Meine Liebe - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a series of dating sim

Dating sim

Dating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...

s by Konami

Konami

is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...

for the Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance

The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

and PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

.

Meine Liebe has been adapted into 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....

series produced in 2004 by the studio Bee Train

Bee Train

, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir, .hack//Sign, and Madlax they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively...

, which was broadcast across Japan by the anime television network, Animax

Animax

is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...

. In 2006 a sequel was produced by the name of , which was also broadcast across Japan by the Animax

Animax

.

The story follows the lives of students at an elite academy of the fictional European country of Kuchen in 1937.

Other adaptations consist of a 4 volume Meine Liebe 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...

and a novel.
Also, several drama CDs have been released.

Settings

The entire story takes place in a country called Kuchen, a fictional country located in the Atlantic Ocean, to the coasts of France and south of Britannia. The word “kuchen” is the German word for “cake”, and most of the places and people are also German-based. Other notable citied are Kirsche (“cherry

Cherry

The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

”), Erdbeere (“strawberry

Strawberry

Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...

”) and Mürbe (“shortcrust

Shortcrust pastry

Shortcrust pastry is a type of pastry often used for the base of a tart or pie. It does not puff up during baking because it usually contains no leavening agent. It is possible to make shortcrust pastry with self-raising flour, however...

”).

Kuchen is a monarchy

Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...

. The king of Kuchen decided that his country would not get involved in the disheveled politics of a world between two world wars

World war

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....

. The king is aided by several scholars with strong backgrounds and logical minds, who earned recognition from the Kuchen church. They are men with a noble rank who graduated from the prestigious Rosenstolz academy.

Rosenstolz (German for “pride of the rose”) academy is a boarding school which students from wealthy families attend. The academy is open to both genders, though only the boys have a dorm on the academy’s ground. Rosenstolz is located in a peaceful town, though its grounds stretch over parts of the surrounding wilderness and forest. The gardens are well tended, consisting of a flourishing greenhouse, stables and narrow channels and fountains.

It is known that the students in Rosenstolz are expected to learn fencing, horseback riding, world history and Kuchen history, science and languages. The academy has one special class that’s called the Strahl candidate’s class (Strahl being German for ray), where all the prominent young men study hard in the hopes of becoming the king’s councilors. Until headmaster Werner’s reform, only those who were born to the right social class could study there.

The academy is said to welcome everyone. Amongst the academy’s alumni are the current headmaster Bartholomew, councilor Gerald, Victor Gryffith, Josef Torger and the king. It is known that Beruze and headmaster Werner did not go to Rosenstolz.

Story

The main hero of the anime is Orpherus, a young man who believes in a country ruled by its people and whose sister was killed in an act of terrorism two years prior. Orpherus, nicknamed Orphe, is surrounded by his friends and rivals and together they struggle to make their dream come true — being the king’s advisors.

First season

The first season begins by introducing the characters, their past and their ambitions. Orpherus, Eduard, Camus, Ludwig and Naoji are five noblemen who attend the prestigious Rosenstolz academy, and who are a part of the Strahl class – a class for potential candidates for the advisory positions in the royal palace in the small European country of Kuchen. Isaac is an English writer who visits Kuchen. While still students, the five noblemen are forced to deal with corrupted politicians, secret agents, attempted murder and ambitious individuals from both inside and outside of school who threaten to break the fragile peace in their country, and even assassinate the king.

Second season

The five Strahl candidates return to their final year in Rosenstolz, but troubles are far from over. The previous headmaster disappears without saying a word and the new headmaster has a revolutionary idea that threatens to tear the academy apart. But there are troubles not only inside the academy. The king is hiding information, Lui’s mother is depressed and Lui himself is being accused of severe treason. While on the run Orphe is nearly shot once again, and Ed finds out that figures from their past have once again arrived at Kuchen. Now the five of them must prove Lui’s innocence while stopping a hideous ploy to sell Kuchen to foreign hands.

Main characters

Orpherus is nicknamed "Orphe" by most of the people around him. His title Fürst

Fürst

Fürst is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, who is referred to as Prinz...

, is the highest of all characters and means a prince, but neither the anime nor the manga shows that he is really royalty and that's because when it comes to royal and noble ranks in Germany the highest rank is the Emperor (Kaiser

Kaiser

Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...

). Also the son of a king is called "Prinz" (prince) in German while a noble who governs a country like a duke is called "Fürst"(prince). Despite all that, little is known about his house or his parents. All that is known is that they have a butler and that Orphe had a sister, named Robertine, who died when he was 15. Orphe was devastated after her death, and has the habit of caressing the pendant that Robertine's fiancé gave her and which Orphe took from the rubble of the explosion site. He blames himself for not accompanying her to buy the wedding dress, despite the fact that she insisted on going alone.

