is an 8-volume fantasy manga series by Yun Kōga and published by Square Enix

Square Enix

is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...

 and later by Ichijinsha

Ichijinsha

is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...

 that later spawned a two episode OVA

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

 series.

Plot

The story circulates around a mysterious and dangerous island referred to simply as "G". A long time ago, a powerful god named Gestalt was banished to the earth and he had found refuge in the island known as G. To utter the name for which it stands is forbidden, for people were so afraid of the wrath of the god that they considered his name a curse. Father Olivier is a priest who has left his order and traveled to the island of G in order to discover the truth behind it. He ends up making the acquaintance of a young girl named Ohri, who turns out to be quite adept in magic.

Meanwhile, the head of the order has hired a dark elf

Dark elf

Dark elf may refer to:* Dökkálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Svartálfar or dark elves, a type of elf in Norse mythology* Moriquendi, a fictional race of elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium...

, Suzu, to track down Olivier and bring him back. Suzu finds him easily enough. However, she hadn't anticipated the powerful sorceress in his company, Ohri. The girl disposes of Suzu for the moment, and she and the Father continue on. As if things weren't rough enough, the island of G has its share of monsters and magic-users to get in the way of their travels.

Manga

The manga was first serialized in Square Enix's Monthly GFantasy in between 1992 and 2001. The series' 8 collected volumes

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

 was then republished by Ichijinsha

Ichijinsha

is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...

 under the imprint, Zero-Sum Comics. The manga is also licensed in English by Viz Media

VIZ Media

VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...

.

Volume list

Drama CDs

There were 2 drama CDs that were commercially released by Square Enix. The main cast were Kae Araki

Kae Araki

, better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress. After standing in for Kotono Mitsuishi when Mitsuishi had appendicitis, Araki originated the role of Chibiusa in the same series soon after...

 as Ouri and Takehito Koyasu

Takehito Koyasu

is a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...

 as Olivier. The first drama CD was released in September 1994 while the second drama CD was released in March 1996.

OVA

There was an OVA

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

 adaptation directed by Osamu Yamasaki with music done by Toshiyuki Ōmori as well as casting assistance by 81 Produce

81 Produce

is a voice talent management firm in Japan. The company's Director of Business Development, Rihoko Yoshida, is a former voice actress herself . A hybrid CD-ROM featuring voice talent data for members of 81 Produce was released on 19 October, 1997. The company is located Shibuya, Tokyo....

. The OVA was licensed in English by Media Blasters

Media Blasters

Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...

. The same cast for the drama CDs was used for the OVA.

Novels

There was a 2-part light novel written by Chizuru Yoshikawa with illustrations by the original author, Yun Kōga titled as . The novels were published by Square Enix under the imprint, GFantasy Novels while the first part of the novel was published in March 1999 and the second part of the novel was published in August 1999.