Brigadoon: Marin & Melan/Characters

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Brigadoon Marin and Melan tells the story of Marin Asagi, a young orphan girl and Melan Blue, a bionic alien warrior, who become friends and must work together to save both their worlds. The large and diverse cast of characters includes not only Earthlings but alien beings called Monomakia and a race of intelligent felines that make up the Central Assembly of Brigadoon.


Earthlings

Marin Asagi

Voice Actors: KAORI (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Marin is an orphan who was abandoned as a baby and raised by the poor but loving Asagi couple. At the start of the series she is a thirteen-year-old seventh grade student with a wild imagination, lots of energy and an optimistic attitude. Her peaceful life changes dramatically when she suddenly finds herself the target of killer aliens called Monomakia. Fortunately she meets Melan Blue, a powerful and mysterious being who becomes her protector. Soon Marin must deal with persecution from her classmates and increasing strains on her relationships with her family and friends. She gradually learns the reason the Monomakia are after her, the connection between Earth and Brigadoon, and the role she must play to save both worlds from destruction. On top of all this, she forms a powerful bond with Melan, whose fate seems to be bound to hers.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Moe Kisaragi

Voice Actors: Ayaka Saitou (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)

Moe is Marin’s classmate and best friend. Rich in dollars but poor in health, she is a wallflower at school and a regular in the nurse’s office. Her mother is overprotective and doesn’t approve of her associating with the less fortunate Marin, forcing Moe to make difficult choices in order to maintain their friendship. Despite her limitations, Moe goes to great lengths to help Marin and tries to help her with her unusual challenges however she can. When it comes to Monomakia, she’s a bit envious of Melan’s ability to protect Marin from danger as well as the amount of time he spends with her.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Makoto Alo (aka Aloma)

Voice Actors: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English)

Makoto Alo is an enigmatic young boy who seems to know a lot more about Brigadoon and Monomakia than a normal person should. On first meeting him Marin assumes he is a historical observer from the future, which seems to be true as he tells to keep this a secret and often knows about things before they actually happen. On their second meeting they introduce themselves more formally, and Marin gives him the nickname Aloma, which he keeps. He spends most of the series observing events from the background, commenting on what’s happening and only becoming directly involved much later on.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Accidental Pervert: In the anime Marin jokingly accuses him of this when he points out that her underwear is showing. In the manga he walks in on her while she's naked.
  • Ascended Extra: In the manga he is much more directly involved in the plot.
  • Blue Eyes: Type 1 (beautiful and innocent).
  • Caught in the Rain: He has this scenario with Marin in the manga.
  • Chick Magnet: In the anime Marin and Moe show some attraction to him. In the manga all the girls in class are into him.
  • Dave Wittenberg: As Dave Leleyveld, his English dub voice.
  • Fantastic Anthropologist: This seems to be the best definition of his mission. Especially when it's revealed last minute that he's not as human as he appears.
  • First-Name Basis: He's the only human boy in the show who calls Marin by her given name, and sometimes calls her Marin-chan.
  • Fish Out of Temporal Water: He comes to the past from the future.
  • Free-Range Children: He seems to have no parents and no home, yet it's never a problem for him.
  • Greek Chorus: Never addresses the audience directly, but his commentaries are rarely heard by the rest of the cast.
  • In-Series Nickname: Once Marin starts calling him Aloma so does everyone else.
  • Hikaru Midorikawa: His Japanese voice actor.
  • Male Frontal Nudity: In the bath house episode when his Modesty Towel falls off. The viewers don't see what's under it, but Isshin does and seems impressed.
  • Mysterious Watcher: Overlaps with The Watcher on the occassions that he gives the heroes helpful information.
  • New Transfer Student: In the manga.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: In their second meeting, he leans pretty close to Marin while he's showing her how his name is written. There's moments where he gets too close in the manga, too.
  • Oracular Urchin: Somewhat justified. Since he's from the future he would naturally have knowledge of past events.
  • Promoted to Love Interest: In the manga, for Marin.
  • Sweet Tooth: Nearly all the food we see him eating is some type of candy, pastry or other form of junk food.
  • Together Umbrella: Played with when he first meets Marin. It's a rainy day and he has an extra umbrella, so he gives it to her.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Green for him.

