''Märchen Awakens Romance'', officially abbreviated as ''MÄR'', is a Japanese
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by
Nobuyuki Anzai, serialized in
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
's
manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...
'' from January 2003 to July 2006, with its chapters collected in 15 volumes. The story follows 14-year-old junior high student Ginta Toramizu who is transported into a fantasy-based world known as MÄR-Heaven. As Ginta ventures in the world of MÄR-Heaven, he encounters allies and antagonists.
A 102-episode
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation titled ''MÄR Heaven'' was broadcast on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.[Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...]
has licensed both the ''MÄR'' manga and anime for an English-language release. The manga was published between July 2005 and June 2007. The anime aired first in July 2006 on
Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream was an ad-supported online broadband streaming service launched on July 17, 2006, for the Toonami programming block. It was launched through a collaboration between Cartoon Network and VIZ Media to stream the company's more p ...
, an online service from
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
, and then on the network itself, as part of the
Toonami
Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...
programming block in December 2006.
A manga sequel, ''MÄR Omega'', written by Anzai and illustrated by
Kōichirō Hoshino, was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 2006 to June 2007, with its chapters collected in four volumes.
Plot
Ginta Toramizu, a 14-year-old Tokyo junior high student with poor eyesight and a passion for
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s and video games, is unexpectedly transported to the fantastical world of MÄR Heaven. In this new realm, his physical limitations vanish, granting him enhanced strength and perfect vision. He encounters Dorothy, a 16-year-old witch who introduces him to magical artifacts called ÄRMs. Together they retrieve the sentient ÄRM Babbo, which Dorothy reluctantly gives to Ginta after deeming it too troublesome.
As Ginta explores MÄR Heaven with companions like farmer Jack, he discovers the world's darker aspects when targeted by thieves coveting Babbo. He later meets Alviss, who reveals having summoned Ginta using the Gate Keeper Clown ÄRM to combat the resurgent Chess Pieces organization. This group, led by King Orb and Queen Diana, previously attempted to conquer MÄR Heaven six years earlier. The narrative follows Ginta's growing involvement in the conflict against Chess Pieces while balancing his desire to return home.
''MÄR Omega''
Set six years after ''MÄR'', the story follows Kai, adoptive son of an ÄRM smith, who dreams of wielding an ÄRM despite lacking magical ability. His inherited magic stone hints at lineage to Caldia, the sorcerer kingdom where all ÄRMs originate. When attacked by Chess Piece remnants, Kai discovers he can activate the sentient ÄRM Babbo, defying expectations. This draws attention from mysterious forces using "Fake ÄRMs"—magicless artifacts that drain users' life energy.
With allies Alviss and Elise, Kai travels to Caldia where the Grand Elder reveals Fake ÄRMs were created 300 years prior by dark magician Unwetter, whom Babbo (then Caldia's Elder) defeated at the cost of his life, transferring his soul into an ÄRM. When Fake ÄRM users assault Caldia, Kai awakens immense latent magic, proving his blood relation to Babbo. Joined by Inga, a descendant of Unwetter, the group embarks to recover Babbo's memory stones and confront the resurgent threat.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by
Nobuyuki Anzai, ''MÄR'' was serialized in
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
's
manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, making it ...
'' from January 7, 2003, to July 5, 2006. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 15 volumes released from May 17, 2003,
to August 11, 2006.
In North America, the series was licensed for an English language release by
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
. The 15 volumes were released from May 3, 2005, to September 18, 2007.
A sequel titled ''MÄR Omega'', written by Anzai but illustrated by
Kōichirō Hoshino, was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 30, 2006, to June 13, 2007. Its chapters were collected in four volumes published from December 16, 2006,
to August 10, 2007.
Volumes
=''MÄR''
=
=''MÄR Omega''
=
Anime
An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation titled , produced by
SynergySP
is a Japanese animation studio founded on September 24, 1998, as ''Synergy Japan'' which originally split off from Studio Junio (which itself was founded by Toei Animation staff). In 2005, the company became associated with Shogakukan-Shueish ...
, premiered on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.[Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...]
and aired on
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
's online broadband service
Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream was an ad-supported online broadband streaming service launched on July 17, 2006, for the Toonami programming block. It was launched through a collaboration between Cartoon Network and VIZ Media to stream the company's more p ...
in July 2006, and the series premiered on their television programming block
Toonami
Toonami ( ) is an American late-night television programming block that broadcasts Japanese anime and American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and currently produced by Williams Street, a subsidiary of W ...
, on December 23, 2006. It also premiered in Canada on
YTV channel on June 1, 2007. Viz Media began releasing the series to DVD on June 12, 2007, with each disc containing 4 episodes. Four volumes were released before Viz delisted the series in favor of other titles. In June 2011, the first 52 episodes were available on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's Instant streaming service.
Video games
Notes
References
External links
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*
*
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{{SynergySP
Adventure anime and manga
Comedy anime and manga
Konami franchises
Shogakukan manga
Shogakukan franchises
Shōnen manga
Supernatural anime and manga
TV Tokyo original programming
Viz Media anime
Viz Media manga