Ashiya Mizuki/Ashiya Mizuki (2011)

''This article is about the Japanese 2011 TV series character. ''

Mizuki Ashiya (芦屋 瑞希 Ashiya Mizuki) is the heroine in the 2011 live-action TV series remake of Hana-Kimi (Hanazakari no Kimitachi e), based on manga-ka Hisaya Nakajo's work of the same title. She was portrayed by Atsuko Maeda.

Fictional Background
Mizuki Ashiya, who is Japanese, but moved to America when she was young, is the heroine of the story. She spontaneously moved from California to Japan and enrolled into an all boys school (Osaka Gakuen) because she wants to support her idol, Sano Izumi, who was a top high jumper and the same age as her, attends the school. To look like a boy, she keeps her hair short and ruffled and squeezes in her chest. She’s also fond with Sano's dog, Yujirou, who has taken a liking of her (aside from the residents of Osaka Gakuen, Yujiro only likes female visitors).

While in Japan, she lived in the same dorm room as Sano. There, she meets Shuichi Nakatsu, a talented soccer player who becomes her friend and later falls in love with her feminine side, leading him to think that he is gay. Other friends of hers are Senri Nakao, a "cute" boy (bishounen) with a crush on the dorm leader, Minami Nanba; Sekime, the always paranoid but devoted athlete; Noe, the genius inventor and talented artist; Kayashima, a patient-looking boy with extra-sensory perception who can see auras and spirits; and Hokuto Umeda, the school doctor who helps her out. He knows that Mizuki is a girl but he helps her out on her love problems as well.

Even though Mizuki puts forth much effort to hide her female identity, Dr. Umeda, Kayashima and Sano separately discovered her secret soon after she begins attending Osaka Gakuen. However, none of them report her; Dr. Umeda judges her reasons are interesting, Kayashima sensed an honest aura on her, and Sano conceals his knowledge for the sake of keeping Mizuki at the school, all of them thinking that she could help Sano regain his confidence back. Although Nakatsu never gains the knowledge that Mizuki is female, not until before the secret's out in the open, he perceives her femininity and becomes attracted to her.

Towards the end of her second year (and the series), the three student heads of the dormitories found out about her true identity. Although they tried to suppress the news themselves, in the end, Mizuki decided that she would tell the truth. After cheering Sano in his high jump comeback, she was confronted by one of the Board Members and was subsequently interrogated in their office. After some negotiations with the three board members, she started to leave Osaka. While visiting the old Osaka school building for the last time, Dr. Umeda accompanied her. Unknown to her, Umeda was recording her last words to her friends, which her classmates played unintentionally. Because of this, they planned a "sending-off" performance for her, making Sano go and fetch her before she leaves. After their performance, they each said their final words to her, with Sano whispering a promise to her.

During their university days, she received a letter from Nakatsu that the school is still standing, and that they all have successfully graduated. After reading the letter, she was surprised by Sano, who came to America to study with her.

Character Traits

 * Birthday: May 2nd

Characters who discovered Mizuki's true gender
This list is arranged according to order and occasion.
 * 1) Taiki Kayashima - Through his ESP powers, he knew that Mizuki was a girl right away. However, this is not revealed until much later.
 * 2) Hokuto Umeda - Being a  doctor, he knew her identity straight away
 * 3) Izumi Sano - When Mizuki helped in fixing the water pipes, Sano saw something like a girl's undergarment under her uniform when they all got soaked from the leaking pipes. This was confirmed when Mizuki's passport fell from her desk.
 * 4) Io Nanba - Umeda's sister realized that Mizuki was a girl during her time at her summer job.
 * 5) The Three Student Heads - When they saw her leave a public bath after the rumors spread.
 * 6) Nakatsu - when Mizuki fell from the shelves, he punched her in the face and realized that she was a girl.

Trivia

 * Being a firm fan of Izumi, Mizuki has a photo album on him, including magazine and newspaper cut-outs about his accident.