Midori Mano

Voice Actors: Ryoka Yuzuki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Midori is a tough and tomboyish ninth grade student at Marin’s school. A juvenile delinquent from a single parent household, she cuts classes and gets into fights often and has even been to jail. Despite all this she actually has a kind heart and becomes a loyal friend to Marin.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Moto Asagi

Voice Actors: Rikako Aikawa (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Moto is Marin’s foster mother and the tenement house’s unofficial matriarch. At 68 years old, she is a widowed housewife with wisdom and energy to spare. She is very kind, motherly, and wise, but as soon as Marin is in danger she will rush to her aid without hesitation, no matter what that danger may be. When Melan comes along, she welcomes him into her home and treats him like another member of the family.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Shuta Aian and Mike White

Voice Actors: Isamu Tanonaka/Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Bob Johnson/Tony Oliver (English)

Shuta is a 75-year-old inventor and Mike is his 22-year-old American assistant. Practically always together, they both have their fair share of quirks and are perhaps the oddest residents in the tenement house. When Monomakia start coming after Marin, they waste no time trying to invent devices to protect her from them. Unfortunately, most of these devices are impractical if not totally useless.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Jun Tokita

Voice Actors: Kae Araki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Jun is a pretty and gentle 22-year-old with a demanding job as a nurse. One of the more sensible residents of the tenement house, she works to support herself and her alcoholic father. She often tends to Melan’s wounds and Marin looks up to her as a role model. Unbeknownst to all, this respectable young lady leads a secret double life.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:


Monomakia

Melan Blue

Voice Actors: Hochu Otsuka (Japanese), Tony Oliver (English)

Melan is Marin's self-proclaimed bodyguard and a type of Monomakia called a Gun-Swordsman, due to having those weapons in place of hands and his skill in using them. Marin found him at a shrine near her house where he had been asleep for a hundred years inside a tiny blue ampoule. He originally comes from Brigadoon, where he once belonged to a group of three Gun-Swordsmen, but his former comrades consider him a betrayer for leaving the group on a secret mission, the nature of which he does not reveal to anyone for a long time. Melan is a very tall, strong, and imposing figure who takes his mission very seriously. At first he is fairly unemotional and protects Marin mainly from a sense of duty, but over time he grows to care about her and the human world very personally.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Pyon Silver

Voice Actors: Yuuji Takada (Japanese), Bob Johnson (English)

