Minare Koda (鼓田 ミナレ, Koda Minare) is the main character in Wave, Listen to Me!. One night, she gets extremely drunk and tells a story about her ex-boyfriend, but Kanetsugu Mato records it and plays it on the radio the next day, leading to her beginning of radio talk shows.
Appearance[]
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Minare is a young slim woman with medium-long blond hair and blue eyes.
Personality[]
Plot[]
One night in a bar, Minare got extremely drunk and met Kanetsugu Mato, she couldn't stop talking and complaining about her ex-boyfriend. The next thing she remembers is waking up in the next day. In the morning she was still thinking about her ex and decided to cry on purpose by watching the movie "Ghost". She then dressed and went to work, but was late and scolded by her boss Yoshiki Takarada, who warned her he will fire her if she is late for a third time in the same month and told her to update the blog. While looking in the blog, Chuya Nakahara came and apologized he couldn't go out drinking with her last night, but she was fine as she enjoyed the company of an middle-aged man, Mato. As they were looking at Mato's card, they realized he was from the MRS radio channel they were currently listening. As she kept working and got scolded by her boss again, she ended up hearing her voice on the radio, a recording on her complains about her ex-boyfriend from last night. Minare quickly ran towards her car and drove to MRS wanting to meet Mato. As she found him, she immediately went for the recording wanting to stop it, but Mato told her if she wanted to stop it, she needed to be the one talking and gave her a mic. Minare then started talking, apologizing for her drunk rant and categorizing people and ended up with threatening her ex-boyfriend. After air, Minare threatened to sue Mato for broadcasting her, but she showed her a card with she giving him permission to broadcast her, leaving Minare speechless.
She was later apologizing to Yoshiki and asking to not be fired and he agreed on the condition on her working one day like a normal person, wipe the tables and update the blog. While looking at the blog, she was multiple comments of people who recognized her voice on the radio and started thinking she may be some sort of a symbol, but Yoshiki told her he will need her at least until the festival.
As she was wondering what she will do after the festival, Chuya came and she started wondering and imagining why the restaurant had a stall at the festival. But then customers kept recognizing her from the radio. Chuya then saw a comment from Mato on the blog with a video link of Minare running off after hearing her voice on the radio. As she called him, Mato told her he will be coming tonight, but Minare told him to come after the festival.
But same evening, Mato and his co-workers came to the restaurant. She reminded him that she told him to come after a month, but Yoshiki made her bow and apologize, saying she won't be working there after a month. She then took their order, but as it was big, she commented why they just don't order the whole menu. Chishiro then suggested Minare come work with them, as she was being fired. As she got intrigued, Chuya quickly tried reminding her about their promise to turn the restaurant to into a chain if the owner died. Also hearing this Yoshiki congratulated her on finding a new job. Minare then stood in front of him, intimidating and started thanking him for working her to the bone for a minimum wage as she was about to say she was quitting, Mato told her she will be working once in a week as an assistant. Hearing this, Minare quickly changed her tone and told Yoshiki, she would be able to work for less money now.
Twenty days later, Minare had stayed all night reading about fortune tellers, saying her next lover would be ridding "white elephant (car)" and as she was to be picked up to go to the radio, Ryusuke Komoto came with a white car. She started believing a bit her fortune and asked him questions about being married and if this was his car, but he explained it was Mato's car. But then she decided she needed to focus on working and making money, to pay her rent. As she met with Mato, they joked a bit and he showed her where she can practice speaking in front of the mic. But Minare asked him why did he picked her up for the radio. He revealed that they tried running other amateurs, but they got twice t he comments from the audience while they ran Minare. He also revealed that for the 26mins with her on the radio, she didn't even once stammer and some people didn't believe it wasn't scripted or she being an amateur. Minare then wondered what she will be talking about, and Mato recommended she to speak about the upcoming festival and her restaurant participating in it. Minare then started speaking about the festival and reordered a 5 min segment for it.
At the festival, Minare along with Chuya were preparing their stall. Seeing the name "Gagarin", Chuya wondered if the story she made up earlier about their participation in the festival was true and Minare told him, she didn't lie to him and that Voyager restaurant was indeed a branch that passed on and improve the flavor of Gagarin as Yoshiki had surpassed his master. But since he still had Gagarin's soup, he kept it in the freezer and was selling it each year as tradition on the festival.
