Switch (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a shōnen
, action
manga written by Otoh Saki and illustrated by Tomomi Nakamura. It was serialized in Square Enix
's GFantasy from 2002 to October 2008. The individual chapters were collected and published in 13 tankōbon
volumes by Square Enix
, with the first volume released on June 21, 2002 and the final volume released on December 27, 2008. The manga focuses on the lives of two Japanese undercover narcotic police, Eto Kai and Kurabayashi Hal.
Switch was animated as 2 OVAs by ACTAS, Inc.. Square Enix
released a series of 4 vocal CDs for Switch.
. Almost always focused in his work. He also often uses his charm and good looks to his advantage to gather information. Despite being quite stoic and seemingly uncaring, he is very protective of Kai. is the director of the Drug Enforcement Division of the Kantō region
. He is a young director, being the same age with the Chief of Investigations, 32 years old. is the Chief of Investigations for the Kanto Narcotics Department. is a higher-up of Ryuugen, a Chinese smuggling drug ring
. "The Left Arm of Ryuugen" (this position stands for the gang's no.3 leader) is he. Personal assistant/subordinate to Sawaki. In addition, he is the Right Arm of Ryuugen (stands for the gang's no.2 leader). When he is absent from Ryuugen, Sawaki protects him by giving orders as the Right Arm and confuses the NCD to buy time for Akaha to complete his mission. When Akaha was a child, his parents were killed by Sawaki. But Sawaki spared Akaha. In Volume 13, Akaha died in an attempt to protect Sawaki. is a detective from the Meguro Department, 38 years old. He has been known to be a sort of rival for the NCD, constantly in a game of who can "catch the bad guy" first. Thought Kajiyama of the NCD takes it quite serious, Narita is more laid back while doing his work.28 years old. She is an expert researcher of drugs to the spirit impassive. Likes things small, soft and Kai
adaptation of the manga series would be produced. The first original animated video, directed by Oohira Naoki, was released by ACTAS, Inc. on October 24, 2008 and the second due to be released on February 25, 2009.
The opening theme is "Find Out" and the ending theme is "Your Hand". Both are performed by MIRANOSAND.
The casts in the OVA is the following:
released a series of 4 vocal CDs for Switch. The first CD, character song for , Come up smiling, was released on October 22, 2004. The second CD, character song for , Believe in Love, was released on November 25, 2004. The third CD, character song for , Wild beast, was released on December 22, 2004. The final CD, character song for , Somewhere, was released on January 26, 2005.
's Carlo Santos praised Switch Volume 1 for "occasional wordless scenes help to create some strong emotional moments" but he criticized the manga for having "awkward plotting and confusing action scenes". Anime News Network
's Casey Brienza criticized Switch Volume 2 for having "confusing, poorly considered artwork and mediocre story lines". IGN
's A.E. Sparrow commends the manga for its "clean linework".
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"...
, action
Action genre
The word action has more than one meaning in fiction. Action is one of the fiction-writing modes authors use to present fiction. The term is also used to describe an exiting event or circumstance.-Action as a fiction-writing mode:...
manga written by Otoh Saki and illustrated by Tomomi Nakamura. It was serialized in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's GFantasy from 2002 to October 2008. The individual chapters were collected and published in 13 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 Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
, with the first volume released on June 21, 2002 and the final volume released on December 27, 2008. The manga focuses on the lives of two Japanese undercover narcotic police, Eto Kai and Kurabayashi Hal.
Switch was animated as 2 OVAs by ACTAS, Inc.. Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
released a series of 4 vocal CDs for Switch.