Pyon (pronounced Paion) is the strongest of the Gun-Swordsmen and a former friend of Melan who is now his enemy. He is a noble fighter and follows a strict code of honor, confronting his opponents directly. He has no problem killing people who get in his way, but he’ll give them a fair warning first. Pyon regrets having to fight Melan, but considers him a traitor and intends to bring him to justice.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:
  • Badass Baritone: In the English dub, his voice is noticeable deeper than Melan's, while in the Japanese they're about the same.
  • Break the Haughty
  • Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Black and white with silver.
  • Colourful Theme Naming: Silver.
  • Dark Is Not Evil / Light Is Good: His color scheme is an obvious clue to his morally ambiguous nature.
  • Duel to the Death: Challenges Melan to this at least once.
  • Dynamic Entry: His first day on Earth has him slicing a fighter jet in half, blowing up a police station and shooting more cops than you can count on one hand.
  • Excalibur: Calls his sword by this name and even claims it to be sacred.
  • Eyes of Gold: Seem to hint that he's not as villainous as he first appears, and they offset his silver color scheme.
  • Gatling Good: His Arm Cannon is this type of gun.
  • Good Is Not Nice: He's on the side that's trying to save the world, but his methods are questionable.
  • Honor Before Reason: Takes honor so seriously that he'd rather kill Melan in a fair fight.
  • Hey, It's That Voice!: Both of his voice actors are relatively obscure, but fans of Code Geass may recognize his Japanese voice as Kyoshiro Todo and fans of Bleach may recognize his English voice as Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.
  • Master Swordsman: According to Melan, and he does prefer using his sword to his gun.
  • The Paladin: He certainly considers himself to be this and play the part pretty straight.
  • Pride: The word 'proud' shows up often in his dialogue, so it's clearly a big deal for him. It's also his greatest weakness.
  • Right Hand Versus Left Hand: If he knew the reason for Melan's 'betrayal,' he wouldn't be so determined to kill him.
  • Sleep Mode Size: His ampoule is the only one we never see.
  • Spock Speak: Similar to Melan, but he never adopts any simpler vocabulary.
  • Stab the Sky: He's fond of this pose.
  • Stoic: Almost more than Melan, though he does express certain strong emotions a bit sooner.
  • Throwing Your Sword Always Works: After Melan tries this one him, he tries to use it on Kuston

Erin Garnet

Voice Actors: Kae Araki (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Erin is the only female among the Gun-Swordsmen. Like Pyon she is a former friend of Melan who is now his enemy, but is far more angry and violent toward him. Fierce and ruthless in battle, she doesn’t care if innocents get hurt and will settle for nothing less than total victory. Perhaps the true reason she’s so angry with Melan is because she had special feelings for him in the past.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Poikun

Voice Actors: Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)

Poikun is the second Monomakia ally Marin finds on Earth. Designed for transport over land and through water, he has very few offensive abilities but is quite helpful when someone needs to escape or be taken to safety. He's also very cute and friendly, more like a pet than a bodyguard.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Kushatohn

Voice Actors: Ryoka Yuzuki (Japanese), Terrence Stone (English)

Kushatohn is the third Monomakia ally Marin finds on Earth. Designed for combat, she is a gigantic beast and very fierce in both nature and appearance. She's also incredibly strong, able to tear apart foes that are even larger than she is. These abilities make her a good bodyguard, but due to her size she remains in her ampoule until she's needed.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Brigadoon Central Assembly

Lolo

Voice Actors: Mayumi Shintani (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

Lolo is a small, feline alien who showed Marin where Melan’s ampoule was located. He tends to pop up out of thin air and in the oddest of places, and doing the oddest of things. He appears continuously as a sort of trickster mentor, offering advice and giving information to the heroes as needed. It is later revealed that he serves Brigadoon as the Chairman of the Life Improvement Committee. He is also aware of a large conspiracy going on within Brigadoon’s Central Assembly, and his associations with Marin and Melan are part of a larger plan to thwart the unknown enemy’s plans to destroy Earth and Brigadoon.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Lala

Voice Actors: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)

Lala is friends with Lolo and Lulu, and the Chairman of the Ecological Control Committee. She’s an expert on Monomakia and can even create new ones. Bright and bubbly, she cares about Lolo a lot and worries about his strange behavior, but she also has a short temper and can get violent when she’s mad.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Lulu

Voice Actors: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English)

Lulu is Lolo’s friend and the Chairman of the Space-Time Observation Committee. His main responsibility is to monitor the warps between Brigadoon and Earth to make sure the two worlds don’t destroy each other. He also loves to eat junk food.

Tropes exhibited by this character include:

Lele

Voice Actors: Kentarou Itou (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)

Lele is the Chairman of the Pasca Executive Committee. As his title says, his job is to make sure the Day of Pasca occurs without a problem. This means finding and retrieving the missing Creis from Earth, which is no easy task. He has a very smug, sarcastic attitude, doesn’t get along with Lolo or his friends, and seems to have a hidden agenda.

Tropes exhibited by this character include: