Masaki Yoshida (吉田 茉咲 Yoshida Masaki?) is Tomoko's second and third year classmate in high school. She has become a prominent character since Chapter 72, where they officially meet for the school trip to Kyōto.
Overview
Yoshida is Tomoko's classmate who has a scary appearance and is often referred to as a delinquent by Tomoko. She initially reacts violently towards Tomoko when Tomoko goes too far with teasing her, but over time the two gradually develop an understanding. Later chapters also reveals that Yoshida likes cute and childish things and actually wants friends who share her interests. She does not like scary things.
Personality
Unlike many of the other girls, Yoshida is quick to anger and to become violent when provoked. During the class trip, Yoshida threatens Tomoko when provoked by Tomoko's characterization of her as a delinquent. She subsequently hits Tomoko on several occasions usually due to a comic misunderstanding or Tomoko unable to resist the temptation to tease her. Tomoko is not the only one who views her as rough. When Emiri Uchi offers her a treat from a vacation trip, Yoshida initially yells at her and refuses, then, when trying it, finds the treat "fucking awesome!" to Uchi's shock. Yoshida does not seem to care much about school as she is seen sleeping during class, and she does not show up for two days in a row. Yoshida displays innocence. Tomoko and Yuri Tamura politely ignore when she fails to recognize a "Love Hotel." This is an early indication of her fascination with cute things.
When depicted in earlier chapters, her own group of long unnamed friends, Reina and Anna Haruna, appear to neither fear nor respect her as Tomoko, Uchi, and others do. Her friends freely call her a "moron" to her face which Tomoko and others would never dare to do, and Yoshida initially never physically lashes out at them though this behavior from her friends seems to depress her a bit. However, Yoshida has a line which involves her almost childlike love of cute things. In a later chapter she punches Reina when she ridicules something she finds cute. However, as their stories develop, it seems that all three enjoy each others company. With Anna's support Reina does try to apologize for insulting something cute with a hilarious misunderstanding. In an addition to the published volume, Reina tries to convince a costumed amusement park character to come with her to meet Yoshida since she believes she will love it.
Tomoko discovers this part of Yoshida's personality when she notices Yoshida's panties have a kitty on them and later finds Yoshida's cutesy cat handkerchief. Yoshida also commands her to win her a stuffed doll at an arcade game, forces everyone to wear cat, mouse, and bunny ears at the amusement park, all the way to making them attend and take part in a character concert. When Tomoko and Yuri seem to take part with her mainly out of intimidation, Yoshida relaxes and happily embraces the both of them. In Chapter 128, she assumes her group will attend the night parade at the park with her. When they protest that they must return for roll call at 4 P.M. she sternly demands that they then return to the park. As the rest stare at her in silence, she becomes very meek and asks if this means they will not attend the parade with her. They agree to do so. This event suggests that despite the "loner" and "delinquent" exterior, Yoshida does not want to be alone; she sincerely wants friends who want to share her interests. In the subsequent chapters to Chapter 130.5, Yoshida softens her "rough exterior" when someone treats her as a person rather than a "type": in Chapter 129 she immediately warms to Asuka Katō when Katō compliments her on her "bear" bag, and Yoshida is very happy to find Yuri saved a place for everyone to watch the fireworks in Chapter 130.5.
