is a Japanese novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi

Nahoko Uehashi

is a Japanese writer, most famous for the series, which sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan. One of her novels, Guardian of the Sacred Spirit has been adapted into an anime television series, a manga, and a radio drama. The same book was published in English from Arthur A...

 and published by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 between 2006 and 2009. It focuses on a girl who can control the greatest of beasts as she gets involved in a war between two kingdoms.

The series has been adapted as a 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...

 serialized in Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

's Monthly Shōnen Sirius

Monthly Shōnen Sirius

is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, and first issued in May 2005. It is issued in perfect-bound B5 format and retails for 580 yen. Like all monthly shonen manga magazines, Monthly Shonen Sirius is aimed at late teens and people in their early 20s from ages 16 to...

since October 25, 2008, and 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, called produced by Production I.G and Trans Arts that premiered in Japan on NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 on January 10, 2009.

Plot

10-year-old Erin is a young girl who lives with her mother in the Tai Koh Region in the small Village of Ake. She has a big love for animals, especially the Touda, dragon-like creatures used in the war.

Her mother Soyon was originally of the Mist People, an ancient clan who have members with green hair and eyes, and is rumored to follow in the ancient ways, practice magic, and hide in the mist. But despite her genealogy, they stay in the village because Erin's late father was the son of the village chief and Soyon is the head Touda doctor.

But one night, the Kiba, the Duke's strongest Touda, mysteriously die. According to law, since Soyon was the person who was charged with caring for them, she is responsible for their condition and was sentenced to death. Erin learns of this and tries to save her mother, but Soyon refuses rescue, and Erin is swayed along the river as her mother to be eaten by the wild Touda.

Erin is taken in the Shin Oh region and is found and adopted by a beekeeper. There, she learns of the "king of beasts" the Ohju. Erin's spark for learning takes her to the Kazalm Ohju Breeding School, and leads her to the baby Ohju Lilan.
As Erin stays at Kazalm and spends more time with Lilan, she creates a miraculous bond with her that is said to be impossible and ends up getting involved in a civil war between the Tai Koh and the Shin Oh regions.

Main Characters

The female protagonist of the series. She is described as kind, collected, earnest, and very observant. She is 10 at the beginning, then she becomes 14 in the first time-skip, and 18 in the second. Due to the influences of her mother Soyon and foster father, John, Erin carries a unique perspective in caring for beasts. She respects and loves her mother very much, up until her death. Many people think that she is too curious, which simply gets her in trouble. Erin is truly caring towards people and animals, even to the point of worrying more about others than herself. She is strongly against using the Tohdas and Ohjus for war and even refuses to give Lilan alimentary water, which strengthens her for battle, and use the silent whistle on her, which paralyzes an Ohju. She dreams of a nation where human and beasts may understand each other.

Because Erin's mother was of the Mist People, she inherited her green hair and eyes. Some people first believed that she was able to be close to Lilan and Eku because she learned magic tricks of the Mist People from her mother, but they later see her as someone who just want to truly understand animals. Her classmates know her as the Ohju fanatic. Erin's name translates to "wild apple" both John and Kirik comment that they are free-thinking and unique; similar to Erin's personality.

As the series progresses, she becomes a Master at the Ohju Breeding School Kazalm to stay by Lilan. At the end of the anime series, it hints that Erin ends up with Ia-lu and have a son named Jesh.

A female Ohju that Erin takes care of in Kazalm. She is "raised" by Erin, and later sees her as her mother and the only human Lilan is accustomed to. Later in the story, she regains the ability to fly and mates with a wild Beast King named Eku. They have a baby named Aru.

Her name literally translates to "light."

Another Ohju that is in Erin's care in Kazalm, but a male. Eku was originally a wild Ohju, but was injured from a Silent Whistle. Eku, being from the wild, had no trust towards humans. However, after spending a night at his shed, Erin becomes the only human he trusts. He lives in Kazalm to stay by Lilan's side.

His name literally translates to "male."

Shin Oh Region

The Queen of Ryoza. She is a gentle woman who cares for her country and her people very much. Her child like demeanor suggests that she is not familiar with society outside the walls of her home. She detests war and her nephew Dahmiyah since she knows that Damiyah is having an agenda of his own. Her fear came true as Damiyah commanded a touda squadron (Psi-Gamul (firstly mistaken as Tai-koh's army because of the similarity)) to assasinate her, which caused her death.

