Sensual Phrase
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
series created by Mayu Shinjo
. The manga was published by Shogakukan
in Shōjo Comic
between 1997 and 2000, and collected in 18 bound volumes
. It was adapted as a 44-episode anime
television series by Studio Hibari
and as a series of novels. The series tells the story of Aine Yukimura, a high school student who becomes the lyricist for a Japanese rock band, and her relationship with the band's lead singer, Sakuya Ookochi.
To promote the anime, two real-life bands were formed: Λucifer, the band the story focuses on, and e.MU
, a rival band. Both bands continued after the anime ended before disbanding. Within the series, Λucifer’s original name is Lucifer, which is changed to Λucifer (using the Greek letter lambda
) when the band decides to go international. For the purposes of the article, the second name, Λucifer is used. Japanese names are given in Western order, with family name last.
Yukihiko Aine to protect her identity.
Aine and Sakuya's relationship starts on rocky ground, with Aine in love with Sakuya but thinking he only is with her for her lyrics. When he rejects her sexual advance, this only furthers this belief until he expresses his own love for her through a ballad he writes entitled "Little Bird". However, being the girlfriend of a high profile star is not an easy task. Aine is almost immediately targeted by jealous classmates who are fans of Sakuya's with Sakuya finally having to step in to put an end to things when some female fans pay some guys to attempt to rape Aine. As the series progresses, Aine is frequently targeted by Sakuya's enemies including rival bands and obsessed fans. In particular, his half-brother Ralph uses blackmail to take Aine from Sakuya temporarily, forcing Sakuya to face his father, who raped his mother. Knowing that his father prefers him over Ralph, Sakuya bows his head to him and learns the family business, giving him the power to take back Aine and keep Ralph from trying such a tactic again. However, Ralph continues attempting to woo Aine, having fallen in love with her during the time he held her captive and refused to submit to him.
Lucifer continues to grow as a band, moving from an independent band to major hit, renaming itself to Λucifer, and preparing to do tours in America and Europe, while Sakuya and Aine attempt to balance their love and professional lives. As the group continues to grow, the president of Λucifer's parent label, Kaito Yoshioka, grows to dislike the band's success overshadowing the main label's act. He brutally rapes Aine in an attempt to break Sakuya. She is found by their producer Hitoshi, who takes her to his home and tries to comfort her while helping her avoid Sakuya. Aine tries to commit suicide that night, leaving Hitoshi no choice but to tell Sakuya. Sakuya tries to kill Yoshioka, but is stopped by Ralph, who promises to avenge Aine while reminding Sakuya that she needs him with her, not in prison. Sakuya takes Aine, who is in a near catatonic state, into hiding to care for her. When she again attempts suicide, he cuts his own wrist telling her he will die with her if that's what she really wants. Aine snaps out of her depression and begins healing emotionally, while they work to recover their relationship. Aine realizes Sakuya is avoiding music and is afraid she will be hurt again because of him. She convinces him to return to the world they both love and after the death of the Hitoshi, Λucifer goes on to perform their final concert in Japan before a big European tour. While they are overseas, Aine studies to become the group's new manager. At the end for the series, Sakuya and Aine are married with a son.
, she found out by seeing it on the channels official website. She left Shogakukan in 2007, despite the company threatening to take all of her earlier series, including Sensual Phrase, out of print if she did so. Shinjo contacted a lawyer and, the threat was never carried out.
, Sensual Phrase premiered in Shōjo Comic
in 1997 , where it was serialized monthly until its conclusion in 2000. The individual chapters were collected and published in 17 tankōbon
volumes by Shogakukan
from June 1997 through January 2001. An additional volume was released on April 24, 2003 containing a sequel chapter for the story and additional unrelated short stories. Shogakukan republished the serialized chapters across six shinsoban hard cover editions in 2003 and re-released the original 17 volumes in 2006 with new covers.
Sensual Phrase is licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media
, including the special final volume. It released the first volume of the series on March 24, 2004; the final volume was released on February 13, 2007.
The series is licensed for regional language releases by Editorial Ivréa
in Spain and Latin America, Pika Edition
in France, Egmont Manga & Anime
in Germany, and Star Comics
in Italy. It was serialized in Germany in Manga Twister and in Italy in Amici
.
. It was directed by Hiroko Tokita
, with music by Susumu Akitagawa and character designs by Yumi Nakayama. There were multiple opening and closing themes, some of them credited to the fictional bands Λucifer and e.MU
, for which real-world counterparts were created. The anime was broadcast on TV Tokyo
in 44 episodes from April 20, 1999 to March 25, 2000. It was later released on 11 Videos by Pony Canyon
.
. Some tracks are performed by Λucifer, the real-world counterpart of the fictional rock band of the series.
