Pupa (manga)

Pupa (manga)
Cover of the first manga volume.
ピューパ (Pyūpa)
Genre	Horror
Manga
Written by	Sayaka Mogi
Published by	Earth Star Entertainment
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Comic Earth Star
Original run	March 12, 2011 – December 12, 2013
Volumes	5
Anime television series
Directed by	Tomomi Mochizuki
Studio	Studio Deen
Network	SUN, Tokyo MX
Original run	January 9, 2014 – scheduled

Pupa (ピューパ, Pyūpa) is a 2011–2013 Japanese horror manga series written and illustrated by Sayaka Mogi. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Deen premiered on January 9, 2014.

Plot

The story of Pupa is about two teenagers, Utsutsu and his little sister Yume. Their father was an extremely abusive man, beating their mother and then his children after he was tired. After a divorce, their mother began dating another man, and the father left the two kids alone. Now orphaned, Utsutsu promised himself that he would always protect Yume.

After seeing red butterflies, these two siblings become infected with a virus known as Pupa. This virus mutates organisms into insatiable monsters, only seeking to feed on any sort of life. Yume succumbs to the full effects of the Pupa virus, but reverts back into a human. Utsutsu, instead of turning into a monster, gains regenerative powers. In order for the virus to be suppressed in Yume, Utsutsu must take a drug and have Yume feed on his flesh.

Characters

Utsutsu Hasegawa (長谷川 現, Hasegawa Utsutsu)

Voiced by: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Mariya Ise (young)

The older brother of Yume. Having sister complex he cares very deeply for Yume. His most prominent facial feature is a scar around his left eye. Also conspicuous are the many wound marks that cover almost his entire body, that are in fact burnings left from his father extinguishing his cigars on him, and his flower hair clip. After being infected by the Pupa virus, Utsutsu gains the ability to heal his wounds and regenerate lost limbs. Thus, he acts as a living food source to satisfy his sister's hunger for flesh after she was infected by the virus. Although depicted as warm and somewhat outgoing, he has a tendency to turn sadistic going on a murderous rampage out of frustration, much like his father.

In his childhood, he, Yume and their mother are often victims of abuse from their father.

Yume Hasegawa (長谷川 夢, Hasegawa Yume)

Voiced by: Ibuki Kido

Utsutsu's innocent and sweet younger sister and a victim of the Pupa virus. She loves her brother and always looks up to him. If she is famished, a hideous monstrosity emerges from her body like a butterfly emerging from its pupa. Much to her horror, this proceeds to eat anything made of flesh, including humans.

Maria (マリア, Maria) / Imari Ai (伊万里 Ai, Ai Imari)

Voiced by: Kyōko Narumi

A mysterious woman who seemed to have knowledge about the Pupa virus and is currently doing experiments regarding it. She has a pet cat named Seto. A researcher, she has a cold view toward human life. She is willing to exchange the lives of many innocent people to gain information about the effects of the virus. She gave Utsutsu a drug that temporarily suppresses his sister's rampage in exchange for them being examined.

Shirō Onijima (鬼島 四郎, Onijima Shirō)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa

Utsutsu's and Yume's cold and abusive father. Ten years later, seeing Utsutus again despite their harsh reunion, he expects to see what has become of Yume.

Sachiko Hasegawa (長谷川 幸子, Hasegawa Sachiko)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto

Utsutsu's and Yume's sensitive mother. She cares for her son, but fears her daughter knowing she was born as a monster. After Sachiko and Shirō Onijima divorced, she went off with some other young man. Leaving Utsutsu and Yume alone.

Hotoki (仏木)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda

Yūhei Arita (有田 雄平, Arita Yūhei)

Voiced by: Shiori Mikami (young)

Yū (ユウ, Yū)

Media

Manga

The manga series Pupa is written and illustrated by Sayaka Mogi and was serialized in Earth Star Entertainment's Comic Earth Star magazine between March 12, 2011,^[1] and December 12, 2013. An extra chapter will be published in the magazine's February 2014 issue.^[2] As of September 12, 2013, the series has been compiled in four tankōbon volumes^[3][4] and its final, fifth volume is scheduled for release in February 2014.^[2]

Anime

An anime adaptation produced by Studio Deen and directed by Tomomi Mochizuki with character designs by Maki Fujii premiered on January 9, 2014, following a delay from its initial October 2013 premiere.^[5] The series' first eight episodes were screened in advance on December 21, 2013, at the Aeon Cinema Makuhari Shintoshin theater in Chiba Prefecture.^[6]

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Pupa (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia