Otanjoubi Omedetou, Akutsu Jin!

Today's the birthday of Akutsu Jin from Yamabuki! Although he has only played one official match against Echizen, I'm sure many people will remember his fierce facial expressions and unique image which stands out from the majority of bishonen characters in Tenipuri. To me, he is like the mascot of Yamabuki together with Sengoku Kiyosumi. If Sengoku is the ladies' man, Akutsu should be the one who scares people away. ^__^ At the same time, his childhood buddy Kawamura Takashi is of the gentle type which is yet another example of extremes exhibited in his life. Although Akutsu has near-perfect attributes to be a top-class player, his lack of interest in tennis as well as the seemingly lack of challenges in the sport (perceived by him) had spurred him to leave the Yamabuki team after he lost to Echizen. It's not so much of disappointment but rather he is convinced that there is nobody who can give him as much satisfaction on the courts so he chooses to abandon this sport. Personally, I feel that it's a pity because there ARE indeed better players around but it's certain that he won't appear as a player in the National Arc.

Frankly speaking, I didn't really like Akutsu initially before he played the Tokyo final match with Echizen. He gave the impression that he was just a gangster-like character who behaved rashly but as I got to know his past and why he put on such an expression to the people around him, I accepted him for who he is and soon came to find him very cool and unique. Actually, he's not that bad after all because he has been looked down on by others since young for not conforming to standards and uses his bad-tempered behaviour to appear tough as retalliation. Besides, there is a strange affinity with Akutsu personally because we are of the same zodiac sign and blood type thus explaining why we are the "my-pace" sort who do not really care for how others perceive us.

For those who are interested in reading more about Akutsu Jin's seiyuu, Sasaki Nozomu, please click here for my previous feature during Sasaki-san's birthday.