+Anima

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+Anima

プラスアニマ
(Purasu Anima)

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy

Manga

Author

Natsumi Mukai

Publisher

MediaWorks

Tokyopop

TVM Comics

Other publishers:
Taifu Comics Tokyopop

Demographic

Shōnen

Serialized in

Dengeki Comic Gao!

Original run

January 2001 – 26 March 2005

Volumes

10 ^[1]

+Anima (プラスアニマ, Purasu Anima^?) is an internationally-published ten-volume manga series by Natsumi Mukai. The story is about four anthropomorphic characters; outcasts who are searching for others of their kind. Despite its popularity, the manga ended on its tenth volume.

1 Plot
2 Main characters
3 Other Characters
4 The +Anima phenomenon
5 Outcasts
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Plot

The plot revolves around four +Anima children: Cooro, Husky, Senri, and Nana. Brought together by their +Anima powers, they search for others like themselves and a place to belong. Along the way, they encounter villains and friends alike, as well as other +Anima. The story shows, through flashbacks, the different histories of the characters. In Husky and Nana's case, their pasts seem to have influenced their current fears of water and forests at night, respectively. Senri and Cooro's pasts, however, remain for the most part a mystery, with only small pieces of Senri's past shown and none of Cooro's with the exception of the very beginning. Another factor is what appears to be a war of some sort brewing, with swords being forged and soldiers assembled. The army is encountered twice (as of book three) by the main characters, and both times the four find themselves being looked badly upon. As the story progresses, more and more is revealed about the characters and the present predicament alike.

[edit] Main characters

COORO

(クーロ, Kūro^?)

A crow +Anima, Cooro can spring black feathered wings from his back and use them to fly like a bird. He is naïve, a bit absent-minded and slow to make decisions. However, he is optimistic and always cheerful. It is revealed that he fell from the sky when he was a baby at the beginning of book one. He loves eating, much to the chagrin of Husky and Nana, but is kind-hearted, and more than willing to help anyone in need, although sometimes his good work results in him asking for pay, if the group needs it. He doesn't have sensitive feelings (that much) like when he is told to go away he will without a second thought, wanting to be helpful. He seems to want to find other +Anima, though whether it is simply out of want for more friends or for some other reason, it is unknown. He later is given a small hatchet from the smith, Harden. His past is a mystery, but it seems that he had his +Anima since he was born. Cooro rescued Husky from the circus when he arrived, but was first employed as the "messenger of death" (due to his black wings). He enthusiastically let Nana, Senri, and Rose join up and travel with them right away. He trusts everyone, which can get him in trouble, but can lead also to good things. His +Anima marks are on the lower part of his shoulders and he leaves them uncovered. They look like a swirls with feathers coming out.

Parallel-In the original short story, Cooro is much more violent, has wild behavior, and wields a small hatchet. He also has noticeably larger wings, a bird-like tail and the feathers on his arms are smoother.
Likes- Food (apples in particular), eating (like a special dish made from abon plant) flying, exploring, helping people, having fun.
Dislikes- Bees, bitter food, people abandoning, him, his friends getting hurt.
Alias- Black Angel, Messenger of Death
Appearance- 11 year old boy, blackish brown eyes and black hair, often wear an aviator hat.
Trivia- Cooro never talks about his past, but it seems that there is one particular scholar who knows about him. He also seems to be able to sense whether someone is a +Anima or not.
Birthdate-8/3/329 (Astarian calendar)^[2]

HUSKY

(ハスキー, Huskī^?)

