Violinist of Hameln
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
| Violinist of Hameln | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き (Hamelin No Violin Hiki) |
|
| Genre | Adventure, Shōnen, Fantasy, Comedy |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Watanabe Michiaki |
| Publisher |  Enix |
| Serialized in | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| Original run | ~1991 – ~2001 |
| No. of volumes | 37 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Junichi Nishimura |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | 2 October 1996 – 26 March 1997 |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Movie | |
| Directed by | |
| Studio | |
| Released | 20 April 1996 |
| Runtime | 30 min |
| Game: Hamelin no Violin Tamaki | |
| Developer | Enix |
| Publisher | Enix |
| Genre | Side-scrolling Platformer |
| Platform | SNES |
| Released | 1995 |
Violinist of Hameln (ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き?) is a manga created by Watanabe Michiaki. It was published in the magazine "GanGan Comics" and spanned 37 volumes, after running for approximately ten years.
An anime was also adapted from it which was twenty-five episodes long and differs in a few major ways from the manga. There was also a SNES game created by Enix, and a short movie based on the manga.
Violinist of Hamelin, or VoH, is an adventure fantasy story with a few twists. The basic story is that a group of adventurers are traveling north to The Northern Capital (a.k.a Hameln) to prevent a catastrophe, a take over of the world by demons, by using magical music.
Contents |
[edit] Differences
The manga and the anime are radically different. The manga combines a serious story with an irreverent tone; characters frequently shift between heroic and pathetic as the situation warrants. The manga also contains a myriad of unconventional running gags, such as Hamel's repeated attempts to force other members of the party into costume.
The anime series, by contrast, is much darker in tone; one reviewer claims it's "like a great big syringe of angst injected straight into your veins" [1]. Though the series initially follows the basic outline of the manga's plot, the two stories completely diverge by the anime's conclusion. Due to budget constraints, a substantial portion of the story is told by panning over still images, with full animation reserved mainly for action-heavy scenes. This trait, which becomes more apparent as the series progresses, has led fans to nickname the series "The Slideshow of Hameln"[citation needed].
Also of note is a 30-minute animated movie, whose storyline does not intersect with the TV series. The movie was released several months before the TV series, and benefits from a substantially higher animation budget. In contrast to the TV series, the movie is generally faithful to the manga's humorous tone.
No official English translations exist for the manga, nor any of its adaptations.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Protagonists
Main Party
- Hamel - The main character. A travelling hero who uses a violin- which is often mistaken for a cello- and magical music to fight his enemies (Pandora herself plays the instrument as a cello, Hamel plays it as violin). Fighting without the violin (a memento of his mother, Pandora) is a risk for him. As a half-demon he is the son of the Great Demon King Chestra, whose blood runs in his veins and tempts him to make bloodshed and violence. The proof of his connection to the Great Demon King is the horn on his head. When Hamel fully transforms he turns into a red-skinned demon with great wings and two extra horns alongside his current form. By Sizer's estimation, his power is far greater than that of Drum or even Bass.
In the anime, he grew up alongside the female lead, Flute.
In the manga, he met Flute after saving the village she lived in (Staccato). His travelling companions are often at the whims of his perverse humor. Though Hamel appears to be loud, self-centered and unruly, he is really an introvert. He shares little of himself or his true thoughts to other people, and Oboe comments many times to Flute how Hamel isn't used to having other companions. He does start opening up as the series progresses.
- Oboe- Hamel's constant guardian and companion who is a crow. He is actually a former general of Chestra's- ex-Hawk King, specifically. He is usually the sole voice of reason and advice.
His true form is a winged old strong man. His magical power was only behind Bass when he was the ex-Hawk King general. Chestra sent Oboe in search of sacred woman to bear his children (and plan to eat his own children to increase his magical power). Oboe was injured and first met Pandora as an injured crow. Pandora saved Oboe, and Chestra found Oboe in the village and took Pandora as the sacred woman he was looking for.