Kaikan Phrase Visualism (or Kaikan Phrase BGM Image Album: VISUALISM) was releaded on March 15, 2000 by Pony Canyon
. In addition, a self-title album by Λucifer was released on April 15, 1998 by PolyGram
, containing songs from the manga.
PlayStation
by Enix
on February 24, 2000. Produced by Produce
, it is a Single-player Music game
that features the five members of Λucifer.
In 2010, Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku x Kaikan Phrase was released for the Nintendo DS
.
In addition, an artbook called SA KU YA (ISBN 4-09-199791-0) and a postcard book based on the manga were published.
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 created by Mayu Shinjo
Mayu Shinjo
is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1994 in Shogakukan's Shōjo Comic with "Anata no Iro ni Somaritai". She continued writing for Shogakukan until 2007, with her works appearing in both Shōjo Comic and their other magazine Cheese!...
. The manga was published 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 Shōjo Comic
Shojo Comic
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio's works and Keiko Takemiya's works in...
between 1997 and 2000, and collected in 18 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...
. It was adapted as a 44-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....
television series by Studio Hibari
Studio Hibari
' is a Japanese animation company founded in July 1979.-Co-Produced:*Ojamanga Yamada-kun *Captain Tsubasa...
and as a series of novels. The series tells the story of Aine Yukimura, a high school student who becomes the lyricist for a Japanese rock band, and her relationship with the band's lead singer, Sakuya Ookochi.
To promote the anime, two real-life bands were formed: Λucifer, the band the story focuses on, and e.MU
E.mu
E.mu — Japanese rock-group, mostly known because of their music for the Kaikan Phrase anime series.Their first single "Love Around" appeared in 2000 as the ending theme of 35-43 Kaikan Phrase episodes. In the same year they signed the contract with Unlimited Records...
, a rival band. Both bands continued after the anime ended before disbanding. Within the series, Λucifer’s original name is Lucifer, which is changed to Λucifer (using the Greek letter lambda
Lambda
Lambda is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is related to the Phoenician letter Lamed . Letters in other alphabets that stemmed from lambda include the Roman L and the Cyrillic letter El...
) when the band decides to go international. For the purposes of the article, the second name, Λucifer is used. Japanese names are given in Western order, with family name last.
Plot
Virginal Aine Yukimura is a quiet high school student who secretly writes raunchy song lyrics in hopes of becoming a song writer. One day she drops her lyrics and is almost run over by a car driven by Sakuya Ookochi, the lead singer for the hard-rocking band Lucifer known for their sensual lyrics. While helping her out, he ends up with a copy of her lyrics. Seeing her talent and desiring the girl, he campaigns for Aine to become the official lyricist for the band. His manager initially objects, but when Aine continues producing excellent lyrics, he relents and she becomes their lyricist using the male pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Yukihiko Aine to protect her identity.
Aine and Sakuya's relationship starts on rocky ground, with Aine in love with Sakuya but thinking he only is with her for her lyrics. When he rejects her sexual advance, this only furthers this belief until he expresses his own love for her through a ballad he writes entitled "Little Bird". However, being the girlfriend of a high profile star is not an easy task. Aine is almost immediately targeted by jealous classmates who are fans of Sakuya's with Sakuya finally having to step in to put an end to things when some female fans pay some guys to attempt to rape Aine. As the series progresses, Aine is frequently targeted by Sakuya's enemies including rival bands and obsessed fans. In particular, his half-brother Ralph uses blackmail to take Aine from Sakuya temporarily, forcing Sakuya to face his father, who raped his mother. Knowing that his father prefers him over Ralph, Sakuya bows his head to him and learns the family business, giving him the power to take back Aine and keep Ralph from trying such a tactic again. However, Ralph continues attempting to woo Aine, having fallen in love with her during the time he held her captive and refused to submit to him.
Lucifer continues to grow as a band, moving from an independent band to major hit, renaming itself to Λucifer, and preparing to do tours in America and Europe, while Sakuya and Aine attempt to balance their love and professional lives. As the group continues to grow, the president of Λucifer's parent label, Kaito Yoshioka, grows to dislike the band's success overshadowing the main label's act. He brutally rapes Aine in an attempt to break Sakuya. She is found by their producer Hitoshi, who takes her to his home and tries to comfort her while helping her avoid Sakuya. Aine tries to commit suicide that night, leaving Hitoshi no choice but to tell Sakuya. Sakuya tries to kill Yoshioka, but is stopped by Ralph, who promises to avenge Aine while reminding Sakuya that she needs him with her, not in prison. Sakuya takes Aine, who is in a near catatonic state, into hiding to care for her. When she again attempts suicide, he cuts his own wrist telling her he will die with her if that's what she really wants. Aine snaps out of her depression and begins healing emotionally, while they work to recover their relationship. Aine realizes Sakuya is avoiding music and is afraid she will be hurt again because of him. She convinces him to return to the world they both love and after the death of the Hitoshi, Λucifer goes on to perform their final concert in Japan before a big European tour. While they are overseas, Aine studies to become the group's new manager. At the end for the series, Sakuya and Aine are married with a son.