A fish- +Anima, whose legs completely transform into a fish-tail when jumping into water. Similar to a merman, he also grows gills, allowing him to breathe underwater and stay submerged indefinitely. Somewhat like Nana, Husky has a small fear of water because a lady (possibly a rival queen of his mother?) attempted to drown him, from which he gained his +Anima. Although Husky is male, he appears effeminate, and is even thought to be a girl by some of the characters. He is considered to be the most intelligent and rational of the group. He wields a long staff for a weapon that he took from the Beehive Manor (with out anyone knowing, of course). When he was younger, he apparently was captured in a fisherman's net and then sold to the circus, though he claims he worked there willingly. It appears, however, that the ringmaster is blackmailing him into working at the circus by withholding a pair of earrings that Husky treasures, because they were given to him by his parents. In a flashback to his past, it shows he was born wealthy, and that he was teased by his brothers because he looked more like a girl than a boy, and had a "husky" voice, because his mother came from North. He seems to dislike nearly everyone he meets, save for Senri (who seems to be nearly impossible to hate). The presence of most of the one-chapter characters is just pure irritation. He is really bothered by Cooro at first, and only travels with him because he made a sort of deal with him, but they become good friends (though Husky smacks Cooro over the head with his "Cooro-punishing staff" every time he does something stupid). He actually leaves the group for a small time when Nana is invited to join, but she convinces him to come back. In the beginning, he calls her dumb and ugly and silly and countless other insults, but later on in the series his comments are sort of evasive (like saying girls worry about silly things when she asked if he liked her new outfit), and he even progresses to saying things that are really compliments, hidden in a vague insult or a rude voice. It appears, once the fourth manga rolls around, that he's getting a crush on her. Apparently he's very close to his mother, more so than his father, since he said that the journey they had made was so he could tell his mother he was alive but he said nothing about his father. This may be related to his feminine appearance, for it might have caused a rift between him and his father. His +Anima marking are on his neck which look like waves.

It was later revealed that Husky is a prince, descended from the King of Sailand and his twelfth Queen, Marien, one of many Harem children that his father had. It is also revealed that Husky was favored by his father amongst his siblings, which made him a target for bulling and teasing. As a result of jealously, he was bullied by three of his sisters and his stepmother tried to drown him, leading to his +Anima powers.

Parallel- In the original, the belt around the collar of his cape is slightly smaller than in the main story; his staff is also different. He seems to be a little more brash and tough, which mismatches his pretty appearance.
Likes- Money, pretty jewelry, eating fish, Nana.
Dislikes- Girls (he says they're noisy, loud and selfish despite the fact that he was always close to his mother), people who mistake him for a girl, getting wet for no reason.
Alias- Mermaid Princess, Silver Princess, Sapphira (when he sneaks to someplace on 8th manga), Mirra/Myrrh (his real name in 8th manga).
Appearance- 10 year old boy, pretty face. Silvery aquamarine hair, purplish blue eyes. Wears sapphire earrings (his parents gave them to him).
Trivia- He is actually originally from Sailand, as is reviled in the eighth book
birthdate 3/4/328 (Astarian calendar)^[3]

SENRI

(センリ, Senri^?)

A bear +Anima. He is presumably older than the other 3 characters, probably in his late teens (according to his birthdate from the back of the book, about fifteen). He is capable of transforming his right arm into a bear-like arm, giving him sharp claws and great strength. He is the strongest melee combatant from the group; thanks to his +Anima, he does not need any melee weapons, although he does have a falchion-like sword which he uses when he does not want to reveal his +Anima identity. Not a man of many words, he very rarely says anything, usually doesn't speak in complete sentences, and often demonstrates odd behaviour - such as licking the blood off a comrade's wound. He has a book — possibly a diary (suggested by Husky), or a gardening book (which would explain why he is such a good cook with spices and knows more about most plants than the other characters) — in which he collects souvenirs, especially flowers, as reminders of places and people he has seen. In the sixth book, it is revealed as Senri's only key to his memories, as he suffered major trauma when his father died and now has substantial problems accessing memories. Cooro's feather once fell into the pages of his book, which might be the reason he joined up with the group in the first place. He was revealed to have grown up in a Kim-un-kur village and is one of that race, in the Tooa tribe. Senri was given his book by a caravan chief known as Crystala, who bought him at a slave market six years prior to the current happenings, even though he appeared listless and near useless. He was also the strongest +Anima, due to his special power that he inherited from his father. His +Anima marking is a pattern which twirls from his elbow to hand ending with claws.