Oboe fought Bass to save Hamel and Pandora (but Bass took Sizer with him). - Flute- The female lead who grew up in the small mountain village of Staccato. When she was but a child, she was sent away from her place of birth to live there. She is heir to the Sforzando throne and the Queen Horn's daughter. As a result, she is capable of healing- an ability that pops up later in the storyline-, but using it shortens her lifespan.
In the anime, she loves and is childhood friends with Hamel.
In the manga, she meets Hamel when he saves her village during his travels. In compensation for what he did, he took Flute with him when the village could not pay the price he asked for in return for his services. From the start their relationship was mostly her putting up with his antics and their arguments, but eventually she does grow feelings for him. Trombone finds out about her origins, but the rest of the group (save Oboe) don't until they have reached Sforzando.
- Raiel- In both the anime and manga, he is a childhood friend of Hamel's. Like Hamel, he can use magical music- but instead with a huge, golden piano. He is also incredibly perverted and is prone to huge nosebleeds upon seeing attractive women; most notably Sizer who he admires greatly and often fantasizes about. The main difference between his anime and manga self is the fact that, in the manga, he first appears as an antagonist.
- Trombone- The prince of the country of Dal Segno that was destroyed. He is the youngest member and is an excellent swordsman. He and Hamel are often at odds with each other, though they have very similar personalities. Trombone vows to destroy the mazoku because of what they did to his country and parents.
- Sizer- The head of the Hawk Army, which is similar to an air force. She is an incredibly beautiful woman with long blond hair and had wings stained red from the thousands of people she has killed. She uses a huge scythe in combat and can summon Valkyries with magical music, via her scythe that she plays like a flute. Later in the story, it is revealed that she and Hamel are actually twins. She was kidnapped by the demons so she could be manipulated because she was an angel and only she could open Pandora's box.
Sizer grew up lonely, wanting her mother (who she bears a striking resemblance to) to love her because she was told that her mother abandoned her. She also repents for the people she kills, often being depressed after a mission.
In the manga, Guitar cuts her wings off and crucifies her. She is saved by Raiel and Flute heals her fatal injuries and even restores her angelic wings, though they are now pure-white instead of blood-red. She ends up joining Hamel's group and even starts to care for Hamel as family. She also ends up being comical and is often the cause of Raiel's frequent nosebleeds.
- Ocarina- Sizer's servant who often takes the form of a bird with a scar over her right eye. However, she is actually Oboe's daughter and her true form is that of a winged woman. She dresses rather provocatively and also joins Hamel's group alongside Sizer. Her magical power is indeed very small comparing to Sizer and Oboe.
Sforzando
- Queen Horn- The Queen of Sforzando and Flute's true mother. In the manga she tends to be a bit too motherly, much to Flute's great embarressment. In the anime her personality is the complete opposite- she doesn't appear to show maternal affection for Flute at all. The only similarity between the two versions of Queen Horn is her loyalty to her country, and will to protect it.
- Clarinet- An effeminate man with long, golden hair who is the High Priest and Commander of the Magic Corps. He is often called Clari. In the manga, Hamel tends to poke fun at the possibility of Clari being gay- something that Clari often becomes violent at, since he takes offense to being called a homosexual and often results in amusing "showdowns" between the two
- Percus- One of Queen Horn's assistants. He's an old man who is not very trusting of Hamel and is a very skilled magician.
- Cornet- Clari's sister who is thirteen. In the manga she has a huge crush on Hamel and tries anything and everything to get Flute out of her way as a romantic rival. She is also spoiled rotten by Clari (who calls her Cor-rin), which Flute believes is the reason for her warped personality. Nonetheless, she is a skilled fighter who can use both magic and wields a giant cross as a weapon. Later in the manga, she accidentally turned herself into a mazoku due to wanting to get rid of Flute but later is purified and her personality completely reset to not have her hate against Flute anymore (though she is able to turn into her demon self in combat). This sub-plot is a huge source of comedy in the series
- Lute- Flute's older brother. He defended Sforzando till the very end of his life. He was also one of the inspirations to young Clarinet to become a High Priest. Lute destroyed Bass's body and Bass posses Lute's dead body in return.
