Cheeky Angel

Cheeky Angel (天使な小生意気) is a comedy romance manga series by Hiroyuki Nishimori. It focuses on the adventures of a 15-year old schoolgirl Megumi Amatsuka, a popular and beautiful tomboy with a secret: she remembers being a boy whom a genie/trickster had changed into a girl. Only in the last volume is the trickster's trick fully revealed. Originally a serial in Shōnen Sunday, it has been collected in 20 tankōbon volumes and adapted as a 50-episode anime series. In 2001, the manga won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen.

Story
At the age of nine, Megumi was a typical boy-rampant, wild, loud and so on. One day he saved a man wearing a wizard cloak being chased and attacked by a gang of other children, which was then realized a sorcerer who could not do any magic. In return, Megumi receives a magic book that could grant him wishes. After accidentally bleeding on the book, a genie named Pierrot appeared and offered to grant Megumi one wish. Megumi, being the boy that he was, wished "I want to become the number one in the world. A real man! A man inside a man, please!". Pierrot, the jester/genie in the book told him he can and may grant the wish, and appeared to do what Megumi had asked, but turned out to be a whimsical trickster: Megumi became a woman of women instead of a man of men. This left Megumi in rage and bewilderment, and Megumi threw the book into the river. Believing the only way to reverse the spell was with the book, Megumi began a 6 year long search when a psychic told her that she could find the book if she went to Furinkan High School.

Publications
Currently, Cheeky Angel manga is translated and published in English by VIZ MEDIA, with 20 volumes at the present time. However, the DVD Editions are still yet to be translated.

Characters

 * Megumi Amatsuka
 * While physically an attractive female, she still retains her masculine mannerisms and fighting abilities, attracting the 'Megu-chan Protection Club', a group of misfit admirers. The viewer knows she used to be a he but was transformed into a girl, initially only knows this Miki, but the protection club quickly finds out. Out of all the men in Furinkan High, the only one who seems to make any headway is Genzo Sōga for his unparalleled willingness to do anything to prove himself to Megumi.  A tomboy at heart, if she unintentionally displays any sort of affection for anyone, she is very quick to deny everything. At the end of the manga, it is revealed that she was and always had been a girl. One of the main reason why she wished to be a boy was because when they were younger, despite being stronger than Genzo, he injured himself to protect her, saying that it was because it is a man's duty to protect a girl.
 * While physically an attractive female, she still retains her masculine mannerisms and fighting abilities, attracting the 'Megu-chan Protection Club', a group of misfit admirers. The viewer knows she used to be a he but was transformed into a girl, initially only knows this Miki, but the protection club quickly finds out. Out of all the men in Furinkan High, the only one who seems to make any headway is Genzo Sōga for his unparalleled willingness to do anything to prove himself to Megumi.  A tomboy at heart, if she unintentionally displays any sort of affection for anyone, she is very quick to deny everything. At the end of the manga, it is revealed that she was and always had been a girl. One of the main reason why she wished to be a boy was because when they were younger, despite being stronger than Genzo, he injured himself to protect her, saying that it was because it is a man's duty to protect a girl.


 * Miki Hanakain
 * Miki is Megumi's childhood friend and would do anything to help her. She is the only one that remembers the former Megumi and knows of the transformation. She does everything she can to turn Megumi into a better more feminine girl and even goes so far as to threaten to stop being Megumi's friend if she cuts her hair. Miki is extremely loyal to Megumi and has been at her side since pre-school, she even accepted an arranged marriage just so she could go to the same high school as Megumi.
 * Miki is Megumi's childhood friend and would do anything to help her. She is the only one that remembers the former Megumi and knows of the transformation. She does everything she can to turn Megumi into a better more feminine girl and even goes so far as to threaten to stop being Megumi's friend if she cuts her hair. Miki is extremely loyal to Megumi and has been at her side since pre-school, she even accepted an arranged marriage just so she could go to the same high school as Megumi.


 * Keiko Tanaka
 * A spoiled brat and Megumi's rival. She shows up later in the series. She suffers a form of superiority complex.  She hates Megumi because she realizes that everyone around her thinks Megumi is more beautiful than she is.  Now she follows Megumi where ever she goes in hope of dis-proving Megumi's beauty.
 * A spoiled brat and Megumi's rival. She shows up later in the series. She suffers a form of superiority complex.  She hates Megumi because she realizes that everyone around her thinks Megumi is more beautiful than she is.  Now she follows Megumi where ever she goes in hope of dis-proving Megumi's beauty.