After the festival, Minare was speaking with Yoshiki, who was informing her he is firing her. She told him she advertised him at the radio, but Yoshiki knew it was only 3 seconds and it was for the stand at the festival, not the restaurant. Minare then asked to be security, but Yoshiki explained it's wasn't because she was a bad employee, but she didn't believe in the Dreamland of Bread and Curry he wanted to build.
Later Minare was with Chuya, complaining about Yoshiki letting her go. She then started saying he was gay, because he had pictures with famous people, but only with males he had his hand on their "ass". Chuya then remembered that he often touched his ass in the kitchen feeling embarrassed he didn't notice it earlier. Later that evening, Minare was still ranting about her future and Chuya mentioned if she wanted to come live at his place. After a moment of silence, she stood up yelling as she imagined her future with him and killing him. She declined, wanting the things between them remain smooth. But before leaving, she told him that if she is in real need, she will come to him.
As Minare came home, she was lying on the ground, still ranting about her money problem. She then was picked up by Oki and as she realized it, she slammed him on the floor and called police. When the police came, it became clear that she was in Oki's apartment and not hers and that everytime she drinks, she ends up there and he ends up carrying her on the floor above to her apartment. He explained he wasn't doing it because he wanted, but if he didn't and just locked her outside, she would start yelling, pounding the door and wanting to go in. As she left ashamed, she then called Mato, telling him that she accepts the radio job and asking him if she can sleep somewhere at the studio.
On the next day, Minare went to the studio with a full backpack of cosmetic items, so she can make the studio's storage room feel like her home. She then spoke with Mato, who offered her to have her own talk show. Minare told him all that depends on the pay and Mato explained that paying will depend on her and how popular the show is. Minare then asked what time her show would be, so that she find a part-time job, but hearing it will be at 3am she made a bit of ruckus as who would listen at that time.
Mizuho Nanba then invited her to stay in her place and not in the storage room at the radio. Minare quickly accepted. That evening they had a nice talk about why Mizuho liked working there and that the 8 seconds rule Mato told to Minare was a lie. As she understood things were quite lax and calm at the radio, she decided to make the listeners complain, to bring attention and that made Mizuho laugh. As they went to sleep, Mizuho turned on the radio to listen to the night program they had.
In the morning Minare told Mizuho she will feed her turtles, so Mizuho can go to work. As she overslept and woke up, she was happy to find food prepared for her. When she went to see the turtles, she was shocked on the amount of preparations she had to do for the turtles food and that Mizuho was doing it each day. Later she went out with Chuyo, thinking of finding a sponsor, but after she spoke with Mato on the phone and understood the bit amount of money they will need, she gave up on looking for one. Chuyo then tried to make her quit the radio and return to the restaurant and apologize to Yoshiki, as she eventually agreed, when they went into the restaurant, Chuya received a call from Yoshiki, telling him he got injured in an accident.
Minare started working at the restaurant, but they needed 3 people for the restaurant to work and were quite busy. Later she spoke with Chuya, who expressed his feelings and why he liked Minare. In the end Minare promised him that if he manages to get his own restaurant in the next four years, she will come work with him. In that moment Makie Tachibana came and introduced herself. Her brother was the one that caused the incident with Yoshiki and she wanted to work there for free until Yoshiki returns. A bit hesitant, they eventually agreed and put her in charge of washing dishes.
A couple of days passed with Makie working at the restaurant. At the end of the workday, Minare remembered she forgot Mizuho's cake in the fridge and returned to the restaurant where Minare noticed Chuya and Makie outside of the restaurant. Chuya had discovered Makie was not going home, after calling Makie’s family home and that Makie was staying in the restaurant’s staff room, Chuya disapproved of Makie's use of the restaurant to lie, and reluctantly Chuya invited Makie to his place to stay. Minare flustered from hearing Chuya invite Makie to his place to stay, was wondering if she should bother to call Chuya as he invited her to stay at his place, but invited Makie to his place. At which point her phone rang, it was Mato informing her she starts tonight and her show titled "Wave, listen to me!" and will run for twenty minutes.
Relationships[]
Etymology[]
- Minare's surname Koda means "hand drum" (鼓) (ko) and "field, rice paddy" (田) (ta/da).