**Height:** 155cm (5'1") 

Initially just a reserved girl, Mari comes into her own when she suddenly is swept up into a whirlwind friendship with a popular classmate, Akko.   She gets her hair cut off, and from that moment, it seems Mari begins to shed her closed up and shy personality.   Despite being dowdy, Mari comes to enjoy things like shopping for cute clothes and dressing up, though mostly this is because of Akko's encouragement.    Mari has a good family life in contrast to Akko, having both her parents there for her (probably more than she'd like) and a younger brother who she gets along with most of the time.  She also becomes good friends with Sugi and Tamamin, though she is surprised to learn that girls would be so open as to casually kiss each other without having any emotion behind it. She is a bit flustered around them and their energy, but she considers the two to be her very good friends.  Mari eventually falls in love with Akko and suffers internally because of it. She does not know what to do with her feelings for her best friend and she especially is even more confused because Akko is a girl.   ~! She tries dating a boy to set herself straight and get her life in order, but the relationship only solidifies the idea that she is not attracted to boys and that she is very much in love with Akko.   Frustrated from all of Akko's offhanded, unaware flirtatious and caring behaviour, Mari kisses Akko and confesses to her, though Akko does not know how to take this and brushes it off as a joke.  Meeting Akko afterwards becomes very awkward for her, and she tries to avoid her best friend on occasion to avoid talking about things and dealing with them.   Mari has no idea that Akko also returns her feelings, and continues to be depressed over the idea that her only true love will go unrequited. In the manga's latest developments, Akko confesses to Mari, which leaves the latter sceptical that something so wonderful could happen to her. Mari comes to accept that Akko is earnest and really does return her feelings, and the two begin dating.!~

(taken from the character profiles in vol.05)  

When it comes to grades, bookish high school student Mariko Kumakura is at the top of her class. Socially, however, she is shy and lonely, typically eating lunch by herself. Enter the charismatic and beautiful Akko Oohashi, whose goal is to befriend Mariko and burst her out of her introverted shell. 
In the process of transforming Plain Jane Mariko into one of the cutest, most popular girls in school, deep feelings begin to emerge that suggest something deeper than friendship. Will these feelings destroy the budding relationship between Mariko and Akko, or will it turn into something else?
 
(Source: Seven Seas Entertainment)
 
Note: Includes 9 extra chapters.