Anime adaptation
The anime adaptation does not follow most of the manga, acting more as a prequel series that shows how the band came to be formed and the daily hardships and struggles they faced as they formed. Aine is not introduced until the band gets their first debut in Episode 19.Characters
- Main female protagonist of the series. Aine is a typically happy, but shy high school girl. Her (literally) accidental meeting with Sakuya starts a whirlwind romance full of intense emotions, secrets, and of course, hot nights. Aine firmly earns her own place in the band as their lyricist who is able to pop out one hit song after another. She even contributes to music video concepts that help further the band's success. She is a valuable asset to the band not only because of her lyrics and her ability to soften Sakuya's wild ways, but also because her insight into what fans want in Λucifer allows them to promote themselves better.
- Main character of the series, Sakuya is the highly talented lead singer of Λucifer. He is known for his striking blue eyes which are inherited from his American father. However, Sakuya is also rude, physical, and doesn't care about life even when he starts singing with the band Lucifer. Sakuya lived most of his young teenage life paying off his mother’s debt at the club she worked in. Like his mother, he sang and played the piano for club guests, but to make more money he also worked as a male escort on the side. Because of his harsh experiences as a child, Sakuya's sense of trust was lost in people. But when he meets Aine, a high school girl, he shows a new caring and sensitive light towards others, especially to Aine. When she first starts working for them he says to himself that he is just selfishly using her, but after a while his true feelings start pouring out. He makes an appearance in "Love CelebLove Celebis a shōjo manga series created by Mayu Shinjo. Sakuya Ookochi, the main character from Sensual Phrase, also makes an appearance in this manga, as does Hakuron from the later spin-off Haou Airen.-Story:...
" as Kirara's producer.
- Santa's old friend and one of the founders of the band, Yuki has the strongest sense of leadership and responsibility that naturally makes him the band leader. He is often the one who knocks sense into Sakuya (sometimes almost too literally) whenever Sakuya's primal feelings blind him to Aine’s own hurt and pain, and the exasperation he causes his band mates. Yuki is the eldest son of a famous, traditional Noh theater family, but was forced to choose between the band and his family when he was offered a record contract. He chose the band and was subsequently disowned by his father, but a later episode of the series reveals a friendly relationship between the two. On a side note, Yuki is married and has a child.
- Λucifer’s drummer, Santa’s namesake comes from his birth date, which is on Christmas Day. Santa is an easy-going, but boisterous guy, who formerly played in Climb' with his girlfriend Yumi. Other than that, his history is little known when compared to his band mates, and is the only one who remains single at the end of the series.
- Bass guitarist of Λucifer. Much to his dislike, Towa’s androgynous good looks make not only women but also men swoon over him. Born with fair, wavy hair and "cursed" with the inability to tan, Towa’s looks blur the lines between people’s perception of his gender so much that some people ignore his natural gender do not even consider him as a man. Although Towa is irked by this, he only truly cares for the opinion of his childhood friend and current girlfriend, Miya, Λucier’s official makeup artist. Miya, ironically, is considered tomboyish and considers herself a rather plain woman. She and Towa completely complement each other, as in each other’s eyes, Towa is fully man as much as Miya is fully woman.
- As the most friendly and cheerful member of Λucifer, Atsuro serves as the comic relief in Kaikan Phrase. Atsuro’s long-time girlfriend, Yuuka, is actually his stepsister with whom he desperately tries to keep their relationship a secret from their parents, the media, and even his band mates. Towards the end of the series, his whole band (except Sakuya) reveals that they had known of their relationship all along. Also by the end, Atsuro and Yuuka also make a conscious decision to be open about their relationship to the public.
Production
In her blog, Shinjo noted that though she was the actual creator of Sensual Phrase, she was one of the last to know that the series was going to be adapted into an anime, and that by the time she knew, Shogakukan had already made the decision to do the series. She was also unaware that there were talks about making a film adaptation of the series until two years after the proposal was rejected. When the anime was rerun on AT-XAT-X (company)
is a Japanese anime television network owned by . AT-X, Inc. was founded on June 26, 2000 as a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Medianet, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of TV Tokyo. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo. AT-X network broadcasts anime via satellite and cable since December 24, 1997.AT-X is...
, she found out by seeing it on the channels official website. She left Shogakukan in 2007, despite the company threatening to take all of her earlier series, including Sensual Phrase, out of print if she did so. Shinjo contacted a lawyer and, the threat was never carried out.