Another line that becomes clearer as her character develops involves others making assumptions about her based on her appearance. As noted in the case of the Love Hotel, she has a degree of innocence. While played for comedy, her reaction to Tomoko groping and fondling her really consists of Yoshida becoming withdrawn and refusing to discuss the matter. Yuri tries to mediate while Tomoko apologizes by offering to allow Yoshida pinch her nipples. While comic, Yoshida becomes very upset at the suggestion that what Tomoko did was a small matter and that Tomoko would expect her to do it in turn. The first time Yoshida is seen actually hurting someone is when Uchi possibly takes the same opportunity Tomoko took to grope her while trying to wake her. Yoshida believes it is Tomoko doing it again despite knowing how it upsets her. Again, Yoshida becomes very angry but also very withdrawn. Another time involves Kotomi publicly accusing her of being a slut. The scene plays for comic misunderstandings between Kotomi, Tomoki, and Yoshida to culminate in Tomoki accidentally grabbing the wrong place when he restrains her, but it contains serious overtones. As noted below, Yoshida kept her distance from Tomoki by assuming he viewed her as a "delinquent." Some time later she acted a bit kinder. When they encounter one another in the cafeteria, Yoshida mildly flirts with him while Tomoki does not really pursue. Whether or not Yoshida has any interest in him beyond playful teasing currently remains unknown. Kotomi publicly denouncing her as basically a slut going after younger boys plows through that line. When she walks into Tomoki's hand, she becomes profoundly embarrassed, and Kotomi heaping on more accusations that she is blushing out of enjoyment pushes her to punch Kotomi hard in her stomach much like she elbowed Uchi. As with the previous cases, she withdraws within and leaves.
Along with this line, Yoshida reveals a subtle empathy that would appear to run counter to her "delinquent" stereotype. Despite Tomoko's teasing and pinching, Yoshida understands her enough to recognize Tomoko's social anxieties. While played for comedy, she drags Tomoko to say goodbye to Megumi Imae after her graduation, because she knows Tomoko does want to see her. She earlier recognizes that Tomoko wants to share an umbrella with her but is afraid to ask. In Chapter 136, she notices Mako, with whom she has had limited contact, sitting alone and crying, and she rushes over to ask her what has happened.
Chapter 158 reveals that she does not like scary stories.
Appearance
Yoshida has shoulder-length bleached hair with dark roots. The Volume 15 Special Edition confirms that her natural hair color is black. She is lean and of above average height, being taller than her upperclassman, Megumi Imae. The Volume 18 Special Edition statistics reveals the she is 165 cm or 5'5" tall, which would make her with Asuka Katō one of the tallest of the "WataGirls." Unlike many of the girls in her class, she has sharp, angled eyes and small irides. While she does not appear in Season One of the anime, she appears in color on the cover of Volume 8 and her eyes appear a light brown. She often wears just the skirt and shirt without the blazer or tie. Outside of class in the amusement park which for copyright and trademark reasons is not at all based on Tokyo Disneyland, she adorns herself with various "cute" paraphernalia from the park.
Anime
- None
Manga: WataMote
- Volume 8: Chapter
69, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, Omake - Volume 9: Chapters 78, 79, 82, 84, 87, 88, 88.1, Omake
- Volume 10: Chapters 92, 95, 98
- Volume 11: Chapters 105, 106, 107, 109
- Volume 12: Chapters 111,
112, 114, 115, 115.5, 116, 118, 119, 120, 122, Omake - Volume 13: Chapters 123, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 130.5, 131, 132, 133, Omake
- Volume 14: Chapters 134, 136,
137,138, 139,141, 142 - Volume 15: Chapters
143, 144, Special Edition, 145, 147,149, 150,Omake - Volume 16: Chapters
151, 153, 154, 155, 156,157, 158, 159 - Volume 17: Chapters 160, 161, 163, 164,
165, 168 - Volume 18: Chapters 169,
171, 173, Special Edition - TBA:
Manga: TomoMote
(Strikethrough episodes or chapters indicate the character was mentioned but did not make a physical appearance)
Relationships
Tomoko Kuroki
Yoshida's relationship with Tomoko commences very strained. Based on appearances, Tomoko dismisses her as a "delinquent" on their field trip to Kyōto. For her part, Tomoko takes the opportunity to pinch Yoshida's nipples while trying to wake her up. Yoshida punches her in response and remains embarrassed about what happened to her. She refuses to discuss it when Yuri tries to smooth over their conflict. Tomoko reveals what she did to her by inviting Yoshida to "pinch my nipples, please," as an apology. The relationship seems to sour a bit more when Uchi tries to wake her and possibly gets a little experimental with her fondling to do the same thing Tomoko did. Yoshida dreams it is Tomoko fondling her, elbows Uchi severely, then later confronts Tomoko who remains confused since she cannot remember groping Yoshida a second time.
