Kokubo

Kokubo is the manager and longtime friend of actor Mamizuka Kousuke.

Appearance
Kokubo has a very prominent facial expression. Much like Hebihara, his face is always contorted in an intimidating scowl, primarily as a result of having to deal with the emotionally fragile Kousuke for much of their shared lives. Kokubo wears glasses and has dark hair which has become shorter with age.

Personality
Kokubo has little patience for people who are too old to be crybabies. He usually deals with Kousuke's constant whining and insecurity by snapping at him, intimidating him, or guilting him.

Kokubo has a knack for not only spotting talent in the unlikeliest of people, but drawing it out with his own special brand of "encouragement". Despite his harshness with Kousuke, he does show compassion when the situation calls for it.

History
Back in high school, Kokubo was a member of the kendo club. Kousuke also joined the club in the hopes that he could get stronger, but he was noticeably too timid to make any progress. Not even Kokubo's signature brand of coaching helped. Eventually, Kousuke fell in love with Umi Momoga of the gymnastics team, and confided in Kokubo about it. Kokubo urged Kousuke to be a man and make a move, but his friend remained frustratingly pessimistic. Annoying as it was, Kokubo understood Kousuke's reluctance after seeing Umi. What chance did the weakest link of the kendo team have of romancing the star of the gymnastics team?

After hearing that Kousuke was just waiting for a boost of confidence to confess his feelings, an idea came to Kokubo. A relative who worked in an agency that managed celebrities once (jokingly) told Kokubo to keep an eye out for good-looking guys they could represent. And weak as Kousuke's blows in kendo were, his swinging form was as beautiful as his face. When presented with the proposal to appear in Jujan Boy magazine, Kousuke got cold feet and declined Kokubo's offer. But the plan did end up laying the foundation for the two friends to work together in show business, and thanks to Kokubo's efforts, Kousuke finally worked up the courage to confess to and marry Umi.