Kekkaishi
Encyclopedia
is a supernatural
manga
series written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe
. It was serialized in Japan by Shogakukan
in the manga magazine Shōnen Sunday
from 2003 to 2011 , and licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media
. It was adapted as a fifty-two episode anime
series by Sunrise
, which was broadcast between October 2006 and February 2008. The series is about Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs to rival families of kekkai (barrier magic) users, who must defend their school from the spirits drawn to the sacred land upon which it is built. Kekkaishi received the 2007 Shogakukan Manga Award
for shōnen
manga.
In the present day, Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs of the Hazama clan, are the that protect Karasumori. They are ability users (people who can use supernatural powers) who use a technique called . Kekkai is a form of magical energy barrier which is primarily used to capture and destroy ayakashi that are drawn to this . Any ayakashi that stay on the land become stronger. Yoshimori and Tokine are to guard the land from the intrusion of ayakashi who try to "power-up" there.
Yoshimori and Tokine suffered a lot of hardships in their responsibilities to protect Karasumori. The ayakashi they must fight are becoming more and more powerful, but they managed to protect the land with the help from Yoshimori's older brother, Masamori Sumimura, and the . The Shadow Organization itself is an organization of ability users that is governed by a council of twelve, consisting of high level ability users.
Over the course of the story it is revealed little by little that the legend is full of lies. The real source of Karasumori's power is , an illegitimate son of the Hazama clan's founder, Tokimori Hazama, and the Karasumori clan's heiress. Tokimori used forbidden arts to try to give his son unearthly power, but the plan backfired, and instead gave Chūshinmaru the power to draw people's life force, killing everybody around him. Tokimori was forced to seal his own son beneath Karasumori. However, because Tokimori remained outside the seal, the seal is imperfect and allows Chūshinmaru's power to leak out, and it is this that draws ayakashi to the land.
In the end, with the help of Yoshimori's mother and Tokimori, Yoshimori and Tokine find a new site for Chūshinmaru by displacing the founder of the Urakai from the domain of a land-god that the founder had taken over. To seal Chūshinmaru, Yoshimori's mother sacrifices herself by sealing the domain with herself inside.
. It was serialized in Japan by Shogakukan
in the shōnen
(aimed at teenaged boys) manga magazine Shōnen Sunday
in 345 chapters from 2003 issue 47 to 2011 issue 19. Serial chapters have been collected inたわごと33 tankōbon
volumes , with a projected two more volumes to come. The series is licensed in English in North America by Viz Media
. It is also licensed in France by Pika Édition
, in Germany by Carlsen Comics, in Hong Kong by Rightman Publishing Limited, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo
which serializes it in Shōnen Star
, in Italy by Planet Manga, in Malaysia by PCM Comics, in South Korea by Bookbox, in Spain by Editorial Ivrea
, in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics
,, in Vietnam by Kim Dong
. and in Brazil by Panini Comics
.
A guidebook to the series called a was published as a Shōnen Sunday special on December 16, 2006 (ISBN 4-09-120710-3).
as an anime
television series directed by Kenji Kodama
with character designs by Hirotoshi Takaya and music by Taku Iwasaki
. The opening theme for all episodes is by Saeka Uura. There are four different ending themes: by Koshi Inaba
(episodes 1–15, 38, 40, 48, 52), by Aiko Kitahara (episodes 16–23, 39, 44, 51), by Uura (episodes 24–30, 41, 46, 49), and by Uura (episodes 31–37, 42–43, 45, 47, 50). The series was broadcast for 52 episodes in Japan between 16 October 2006 and 12 February 2008 on Nippon Television
, Yomiuri TV
, and Nippon Television Network System
, in the "golden" timeslot of 7 p.m. Monday.
The anime has been licensed in North America by Viz Media
. which began broadcasting episodes online through Hulu.com in January 2010. The series premiered on TV on May 29, 2010 on Cartoon Network
's block Adult Swim
. It has also been broadcast in Taiwan on TTV
and Videoland Television Network
, in Malaysia on 8TV
(Cantonese dubbing with Malay subtitles) and NTV7 (Malay dubbing), in Hong Kong on Cable TV
, in the Philippines on Hero, GMA Network
and on Hero's Competitor: Animax Asia
(but Japanese Audio with English Subtitles), and in Indonesia on antv
.
released two "action based" games for the Nintendo DS
, the first on 24 May 2007. A Wii
game was released in December 2007 in Japan.
for best shōnen
manga. The series is among the best-selling manga in Japan.Volumes 19, 20, and 21 all reached number 3 or 4 on the Tohan best-seller list.
The English edition of Kekkaishi was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association
as among the best graphic novels for teens for 2007.
During its initial broadcast, episodes of the anime series were frequently among the top ten rated anime television shows, sometimes as the only original (non-sequel) show to do so.
