Cheeky Angel

Cheeky Angel (天使な小生意気) is a comedy romance manga series by Hiroyuki Nishimori. It focuses on the adventures of a 15-year old schoolgirl Megumi Amatsuka, a popular and beautiful tomboy with a secret: she remembers being a boy whom a genie/trickster had changed into a girl. Only in the last volume is the trickster's trick fully revealed. Originally a serial in Shōnen Sunday, it has been collected in 20 tankobon volumes and adapted as a 50-episode anime series. In 2001, the manga won the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen.

Story
At the age of nine, Megumi wanted to be a typical boy, rampant wild loud and so on. One day he saves a man being chased and attacked by a gang of other children, which was then realized a sorcerer. In return, Megumi receives a magic book that would grant him wishes. Megumi, being the boy that he is, wished to become the manliest man on earth or the man of men. Pierrot, the jester/genie in the book tells him he can and may grant the wish, and appears to do what Megumi had asked, but turns out to be a trickster: Megumi thinks she becomes a woman of women instead of man of men, Pierrot claiming to have misheard the wish as "woman among women". This left Megumi in rage and bewilderment, for while the first wish is always free, the second comes at a price: it would cost [waiting] 10 years of Megumi's life to reverse it, and as an act of rage she throws the book into a river. Little did she know that after being transformed into a woman she cannot be returned to a male without the book, so begins her quest to retrieve it and reverse the spell that has befallen upon her.Towards the end of the series it is revealed that Megumi has in fact always been a woman,although be it a tomboy, but that the Genie just altered her and Miki's memories when she wished to be more manly.

Publications
Currently, Cheeky Angel manga is translated and published in English by VIZ MEDIA, with 20 volumes at the present time. However, the DVD Editions are still yet to be translated.

Characters

 * Megumi Amatsuka
 * While physically an attractive female, she still retains her masculine mannerisms and fighting ability, attracting the 'Megu-chan Protection Club', a group of misfit admirers. It is known she used to be a he but was transformed into a girl. Megumi is very overprotective of Miki and it seems that she/he has a crush over her(but it is unclear.)
 * While physically an attractive female, she still retains her masculine mannerisms and fighting ability, attracting the 'Megu-chan Protection Club', a group of misfit admirers. It is known she used to be a he but was transformed into a girl. Megumi is very overprotective of Miki and it seems that she/he has a crush over her(but it is unclear.)


 * Miki Hanakain
 * Miki is Megumi's childhood friend and would do anything to help her. She is the only one that remembers the former Megumi and knows of the transformation. Sometime becomes mischievous or playful, usually resulting Megumi becoming embarrassed.
 * Miki is Megumi's childhood friend and would do anything to help her. She is the only one that remembers the former Megumi and knows of the transformation. Sometime becomes mischievous or playful, usually resulting Megumi becoming embarrassed.


 * Keiko Tanaka
 * A spoiled brat and Megumi's rival. She shows up later in the series.She seems to suffer a form of superiority complex
 * A spoiled brat and Megumi's rival. She shows up later in the series.She seems to suffer a form of superiority complex


 * Yoshimi Shirasagi

Keiko's close friend and follower. Initially she has a crush on Genzo ( much disapproved by Keiko) then she is saved from a fall by Fujiki and loves him instead.


 * Megumi's father (aka Megu-papa)

His real name is unknown. Megu-papa is perverted like Yasuda, frequently seen entering Megumi's room through a secret entrance he created.


 * Amatsuka Tsubasa

Megumi's mother. Her work requires her to travel around the world, so she's rarely home.

Megu-chan Protection Club

 * Genzo Sōga
 * A very stubborn punk who has become Megumi's biggest admirer. The strongest in terms of physical power, Genzo is feared by many at school and various gangs in the city. The manga begins with Megumi, upset that this punk has mistreated his most recent girlfriend, beating Genzo up, the first person to do it since at least grade-school.On his 16th birthday he proposed to Megumi but he was rejected.
 * A very stubborn punk who has become Megumi's biggest admirer. The strongest in terms of physical power, Genzo is feared by many at school and various gangs in the city. The manga begins with Megumi, upset that this punk has mistreated his most recent girlfriend, beating Genzo up, the first person to do it since at least grade-school.On his 16th birthday he proposed to Megumi but he was rejected.


 * Ichiro Fujiki
 * An "average" boy trying to escape his reputation for being weird at his previous school. While his physical strength is not that high, he can actually fight to defend himself (from the punks while he's on an errand) and to defend Megumi on several occasion. Near the end of the series he seemed to have accepted the role as Yoshimi's 'Prince'.
 * An "average" boy trying to escape his reputation for being weird at his previous school. While his physical strength is not that high, he can actually fight to defend himself (from the punks while he's on an errand) and to defend Megumi on several occasion. Near the end of the series he seemed to have accepted the role as Yoshimi's 'Prince'.


 * Tasuke Yasuda
 * The "hentai" (perverted) and yet good-hearted nerd whose nose bleeds when he gets too excited. Yasuda is the weakest when it comes to physical prowess, but his intelligence continue to surprise everyone and aids the group solving many problems. He has a little brother that looks like a mini version of him and the same personality.
 * The "hentai" (perverted) and yet good-hearted nerd whose nose bleeds when he gets too excited. Yasuda is the weakest when it comes to physical prowess, but his intelligence continue to surprise everyone and aids the group solving many problems. He has a little brother that looks like a mini version of him and the same personality.


 * Hitomonji Kobayashi
 * A samurai and arguably the most decent man in the pack. Kobayashi is the second strongest, having learned martial arts since childhood.
 * A samurai and arguably the most decent man in the pack. Kobayashi is the second strongest, having learned martial arts since childhood.

Near the end of the series he seems to develop some feelings for Miki.

Theme songs

 * Opening
 * Grand Blue - Aiko Kitahara (episodes 1-26)
 * Sun rise train - Aiko Kitahara (episodes 27-50)


 * Ending
 * Whenever I think of you - U-Ka Saegusa in db [decibel]
 * It's for you - U-Ka Saegusa in db (episodes 15-26)
 * Tears go by - U-Ka Saegusa in db (eps 27-37)
 * Secret and Lies - U-Ka Saegusa in db (eps 38-49)
 * Grand Blue - Aiko Kitahara (ep 50)

Staff

 * Director: Masaharu Okuwaki
 * Music: Daisuke Ikeda
 * Original creator: Hiroyuki Nishimori
 * Character Design: Hideyuki Motohashi
 * Art director: Junichi Higashi
 * Director of Photography: Hitoshi Nishiyama
 * Animation producer: Tetsu Kojima
 * Chief Production Administrator: Keiichi Ishiyama
 * Editing: Akimitsu Okada
 * Executive producers:
 * Shinichiro Tsuzuki
 * Shunzo Kato
 * Literary Assistant: Youko Iizawa
 * Planning:
 * Fumio Ueda
 * Keisuke Iwata (TV Tokyo)
 * Producers:
 * Masahito Yoshioka
 * Noriko Kobayashi (TV Tokyo)
 * Scenario Producer: Junichi Iioka
 * Sound director: Yasuo Uragami
 * Sound Effects: Masakazu Yokoyama
 * Theme Song Performers:
 * Aiko Kitahara
 * Yuuka Saegusa and band U-ka Saegusa in db