The other cases tend to be comic misunderstandings, such as when Tomoko later reaches behind herself without looking to open a bathroom door only to have Yoshida open it as she is leaving and Tomoko grab her between her legs. Tomoko does not help the situation with her perverse tormenting of Yoshida, particularly when she begins to understand Yoshida has a love of cute and childish things. Despite her fear of being punched by Yoshida, Tomoko cannot seem to help winding her up.
Despite all of that, she and Tomoko over time do seem to care about each other. During the trip, Tomoko notices that Yoshida likes high views, to which she asks if it is because, being a delinquent, Yoshida likes to look down on people. Tomoko baits Yoshida to complete a climb for the view. During the climb, when Tomoko sprains her ankle, Yoshida elects to carry her on her back. As noted above, Yoshida seems to understand some of Tomoko's social anxieties. When she recognizes that Tomoko's anxieties prevent her from approaching Megumi Imae, she physically drags her to Megumi.
Yoshida deeply resents Tomoko treating her as a delinquent. Preparing to leave school in the rain, she senses Tomoko, who does not have an umbrella, watching her but afraid to approach. It bothers her that Tomoko will not simply ask to walk with her in the rain. After they do walk together with Megumi Imae, Imae notices this friendship; though Yoshida denies it. However, Yoshida is not blameless for exuding an attitude that fits her stereotype. When Tomoko approaches her to ask her if she wants to spend Christmas together before she can even speak, Yoshida stares at her sternly and demands what she wants which convinces Tomoko to think better of it.
Nevertheless, in a subsequent P.E. class when Ogino directs the students to divide up into partners, Yoshida immediately takes Tomoko. Later when they visit the amusement park not at all for copyright and trademark reasons based on Tōkyō Disney Resort, Yoshida is delighted that Tomoko seems to enjoy a review that caters to children. For her part, Tomoko notes how happy Yoshida is. After the Disney trip she gives Tomoko a gourmet pudding as thanks for giving her a cow charm.
Chapter 147 reveals that Yoshida is actually ranked similarly to Tomoko in their overall third-year class, to Tomoko's horrified surprise. Further, when Tomoko remarks in that chapter that she wished to skip studying for a day, Yoshida asks Tomoko to call her anytime she wishes to hang out with someone. She appears to act on this in Chapter 155 when she borrows Rena's scooter to take Tomoko home. Unbeknownst to her, Tomoko had a very odd study session with Katō. She does warn Tomoko not to grab onto her breasts, and Tomoko does not until Yoshida has to slam on the breaks to avoid missing Tomoko's home. While she elbows Tomoko on her helmet, she does not appear as upset as she use to be, and Tomoko explains it as simply reminiscing. This suggests that Yoshida has sort of come to understand that Tomoko does not mean anything malicious when she gropes her. She still protests that Tomoko laughing about it makes her feel uncomfortable. Tomoko frankly jokes that as thanks Yoshida can "fuck my brother," then remembers that Yoshida does not know she has a brother. Yoshida thinks Tomoko is making another stupid joke then remarks, "you have a brother?"
When they are suspended for riding a motorbike together, Yoshida sincerely apologizes to Tomoko. For her part, Tomoko lets it slide. In the following chapter, she remarks to Tomoko that Tomoko has been using "everyone" a lot in conversation recently when Tomoko suggests that if she gets her driving license then "everyone" can have a trip together.