Manga
Written and illustrated by Mayu ShinjoMayu Shinjo
is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1994 in Shogakukan's Shōjo Comic with "Anata no Iro ni Somaritai". She continued writing for Shogakukan until 2007, with her works appearing in both Shōjo Comic and their other magazine Cheese!...
, Sensual Phrase premiered in Shōjo Comic
Shojo Comic
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio's works and Keiko Takemiya's works in...
in 1997 , where it was serialized monthly until its conclusion in 2000. The individual chapters were collected and published in 17 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 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...
from June 1997 through January 2001. An additional volume was released on April 24, 2003 containing a sequel chapter for the story and additional unrelated short stories. Shogakukan republished the serialized chapters across six shinsoban hard cover editions in 2003 and re-released the original 17 volumes in 2006 with new covers.
Sensual Phrase is 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...
, including the special final volume. It released the first volume of the series on March 24, 2004; the final volume was released on February 13, 2007.
The series is licensed for regional language releases by Editorial Ivréa
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 Spain and Latin America, Pika Edition
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 France, Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime
Egmont Manga & Anime is one of the largest publishers of manga in Germany. It was founded in the year 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, after the manga boom in Germany became apparent around the turn of the millennium. Since 2003, EMA has been part of Egmont vgs in Cologne.- History :In...
in Germany, and Star Comics
Star Comics (Italy)
Star Comics is an Italian comic book publisher born in December 1985 that publishes Italian edition of manga and Italian comics in Italy. Until the birth of Marvel Italia in 1994 it also published Italian editions of many Marvel Comics's comic books...
in Italy. It was serialized in Germany in Manga Twister and in Italy in Amici
Amici
Amici may refer to:*Amicus curiae*"Amici Principis", another term for cohors amicorum*The original group who awarded the Strega Prize was known as "Amici della Domenica", meaning "Sunday Friends"*Giovanni Amici, an astronomer*Amici prism*Amici roof prism...
.
Light novels
Five novels based on the manga were published by Shogakukan:- 90-nichi no Densetsu, published December 1, 1999 (ISBN 4-09-421241-8)
- Hong Kong Kyoushikyoku, published July 25, 2000 (ISBN 4-09-421242-6)
- Ao no Meikyu, published November 26, 2001, (ISBN 4-09-421243-4)
- Owarinaki Shinwa, published February 2001, (ISBN 4-09-421244-2)
- Engage Song, published June 3, 2003, (ISBN 4-09-421245-0)
Anime
Sensual Phrase was adapted as an anime television series by Studio HibariStudio Hibari
' is a Japanese animation company founded in July 1979.-Co-Produced:*Ojamanga Yamada-kun *Captain Tsubasa...
. It was directed by Hiroko Tokita
Hiroko Tokita
is a Japanese animation director and script writer.-Productions worked on:*Bonobono*Chocchan's Story*Descendants of Darkness*Galaxy Angel A*Mamotte! Lollipop*Master Keaton*Miracle Girls*Mirage of Blaze*Mizuiro Jidai...
, with music by Susumu Akitagawa and character designs by Yumi Nakayama. There were multiple opening and closing themes, some of them credited to the fictional bands Λucifer and e.MU
E.mu
E.mu — Japanese rock-group, mostly known because of their music for the Kaikan Phrase anime series.Their first single "Love Around" appeared in 2000 as the ending theme of 35-43 Kaikan Phrase episodes. In the same year they signed the contract with Unlimited Records...
, for which real-world counterparts were created. The anime was broadcast on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
in 44 episodes from April 20, 1999 to March 25, 2000. It was later released on 11 Videos by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
.
Soundtracks
is the anime series soundtrack album. It was released February 16, 2000 by Pony CanyonPony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
. Some tracks are performed by Λucifer, the real-world counterpart of the fictional rock band of the series.
Kaikan Phrase Visualism (or Kaikan Phrase BGM Image Album: VISUALISM) was releaded on March 15, 2000 by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...
. In addition, a self-title album by Λucifer was released on April 15, 1998 by PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, containing songs from the manga.
Video games
A video game based on the series, Kaikan Phrase: Datenshi Kourin, was released in Japan for the SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
by Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
on February 24, 2000. Produced by Produce
Produce (company)
Produce is a Japanese video game company. Founded on April 6, 1990 by former Irem employees, it developed a number of games for both Enix and Hudson Soft...
, it is a Single-player Music game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
that features the five members of Λucifer.
In 2010, Datenshi no Amai Yuuwaku x Kaikan Phrase was released 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...
.
Other
In 2006, a film adaption of Sensual Phrase was reportedly discussed by the Sensual Phrase editor at Shogakukan, but the idea was rejected because the company felt it would have been too much of a "hassle." According to Shinjo, she didn't learn about the proposal until years after it happened.In addition, an artbook called SA KU YA (ISBN 4-09-199791-0) and a postcard book based on the manga were published.