Sana is the main character of Kodomo no Omocha, simply put. This 11-year-old girl has been acting since age 5. She has both incredible talent and a winning personality. At first glance one may think that her surface behavior, an overly-energetic demeanor to say the least, means she is a bothersome girl. It may be true that she takes a jump off of the deep-end every now and again but she makes up for it. Sana has a nurturing side. She often goes out of her way to support, comfort, and defend her friends (sometimes even strangers) whenever they're suffering, are down on their luck, or just need a helping hand (as everyone does from time to time). In return, she aquires dedicated friends who support her, a characteristic that shows up the most in Hayama Akito and other close friends. Sana is relentlessly persistant and will be extremely nice to even the toughest individual, which makes it hard to turn her away.
What Makes Our Sana, Sana?
Sana has many traits that set her apart from other children. One of them includes a passion for silly karaoke. She will usually be seen carrying around a voice scrambler, composing device, or keyboard that will aid her in impromptu performances (which can occur at any time). Sana often sings songs to help her deal with or express feelings, entertain, or smother boredom. She also loves the burracha machine that keeps her in touch with her manager, Rei. The instrument is sort of like a beeper. They usually use it to get each other's attention but may also signal an emergency. When its alarm goes off, it vibrates to the point that whoever holds it experiences their own personal earthquake... ^^;; Another thing that sets her apart from other children is unavoidably her personality, once again. Being very outgoing, she's rarely afraid of talking to people that she doesn't know, which is probably dangerous... Yet, Sana doesn't give the people she meets any reason to harm her either, so it evens out =).
Behind the Scenes: Sana and "Mama"
Behind it all, Sana is only able to do what she does because of her family life. Sana has a very close relationship with "Mama" (Mariko). The two of them have a deep understanding between each other. Mama is constantly available to Sana when Sana has problems but is always painfully honest with her, forcing Sana to face things that she denies. However, Mama always finds a way to cheer her up one way or another, lending her encouragement and strength. (*warning: spoiler ahead!*) Mariko and Sana are something of soulmates and in their relationship the old saying "Blood is thicker than water" doesn't apply. Yes, that's the ultimate spoiler: they're not really daughter and mother by blood. Sana's true mother was too young when she gave birth to her and gave her away, Mariko adopted her as a single parent. Their bond is so strong that when Sana's birthmother returned to Sana's life with the offer for her to live with she and Sana's other siblings, Sana made the final decision to stay with the mother who raised her =)
As a Child-Star Does Sana Have Time For Any Love-Interests?
Ah yes, the question of love... Sana does seem to have some chemistry with Hayama Akito. At first, they hate each other... one is oil and the other water, one a mongoose and the other a cobra. However, as Sana begins to investigate Akito's homelife to search out the reason behind his trouble-making she finds out the awful truth of his family. When Akito's mother was giving birth to him it was too much of a strain on her body. As a result, his mother became fatally ill and died. His father and older sister were never able to deal with this and it began cruel treatment toward Akito, who probably already felt guilty. His father's spirit was broken by the loss of his precious wife and Akito ended up being neglected and ignored because he was a constant reminder to his father of what was lost. Akito's older sister harbored unresolved bitterness and anger and never truly coped with the loss of her mother. She constantly berated and screamed at Akito for killing his mother, often calling him a devil. Naturally, Akito slipped into depression for years and conditioned himself to live a life in shadows. Sana was afraid he was considering suicide and decided to take action. Eventually Akito confided in her, in return his family worked things out together, thanks in part to Sana shining a light on them. From there, Sana and Akito remained very close, Akito telling Sana that he "didn't hate her". In this way, Akito showed that he in fact had extremely deep feelings for Sana (it's possible that when he says "I don't hate you" he means "I love you"). However, the two of them still have the fights they always had before. They are still young, after all, the difference being that they rely on each other for emotional support and are romantically interested.
Two other characters appear to have more subtle interests in Sana. One of them Tsuyoshi. He seemed to have a bit of a crush on her, but Sana only felt friendship for him. The other is a child actor like Sana, Kamura Naozumi. He studied at the same institute of acting and is an admiring fan of hers. Naozumi has romantic interest in her, as a result he and Hayama compete for Sana. This makes Akito feel very insecure. When Hayama didn't feel as if he had as much to offer as the famous Naozumi, so he took up karate to prove himself to Sana.
Innocent First Love
You may think that I'm being redundant, but this requires a section all to itself. Rei, Sana's manager, boyfriend, and alleged pimp, is officially Sana's first love. At first some of these words like "boyfriend" and "pimp" seem disgusting, considering Rei is older, in his twenties, but the words are overstatements. It is true that Rei is Sana's acting manager but she calls him her "pimp" because she gives him 10% of her earnings... she doesn't seem to grasp the full meaning of the term pimp. However, it's good for conversation and reactions when Sana freely says so. Sana calls Rei her boyfriend because she is very affectionate with him and a bit overprotective, she has been calling him such since she was about five. With that said, Sana really does love Rei. She's just so young that she doesn't know the difference between romantic and platonic love. Through all of this, one thing is certain: Rei and Sana are very very close. It has to do a bit with their history (*warning: spoiler!*). Rei was once homeless and a begger. One day Sana was on a walk with Mama. She noticed him in particular and without a second thought took him off the street to live with her, Mama, and Shimura (their maid). From there, Rei was given a job as Sana's manager and lived in the Kurata household. Mama, however, always kept a close watch on their interactions. It is quite clear, although never directly stated, that Mama expected him to work diligently because she opened her mind and home to him. Luckily she is a wise judge of character and has accepted Rei as a part of their family. Sana will always consider Rei her first love and will remain close to him for the rest of her days, no matter what anyone else says in protest.
