Strait Jacket

Strait Jacket (ストレイト・ジャケット, Sutoreito Jaketto^?) is a series of Japanese manga and light novel series by Ichirō Sakaki with illustrations by Yō Fujishiro, published by Fujimi Shobo and since 2000 has run for ten volumes. It currently has sold over half a million copies ^[1]

In 2007 a three episode original video animation based on the light novel was produced by Feel Anime Studios. The OVA series has been licensed for English language translation and DVD release in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom by Manga Entertainment. A film version was aired on the Sci-Fi Channel as part of their Ani-Monday programming block on October 20, 2008.^[2]

Plot

Strait Jacket is set an alternate history where magic was proven to exist in the year 1899. The use of sorcery spread throughout all facets of society and changed the social and technological development of the world. The location is Tristan, an urban metropolis that appears to be an amalgamation of turn of the century Tokyo, San Francisco, and Victorian era London. The technology of this world is heavily steampunk-inspired, with most of it being clockwork and steam driven, and although electricity has been discovered, electronic devices are still in their infancy stages. Steam powered factories are prevalent and their massive chimneys dominate the skyline of Tristan, and many of the buildings have gothic architecture or are cast-iron and glass buildings. The public fashion seems to be very much like that of Victorian era London. Although the internal combustion engine has also been discovered and automobiles exist, vehicles are very rare and those that exist are reminiscent of 1930s models. The primary means of transportation for the public still remain steam trains, trams, zeppelins, and horse drawn carriages.

Alongside this technology and science exists magic, which has been proven possible in public demonstrations by Dr. George Greco, although use of magic is only possible for a few talented individuals, and is very dangerous and highly illegal. Due to an invisible contaminant called the "malediction", or simply the "curse", people who use magic too often are in danger of transforming into horrific, malevolent abominations of nature, completely immune to ordinary weapons and commonly referred to as "Demons". The Magic Administration Bureau, also known as the Sorcery Management Bureau, is set up to attempt to safely explore the nature of magic, officially document it, attempt to provide rational scientific explanation for it, regulate its use and police those who use magic illegally. Magic, utilized in a safe sense by the Bureau, has been used as a viable energy source by the civil service, industry, agriculture, medicine, and the military. Effectively, the Magic Administration Bureau is now in control of every field and every facet of society.

The primary enemies of the Bureau are Oddman, a former left wing terrorist cell, turned mercenary. All of these magic users, even the ones with innocent and well-meaning intentions, are in danger of tapping into the dark side either accidentally or on purpose and themselves becoming bloodthirsty beasts due to accidents or sabotage by Oddman's agents. These Sorcerist agents wear a suit of armor that resists the negative transforming effects of magic. These suits are referred to as "mold armor", or more commonly a "strait jacket", due to the fact they constrain human beings in their natural form. The Sorcerists also use magically-tainted bullets from large hand-carried railguns powered by a combination of steam and magic, which are the only weapons capable of effectively stopping the magically-transformed monsters.

However, the over-stretched Bureau is steadily losing ground and increasingly must rely on outside help. There simply aren't enough Sorcerists to fight the Demons caused by Oddmans sabotage. This deliberate sabotage leads to an increase in accidental demonic transformations and attacks on the public across Tristan. Among those who fight the Demons is an unlicensed, rogue Sorcerist named Leiot Steinberg (also known as Rayotte Steinberg in some English versions), an anti hero who is viewed as a loose cannon bringing the name of Sorcerists into disrepute and causing as much damage as the Demons in his one-man war against them. Yet the Bureau is forced to reluctantly call upon his services in their losing battle. Because Steinberg fights against a sin he committed long ago, even with his mold armor he comes closer and closer to transforming into a Demon every time he casts a spell.

Cast

References

External links

• Sutoreito jaketto at the Internet Movie Database
• Strait Jacket at Rotten Tomatoes
• Strait Jacket (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Anime Official Site - Japanese, English language version not yet available