Yoshida's Friends
Rena-Anna-Yoshida
Yoshida has two friends that Tomoko also regards as "delinquents." They both tend to treat Yoshida as the less-experienced. In Chapter 95, while Tomoko and Yuri ignore her ignorance of Love Hotels, her friends quickly correct her. In Chapter 106, they freely denigrate her desire to visit an amusement park. Their insults leave her hurt and depressed. She would not tolerate such from others such as Tomoko. Later chapters indicate that this is more of a case of Yoshida feeling hurt that they do not share her obsession with cute things. The two do not bully Yoshida, and Anna specifically supports Yoshida's expanding her circle of friends.
Reina (麗奈)
Not named until Chapter 130, she has long presumably dyed-blond hair which perpetually obscures her eyes in shadow. Yoshida and their mutual friend Anna usually call her "Rena," but in Chapter 147 and Chapter 155 Anna and Yoshida respectively pronounces her name as "Reina." Given that the first kanji (麗) has the on-yomi reading of "rei (レイ)," this suggests that "Reina" is her actual first name with "Rena" being a nickname.
She openly ridicules the more childish aspects of Yoshida's obsession with cute things.
Anna Haruna (春奈杏奈)
This friend appears the leader of the three. Unlike Reina, her face is depicted fully. She is slightly shorter than Reina and Yoshida and has her presumably dyed-blond hair tied up in a ponytail. She frankly calls Yoshida a "moron" in Chapter 106 and Yoshida does not respond. In Chapter 147, she suggests that Tomoko and Shiki Futaki are "morons" for skipping studying, but otherwise involves them without further insult. She also smooths over the conflict between Reina and Yoshida in Chapter 130. She signals Rena to produce the bunny bought as a present for Yoshida, then calms them down when Rena makes the mistake of holding it by the ears which again provokes Yoshida. She also offers to leave with Reina rather than pull Yoshida from her small group, and she does not seem offended that Yoshida is with others. She seems to support Yoshida having other friends and as noted, invites Tomoko to join her, Reina, and Yoshida.
While she inwardly blames Yoshida for their conflict, she does not inwardly denigrate Tomoko nor Yuri. She finally reveals her first name to Tomoko in Chapter 142 when she invites Tomoko to lunch, and Tomoko reveals her last name in Chapter 147 when she refers to her with it. During the Kyōto field trip, she discusses how her boyfriend "Kento" is clingy.
Akane Okada
Yoshida first materially meets Akane when she accuses her of bullying Tomoko. Yoshida is too embarrassed to explain why Tomoko upset her. Akane later drags Tomoko back to her when she learns what Tomoko said. They meet again at the amusement park. Upset over her conflict with Hina, Okada dismisses Yoshida's reason for her fight with her friend Rena.Yoshida grabs her and manages to cause Okada's signature "pineapple" to come apart. However, they do not seems to hold a grudge against one another. During the infamous confrontation between Yoshida and Kotomi Komiyama in the cafeteria when Hina asks her if she will separate them, Akane responds that if worse comes to worse, she will speak to Yoshida. This suggests both that she trusts Yoshida to not to lose her control and to listen to her and that they have developed some basis of trust if not respect.
When she and Tomoko ponder how to awaken the snoozing Hina and Yoshida, Akane reminds Tomoko that her persistent boasts about seeing Yoshida's panties are the reason why Yoshida smacks her. Despite their previous physical fight, Akane remains respectful of Yoshida's feelings. Later in that chapter, Yoshida and Akane walk together. Thus, an acquaintance that started with a bullying intervention and continued through a physical altercation is now a comfortable casual relationship.
Yuri Tamura
The two meet as part of the school trip to school trip to Kyōto. While neither seem interested in the trip or one another, Yuri does try to smooth the mess Tomoko creates by pinching Yoshida then later attempting to apologize by offering to let Yoshida pinch her back. Since that time, while they may not appear friends, they do not conflict. They both agree that Tomoko can be "an idiot." During the school trip to Totally Not Disney World for Copyright Purposes, Tomoko convinced Yuri to overcome her social anxiety to join in the singing during an event much to the delight of Yoshida. Seeing Yoshida beaming in delight, Yuri tells Tomoko she "forgives her" for making her take part since she realizes it made Yoshida so happy. While spending an afternoon with Tomoko at an arcade, Yuri mentions that it would be nice if they went with others, including Yoshida.