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
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 written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe
Yellow Tanabe
is a Japanese manga artist. She was an assistant for Mitsuru Adachi and Makoto Raiku and made her debut in 2002 with the short story Lost Princess. She is best known for the manga series Kekkaishi, which has been adapted as an anime television series and translated into many languages...
. It was serialized in Japan by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
in the manga magazine Shōnen Sunday
Shonen Sunday
, first published on March 17, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.- History :...
from 2003 to 2011 , and licensed for an English-language release in North America 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...
. It was adapted as a fifty-two episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series by Sunrise
Sunrise (company)
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
, which was broadcast between October 2006 and February 2008. The series is about Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs to rival families of kekkai (barrier magic) users, who must defend their school from the spirits drawn to the sacred land upon which it is built. Kekkaishi received the 2007 Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga.
Plot
According to the legend, five hundred years ago, there was an insignificant lord who possessed a mysterious power that drew (supernatural creatures) to him. A demon exterminator, Tokimori Hazama, was called upon to protect the lord and his castle. The lord's power stayed on the land even when he had died. Thus, Tokimori founded the Hazama clan, who inherited his techniques, to protect the land for centuries to come. This land is .In the present day, Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs of the Hazama clan, are the that protect Karasumori. They are ability users (people who can use supernatural powers) who use a technique called . Kekkai is a form of magical energy barrier which is primarily used to capture and destroy ayakashi that are drawn to this . Any ayakashi that stay on the land become stronger. Yoshimori and Tokine are to guard the land from the intrusion of ayakashi who try to "power-up" there.
Yoshimori and Tokine suffered a lot of hardships in their responsibilities to protect Karasumori. The ayakashi they must fight are becoming more and more powerful, but they managed to protect the land with the help from Yoshimori's older brother, Masamori Sumimura, and the . The Shadow Organization itself is an organization of ability users that is governed by a council of twelve, consisting of high level ability users.
Over the course of the story it is revealed little by little that the legend is full of lies. The real source of Karasumori's power is , an illegitimate son of the Hazama clan's founder, Tokimori Hazama, and the Karasumori clan's heiress. Tokimori used forbidden arts to try to give his son unearthly power, but the plan backfired, and instead gave Chūshinmaru the power to draw people's life force, killing everybody around him. Tokimori was forced to seal his own son beneath Karasumori. However, because Tokimori remained outside the seal, the seal is imperfect and allows Chūshinmaru's power to leak out, and it is this that draws ayakashi to the land.
In the end, with the help of Yoshimori's mother and Tokimori, Yoshimori and Tokine find a new site for Chūshinmaru by displacing the founder of the Urakai from the domain of a land-god that the founder had taken over. To seal Chūshinmaru, Yoshimori's mother sacrifices herself by sealing the domain with herself inside.
Manga
Kekkaishi was written and illustrated by Yellow TanabeYellow Tanabe
is a Japanese manga artist. She was an assistant for Mitsuru Adachi and Makoto Raiku and made her debut in 2002 with the short story Lost Princess. She is best known for the manga series Kekkaishi, which has been adapted as an anime television series and translated into many languages...
. It was serialized in Japan by Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
in the shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
(aimed at teenaged boys) manga magazine Shōnen Sunday
Shonen Sunday
, first published on March 17, 1959, is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan. Contrary to its title, Weekly Shōnen Sunday issues are released on Wednesdays.- History :...
in 345 chapters from 2003 issue 47 to 2011 issue 19. Serial chapters have been collected inたわごと33 tankōbon
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...
volumes , with a projected two more volumes to come. The series is licensed in English in North America 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...
. It is also licensed in France by Pika Édition
Pika Édition
Pika Édition is a French publisher headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, specializing in manga. Founded as a daughter company of Media System Editions, it was taken over by Hachette Livre in 2007.-Distribution:...
, in Germany by Carlsen Comics, in Hong Kong by Rightman Publishing Limited, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo
Elex Media Komputindo
Elex Media Komputindo is a major Indonesian publisher of literature on computers as well as comic books. In addition to local comic books, it also publishes Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Chinese manhua. Founded on 15 January 1985, Elex Media Komputindo is within the publishing arm of the...
which serializes it in Shōnen Star
Shōnen Star
Shōnen Star is the Indonesian version of Weekly Shōnen Sunday published by Elex Media Komputindo , the largest comic publisher in Indonesia on 2005. The magazine published Kurozakuro, Robot Boys, My Wing, Midori's Days, etc. Due to government regulation of pornography so the censorship is...
, in Italy by Planet Manga, in Malaysia by PCM Comics, in South Korea by Bookbox, in Spain by Editorial Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea
Editorial Ivrea is an Argentine manga and comics publisher that publishes in Argentina, Spain and Finland. They also published Lazer, a magazine which was specialized in anime, comics, manga, series and other media. The magazine has an acid humor and has also organized parties in Argentina...
