Who is Haruki Shiga?
Haruki Shiga is the main character in the I Want to Eat Your Pancreas series and the first person to figure out Sakura Yamauchi’s mystery. In the story’s sequel novel, he is Fuyu’s father.
Voice Actor of Haruki Shiga
The Japanese voice actor, Mahiro TAKASUGI contributed his voice to Haruki Shiga whereas Robbie DAYMOND has voiced for the English version of this character.
Personality
He is anti-social and sedentary at the start of the story. In the story, he barely expressed any emotions. As the story progresses, it becomes clear that he is a coward who is afraid to form any relationships because he does not want himself or others to be harmed as a result of his actions.
However, by the end of the story, he has learned how to be more open about his emotions. He appears to be a good person who is grateful to others. With the help of Sakura, he learns to express himself and interact with others throughout the story. He learns how to love and be loved by others, as well as how to care for them. It is during this transformation that he begins to reveal his true feelings for Sakura.
Appearance
Haruki is a plain-looking high school student with a bored expression on his face (at least according to his fellow classmates). His jet-black hair is styled in a way that is common when men let their hair grow naturally without styling it, contributing to his overall common and simple appearance.
His school uniform consists of a pale beige blazer with brown details, a white shirt, a blue necktie, black dress pants, and dark brown loafers, which he wears frequently. He appears to be dressed in plain colored t-shirts and plain outfits that do not make him stand out.
Story
Haruki is first seen returning books to Sakura, who informs him of a superstition she holds. She tells him about a superstition that claims that eating someone’s organ will cure them of their disease. Haruki advises her to follow the library’s rules because she was being extremely loud.
Following that, we are taken to a flashback in which Haruki discovers a strange book on a chair in the hospital. The title of the book is Living With Dying. When he opens the book to read it, he discovers that the owner is suffering from a terminal illness and will pass away soon.
Sakura then greets him and informs him that she is the owner of the book. She expresses her gratitude to Haruki for finding it, and she admits that she was afraid she had misplaced it. Sakura then tells him about her pancreatic disease and asks if he’s surprised, to which Haruki responds with a blunt response and walks away.
Sakura invites Haruki to eat Yakiniku and Offal with him the next day. Sakura discusses the superstitious religious act of eating another’s organ as well as her favorite foods while she’s there. They pass through a market on their way out, where they witness a man behaving badly towards an elderly woman.
Sakura then sprints towards the man, grabbing his attention, and kicking him in the crotch with a swing kick. While the audience laughs, Sakura grabs Haruki’s hand (who is taken aback by her actions) and drags him away as they flee the authorities.
Sakura invites Haruki out for more Yakiniku and Offal the next day. While they’re there, Sakura’s best friend, Kyoko Takimoto, notices them and assumes they’re on a date. She warns Sakura that there are better guys in her league, but Sakura declines and claims they aren’t dating. Haruki watches Takahiro approach Sakura during their school recess to give her a “super rare CD.”
He overhears a group of girls claiming that Takahiro is the class representative and that he is extremely popular among girls, with girls fawning over him all the time. After school, Sakura and Haruki go to a cafe, where she tells him about her recent breakup with a classmate.
Issei Miyata eventually approaches Haruki the next day and asks if he’s dating Sakura. Haruki declines him, just as he did the others. Kyoko eventually arrives and smacks him across the face for slacking off instead of cleaning. When Miyata walks away, Kyoko gives Haruki a threatening look.
Haruki joins Sakura on a trip as the school break approaches. Sakura tells Haruki that he didn’t bring any extra clothes, and Haruki says he can get some when they arrive. Haruki asks Sakura how she persuaded her parents to let her go on a trip, and Sakura responds that she duped them into thinking she was going to have a sleepover at Kyoko’s and that she would cover for her.
When she realizes that Haruki did the same thing, she laments the fact that she doesn’t have any real friends.
