Umi Matsuzaki

Umi Matsuzaki (松崎 海) is the female protagonist of From Up on Poppy Hill.

Appearance
Umi has a bob with lightly swept bangs with braids and hazel eyes. She is seen in her school uniform including a blue skirt, white shirt and blue line with a red ribbons tied around her neck in a bow, which resembles her grade. Umi's causal wear consists of a light pink top with a hot pink skirt and sweater.

Story
Umi is a 16-year-old girl living in Coquelicot Manor, in Yokohama, Japan. She also known as "the girl who raises flags," because she raises the same pair of signal flags every morning and takes them down every night. When Umi was just a child, her father, a captain, taught her how to raise signal flags and explained that the flags meant "safe voyages." After learning how to raise signal flags, she raised the flags every time her father left port and only took them down when her dad's ship moored at the harbor. However, her dad was killed in the Korean War, when his supply ship struck a mine. Although, she continued to raise the flags hoping her message would reach him. Also, she pays her respects to her father with fresh flowers and a glass of water every morning.

Apart from honoring her father, she cooks and cares for the family and boarders, doing most of the chores like washing, cleaning, cooking and shopping. Her mother is currently in America studying in the medical field. Eventually, Umi meets Shun, a boy whose a member of the school's journalism club remembering him from his daredevil stunt to save the Quartier Latin building. Their second meeting was when her younger sister, Sora, requests her to accompany her to the Quartier Latin building to ask for Shun's autograph. After Shun's stunt to save the Quartier Latin building, Umi has been rather aware of Shun's actions. The two become friends, after Umi helped him with the school's paper numerous times. After getting along with the members of the Quartier Latin building, Umi became known as the "goddess of goodluck" due to the fact that she was responsible for the idea of cleaning and repairing the building as an idea to save it from being demolished.

When Umi invites Shun to Miki's going away celebration, Umi shows Shun a precious photo of her father and two other men he went to school with. Shun's eyes stared at the photo, unable to speak. Shun eventually tells her about the possibility of them being siblings which greatly affected their relationship. Shun began to avoid Umi, but Shun eventually tells her about the possibility of them being siblings which greatly affected their relationship. They agree to forget their romantic feelings towards each other. Because of this, Umi becomes depressed and cannot seem to do things right that evening and the next morning she tries to get back to her routine but is still a little saddened. Umi eventually gets help from several store owners to pitch in and many of kids believe Umi to be their goddess of good luck. The school newspaper talks about the progress of the remodeling, making it more popular than ever.

The next day, Umi, Shun and another member travel to Tokyo to meet with school's board chairman, and managed to persuade him to postpone Latin Quartier demolition until his inspection, he agrees. Before going back home, Umi confesses to Shun she loves him and he returns his affections. After arriving home, Umi discovers that her mom has come home, which Umi is overjoyed by. Later that night, Umi tells her mom about Shun and asks her if he really is her brother, because he looks like her father and also was discovered that city hall confirmed he was her family. Her mother clears the air and says that Shun's father had been killed in an accident on a repatriation ship and his mother died from birth complications. Yūichirō then registered Shun as his son so he could avoid being placed in an orphanage. While Umi's mom did feel terrible for Shun, she couldn't keep him because she was already pregnant with Umi, but another family who had recently lost a child themselves took Shun on. Umi is happy and sad to have closure about the situation.

Tokumaru visits the Latin Quarter and, impressed by the students' efforts, cancels the demolition. Umi and Shun are summoned to the harbor. They meet Yoshio Onodera, now a ship's captain and the third man in the photograph, as well as the sole survivor of the three

He confirms that Shun's father and Umi's father were very good friends with him, which is why Umi's father took Shun in and that Umi and Shun are not related by blood stating that Shun is indeed Tachibana's son and Umi is indeed Sawamura's. With everything resolved and Umi and Shun finding closure, they both looked at each other romantically, hinting that they're love is stronger than ever and will eventually become a couple.

Relationships

 * Hana Matsuzaki (grandmother)
 * Ryoko Matsuzaki (mother)
 * Yūichirō Sawamura (father)
 * Sora Matsuzaki (younger sister)
 * Riku Matsuzaki (younger brother)
 * Shun Kazama (love interest)

Quotes
"After my dad was killed in the Korean War, that was that. But I never stopped raising those flags... I never missed a day."

- Umi to Shun Kazama about the signal flags she that raises

Etymology

 * The name Umi means "sea, ocean" (海).
 * Umi's surname Matsuzaki means "pine tree, fir tree" (松) (matsu) and "cape, peninsula" (崎) (saki/zaki).

Trivia

 * In the original manga, her surname is Komatsuzaki (小松崎).

Umi Matsuzaki コクリコ坂から