, in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics
Tong Li Comics
Tongli Publishing Co. , most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in the Republic of China .-History:...
,, in Vietnam by Kim Dong
Kim Dong Publishing House
Kim Đồng Publishing House is the largest book producer and publisher for Vietnamese children. With more than 1,000 titles of books published yearly, its books offered to children from toddlers to teenagers a wide ranges of collections and genres from literature, science, art, history to comics,...
. and in Brazil by Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
.
A guidebook to the series called a was published as a Shōnen Sunday special on December 16, 2006 (ISBN 4-09-120710-3).
Anime
Kekkaishi was adapted by SunriseSunrise (company)
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
as an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series directed by Kenji Kodama
Kenji Kodama
is a Japanese anime director, and storyboard artist. He is best known for directing the anime Case Closed and working with the anime Lupin III.-Works:* Bug tte Honey : Episode Director* Case Closed : Director, Storyboard, Episode Director...
with character designs by Hirotoshi Takaya and music by Taku Iwasaki
Taku Iwasaki
is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan. He is a graduate of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Iwasaki is generally known for his jazz-like score music.-Anime:...
. The opening theme for all episodes is by Saeka Uura. There are four different ending themes: by Koshi Inaba
Koshi Inaba
is a Japanese vocalist. His real name is . He graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Yokohama National University, and has a degree in mathematics.- Musical career :...
(episodes 1–15, 38, 40, 48, 52), by Aiko Kitahara (episodes 16–23, 39, 44, 51), by Uura (episodes 24–30, 41, 46, 49), and by Uura (episodes 31–37, 42–43, 45, 47, 50). The series was broadcast for 52 episodes in Japan between 16 October 2006 and 12 February 2008 on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
, Yomiuri TV
Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation
is a TV station joining Nippon News Network and Nippon Television Network System in Osaka Business Park, Osaka, Japan founded as "" on February 13, 1958...
, and Nippon Television Network System
Nippon Television Network System
is a television network organized by NTV in Tokyo. NTV feeds entertainment and other non-news programming over NNS to 28 affiliated stations.-Nippon News Network stations:...
, in the "golden" timeslot of 7 p.m. Monday.
The anime has been licensed in North America 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...
. which began broadcasting episodes online through Hulu.com in January 2010. The series premiered on TV on May 29, 2010 on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's block Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. It has also been broadcast in Taiwan on TTV
Taiwan Television
Taiwan Television Enterprise, Ltd. , commonly known as TTV is launched), is the first television broadcast station in Taiwan...
and Videoland Television Network
Videoland Television Network
Videoland Television Network is a cable network program provider in Taiwan, founded in 1983 by Koos Group. Videoland is one of Taiwan's major satellite television providers, offering seven channels of programming...
, in Malaysia on 8TV
8TV (Malaysia)
8TV is a private Malaysian Chinese television station, previously known as MetroVision Channel 8. Metrovision closed on 1 November 1999. 8TV was officially launched on Thursday, 8 January 2004 as 8TV after being acquired by Media Prima Berhad....
(Cantonese dubbing with Malay subtitles) and NTV7 (Malay dubbing), in Hong Kong on Cable TV
Cable TV Hong Kong
Cable TV Hong Kong , previously known as Wharf Cable before October 1998, is owned and operated by i-CABLE Communications Limited...
, in the Philippines on Hero, GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
and on Hero's Competitor: Animax Asia
Animax Asia
Animax Asia is the Japanese anime TV network Animaxs English language feeds in Southeast Asia and South Asia, as well as its feeds across other regions of mainland Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan...
(but Japanese Audio with English Subtitles), and in Indonesia on antv
Antv
antv is an Indonesian television network based in South Jakarta. It is owned by PT Visi Media Asia,Tbk.-History:antv was launched on 1 March 1993 as a local television station in Lampung province. In the same month it was awarded a government license for nationwide broadcasting, and moved its...
.
Video games
Namco BandaiNamco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
released two "action based" games for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, the first on 24 May 2007. A Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game was released in December 2007 in Japan.
Reception
In 2007, Kekkaishi received the Shogakukan Manga AwardShogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for best shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga. The series is among the best-selling manga in Japan.Volumes 19, 20, and 21 all reached number 3 or 4 on the Tohan best-seller list.
The English edition of Kekkaishi was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...
as among the best graphic novels for teens for 2007.
During its initial broadcast, episodes of the anime series were frequently among the top ten rated anime television shows, sometimes as the only original (non-sequel) show to do so.
External links
- Shōnen Sunday official manga website
- Viz Media official manga site
- Sunrise official anime website
- Yomiuri TV official anime site
- Viz Media official anime site
- http://www.adultswim.com/shows/kekkaishi/Kekkaishi Episodes, Downloads and More from Adult SwimAdult SwimAdult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
] - Namco Bandai official DS game site