Erika: "By the way, hasn't Kirishima lost more hair? I've got no use for a baldy, even if he is a CEO!"
Yuriko: "Oh, please! So what if they're bald or fat? Do you know what a CEO's wife lives like? You just accept them as they are, and have them buy you lots of sparkles."
Yuriko Asai (浅井 百合子,Asai Yuriko) was a student at Eitoku University and graduate of Eitoku Senior High. She was the leader of the Lilies, a clique she formed with her best friends, Minako Yamano and Erika Ayuhara. Yuriko disliked Tsukushi Makino and bullied her throughout high school, though she was occasionally civil with her.
"Understand now? No matter how you act, you've got no chance with the F4. They're in a different league from you! Now why don't you just get out of this school?!"
Yuriko became jealous of Tsukushi for interacting with the F4. They secretly wrote a nasty rumor on their classroom's blackboard. Tsukushi later saw the girls wiping away the words. Pretending to be nice, they invited her to a party. There they humiliated her by repeating what they wrote to a guy. Yuriko then mentioned Tsukushi's crush on Rui Hanazawa, saying "He'd never waste his time on a weed like you!," before throwing a drink at her.[3] A few minutes later, Yuriko was flirting with a guy when Tsukushi interrupted. She embarrassed Yuriko and then poured a drink on her. Before Tsukushi left, Yuriko declared "This isn't over." After seeing her with Rui the next day, they got their revenge by revealing Rui's first love, Shizuka Todo, to her. Tsukasa Domyoji arrived while they were berating her and forced them to leave her alone.[4]
A couple days later, Tsukushi's friend Kazuya Aoike received a red card. The girls happened to find them hiding. Yuriko said "You'll get what you deserve" and then announced their location to the others.[5] That summer, the girls went on Tsukasa's yacht to vacation in Atami. Upon arriving, they were annoyed to see Tsukushi on the beach. Yuriko tried to convince Shizuka not to invite Tsukushi to the party. That night, the lights were turned off for a party game and the guests were told to kiss someone they liked.[6] Yuriko was horrified to see that she had kissed Kazuya not Tsukasa. The next morning, she was irritated when she heard that Tsukushi had kissed Tsukasa.[7] That night, Yuriko was in a bed with someone when Tsukasa announced his cuttlefish party. She tried to explain it away, though Tsukasa did not care.[8]
At the start of the fall term, she and her friends bragged about their trip and lied about the details. The girls later overheard Tsukasa saying Tsukushi liked him. Yuriko decided to show Tsukasa the footage she had taped in Atami of Tsukushi and Rui. Upon seeing it, Tsukasa destroyed the camera.[9] Yuriko then lied to Tsukasa, claiming that Tsukushi had said "If I can't have Rui, then I'll have to take Tsukasa." She put her hand on his arm, leading him to yell "Don't touch me!" and hit her. Yuriko fell to the ground and Erika and Minako ran to her side.[10] When Rui went to France, Yuriko was glad to see Tsukushi unhappy. Her bubble was burst when Tsukasa entered the room and spoke to Tsukushi.[11] Later, the school believed that Tsukushi and Tsukasa were dating. Grudgingly, Yuriko attempted to be nice to her.[12]
Canada trip[]
Minako: "Did you hear what they said?"
Yuriko: "I heard. I can't let that girl live. I won't let her get away with this."
