May 25th is either the 49th (anime?) or 52nd (manga?) birthday of the original Anime Best Girl, Ayukawa Madoka (鮎川 まどか). How do I even begin to describe the influence of this character upon my life? I'll try, but it is not an exaggeration to say it would be very different.

Kimgure Orange Road was not my first anime, not my first anime I knew was anime, and it was not my first manga. Though it was the first manga I tried to learn Japanese in order to read. It would take me more than decade. And when it was possible, it was because I was in Japan.

I was lucky, I lived in an area with Japanese speakers, with Japanese television, and a comic book store that stocked original Japanese volumes of manga--in the mid-90s. Very little of which I would have taken advantage of if not absolutely fascinated by the everyday in KOR.

At this point I was already a fan, to a degree, of three series, Sailor Moon, Ranma 1/2, and Maison Ikkoku. But none touched me the way KOR would touch me--SM and Ranma were too fantastical, and MI's characters were not the same age as me, but older.

KOR or きまオレ (KimaOre) as it is in Japanese fandom, presented me with JHS characters living mostly normal Japanese JHS lives (with the few odd inclusions of Kyosuke's "power"), dealing with concepts of family troubles, latch-key kid-ness, alienation, and love but with humor.

It is true that Kimagure Orange Road has a lot of silly slapstick comedy, far more than I myself like. The manga is much better about it. I admit in talking with many fans over the years, especially each subsequent generation of younger fans, this can dissuade deeper analysis.

Although I was lucky to spend a weekend as assistant and interpreter of Matsumoto Izumi, and he was beyond gracious in answering my questions quite deeply, his input on the anime was not very deep. So the anime leaned into slapstick in similarity to other series of the time.

However, I strongly assert that a lot of the deeper messages which Matsumoto wanted to communicate still come out in the anime, especially if one is looking, as I was. And beyond doubt present in the entirely serious capstone move, あの日に帰りたい (I want to return to that day).

Matsumoto told me that he created Kimagure Orange Road in order to tell a story that he himself wanted to read. He hadn't seen this story, and giving up on the manga world to produce it, he was determined to produce it himself. A true love story from the boy's perspective.

Kyosuke is not based on him, though scenic elements are based on his own school, as well as his life in Shimokitazawa, the neighborhood which mirrors the neighborhood in which the series takes place. The cafe, the ABCB, is still there, but covered up to be almost unrecognisable.

And yes, he created Madoka to be something of an ideal girl, although it would be a massive mistake to think Madoka is without flaws and insecurities, and of course, as a dynamic character, she grows significantly during the series.

Criticism of Madoka has centered around how strong and martial she is, in combination with how smart or talented she is. Outwardly, she seems good at EVERYTHING. But we see plenty of evidence that inwardly, she has a debilitating inferiority complex, is often lonely and unhappy.

And Hikaru... Although I grow more sympathetic to her feelings by the day, she never had a chance. She was never supposed to have a chance. We know this instinctively. First girl always wins. If Matsumoto wasn't first to do this, he was certainly one of the first.

If Madoka is the message that sometimes, you find the person you were meant to be with, Hikaru is the message that most times you don't. Especially your first. Hikaru's heartbreak is especially haunting in the capstone movie. No comedy here, just Hikaru's overwhelming loss.

It's easy for newer fans to look at series over the past 20 years and point to slice of life school series aplenty with very serious messages. This was less so at the time, and they were mostly aimed at girls, and were what I'd refer to as High Shoujo. Touch being an exception.

Another story Matsumoto told me was the moment he realised he was not alone. It was not being published. It was being on the subway and seeing everyone with their copy of Shonen Jump... opened to Kimagure Orange Road. His first awareness of creating something that *mattered.*

Anime and manga owe a significant debt to Kimagure Orange Road and Matsumoto... and to Madoka as an archetype. And I cannot begin to calculate what *I* owe, personally. My current identity, my physical place, my bilingualism, my friends, relationships, career... all started HERE:

...I was able to share this with Matsumoto as overwhelming as that was, trusted to be his voice in English for a few days... and he was as overwhelmed to know someone loved his work as deeply as he did... Humble and soft spoken, he spent FOUR HOURS to present me with this:

Does art matter? You better fucking believe it matters.

Happy Birthday, Madoka! 誕生日おめでとうございます、まどか！