The Granddaughter of Shin-Oh, a beautiful young woman who is next in line to become queen. She is a kind and gentle person who, like her grandmother, detests war but likes her uncle Dahmiyah. Seimiyah has deep feelings for Shunan, the Tai-Koh's eldest son. However, such feelings was weaken due to the manipulation of Damiyah, who attempted to weaken their bonds so that he can take the throne easily. Fortunately, such plan failed after she and Shunan understand each other and strengthen their feelings to each other. In the end, she married to Shunan to unite the two regions together.

The nephew of the Shin-Oh. He is very secretive and cunning. Daimiya tend to make passes on women who he is interested in, but manages to be swayed by Erin. However,he is not just a mere playboy, he is a very cunning manipulator who has his own army (Psi-Gamul) at his disposal. He weakens the bond between the Tai-koh and Shin-oh by framing the Tai-koh for trying to rebel against the Shin-oh so that he can take the rule of the country easily. However, such plan is noticed by Harumiyah, which caused Damiyah to eliminate her with his own Psi-Gamul while pushing the blame to Shunan, which further weaken the bond between Shunan and Seimiyah. However, his planned was thwarted when Erin appeared and saved Shunan and Seimiyah while Damiyah attempted to kill them all for the final phase of his plan. With the two reunited, he attempted to kill them with a knife but is killed by La-Lu instead.

One of the Real King's personal bodyguards, the Sezan. He is known throughout the nation as "Godspeed Ia-lu" for his ability to run at an inhuman pace. He is one of the few Sezan the Royal Family trusts personally. Ia-lu acts cold and unsociable around others, even to his comrades and his mentor. He takes his job, protecting the Queen and the Princess, very seriously.

However he has a soft spot for Erin, who is the only person he mostly smiles at and knows of his past. For her safety, he tries to keep his distance from her. He later becomes one of the few people who knows Erin's dark past, and promises that he'll keep quiet about it until the time is ready. There are hints showing that he may be in love with Erin.

At the end of the series, it is hinted that he is married to Erin and has a son named Jesh.

Tai-Koh Region

The Grand Duke's eldest son and one of the head captains of the Duke's Touda Army. He reports to the royal palace about his father's condition. Shunan wants to change the country into a reformed society where in which the future Grand Duke and Shin Oh are united and make decisions together for the two regions without force before the country ends. He expresses this to Seimiyah, the next in line to be queen. There are moments showing that he is in love with Seimiyah. However, their bond is weaken by the manipulation of Damiyah. Eventually his perseverance to his own feeling has paid off which he wins back the heart of Seimiyah. In the end of the series, he married Semiyah and joined the two regions together.

The brother of Shunan. He wants to prove his worthiness to his father. Nugan respects Shunan but, later, feels betrayed by him. He believes that the country is as it should be: the Shin Oh ruling it and the Tai Koh protecting it. Nugan is extremely loyal to the Queen and decides to go against Shunan without holding back. However, such rashness and loyalty has been used by Damiyah to overthrow the Tai-Koh and Shin-oh royalty. In the end, he was defeated.

The mother of Erin, a Touda doctor of the Village of Ake. She was originally a woman of the Mist People, but left her original heritage when she married Asson, the son of the chief of Ake Village. However, Asson passed away early, and left his wife and unborn child to live in the village. Despite her being of the Mist people, Soyon was a gifted beastenarian and was given special permission to care for the village's Touda. She decides to train her daughter Erin to be a Touda vet without teaching her the Mist People's forbidden techniques. Soyon is executed when the Kiba Touda die in the ponds. She appears many times in Erin's memories, especially in memories of teaching Erin of animal breeding.

Supporting Characters

Erin's foster father and a beekeeper living in the Shin Oh Region. John used to be a teacher at a very prestigious school, but quit. When he meets Erin, he decides to teach her about breeding. When Erin becomes infatuated with Ohju, John helps her gain admittance to Kazalm.

Two former thieves from the Tai Koh region. They were asked by an unknown man to steal Touda eggs for a large amount of money, but failed in doing so, meeting Erin in the process. Because of her kindness towards them, they vowed to stay by her side to "repay her." They become John's helpers on his ranch and the head Handymen of Kazalm later. They are often seen as the comic relief of the series and call Erin "Little Miss" and "Erin-Chan."