— Yuriko after learning that Tsukushi borrowed money from Tsukasa[src]
Several days later, Yuriko found an old yearbook at her cousin's house which showed how Sakurako Sanjo used to look. She subsequently spread around Sakurako having plastic surgery around school.[1] A couple weeks later, Tsubaki Domyoji stormed through the school. Yuriko and her friends were disgusted that Tsukushi was unaware of her legendary status. They were then surprised to learn that Tsukushi was acquainted with her.[13] In the basketball game determining whether Tsukushi and Rui would be expelled, Yuriko and her friends were cheerleaders for Tsukasa's side.[14] The match resulted in nothing since Tsukasa called it off at the last second.[15] A couple weeks later, Yuriko was annoyed when she learned Tsukushi was chosen to compete in Teen of Japan. Tsukushi treated the girls cordially, which irritated Yuriko further.[16]
The girls attended the contest together on Christmas Eve. Yuriko loudly commented "Look at Tsukushi! She looks like a freak!"[17] When Tsukushi passed the first round, Yuriko was incensed and had to be held back by Erika. Minako assured her that Tsukushi could not pass the next category.[18] During the second round, the three girls cheered as it seemed Tsukushi was losing. She, however, ended up becoming a finalist.[19] A couple days later, the girls were at a café together. Yuriko complained about not getting to see the F4 during winter break. They then overheard Tsukushi nearby speaking about borrowing money from Tsukasa and the proposed Canada trip with the F4. Yuriko was upset, declaring "I won't let her get away with this." The girls subsequently booked the same flight to Canada as the F4 and Tsukushi.[2]
In Vancouver, Sojiro Nishikado yelled at the girls to stop following them. Yuriko claimed "Tsukushi invited us!" The girls hit her with their suitcases when she tried to deny it. The next day, Yuriko jealously watched Tsukasa teach Tsukushi how to snowboard. That night, Tsukushi was looking for her friend. Yuriko told her that she saw her go outside.[20] An hour later, Rui confronted Yuriko and she tried to play innocent.[21] After Tsukasa had gone out to find Tsukushi, Yuriko and her friends started to cry. They were mostly concerned about them coming back to haunt them.[22] The next morning, the girls apologized to Tsukushi, who allowed them to stay. Yuriko later went to her room to tell her "Too bad you didn't die."[23] That night, Shizuka came to the house. Yuriko wanted to see her but the door was locked.[24]
Continued animosity[]
"She's got some nerve. Tsukasa's gone, but look at her sleeping like nothing's wrong. That's what I hate about girls from the wrong side of the tracks."
Later in January, Yuriko saw Tsukushi on the cover of Treasures with the popular model, Jun. She was extremely annoyed, telling her classmates "How'd a dog like her ever get that job?"[25] A few days later, she was talking to Erika about the red card that Tsukushi received, which was apparently not the F4's doing. Tsukushi then walked by with a haircut that made Yuriko roll on the floor with laughter.[26] Several days later, Yuriko made a rude joke about poor people catching colds because they "can[not] afford a heater." It did not illicit a reaction from Tsukushi.[27] After Tsukasa started dating someone else, Yuriko and Erika noticed that Tsukushi was upset. Yuriko said "She was just a plaything to Tsukasa from the start." She threatened them with her broken pencil, causing them to flee.[28]
Some days later, the girls were angry about Tsukushi being a live-in maid at Tsukasa's house.[29] The following day, Yuriko heard about Tsukushi and Tsukasa dating. She asked her "It's a lie, isn't it?" Sojiro and Akira Mimasaka confirmed it, when they came with Tsukasa to pick up Tsukushi for lunch. Yuriko was left in shock.[30] Later, Yuriko tried to make an overture to Tsukushi by complimenting her. She responded "Shut up, will you!" Yuriko then became scared that she had upset Tsukushi.[31] Several days later, Yuriko and her best friends were all shock when Tsukushi walked by with someone who looked exactly like Tsukasa.[32] A couple days after, Tsukasa walked into their classroom and asked about Tsukushi. Yuriko informed him that she was absent and then said "I could give her a message," but he ignored her.[33]
Sometime later, Yuriko and her friends saw Tsukushi on television catching a baseball. Yuriko called her the old nickname, Tsukie, when they saw her at school the next day. She attempted to act nicely to Tsukushi, whom was unsure of what she was talking about. Sojiro and Akira then ran up and dragged Tsukushi away. The three girls were left annoyed at being so blatantly ignored.[34] A few days later, Yuriko was annoyed when she saw Tsukushi napping in their classroom. She said "Tsukasa's gone, but look at her sleeping like nothing's wrong."[35] In late March, Yuriko attended Eitoku's prom with Minako and Erika. She was upset, wondering if Tsukasa was going to show up or not. Seconds later, Tsukushi arrived and caused a stir among the girls and others due to her inappropriate attire.[36]
College[]
After graduating from high school, Yuriko, Erika, and Minako moved on to Eitoku University. On their first day, the three girls were once again upset to see Tsukushi. Yuriko used a saying "Dishcloths and napkins don't go to together," but called Tsukushi a "rag." Tsukushi pretended to kick Yuriko, stopping just an inch from her face, and then said "Nice to see you too."[37]
Physical appearance[]
Yuriko was noticeable for her unique hairstyle, particularly her bangs as half of her bangs was teased up, which Tsukushi described as "horns." The rest of hair was usually kept long and straight. Being materialistic, Yuriko wore expensive name-brand clothing. She was also very fond of large, ostentatious jewelry.
