| Minami Amada | |
|---|---|
 Minami Amada in Episode 23. | |
| Nicknames | "Miami" |
| Status | Alive |
| Origin | Japan |
| Affiliations | Märchen HCLI |
| Occupation | Scientist |
| Manga debut | Chapter 16 |
| Anime debut | Episode 6 |
| Japanese voice | Megumi Toyoguchi |
| English voice | Gwendolyn Lao |
Minami Amada (天田 南 Amada Minami?), nicknamed "Miami" (マイアミ Maiami?), is a scientist working for Märchen in South Africa and the best friend of Koko Hekmatyar. She and Koko are collaborating on Jormungand, which provides the context behind Koko's actions.
Appearance[]
Minami is a fair skinned woman with medium, chin length hair and light coloured eyes. In the anime both her hair and eyes are a light brown. Previously her hair was longer when she was younger. She wears glasses with oval frames and can typically be seen smoking a cigarette.
Personality[]
Minami throwing a fit to convince Mokoena to come with her on her butterfly hunt in Episode 6.
Minami can be very strong willed and childish, having a tendency to indulge in her hobbies and thus absent herself from important appointments. She is a butterfly fanatic to the point that she once nearly jumped off a cliff in order to catch one of a species she had never seen before, completely forgetting her surroundings.[1] She also decided to try and see a rare butterfly that had been spotted in the mountains over seeing Koko again at DIESA even though the meeting had been booked for a year.[2] However after Jormungand entered a new phase with the construction of a Märchen factory housing a quantum computer, Minami became much more serious and focused about working to complete it.
She has also displayed a more subdued, yet ruthless side to her personality. Despite working for a children's toy manufacturer, Minami believes that the extinction of a species of butterfly would be far worse than the deaths caused by weapons based on her research, as there are billions of people in the world. She has fully accepted that her research also has military applications and has not resisted being approached by and collaborating with both HCLI and the Tashinhai Consu. As she needed Elena Baburin and Leyla Ibrahim Faiza to complete the project, Minami accepted Koko's means of obtaining their help by kidnapping them. She and Koko have also come to terms with the initial cost of implementing Jormungand, approximately 700,000 people who will die when the system is activated due to the immediate denial of the skies to all types of aircraft.
Minami also enjoys collecting seashells and fishing. She has expressed an interest in large breasts, in particular Valmet's and Elena's, and smokes Gudang Garam kretek cigarettes, specifically the Surya 16 brand.[3]
Relationships[]
Koko and Minami talk about Jormungand in a flashback in Episode 20.
Minami and Koko are best friends and the relationship goes back several years. They have similar personalities, both regarding themselves as geniuses, and Miami has fully bought into helping Koko fulfill her dream, which she remains very tight lipped about revealing to others. Although she prioritised a hunt for a rare butterfly over seeing Koko again in over a year at DIESA, since then Minami became more available and was at Märchen whenever Koko came by. She also developed an affection for Jonah, finding his quiet yet serious personality intriguing.
She has three secretaries, Malin, Mokoena, and Karen Low, all of whom she drives to distraction as a result of her whimsical personality and tendency to take off and indulge in her hobbies despite having important appointments booked. Despite this, all three remain loyal to her. She quickly offered Karen a role as her third secretary after finding her in reduced circumstances in Port Elizabeth and learned what she had gone through with Koko's Squad. In recognition of Karen's fighting skills, Minami made her her primary bodyguard, succeeding Mokoena, who had been in this role for some time. After Elena Baburin and Leyla Ibrahim Faiza were kidnapped by Koko to help her, Minami got along with both of them and the three women worked together to create the final piece of Jormungand.
Abilities[]
Minami is an expert in robotics and the versatility of her designs makes them applicable for both children's toys as well as weapons. One of her designs a life-size robotic butterfly capable of flight. She has also created an anthropomorphic ninja bear that can be controlled by a gamepad.
History[]
Years before the start of the series Minami met Koko when the latter was 18. They formed a close bond and Koko told Minami that she was her best friend while they were out butterfly hunting. During this hunt, Minami spotted a butterfly that she had never seen before and impetuously leaped after it to try and catch it, but was grabbed by Koko and prevented from jumping off a cliff.
Plot[]
African Golden Butterflies Arc[]
Minami cries when she realises that she cannot see Koko in Episode 6.
Although she was supposed to meet with Koko at DIESA, Minami opted instead to go on an expedition for a rare species of butterfly that had been spotted in the mountains by James, a renowned expert. Mokoena found her packing in her room and tried to talk her out of going. She was saddened at having to miss seeing Koko despite having waited for a year, but prioritised the butterflies. She then perked up and forced Mokoena to come along. In the mountains Minami was surprised that he had armed himself with an AK-47 and remained unaware that she was potentially in danger despite Karen Low and her men getting into a firefight with Koko's Squad some distance away. After they had camped for the night and Mokoena was cooking dinner, Minami told him that she had come to terms with her research being used for military applications and went along as any resistance would be crushed. She had come to this realisation after an AI that she developed for a robot doll for 3 year olds was adapted into a guidance system for missiles. When Mokoena asked why she chose to be involved with the Tashinhai Consu and HCLI, Minami replied that she just could not stop herself, with Chan treating her to such good fried rice as a bonus. She was about to talk about Koko's goals when she noticed that the noodles had boiled over. While this was going on, Koko's Squad was engaged in a firefight with Karen's men, whose ambush Jonah had spoiled by yelling for Minami and spraying his FN FNC at the terrain ahead, getting them to reveal themselves by firing back.
Minami meets Jonah in Episode 7.
The following day they arrived in a valley that was home to many butterflies where the weather was much warmer. Minami snagged one with her net, which turned out to be similar to, but not the rare species that she was seeking. She then started to chase after the other butterflies flying around before Jonah popped up from a bush in front of her and told the rest of the squad that he had found her. While they spread out to secure the area Minami realised that they were with Koko and asked Jonah who he was. However back at the Märchen factory the next day Koko found Minami missing again and an apologetic Malin, who revealed that Minami had slipped out to go to the beach in search of shellfish. However she left a note for Koko stating "the basic theory is finished" and to see her again in six months. At the beach Minami and Mokoena were digging for sea shells when the former looked up and saw a jetliner fly overhead.
Serpent Looking Up to the Heavens Arc[]
New World Arc[]
War Monger Arc[]
Elena, Minami, and Leyla watching the launch in Episode 24.
Elena, Minami, and Leyla watched the launch of the second quantum computer via live feed on a laptop from the roof of the second factory.
Century of Shame Arc[]
On the roof of the second factory Minami suggested to Karen that they go out and search for butterflies but the latter shot down this idea as Koko had told them to stay put. Minami then suggested that they play mahjong as they had enough players and Karen agreed to play.
Anime and manga differences[]
- Minami makes a much earlier debut in the anime, although she is not named. She appears during the series' opening sequence with Koko's Squad as they watched a Hek-GG rocket launch from a naval launch platform.[4]
- In the anime, a CIA file on Minami lists her as an alummnus of the California Institute of Technology and the Imperial College Faculty of Engineering. She is also the founder of the Multirole Autonomous Robotics Competition (MARC), whose goal is to "introduce university students "pleasures of Robotics engineering work".[5]
Trivia[]
- Minami placed 27th in a character poll conducted by Sunday GX which ran from June through September 2012.[6]
- Her first name means "south" (南), possibly a reference to being based in South Africa.