Parallel-In the original, Senri has no book (until the last parallel chapter), and armor plates on his bear arm. He seems a slightly more talked than the series.
Likes- Cooking, collecting items for his book so he can remember events and people, abon weed, small flowers, lapping up blood from people's wounds and honey.
Dislikes- When his friends get hurt, losing his book.
Appearance- 15 year old boy, gray hair with blue accessories, gray eyes with a black eye-patch on his left eye.
Trivia- Senri's eye patch is used to keep his +Anima under control.
Birthdate 4/30/325 (Astarian calendar)^[4]

NANA

(ナナ, ^?)

A bat +Anima. The only girl in the group, Nana is capable of sprouting wings much like Cooro; however, they are bat wings. With them, she is capable of flight. Nana's ears can grow very large, gifting her with superior hearing that is capable of detecting sound in the ultrasound frequency. In addition, she has uniquely-developed vocal cords, making her capable of emitting ultrasound waves from her mouth, which she may use either to navigate when her eyesight is useless, as bats do, or as a powerful area-effect weapon. Her personality is kind, albeit immature, and quite feminine. Nana does not like violence and does not use any weapons. In a flashback near the end of book one, she reveals that her drunken father beat her and her mother and, one night, she accidentally stabbed him with her stitching scissors and took off into the forest out of fear. While hiding from her enraged father, she became a bat +Anima. Afterwards, she joined a group of all girl orphans in the city of Octopus. However, she ran away from them, thinking she was hated because of her powers. In book two, Nana appears to have a crush on Senri, similar to Rose. She also mistakenly thought that Husky was secretly a girl, as he never bathed (thusly, he must have bathed at night when no one was around to discover he was actually a girl). To prove her theory, she purchased a dress and forced it on him. More than a little annoyed, he took off all his clothes to prove he was indeed male (also took Cooro's clothes off, so he wouldn't look like an idiot). Her +Anima markings are on her upper back in the form of wings. Nana seems to dislike her +Anima powers (in chapter 31, she calls her wings ugly).

Parallel-In the original, Nana seems older and has small notches in her ears in her bat form. The dress and coat she wears are also different. She scolds Cooro often, keeping him in check.
Likes- Husky(love interest), Cooro, cute boys, ribbons, frills, cute clothes, bread, Senri (In chapter 8 she seems to have a crush on Senri, as she gets jealous of how close Rose is to him, but it seems to vanish quickly), flower accessories, jewels, gems
Dislikes- Night, dark forests, camping, her father, to appear in her +Anima form
Alias- Phantom Thief Nana (this is the name she takes when masquerading as a monster)
Appearance- 10 year old girl, light-brown (usually drawn as gold or blonde) hair, green eyes (sometimes drawn more yellow), with usually flower accessories
Trivia- She seems to have a malicious side, which is signaled by stars in front of her eyes. It is also possible that her last name is 'Alba'.^[5]
Birthdate10/12/329 (Astarian calendar)^[6]

[edit] Other Characters

Fly: A man who seems to know a lot about Cooro. He is also a childhood friend of Igneous. He seems to nice in front of people, but has a darker side, usually when Cooro is mentioned.

Rose: A 16 year old merchant. Despite her age she claims to be an adult, making her Nana's idol. She also has some form of attraction or affection for Senri, possibly because he reminds her of her little brother. She is a cat +Anima– when she transforms, her fingernails turn into claws and she gains catlike speed. She also has two tiger like stripes on her cheeks and a stripe on her forehead. Her +Anima marking is on her shoulders.

Pinion: Rose's little brother. He has the ability to draw whatever he sees. He was sold off by his uncle and aunt and his appearance is in chapter 18-19.

Hopps: The sheriff of Antsmine in the Parallel story "Shining in the Darkness". At first it is assumed he is one of the people that hate +Anima. However, at the end of book two it is shown that he can turn his head into an crocodile's head. Despite being a +Anima himself, he throws the four Nana, Cooro, Husky and Senri out of town, but not before advising them to be proud of their gifts and to not give normal people a reason to hate +Anima (though he says he is a +Anima subtly).

