Pumpkin Scissors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pumpkin Scissors | |
|---|---|
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| パンプキン・シザーズ (Pumpkin Scissors) |
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| Genre | Drama, Military, Shōnen |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Ryoutarou Iwanaga |
| Publisher |  Kodansha |
| Serialized in | Magazine GREAT Monthly Shonen Magazine |
| Original run | 2002 – Present |
| No. of volumes | 6+ |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Katsuhito Akiyama |
| Studio | GONZO, AIC |
| Network | Tokyo MX |
| Original run | October 2006 – March 2007 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
Pumpkin Scissors (パンプキン・シザーズ panpukin shizāzu?) is a manga created by Ryoutarou Iwanaga, originally serialized in Magazine GREAT in 2002, but later moved to Monthly Shōnen Magazine in October 2006. As of June 2006, there are 5 volumes of the manga. The manga has been licensed by Del Rey as announced at the New York Comic Convention 2007.
An anime adaptation of Pumpkin Scissors, produced by GONZO and AIC, began airing on October 2, 2006 across several Japanese television stations and ended with the 24th episode on March 19, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story is set up in a fictional country resembling Western Europe from the Interwar period.
A ceasefire put an end to the long war between the Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost. Three years later, the Empire is still plagued by starvation, pestilence, and soldiers turning into bandits. To aid in the war relief effort, the "Imperial Army State Section III", also known as the Pumpkin Scissors, was established.
The name for the group was an idea from one of its officers, the 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin. According to her, in their war relief efforts they must face the threat of corrupt people who protect themselves behind lies, power, money and many other layers around them like a pumpkin, and the Section III must act like a pair of scissors cutting through those layers and delivering justice to them.
Considered a waste of resources by some, and just an instrument of propaganda by others, the Pumpkin Scissors still take their duty to assist the country's reconstruction seriously. One day their life starts to change when Randel Oland, a veteran soldier with a mysterious past joins their ranks.
[edit] Rank Insignia
The military rank insignia and titles used by Section III and the rest of the army is based on the rank insignia used by the Japanese Army before 1945.[1]
| Rank | Insignia | Known Characters |
|---|---|---|
| Major (少佐 - shou sa) |
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Connery |
| Captain (大尉 - tai i) |
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Hunks |
| First Lieutenant (中尉 - chuu i) |
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Webner |
| Second Lieutenant (少尉 - shou i) |
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Alice |
| Warrant Officer (准尉 - jun i) |
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Machs Oreld |
| Sergeant Major (曹長 - sou chou) |
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Stekkin |
| Corporal (伍長 - go chou) |
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Randel |
| Private First Class (上等兵 - joutou hei) |
 |
Mercury |
[edit] The Invisible 9
Fruit of illegal experiences with human beings and violation of international war treaties, the Invisible 9 is group of secret platoons whose existence is denied by the Empire government.
| Number | Letter | Type | Nick Name | Japanese Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 901 | ATT | Anti Tank Trooper | Gespenst Jäger (Ghost Hunter) | 命を無視された兵隊 (Soldiers Ignorant of Death) |
| 903 | CTT | Chemical Tactics Trooper | Krankheit Jäger (Disease Hunter) | 死灰を撒く病兵 (Sowers of the Ash of Death) |
| 906 | FTT | Fallschirm Jäger (Parachute Hunter) | 翼無き降下兵 (Wingless Divers) | |
| 908 | HTT | High Temperature Trooper | Alt Schmied Jäger (Old Smith Hunter) | 単眼の火葬兵 (One-eyed Cremators) |
[edit] Notes
- It is easy to assume that other divisions can be derived alphabetically (i.e. 902 = BTT, etc.)
- Fallschirmjäger is an actual German term used for paratroopers in World War II.
- 908-HTT's nicknames seem to be a reference to the Wakayama folktale of the Ippon-Datara, a ghostly, injured blacksmith with one eye and one leg, seemingly analogous to the "Alt Schmied" god in the series.
[edit] Characters
- Captain Hunks
Voiced by: Chou
The commanding officer of the Pumpkin Scissors and a very capable administrator. He issues the mission orders and provides a calm, steadying presence, which balances out Lieutenant Malvin's impetuous nature. His personality is relaxed and informal so he does not stand out as much compared to the other members of section three.
- 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin
Voiced by: Shizuka Itou
The main female protagonist. Second in command and field leader of the Pumpkin Scissors. An inexperienced soldier of noble origin who graduated in the academy just before the ceasefire, Alice's hot-tempered and reckless demeanor tends to sometimes put her and her subordinates in danger. She has a strong sense of duty and justice and tries to live up to her family's military traditions, contrary to her father and sisters belief that she must assume a more feminine behavior. While she is the current heir to her family, she will likely lose this position once her younger brother comes of age.
