Utawarerumono
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Utawarerumono | |
|---|---|
 |
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| うたわれるもの (The One Being Sung) |
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| Genre | Adventure, Fantasy, Science fiction, Comedy, Romance |
| Game | |
| Developer | Leaf |
| Publisher | AQUAPLUS |
| Genre | ADV+SLG(S-RPG) |
| Rating | 18+ (PC) 15+ (PS2) |
| Platform | PC, PlayStation 2 |
| Released | April 26, 2002 (PC), October 26, 2006 (PS2) |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | AQUAPLUS (story) |
| Publisher | Media Works |
| Serialized in | Dengeki G's Magazine |
| Original run | 2005 – |
| No. of volumes | 1 (currently) |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Tomoki Kobayashi |
| Studio |  Oriental Light and Magic ADV Films |
| Network | TV Asahi, Chiba TV, TV Saitama, TVK, TVA, Tokyo MX Anime Network |
| Original run | April 3, 2006 – September 25, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
Utawarerumono (うたわれるもの?) is the title of a fictional series mainly concerning wars and battles set in a primitive time. The series first began as a Japanese adult AVG+SLG(S-RPG) by Leaf which was released on April 26, 2002. A PlayStation 2 port, featuring a new battle system by Flight Plan (of the Summon Night series), was released in October 26, 2006 in Japan, and sold over 82 thousand units in three days.
Later, a manga version was created in 2005 and was first serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine. Also, an anime adaptation started airing on April 3, 2006. Since then, ADV Films has acquired the rights to the Utawarerumono anime. The English title was set to be Shadow Warrior Chronicles but changed back to Utawarerumono.[1] It will be available in early 2007.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Utawarerumono is a story centering around the masked protagonist, Hakuoro, who one day is found by a family of two girls and their grandmother in a nearby forest close to their village. He is badly injured and is soon found to have amnesia, so they take him to their home and treat him until he is well again. Hakuoro is soon accepted into their village where he stays and lives with them, but before long Hakuoro finds that life in this village is being suppressed by the greedy emperor who rules over the country their village resides in. Soon after, these negative actions taken towards their village result in him leading a rebellion against the emperor of the country which later lands him to become emperor of a vast new country which is named Tusukuru, after the well-respected woman who helped saved his life.
After becoming emperor and things begin to calm down, Hakuoro soon finds out that peace is hard to maintain and finds himself constantly in battle in order to protect the peace of his country and his people. Eventually, he is led into many bloody battles in order to fight for the freedom of all those residing in Tusukuru. Along the way, Hakuoro meets several other strong warriors from several other countries and tribes who are fully accepted into Hakuoro's growing family. Many moments of hardship and laughter ensue as time continues but with Hakuoro leading the way, all others are confident in his ability to lead.
The story's genre is at first a fantasy-style story with heavy Ainu influence, though later develops science fiction themes towards the end. Indeed, it first appears to take place in a fantasy world, fully with magical beings and interesting new species of humans, but it is later revealed that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth's far future.
[edit] Characters
- Hakuoro (ハクオロ? ) (Seiyū - Rikiya Koyama, VA - John Gremillion)
- Hakuoro wears an unremoveable mask over the top part of his head extended down to just under the eyes. He is found badly injured by Erurū, Arurū and their grandmother in a nearby forest and nursed back to health by them. Also, he has lost all his memories and in effect, has no idea who he is and is somewhat confused at the bizarre nature of the world he is now living in. He is given the name Hakuoro (also the name of Erurū and Arurū's father) due to his being unable to remember his original name. His main weapon of choice is a large metal fan that was given to him by Tusukuru. Hakuoro means "White Emperor" in Ainu.
