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Saena Mogami
Saena Mogami
Manga | Anime

Saena mogami

Kanji 最上冴菜
Rōmaji Mogami Saena
Personal Information
Gender Female
Age 28 (Flashback)
45
Birthday Somewhere between December
and February[1]
Status
Status Alive
Relatives Kyoko Mogami (Daughter)
Occupation Lawyer[2]
Affiliations Viride General Law Office
Debut
Manga ACT.004 (first mentioned)
ACT.218 (first actual appearance)
Portrayal
Live Action Actor Xie Qiong Nuan


Saena Mogami (最上 冴菜 Mogami Saena) is a lawyer working at Viride General Law Office [2] and the mother of Kyoko Mogami [3].

After having left her as a child in the care of the Fuwa family, Saena crosses paths with Kyoko again while she is a legal consultant for the drama series Minamori Miyako, in which Kanae Kotonami stars in.

Appearance[]

Saena's face in Kyoko's flashback

Saena's face in the memories

Saena is considered as a very beautiful woman with black-colored hair that is always put beautifully up into a bun (just like in Kyoko Mogami's memory), dark-colored eyes and a tall, slim figure.

Saena is also shown wearing a dark-colored skirt suit offset with a white top. Her only jewelry worn is a necklace. When she and Kyoko see each other at the elevator [4], she wears a small round badge.

Personality[]

During Kyoko Mogami's childhood, Saena was portrayed as a very cold, strict and a perfectionist woman who always wanted Kyoko to get 100 percent on her tests or else she would not compliment her. She left Kyoko when she was six years old to Sho Fuwa's parents and they raised her instead.[5][6]

She seems to care at least a little bit about what Kyoko does. As Sho revealed, Saena was sending money to his parents in order to let Kyoko stay in their place as well care for her. Also, she was seen looking at reviews about Kyoko's acting as Mio Hongo in Dark Moon.[7]

Background[]

Saena's hometown is in Kyoto, where she has lived until she left to work at Tokyo. Yamagutchi describes her as someone who came from an elite background, coming from a prestigious university. Saena was also apparently the topnotch-er of her batch during the Law bar exams, successfully passing it on her first try.

During her childhood, Saena mentioned that people would always ask her if she was angry due to the way her brows twitch. Little do they know, Saena's brows twitch whenever she thinks of something deeply and is not actually because she is angry.

Plot[]

Introduction arc[]

During Kyoko Mogami's audition for LME and while performing Katsuramuki, Kyoko thinks of her mother and recalls a conversation she overheard between Sho Fuwa's parents [8]. Sho's father asked how long will Kyoko stay in there while his mother said that she has not heard anything from Saena yet.

Technicolor Paradise arc[]

Saena suddenly appears in kyokos mind

Saena was hinted to be a ruthless and unloving mother at the start, having abandoned Kyoko. Every time her name is mentioned, Kyoko becomes upset and remembers her traumatizing childhood with her.

When Kyoko needs a passport to travel to Guam, for the Tragic Marker shooting as Setsuka Heel, she needs a legal guardian to sign her passport and was able to contact Saena at her workplace.

Saena's arc[]

Saena's name is listed on the Minamori Miyako script as a legal consultant.[9]

Saena browsing in the coffee shop

When Kyoko came back from Guam, Sho has visited her at Darumaya. Sho stated that Saena has contacted his parents regarding Kyoko.[10] Sho then reveals that Saena has been sending money to his parents in order for them to let Kyoko live in their inn as well care for her.

Saena checking her laptop

Saena is then seen again in a coffee shop. She was browsing the internet when her phone suddenly rang. She answers her phone, “Hello-this is Mogami. Huh? ..tomorrow? I know, it is at the same television office as today. The other side had already told me. Yes. Live broadcast for tomorrow’s 8 a.m. ‘special report’. 9 o’clock go in the studio. I understand—" After she hang up the phone, she continued to read the rankings of new programs which has a review of Box "R" about Kyoko's performance.[11]

It mentions that on Box "R", the actress who was portraying Mio is the strongest catalyst in it. Her brilliant acting made people remember the uniqueness of Mio. Alongside, compared to Mio’s audience, there are many critics who said ‘there is no good anticipation’, ‘and there is space for progress’. People were disappointed since they expected more of Mio's "evilness" in the show.