Orphe is a very idealistic person. Isaac reprimands him on this, saying that he is unconnected to today's society and that words alone would not stifle the sparks of war. According to his way of thinking it can be said that he is also an idealist

Idealism

In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...

. He likes politics and holds women in higher regards than most of the men in his time. He's prone to winning and strives to excel in everything he does. He decided to become a Strahl candidate after meeting the king as a boy.

, Drama voice by: Shotaro Morikubo

Eduard is nicknamed "Ed" by most of the people around him. His title, Markgraf

Margrave

A margrave or margravine was a medieval hereditary nobleman with military responsibilities in a border province of a kingdom. Border provinces usually had more exposure to military incursions from the outside, compared to interior provinces, and thus a margrave usually had larger and more active...

means Marquis. His father had an illegal affair with a woman of a lower rank, resulting in Ed and his little sister Erika. After his mother died, his father took him into his house. However, he was already married with three girls, all of whom were older than Ed. Henriette Braunschweig, Ed's stepmother, hated Ed because she wasn't able to give birth to a male heir to the Braunschweig family assets, going as far as telling her daughters not to speak with their two step-siblings. Eventually Ed's father had Erika removed from the house to appease his wife, and her whereabouts are unknown. Ed is still burdened by this because he had promised his sister that he would protect her, and was unable to fulfill that promise.

Ed's appearance is unlike that of the other nobles in the series. He goes with his neck uncovered, he is more tanned than the others and has an earring. Ed is very cheerful and likes to take things easy. He is also the comic relief throughout the series, with his attempts at meditation and kendo. He makes friends easily and wears his heart on his sleeve, though he does not care what other people think about him. He is a good swordsman but is not above using his fists in a fight, another thing that distinguishes him from the other nobles.

, Drama voice by: Akira Ishida

Akira Ishida

Akira Ishida is a prolific male seiyū born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.He was a part of Mausu Promotion from 1988 until March 2009...

Ludwig is often nicknamed as "Lui" by the people around him, though most still refer to him as Ludwig because they are afraid of him or revere him. His title Herzog

Duke

A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

is the second highest title among the nobles, and means Duke. His father is a Duke as well, but his mother is the king's sister, making the king of Kuchen his uncle. His other uncle on his mother's side is the king's (rebellious) younger brother, Helbert. His uncle on his father's side is Camus' father, making the two of them cousins. It is known that he has two housekeepers, Augusta and Clemence, and a younger sister and brother. Also, he is left-handed.

Lui appears cold-hearted most of the time. He is very arrogant and yet he knows what is expected of him by his rank and position in the world of those times, and accepts it with cold indifference. He often leaves his friend shocked at his words when he voices his thoughts. However, Lui is a good judge of character and seems to know what to say to help the people he is fond of in order to solve problems on their own. He likes challenges, as long as they are fair towards both ends. Lui claims that he is not like the others, insinuating that he is cold hearted and calculated, and compares himself to Orphe by saying that he can not grasp an opportunity and fight for it like Orphe does. Isaac reprimands Lui for his way of thinking, claiming that it was too dangerous.

, Drama voice by: Kōki Miyata

Koki Miyata

is a Japanese voice actor who works for 81 Produce. He was formerly credited as .-Anime:*07-Ghost *Angel Tales *Baka to Test to Shōkanjū *Baka to Test to Shōkanjū: Ni!...

Camus does not have a nickname like the others, but due to Japanese pronunciation it is often thought that he is nicknamed “Camu”, however that is not so. Camus’ rank of Pfalzgraf

Count palatine

Count palatine is a high noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...

is the lowest of the nobles and means Count palatine. Camus has an elder sister and an elder brother. His brother Leohart is especially protective of him and has watched over him ever since the day he was born.

Camus possesses a special ability, something akin to empathy. He is able to talk to flowers and under his care they bloom more wildly than any place else (his mansion consists of huge gardens that he tend to himself). This ability also enables him to tell a person’s mood. He can tell when someone is upset or angry, like he knew that Isaac was angry at the Strahl class when he visited the academy even though Isaac was smiling. He also receives visions of future events, but when he warns the people involved he is usually feared instead of heeded. Due to this ability he is often feared, misunderstood or mocked.

, Drama voice by: Tomokazu Sugita

Tomokazu Sugita

is a Japanese voice actor employed by Atomic Monkey. Best known for his role as Gintoki in Gintama, he also voices Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. He is also one of the three hosts on the radio show Bururaji promoting the videogame Blazblue which is produced and released on Nico Nico...