- Erurū (エルルゥ? ) (Seiyū - Ryoka Yuzuki, VA - Kira Vincent-Davis)
- Erurū is the first person Hakuoro meets when he wakes up after being found by her and her family. She nurses Hakuoro back to health until he is strong enough to go walking outside, with much initial assistance provided by Erurū and a walking stick. Later, she falls in love with Hakuoro. Erurū has a forceful, but caring, personality. She is named after a flower that only exists in the story.
- Arurū (アルルゥ? ) (Seiyū - Miyuki Sawashiro, VA - Sasha Paysinger)
- Arurū is younger sister. After Mutikapa is killed, Arurū took in its child and raised it as if it were her own, naming it Mukuru. She is shy and quiet. Like her sister, she is also named after a fictional flower. It is said that the Erurū and Arurū flowers grow together. She calls Hakuoro otōsan (お父さん? meaning "father").
- Oboro (オボロ? ) (Seiyū - Daisuke Kirii, VA - Chris Patton)
- Oboro was in the beginning a reckless bandit chief of a village nearby that Hakuoro dwells in. When Hakuoro becomes the leader of the country's rebellion, Oboro joins forces with Hakuoro and swears eternal allegiance, calling Hakuoro his brother. Oboro's main weapon of choice are two light swords, which he uses to execute swift fighting techniques. The name Oboro (朧) means haziness, gloominess, and dreariness in Japanese.
- Dori & Gura (ドリィ & グラァ? ) (Seiyū - Akeno Watanabe, VA (Dori) - Brittney Karbowski, VA (Gura) - Nancy Novotny)
- Dori and Gura are twin archers serving under Oboro. There are several ways to tell them apart. For one, Dori has purple eyes while Gura's are blue. Also, the bottom part of Dori's clothes are blue while with Gura they are red. They are very androgynous, and as such their gender is difficult to ascertain, even by other characters. It should be noted that in the game, they reveal they are male. When Hakuoro comments on the "twin girls" Oboro is traveling with, his statement confuses Oboro, and Oboro reveals to Hakuoro the twins are boys. Hakuoro is stunned and thinks Oboro is joking, but Oboro says "I don't joke about things like this." Dori and Gura both offer to take off their clothes to prove to Hakuoro they are indeed male, but Hakuoro becomes flustered and dismisses their offer, though after they leave he mutters to himself that he "did kinda want to check...", which results in his being teased by an eavesdropping Eruru.
- Benawi (ベナウィ? ) (Seiyū - Daisuke Namikawa, VA - Vic Mignogna)
- Benawi is a mononofu of Kenashikourupe. When Hakuoro's rebellion overtakes Kenashikourupe, Benawi realizes defeat and kills the emperor, Inkara to spare him from possible torture and humiliation. Benawi then attempts suicide, but Hakuoro stops him, convincing Benawi to join under Hakuoro. Benawi has a strong sense of responsiblity to his country. He carries a calm and logical personality, but gets irritated when Hakuoro ignores the duties as a ruler. Benawi's main weapon of choice is a Halberd, which he uses most effectively whilst riding.
- Kurou (クロウ? ) (Seiyū - Tsuyoshi Koyama, VA - Jason Douglas)
- Kurou is a very loyal subordinate of Benawi. He is second in command of Benawi's cavalry men, and often practices fighting with them. He joins Hakuoro alongside Benawi. Kurou tends to be the comedic relief of the anime. He and Oboro usually argue, due to Kurou's teasing of Oboro.
- Touka (トウカ? ) (Seiyū - Kaya Miyake)
- Touka is an Evenkuruga mononofu who in the beginning serves under Lord Orikakan. After Orikakan is killed, she pledges fealty to Hakuoro and acts as his bodyguard. The people in her tribe are said to each have an extraordinary fighting ability. They side with good and fight evil in the world in the name of justice. She has a soft spot for cute, little animals. Her main weapon of choice is a light sword, which she uses to execute swift fighting techniques, much like Oboro.
