is a Japanese
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
television series produced by
Production I.G
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...
.
A
manga adaptation was published in ''
Comic Blade
was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published in February 2002 and was sold on the 30 of each month until July 2014. It restarted in September 2014 as a free online magazine titled ''Online Magazine Comic ...
'' in 2005.
Plot
The story is divided in two story arcs. The "Heian Chapter" takes place in Kyoto during the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
and follows Minamoto no Hikaru, the younger sister of
Minamoto no Raikō
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mi ...
, on a quest to save Japan. The "Tokyo Chapter" follows the reincarnations of Hikaru and her comrades as the ancient evils of days past manifest themselves in present-day Tokyo.
Heian Chapter
The "Heian Chapter" is set in the middle of the
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
, where the people of the capital of
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
are in deep agony, focusing their last hopes on the retrieval of the five
magatama that represent the
five elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth). Legend has it that when the magatama are laid together, their circle of Affinity will save the capital from suffering and whoever places the last stone is to become the emperor.
Three of the Magatamas are scattered throughout
Japan. The Emperor, relying on the prophecies of
Abe no Seimei
was an ''onmyōji'', a leading specialist of ''Onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian period in Japan.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Pres ...
, delegates the task of recovering the three lost Magatamas to
Minamoto no Raikō
, also known as Minamoto no Raikō, served the regents of the Fujiwara clan along with his brother Yorinobu, taking the violent measures the Fujiwara were themselves unable to take. He is one of the earliest Minamoto of historical note for his mi ...
of the
Minamoto clan
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was most prevalent during th ...
. However, Raikō is struck by an epidemic and barely able to move. Instead his younger sister, Hikaru, secretly takes his place.
Hikaru is joined by
Watanabe no Tsuna
(953–1025) was a Japanese samurai, a companion in arms of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (also known as Raikō), one of the earliest samurai to be famed for his military exploits in a number of tales and legends.
Watanabe no Tsuna was the first pers ...
,
Usui Sadamitsu
was a warrior of the mid-Heian period. His official name was .
According to Otogizōshi stories compiled several centuries later, Sadamitsu was a retainer of the Japanese legendary hero Minamoto no Raikō. Sadamitsu is known as one of The Fou ...
,
Urabe no Suetake
was a samurai of the Heian period (794 – 1185) in the service of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948 – 1021), a regent of the Fujiwara clan. Suetake was formally known as , and also appears in literature as and . Suetake assisted Yorimitsu t ...
and
Kintarō
is a folk hero from Japanese folklore. A child of superhuman strength, he was raised by a yama-uba ("mountain witch") on Mount Ashigara. He became friendly with the animals of the mountain, and later, after catching Shuten-dōji, the terror of ...
and manages to collect all but one magatama: the Magatama of Fire.
Hikaru returns to the capital with news that Shutendouji, who possesses the missing magatama, has plans to attack. The court does not believe her, but Hikaru and her party decide to stop Shutendouji and recover the last magatama. With the five magatama in hand, Seimei's true intent is revealed. The
onmyoji plans to create a circle of Enmity and bring about the destruction of the capital in order to save it.
Hikaru confronts Abe no Seimei, only to find out that he is none other than Mansairaku, her love. She tries to shoot him with an arrow but she is constantly held back by her feelings. Hikaru keeps demanding that Mansairaku stop his destructive spell, but he does not listen. She charges towards him with her dagger, but fails to pierce his heart, and he continues with the spell.
Just after the final pillar of light appears and the destruction of the capital begins, Hikaru starts to play her flute, a sound that Mansairaku always loved. Hikaru then tries to remove one of the Magatamas and stops the spell. When she tries, her flute falls on the Magatama of Fire and breaks it, causing the spell to end. As a result, Hikaru's and Mansairaku's souls fly to heaven.
As the capital settles from its near destruction, Sadamitsu and Kintaro, the only surviving heroes of Hikaru's group, lay to rest the souls of Hikaru, Tsuna and Urabe. Kintaro asks Sadamitsu, " Where did they go?" To which Sadamitsu answers, "They went off to this place full of flowers, some place far away."
Tokyo Chapter
The "Tokyo Chapter" follows the reincarnations of Hikaru and her comrades in present-day Tokyo. Hikaru is a high school student and the landlady of an apartment housing called Minamoto Heights. While her tenants include the freelance writer Tsuna, the fortuneteller Urabe, Sadamitsu and a little boy named Kintaro.
