Characters
Asuna Kujo
Towards the last quarter of the series a new character is introduced in the person of Asuna Kujo. Her family are clients of Mitaka's Uncle, and through that relationship, the uncle decides to introduce Asuna to Shun. Asuna becomes instantly attracted to Mitaka, but the feeling isn't mutual.
Asuna has led a very sheltered life, and is still very young and innocent. Even though she's already finished college, she lives at home with her parents, who make sure her every need is taken care of. One might think that because she is so pampered that she would be something of a snob, but that is the complete opposite of her personality. Asuna is extraordinarily kind-hearted and warm, but because she has been so overprotected she is painfully shy.
Because of her extreme shyness, she has made up for her lack of friends with pets, or dogs to be more precise. She has six of them and they follow her everywhere. She uses them as a judge of character, and Mitaka passes with flying colors, causing Asuna to fall hard for him, but of course with his fear of dogs the feeling is anything but mutual.
Throughout the series, Asuna is shown to be very understanding of Mitaka's various entanglements. At one point she tries to work up enough courage to ask Kyoko to end her relationship with Shun, but is unable to. She even risks bringing shame on her own family in order to help Mitaka at a very difficult point in his life. This shows the kind of person she is. A girl putting the feelings of others in front of her own is the hallmark of who Asuna is as a character.
The Meaning Behind the Name - 九条明日菜
Oddly enough, Asuna (明日菜) means "tomorrow vegetables" and Kujo (九条) can be translated as "nine lines" but has a canine pun in that it is the name of Stephen King's killer dog, "Cujo."
Voices:
Hiromi Tsuru
Valerie Sing Turner