The most awaited reunion - Saena and Kyoko

After reading it, Saena closes the browser.[7] The 'special report' turned out to be the crime investigation during the traffic jam accident that involved Chiori. Saena turned out to be the lawyer who was responsible for the case.[12]

Saena mogami looking at her daughter

Later, at Fuji TV, when the elevator she was riding on opened, she was seen putting something back in her bag.[13] Then, when finished, she started walking out of the elevator and looked at a very shocked Kyoko.[14][15]

Saena looks at the Love Me badge. She then looks down on Kyoko’s Love Me jumpsuit. She looks back up to Kyoko as Kyoko looks back at her. Saena scowls as Kyoko becomes more tense. Saena passes by her then walks away.

When Kanae and Kyoko were talking later, Kanae mentioned how Saena actually helped her a lot with her script and even told Kyoko that her character "Natsu" resembles Saena a lot that's why she was able to recognize that she was Saena's daughter.

Later, at Saena's workplace, at the Viride General Law Office, Saena tells a sobbing woman that it is alright, they will do their utmost in accordance to her request and she will defend her. The woman bows and exclaims that she’ll leave it to her.

Saena talking to a client

Outside the room, the secretary is talking with someone on the phone. She tells the other party that she is very worried for if that fever continues, he has to be hospitalized but then, she notices that Saena is looking at her. Hanging up the phone, the secretary apologizes. She explains that her child had a fever and was bedridden for three days, so she is a bit worried. Saena tells her that it is alright but at least finish giving tea to the client.

Saena in her uniform

She reprimands the secretary to at least call on the phone after doing her smallest degree of work.

As Saena leaves, the irked secretary calls someone and angrily complains out loud that just now, she got scolded by that iceberg lawyer, yes, that "unrivaled queen lawyer" and she is just talking on the phone for 15 minutes, so what’s up with that it isn’t like she is talking for an hour.

What’s the big deal and just get someone who is free to pour the tea. She was telling Saena about her child being sick and that person definitely doesn’t have a child for if she did, she will definitely understand the feelings of a parent. Saena hears the rants, but she remains unfazed.

Saena looking at her computer

Then, Saena is at her laptop and is reading an article about Box "R". It mentions about the ratings to be unexpectedly low on the first episode. Then, Saena reads Kyoko's profile on LME website which mentions her birthday, place of birth, height, blood type, expertise, hobbies, filmography and being part of Love Me. Saena scowls again.

Then, a co-worker of Saena's says that her forehead has that deep "Mogami River", just like in the past, which he hasn’t seen for a long time. As Saena looks at him, the man says that once her heart’s water supply overflows, it will definitely cause a torrent but then, he doesn’t hate that despite it wasting her good-looks. He tells her, but during work, it is better to be a bit callous. He praises her television appearance that morning.

Saena scolws

Saena says that if it is possible, she hopes that he doesn’t make her go in front of television again for she isn’t quite good at it. The man says that he is in favor of that and he’ll definitely get their boss to quickly recover as soon as possible.

A secretary passes and welcomes Susumu Todoh back. Saena tells him that furthermore, he must stop those showbiz activities. Todoh laughs and says speaking of showbiz, didn’t Saena record some program a few days ago and it seems that it was after their boss collapsed . He asks when will it be broadcast, today or tomorrow. Saena closes her eyes and replies "Who knows..", maybe she already forgot.

The next day, Lory is watching a program where Saena is featured. A woman is telling Saena about her problem about her custody over her own children as Saena listens to the woman carefully. Then, the woman rants "Is is you've never had a child? You've never experienced things like labor pains and childbirths have you?". Then, with a frozen and straight face, Saena replies, "Certainly. I do not have a child. For me who hasn't become a mother, even if I imagine your pain and frustration, I can't share them. Still, that has nothing to do with here now."

Kyoko recalls a childhood moment with her mother.[16] Saena was crying and Kyoko was witnessing it. She was about to reach for Saena's hand in order to comfort her but instead, Saena pulls her hand away and told Kyoko to not touch her.[17] She tells Kyoko that if she touches her, bad luck will stick to her. She continues to cry and say that she could not afford to lose and she has to win the case she has. In the end, she screams at Kyoko and tells her to get out of the office which made Kyoko very teary-eyed.

Lory also remembers conversation he had with Saena. He did not say anything but Saena appeared to say it would be a lie if she never considered Kyoko as precious even once but she says it's no use since she could never have the confidence to love her.

The following day, Kyoko, thinks about when she called to arrange a meeting with Saena.[18] The person on the phone says that it's actually very rare that Saena's schedule to be rather very cleared that day and she does not seem to have any other days available, which made Kyoko go along with the meeting.

While Kyoko was conversing with Todoh, she mentions Saena is like a hot iron. Once Todoh mentioned her father, Kyoko started to ask more questions which made Todoh say to just ask Saena herself later on.[19]

Kyoko wonders how similar her own past is to Saena's[20] She decided to back out but it is too late; they are already there and Saena is in the parking lot preparing to leave.[21]

Saena looks at Todoh's car and greets him. Todoh opens his window to talk to her.[22] Saena is surprised to see Kyoko in the car.[23] She says nothing but simply stares until Kyoko gets out of Todoh's car.

The two have a few awkward starts to their conversation, during which Saena continues to come off as unpleasant and unwelcoming. Eventually it comes out, due to Kyoko being her her school uniform, that Saena was ashamed of Kyoko for not going to high school. The fact that Kyoko is actually in school now helps to open the door for the two of them to more comfortably communicate.

Later, Kyoko and Saena go into the building and are left alone by Todoh in in an office room. Initially, there is akwardness between them, but they eventually start conversing with each other. Saena starts by asking Kyoko about her relationship with Sho, thinking that they had eloped. However, when Kyoko clarifies that she wasn't in that sort of relationship with Sho, and that he just took her along because he didn't want to be alone and just wanted to have her as a convenient replacement maid, Saena unleashes her inner demon face and tha legendary Mogami River at Kyoko (for allowing herself to be used in such a manner). However, she does also say that she is relieved that Kyoko avoided the worst case scenario (I quote "If you'd gotten with a child, you'd have been piteous"). Kyoko catches on her remark of being "piteous", and lets her now that she is happy with her present self; that even though she (Saena) may find her shameful , she is nevertheless grateful for all the opportunities she has received as an actress and for all the people she has met. Kyoko even goes as far as to say that she is even grateful to her, for giving birth to her (leaving Saena both surprised and speechless).

Saena then goes on to tell Kyoko about her past (in a flashback), where we see a younger Saena as a lawyer, and who is in the midst of a very important case. She is hardworking and seen as a very capable person by her co-workers. Aside from her work, we also see how she is dating a man called Kazuchi Misonoi. Misonoi has a rather care-free , likeable personality is shown to be very expressive and lively (sort of like how Kyoko is). He is also revealed to be Kyoko's father. Saena confides in him a lot of her work-related worries (like how she is not the most social person, and how she is disliked by others) in which Misonoi reassures her and converses with her. Misonoi was also apparently someone who had failed his university entrance exams three times and hadn't been able to even pass the bar exam. Despite this, he is very perceptive of Saena, and he even supports her by stating that she is just someone is misunderstood. Saena is shown to be in love with Misonoi, despite having dated him for 3 months. She event starts doing certain things, like wearing make up to make herself more attractive. We also see her relationship with Todoh- who also shown to be one of her few confidants and friends at work. However, as time passes, Saena is entrusted some very important disks that contain crucial evidence for the case.

Relationships[]

Kyoko Mogami[]

As a child, Kyoko continuously tried to please her indifferent mother. In school, she always requires to achieve perfect grades otherwise her mother would be angry. Because of this, Kyoko often cried as a child. Her mother would often leave her at Sho Fuwa's parents' Ryokan for extended periods of time, thus causing Sho's mother to be more of a mother figure to Kyoko than her own.

Kyoko was able to contact Saena through her workplace to get her signature for her passport so she could go to Guam. When Sho visited her at Darumaya, for a second, Kyoko thought it was going to be her mother.

Then, the two later sees each other after 11 years in an elevator at Fuji TV. Saena just stared at Kyoko and walks past her. Kyoko said to Kanae that she was sure that Saena did recognize her and Saena's reaction wasn't surprising to her because since she was a child, she always felt like Saena thought of her existence as something very detestable.

On the other hand, Saena was seen checking reviews about Kyoko's performance in Dark Moon and Box "R" before they saw each other on the elevator and after they saw each other, Saena goes into LME's website, checked Kyoko's profile, then scowls. Saena is also hinted to be watching Kyoko's performance in Box "R" since when one of her co-workers saw her expression while checking Kyoko's profile, he mentions it was the same expression she had when she was watching one of the shows she recorded earlier that week.