Harden: Margret's husband. The army tried to force him to make swords, but he refused. When Husky was punched by one of the soldiers and Senri was about to attack, Harden appeared and got everyone inside, carrying Husky himself. After Nana tries to steal an axe for Cooro from one of the soldiers and is caught, Harden agrees to forge swords (in exchange, Nana will not be punished). He later tells Cooro the swords will be worthless, because he can no longer put his heart into weapons. Igneous tells him to make what his heart can go into, and the swords turn into cleavers and kitchen knives and the like. However, he is not punished because of the great quality (soldiers need tools for daily life, too).

Marein: Husky's mother. Seeing her clearly shows who Husky takes after. The twelfth queen of the country Sailand, one of the many wives of the King's harem. One of princess brides, often referred to as the Silver Princess for her coloration. Appears extremely young, mid-twenties at oldest. This leads to the idea that Husky was born when she was a teenager, being a princess could mean that she was married off when she was as young ten to twelve. Most likely has a very close relationship with her son, seeing as he traveled across the mountains and risk becoming a slave for her.

Margaret: First appears in chapter 11. She is a deer +Anima and lives with Harden. Although her powers only appear in flashback, she openly admits that she "was" a +Anima. She also says that since the purpose of a +Anima power is to protect the user, and she says she lost her +Anima because Harden was now her protector. She appears to be an adult. When she transforms, her body is similar to a centaur's, with the lower body of a deer, but the torso of a human. She also has deer-like ears. She appeared to be Kim-un-kur like Serni for her hair beads and the necklace she wore in the flashback, although a different tribe.

Mister Bison: As his name implies, he is a bison +Anima, who first appeared in chapter 14. Not much is know about him (not even his name, as he is merely called "Mister Bison" by Cooro). He is only seen in his +Anima form, as he when he appears he is using the hot-springs to heal an injury he received while in +Anima form. He believes that wounds heal easier in the form you got them in. He has two small horns, and his whole upper body is covered in hair.

Sinon: Appeared in chapter 18, he is the +Anima of a swan. Sinon was originally human, but 'transformed' into a +Anima out of desperation. He was the 'friend' (effectively a slave) of Magdala, future leader of Maggie Vil. After declaring to Magdala that he wants to go home, she imprisons him in the dungeon, in the cell next to where Husky and Cooro would later be. He then escapes to the coliseum, where Magdala sends her pet panthers on him. In desperation, he reaches up to some passing water birds, at which point +Anima "tattoos" appears on his hands. His arms grow feathers, and he flies away.

Commander Igneous: He is a commander of the Astarian army that the group runs into a lot (coincidentally?) who despises Kim-Un-Kur and +Anima. It shows that Lord Arthur's fiancee, Penelope, is his cousin, and that the scholar who is curious about Cooro is one of his friends.

Maruka Brighton (マルカブライトン, Maruka Buraiton^?): A strange lady who not much is known about. Since chapter 21, she has decided to follow Cooro and his friends. She is constantly taking notes on their behavior, etc. It is also insinuated many times that she may have a connection to Cooro somehow (including the fact that she looks a good deal like him). She first appears in the second book, at the very beginning, reading the work of another scholar about +Anima. The end of her very short appearance is her closing the book and saying "+Anima, huh? Sounds fun."

Lord Arthur: In chapter 25, his fiancee, Penelope, steals his beloved teddy bear Lopie and gets Senri to take her on a joyride across the town, splitting their time between running from the guards and doing whatever Penny wants to do (Pick flowers, get a drink of water, etc.) In the end of the chapter it shows that Arthur had his engagement ring to Penny inside Lopie's stuffing, and that's why he needed the bear back. He also seems to have some sort of connection to Igneous and what he's trying to do with the Kim-Un-Kur people.

Miss Emma: A young lady that runs an apple orchard with her husband, Tim. Cooro gets knocked unconscious when he fell out of a tree at the orchard. He recovers at her house and he and his friends decide to stay there for a while. She treats him like a son, fondling him and his friends. She constantly talks about a boy named Sept, her son who ran away to join the circus. Cooro says that Emma's house is like a dream, so Husky, Nana, and Senri decide to leave him behind. Cooro finds out and follows them, telling them that he wants to go with them. But when Emma comes looking for him, Cooro goes to say goodbye and to give back a bandana she gave him. When he lands in front of her, she is horrified by his black wings. Then she asks her husband if he saw the "Black Angel", and he told her that they got a letter from the ringleader of the circus that Sept had been taken by the Black Angel (i.e, he died).

