EYE SHIELD 21

Title:

Eyeshield 21 (US)
Aishirudo Nijuichi (Japan)

Author and Artist:

Author: Riichiro Inagaki
Artist: Yusuke Murata

About The Manga:

Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan, The first 25 volumes of Eyeshield 21 racked up graphic novel sales in excess of 16 million copies, and is the most popular manga series about American football published to date.

It has inspired an animated movie and TV series as well as video games and trading cards. The Eyeshield 21 anime series is now available online on Toonami Jetstream.

Eyeshield 21 is also credited with doubling the amount of Japanese teens playing American football over four years.

About the Author / Artist:

Riichiro Inagaki was born in 1976 in Tokyo, Japan.

Yusuke Murata was born July 3, 1978 in Miyagi, Japan. He won the 122th HopStep Award in 1995 with his story, Partner and won the 51th Akatsuka Award 2nd prize in 1998 with Samui Hanashi (Cold Words).

Story Summary:
Sena Kobayakawa has been picked on and forced to run errands for the bigger kids for years. But his time to shine arrives when he enrolls at Deimon High School and gets recruited for the football team. Apparently all those years of being a go-fer has trained Sena to be amazingly fast and agile, making him a perfect running back.

On his first day of high school, Sena meets the two team members of the Deimon Devil Bats: Ryokan, and Yoichi. Ryokan is a friendly guy who's big, strong and has an infectious enthusiasm for American football. Then there's Yoichi, the devious, scheming quarterback whose skills on the gridiron and knowledge of football strategy is sometimes overshadowed by his fondness for shooting off powerful weapons to convince others to see things his way.

Although both Ryokan and Yoichi are talented players, the Deimon Devil Bats are a woefully understaffed team, with only two full-timers and a ragtag bunch of miscellaneous athletes that Yoichi manages to blackmail, uhm, convince to play on their team on game day. Other teams write them off as disorganized losers who'll never get their act together enough to win. With Sena on their side, the Devil Bats finally have a chance to win (if they can ever teach him how to play the game).

Hoping to keep Sena's talents focused on the football team (and avoid losing him to rival teams or the Deimon High track or soccer teams), Yoichi suits up Sena with a tinted eyeshield to hide his identity and gives him a new alias: "Eyeshield 21." Can Sena's "golden legs" overcome his lack of knowledge of the game of football, and can this mismatched team turn their dreams into championship reality?

Main Characters

Sena Kobayakawa
Sena has always been a good-hearted person, but his meek nature means that the bigger kids often take advantage of him. Sena's life changes dramatically when he discovers that his innate speed and agility makes him a natural athlete for a sport he barely understands: American football.
Ryokan Kurita
Big-hearted and just plain big, Kurita is the wall of defense for the Devil Bats. With a head shaped like a chestnut ("kuri" = chestnut in Japanese), Kurita can be a little slow on the uptake, but his infectious enthusiasm for football inspires Sena to give the sport a try.

Yoichi Hiruma
Hiruma is the quarterback of the Deimon Devil Bats. A brilliant schemer who looks like a Rice Krispies elf gone bad, Hiruma has an endless supply of guns, explosives and a demon dog as well as access to embarrassing information about his classmates, which he shamelessly uses to "convince" people to see things his way.

Mamori Anezaki
Mamori is Sena's childhood friend who's also his upperclassman at Deimon High. She's very protective of Sena, but she somehow never figures out that he's really Eyeshield 21.
SYPNOSIS:
Poor, shrimpy Sena Kobayakawa: he's spent his entire school career being an errand boy for bullies. On his first day of high school, Sena's childhood friend Mamori says that he ought to make some real friends, and he does—in a very unexpected way. When the monstrous, chestnut-headed Kurita begs Sena to join the school's American football team (membership: two), Sena just can't say no. He figures that he won't have to play if he's the team manager, but when another incident causes Sena to dash through a crowd, team captain Hiruma discovers the secret of Sena's lightning-quick legs. Suddenly, Sena is the star of the team, and to hide his identity from rival schools, Sena has to wear a helmet with a tinted eyeshield! Can "Eyeshield 21" take his team to Japan's high-school championship game? More importantly, can Sena survive Hiruma's insane behavior?
REVIEW:
Oh, those crazy Japanese! What will they think of next? A manga about football—and not the one with the round, black-and-white ball, but the American game with the oval ball? There is no way this could work. It's not even a popular sport in Japan! How could they possibly create a manga about a sport that's so... American?

Believe it or not, Eyeshield 21 meets the challenge. And in doing so, it proves an essential truth: that with appealing characters, an entertaining story, and quality artwork, you can create great manga about anything. Even football.