Hikaru's brother, Raiko, has been missing for a year when she sees him for the first time amidst a crowd of people in Tokyo. While the story evolves, Hikaru is confronted with even stranger events, like the appearance of a ghost train on the
Yamanote
and are traditional names for two areas of Tokyo, Japan. Yamanote refers to the affluent, upper-class areas of Tokyo west of the Imperial Palace.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version While citizens once considered it as ...
-Line and the recurring encounters with Mansairaku.
Eventually, Hikaru finds out the locations where paranormal phenomena are occurring are related and interacting because of their affinity with the five elements. The Japanese capital is, once again, threatened with destruction. Hikaru, Hikaru's party and Mansairaku join forces to restore the circle of Affinity and save Tokyo. Having put right the ancient wrongs, Mansairaku vanishes and Hikaru's brother returns.
Characters
Shutendoji (Voiced by:
Yasunori Matsumoto
is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Sigma Seven. Some of Matsumoto's most notable roles are Wataru Akiyama in '' Initial D'', Jean Havoc in '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', Magnum Ace in Shippū! Iron Leaguer, Gourry Gabriev in '' Sl ...
(Japanese); Jeffrey Stackhouse (English))
Ibaragi (Voiced by:
Kaho Kōda
is a Japanese voice actress, who was born on July 8, 1967, in Tokyo, Japan. She is represented by 81 Produce.
Notable filmography
*Nataku in Saiyuki
*Kanoe in X/1999 the series
*Kinu in Shinobido: Way of the Ninja
* Cher Degré in Wolf's Rain
...
(Japanese);
Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English))
Kuzume (Voiced by:
Mayumi Asano
is a Japanese voice actress who is currently part of Office Osawa.
Filmography Television
Video games
*'' Armored Core: Last Raven'' (2005) – Zinaida
*'' Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2'' (2017) – Baiken
*'' Samurai Shodown'' (2021) – Baiken
* ...
; (Japanese);
Mari Devon
Mari Devon (born October 10, 1959) is a retired American voice actress, best known as the voice of Togemon from ''Digimon Adventure'', Renamon from ''Digimon Tamers'', Tammy Nobi from '' Doraemon 2005'', Haruka Urashima from the '' Love Hina'' ser ...
(English))
Hoshikuma (Voiced by:
Otoya Kawano
is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Taketa, Ōita.
Notable voice roles
*Seishiro Sakurazuka in X/1999 the series
*Gain Bijo in Overman King Gainer
*Bougan man in Samurai 7
*Ikazuchi no Takamaru in Onmyou Taisenki
*Ryūjirō Sasaki in Sam ...
(Japanese);
Kim Strauss
Kim Strauss is an American voice actor and best-selling author with his children's book ''Kalan the Mighty Warrior: Book One – Braxus the Owl: Guardian of the Forest And He is The Voice of Ninjor in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"
History
He is ...
(English))
Production
Broadcast
''Otogi Zoshi'' aired on
Nippon Television from 6 July 2004 to 4 January 2005, totaling 24 episodes.
On 22 March 2005, NTV aired the first part of the "Special Chapter". Also known as , the episode takes place one year before the events of the Tokyo Chapter and focuses on Urabe. The second part, , aired the following week. The special takes place before the events of the Tokyo Chapter and focuses on Mansairaku, who reflects on his deeds while talking to a stranger about his mission to guard the city.
Music
The music for the "Heian Chapter" was composed by
Hideki Taniuchi
is a Japanese composer and arranger from Hokkaido. He is best known for composing music for the ''Death Note,'' '' Real Drive,'' '' Akagi'' and '' Kaiji'' anime TV series. He also composed music used in the anime ''Aoi Bungaku'' and the "Heian Arc ...
, while
Kenji Kawai
is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kam ...
composed the music for the "Tokyo Chapter".
The first opening theme is ("Zen"), performed by Attack Haus, while the first ending theme is ("Hoshi ni Negai wo"), performed by
Chieko Kawabe
, born February 24, 1987 in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer, model and actress. She played Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon musicals and was Naru Osaka in the live action adaptation of Sailor Moon. Several of her songs have been used in anime seri ...
. The second opening theme ("Ashita wa Kyou to Onaji Mirai"), performed by Gomes the Hitman, while the second ending theme is ("Cry Baby"), performed by
Chieko Kawabe
, born February 24, 1987 in Tokyo, is a Japanese singer, model and actress. She played Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon musicals and was Naru Osaka in the live action adaptation of Sailor Moon. Several of her songs have been used in anime seri ...
.
References
External links
*
Series outline by Production I.G*
{{Production I.G
2004 anime television series debuts
2005 anime films
2005 manga
Anime television films
Anime with original screenplays
Films about reincarnation
Mag Garden manga
Production I.G
Shōnen manga
Nippon TV original programming