Eko Eko Azarak (manga)

Eko Eko Azarak (エコエコアザラク) is a Japanese horror manga by Shinichi Koga. This is also known as the Wizard of Darkness. The manga serves as the basis of live-action TV-series and live-action movies.

Plot summary

Eko Eko Azarak is set in an unnamed Japanese city. A mysterious cabal of red-garbed black-magicians have apparently been cursing the local inhabitants. The film opens with a woman, inexplicably running in terror from an unseen pursuer. Elsewhere, in a secretive corridor draped in satanic iconography, the spooky cabal chants about a voodoo doll-like fetish. When the cabal leader thrusts a knife into the head of the doll, a large metal beam falls from high atop a nearby construction site and beheads the woman.

Later, it appears the first victim was the last to die in a series of such curses, the object of which was to provide the five points of a giant pentagram, with each victim murdered at a particular point. The pentagram is meant to summon Lucifer himself and the high school is the nexus.

The story follows transfer student Misa Kuroi, a forthright and bold girl who is actually a witch of considerable powers. She has been "transferred" from one school to the next, presumably fighting black-magicians on earlier adventures at each respective location. She makes no attempt throughout the film to conceal her identity as a witch. Though rather tacit throughout the film, Kuroi is at least familiar with all the occult proceedings happening in the city, and demonstrates on many occasions that she is at this particular school for the very purpose of fighting the satanic conspiracy. To make matters worse, Misa has some difficulty getting the curse-fodder classmates to trust her. Only one student truly mistrusts her, the insecure Misuno, who hunches, poses, glowers, and lashes out so as to otherwise appear unsympathetic. As the film progresses, he becomes even more so. So while there is some dissent concerning Misa's intentions, it is not the main conflict.

The words of the spells contain frequent references to pagan gods (namely Cernunos and Aradia).

Media

A live-action drama series was broadcast in 1997, consisting of 26 episodes. In 2004, another drama series named Eko Eko Azarak -eye- (エコエコアザラク〜眼〜, Eko Eko Azaraku ~Manako~) was broadcast, with 13 episodes.

The anime series was released as an OVA in 2007.

Films

• Eko Eko Azarak I: Wizard of Darkness (1995)
• Eko Eko Azarak II: Birth of the Wizard (1996)
• Eko Eko Azarak III: Misa The Dark Angel (1998)
• Eko Eko Azarak IV: Awakening (2001)
• Eko Eko Azarak: R-page (2006)
• Eko Eko Azarak: B-page (2006)

Reception

The 1995 film Wizard of Darkness won the Minami Toshiko Award at the 1995 Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival.^[1]

Wizard of Darkness was selected for the official competition for best film at the 1997 Fantasporto.^[2]

References

External links

• (Japanese) Drama official site
• (Japanese) Anime OVA official site
• Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness at the Internet Movie Database
• Eko Eko Azarak (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia