Kaze to Ki no Uta

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The Poem of Wind and Trees
Cover (Partial) of Volume #1 of Flower's comic's "Kaze to Ki No Uta"
風と木の詩
(Kaze to Ki no Uta)
Genre Shōnen-ai, Drama
Manga: Kaze to Ki no Uta
Authored by Keiko Takemiya
Publisher Shougakukan
Serialized in Flower Comics
Original run –
No. of volumes 17
OVA: The Song of Wind and Trees: Sanctus
Directed by
Studio
No. of episodes 1
Released 1987
Runtime

Kaze to Ki No Uta (風と木の詩), translated as The Poem (Song) of the Wind and the Trees, was illustrated in 1976 by Keiko Takemiya and first published by Shougakukan under Shougakukan's Flower Comics. Kaze, being the first in the genre, is widely regarded as a shounen-ai classic.

Contents

[edit] Summary

Kaze to Ki No Uta is the story of Serge Batouille, the son of a wealthy man and a gypsy. Taking place in the late 19th century, the story is a recollection of his memories of Gilbert Cocteau at Laconblade Academy in Provene, France. The story has themes of class prejudice, racism, homophobia, homosexuality, incest, paedophilia, rape, prostitution, and drug abuse.

Gilbert Cocteau is a promiscuous student who has reputation for being a boy of corrupt morality since he frequently misses classes and engages in relations with older male students. However, Gilbert is a tortured young man who has been treated like an object all his life rather than a human being. The primary antagonist in the story - Gilbert's uncle, Auguste Beau - is a respected society figure who manipulates and sexually abuses his young nephew. Auguste's influence is so great that Gilbert actually believes that the two are in love, and Gilbert remains enthralled with Auguste, even to the bitter end when he finds out that Auguste isn't quite who he thought he was.

Golden-hearted Serge becomes fascinated with Gilbert, and tries to win his friendship much to the protest of his newly-made friends. Because of this, Serge goes through much trouble including warding off Gilbert's dangerous jilted lovers, yet Serge perseveres.

Perhaps, Serge is Gilbert's only hope to escape this hellish life.

[edit] Characters

  • Gilbert Cocteau : main hero, 14 years old. A son of adultery between Auguste Beau and Anne Marie who is a wife of the elder step-brother of Auguste.
  • Serge Batoule : main hero, friend of Gilbert, 14 years old. A son of young viscount Batoule and a beautiful gypsy woman. Successor of the house of viscount Batoule. Serge has a talent of music, and enjoys playing piano.
  • Auguste Beau : real father of Gilbert, but is appeared as a younger uncle. Auguste is an adopted son of the house of Cocteau. He loved child Gilbert after he was raped by Bonnard. Auguste himself had been raped by his elder step-brother in his young age.
  • Bonnard : famous painter, sodomite. He had met child Gilebert and tempted him. Having kidnapped Gilbert and abused him, then Gilbert had tried to commit a suicide. Auguste had helped him and made love with Gilbert.
  • Pascal Biket : friend of Serge. A classmate of Serge and Gilbert.
  • Rosmarinay (Rosmariné) : student superintendent general in the school. He hates Gilbert and Auguste Beau since his pride was degraded by the power of Auguste. Rosmarinay was raped by Auguste.

[edit] Introductory Poem

Serge Batoule says, remembering his young days.
Remembering the dreams, hopes and pains of the far days, which
He experienced in the relations and living with
Gilbert Cocteau, the lost boy whom Serge loved in his soul. Thus :

Gilbert Cocteau, the most grand flower in my life,
The shinning red flame....
You were the wind ....
Pouvez vous entendre the poem of the wind and trees?
....The sounds of la jeunesse?

[edit] The Vision

It is said that the author, Takemiya Keiko (竹宮惠子), got an inspiration of this grand story and designed the total plot one night. She then, next day, told her imagination and construction of the story to her friend Masuyama Norie (増山のりえ). The finished manganization was but a half of her first vision. The second part of story vision was written in form of a novel, called Kami no Kohitsuji (神の子羊), namely, /Agnus Dei/ (the Lamb of the God), by Noris Haaze, which is a pen name of Masuyama.

[edit] Anime and Music

There is one anime work of this manga, about 1 hour story version, made in VHS tape and LD. And there are five music albums (LP records). The two are image albums, that is, LP records, named 1) /Kaze to Ki no Uta/, Part 1, and 2) Part 2, /Requiem for Gilbert/. The other two are 3) synthesizer version of 1) and 4) Music collection LP of the OVA /Kaze to Ki no Uta/. 5) The last one is coupling album. Its Side 1 is the Side 1 of 1) and Side 2 is selected music collection from the other image album of Takemiya, /Natsu e no Tobira (The Door to Summer) /.

[edit] OVA

  • 1) Kaze to Ki no Uta - SANCTUS - , OVA, 6 Nov., 1987 (VHS/Beta tape) / 21 Nov., 1987 (LD)
Herald Enterprise Inc. and Shougakukan
Total time: 60 minutes
Staff
Director : Yasuhiko Yoshikazu
Producer : Utagawa Touju, Asami Isamu et al.
Pictures by : Takemiya Keiko, Sugino Sachiko, Futagi Makiko and others.
Music : Nakamura Nobuyuki
Cast (Voice actors)
Sasaki Yuuko (Gilbert)
Ohara Noriko (Serge)
Sakakibara Yoshiko (Rosmarinay)
Shiozawa Kaneto (Auguste)
Takemura Taku (Pascal)

[edit] Music Albums

  • 1) Kaze to Ki no Uta (The Poem of Wind and Trees). image album, 1 July, 1980
Nihon Columbia (Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.).
Side 1
1. Main Theme
2. Theme of Gilbert
3. Theme of Serge
4. Dialogue
5. The Poem of the Wind and the Trees
Side 2
1. Piano Cocerto, Kaze to Ki no Uta
  • 2) The World of Takemiya Keiko - Aesthetics of Love. combined album, 25 Oct. 1981
Nihon Columbia (Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.).
Note: Side 1 is same as that of LP /Kaze to Kino Uta/, and Side 2 is music collection selected from the LP /Natsu e no Tobira (The Door to Summer) /, which is the album of music collection from the OVA /Natsu e no Tobira (夏への扉) /.
Side 1 (from the Poem of Wind and Trees)
1. Main Theme
2. Theme of Gilbert
3. Theme of Serge
4. Dialogue
5. The Poem of the Wind and the Trees
Side 2 (from the Door to Summer)
1. Theme of Marion
2. Theme of Ledania
3. Theme of Love
4. The Burning Summer
5. Main Theme
  • 3) Kaze to Ki no Uta, Jiruberu no Rekuiemu (Requiem for Gilbert), image album, 21 July, 1984,
Nihon Columbia (Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.).
Side 1
1. Ave Maria
2. In the Course of Waking from Dreams
3. A Bird is Made of Snow
4. Invitation to Travel
Side 2
1. Now, Just into the Dreams
2. The Dream
3. Plaited Strings of Love
4. My Angel, I Pray...
5. Ave Maria
  • 4) Kaze to Ki no Uta - the Digital Trip, synthesizer fantasy, 21 May, 1985
Nihon Columbia (Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.).
Note: Entries are same as /Requiem for Gilbert/. This is the synthesizer version.
  • 5) Kaze to Ki no Uta - SANCTUS -, OVA soundtrack LP, 6 Nov., 1987
Pony Canyon (Pony Canyon Inc.）
Note: This is the music collection from the OVA /Kaze to Ki no Uta - SANCTUS - /. This album was published in the form of CD and cassete tape at the same time.

Reference sites:

[edit] External links

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