| Jyu-Oh-Sei | |
Cover art of the first Jyu-Oh-Sei tankōbon |
|
| 獣王星 (Jū Ō Sei) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction, romance |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Natsumi Itsuki |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Tokyopop |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | LaLa, Melody |
| Original run | December 1993 – January 2003 |
| Volumes | 5 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Hiroshi Nishikiori |
| Written by | Reiko Yoshida |
| Studio | Bones |
| Licensed by | Manga Entertainment Funimation Entertainment |
| Network | Fuji TV (Noitamina), Animax |
| English network | Funimation Channel |
| Original run | April 13, 2006 – June 22, 2006 |
| Episodes | 11 |
Jyu-Oh-Sei (獣王星 Jū Ō Sei, lit. "Planet of the Beast King") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Natsumi Itsuki. An 11-episode anime adaptation was animated by Bones and premiered April 13, 2006 in Japan as part of Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block.
On May 2, 2009, the series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel.[1]
Contents |
Three hundred and fifty years have passed since humans first settled the Balkan star system, located approximately 150 light years from Earth, where a number of planets have been "terraformed" to resemble Earth. Two 11-year-old twins, Thor and Rai, live on the space colony Juno until they come home to find their parents have been murdered. The unknown assassins drop Thor and Rai on Chimaera, a secret planet used as a penal colony. Thor learns about Chimaeran society's four "Rings" and how to leave Chimera by becoming the Beast King from Zagi, who rescued Thor and Rai after they immediately run into trouble on the planet. Thor proceeds to the Ochre Ring where he gets swept up into that Ring's politics and winds up defeating its Top, bringing him closer to becoming the Beast King. After several years Thor faces off with Zagi who has violently taken over the Blanc ring and is determined to rule over and change Chimaeran society. Their encounter ends with an uneasy truce and a plan to force Juno to negotiate with Thor. When Thor finally meets the President of Juno the mystery of Thor's and Chimera's secret origins are revealed. When Thor learns the planet's inhabitants are to be sacrificed for Juno's society he destroys the scientific facility attempting to terraform Chimaera.
A secret planet used as a penal colony where day and night last 181 days each and the planet is marked by extreme weather patterns. Plants dominate the planet's ecosystem. Their varied defensive adaptions as well as carnivorous varieties are a constant hazard to the people of Chimaera. The violent seasonal bloom of muses, where the plants erupt from deep below the surface to spread their canopies to the sun, are the main source of water for Chimerans; most of the water lies deep in the planet's crust. Sap from a calypto plant is highly useful, but harvesting it is dangerous. The calypto sap erupts from punctures and inhalation can cause death. Of all the plants a verasoma is the most ferocious and formidable, a mobile carnivorous plant. It usually attacks from underground keeping its small weak point well away from any threat. Even when mortally wounded its death throes are likely to kill anything around it.
The prisoners adopted a feudal society and divided into four groups of humans, called "Rings" that acts as governs on the planet. These Rings, the Ochre Ring, Sun Ring, Blanc Ring and Noire Ring, are based on skin color. A group of outcast children called Yado are led by Zagi with no affiliation to any ring. Each ring is led by three people: the Top, Second, and Third, with the Top as the leader. Hierarchy is maintained by winning any challenges to the position in a duel. If an individual successfully defeats the Top of all four rings they become the "Beast King" who gets to be pardoned of their crimes and allowed to reside on Hecate. Women make up only 20% of the population, they are considered extremely special, live apart from men, and are the ones who get to choose their partners during the "Mating Month", a chosen mate is generally not allowed to refuse.
Thor (トール Tōru)
Rai (ラーイ Rāi)
Tiz (ティズ Tizu)
Third (サード Sādo)
Zagi (ザギ Zagi)
Karin (カリン Karin)
Chen (チェン)
The Jyu-Oh-Sei manga was first serialized in Hakusensha's monthly shōjo manga magazine, LaLa in December 1993. Several chapters of the series were serialized in Hakusensha's other bi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Melody. The chapters released were then collected into five tankōbon volumes and later re-released into three kanzenban volumes. It was licensed and released in English in North America by Tokyopop.
Jyu-Oh-Sei has been adapted into an anime which consists of 11 episodes, which began airing in Japan on April 13, 2006. The series has been licensed in North America by Funimation Entertainment.[2]
| # | Title | Original Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Fate" "Unmei" (運命) |
April 13, 2006 |
| The first episode describes Thor and Rai's arrival at Chimera. | ||
| 02 | "Ochre Ring" "Charin" (茶輪) |
April 20, 2006 |
| An unconscious Thor is taken to Ochre Ring, and after waking up he finds out that he was saved by Tiz, a female member of the Sun Ring who chose him as her husband. | ||
| 03 | "Companion" "Nakama" (仲間) |
April 27, 2006 |
| Thor and Tiz go in search of a wise man named Colin; meanwhile the Top of Sun Ring, Chen, approaches Ochre Ring looking for Tiz. | ||
| 04 | "Challenge" "Chōsen" (挑戦) |
May 4, 2006 |
| Thor asks Third to take him and Tiz to see Colin. There he figures out who could be the responsible for their parents' death, and has a shocking revelation about his future. | ||
| 05 | "Duel" "Kettō" (決闘) |
May 11, 2006 |
| Thor was set up by Third, and unintentionally challenges Top to a try, a life-or-death battle to decide Ochre Ring's true leader. | ||
| 06 | "White Wolf Demon" "Buran Rō" (白狼鬼) |
May 18, 2006 |
| Four years after Thor became Ochre Ring's Top, he must face the threat of the Blanc Ring leader, who turns out to be Zagi, the one who protected the Klein brothers when they were first sent to Chimera. | ||
| 07 | "Independence" "Dokuritsu" (独立) |
May 25, 2006 |
| Zagi tells Thor that the myth of the Beast King is a lie. He proposes that they should join together to wage a war of independence. | ||
| 08 | "Depths" "Shinsō" (深層) |
June 1, 2006 |
| Karim and Thor were trapped in a cave during a blizzard. She initially attacks him, angry that Zagi chose him as his new partner over her. Thor, however, finds that he has feelings for her and she begins to respond to his refusal to fight her or leave her there. | ||
| 09 | "Beast King" "Jūō" (獣王) |
June 8, 2006 |
| Thor and Zagi prepare themselves to set for Hecate, in order to continue their plan. However Karim is murdered in an alley. Thor, believing Zagi killed her because he heard her calling Zagi's name just before she died, challenges Zagi. He eventually defeats Zagi, badly wounding him. Before falling unconscious, Zagi tells Thor that he did not kill Karim and warns him to watch out for "that one." After Chen promises to treat Zagi's wounds, Thor goes to kiss Karim's body goodbye, then leaves for the Dagger Pagoda with Tiz and Third. | ||
| 10 | "Nightmare" "Akumu" (悪夢) |
June 15, 2006 |
| As the new Beast King, Thor is granted access to the Dagger Pagoda, the orbital elevator, and is finally able to leave the planet. The last words of Zagi are tormenting Thor with inexpressible anxiety. Arriving at the space port, Thor is greeted by none other than Odin, the one who murdered his parents. He tells him the real reason for exiling Thor on Chimera. | ||
| 11 | "Hope" "Kibō" (希望) |
June 22, 2006 |
| Odin decides to proceed with his own plan by activating the device resulting in acceleration of the planet's rotation and the destruction of human life. Thor is heading to the "Valkyrie", the computer control system, in an attempt to deactivate the device. | ||
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