,

The headteacher at Kazalm. She is an old friend of John, Erin's foster father, and helped Erin with her times at Kazalm. She decided to let Erin take care of Lilan because Erin had the experience of witnessing a wild Ohju family breed, and was the one who concluded that Lilan saw Erin as her mother. Esal looks out for Erin as a foster mother.

Erin's 'senpai'. He is respected by his peers and underclassmen. Tomura was originally the person in charge of Lilan. But Erin, a middle schooler, was put in charge of taking care of Lilan and Tomura, a high schooler, was dismissed. After seeing Erin's determination, he becomes intrigued by her and develops a crush on her. This showing when he said he would to protect her from those who see Erin's bond with Lilan as a potential weapon for war.

A new Master who transfers from Tamuyuan, a prestige beastenarian school. He is secretly a member of the Psi-Gaml whose sister was killed by poison from a Wajyaku. Kirik is under orders from Damiyah and is assigned undercover as a teacher in Kazalum. He is very knowledgeable about poison and always has an eerie smile. He first sees Erin as a potential weapon, but later wants to protect her because she resembles his sister.

Groups

Wajyaku

The citizens from the Grand Duke's country and servants in the Duke's quarters. They fight under the banner of the Grand Duke, and it is their role to protect the Shin Oh and go to war. Because of this, the Wajyaku were seen as bloodthirsty people who loved going to war. Some important people who work under the Duke are his two sons and Touda doctors.

Psi-Gamul

An underground organization whose goal is to put the Taikoh on the throne. In the past they attacked the royal palace and murdered Shin-Oh Harumiyah' mother and grandmother. Daimiyah used Psi-Gamul as a cover for his plans to take the throne. They have a very similar appearance to the Tai-koh's Touda battalion so that they can put the blame on Tai-koh.

Sezan

The Queen's royal bodyguards. The Sezan are recruited when they are at a young age to be trained to have only one thing in mind: protect the Queen at all costs. They are trained to cut all ties with their family and friends so that they only have the thought of protecting the Shin Oh in their minds. They are even trained to ban their emotions.

Holon

The citizens from the Queen's country and the servants in the Queen's quarters. Unlike Wajyaku, Holon are people who hate violence and are against the idea of war. They live in the Shin Oh Region seeking a peaceful life from the battlefield. Some important people who work under the Queen are the Sezan and the Ohju doctors.

Mist People

An ancient clan, once known as "Aouhrl" for having people with green hair and green eyes. Legends say that this clan held the secrets to controlling animals, especially Touda and Ohju. But because of an incident many centuries ago involving First King Je and these secrets getting out, they promised to never let these secrets out to outsiders again. They become nomadic and hide in the mist. Because of this, they later became known as the "Mist People."

Novel

The first two novels were published by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 on November 21, 2006. They have since been reprinted in bunkoban format. The final two volumes were published on August 10, 2009.

Title	Release date	Length	ISBN

Manga

The manga was released by Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 in two bound 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...

. The first volume, (ISBN 978-4-062-85056-8) was published in November, 2008. The second volume, (ISBN 978-4-062-85069-8) was published on January 16, 2009.

Anime

Directed by Takayuki Hamana

Takayuki Hamana

is a Japanese animation director attached to Trans Arts.-Anime involved in:*Chocolate Underground: Director*Hakkenden: Legend of the Dog Warriors': Key Animation *Idaten Jump: Director*Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade: Key Animation...

, the first episode premiered on NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 on January 10, 2009. The opening theme is by Sukima Switch

Sukima Switch

is a Japanese jazz fusion duo consisting of core members , born May 9, 1978, and , born February 25, 1978, formed in 2003. Formerly with BMG Japan , they signed with Sony Music Japan's Ariola Japan label in September 2009.-History:...

, and the ending theme is "After the Rain" by cossami. The series became available on Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...

 with English subtitles on September 4, 2009.

External links

• Kemono no Sōja on the Kodansha
  Kodansha
  , the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
  
   website
• Kemono no Sōja Erin on the NHK
  NHK
  NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
  
  website
• ANN anime review