Fencer of Minerva

Fencer of Minerva (ミネルバの剣士, Minerva no Kenshi) is a five episode borderline hentai anime series released in the U.S. by Central Park Media in two DVD volumes.

Plot summary

Back story

Set in a world reminiscent of John Norman's Gor novels, the story has political intrigue, adventure, and romance. The main characters are Diana, a princess-turned-slave, and Sho, her childhood friend who later becomes her master.

The two were parted ten years before when Randis, Diana's father, had taken the throne of the kingdom of Doria from Sho's father, King Baasen. Several of Randis' guards then tried to kill the young Sho, Baasen's heir and believed him dead when he fell over the mesa where Doria's castle had been built. Diana watched the attack and tried to let her father know, only to see Randis standing over King Baasen's body.

Episode 1: The Encounter

Ten years later, Diana is now the princess of Doria, but hates the position. Her father, now king of Doria, tries to have her married-off to Prince Dunan of the kingdom of Guptia. Diana, however, runs away, fleeing the castle. Disguised as a man, she manages to get a slave called Fina out of a jam and they flee Doria. However, they are soon attacked by creatures as well as nomads. The nomads discover Diana is a girl, but don't listen to her princess story, instead, proceeding to train her and Fina into slaves. While Diana is being whipped, a stranger walks in asking to spend a night, but the nomads want a rumble. The stranger, who is wearing a mask that covers half his face, slaughters one of them and is ready to fight the other nomads. However, after one match with the chief, Teo, the stranger is accepted by the tribe and is allowed to spend the night. When the stranger puts away his dagger, Diana immediately recognizes the stranger as her friend Sho, who she thought had died. Diana is then made Sho's slave. Sho also recognizes Diana and after consummating their relationship, along with the help of the nomads, they proceed to take back Doria.

Episode 2: The Dawn

Unfortunately, the sadistic Prince Dunan from Gupta manages to kill one of the nomads in order to find the whereabouts of the two. Dunan takes Diana back to Doria, where he violates her. Meanwhile, Sho and the nomads start to take over Doria. During a reunion between Diana and Sho, Duna interrupts but is killed by Diana before he can discover Sho. Afterwards, they go to King Randis and inform him that Doria is being taken over. Randis takes his own life. Sho is made king of Doria but relinquishes the position to Teo. Instead, Sho prepares to travel through the land. When he is ready to begin his journey across the country, Diana comes with him saying she would rather be his slave and be by his side than be free and not be with him. So, they leave Doria and Sho leaves behind his mask.

Episode 3: The Emergence

Some time later, they come across a town which is ruled by the rich. These elitists are led by a girl named Patris. Under the request of her uncle, Yajil, Diana and Sho agree to try to improve her attitude. But, unbeknownst to the pair, Yajil is only using them to get Diana. A little encounter between Diana, Patris and the bodyguard Kyle helps Patris change her attitude. Yajil sends Patris on an errand to deliver a document, intending to have Sho killed and Patris enslaved. Diana interferes and, in the process, reveals to Patris that Kyle is in love with her. The group confronts Yajil about his deception, after which he escapes in a cowardly fashion.

Kyle leaves also, angry with himself for working with Yajil. Patris, left behind, offers herself as Sho's slave. Diana is reluctant to the idea but accepts the proposition. The next morning, Sho tells Diana to look for Kyle in the bar; she finds him there and tells him to go back to the house. Upon arrival, Kyle and Diana are shocked to find Patris tied up. Sho offers Kyle to take Patris as his slave, a proposal which both Kyle and Patris happily accept.

Episode 4: The Storm

Meanwhile, back in Doria, in their desperate search for Dunan, the Guptans try to assassinate Teo, the new king. The siblings, Hanna, who is in love with Gupta's prince Marlon, and Alberto nearly succeed in an assassination attempt but Teo's slave Ulsra manages to save him.

Meanwhile, Sho and Diana are in another town where Diana manages to beat Gilman, a chess master and take his slave Shiera. After a night of training, the chess master wants to buy back Shiera. However, Sho tells Gilman there's no need to pay and gladly gives Shiera back to him. Gilman also tells the couple of the assassination attempt. Sho and Diana quickly go back to Doria and start formulating a plan with the king's adviser Imil. Fina is in love with Imil, who later becomes her master after she successfully seduces him. Sho and Diana become the new king and queen of Doria and, while Teo recovers, they must now travel to Gupta and settle the score.

