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Kamui (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese shōjo
manga
series by Japanese
author
Shingo Nanami
. The manga was serialized in the Monthly Stencil magazine, and later serialized in Monthly Gangan WING magazine, and published in Japan by SQUARE ENIX.
The English language
translation of the manga is published by Broccoli Books.
Fearing that the imbalance of the spirits known as the kamui will destroy the Earth, a teenager named Atsuma is sent from his village to retrieve Okikurumi, the sacred kamui, to restore the balance and peace. He joins NOA, the organization of youths with supernatural powers, to find Okikurumi and to stop the world destruction.
: Second in command at NOA, Commander of the Sky Division. She is infused with the power of the wind. She yearns to be emotionally tied down by the man who found her as a runaway. She brought Atsuma into NOA hoping to witness the miracle of which he speaks. She has an obsession with Utsuho and makes a contract with Kojomaru, after Utsuho pulls him out of Atsuma, to get to Utsuho.
: An officer of NOA, infused with the power of fire. He followed his childhood friend who joined NOA and lost her memory. An adept cook, he likes to take care of others, and his voice hold a strange attraction for both Atsuma and Sumire. His voice is also the reason he was able to get close to them. Atsuma slowly comes to think of Shui as a brother and they both care for each other deeply.
: The spirit of an ancient sword passed down for generations in Atsuma's village. Despite his age, Kojomaru is very short tempered and immature. He thinks his sole purpose in the series is to protect the Okikurumi. He was separate from Okikurumi, that's why he wants to get him back. This character is loosely based on the hero from an Ainu
epic
, the Kutune Shirka
. His name is an alternate way of pronouncing the story's title, Itadorimaru.
: Top commander of NOA. He is determined to make Sumire his, and uses NOA as a cage to keep her within his realm. He, also, work as a researcher for Utsuho before the main story.
: An officer of NOA, lieutenant of the Sky Division. She has an obsession with Sumire. She also seems to have memory problems, stemming from effects of being given the Okikurumi.
: An officer of NOA, lieutenant of the Earth Division. He is both smart and calculating. Although loyal to Hyde, he keeps in close contact with Shiki. He is later revealed to be working under Utsuho. Unlike most in the series, he has no powers.
: Third in command at NOA, Commander of the Earth Division. He is crazy and sadistic, he is obsessed with destruction.
: Head researcher of the government research facility and the creator of NOA. He took the sacred kamui, Okikurumi from his village. He is Atsuma's brother. He has the same voice as Shui.
: A teenage cadet of NOA. She joined after her family died in the earthquakes but is actually scared of fighting and only wants to live a normal life. She teaches Atsuma to trust in others. She is attacked by Hyde and confined to the hospital.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
author
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Shingo Nanami
Shingo Nanami
is a Japanese manga artist. Her debut work was a one volume manga titled Tennen Yuuryouji. Many of her works are serialized in Enix magazines, with collected volumes published by Square Enix. Her series KAMUI has been translated and published in English by Broccoli Books beginning in 2005...
. The manga was serialized in the Monthly Stencil magazine, and later serialized in Monthly Gangan WING magazine, and published in Japan by SQUARE ENIX.
The English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation of the manga is published by Broccoli Books.
Plot
In post-apocalyptic Japan, a devastating earthquake called the "Great Sinker" sank 1/3 of the southern islands and cities were destroyed. Monsters known as Atanan appear, creating chaos and fear among the survivors. Youths with supernatural powers fight against the Atanan and control the government-less ruins.Fearing that the imbalance of the spirits known as the kamui will destroy the Earth, a teenager named Atsuma is sent from his village to retrieve Okikurumi, the sacred kamui, to restore the balance and peace. He joins NOA, the organization of youths with supernatural powers, to find Okikurumi and to stop the world destruction.
Characters
: Having no tohsu, or power to communicate with the kamui, he is shunned by his village. He is forced to make a contract with Kojomaru, the spirit of an ancient sword, and sent to EDEN (neo-Tokyo) to retrieve the Okikurumi. Betrayed by someone he once admired, he trusts no one and keeps distanced from others. After spending time at NOA, he begins to trust again, living for the people he cares for. Those people being Shui, Sumire, Anzu, and, once upon a time, Utsuho.: Second in command at NOA, Commander of the Sky Division. She is infused with the power of the wind. She yearns to be emotionally tied down by the man who found her as a runaway. She brought Atsuma into NOA hoping to witness the miracle of which he speaks. She has an obsession with Utsuho and makes a contract with Kojomaru, after Utsuho pulls him out of Atsuma, to get to Utsuho.
