Benio "Benibara" Amakusa (天草 紅緒 Amakusa Benio), aka The Lady of the Red Rose (紅薔薇の君 Benibara-no-kimi), is the president and the most popular member of the The White Lily League and Zuka Club.
Appearance
Benio is a tall pale-skinned young woman with cropped brown hair that has bangs swept to the left, green eyes. Her face has a slightly masculine structure. She wears the standard Lobelia uniform, except when in costume or street-wear.
Story
Benio immediately recognizes Haruhi Fujioka as a girl because of, as she puts it, her "maidenly beautiful eyes."
Benio has a very large fan club devoted to her; so large that a "Benibara-sama's Guardian Club" has been founded at St. Lobelia's just to make sure she doesn't get mobbed when walking around campus. Benio's flirting with her fans makes them even more crazy for her and they are depicted in the anime as howling red octopi. Although neither would admit it, Benio and Tamaki Suoh have much in common: both being the presidents of their respective clubs, both flirting with ease, and both possessing over-confidence and melodramatic natures, to name a few.
In Ep 19 - Lobelia Girls' Academy Strikes Back!, Benio claims to be following in the footsteps of her mother, who is intimated to be a Zuka Club past-president of renown, though this is unverified. Benio uses it, however, as a ploy to attempt what she believes is Haruhi's first kiss in front of Tamaki as revenge for having defied the Zuka Club's beliefs. In the manga, it is simply a ruse to show the foolishness of men.
Etymology
- The name Benio means "crimson, deep red" (紅) (beni) and "thread" (緒) (o).
- Benio's surname Amakusa means "heaven/heavenly, sky, imperial" (天) (ama) and "grass, herb, weed" (草) (kusa).
Trivia
- The name Benibara means "crimson, deep red" (紅) (beni) and "rose" (薔薇) (bara).
- She hates men because she believes them to be useless and stupid.
- After her initial appearance in the manga, she is not seen again until Chapter 81.
- Like Chizuru "Suzuran" Maihara and Hinako "Hinagiku" Tsuwabuki, Benio is openly lesbian.
- Although she is a female, she refers to herself with the pronoun "boku", which is usually used by males.
- Benio attempts to woo Haruhi Fujioka, despite her obvious disinterest and disdain for the Zuka club bothering her.
Gallery
- Main article: Benio "Benibara" Amakusa/Image Gallery