Kiba (anime)
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| Kiba | |
|---|---|
 Title card of Kiba |
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| 牙-KIBA- | |
| Genre | Action, Fantasy |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Hiroshi Kōjina |
| Studio | Madhouse, Aniplex |
| Licensor |  ADV Films |
| Network |  TV Tokyo |
| Original run | April 5, 2006 – March 24, 2007 |
| Episodes | 51 |
Kiba (牙-KIBA-? literally fang), a fantasy anime by Madhouse, began broadcasting on TV Tokyo on April 5, 2006. The series is directed by Hiroshi Kōjina with Upper Deck Japan, a trading card game company, as the main sponsor. [1] The anime has been licensed by ADV Films for North American distribution.
The series is more violent than other trading-card-game-tie-in animations with many characters being killed. According to an interview with the March 2006 issue of Animage, Hiroshi Kamishina, the show's director, noted that the show "absolutely will not have any plot elements that curry favor to children".[1] The producers of the show has also commented that Kiba will not be the type of show to put "human drama" on the back burner while concentrating on promotional tie-ins.[1]. ADV Films also has acquired the rights to the Kiba anime. And will be available later this year.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Kiba's main character is Zed, a 15-year-old boy who lives in a place called "Calm". Frustrated by his current situation in life he feels that somewhere out there is a place where he can live more fully. One day, at the invitation of a mysterious wind, Zed dives into a space-time crevasse (portal), seeking the answers that might be there. Riding on the wind, he is transported to a war-torn world where magic users called "Shard Casters" fight endlessly with each other, using spells in the form of marble-like "Shards".
With the power of the Shards, the Shard Casters are able to use spells and control monsters called "Spirits". Fascinated by that power, Zed aims to become a Shard Caster. However, he still doesn't know that residing in his body is "Amil Gaoul", a mighty Spirit with the power to influence the world's future. Amil Gaoul is one of the "Key Spirits" that, when together with the other Key Spirits, can destroy or save the world. There are a total of six Key Spirits: Amil Gaoul, Pronimo, Sachira, Monardi, Jumamis and Shadin.
Zed undergoes countless trials in order to find out who he really is and what is most important to him.
[edit] Characters
- Zed (ゼッド Zeddo?)
- Zed is the 15-year-old main character and protagonist. He is an unsatisfied and unfocused boy living in Calm. One day, he finally gets his chance at a new life when a mysterious gust of wind guides him to a small space/time crevasse. It leads him to Templer, a land full of "magic", crystals with strange powers called shards, and monsters called spirits.
- Noa (ノア Noa?)
- Noa Boalia is Zed's friend from Calm. He is sickly, but nevertheless insists on pursuing his goals whole heartedly. After Zed goes through the portal to Templer, Noa is eventually teleported to a militaristic land called Neotopia.
- Roya (ロイア Roia?)
- Roya is a 16-year-old girl living in Templer. She is the disciple of the elder sage Jiko, who rescued a 6-year-old Roya from Tusk. She was to be killed after it was predicted that she would kill her father, Morocco. She is a new-found friend of Zed, and an old friend of Miki.
- Jiko (ジーコ Jīko?)
- Jiko is a 79-year-old man, and is one of six sages of Templer. Jiko has a rather calm and wise personality, in which he regularly performs rather sagely tasks such as meditation and fishing, while equipped with a mind of void. After Zed arrives, Jiko acts as his mentor, and gives him advice on many occasions.
- Robès Redondo (ロベス・レドンド Robesu Redondo?)
- Robès is a princely figure living in Templer. He recently became the Shard Champion after winning the Shard Casters tournament. For fun, he wears a mask, and under the name "No Face", likes to rob the townspeople of their riches.
[edit] Countries
Calm: The city in which Zed was raised. A world where the wind never blows and where people don't know about the existence of shard casters.
Templer: A land that represents harmony and humanity. The place that Zed is first teleported to and makes his home.
Neotopia: A totalitarian state that revolves around a set of "Ultimate Rules". Anyone who breaks these "Ultimate Rules" is considered an outlaw and is hunted down and killed. There are no second chances and no exceptions. Family members of outlaws were sent to Ulbacus unless they show a high aptitude for shard-casting.In the latter part of the series, Neotopia is taken over by Task.
Kalbu-fu: A small territory where the people are persecuted by Zymot.
The Seekers: A floating fort where strangers come together. A place of safe keeping during a worldwide war between the countries.
Task: Country led by a council of masked people who are in turn led by masked Jeem, whom placed Gari as a fake king to luring other Taskans to believe that there's a god. Task contains two races; Tasker Humans (as shown in episode 1) and Beastmen (as shown in 19 and beyond) which are both recognized by the "taskans" protruding from either shoulder.
Ulbacus: An observatory-like country with many great scientists (lead by Professor Bender), who focus on gathering information from the best fighters to perfect their own. Ulbacus science enables people who are not shard casters to use shards (via mechanical implants), and can fuse low-level spirits to create stronger spirits. It has been revealed that Ulbacus has no native population, and that most citizens are people banished from Neotopia. The surrounding area is constantly raining. Famine is a major issue due to a lack of farmland. It's also the residence of Herrick, Ginga,and Moreno.
Zymot: The empire once ruled by the monarchy of King Bakkam, later overthrown by Hugh. Most of the royal family was executed, later including surviving members such as Philip and Princess Rebecca.[3]
[edit] Episodes
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A 'movie' button on the TV Tokyo Japanese Kiba website indicates that Kiba the movie may be in the works. [5]
[edit] Music (anime)
[edit] Opening themes |
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| Transcription/Translation | Artist | Episodes | |
| Sanctuary | Nami Tamaki | 1-26 | |
| Hakanaku Tsuyoku | Younha | 27-51 | |
[edit] Ending themes |
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| Very Very | Afromania | 1-13 | |
| Solar Wind | Snowkel | 14-26 | |
| STAY GOLD | Limelight | 27-39 | |
| Sekai no Hate made/Until the end of the World | Kozue Takada | 40-51 | |
[edit] Image songs |
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| Wind of Power / Zed | Hiroyuki Yoshino | n/a | |
| Go Smiler / Roya | Nana Mizuki | n/a | |
| Fate / Zed | Miyake Jun | n/a | |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c 牙-KIBA-. (2006-05-27). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 31, 2006 from ja:牙-KIBA-.
- ^ ADV Acquires 'Kiba' Anime
- ^ "Lonely Princes (孤独な王女?)". Kiba. TV Tokyo, Tokyo. 2006-06-04.
- ^ a b Episode list, Official site.
- ^ TV Tokyo Kiba site
[edit] External links
- (Japanese) Official Site
- (English) Kiba (TV) at Anime News Network
- (Japanese) Kiba Blog at Aniplex
- (English) Kiba fan site!
