“ | Robots represent a kind of bond. They are a form of hope, the culmination of hard work with friends. Robots can't talk, fight or even walk plainly unless you give them clear directions. They're like helpless, high-maintenance children. But if you open your heart to them, they'll open theirs to you, The original GunBuild, the new GunBuild-2, and even little Tanigashimachine. All of them, they're like children to me. Robots are precious things. And yet, my sister destroyed them. I wonder how she felt when she did it. Was it painful for her, or maybe she couldn't feel anything at all. That's why I swear you will pay! Your mind games and manipulation made my sister do this! Do you hear me?! I am going to make you pay! | „ |
~ Akiho Senomiya to Kou Kimjima |
Akiho "Aki" Senomiya is the main female protagonist of the visual novel and anime series Robotics;Notes. She is a third-year student at Tanegashima High School and the President of the Robot Research Club. She is also Kaito Yashio's childhood best friend. Akiho is a dedicated fan of the in-series anime, Gunvarrel, and her dream is to complete the GunBuild-1 giant robot of the same name, which was started by her sister, Misaki.
She is voiced by Yoshino Nanjo in the Japanese version and Lindsay Seidel in the English version, the former of whom also voices Eli Ayase.
Appearance[]
Akiho is a young girl in her late teens. She is of average height and has matching brown hair and eyes. Her slightly wavy hair is usually tied in a ponytail, and when untied it reaches past her shoulders. She is usually seen in her school uniform, even while working on her robots, though she does change outfits on occasion. Akiho also carries around a pair of armless glasses that she likes to equip when making anime references.
Personality[]
“ | I'm not optimistic at all right now! I don't know that I ever was. I've always been secretly scared that my sister actually hates me. I could never go see her. I was afraid. I see that now. I was always afraid. Afraid that I could never, ever catch up to her. That I really was nothing but mediocre. Afraid that no matter what I did or how hard I tried, she would never acknowledge me. I never should have started building giant robots. I never should have even tried catching up to my sister. I never should have clung so tightly to this stupid dream. Misa was right all along. GunBuild-2 is nothing but a piece of junk after all. | „ |
~ Akiho admitting her insecurities to Kaito |
Hot-blooded and headstrong, Akiho is quick to act and rarely considers the practicality of her decisions. This is shown when she requested an absurd sum of money from her head teacher, Kaoruko Usui (which she had done several times before), even though the school couldn't afford it, though Usui ultimately agreed if Aki and Kaito won the Robo-One tournament. She is extremely energetic and enthusiastic, being determined to finish GunBuild-1 before she graduates despite the odds being very much not in her favour. Her determination manifested at a young age, when she swore to her sister Misaki to finish what she started. However, Misaki coldly told her that she would never be more than mediocre at robot building, and it has been Aki's goal to prove her sister wrong ever since.
Aki is generally a very kind and friendly girl who gets along well with most people she meets. She's also compassionate, which is shown when she helps Junna overcome her fear of robots and reconcile with her grandfather. However, her naivety and overconfidence causes Aki to often get into disagreements with the other club members, particularly Kai and Subaru, with her being consistently frustrated by their lack of motivation and willingness to give up so easily. She can also get rather jealous when Kai spends time with other girls, particularly when she sees Frau put her arms around him after she returns to school. However, she denies this whenever it's pointed out to her, claiming she doesn't care if he dates other girls. When he confesses his feelings to her before the final battle, she's caught off guard at first but ultimately accepts them, even kissing him for good luck.
Aki is a proud fan of action mecha anime, particularly Gunvarrel, which GunBuild-1 is based off. She has a habit of quoting or making references to various mecha anime, such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion, even giving Frau a nickname as a reference to the former (Frau Bow). When the Robotics Club is brought to JAXA for the first time, Aki initially believes it to be a set-up similar to the latter anime, even pulling a pose frequently done by Gendo Ikari, which Subaru recognizes as a 'Gendo Pose'. Aki often puts on glasses whenever she's about to make a reference.
Despite her usually upbeat and cheerful nature, Aki has been shown on several occasions to be more affected by her sister's last words to her than she lets on most of the time; deep down, she believes that her engineering skills pale in comparison to those of her sister's, and that her only saving grace is her 'ridiculous optimism'. She is also deeply worried by the fact that her sister hasn't contacted her ever since she left her, and even wonders if Misaki even cares about Aki finishing what she started anymore. Another insecurity Aki has is her flat chest, getting notably offended whenever someone, usually Mitsuhiko, points it out.
Aki is shown to often let her emotions and personal feelings get the better of her; initially, she turns down JAXA's offer of cooperation, as to work with them would mean to cease work on GunBuild-1 and start on a new robot from scratch, something she doesn't want to do. As a result, she ends up learning the hard way that what would have been a masterpiece nine years ago isn't so impressive anymore, with everyone considering the finished GunBuild-1 a piece of junk. Initially, she is reluctant to let GunBuild-1 go, due to all the work she and other club members had put into it, but after talking it over with Kai, Aki accepts JAXA's offer to work on GunBuild-2, having realised that she was just being sentimental and that building a new robot won't change her original dream.
After GunBuild-2 is destroyed by the brainwashed Misaki, Aki ends up admitting to Kaito that much of her 'ridiculous optimism' was just a facade, and that she never truly believed that she had a chance of matching her sister. She even goes so far as to say that the past several years of her life were nothing but a waste of time, and that she never should have clung to her dream in the first place. However, Kaito later snaps her out of it, saying she shouldn't let her sister push her around any longer, something Aki takes to heart. After learning that Misaki has been brainwashed by Kou Kimijima, she vows that she will stop him no matter what and free her sister from his control, a vow she and Kai ultimately live up to.
Skills & Abilities[]
Like Kai, Akiho suffers from the mysterious Elephant Mouse Syndrome which causes her to experience a few seconds over the course of several minutes, leaving her in a comatose-like state throughout. The syndrome occurs when she experiences extreme physical stress or is otherwise overexerted.
As the only member with serious engineering ability, Akiho is largely credited with the construction of the Robotics Club's projects. Her love of robots has helped drive and motivate her to complete impressive constructions in a remarkably short time.