Tomoki Kuroki
Until Chapter 133, Yoshida only knows him as what she calls a "kid" or "punk." She notices him staring at her when she drags Tomoko to meet Megumi Imae and angrily demands what he is looking at. He inwardly concludes that she is a delinquent. Some time later while happily looking at pictures on her phone of the amusement park her class will visit, she sees him looking at her again. This time, she smiles and playfully recalls him as the "punk" she met. In Chapter 133 both are surprised to find themselves sharing the same water dispenser in the cafeteria. She again playfully calls him a "kid," and when he asks her to stop calling him that, she then puts her arm around his shoulders and asks his name. Kotomi reacts to this by yelling at her, then apologizing for overreacting. Through this, Yoshida learns that he is the younger brother of Kotomi's "best friend," and his first name from which she coins the nickname "Tomo." She insists that he call her "Masaki" without any honorific. Unfortunately, this flirting sets off Kotomi again, and in his effort to restrain Yoshida, he accidentally grabs her left breast. This shocks and leaves both of them embarrassed.
Apparently no further interaction between them or either of them commenting on the incident ever happened. During lunch between events in the intramurals, Yoshida does see a video Kotomi had Hikari Itō take of Tomoki which evokes the verbal wrath of Tomoko who demands to know why she has video of her brother, which suggests that she now knows he is Tomoko's brother; however, she apparently was not paying attention. Chapter 155 reveals that she did not know Tomoko has a brother, which suggest that they have not spoken.
She does recgonize him on the soccer field, and she makes a mental note that "Tomo" is a member of the soccer team. She then encounters him at Tomoko's home when he walks in to the bath as she is leaving the shower naked.
Kotomi Komiyama
Until Chapter 133, Yoshida has little, if any, interaction with Kotomi. However, Kotomi screams at her when she playfully puts her arm around Tomoki's neck. Coming briefly to her senses, Kotomi apologizes to Yoshida, claiming that Tomoki is the "little brother" of her "best friend," whom she has always looked at as her own "little brother." When Yoshida resumes chatting with Tomoki, she explodes again. When he accidentally grabs Yoshida's breast trying to restrain her, Kotomi accuses the embarrassed Yoshida of being a "slut" who let Tomoki grope her. For this, Kotomi receives a gut punch that sends her to her knees. Yoshida walks away clearly embarrassed.
Any continuation of this conflict or its resolution has not been depicted. Yoshida is on the softball team informally managed by Kotomi during the intramural ball tournament. They even sit together in a group during lunch where Kotomi talks about strategy and where Yoshida will hit in the lineup. However, Kotomi later insists to Itō that she did nothing wrong. For her part, Yoshida refers to her as イカレメガネ (ikare megane・"crazy glasses") in front of Itō when Tomoko reveals her name.
Mako Tanaka
While they appear only as classmate with little direct interactions, Chapter 159 reveals that they not only text one another, Mako has reviewed possible career choices for Yoshida. However, Chapter 173 calls into question how close they currently are since Mako does not know what has happened to Masaki, and Masaki has clearly not confided in her.
Mrs. Yoshida
Yoshida never mentions her parents or any of her family. Her mother first appears in Chapter 160 when she meets with her daughter's teachers and the Principal with Mrs. Kuroki after their daughters' suspensions. Little further is known about her. By her dress, she is a professional woman. She dyes her hair blond without the dark roots of her daughter. Her hair is longer which she wears in a long ponytail. As for their relationship, Yoshida does not want to wait around for her mother's lecture after the meeting, and "off screen" her mother shouts after her. In Chapter 173, she does say that her family agreed to pay for half of her tuition for her driver's license.