Sakura then takes out her diary and inquires about Haruki’s name. Haruki reveals his full name to Sakura, but the audience is kept in the dark. Sakura is taken aback when she discovers that she and Haruki have been assigned to the same room, but in a higher floor.
Sakura rushes to the bathroom to take a shower as soon as she enters the hotel room. She, on the other hand, forgets her facial lotion and has to rely on Haruki to get it for her. However, when he opens her bag, he is surprised to find several packs of pills and syringes.
Despite this, he goes into the bathroom and retrieves her lotion, which he places on the bathroom floor. Haruki emerges from his bath and informs Sakura that she has brought drinks. He realizes it’s alcohol after taking a sip. Sakura then suggests that they play Truth or Dare, but with cards that are similar to those used in the game.
Sakura first inquires as to which girl in their class he finds the most attractive, to which Haruki responds that he prefers the girl who excels in math.
She then asks Haruki where he would rank her in terms of attractiveness in their class, and Haruki says that based on everyone he can remember, he would rank her around third. Haruki then inquires about Sakura’s childhood, to which she responds that she was more of a troubled child. The game continues with the two learning more about each other, until Sakura rebels and asks if it was an interview.
Sakura’s next move gives Haruki a choice between stating three things about her that he finds cute or carrying her to bed. Haruki quickly offers her his hands in place of his hands, but Sakura declines. He then carries Sakura to bed, blushing as he places her on the bed.
Sakura, whose turn is next, asks Haruki what he would do if she admitted to being afraid of dying, prompting Haruki to recall the massive hound of medication he saw in Sakura’s bag. He then chooses Dare to sidestep the question, and Sakura tells him to accept the dare with no reservations. She then instructs Haruki to climb into bed with her, which he does without protest.
Sakura asks Haruki if he enjoyed the trip the next day on the train home, and is surprised when he says yes. Haruki is approached by Kyoko while reading on the balcony some time later, and she asks him why he went on the trip with her. When Haruki doesn’t respond, she smacks his book from his grip, causing it to fall to the floor and become soaked.
She admonishes him about Sakura’s fragility and proclivity for crying. Sakura cried for days after a breakup she had in Junior High, she tells him. She then threatens to kill him if he does anything to Sakura at the end of the conversation.
Haruki discovers that Sakura’s favorite book is The Little Prince while working in the library. Sakura invites Haruki over to her house after finishing work in the library to lend him her copy of The Little Prince, where they spend hours chatting and playing video games.
When Sakura asks if he has a crush on her, Haruki awkwardly denies it and stands up to look for her book on the bookshelf, only to be hugged by Sakura, who tells him that she’s always wanted to do something naughty to someone.
She stops and backs away as she leans in to kiss him, laughing and giggling and telling him she was only joking. Haruki then angrily pushes Sakura down onto the bed, clutching her wrists tightly. Sakura then becomes terrified and, while crying, tells him to let go of her.
Haruki rose from his seat, grabbed the book from her shelf, and walked out the door, leaving Sakura alone. Haruki opened his umbrella as he exited Sakura’s house gates to avoid getting soaked in the rain.
Takahiro, who is walking nearby, asks why Sakura fell for him, to which Haruki responds that their relationship wasn’t what he expected. Takahiro punched Haruki in the face, knocking him to the ground, thinking it would help Sakura. Sakura then bursts from within and rushes down to assist Haruki.
Takahiro proudly admits to punching him when she asks who had hurt him. Sakura then becomes enraged and tells Takahiro that she despises him, which surprises him. He turns around and walks away, enraged. Haruki then tells Sakura that she should be with someone who truly cares about her because their meeting was purely by chance, but Sakura refutes this and claims that all of their actions were solely for the purpose of bringing them together, and she backs this up with an apology.
Haruki meets Sakura in the hospital after several days. When she turns around to see him, he is embarrassed that he has seen her dancing in her room. She retires to her bed and informs Haruki that she was only in the hospital because some of her numbers were incorrect, and the two begin playing cards while discussing why the class believes Haruki is stalking Sakura.
Haruki thanks Sakura for teaching him so many things as she stands up to look out the window. Sakura accepts this with a warm embrace. When Kyoko walks into the room, she is enraged to see them hugging. Sakura then diverts Kyoko’s attention away from Haruki, allowing him to flee. Haruki and Sakura watch the fireworks festival together from the hospital’s rooftop at night.
Haruki expresses his concern for Sakura and his desire for her to live. Sakura then begins to enjoy the fireworks while giving each other a warm hug. Sakura then promises to accompany him to the beach once she is released. On the day she is discharged, they plan to meet at the cafe where they had previously met.
Haruki arrives at the cafe where he is supposed to meet Sakura on the day she is discharged. On his way there, he encounters Miyata, who engages him in conversation and offers him some gum. Haruki walks ahead of Miyata, who is surprised by his younger siblings. When he arrives at the cafe, he and Sakura exchange texts on their phones, in which she requests a compliment after Haruki made a “mean joke” to her.
Haruki then waits a long time for Sakura to arrive, but she never does. She then texts him, apologizing for being late because she had just left the house. Haruki mulls over what to type for a moment, reflecting on how much he has changed as a result of her. He typed “I wish I could make a potion from the dirt under your nails,” then deleted it and replaced it with “I want to eat your pancreas.” After that, he sends her a text message. Sakura did not respond and did not meet with Haruki on that particular day. He returns home, worried.
Haruki sees Sakura on the news that night, having been stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious on the ground, having been a victim of a homicide. An ambulance attempt to save her had failed, and she died as a result.
Haruki is last seen at home, unable to attend her mother’s funeral due to her grief. Haruki then goes to Sakura’s mother and asks for permission to borrow her cellphone. Sakura’s mother recognizes him as her daughter’s “special friend,” telling him that she told him that someone would come to get her Living With Dying. Haruki discovers that Sakura had received his message after she hands over her cellphone and journal to him.
After that, he reads her journal, which makes him cry when he gets to the last entry. He expresses gratitude to her mother, who permits him to take her journal home. After that, he invites Kyoko to the cafe where he was supposed to meet Sakura a few days before, and they talk about Sakura and her illness.
Kyoko becomes enraged at him for not telling her, and Haruki responds by handing her Sakura’s Living With Dying, which Kyoko tears up after reading. He then invites Kyoko to be his friend.
Conclusion
Haruki and Kyoko visit Sakura’s grave together at the end of the story, implying that the two have finally become friends. As they leave to visit Sakura’s home to see Sakura’s family, they leave Sakura some flowers and Kyoko offers Haruki some gum. Haruki smiles as they walk away, and a Sakura tree leaf slowly falls down and lands on top of Sakura’s tombstone.
Relationships
Sakura Yamauchi
Despite Haruki’s initial dislike for her, the two appeared to have an awkward relationship at the beginning of the series. Haruki, on the other hand, grows accustomed to Sakura’s boisterous behavior and appears to develop feelings for her.
Sakura receives a text message from him saying, “I want to eat your pancreas,” proving his feelings for her (it is believed that eating a part of someone’s body will allow their soul to live on inside yours due to a superstition/religion). Sakura understood why he wouldn’t call her by her name because doing so would advance their relationship, causing him to be even more hurt when her time came.
He eventually realized he did love Sakura and had been harboring romantic feelings for her all along.
After a few years, Fuyu inquired about Haruki’s feelings for her. “We weren’t friends, family, or lovers,” he explains. We got along, she said, but I think that’s a stretch.” Fuyu had no idea what he was talking about. No one really understood Haruki and Sakura’s special relationship, he explained. That their relationship was more than just friends or lovers; it was like they were soul mates.
Kyoko Takimoto
Kyoko initially despised Haruki, but after Sakura’s death, the two eventually came to terms with each other and became friends. They pay their respects to Sakura’s grave and then pay their respects to Sakura’s family. At the conclusion of the film, it is implied that the two are dating.
You May Also Like To Read: Angel Adoree Summer LaButte