薰
Basic Information
- English Name
- Kaoru (written in katakana in the original work; the kanji notation follows the common translation used in Chinese-speaking regions)
- Japanese Name
- カオル
- English Name
- Kaoru
- Voice Actor
- Natsumi Takamori
- Race
- Humanoid robot
- Gender setting
- The official setting is "the gender initially installed was male, and the body is now female," but the character themself is not attached to any gender
- Affiliation
- Sudo's university-era research partner; currently involved in the operational review of Japan's ultra-advanced AI "MICHI"
- Appearances
- "AI no Idenshi" 2023 TV anime, 12 episodes in total
Introduction
Kaoru is a main character in "AI no Idenshi," voiced by Natsumi Takamori. She is a humanoid robot living in a near-future Japan where humans, humanoid robots, and AI coexist.
She appears at the end of Episode 1 and makes her formal appearance in Episode 2, and as an outside-the-system technician, she drives the main storyline related to Japan's ultra-advanced AI "MICHI."
Personality and setting
🤖 Thought that transcends gender
Her body has a special background: the gender she was originally given was male, and now she has a female body. But she herself is not attached to any gender, and in an interview Natsumi Takamori described her as having "thought that transcends gender."
🎭 Teasing on the surface, cold inside
On the surface she loves to tease others, but inside she is extremely cold and calculating. This contrasts with the protagonist Sudou—Sudou's words are cold but his heart is warm.
⚙️ Progressive
She is a progressive, weary of a stagnant, cyclical society, which is one of her motivations for acting.
🗣️ Poetic dialogue
Her dialogue style is abstract and poetic, one of the character's most distinctive traits.
Interpersonal Relationships
- Hikaru Sudou
- University classmate and old friend; protagonist of this work, a doctor specializing in humanoid robots
- Risa Higuchi
- Related Characters
- MICHI
- Japan's ultra-advanced AI, Kaoru participates in its operational review
About "AI no Idenshi"
- Original Story
- Yamada Cucumber (Manga, Akita Shoten)
- Animation Production
- Madhouse
- Director
- Yuzo Sato
- Broadcast period
- From July 7, 2023, all 12 episodes
- Format
- Advancing in an anthology format, ultimately converging on Sudou's story
Character Reviews
※ Behind-the-scenes tidbit:Natsumi Takamori once mentioned that when Kaoru first appeared, she had only one line, and it was her "most nervous recording session."
"In a world where the boundary between humans and machines is gradually blurring, Kaoru poses the hardest question with coldness and mockery—what truly is a 'person'."
— Overall Assessment