Story
Two new investigators at the Narcotic Control Department in Japan, Kurabayashi Hal and Eto Kai, struggle against drug dealers, gangs, murderers, psychopaths, mysterious organizations, and mad people in general. The gentle and caring one of the group, Kai, who has problems of his own, has the tendency of turning into a lethal killing machine in certain scenarios. The way he acts changes like that of a "switch". As the two do their job, answers of what is behind Kai's strange behavior and who exactly he is, are revealed.Characters
is a new investigator, 22 years old, for Kanto region's narcotic bureau. When conflicted with anything that involves pain or extreme emotional hurt to him, Kai might switch to a violent alter ego who has no problem in harming others, though Kai himself is gentle and reluctant to do anything dangerous or hurtful to others. When Kai was 6 years old, his parents were killed by Sawaki. Kai's violent persona awoke to protect him, and it was due to Hal's father's hypnotic signal that his violent persona sank, bringing with it his memories of the murder scene and of Switch (the mythical drug). When Kai is in his usual (caring) self, he doesn't remember anything about switch and the murder scene. Kai's aunt adopted him, and since then his family name was changed to Etō. Kai is extremely caring and loyal towards Hal, even to the point of being willing to die for him. He gets very worried whenever Hal is on a dangerous mission. is also a new investigator and he works with Kai Etō as partners. Known as the 'brilliant new investigator' to most of the Drug Enforcement Division of the Kantō regionKanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
. Almost always focused in his work. He also often uses his charm and good looks to his advantage to gather information. Despite being quite stoic and seemingly uncaring, he is very protective of Kai. is the director of the Drug Enforcement Division of the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
. He is a young director, being the same age with the Chief of Investigations, 32 years old. is the Chief of Investigations for the Kanto Narcotics Department. is a higher-up of Ryuugen, a Chinese smuggling drug ring
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. "The Left Arm of Ryuugen" (this position stands for the gang's no.3 leader) is he. Personal assistant/subordinate to Sawaki. In addition, he is the Right Arm of Ryuugen (stands for the gang's no.2 leader). When he is absent from Ryuugen, Sawaki protects him by giving orders as the Right Arm and confuses the NCD to buy time for Akaha to complete his mission. When Akaha was a child, his parents were killed by Sawaki. But Sawaki spared Akaha. In Volume 13, Akaha died in an attempt to protect Sawaki. is a detective from the Meguro Department, 38 years old. He has been known to be a sort of rival for the NCD, constantly in a game of who can "catch the bad guy" first. Thought Kajiyama of the NCD takes it quite serious, Narita is more laid back while doing his work.28 years old. She is an expert researcher of drugs to the spirit impassive. Likes things small, soft and Kai
Manga
OVAs
It was announced in June 2008 that an animatedAnime
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....
adaptation of the manga series would be produced. The first original animated video, directed by Oohira Naoki, was released by ACTAS, Inc. on October 24, 2008 and the second due to be released on February 25, 2009.
The opening theme is "Find Out" and the ending theme is "Your Hand". Both are performed by MIRANOSAND.
The casts in the OVA is the following:
| Character | Cast |
|---|---|
| Eto Kai | Jun Fukuyama Jun Fukuyama is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass... |
| Kurabayashi Hal | Sakurai Takahiro |
| Hiki Masataka | Junichi Suwabe Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor working for Haikyo. His most known roles involve, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques , Archer , Keigo Atobe and Omega .... |
| Masami Ibu | Hiroki Touchi Hiroki Touchi is a Japanese voice actor. He has frequently appeared in many anime and appeared in some video games mainly created by tri-Ace.-Games:* Aluze in Valkyrie Profile, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, & Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria... |
| Kajiyama Keigo | Kazuya Nakai Kazuya Nakai is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Hyōgo-ku, Kobe. He is currently attached to Aoni Production.-Overview:Kazuya Nakai debuted in After War Gundam X as Witz Sou.... |
Character Songs
Square EnixSquare Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
released a series of 4 vocal CDs for Switch. The first CD, character song for , Come up smiling, was released on October 22, 2004. The second CD, character song for , Believe in Love, was released on November 25, 2004. The third CD, character song for , Wild beast, was released on December 22, 2004. The final CD, character song for , Somewhere, was released on January 26, 2005.
Reception
Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Carlo Santos praised Switch Volume 1 for "occasional wordless scenes help to create some strong emotional moments" but he criticized the manga for having "awkward plotting and confusing action scenes". Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Casey Brienza criticized Switch Volume 2 for having "confusing, poorly considered artwork and mediocre story lines". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's A.E. Sparrow commends the manga for its "clean linework".