Contrary to her subordinates who always engage in combat with firearms, Alice's weapon of choice is a short-sword with her family crest engraved on it, but in some occasions she shows her true skills in battle when brandishing her special weapon, a long double-bladed sword. Another curious trait of hers is that sometimes she feels chills on her neck when something very good or very bad is about to happen. Alice is engaged to another noble, Leonil Taylor, who apparently supports her ideals, however their apparently are some feelings between her and Randel Oland as shown in episode 22.
- Warrant Officer Machs
Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki
Graduated as one of the top students of the academy, the slight, bespectacled Machs provides the voice of reason and caution when out in the field.
- Warrant Officer Oreld
Voiced by: Kousuke Toriumi
Childhood friend of Machs, Oreld is a handsome young soldier who fancies himself a ladies' man. He is very clever, resourceful and an expert at picking locks.
- Sergeant Major Stekkin
Voiced by: Kana Ueda
She is the longest serving member of the "Pumpkin Scissors" unit, Little is known about her past except that she was a part of the military band in her previous post. She serves as Captain Hunks' aide and is also responsible for taking care of Mercury.
- Corporal Randel Oland
Voiced by: Kenta Miyake
The main male protagonist. A retired soldier who joined the Pumpkin Scissors to aid in their war relief effort. He was part of the secret 901 anti-tank-trooper unit, basically consisted of foot soldiers trained to take down enemy tanks by themselves. This unit, known also as the "Gespenster Jäger" (German for "Ghost Hunter") was part of the "Invisible 9".
Despite his impressive stature (well over six feet tall), and a body riddled with scars, Randel's nature most of the time is kindhearted and ingenuous, but when he gets himself on a pinch he turns on his blue-steel lantern (with 901-ATT engraved on it), and somehow the effect it implies on his mind transforms him into a fearless and vicious combatant, capable of defeating even heavily armored foes with his 13mm anti-tank gun, known as the "door knocker".
- Mercury
Voiced by: Kazuki Ogawa
Often refurred to as "Mer-kun" (the English equilavent of "Merkey" {most likely a nickname}). The platoon's messenger-dog, who has a bad habit of biting peoples' heads. He was demoted from Corporal to Courier Private First Class for biting an officer in Episode 1. He is very fast, reliable and sensitive to the emotions of his team. Their reaction to a particularly unpleasant Officer (Major Connery) lead to the previously mentioned incident. He resembles a Labrador Retriever.
- First Lieutenant Webner
Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu
The officer in charge of the technology development unit of the army intelligence bureau.
- Major Connery
Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura
The commanding officer for Section I of the Army Intelligence bureau. Compared to Captain Hunks, his personality is cold-hearted. However, along with Captain Hunks, he also seems to know about the secrets kept within the army. He often complains to Captain Hunks about Section III interfering with his operations, but usually backs down eventually.
[edit] Episodes
| Screenshot | Title | Original airdate | # |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
"Invisible No.9" "Fukashi no 9ban" (不可視の9番) |
October 2, 2006 | 01 |
| The Pumpkin Scissors unit gets unexpected help to deal with a dangerous renegade squad. | |||
 |
"War Relief Unit" "Sensai fukkou butai" (戦災復興部隊) |
October 9, 2006 | 02 |
| Randal becomes officially a member of the team, and Alice confronts a Viscount accused of abusing his people. | |||
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"For That Is A Precious Thing (Noblesse Oblige)" "So wa toutokimono narite" (其は貴きものなりて) |
October 16, 2006 | 03 |
| Alice must convince a group of villagers to work in the reconstruction of a tunnel, but they have their own reasons to not trust the government. | |||
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"The Cracking Portrait" "Hibiwareta shouzou" (ヒビ割れた肖像) |
October 23, 2006 | 04 |
| Machs starts to become suspicious of Randal, and decides to investigate his past. | |||
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"The Frivolous Men" "Asahaka na otoko-tachi" (あさはかな者達(おとこたち)) |
October 30, 2006 | 05 |
| While Randal is still hospitalized, Machs and Oreld team up to dig further about him. | |||
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"A Fruitful Time" "Houjou na jikan" (豊饒(ほうじょう)な時間) |
November 6, 2006 | 06 |
| Randal discovers an abandoned baby and Alice decides to search for his mother. | |||
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"The Lead And The Follow" "Odoru mono odorasareru mono" (踊る者踊らされる者) |
