Aoi

About Aoi

Aoi is a courtesan with a gentle manner who becomes a mentor to Satoko as the noblewoman's fake marriage pulls her into worlds her upbringing never prepared her for. Women like Aoi survive the Meiji era by reading people quickly and hiding their hearts well, and her guidance carries the wisdom of that life. Voiced by Natsuko Abe, she was introduced partway through the anime's run as one of Satoko's few female allies.

Appearance

Aoi has the composed beauty of a trained courtesan of the pleasure quarters, dressed and made up with professional care. Her gentleness is visible, but so is her alertness. Women in her world learn to size up a room in seconds, and Aoi is always, quietly, doing exactly that.

Personality

Aoi is kind, perceptive and practical. Courtesans survive the Meiji era by reading people quickly and hiding their hearts well, and Aoi has made a life of both. With Satoko she is something the girl has never really had: an older female ally with no family agenda, willing to teach her how the world outside the Kirigaya house actually works.

Background & Story

Aoi works as a courtesan in the pleasure-quarter world Satoko falls into after the kidnapping, a world with its own rules, kindnesses and dangers. Introduced partway through the anime's run, she takes the sheltered noblewoman under her wing. Satoko grew up surrounded by women who priced her. Aoi, who has been priced her whole life and survived it with her dignity negotiated daily, has a great deal to teach her.

Key Relationships

• Satoko Kirigaya: The noblewoman she mentors, one of Satoko's few real female allies, with hard-won advice about surviving as a woman in their world.
• Yukari: A fellow courtesan of the Isekichi house, part of the same pleasure-quarter world that takes Satoko in.

Quick Answers