Sumi Ikuina: Buddhist nun-in-training, vessel for the power of the animal realm, and all-around sweet young woman. From "Amaenaideyo!" Sumi is one 7 young Buddhist monks/nuns training at a special temple, 6 girls and one guy, Ikkou. Now, Ikkou is a typical teenaged boy, raging hormones (though he's not really out of control, except when his power is unleashed... nevermind that though), not too good in school, etc. and all the other girls at the temple treat him like dirt despite his best efforts. Sumi, on the other hand, is gentle and understanding, remaining objective about conflicts that arise instead of immediately pinning responsibility on Ikkou as the rest do, and speaks up (if you can hear her soft-spoken voice over the din of the others) to try and settle things down. Sadly, she is mostly ignored by the other characters, and the plot for that matter, much to my disappointment. Anyway, this is supposed to be about Sumi, not the mediocrity of the show she appears in. :P When I first saw a picture of miss Sumi Ikuina, it was love at first sight, or the equivalent there-of. ;) She had curves, a wonderful tan, short hair AND thick eyebrows! She could have been concept art of my animated dream girl. :P Naturally I had to find the series she was from and watch it to find out more about her. Although she did not disappoint me at all through both seasons of the series, she recieved the least character development of the main students... this may be the only reason why Sumi is not #1 in this harem. She is kind, generous, objective and responsible, as she cooks most of the meals at the temple, tries to keep the peace without getting angry or placing blame, never shirks her duties, and perhaps most significantly: is the only one of the 7 main characters who respects her religous oaths! Although in actuality this would put a damper on a relationship, vows of chastity and all, it takes a lot of strength to remain pure, and the fact that she is actually serious about her chosen path in life is something to be admired. Sumi is hard on herself though, and though she is always willing to help out others with their problems and work, she is stubborn in letting others help her. The one episode Sumi got to be the star in dealt with her battle to control her hidden powers, and I would say the experiences she had to deal with prior to gaining full control were the most disturbing of the 7... as she unwillingly attracted all sorts of animals. :( She had to deal with the embarassment of beastial sexual harassment, and with no one to really give her any comfort, she beat herself up over it and secluded herself in her room, relying only on herself to focus her mind and overcome her fears through prayer and sutra recitation. (or something like that, I'm no expert on Buddhism, and yeah... this show was not exactly 4 star material :P ) She needs a hug... lots of hugs, and she deserves them too. Dibs.