Memorable Quotes
- "You tried to molest me in my sleep again didn't you?! – Yoshida
- "What?" – Tomoko
- "Just like this morning!" – Yoshida
- "Huh? Are you talking about the time I groped you?" – Tomoko
- I'm gonna fucking kill you!" – Yoshida
- "Don't think you can get carried away doing shit like this just 'cause I was a bit forgiving during the field trip!" – Yoshida
- "N-No wait! It was an accident! I swear, I just grabbed your crotch by accident!" – Tomoko
- "Fall you piece of shit! Come on! Just one more and it'll fall. . ." trying to will the stuffed cat toy to fall
- “Liar. I don’t know who the hell you are, or what you’re after, but I’m not buying it.” wary of Uchi's cookie
- "This tastes fucking amazing!" after trying Uchi's cookie
- "Chiba’s got the single greatest spot in the world! Disney-fucking-land, man! Mickey Mouse himself even comes out to congratulate you and everything! O-or at least…t-that's what I’ve heard, anyway…"
- "Alright, who's the fuckhead that stuck shit in my desk?!”
- "What kind of friend gives someone shit-shaped chocolate?!" – Yoshida
- "T-That's just because Kuroki-san's a bit of an idiot. . . ." – Yuri
- "The Hell you looking at, huh?!" meeting Tomoki
- "She was talking crap about the mascots, so I punched her in the face."
- "Why do none of you have mouse ears?! We're buying some right now!"
- "Oi, why aren't you two clapping? She said clap!"
- "Don't ever grab it by the ears!"
- "Where the hell do ya think you're touchi-" takes exception to Tomoki's method of restraint
- "Ignorant little brats like you should just scram! I ain't bullying him, this is discipline!" explaining proper obedience training to Kii
Trivia
- Her first name "Masaki" (茉咲) means "Jasmine Blossom."
- She shares her name with Chiba Lotte Marines catcher Yuta Yoshida.
- Although she is the kind to resort to violence if angered, she clearly does not hit hard enough to seriously hurt Tomoko as Yuri affirms in Chapter 134.
- While Tomoko is convinced that Yoshida is a delinquent just like a lot of her comrades, despite her look and overall brusque and profane behavior, Yoshida hates being considered a delinquent, can get along with more normal acting friends, and is willing to help them if they are in need.
- Despite her severe expression and "delinquent" persona, Yoshida has a serious affinity for cute things.
- Delinquent: the term Tomoko uses is ヤンキー (yankī).
- Yoshida probably comes from a rather wealthy background. She often plays pachinko, owns a motorbike, and she does not hesitate to spend several thousands of yen at a crane game for a plush toy.
Gallery
"You gotta be kidding. I mean, you know who this is, man? This is Captain Japan. I'm Tomoko. Hey, we're headliners baby. We played every fair in this part of the country. I mean, for top dollar, too!"
Seen in the Volume 15 Special Edition
"Kowaii . . . er . . . Kawaii!"
| Character Navigation | |
|---|---|
| Female Characters | Tomoko Kuroki | Shiki Futaki | Anna Haruna | Shizuku Hirasawa | Akari Iguchi | Hikari Itō | Megumi Imae | Asuka Katō | Kayo | Kotomi Komiyama | Mrs. Kuroki | Sachi Mima | Koharu Minami | Miyazaki | Miho Narita | Yū Naruse | Hina Nemoto | Ogino | Nagi Ōtonari | Akane Okada | Reina | Fūka Sasaki | Kiko Satozaki | Sayaka | Yuri Tamura | Mako Tanaka | Emiri Uchi | Masaki Yoshida |
| Male Characters | Tomoki Kuroki | Aomatsu | Art Teacher | Hatsushiba | Homeroom Teacher | Jun Ishimine | Kakinuma | Yoshinori Kiyota | Kosaka | Mr. Kuroki | Suzuki | Nico Tanigawa | Wada | Yocchan |
| Minor and Unnamed | Minor and Unnamed Recurring Characters |
| Manga Volumes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| Anime Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | OVA |