Sekihara Tae is the young manager of the beef hot pot (gyūnabe, or sukiyaki) restaurant, the Akabeko. In the anime and the manga, she tried to push forward the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru since it wasn't moving along fast enough for her taste.
Appearance[]
Tae is an attractive young woman with short brown hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck and covered with a handkerchief, though her bangs curl out over the sides of her brow and are accompanied by two thin strands of hair at the sides of her face. In the manga, Tae is nearly always depicted with her eyes closed, as are all the other members of her family; in the anime, her eyes are large and brown. As she is often seen at the Akabeko, Tae is most frequently observed dressed in her hostess uniform.
Personality[]
As befits a successful hostess and manager, Tae possesses a markedly positive and upbeat personality, more often donning a smile than not. She is very accommodating and eager to do whatever is in her power to aid her friends and customers. A smart and capable businesswoman, Tae is able to read people and situations rather astutely, which sometimes causes her to assert herself in a way that others have deemed "scary", both when it comes to her business and her relationships.
Tae is particularly assertive when it comes to romantic relationships; as a young woman with love often on her mind, she seems to take particular pleasure in suggesting and supporting potential romantic connections among her acquaintances--devoting much of her time to encouraging Kaoru and Kenshin's relationship to blossom. That being said, her own lack of romantic involvement seems to be a bit of a sore spot, as she has apparently reached a point in her twenties which she fears makes her an undesirable romantic prospect.
As might be expected of anyone associated with Kaoru and her group of friends, Tae is also a very caring person and, while she does not seem prone to anxiety, she can often be seen worrying over the dangerous or emotionally-compromising situations which befall the group staying at Kamiya Dōjō.
Relationships[]
- Kamiya Kaoru - It seems that Tae was a friend of Kaoru since before the events of the story, since Tae appears very early on the series with a friendly disposition towards Kaoru.
- Kenshingumi - Tae is an ally of the Kenshingumi, due to the fact that they usually go to the Akabeko to eat and celebrate.
- Sagara Sanosuke - Tae has a somewhat unique relationship with Sanosuke, since he owes her a seemingly large sum of money in which interest is accounted for. Despite that, Tae keeps lending him money and maintains a friendly disposition towards him.
- Sanjō Tsubame - Tsubame is an employee of the Akabeko, and they both share a friendship. Tae acts as a mentor and older sister to Tsubame, and they are usually seen together at the Akabeko and outside in town.
- Sekihara Sae - Sae is Tae's older Twin sister, who lives in Kyōto managing a similar restaurant, called the Shirobeko.
- Mr. Sekihara - Tae's father, he appears in the manga during the events of the attack on the Akabeko restaurant.
Abilities[]
As the Akabeko's manager, Tae is presumably a skilled cook, hostess, and businesswoman.
History[]
Throughout the manga and anime Tae has, at times, played a supporting role when Kenshin and his allies are to face sinister enemies.
Tokyo Arc[]
The Kenshingumi usually go to the Akabeko to eat Gyūnabe and celebrate, so Tae is good friends with them. She lends money to Sanosuke even though he does not seem to ever pay back his debt. In a moment, Tae (and Tsubame) ask Sanosuke to buy a couple of Nishiki-e paintings for them.
Kyōto Arc[]
When Kaoru refuses to eat for days, due to a strong fit of depression as a result of Kenshin's departure to Kyōto, she and Tsubame head towards the Kamiya Dōjō to show their support and help Yahiko set her straight. When Kaoru (alongside Yahiko) decides to go to Kyōto to follow Kenshin, Tae writes a letter to her sister Sae asking her to receive them at the Shirobeko.
Once the Kenshingumi return to Tokyo after the fight with Shishio Makoto, Tae (alongside Tsubame) greets everyone back.
Jinchū Arc[]
After the explosion of the Akabeko restaurant, and the attack to her father, Tae lived for a while in the Kamiya Dōjō. After the first night of the Jinchū, she was worried because Kenshin didn't return. She also thought Kaoru and Himura deserved to live together and be happy.
In Live Action Film[]
Sekihara Tae is portrayed by Kaoru Hirata in the 2012 live action movie "Rurouni Kenshin: Origins".
Development and Reception[]
To be added
Trivia[]
- There is a running joke about Kaoru and Tae sneaking into each other's age and relationship status: In the manga, at Volume 18 (of 28) in page 93, right at the beginning of the Yukishiro Enishi incident, Kaoru yells at Tae "Which one of us turned twenty-X this year?!".
- The sisters Tae and Sae Sekihara share the same seiyu (Sumi Shimamoto), given the joke that they look really similar to each other.
- In the manga Sanosuke also invites Sekihara Tae and Sanjō Tsubame to the party he organizes, in contrast to the anime where they are not present.
Gallery[]