Riiya (リイヤ, Riiya^?): Senri's father wielded a Bear +Anima. His appearance was almost the same as his child, except he had longer hair looked older. He died when fought Amurui, a dangerous man-eater bear. Unlike other bears, which must be hunted with respect, Amurui must be killed. Senri's left eye was damaged in that incident, too. However, when Riiya showed his perfect metamorphose, he lost control, and Amurui's +Anima was moved to his. He fought himself until death, and Senri inherited his +Anima at that time.

Upas (ウパス, Upasu^?): Riiya's best friend years ago, wielded Bear +Anima. Unlike Riiya, his hair was loose. When he met Senri, his best friend's son, he didn't seem happy, and had a strange manner. When his own tribe, Tooa, was destroyed by Sailand, he was received by Sulos tribe and live among them since then.

Shi Mukara (シムカラ, Shi Mukara^?): It seems that "Shi" was the meaning of "chief" between Kim-un-kur people. He was the chief of Sulos tribe. He wielded Wolf +Anima, and his hair accessories contained 5 big feathers. When he came onto his metamorphose, his Wolf was bigger than normal wolf-as big as a mature lion.

Magdala: The future leader of Maggie Vil, she is a spoiled girl who lives in the coliseum of Maggie Vil. She doesn't know anything about the outside world and when she is told about, she wants to go out and prove she's not afraid. She has two pet panthers named Tom and Elga ^[7] which she releases so they can "play" with people who try to run away. She is afraid that people don't need here and so surrounds herself with "friends" (slaves).

[edit] The +Anima phenomenon

In the +Anima fantasy world, some humans have an unusual gift that grants them the ability to morph one or more of their body parts, such as limbs, into a form similar to an animal's body part. Some are capable of even more radical changes, such as growing wings or full-body transformation. The transformation processes are very fast, and occur at the user's will. When inactive, the morphed areas revert back to normal, leaving person's clothing and body completely untouched. The only visual mark of this ability appears on the body of the person, in the form of a black tattoo-like marking. Occasionally, the user bears some behavioral characteristics of their animal, but this is not common.

All who have such an ability are collectively referred to as +Anima. (Much like the word sheep)

The +Anima are capable of controlling their powers at will. Their abilities range widely — including, but not limited to, superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes, as well as heightened senses, and the growth of physical features such as claws or wings. All of these originate from the characteristics of a +Anima's animal. Every +Anima bears the characteristics of only a single animal.

The origin of this phenomenon is unexplained, but is slowly revealed that there is more than one way to obtain this power; the vast majority of the characters acquired their +Anima features when facing a desperate situation, as if the powers came to their help; but the Kim-un-kur, the people among which the phenomenon began to spread (and the people Senri comes from), chose willingly to become a +Anima. However, it has been suggested in the manga that humans transform into +Anima usually when they come close to death or mortal danger and become a +Anima best suited to aid them in escape. Also, the person has to be a child (age 14 or younger) when this event happens in order to receive a +Anima.^[8] It is worth noting that the last animal Nana saw before becoming a +Anima was a bat and a flock of swans flew over Sinon before he became a +Anima, so there could be a "mental imprint" factor that decides what animal one would get the abilities of. However, it has been proved that this ability can be lost over time. This may be caused by lack of use.

[edit] Outcasts

The +Anima's powers are not understood by the normal people, and the +Anima are subject to negative prejudice. Similar to the X-Men of Marvel Comics, they are feared as monsters, and even hated by some. Some are envious of such powers and seek to gain control over them. Thus, afraid of the negative reaction from others, most +Anima tend to hide their true powers whenever possible, although Cooro doesn't seem as ashamed of his powers as the others. He actually tends to love, cherish, and show off his +Anima powers.