Once again, we will be introducing one of the characters from MUSICUS!
This is part two of a three-part series.
Today we are introducing Mikazuki Hanai, the singer of Dr. Flower. We will be exploring the importance of music in forming one’s identity and finding your place in the world.
As her brother so aptly put it, Mikazuki is a person that lives through her lust and emotions. Even knowing that Mikazuki goes through intense highs and lows in her life, Hanai pushes her to overcome her frustrations and aversion to the world around her by singing in a band.
Mikazuki’s only close with her immediate family, and contemplating the legacy she wants to leave behind, she decides to sing in the band Kei Tsushima creates so that she can live in other people’s hearts through music. Facing the relentless passing of time, can Mikazuki learn to preserve her precious ephemeral moment onstage?
While living with the rest of her bandmates at Kei’s house, Mikazuki attempts to get a job to become more independent and help with the increasing costs of the band, but ultimately fails. Due to her sheltered life, interacting with other people is difficult, and her quirky personality often creates misunderstandings.
Mikazuki’s motivations for singing seem to change regularly due to her mood swings, even getting Kei to acknowledge that she just makes up her own logic as she goes along. As much as she loathes to admit it, Mikazuki needs to be around other people to thrive. When she did not have friends in the past, she sang online. But now that she has friends and a growing audience—and possibly a budding love interest in Kei Tsushima—she can sing her heart out and connect with other people on her own terms.
Becoming famous comes with its own share of trials and tribulations. Mikazuki grapples with the expectations that other people in the industry place on her shoulders. Living up to her brother Korekiyo Hanai’s legacy, meeting her audience’s and agency’s expectations, and reaching the high standard she has set for herself. When did music start to become such a precious commodity? Wasn’t it enough to have fun and sing without worry? Mikazuki’s struggle is as much internal as it is external. Her internal struggle defines her and is projected onto the outside world, painting it anew in colors of her own choosing.
A lone white flower sits on a barren field, waiting for its chance to bloom. The world may attempt to make a martyr out of her for profit, but her undying resolve will help her overcome the obstacles life has placed before her. Music is a blessing, but it can also be a curse in disguise.
For the one performing on stage and pouring her essence into every sweet note, it is an exhilarating experience plagued with bouts of pain and unease. Still, the longer the wait, the sweeter the fruit is after it has ripened. Mikazuki’s answer to what music means to her comes after a long and tumultuous journey, but it is worth it in the end.
Come join Mikazuki and her friends as they give the performance of a lifetime in MUSICUS!
Overdrive’s MUSICUS! is now available for pre-order and launches on MangaGamer.com and Steam on April 8th!