No one's going to question the originality of Eyeshield 21's premise—how many other manga series are there about football?—but the sports genre is full of pitfalls when it comes to plot and structure. Anyone can write a story about a talented underdog hoping to take his team to the top, and writer Riichiro Inagaki tries to avoid predictability by adding some interesting turns and details. Sena's extraordinary speed doesn't just come out of nowhere, for example; it's the result of years running errands for school bullies. His complete ignorance of football also helps readers who are unfamiliar with the sport, as they'll be learning the rules of the game along with him. On a larger scale, though, this first volume is a typical sports story, and the outcome of Sena's first game is no surprise. What really pushes this series above average are its well-defined cast of characters and strong artwork.

It all starts with Sena—the archetypal shounen protagonist, perhaps, but one who steps into his role reluctantly at first. He may be an instantly likeable underdog, but he's also the polar opposite of those talkative, obnoxious, up-and-at-'em heroes that populate so many other series. In order to get Sena involved in football, it takes the maniacal efforts of Hiruma, and if his demonic face doesn't stick in your mind, then his antics will. Despite his sheer ruthlessness, it's hard not to laugh as Hiruma enthusiastically resorts to blackmail in recruiting students for the team. Fortunately, Sena's other teammate Kurita is a much nicer guy, but he's so kind-hearted and huge that if he ever gave Sena a hug, it would end the series because the main character would suffocate. Such striking characters make it easy to tell who's who, and even the supporting cast is memorable: you've got the guy who once stole the panties of the girls' swim team, the guy who kisses a poster of his favorite idol singer every morning, and a rival team ("The Cupids") that brings their girlfriends along to every game. Sadly, the one exception to this is Mamori, the lone girl in the cast; although she's Sena's childhood friend and potential love interest, she doesn't get enough face time to develop a real personality.

Anyone who's ever found actual American football boring (line up, pile up, repeat for two and a half hours) may change their minds after seeing the action sequences in Eyeshield 21. Sena's explosive takeoff as he dashes through the crowd in Chapter 1 is just the first among many other panels that fly off the page with their sense of motion. Manga-ka Yusuke Murata uses any number of artistic devices to capture Sena's speed: blurred outlines, exaggerated perspective, dense speedlines, and freeze-frame techniques. Watch out, too, for the panels where Sena visualizes his routes—it's a clever way of portraying what a star athlete might see on the field. Murata's imagination isn't just limited to action, however. His character designs are equally imaginative, and there's no confusing the three main characters: Sena with his small frame and spiky hair, lanky Hiruma with his demon-like appearance, and Kurita, whose immense size is a hilarious contrast to his simple face. And yes, Murata can draw girls, too, as proven by Mamori's effortless good looks.

Viz puts in a strong effort with their translation and adaptation of this manga. The lively, natural dialog matches the tone of the characters and story, with just the right balance between slang and formality. Although there may have been a strong temptation to "Americanize" this series, Japanese pop culture references stay exactly as they are, so if you don't know who Ai Kago is, you will by the end of this volume. Viz's handling of sound effects—which consists of replacing Japanese effects with their English equivalent—may still be abhorrent to some, but their sense of graphic design keeps on getting better. This time, the sounds blend in with the artwork so well that I didn't even realize the Japanese effects were absent until page 33. Viz also does a good job with the extras, keeping all "Bonus 21" pages that were in the original tankoubon, as well as a profile page with caricatures of the manga artists and staff.

Think about the 60,000 spectators at a typical American football game and ask yourself: how many of them are interested in comics, much less manga? Then think about the 20,000 attendees at a high-profile anime con and ask yourself: how many of them are interested in professional sports, much less football? There's probably not a whole lot of overlap, but if there's one thing that can bridge the gap, Eyeshield 21 might be it. Yes, there are readers out there who have no interest in sports manga and probably never will, but for curious fans who like to try new things, this is a series that promises plenty of thrills and laughs. In the immortal words of Hank Williams Jr.: Are you ready for some football?!