[edit] Antagonists
- Hell King Bass- The head general of the demon armies. All that remains of him is his head, but he has possessed the body of Flute's brother Lute. He is extremely cold-blooded and doesn't think twice about killing failures and traitors. Though he showed approval when Lute (Lute's dead body) saved Sforzando.
- Dragon King Drum- The head of the Dragon Army who is a huge, humanoid dragon with two heads. He's incredibly strong, but not very intelligent. He also has a large number of dragons in his body that can replace his arms and attack. His true form is that of a gigantic hydra. He is killed by Guitar while he is wounded.
- Warrior King Guitar- That last general is a humanoid dog attached to body of a dog, much like a centaur. He's also an incredibly skilled swordsman and uses innumerable swords during combat (he has a very large collection). His other ability is the ability to absorb his enemies' power by drinking their blood (he at one point had Sizer's wings and Drum's dragons).
- Orgel- (Hell's Clown) Orgel is greatly feared for his ruthlessness and twisted sense of humor. He dresses like a clown and is one of the Northern Capital's elite warriors, though his emphasis is on mind games more than physical strength. However, when his plans begin to fail he's nothing more than a coward.Because he's from the Netherworld, his body is like a corpse's and can't be killed by normal means. His actual form is that of the mask he wears; his bodies are merely corpses he possesses. He can also use magical music, but can only summon the spirits of those who carry grudges. After Vocal is released he accompanies Vocal on his missions; unfortunately, he finds himself completely scared of Vocal, and does not enjoy this at all.
- Vocal- A demon that actually rebelled against the mazoku and even tried to fight Chestra. He was imprisoned for five-hundred years due to his actions, but was released so he can provoke Hamel to awaken Chestra. Most would call Vocal insane. He is extremely powerful, especially in physical strength where he can throw a large tower with ease. He also has the power to suck people's life force to replenish his own, as well as to cause explosions. However, Bass constructed a huge, enchanted iron ball that will become extremely heavy after ten minutes so that Vocal can be kept in line. Vocal has two horns, purple hair, large bat wings that stick out the sides of his head and wears a dark purple leather outfit. Though Vocal is a sadist, he is notably also a masochist. He also has a libido which he oftentimes makes no effort to control. Combined with his childlike mentality, he's quite the unpredictable villain. Orgel often refers to him by the name of 'zainin' (罪人), literally meaning 'criminal'.
- Pick - The high judge of the Northern Capital. Part goat, he has large horns that grace his head, which are about as long as his actual body, and he always dresses quite regally. He's never seen without his large book labeled 'Death'. He is introduced in volume 25, and declares the still-human Lute a death sentence. Though he usually observes battles, he has been known to display powerful feats of magic.
- Kazoo
- Demon King Chestra- Hamel and Sizer's father who is the king of the demons and is sealed within Pandora's Box. He posed as a traveller so he could stay at loving Pandora's home and eventually getting married.
[edit] Other Characters
- Pandora- The woman who opened a box that released misery into the world. As a result, the box was named "Pandora's Box". She was a kind and caring woman who loved her children, Hamel and Sizer. In fact, it was for them she opened the box, as they were being held hostage and she had no other choice. She was looked down upon by other people, often called a 'witch' because she refused to abandon her half-demon son. How she and her son were treated caused her to become very suspicious, even paranoid of other people's intentions. Despite this, she still preaches to her son that he should love humanity and never hate humans.
Her efforts to defend the village she and Hamel lived in were ultimately betrayed by the villagers themselves. They gave her to Bass in an attempt to bargain for their lives. In the end, it didn't matter as Bass had no intention of keeping his promise first place. He was the one who sealed Pandora in the crystal.
- Viola (Only in Movement 1) - A boy who lost his mother to a demon, who Hamel helps defeat.
- Vi Olin (Introduced in Movement 26) - The inventor who made Hamel's giant violin, and the creator of Pandora's box. About a thousand years ago, he was ordered by a goddess to construct a box that could seal alway all demons. He is an eccentric old man with a sweeping beard. He is Pandora's father, Hamel and Sizer's grandfather.
