pressure from the trust people placed on Mai Sakurajima became too much for Nodoka to bear and caused her to hyperventilate and collapse. That evening in Mai's apartment, Nodoka asked Sakuta if Mai said anything about her and beamed in pleasant surprise after hearing that Mai had no doubt Nodoka would be able to get a good shot. After learning that she hadn't eaten, Sakuta suggested she take a bath while he makes something for her to eat, which she obliged.

After a film shoot on September 19, Nodoka bemoaned the fact that it took her twelve takes to make a final cut. Later at a train station with Sakuta, upon being given a ticket to a performance by Sweet Bullet, Nodoka reminisced her first meeting with her sister and announced her intention to get a song where she was the main singer. Walking down the street, the two had a chat about Sakuta's history with his parents when they are confronted by Nodoka's mother, who was looking for her daughter. The two claimed no knowledge of Nodoka's whereabouts and were asked to tell her to hurry back home.

On September 30, Nodoka and Sakuta watched the Sweet Bullet show, but Nodoka became ashamed after witnessing her mother praise Mai (in Nodoka's body) for her performance. When Nodoka attempted to drown herself, she was stopped by Sakuta, who claimed he had proof that Mai would care if something were to happen to her. At Mai's apartment, Sakuta revealed to Nodoka a box filled with letters that Nodoka had written to her sister, indicating that Mai didn't hate her. Nodoka was still unconvinced, claiming that she was a nuisance to her older sister. Once Mai stepped into the room, Nodoka exclaimed that she hated how Mai did everything perfectly and that she couldn't compete with that. In response to Mai's subsequent statement that her mother felt uneasy about whether Nodoka was happy trying to meet her expectations, Nodoka cried that she wanted her mother to compliment her for once. Mai hugged Nodoka, who suggested that she make her happy on her own terms. After spending a brief moment crying uncontrollably, Nodoka was relieved to hear that she didn't have to be exactly like Mai; after telling she didn't want to be, Nodoka and her sister transformed back to their original appearances, much to their joy.

Nodoka had another fight with her mother shortly after, which prompted her to move to Mai's apartment. She thanked Sakuta for saving her despite the trouble she gave, before stating that she somewhat understood why Mai chose him.

On December 2, Nodoka waited outside Sakuta's workplace to tell him that Mai had visited to cheer him up through his recent ordeal with Kaede's old self returning.

## Relationships

### Mai Sakurajima

As a child, Nodoka looked up to Mai as a personal idol and hoped to meet her one day, which came true after some time. However, as her mother began measuring her success to Mai's as she got older, Nodoka felt resentment towards her sister and grew an inferiority complex towards her. After learning that Mai had indeed cared about her, the two rekindled their relationship as sisters.

### Sakuta Azusagawa

As they first interact, Nodoka considers Sakuta to be a pervert and wonders what Mai sees in him. However, as they get to know each other, Nodoka starts to like him. Later on she relies on him as the one who protects her sister and who won't make her cry.

### Kaede Azusagawa

Nodoka's interactions with Kaede are initially kept minimal. At first, when Kaede was introduced to Nodoka, she did not know that Nodoka and Mai had swapped bodies, thus assumed that Nodoka just acted like her sister. After Kaede regains her memories, Nodoka helps her study for the admission exam into Minegahara High. After said exam, Kaede goes with Sakuta to watch a Sweet Bullet concert.

## Etymology

* The name **Nodoka** is written in hiragana (のどか), which has no special meaning. However, when written in kanji (和, 長閑, 和花, 和華, 和香, 和佳, 温花, 温華, 温香, 温佳, 悠花, 悠華, 悠香, 悠佳, 望花, 望華, 望香 or 望佳), it could possibly mean:
	+ 和 - "harmony, peace".
	+ 長閑 - "long quiet/quiet".
	+ 和花 - "Japanese flower".
	+ 和華 - "harmony, peace" (和) (**nodo**) and "flower, petal" (華) (**ka**).
	+ 和香 - "harmony, peace" (和) (**nodo**) and "fragrance, fragrant" (香) (**ka**).
	+ 和佳 - "harmony, peace" (和) (**nodo**) and "good, beautiful" (佳) (**ka**).
	+ 温花 - "warm" (温) (**nodo**) and "flower, blossom" (花) (**ka**).
	+ 温華 - "warm" (温) (**nodo**) and "flower, petal" (華) (**ka**).
	+ 温香 - "warm" (温) (**nodo**) and "fragrance, fragrant" (香) (**ka**).
	+ 温佳 - "warm" (温) (**nodo**) and "good, beautiful" (佳) (**ka**).
	+ 悠花 - "permanence" (悠) (**nodo**) and "flower, blossom" (花) (**ka**).
	+ 悠華 - "permanence" (悠) (**nodo**) and "flower, petal" (華) (**ka**).
	+ 悠香 - "permanence" (悠) (**nodo**) and "fragrance, fragrant" (香) (**ka**).
	+ 悠佳 - "permanence" (悠) (**nodo**) and "good, beautiful" (佳) (**ka**).
	+ 望花 - "wish, desire, hope" (望) (**nodo**) and "flower, blossom" (花) (**ka**).
	+ 望華 - "wish, desire, hope" (望) (**nodo**) and "flower, petal" (華) (**ka**).
	+ 望香 - "wish, desire, hope" (望) (**nodo**) and "fragrance, fragrant" (香) (**ka**).
	+ 望佳 - "wish, desire, hope" (望) (**nodo**) and "good, beautiful" (佳) (**ka**).
* Nodoka's surname **Toyohama** means "abundant, lush" (豊) (**toyo**) and "beach, seashore" (浜) (**hama**).

## Trivia

* Maaya Uchida (Nodoka's voice actress) is the elder sister of Yūma Uchida, who voices Yuuma Kunimi.