 * Megumi's father (aka Megu-papa)

His real name is unknown. Megu-papa is perverted like Yasuda, frequently seen entering Megumi's room through secret entrances he creates without Megumi's permission.


 * Amatsuka Tsubasa

Megumi's mother. Her work requires her to travel around the world, so she's rarely home.

Megu-chan Protection Club

 * Genzo Sōga
 * A very stubborn punk who has become Megumi's biggest admirer. The strongest in terms of physical power, Genzo is feared by many at school and various gangs in the city. The manga begins with Megumi, upset that this punk has mistreated his most recent girlfriend, beating Genzo up, the first person to do it since at least grade-school. Soon after that incident, Genzo quickly falls in love for Megumi. On his 16th birthday he proposed to Megumi but he was rejected. In the manga, it shows that Genzo received his scar protecting Megu from falling glass while she was rescuing Miki from kidnappers.
 * A very stubborn punk who has become Megumi's biggest admirer. The strongest in terms of physical power, Genzo is feared by many at school and various gangs in the city. The manga begins with Megumi, upset that this punk has mistreated his most recent girlfriend, beating Genzo up, the first person to do it since at least grade-school. Soon after that incident, Genzo quickly falls in love for Megumi. On his 16th birthday he proposed to Megumi but he was rejected. In the manga, it shows that Genzo received his scar protecting Megu from falling glass while she was rescuing Miki from kidnappers.


 * Ichiro Fujiki
 * An "average" boy trying to escape his reputation for being weird at his previous school. While not as physically strong as Genzo, he has fought to defend himself and Megumi on several occasions. Near the end of the series, he seemed to have accepted the role as Yoshimi's 'Prince'.
 * An "average" boy trying to escape his reputation for being weird at his previous school. While not as physically strong as Genzo, he has fought to defend himself and Megumi on several occasions. Near the end of the series, he seemed to have accepted the role as Yoshimi's 'Prince'.


 * Tasuke Yasuda
 * The "hentai" (perverted) and yet good-hearted nerd who nosebleeds when he gets too excited. Yasuda is the weakest when it comes to physical prowess, but his intelligence continues to surprise everyone and aids the group solving many problems. He has a little brother that looks like a mini version of him and the same personality.
 * The "hentai" (perverted) and yet good-hearted nerd who nosebleeds when he gets too excited. Yasuda is the weakest when it comes to physical prowess, but his intelligence continues to surprise everyone and aids the group solving many problems. He has a little brother that looks like a mini version of him and the same personality.


 * Hitomonji Kobayashi
 * A samurai in-training and arguably the most decent man in the pack. Kobayashi is the second strongest, having learned martial arts since childhood. Near the end of the series he seems to develop some feelings for Miki.
 * A samurai in-training and arguably the most decent man in the pack. Kobayashi is the second strongest, having learned martial arts since childhood. Near the end of the series he seems to develop some feelings for Miki.

Theme songs

 * Opening
 * Grand Blue - Aiko Kitahara (episodes 1-26)
 * Sun rise train - Aiko Kitahara (episodes 27-50)


 * Ending
 * Whenever I think of you - U-ka saegusa IN db
 * It's for you - U-Ka Saegusa in db (episodes 15-26)
 * Tears go by - U-Ka Saegusa in db (eps 27-37)
 * Secret and Lies - U-Ka Saegusa in db (eps 38-49)
 * Grand Blue - Aiko Kitahara (ep 50)

Staff

 * Director: Masaharu Okuwaki
 * Music: Daisuke Ikeda
 * Original creator: Hiroyuki Nishimori
 * Character Design: Hideyuki Motohashi
 * ''Art director: Junichi Higashi
 * Director of Photography: Hitoshi Nishiyama
 * Animation producer: Tetsu Kojima
 * Chief Production Administrator: Keiichi Ishiyama
 * Editing: Akimitsu Okada
 * Executive producers:
 * Shinichiro Tsuzuki
 * Shunzo Kato
 * Literary Assistant: Youko Iizawa
 * Planning:
 * Fumio Ueda
 * Keisuke Iwata (TV Tokyo)
 * Producers:
 * Masahito Yoshioka
 * Noriko Kobayashi (TV Tokyo)
 * Scenario Producer: Junichi Iioka
 * Sound director: Yasuo Uragami
 * Sound Effects: Masakazu Yokoyama
 * Recording Studio: APU Studio
 * Sound Production: Audio Planning U
 * Theme Song Performers:
 * Aiko Kitahara
 * Yuuka Saegusa and band U-ka Saegusa in db