is a Japanese

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 Rin Fujiki and illustrated by THORES Shibamoto. The series began in 2007. A manga adaptation by Eiji Kaneda ran from 2012 to 2014, and a second one, illustrated by Anjue Hino, began serialization in 2016. 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 ...

television series adaptation by

J.C.Staff , is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986 by Tomoyuki Miyata, who previously worked at Tatsunoko Production. The studio's first release was ''Yōtōden'' in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as '' Food ...

aired from July 7 to September 22, 2017.

Plot

The story follows two men, Hiraga Josef Kō and Roberto Nicholas, who work for the mysterious organization , an element of the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

dedicated to investigating alleged

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

s; during their work, they usually find themselves involved in mysterious murder cases, which they often end up investigating. Eventually they cross paths with Galdoune, an ancient organization that secretly aims to control the

and since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

is involved in obscure alchemic and scientific experiments in search of a way to reach immortality.

Characters

; : :A young Japanese priest of the

in charge of investigating alleged miracles all around the World. He has an exceptional talent for math and science, which assist him in his role of investigating miracles using a scientific approach. ; : :Joseph's partner in investigations, he's an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

priest with a great knowledge for syncretism and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. He is passionate about ancient knowledge and books, and is well versed in ancient and foreign languages (he knows Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, English and German). It's later revealed that he was orphaned at the age of twelve, after his violent father killed his mother and fled. ; : :The chief of the Seat of the Saints, and a member of the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, pass ...

, he's one of the most powerful men in the

. He has a high respect for the dedication of Joseph and Roberto, to the point of protecting them if necessary from disciplinary sanctions. ; : :A young Italian

hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

known worldwide, he's a genius with an IQ above 200 who was involved in terrorist attacks and other crimes around the world. After his arrest by the Italian government, the Vatican obtained custody of him in order to make use of his exceptional talents. After losing a game with Joseph he agreed to cooperate with him and Roberto, providing them with support and consulting from within his cell. Due to his lack of morals and empathy, he's forced to wear a anklet filled with poison that will kill him immediately if he tries to contravene Vatican orders. ; : :An

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

agent who went in Africa to solve the mysterious death of his friend Amy Boness. During his mission he met Joseph and Roberto, with whom he successfully resolved the case, without however capturing the culprit Julia. Suskins and the two priests meet again in Italy, where they cooperate once again to stop Julia's plans. ; : :An apparently benevolent missionary of an African church, Joseph and Roberto meet him while investigating an alleged miracle in his mission. However, he's subsequently discovered to be a sinister Machiavellian leader of Galdoune. ; : :Joseph's young brother who has a rare form of

bone cancer A bone tumor is an abnormal growth of tissue in bone, traditionally classified as noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant). Cancerous bone tumors usually originate from a cancer in another part of the body such as from lung, breast, thy ...

that is slowly killing him. He is confined to a wheelchair in a special medical center in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for children with terminal illnesses. Joseph often suffers from visions or nightmares involving him. Later in the story it's revealed that since he was little he's been able to see the Angels of Death.

Media

Light novels

Rin Fujiki published the first novel in the series, with cover illustrations by THORES Shibamoto, in 2007. It and the second novel, which was released in 2009, were both published by Kadokawa Shoten. The series was transferred to Kadokawa's Horror Bunko imprint in 2010, which republished the first two novels before releasing the third in 2011.

Volumes

Manga

A manga adaptation by Eiji Kaneda launched in Kadokawa's ''Comic Kai'' magazine on January 24, 2012. The series was compiled into two volumes, published on February 20, 2013 () and January 24, 2014 (). Anjue Hino began serializing a second manga in the September 2016 issue of

Media Factory , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...

's ''shōjo'' manga magazine '' Monthly Comic Gene'' on August 12, 2016.

Anime

adaptation was announced in the December 2016 issue of ''Monthly Comic Gene'' on November 15, 2016. The adaptation was a television series, and aired from July 7 to September 22, 2017. The series ran for 12 episodes and an original video animation will also be released. Yoshitomo Yonetani directed at

and written by Seishi Minakami. Character designs is by Kazunori Iwakura. Screen Mode performed the opening theme "Mysterium".

Nobuhiko Okamoto is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with Raccoon Dog. He won the Best New Actor Award at the 3rd Seiyu Awards and Best Supporting Actor Award at the 5th Seiyu Awards. Voice acting career In an interview held at the Anime Expo, wh ...

performed the ending theme.

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is S ...

have licensed the anime and streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Visio ...

has licensed the series in the UK.

Reception

The series has sold over 950,000 copies in Japan.

References

External links

* at Kadokawa Shoten * * {{J.C.Staff 2017 anime television series debuts 2007 Japanese novels Anime and manga based on light novels Anime Strike J.C.Staff Kadokawa Dwango franchises Kadokawa Shoten manga Light novels Media Factory manga Mystery anime and manga Novels set in Vatican City Seinen manga Sentai Filmworks Shōjo manga