Personality and traits[]
Yuriko was characterized as a jealous and greedy person whose ultimate goal was to marry someone rich. She considered a potential partner's wealth to be more important than looks or personality. Yuriko put a lot of time into her appearance in order to attract rich men. She set her sights on the F4, mainly Tsukasa, although he did not care for her at all. For this reason, she strongly disliked Tsukushi whom Tsukasa was attracted to and spent a lot of time around the F4. Yuriko also considered Tsukushi inferior to herself due to her financial status. She and her friends bullied her off and on. They were occasionally almost polite to her, depending on the situation. Ultimately, the dislike was mutual.
Etymology[]
Her given name Yuriko (百合子; ゆりこ) contains three kanji. The first two together mean "lily," which is referenced in the narrative.[39] Separately, they mean "hundred" (百)[40] and "fit," "suit," and "join" (合).[41] The third kanji means "child" and is a common suffix for female names.[42] Her surname Asai (浅井; あさい) has two kanji. It means "shallow," "superficial" (浅)[43] and "well," "community," and "town" (井).[44]
Behind the scenes[]
Boys Over Flowers Wiki has 16 images related to Yuriko Asai.
Character notes
Yuriko, a minor antagonist, first appears in chapter one in Boys Over Flowers. She makes frequent appearances at the beginning of the series, but hardly appears during the latter half.
She is portrayed by Akari Tonegawa in the film Hana Yori Dango (1995).[46] It is Tonegawa's sole film credit as she has since retired from the business. In the film, Yuriko's character is downgraded because Sakurako is made the leader of her group instead. Like her friends, she bullies Tsukushi. She and Minako later join the excited students when Tsukushi and Tsukasa are thought to be dating.
Yoshiko Shimizu from the comedy duo "Pink Phone," voices Yuriko in the 1996 anime[47] and the short film Hana Yori Dango: The Movie.[48] Author Yoko Kamio was a fan of Shimizu and was happy about her casting.[49] In the anime, Yuriko is a regular antagonist and appears in over half of the episodes. Along with Erika and Minako, she bullies Tsukushi or otherwise pretends to be her friend. Eventually, the girls start to leave her alone until near the end of the series. They attempt to bully her one last time, but Shigeru stands up to them. In the finale, the girls are shown to have moved on to a new target.
Saki portrays Yuriko in the drama, Hana Yori Dango (2005).[50] She and her friends bully Tsukushi after she receives a red card in episode one. Yuriko has a obvious crush on Tsukasa, though her feelings are never returned. In Hana Yori Dango Returns (2007),[51] Yuriko continues to dislike Tsukushi, but she does not actively bully her anymore. She later congratulates Tsukushi on her engagement to Tsukasa in the final episode.
Nami Tamaki portrays Yuriko in Hana Yori Dango: The Musical (2016).[54] She is played by Lee Da-som in the Korean version.[55] Yuriko's main numbers are "Cut Down Tsukushi" and "Chance," though she performs in several others with the ensemble. The Lilies are shown bullying Tsukushi, though not to the degree seen in the manga. Yuriko appears to prefer Tsukasa, though she also likes Rui.
She is played by Yume Marika in the Takarazuka musical, Hana Yori Dango (2019).[56] Yuriko has a relatively small role, though she appears in numerous scenes. She, Erika, and Minako perform a reprisal of "Kick Out—Banished" by themselves and are featured in the chorus of several others.