November 13, 2006 | 07 |
| While Alice takes the day off to meet her fiancé, the rest of the team is sent in a search for missing supplies. | |||
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"Burning Snowfields" "Setsugen ni moete" (雪原に燃えて) |
November 20, 2006 | 08 |
| Alice and co. race against time to make an important delivery in a snowy and hostile wilderness. | |||
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"Woman Of The Morning Mist" "Asagiri no onna" (朝霧の女) |
November 27, 2006 | 09 |
| Oreld helps a beautiful and hopeless woman to come to terms with her past. | |||
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"Pumpkin And Scissors" "Kabocha to hasami" (カボチャとハサミ) |
December 4, 2006 | 10 |
| Stekkin reveals to Orlando how the Section III was created, and the reason for its uncommon name. | |||
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"Quiet Movement" "Shizuka naru Taidou" (静かなる胎動) |
December 11, 2006 | 11 |
| Alice is kidnapped by a group who wants her help to expose an important manuscript revealing the military's darkest secrets. | |||
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"The Unseen Pain" "Miezaru itami" (見えざる痛み) |
December 18, 2006 | 12 |
| Alice's captors release her after she agrees to cooperate, but their lives are threatened by those who want to silence them. | |||
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"Rough, but Delicious" "Soya ni shite bimi" (粗野にして美味) |
December 25, 2006 | 13 |
| Machs has a subtle encounter with a princess from a foreign land. | |||
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"The Flame Still Burns" "Honoo, imada kiezu" (焔、いまだ消えず) |
January 6, 2007 | 14 |
| While removing homeless people from the sewers, Section III must deal with drug dealers operating there. | |||
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"The Decision To Stray" "Meisou suru sentaku" (迷走する選択) |
January 13, 2007 | 15 |
| Alice's unit continues to fight the drug dealers, and end up meeting a dangerous enemy armed with a flamethrower. | |||
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"The One Who Tears to Pieces (Lady of Scissors)" "Kirisakishi mono" (斬り裂きし者) |
January 20, 2007 | 16 |
| To take down the drug dealers once and for all, Alice storms their building with her special weapon. | |||
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"The Yet Unrescued Darkness (Men of Pumpkin)" "Nao sukuwarenu yami tachi" (なお救われぬ闇たち) |
January 27, 2007 | 17 |
| Alice is in a pinch against the Claymore unit while Randal has a showdown with Hans. | |||
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"Small War Potential (Lilliput Army)" "Chiisa na senryoku" (小さな戦力) |
February 3, 2007 | 18 |
| Randal is still depressed since the last mission and Stekkin decides to find a way to cheer him up. | |||
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"Sweet Trap (Trick in Treat)" "Amai Wana" (甘い罠) |
February 10, 2007 | 19 |
| While the rest of Section III is distributing rations to the homeless, Alice attends a ball with her sisters in a mansion nearby. | |||
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"Enter The Performers" "Enja nyuujou" (演者入場) |
February 17, 2007 | 20 |
| The ball is invaded by a furious crowd and the Section III ends up in a delicate situation. | |||
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"The Puppet and The Idol" "Deku to Guuzou" (木偶と偶像) |
February 24, 2007 | 21 |
| Alice challenges the Marquis to a duel, who sends his two bodyguards against her and Randal instead. | |||
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"The Isolated Scales" "Kodoku na Tenbin" (孤独な天秤) |
March 3, 2007 | 22 |
| Randal looks for a reason to fight again and Alice must deal with the enraged mob while fighting her opponent. | |||
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"And Then There Was A Sweet Trap" "Soshite Amai Wana" (そして甘い罠) |
March 10, 2007 | 23 |
| Everybody in the mansion watch Alice's duel, while the Military prepares itself to raid the place. | |||
| "The Military, The Commonalty, The Nobility" "Gunjin, Heimin, Kizoku" (軍人・平民・貴族) |
March 17, 2007 | 24 | |
| Time is running out for the Pumpkin Scissors to find a peaceful solution before the Section I starts to attack the mansion. | |||
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening theme
- Aoki Flamme (蒼き炎(フランム)?) by Yōko Takahashi
- Ending theme
- Mercury GO (マーキュリー★GO?) by Kana Ueda and Yukai na Nakama-tachi
- Ending theme (episode 18)
- Pumpkin Ondo (パンプキン音頭?) by Kana Ueda
[edit] Notes and references
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Official anime website
- (Japanese) GONZO's Pumpkin Scissors anime official website
- Pumpkin Scissors at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
