is a
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series written by Sei Takekawa and illustrated by
Mutsumi Inomata. ''The Weathering Continent'' centers on three travelers – the delicately beautiful sorcerer Tieh, the burly and reticent warrior Bois, and the spritely young Lakshi – as they trek through the shattered wastelands of the ancient continent of
Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...
.
The first installment of ''The Weathering Continent'' was published in ''
Monthly Dragon Magazine
, frequently abbreviated as "''Doramaga''" or "''DM''", is a Japanese light novel and manga magazine aimed at young adult males, first published in 1988. Since March 19, 2008 the magazine has been published every other month. The light novel maga ...
'' in April 1988, with a total of 28 collected novels released from November 1990 to April 2006. An
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 ...
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
based on the novels was also released theatrically in Japan on July 18, 1992. It is available in the United States courtesy of
Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
. During the novels' original run, several side stories were published. A short, sequel series also followed when the original ''The Weathering Continent'' ended.
Media
Novels
''The Weathering Continent'',
serial novels written by Sei Takekawa and illustrated by
Mutsumi Inomata, was first serialized in the
Fujimi Shobo ''
seinen
is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Ma ...
'' publication ''
Monthly Dragon Magazine
, frequently abbreviated as "''Doramaga''" or "''DM''", is a Japanese light novel and manga magazine aimed at young adult males, first published in 1988. Since March 19, 2008 the magazine has been published every other month. The light novel maga ...
'' in the April 1990 issue. The series totals 28 collected volumes. The first was released on November 11, 1988 and the last was released on April 20, 2006. The entire ''The Weathering Continent'' series was also collected into five larger volumes and published on September 28, 2007.
During the publication of ''The Weathering Continent'', several related stories were issued: The three volume ; the three volume ; and the single volume . A sequel
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series, , has been published in two volumes by Kadokawa Haruki Corporation from November 2010 to March 2011.
Anime film
The ''Weathering Continent''
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 ...
film was produced by
I.G. Tatsunoko (later
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 ...
) and released theatrically in Japan on July 18, 1992 as part of a triple bill with
''The Heroic Legend of Arislan II'' and
''Silent Möbius: The Motion Picture 2''. It was written and directed by
Kōichi Mashimo
(born June 21, 1952) is a Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in a large number of the studio's works, for example, as a member ...
and features character designs by
Nobuteru Yūki
is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, animator and doujinshi artist. He has designed characters for manga, anime and video games, and has frequently collaborated with director Kazuki Akane, including on his most famous work, ''The Vision ...
and music by
Michiru Oshima
Michiru (満, みちる, ミチル) is a Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, 1970s J-Pop artist
*, Japanese composer
*, Japanese pop singer and songwriter
*, Japanese voice actor
*, Japanese anime scriptwriter
*, Japane ...
. The film made its way to
VHS in Japan via
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
on December 16, 1992. It has aired on both the
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
network and the
Bandai Channel
is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002, by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise, Bandai Visual
was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Ba ...
. The film was localized in the United States by
Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
with English voice recordings by
NYAV Post
NYAV Post is an American recording studio located in New York City. It was founded by Michael Sinterniklaas in 2000, with a West Coast branch located in Los Angeles, California.
The studio is prolific in recording anime dubs, original animati ...
. It was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on July 29, 2003. The film was aired on the
Starz network channels throughout 2006.
CDs and artbooks
A number of audio CDs relating to ''The Weathering Continent'' have been published in Japan. An original soundtrack to the anime film, consisting of a total of 25 background and vocal tracks, was released in two volumes by
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...
on July 18, 1991 and January 21, 1993. The company also released CD singles for the anime's vocal songs by Yui Nishiwaki and
Arai Akino
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and lyricist for various anime theme songs and shows, including ''Record of Lodoss War'', ''Please Save My Earth'', ''Macross Plus'', ''Outlaw Star'', ''Kaze no Stigma'', ''Maoyu'', and ''Aria (manga), Aria The ...
.
Three
art book
Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that utilize the form of the book. They are often published in small editions, though they are sometimes produced as one-of-a-kind objects.
Overview
Artists' books have employed a ...
s based on ''The Weathering Continent'' have also been issued: ''Mutsumi Inomata Paintings Collection The Weathering Continent: Un Ballo en Maschera'', ''Dragon Magazine Collection The Weathering Continent The Approach of Atlantis'', and ''Fujimi Fantasia Comics: The Weathering Continent''.
Reviews from Outside of Japan
Brian Hanson of the
Anime News Network had high expectations for the anime, but was ultimately bored by it. He summarized the film as "a group of mopey kids on a dying mid-Atlantic continent from long, long ago comment on their bleak lives and their bleak world and how bleak everything is".
Raphael See of THEM Anime Reviews made similar comments, calling the pace of the plot "a little faster than the diffusion of molasses through a granite wall" and that the key characters constantly reflect on past events.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weathering Continent, The
1988 manga
1990 Japanese novels
1992 anime films
2010 Japanese novels
Adventure anime and manga
Fujimi Fantasia Bunko
Kadokawa Dwango franchises
Japanese serial novels
Light novels
Production I.G
Seinen manga
Japanese fantasy novels
1990 fantasy novels
2010s fantasy novels
1990s Japanese-language films
Japanese animated fantasy films
Films based on Japanese novels
Japanese novels adapted into films
1992 fantasy films