Recently, at a program, Saena denies Kyoko's existence by saying that she does not have a child when a client featured in the show ranted to her that she couldn't possibly understand her pain because she probably never had a child.

Saena reveals during her conversation with Kyoko that in order to avoid abuse, her boss, Katagiri, placed Kyoko with his sister, Yayoi Fuwa, in order to protect her.[24]

Kanae Kotonami[]

Kanae was stunned to see Saena's name as a legal consultant for Minamori Miyako and suspects that Saena might be Kyoko's mother because they have the same surname. Later, her suspicions are confirmed when she sees Saena at her drama shoot and notices her resemblance to Kyoko's appearance in Box "R" as Natsu Kitazawa.

Sho Fuwa[]

Since Sho was a child, he was very much aware of Kyoko Mogami and Saena's strained relationship. When Kyoko cried because of Saena, he didn't know what to do and just stared at her. Then, Sho visits Kyoko at Darumaya and asked her if she met up with Saena directly, and looked seemingly concerned for Kyoko. When he left Darumaya, in his agency's car, Sho thinks that a little bit of hope inside him can't disappear that maybe, Saena cares about Kyoko even just a little since she found out where Kyoko was living.

Susumu Todoh[]

Todoh and Saena seems to know each other quite well and have known each other for a long time since Todoh have seen Kyoko Mogami when she was little. He called Saena a "beautiful" woman. Todoh also knows that Saena's biggest landmine is Kyoko's father [25], having assisted her in an attempt to tracking down his whereabouts after his disappearance.

Ren Tsuruga[]

The two have never met or talked directly. But, when Ren and Lory Takarada were watching an interview where Saena appeared, Lory and Ren agrees that it is the worst since Saena mentioned that she does not have a child, which is not true at all. Ren stated that Saena might be saying this to benefit Kyoko Mogami and she was helping her in her own way.

Kazushi Misonoi[]

Kazushi was Saena's past boyfriend. According to Saena, her emotional subtleties were very difficult to understand but somehow, he saw right through her. Although he was a spy sent by the rival company that Saena and her client were suing against, he did have genuine feelings for her. He never found out that Saena was carrying his child.

Yamagutchi[]

Saena's senior when she was younger. This person was irritated because Saena was better than her, yet she respected her talent and did not mistreat her.

Quotes[]

  • (to Kyoko Mogami) I was so enraged when I thought you dropped out after middle school I could only see crimson.[26]
  • (to Kyoko) You ran away with a man without thinking of the consequences. And then you were ditched after being taken advantage of... I was so annoyed you turned out like this because it was the only trait you inherited from me.[27]
  • (to Kyoko) If you came here to say something, don't keep me waiting. Say it now. You have the right to do so. If you wish to say something or ask me somthing, I will listen.[28]

Etymology[]

  • The name Saena means "be clear, serene, cold, skillful" (冴) (sae) and "vegetables, greens" (菜) (na).
  • Saena's surname Mogami means "most/utmost, extreme" (最) (mo) and "above, top, upper" (上) (kami/gami).

Gallery[]

Main article: Saena Mogami/Gallery

References[]

  1. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 228, Page 23
  2. 2.0 2.1 Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 36, Chapter 215, Page 29
  3. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 1, Chapter 1, Page 17
  4. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 219, Page 28
  5. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 1, Chapter 4, Page 17
  6. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 6, Chapter 35, Page 1
  7. 7.0 7.1 Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 36, Chapter 218, Page 29
  8. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 1, Chapter 4, Page 16
  9. Skip Beat! Manga Series: Volume 36, Chapter, 215 Page 94
  10. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 36, Chapter 216, Page 28-29
  11. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 36, Chapter 218, Page 28
  12. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 219, Page 13
  13. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 219, Page 28
  14. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 219, Page 29
  15. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 219, Page 30
  16. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 224, Page 1
  17. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 224, Page 2
  18. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 15
  19. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 23
  20. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 25-26
  21. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 27
  22. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 29
  23. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 226, Page 30
  24. Skip Beat! Manga Series, Volume 38, Chapter 229, Page 128-132
  25. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 37, Chapter 226, Page 22
  26. Skip Beat! Manga Series: Volume 38, Chapter 227, Page 74
  27. Skip Beat! Manga Series: Volume 38, Chapter 227, Pages 74-75
  28. Skip Beat! Manga Series:Volume 38, Chapter 229, Page 135

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