Naoji is the only one who does not have a rank, and is in fact not a noble. Naoji was born in Japan to a prestigious family. His father sent him to Kuchen to turn him into an educated and experienced man, but also to protect him from the impending war in Japan (WWII

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

). Without his knowledge, a Kuchen citizenship application was submitted in his name by his father, something he is very upset over. He is staying with a man named Foster, who was like a father to Naoji’s mother.

Naoji has a younger sister, a grandfather and a non-Japanese grandmother. His grandmother was born in Kuchen to a Duke

Duke

A duke or duchess is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy...

dom and was described to be a true lady with perfect education. She met Naoji’s grandfather when he was studying abroad and all but eloped with him to Japan. Throughout the anime series, Naoji is the only one who speaks the common Japanese dialect, while the rest of the characters speak in an extremely polite and somewhat archaic dialect to distinguish between them.

Isaac is a British spy who works undercover in Kuchen. Since Kuchen insisted on remaining neutral

Neutral country

A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...

despite the time and era being just between two world wars

World war

A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....

, the British government wanted to know if Kuchen can be influenced (by force if necessary) to support their side. So Isaac is sent, and for nearly a year he works in Kuchen in the disguise of an author, though he is not the only secret agent who works undercover in Kuchen.

Isaac actually received the title “Sir

Sir

Sir is an honorific used as a title , or as a courtesy title to address a man without using his given or family name in many English speaking cultures...

” for his service to his country. His parents were fallen noblemen that, due to poverty, were thrown out of their manor, something that affected his sister very much. He has three younger siblings: a sister names Rosa and two younger brothers. At some point after they were thrown out of their manor Isaac was left to take care of his younger siblings and was separated from his parents. He joined the army to earn money and support the family during World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

(he calls that time “hell”), and due to his outstanding conduct in battle was recruited to the secret services.

Isaac has a motorcycle and usually carries a revolver. Also, he seems to have strange connections with some of the alumni of Rosenstolz academy.

Anime

The anime

Anime

from Bee Train

Bee Train

studio was directed by Koichi Mashimo

Koichi Mashimo

is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...

and had Minako Shiba as the character designer. The first season of the anime was aired on the Animax

Animax

network on November 2004 and the second season on January 2006. Though adapted from a dating sim

Dating sim

s game, the anime pushed aside the main character of Erika, and she makes only brief appearances during the series. The thirteen Meine Liebe episodes were released on DVD by Geneon Entertainment from February 4, 2005, to August 10, 2005, with Marvelous Entertainment Inc. releasing the last two episodes Geneon Entertainment released the thirteen Meine Liebe - wieder episodes on DVD from February 24, 2006, to August 25, 2006. The anime is also licensed in German by Tokyopop Germany.

Manga

Written and illustrated by Rei Isawa with character designs by Kaori Yuki

Kaori Yuki

is a female Japanese manga artist best known for her gothic manga such as Earl Cain, its sequel Godchild, and Angel Sanctuary. Yuki debuted in 1987 with which ran in the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha. Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo...

, a manga adaption titled was serialized in Bessatsu Hana to Yume

Bessatsu Hana to Yume

is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.-Background:Bessatsu Hana to Yume is a sister magazine to Hana to Yume. It was launched in July 1977 as a quarterly priced at 300 yen...

. Hakusensha

Hakusensha

is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....

collected the chapters into four 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...

and published them from January 19, 2005 to May 19, 2006. The series focuses on a good-natured girl named Erika Kraus, who attends the Rosenstolz Academy to find her brother.

Meine Liebe is licensed in Singapore for an English-language release by Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi

Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...

, and in Germany by Tokyopop Germany.

Volume list

Novel

A novel named Encounter of Fate was serialized on Betsuhana magazine on August 2005, 2006. This novel was authored by Shinobu Gotou, with illustrations by Rei Izawa and the cooperation of Kaori Yuki

Kaori Yuki

. The novel has 230 pages.

Drama CDs

Geneon Entertainment released four Meine Liebe drama CDs. The first was published on March 10, 2005 The second followed on April 1, 2005.

Geneon Entertainment released the first Meine Liebe Wieder drama CD on April 21, 2006. The second was released on June 23, 2006.

Drama CD 3, ploy, was released on 13/5/2005
A special drama CD, special vacation for the Strahl candidates, was released on 10/8/2005

Of note is that although the seiyū

Seiyu

Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...

for Orpherus and Isaac remained unchanged, Akira Ishida voiced Ludwig instead of reprising his role as Naoji in the anime version.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Settings

Story

First season

Second season

Main characters

Anime

Manga

Volume list

Novel

Drama CDs

Related items

External links