| Black Rock Shooter | |
Cover of the "Pilot Edition" released by Good Smile Company, featuring the title character. |
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| ブラック★ロックシューター (Burakku Rokku Shūtā) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Drama, Fantasy |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Shinobu Yoshioka |
| Written by | Nagaru Tanigawa Shinobu Yoshioka |
| Music by | Ryo |
| Studio | Ordet |
| Released | July 24, 2010 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Game | |
| Petite Rock Shooter | |
| Developer | Imageepoch |
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform | Browser game |
| Released | March 9, 2011 |
| Manga | |
| Black Rock-chan | |
| Written by | Ringo |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | 4-Koma Nano Ace |
| Original run | April 2011 – ongoing |
| Manga | |
| Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul | |
| Written by | Sanami Suzuki |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Young Ace |
| Original run | July 2011 – ongoing |
| Game | |
| Black Rock Shooter: The Game | |
| Developer | Imageepoch |
| Publisher | Imageepoch (Japan) NIS America (NA, Europe) |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Platform | PlayStation Portable |
| Released | |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Shinobu Yoshioka |
| Written by | Mari Okada |
| Music by | Ryo |
| Studio | Ordet Sanzigen |
| Network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | February 3, 2012 – scheduled |
| Episodes | 8 |
Black Rock Shooter (ブラック★ロックシューター Burakku Rokku Shūtā) is a 2010 Japanese original video animation produced by Yutaka Yamamoto's studio Ordet, written by Nagaru Tanigawa and Shinobu Yoshioka, and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka. The 50-minute OVA is based on the song of the same name by Supercell and its accompanying music video with illustrations by Huke. Musical composer Ryo and Huke, both members of Supercell, collaborated on the project. A "Pilot Edition" of the anime was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in September 2009, and the full version was released on DVDs bundled with select magazines from July 24, 2010 and is subtitled in seven languages. A retail version was released on December 17, 2010. A TV anime series will air in Fuji TV's Noitamina slot in February 2012. The OVA has also spawned two manga series and a PSP video game, each set in their own universe.
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While each piece of media takes place in its own universe, they each focus around Black Rock Shooter, a mysterious black haired girl who possesses a burning blue eye and a powerful cannon that can shoot rocks at high speed.
The OVA focuses on Mato Kuroi (黒衣 マト Kuroi Mato, Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa), who makes friends with a girl named Yomi Takanashi (小鳥遊 ヨミ Takanashi Yomi, Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro) who recently moved to the town. Mato quickly joins the basketball club, which incites Yomi to join the volleyball club since both clubs practice at the same time in the gymnasium. The two spend much time together over the following year, and during one outing Mato gives Yomi the same cellphone charm she has. In their second year of junior high, they end up in different classes, reducing the amount of time they can spend together. Furthermore, Yomi starts to become jealous of Mato hanging around her basketball club manager and classmate, Yuu (ユウ, Voiced by: Kana Asumi). When Yomi seemingly disappears, Mato becomes concerned when she does not show up at school the next day or respond to her text messages. Mato becomes further depressed when she receives word that Yomi has been reported missing and is asked about her whereabouts by two detectives. One day, Mato receives a blank text message from Yomi and goes to her favorite spot in town where she finds the phone charm she gave her. The charm starts to glow and transports her to a strange world where she meets a mysterious girl named Black Rock Shooter (ブラック★ロックシューター Burakku Rokku Shūtā), who has a blazing blue left eye and a rock cannon which can fire 20 shots per second.[1] As Mato tries to find Yomi, she merges with Black Rock Shooter and duels Yomi, who was possessed by an evil being called Dead Master (デッドマスター Deddo Masutā), who wields a large scythe.[2] As the possessed Yomi is about to fall to her death, Black Rock Shooter saves Yomi from falling, and embraces her, causing Yomi's body to be free from Dead Master. The events of their lengthy battle are dispersed throughout the anime. Yomi and Mato return to their normal lives, but Yuu begins to act strangely.
The upcoming television series will continue from where the OVA left off, focusing on the lives of Mato, Yomi and Yuu, as well as Black Rock Shooter.
The manga series, Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul, follows Black Rock Shooter and her serpent partner, Ron, as they venture Hazama, a world between Heaven and Earth where stagnant souls that have had regrets become trapped. Left alone, these souls can become demons that can pull in other souls, so it is up to Rock to stop them so they may ascend to heaven.
