Olivia
Olivia |
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| Kanji: | オリヴィア |
| Romaji | Orivia |
| Statistics | |
| Gender: | Female |
| Hair Color: | Light Blonde |
| Eye Color: | Light Blue |
| Portrayed by: | |
| Japanese: | Rika Nagae |
| English: | None |
Olivia (オリヴィア, Orivia), is one of the three main protagonists of the anime and manga series Asobi Asobase. She is a member of the Pastimers Club, a bizarre and unofficial school club formed with her friends Hanako Honda and Kasumi Nomura. Though she appears to be a foreign exchange student, Olivia is actually a Japanese-born girl of Western descent who was raised in Japan and cannot speak English fluently, despite her appearance suggesting otherwise.
Olivia’s presence in the series adds to the surreal, chaotic humor of Asobi Asobase, with her character constantly caught between pretending to be a stereotypical foreigner and dealing with the absurd antics of her friends.
Background
Appearance in Anime
Olivia is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl born to foreign parents but raised in Japan. Although her appearance leads everyone to believe she’s an English-speaking transfer student, Olivia has actually lived in Japan her whole life and speaks only Japanese fluently. To maintain the illusion of being a cool and exotic “foreigner,” she pretends to struggle with Japanese and acts like a cultural outsider.
She meets Hanako Honda and Kasumi Nomura early in the story, and together they form the Pastimers Club, an unofficial club dedicated to playing random, sometimes nonsensical games and exploring forgotten pastimes. Olivia’s role in the club usually revolves around keeping up her foreigner act, reacting to Hanako’s madness, or dealing with Kasumi’s awkward social fears.
Appearance
Olivia is known for her long, blonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes, giving her the classic appearance of a Western foreigner in Japan. She wears the standard school uniform, which consists of a white blouse and skirt, and is often seen with a smug, smugly confused, or outright panicked expression depending on how far the group’s antics spiral.
Her foreign looks are in sharp contrast with her actual identity as a native Japanese speaker pretending to be bad at the language.
Personality
Olivia is playful, mischievous, and frequently sarcastic, often teasing Kasumi or playing along with Hanako’s crazy ideas. She enjoys joking around and tends to be the most grounded among the trio until her own desperation to keep up her fake foreigner persona drives her into ridiculous situations.
Although she pretends to be calm and composed, Olivia is actually quite petty, competitive, and insecure, especially when she thinks others might find out she isn’t actually a fluent English speaker. Her attempts to maintain the image of an elegant foreign girl often backfire spectacularly, resulting in hilariously over-the-top reactions.
Role in the Story
The Foreigner Act: Olivia’s main role in the story revolves around pretending to be a foreign exchange student, even though she’s just a normal Japanese girl with foreign looks. This deception becomes a running gag, often escalating to absurd extremes such as getting involved in unnecessary English conversations or being roped into strange games she doesn’t understand.
Pastimers Club Chaos: As a member of the Pastimers Club, Olivia takes part in countless bizarre activities, from playing made-up games to getting involved in psychological warfare with her equally strange clubmates. While she sometimes acts like the voice of reason, she also frequently contributes to the madness with her own mischief.
Friendship Dynamics: Olivia’s interactions with Hanako and Kasumi form the core of the show. She often teases Kasumi about her fear of men or poor English, while also trying to match Hanako’s energy (and often failing). Their bizarre friendship forms the comedic heart of the series.
Relationships
Hanako Honda: Olivia’s energetic and over-the-top friend. Hanako constantly drags Olivia into weird schemes and games, and the two often bicker like sisters. Despite the chaos, they share a deep, chaotic bond.
Kasumi Nomura: Olivia’s other clubmate, who is terrified of men and bad at English. Olivia enjoys teasing Kasumi about her insecurities, but their dynamic is also strangely supportive often built on shared embarrassment.