: An officer of NOA, infused with the power of fire. He followed his childhood friend who joined NOA and lost her memory. An adept cook, he likes to take care of others, and his voice hold a strange attraction for both Atsuma and Sumire. His voice is also the reason he was able to get close to them. Atsuma slowly comes to think of Shui as a brother and they both care for each other deeply.
: The spirit of an ancient sword passed down for generations in Atsuma's village. Despite his age, Kojomaru is very short tempered and immature. He thinks his sole purpose in the series is to protect the Okikurumi. He was separate from Okikurumi, that's why he wants to get him back. This character is loosely based on the hero from an Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
epic
Yukar
are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most skillful performers....
, the Kutune Shirka
Kutune Shirka
The , known in Japanese as or simply is a sacred yukar epic of the native Ainu people of Japan. The Ainu title refers to a magic sword wielded by the story's protagonist. It is one of the most important, if not the most important, piece of Ainu literature...
. His name is an alternate way of pronouncing the story's title, Itadorimaru.
: Top commander of NOA. He is determined to make Sumire his, and uses NOA as a cage to keep her within his realm. He, also, work as a researcher for Utsuho before the main story.
: An officer of NOA, lieutenant of the Sky Division. She has an obsession with Sumire. She also seems to have memory problems, stemming from effects of being given the Okikurumi.
: An officer of NOA, lieutenant of the Earth Division. He is both smart and calculating. Although loyal to Hyde, he keeps in close contact with Shiki. He is later revealed to be working under Utsuho. Unlike most in the series, he has no powers.
: Third in command at NOA, Commander of the Earth Division. He is crazy and sadistic, he is obsessed with destruction.
: Head researcher of the government research facility and the creator of NOA. He took the sacred kamui, Okikurumi from his village. He is Atsuma's brother. He has the same voice as Shui.
: A teenage cadet of NOA. She joined after her family died in the earthquakes but is actually scared of fighting and only wants to live a normal life. She teaches Atsuma to trust in others. She is attacked by Hyde and confined to the hospital.
Other media
- KAMUI drama CD was released by Frontier Works on December 24, 2004.
- Product Number: AFC-3023
- Cast
- Atsuma - Takahiro SakuraiTakahiro Sakuraiis a voice actor who was born in Aichi. He is a member of 81 Produce; his height is .Many of his roles are handsome men. However, he has also voiced reluctant heroes as well as the occasional villain...
(櫻井 孝宏) - Shui - Toshiyuki MorikawaToshiyuki Morikawais a prolific Japanese male voice actor from Yokohama, Kanagawa, was affiliated with Arts Vision. Lately, however, he has become the head of that a voice actor company he founded in Apr 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki...
(森川 智之) - Sumire - Aya HisakawaAya Hisakawais a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer born in Kaizuka, Osaka. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, she is well known for her anime voice roles, and has also done some work in video games. She is best known for her role of Sailor Mercury of the Sailor Moon fame and also Cerberus from...
(久川 綾) - Shiki - Katsuyuki KonishiKatsuyuki Konishiis a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture. He is currently affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in GaoGaiGar....
(小西 克幸) - Yanagi - Akira IshidaAkira IshidaAkira Ishida is a prolific male seiyū born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.He was a part of Mausu Promotion from 1988 until March 2009...
(石田 彰) - Hyde - Junichi SuwabeJunichi Suwabeis a Japanese voice actor working for Haikyo. His most known roles involve, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques , Archer , Keigo Atobe and Omega ....
(諏訪部 順一) - Aika - Houko KuwashimaHouko Kuwashimais a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her given name, , is sometimes misread as Noriko, even in Japan...
(桑島法子) - Anzu - Yui HorieYui Horieis a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
(堀江由衣) - Kojomaru - Romi Park (朴 璐美)
- Utsuho - Toshiyuki Morikawa
- Utsuho (child) - Mamoru MiyanoMamoru Miyanois a Japanese voice actor, actor, and singer from Saitama. He is best known for his roles on Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Kōtetsu Sangokushi. At the 2007 Seiyu Awards he was nominated for two awards for his role as Light Yagami in Death Note, and in 2008, he...
(宮野 真守)