takagi shimon
Name:高城紫門 (Takagi Shimon)
Born: 5th February
Starsign: Aquarius ("Mizugameza" in Japanese)
Blood Type: A
Summary: Mixed race - half Japanese and half English. (Takagi is) a cool and ambitious person. Somehow or other he is popular. He seems to like music better than women.
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The first time we see Takagi in the manga is when he drives up in a Rolls Royce at the start of the original manga, the boy star surveying his new territory. Takagi Shimon is an enigmatic character - he's described by Mikimaro as mixed race (He's half English! That's where the Rolls came in! Squee! British fangirl amusement!), which explains his fair hair and blue eyes to some degree. He was also born in London, where he lived until he was four years old. After this point he moved to Japan with his mother.
(N.B on the older manga covers his hair is generally light brown, in the animated OVA/later artwork he is blond. In one of the novels, his hair is described as very light brown, almost blond by one of his stylists).
He's very elegant, very into fine clothing, and expensive scent - but he's also very keen on books and specifically music...as Arai discovers when he finds Takagi's guitar in his room. Takagi is not the only musical member of the posse, obviously...but he is the one whose musical ability gets the most airplay in the manga (and he plays his guitar quite proudly - see the scan to the left). He was a member of a band called "Cassandra" (in the Drama CD/Novels, "Cassandra Next") for which he wrote music and played guitar - although he fell out with them and left. (In the manga, he does repair his bonds with his former bandmates somewhat, although he decides against rejoining the music scene at that point). He also is the driving force behind the "M" unit that emerges towards the end of the PLUS manga.
Takagi is smart - he's only one mark off Nakamoto who's generally accepted as class genius - and although he can act somewhat egocentric and arrogant, he's also quite kind beneath it - for example, letting Arai into his room when Nakamoto has locked the windows and gone to sleep, or allowing Mikimaro to win at chess when his friend looks on the verge of tears over being beaten. He sometimes turns up late for class - although he blames it on his 'low blood pressure', a fact which Nakamoto has been known to tease him about. He's also a lateral thinker, and the most independant and mature minded of the group in many ways. He and Arai clash from the start, but he'll still help Arai out if need be. Although they do exchange some pretty heavy insults and even come to blows on occasion...;) Arai is usually the one doing the most insulting...bet you didn't see that coming, huh :P Takagi also has his own room at the Seiryuu Academy dorm - which seems to fit with his solitary, enigmatic self somewhat (it is made clear though that it is a room for two - he only has it to himself because he's a late comer and has transferred in).
Takagi doesn't seem to need friends, equally he doesn't mind having them - it takes him some time to realise his school acquaintances have become more important to him than just people in his social vicinity, which indicates that he's probably always been a loner and has never really formed many stable friendships at his past schools. In a sense, though, his distancing might also be connected to his family life. His father's identity is for a long time unknown to him and his mother died during his first year in High School. He's under the vague guidance of a 'family friend', Mitsuse Junichirou - however Mitsuse is actually his blood father (this fact is revealed in the PLUS manga, but not to Takagi himself...Takagi only discovers it in the PLUS novels, not in the drama CDs or manga)). Takagi therefore is *not* his real name, and where it comes from is a mystery ^_^, since his mother was English. (Because of this, we also discover he is bilingual - he is fluent in English and Japanese.) He also seems to know a lot of people - like Nakamoto Kyouko - who by rights he shouldn't logically know. In the past he worked in some capacity as a "business trip host". This really doesn't translate well - or I'm stupid and have lousy dictionaries - but more information is given about this in the fourth novel of the PLUS series. The truth behind this stage in Takagi's life - when he must have been only sixteen or so at best - is probably a large part of his putting up such a protective shell. In its plainest form, he seems to have been some kind of "escort" or even "male prostitute". The reasons aren't entirely clear but seem to be because of the need for money to support his education and his mother whose failing health became an increasing problem. After her death, Mitsuse took control of Takagi's life and sent him to Seiryuu Academy...thus ending that difficult chapter in his life.
Takagi's sexuality is a difficult thing to define. In my opinion - despite whatever goes on in the novels between him and Shibata Kazuma - I don't think that he's bisexual like Arai or homosexual like Mikimaro. I think he's straight - but I also think that because of his past he's been hurt to the point where sexuality is a commodity that can be traded as opposed to based in real feelings. For this reason I think he's capable of entering into relationships for other reasons than attraction - and so it's not really possible to define what kind of person Takagi is most interested in. His most natural interest seemed to come in the brief spell he had in the manga with Riza, for whom he wrote a song...but it's difficult to know for sure.
Where "M" are concerned, Takagi probably forms his closest bond with Nakamoto in the sense that quite often the two of them withdraw from the melee the other three tend to cause. Because both are smart and rational people, they often find things on which to agree. They also both have a love and an ability for music, although in very different ways. Nakamoto has learnt piano and plays mostly classical music, whereas Takagi's interest is largely towards the rock genre. Takagi's closest friend seems to be his music, however - since no matter where he is or what is going on in his life, he always has it to cling onto.
Although he is a successful model under Yoshiki's guidance, his love is still music and after graduation he goes to Los Angeles to pursue music there.
Takagi is far more egocentric in the OVA than he is in the manga - his character seems to have been somewhat tweaked for the animated form. (Maybe it's going blond...)