VGAi Manga & Anime Resources

YOUTA MOTEUCHI

Youta is a 16 year old first year high school student. (The VGA Manga series describes his story all the way pass his 17th birthday) He lives alone in a large and spacious house in Tokyo. His mother died when he was 6 and his father, an artist by profession, works in Paris. An introvert, he takes after his father in artistic talent and inclination. However, he is not the sociable type and is extremely awkward around females. (The reason for the latter was a series of rejections he suffered from girls he courted in elementary school) As a result, he was rather unpopular with girls, who generally ignored him.

At the start of the story, Youta had a crush on a girl in his class, Moemi Hayakawa, but has yet to gather his courage to express his feelings. The only other person who knew of his feelings for Moemi was his best friend, Takashi Niimai. Though of the same age as Youta, Takashi sees himself as an older brother to Youta and was sadden by Youta's misfortunes in the field of romance. Hence, he took it upon himself to see that Youta is successful in courting Moemi. Unfortunately, Moemi herself had a crush on the popular and charismatic Takashi. Thus, the stage is set for a simple love triangle. However, matters are complicated when first the Video Girl, Ai Amano, and subsequently another human girl, Nobuko Nizaki, enters the story.

Among the characters in the VGA, one could perceive the greatest change in Youta. This can be attributed to the traumatic events he faced in his one year relationship with Video Girl Ai (in Manga time) as well as his short-lived romance with Moemi and Nobuko. Youta began as a self-conscious teenager, afraid to express his affections towards Moemi in even the slightest way. Unwilling to take the initiative in most things, he usually goes with the flow, sometimes to his detriment. Though the course of the story, he gradually gained in maturity to become a strong individual. He is willing to fight in order to protect those that he cared about, to the extent of putting his life on the line.

However, Youta's one central quality that remained consistent throughout the story was his selflessness. This quality is most clearly demonstrated in his attempts to persuade Takashi to accept Moemi's love. In doing so, he was effectively sealing any chance he had of a relationship with Moemi. He did so in the belief that Moemi would achieve happiness with Takashi, even though he was hurting terribly as a result.

Perseverance was a quality Youta did not start out particularly strong in but was one which he gradually developed. One good example of this is the drive he displayed in his fulfillment of his dream - the creation of a illustrated storybook for children. He worked on this for months, often spending whole nights on his project and not sleeping at all. However, the one incident which really put his perseverance to the test came at the end of the Anime (or Vol. 3 of the Manga) when he tried to rescue Ai from the clutches of her creator. There, in the Video World, he was put through some cruel mental torment and physical pain as a test of his love for Ai. There is a poignant and unforgettable scene where he ascended the glass staircase. Symbolizing the fragility of his love, the staircase cracked with each step he took, cutting the sloes of his feet. Bleeding, he forged on, even as he climbed slower and slower from pain and fatigue, leaving a trail of blood behind...

Sensitivity to others is another of Youta's qualities, though it is not very consistent in the Manga series. This quality manifests most in his relations with Ai. One such scene, appearing in Manga vol. 1 / Anime OVA 2, is when Moemi came over to Youta's place to cook for him. Ai had already prepared dinner (and was rightfully proud of it for it had turned out well - for once) However, in order not to spoil things between Youta and Moemi, she consigned the food to a cabinet and hid the evidence that she cooked at all. Youta was perceptive enough to tell that she had cooked and subsequently showed his appreciation. Also, he caught on fairly early when Ai regained her memory in Manga vol. 9. However, this sensitively did not extend much into his relationships with Nobuko Nizaki and Moemi Hayakawa. In his enthusiasm for his project and his preoccupation with Ai, he neglected the two girls, appearing churlish at times. This was, ultimately, what led to the downfall of his romance with the two.

Purity of Heart is a pre-requisite quality needed to enter Video Shop Gorukaru, and was also what made Youta so endearing to the three girls that loved him at one time or another. He refused to take advantage either Moemi or Nobuko when they, one after another, offered their virginity to him. He appeared almost appears brotherly in his fierce protection of Ai's virtues as she, devoid as taboos, often take it upon herself to dress revealingly. The latter is an on-going joke in the Manga.

Youta is undoubtedly a central character in both Manga and Anime. He is the reason for Ai Amano's existence and complements her character well (being conservative and rational even as she is radical and flighty) He is also the source of conflict between the three girls who loved him and the Manga thrives on descriptions of these complicated affairs. Another important theme of the series is on Youta's growth in maturity and the strength of character he displayed in striving for his goals, protecting Ai from being destroyed by her creator and finally winning a chance for Ai to be human.

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