Characters
Shun Mitaka
Godai's rival for the affections of Kyoko comes in the form of a handsome, rich, suave, personable tennis coach named Shun Mitaka.
Mitaka is the complete opposite of Godai. He's calm, confident and at ease with his place in society. Where Godai is just starting out, Mitaka has already found his place, and is content with it. About the only thing they have in common are their feelings for Kyoko. Mitaka isn't your average rich playboy type though. He really is in love with Kyoko, and would do anything to make her happy. It isn't his fault that he was born rich and handsome.
He remains the gentleman throughout the series, never wanting to force Kyoko into something she doesn't want to do. He is older than Godai though, and therefore wants to settle down with Kyoko now rather than six or seven years down the road. He gets frustrated from time to time, wondering what it is that Kyoko sees in Godai that she obviously doesn't see in him.
Shun does have a secret flaw however. He is deathly afraid of dogs. After a childhood incident, he has never been able to look at, let alone pet a dog, no matter how small. The fact that Kyoko has Soichiro is a major obstacle for Mitaka early in the series, and actually causes him to pull away from Kyoko at some very key moments throughout.
The Meaning Behind the Name - 三鷹瞬
Mitaka has a very interesting name. Shun (瞬) means "twinkle" obviously referring to his pearly white teeth. Mitaka (三鷹) on the other hand can be attributed to his personality, as it means "three hawks". In the numerology of the series Mitaka is the "3", despite not occupying that room at Ikkoku.
Voices:
Akira Kamiya
John Payne