The video game, which takes place in the year 2051, Black Rock Shooter is awoken from slumber and enters a futuristic battlefield while trying to remember her past.
The origins of Black Rock Shooter date back to an original character illustration titled "Black Rock Shooter" by the artist Huke, who posted it on his blog and the online artist community Pixiv on December 26, 2007.[3][4] Ryo of Supercell was inspired by the illustration and created the song "Black Rock Shooter" based on that character using vocals from the Vocaloid singing synthesizer Hatsune Miku.[5][6][7] Huke joined Supercell and provided the illustrations used in the music video of the song, which was later posted online on the video sharing website Nico Nico Douga on July 13, 2008, which as of August 2009 had over 2.2 million views.[3]
Produced by Yutaka Yamamoto's studio Ordet and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka, an original video animation (OVA) project based on "Black Rock Shooter" and its music video was announced on August 22, 2009.[8] The screenplay was written by Nagaru Tanigawa and Shinobu Yoshioka, and character design was done by Yuusuke Matsuo. The music was composed by Ryo and the ending theme song is "Braveheart" performed by The Gomband.[9]
A "Pilot Edition" of the anime was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) on September 30, 2009 by Good Smile Company.[8] The pilot contains three short animated videos showing the same scenes from the anime while playing different versions of the song "Black Rock Shooter", much like in anime music videos. The first video uses the instrumental track from the original version of "Black Rock Shooter", the second video uses the "2M Mix" remix of the song with vocals using Hatsune Miku Append, and the third video uses the instrumental version of the "2M Mix". The DVD/BD also came bundled with an image booklet and a CD containing the vocal and instrumental versions of the "2M Mix".[10]
The full 50-minute version of Black Rock Shooter is subtitled in seven languages,[11] and was released as a free DVD bundled with Hobby Japan magazine on July 24, 2010. The OVA also came with Gakken's Megami Magazine on July 30, 2010, Animedia magazine on August 10, 2010,[12] and is also packaged with Figma and Nendoroid Black Rock Shooter figurines. A retail version was released on December 17, 2010 in special (BD+DVD) and regular (BD) editions. Both editions feature a 30-second test short stop motion video as a bonus featuring a remix of "Black Rock Shooter" by Joe Hahn, the DJ of Linkin Park, as well as its making-of video.[13]
An eight-episode television anime series of Black Rock Shooter, also produced by Ordet, will air in Fuji TV's noitaminA slot in February 2012.[14][15] The series is directed by Shinobu Yoshioka, with the script written by Mari Okada, animation direction and character design by Yusuke Yoshigaki and CG battle direction by Hiroyuki Imaishi.[16] The ending theme music will be "Bokura no Ashiato" (僕らのあしあと Our Footsteps) by Supercell.[17]
A role-playing video game, titled Black Rock Shooter: The Game (ブラック★ロックシューター THE GAME), was developed by Imageepoch for the PlayStation Portable[18] and was released on August 25, 2011. Set in a different universe to the OVA, it features animated cut scenes by Ufotable.[19] The opening theme for the game is "No Scared" by One Ok Rock.[20] A limited edition Premium Box of the game will be released, bundled with a Figma figurine of the game's antagonist, White Rock Shooter.[21] The game will be published in North America and Europe by NIS America, with release dates to be announced in the near future.[22][23] A browser game titled Petite Rock Shooter (ぷちっと★ロックシューター Puchitto Rokku Shūtā) was released on Nico Nico Douga on March 9, 2011, featuring illustrations by CHAN×CO.[21] Various Black Rock Shooter elements have been made available for the Japanese PlayStation Home.[24] Characters from Black Rock Shooter will also appear in the upcoming PSP game Nendoroid Generation, which is being produced by Namco Bandai, Good Smile Company and Banpresto, based on the Nendoroid series of figures.[25]
A four-panel comic strip manga titled Black Rock-chan (ブラック★ロックちゃん Burakku Rokku-chan), illustrated by Ringo, began serialization in the April 2011 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's 4-Koma Nano Ace magazine, sold on March 9, 2011. The series features super-deformed versions of Black Rock Shooter and Dead Master, respectively named Rock-chan and De-chan.[26] Another manga by Sanami Suzuki, titled Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul (ブラック★ロックシューター -イノセントソウル- Burakku Rokku Shūtā: Inosento Souru) began serialization in the July 2011 issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace magazine, sold on June 4, 2011.[27]
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