Episode 5: The Beginning

En route to Gupta, Marlon plants Hanna as a slave in order to gain information. However, Sho and Diana are aware of Hanna's true purpose and use Hanna's feelings for Marlon to their advantage. When Diana beats Hanna in a match, she tells Hanna to ask Marlon to make her his slave. Marlon is reluctant at first but agrees after some talking with Sho. Later, Sho and Diana admit to killing Dunan. However, even if revenge is taken, the conflict will not end. While the conversation takes place, Dorian troops invade Gupta, leaving them no choice but to make amends.

Later, Diana takes Hanna to Marlon where they proceed the slave training. Teo goes back to the nomadic life, living with Ulsra. Before leaving, he has one final conversation with Diana. She is now known throughout the world as the Slave Queen, inspiring other slaves to be by their master's sides rather than living in freedom.

Characters

Sho

Sho (ショウ) is the son of the late King Bassen. He lost his father when he was killed in a takeover by Randis. He is Diana's best friend.

Sho has a scar on his face, as the result of an assault by two guards. He fell down a waterfall at a castle and was presumed dead. Ten years later he shows up, wearing a mask to cover his scar.

An encounter with nomads reunites him with Diana and she becomes his slave. They love each other very much though he sometimes teases her with the idea of selling her for profit. With Diana by his side, he takes over Doria from Randis, helps make Patris a better woman and slave, becomes king of Doria, and mends relations with Gupta.

The character of Sho is voiced by Takehito Koyasu in the Japanese version and Crispin Freeman in English.

Diana

Diana (ディアナ) is a girl that dreamed about being a princess when she was young. However, after her father Randis took over Doria through treacherous means and supposedly killing her best friend Sho, she despises the position.

Diana runs away and rescues a slave named Fina. After encounters with creatures and nomads, Diana herself is turned into a slave. Her salvation soon comes at the hands of Sho, a man she thought was dead.

After her rescue, Diana becomes Sho's slave. She loves him very much and sticks with him throughout his journey. She is a skilled fighter and chess player; skills that she learnt while assuming the position of princess.

The character of Diana is voiced by Michiko Neya in the Japanese version and Tara Sands in English.

Supporting characters

Fina (テオ) is a young brown-haired adolescent girl who is saved by Diana from the slave market and who later becomes a slave of the nomads. After she meets her love Imil, Fina asks him to make her his slave. The character of Fina is voiced by Yuri Oshima in the Japanese version and Lotus in English.

Teo (テオ) is the experienced nomad chief. When Teo first met Sho and Diana he already knew their true identities and revealed to Sho that he personally knew Sho's father Bassen. Teo later becomes the king of Doria when it is taken over by Sho and the nomads. He manages to survive an assassination attempt and gives the position of king to Sho when he returns to nomadic life with Ulsra. The character of Teo is voiced by Takashi Nagasako in the Japanese version and Tony Allan in English.

Ulsra (ウルスラ) is Teo's dedicated slave, who declines Teo's offer of queen, saying she would rather be riding in the fields with him. Ulsra manages to save Teo's life during the assassination attempt and after Sho becomes king, she goes back to nomad life with Teo. The character of Ulsra is voiced by Miho Yoshida in the Japanese version and Kay Dee and Katherine Devaney in English.

Dunan (デュナン) is the youngest of the princes of Gupta and a sadist. He was arranged to marry Diana but she flees the kingdom. He becomes involved in the attempt to bring her back to Doria. In the process, Dunan violates her. Diana seeks revenge and stabs him to death with Sho's dagger. The character of Dunan is voiced by Shigeru Nakahara in the Japanese version and Tristan Goddard in English.

Randis (ランディス) is Diana's father, who becomes the king of Doria after murdering Sho's father, Bassen. He is portrayed as a cold man, who shows little love for his family and daughter. He commits suicide when Doria is being taken over by nomads. The character of Randis is voiced by Hiroshi Naka in the Japanese version and Michael Mattison in English.

Imil (イミル) is the king's adviser to both Teo and Sho. He's extremely intelligent but is overprotective when it comes to the king's matters. He accepts Fina as his slave after she declares her love for him. The character of Imil is voiced by Hikaru Genji in the Japanese version and George Trahannis in English.

Minor characters

Patris is the spoiled niece of a rich uncle.

Kyle is Patris' bodyguard, and has strong feelings for her.

Gilman is a chess master, and the master of the young slave Shiera.

Shiera is a young adolescent Like Fina, and the slave of Gilman.

The slave market owner is the cruel and unkind slave dealer who treats Fina poorly.

Hida is the mother of Diana and the husband of King Randis, who disapproves of Diana being married off to Prince Dunan. After her husband's death, it is unknown what happened to her.

External links

• Fencer of Minerva (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Fencer of Minerva on IMDb