- Yuzuha (ユズハ? ) (Seiyū - Mai Nakahara, VA - Monica Rial)
- Yuzuha is Oboro's little sister. She has been very sick with an unknown illness all her life. Although bedridden most of the time, she has enhanced senses of smell and hearing and is able to recognize a person by their scent.
- Karurauatsuurei (Karura) (カルラゥアツゥレイ（カルラ? ) (Seiyū - Atsuko Tanaka)
- Karura was once princess of Nan-Tunku before the Shakukoporu deposed her and placed a puppet leader at the head of the state. She joins Hakuoro after she is found having slaughtered many soldiers from another country who were holding her prisoner. Despite showing concern for her country (which she conceals), she has forsaken her past as royalty and decided to live her life as Karura, a simple woman. She is one of the last two Giriyaginas on Earth, along with Derihourai, her younger brother. She is often seen drinking sake, even on the battle field (She could drink several barrels of sake in one day). Karura wields a ridiculously heavy black personalized blade, which she uses in conjunction with her superhuman strength to deal tremendous damage to her enemies. The name Karura (迦楼羅, 迦樓羅, or 迦留羅), also known as Garuda and Garua, comes from the Hindu and Buddhist myth of the man-bird deity.
- Urutori (ウルトリィ? ) (Seiyū - Sayaka Ohara)
- Urutori is the first princess of Onkamiyamukai. She decides to become the yomoru (priest sent to look out for a country's welfare) of Tusukuru.
- Kamyu (カミュ? ) (Seiyū - Rie Kugimiya)
- Kamyu the second princess of Onkamiyamukai, and also the younger sister of Urutori. She befriends Arurū, Yuzuha, and Mukuru and is often seen playing with them.
- Tusukuru (トゥスクル? ) (Seiyū - Hisako Kyouda, VA - Marcy Bannor)
- Tusukuru is Erurū's and Arurū's grandmother and village elder, the leader of the village. She is a very kind person and is respected by everyone in the village and even some out of it. Tusukuru also later becomes the name of the country formed after Kenashikourupe falls.
- Orikakan (オリカカン? ) (Seiyū - Mitsuru Ogata)
- Orikakan is the lord of Kuccha Keccha. He was manipulated by Niue and Dii into attacking Tusukuru. He was eventually killed by Niue when his purpose was fulfilled.
- Niue (ニウェ? ) (Seiyū - Yousuke Akimoto)
- Niue is lord of Sukeripechimu, a country of vast strength that was three times bigger than Tsukuru, and had ten times the military power. Niue attacks Tusukuru in an attempt to draw out Hakuoro's inner beast.
- Kūya Amururineuruka (アムルリネウルカ・クーヤ Amururineuruka Kūya?, ) (Seiyū - Akira Tomisaka)
- Kūya is the young ruler of Kunnekamun. She befriends Hakuoro after having many secret meetings with him, which were led to by her curiosity of the almost supernatural feats that Hakuoro was able to execute.
- Derihourai (デリホウライ? ) (Seiyū - Masayuki Katou)
- Derihourai is Karura's younger brother. He later becomes the lord of the newly created country, Karurauatsuurei, which is named after Karura. Derihourai's main weapon of choice is the tonfa.
- Dii (ディー? ) (Seiyū - Shuuichi Ikeda)
- Dii was a Onkamiya scholar that wandered inside the cave where Witsuarunemitea's soul was sealed. Just as Hakuoro possesses the great god's 'good' side, Dii received the darker one and has been possessed by Witsuarunemitea's negative feelings ever since. He stirs wars everywhere so that Witsuarunemitea's children (all races were based on Iceman, Witsuarunemitea's avatar) could reach greater heights out of love for them.
- Nuwangi (ヌワンギ? ) (Seiyū - Hiroyuki Yoshino, VA - Greg Ayres)
- Nuwangi was a weak swordsman who becomes the samurai leader after taking the position from Benawi. He used to live in the town where Erurū is from, but left to serve Inkara.
- Genjimaru (ゲンジマル? ) (Seiyū - Shozo Iizuka)
- Genjimaru is an old mononofu serving under Kuuya. He is also Hien and Sakuya's grandfather. His main weapon of choice is a long sword.
- Sakuya (サクヤ? ) (Seiyū - Kaori Mizuhashi)
- Sakuya is one of Kuuya's attendants and Genjimaru's granddaughter.
- Hien (ヒエン? ) (Seiyū - Hirofumi Nojima)
- Hien is Sakuya's brother, and Genjimaru's grandson.
- Hauenkua (ハウエンクア? ) (Seiyū - Akeno Watanabe)
- Hauenkua serves under Amururineuruka Kūya and has roughly the same status as Hien. He is entertained by war and suffering and has a somewhat psychopathic personality.
- Mutsumi (ムツミ?)
- Mutsumi is Witsuarunemitea's "daughter". The one who sealed him and now lives on inside Kamyuu like a split personality inherited through blood lines. Her name is derived from the number 63.
- Mikoto (ミコト?)
- Mikoto is an artificial being based on Iceman's body. She was the only woman he ever loved. She was later 'dismantled' by scientists for research. Her name is derived from the number 3510.
- The Iceman (アイスマン?)
- The Iceman is Witsuarunemitea's human form on Earth. He was discovered by scientists and experimented on. Artificial beings based on his body were created for further studies and he eventually had a child with one of those, namely Mikoto. Following Mikoto's death, he went berserk and reverted to Witsuarunemitea, causing a cataclysm. After being sealed by Mutsumi, he will reappear a few centuries or decennia later and become Hakuoro after a battle that will leave him with complete amnesia.
[edit] Backstory
In the present age, an archaeological expedition unearths a mysterious fossil, a fossil of a disfigured beast. Unknown to the archaeologist, the fossil is the embodiment of a forgotten god, known as Witsuarunemitea. A superior scientist stumbles in, and after some confrontation, the mysterious stranger explains that humanity isn't ready for this Missing Link, the gap in evolution between men and apes. To prevent him from talking, he shoots the archaeologist. As the archaeologist slowly dies, his blood touches the fossil, and the forgotten god awakens.
Witsuarunemitea, a shattered and forgotten deity, sees opportunity in the dying archaeologist. He offers the archaeologist life, in exchange for becoming his vessel, so that Witsuarunemitea can finally find the sleep he so desires. Time passes, and eventually he becomes frozen in ice.
With Witsuarunemitea still bound in sleep as his mask, the archaeologist re-awakens many years into the future. He finds himself in an underground research facility, where he is being studied as an ancient human specimen. The archaeologist learns from the researchers that the world has become an uninhabitable wasteland, and the last of mankind lives there, in the underground shelter.
Mizushima, a researcher, is assigned to the care and study of the archaeologist, who is now referred to as the Iceman. Upon discovering that the 'Iceman' is able to breathe the post-apocalyptic air, the researchers look to harness his unique genome to re-populate the surface of the earth. Of the thousands of creations, only a select few prove to be viable, including experiments 3510 and 63. Experiment number 3510, a beautiful woman, is given the name Mikoto and experiment number 63, a girl, is given the name Mutsumi. Mutsumi, realizing she has come from the Iceman's DNA, addresses him as "father".
The genome project encounters some problems, however, and the researchers in charge decide to re-freeze the Iceman for later study. Mizushima, aware of the human side of the Iceman, urges him to run, and gives him the facility's master key, a plain-colored ring recognized by the facility's doors.
The Iceman runs from the facility, taking Mikoto with him, whom he has fallen in love with. After a few years have passed, Mikoto gives birth to a daughter. The researchers, however, don environmental suits in order to pursue the Iceman and recapture both him and Mikoto. Mikoto is dissected for further research, but while Iceman is being prepared to be frozen, his rage awakens Witsuarunemitea.
Outraged by the treatment of Mikoto, a new side of Witsuarunemitea begins to form. Filled with rage, Witsuarunemitea destroys most of the facility. Appalled by what the humans would do to obtain immortality, Witsuarunemitea grants their plea, transforming them into immortal gelatinous beings. Eventually, the great god accrues so much rage as to split himself into two halves: one which seeks destruction, and another, which seeks only to be destroyed.
Suddenly, Mutsumi appears, and empowered by Witsuarunemitea's divine blood, she puts both halves of Witsuarunemitea to sleep. Meanwhile, the few successful genetic experiments from the research facility begin to repopulate the Earth's surface, as the original humanity slowly dies out and is forgotten. The research facility is sealed away forever, and the people are told it is Witsuarunemitea's holy land.
Years later, a shift in the world awakens the two halves of Witsuarunemitea, who begin to combat each other; the destructive side wanting to help the populace of the world reach new height through wars, and its opposite through peaceful cooperation. The emperor of Kunnekamun (whose people; the Shakukopuro, are being massacred) seeks out the destructive side, who grants him a power called the Avu-Kamuu, allowing them to exist in the world of war and hegemony.
Eventually, the fighting of the two halves causes a great earthquake. Arurū, a young girl of Kenashikourupe, is in the process of climbing a tree to recover a beehive when the earthquake strikes, and falls, becoming greatly injured. Erurū, Arurū's sister, prays to Witsuarunemitea to heal Aruruu, and promises, in exchange, her body and soul. Witsuarunemitea obliges.
Both halves of Witsuarunemitea are heavily injured in the battle, and both halves are put to sleep. The destructive half is found by Dii, a scholar of Onkamiyamukai, who fuses with the demigod. The half that wishes to be destroyed retains his body, and is found in the woods by Erurū.
The events of Utawarerumono then take place.
[edit] Media
Utawarerumono first began as a video game which was later the basis of a manga and an anime adaptation.
[edit] Video game
The Utawarerumono series was first released as a Japanese video game for the PC on April 26, 2002 by Leaf and AQUAPLUS. A DVD-ROM edition was later released on December 12, 2003. Unlike most turn-based strategy games, the story is linear and there is no voice acting in the PC version. A Playstation 2 version of the game with a new battle system was released in 2006 with voice overs performed by the Japanese voice-actors, a revamped battle system and several other changes to enhance gameplay. The hentai graphics have been removed from the Playstation 2 version which has been rated for ages 15 and up.
[edit] Manga
The Utawarerumono manga was first released in 2005 serialized in the bishōjo magazine Dengeki G's Magazine. Currently one volume has been released though it is unsure at this time how many volumes there will be once the manga is complete.
[edit] Anime
The Utawarerumono anime started airing in Japan on April 3, 2006 and has 26 episodes in total. With the first DVD release of the anime on August 23, 2006, a short omake episode lasting only about 7 minutes was also included.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening theme
- Musouka by Suara
- Ending theme
- Madoromi no Rinne by Eri Kawai
[edit] Additional merchandise
A now retired series of eight plushies based off of characters from the series was available for a short time in 2005 in Japan and could be obtained from UFO catcher crane machines and several hobby outlets. Some gashapon figurines were also produced after the release of the original PC game, including uncolorized versions, and rare hentai versions of some figures. Availability on the international market of any Utawarerumono merchandise is extremely limited, but as of 2005, both new and collectors' Utawarerumono merchandise was still readily available in Japan (notibly in Akihabara for certain).
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Official site
- (Japanese) Leaf/Aquaplus official site
- Utawarerumono (anime) at AniDB's Database
- Utawarerumono (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
Categories: Manga series | Anime series | Anime of the 2000s | 2002 computer and video games | 2006 computer and video games | Animated series based on computer and video games | H games | Japan exclusive computer and video games | Kemonomimi | PlayStation 2 games | Post-apocalyptic fiction | Tactical role-playing games | Visual novels | Windows games