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Fullmetal Alchemist - Episode 3 - Mother

Ed and al are inside of a bookstore, and when al finds a book entiltled 'introduction to alchemy' it takes ed and al back to their childhood. When they start everything out, ed and al are over at winry's house making her a birthday present. when they start the alchemy, she starts to cry and den, her puppy starts to bark, they run over to her and that's where the story begins. when they are going home, they're talking to their mother, trisha elric, and they ask her if she's mad at them for doing alchemy. she tells them she's very proud of them. later that year, ed and al run up to her with little horse like things and show her them. al begins to tell her that his isn't nearly as good as ed's, and she says their both beautiful. when they then go over to winry's house, they are greeted to her and her grandmother, pinako crying. she then tells them that her parents are dead. ed and al walk home with sad looks on their faces as they see their mother walking into the house with a basket full of vegetables. they run into her arms and start to cry. yet another year later they could be found running to their house with baskets full of vegetables for their mother. ed opens the door to find their mother lying on the floor barely breathing. they run to her side crying out 'mom'. after she dies, the boys are devistated, and they attempt to bring her back, but the alchemy fails and takes ed's right leg, and al's entire body. ed cuts off his own arm to save his younger brother, he uses it in a transmutation to attatch his younger brothers soul to the suit of armour in the corner of their fathers work room. the seal that keeps al to the armour is made with ed's very own blood. (watch later episodes to find out more) al carries his brother over to winrys house, and says to them that ed will bleed to death if they don't help him soon. when ed tells pinako that he wants auto mail, she tells him that he's crazy, he also tells her that he wants to join the military, and she tells him that the military is brutal and makes you do things and kill people, but ed still protestes. while winry attatches the auto mail, ed refues to cry, because the pain is nothing compared to what his brother had to go through. when the finally get on their way to central city, before they left, they burnt down their house so that none of the memories of their mother would stay with them...

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Fullmetal Alchemist - Episode 2 - Body of the Sanctioned

SUMMARY:

Determined to find the Philosopher's stone, the Elric brothers confront Cornello in the church's secret basement. However, other followers of the Sun God burst in, and the two brothers are forced to escape. This freedom is short-lived as the devoted citizens surround and capture them. Al is captured by the statues of the Sun God that came to life because of Cornello's "miracles". Edward is caught and. In Depth: With the Philosopher's Stone given to him by Leto, Conero reassures Roze that he will be able to ressurect her dead boyfriend. Confident in his powers, Conero initiates a fight that he will regret. However, his followers arrive in time and force Ed and Al to retreat for the time being. While his followers pursure Ed and Al, the religious leader takes Roze to see her resurrected boyfriend only to find that it has all been a deception. Kain, Roze's boyfriend, is merely the body parts of birds. Meanwhile, Ed and Al have been cornered by the townspeople who are enfuriated by his attempt to kill the high priest. Claiming that the high priest's "miracles" were merely acts of alchemy, Ed and Al try to persuade the townspeople realize that Conero has been decieving them this entire time, but Roze appears and tells the towspeople that the high priest is really capable of miracles because Kain has come back to life. The mob is interrupted by walking statues of Leto undoubtly activated by Conero. The two are knocked out, but when Ed awakens, he is confronted by Conero. His medallion that is proof that he is a Nationally Certified Alchemist is snatched away from him and he is sent to a prison. Meanwhile, the high priest is stuck in a nightmare as a large red serpent sits poised ready to devour him. He awakens to find a woman dressed in black sitting in the shadows. Roze, wanting to confirm the truth behind the miracle, visits Kain only to find a large birdlike chimera in his place. In order decrease the number of people who know of the Stone, the Conero orders the chimera to kill Roze, but she is saved by Al. Conero visits Ed in prison, and his deception is exposed by a hidden microphone behind Ed's back. Shocked, Conero runs outside only to find the townspeople. In order to redeem himself, he activates the statues of Leto . Ed counters by placing one of the stone statues under his control. After using all of its power, the fate Philosopher's Stone cracks and liquifies. With this lead comming to an end, Ed and Al prepare to leave and move onto the next clue. Confronted by Roze, Ed tells her to stand up and walk forward under her own power and will. In other parts of the city, the townspeople search for the fake priest. Instead, they are met by the "real" priest back from his trip. To ease their suspicions and fears, he brings back to life the fallen birds scattered everywhere.

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full metal alchemist - Episode 1 - Challenge the Sun

SUMMARY:

It starts when Ed is making a transmutation circle and Al is looking at him a little worried.So then Ed says-ready? Al nods and both put there hands on the transmutation circle, then the transmutation circle starts glowing yellow, Ed is smiling and then the light turns purple.Things start to go in the circle and when everything finishes Al disapears and Ed losses his right arm and leg Ed screams, Winry hears him, she goes out of her house and say- that was Ed.Of course later he gets a metal arm and leg.And Ed seals Al?s soul in a suit of armor.Then both brothers are in the desert a little older Al is 13 and Ed 14 and Ed says to Al- I hate desserts, its just sand- and Ed sees that Al?s not there and he kneels and asks-Al where are you? and Al responds touching Ed?s foot and almost making Ed have a heart attack- I?m down here I sunk again- Ed pulls him out of the sand.And he asks-I don?t get why do you keep sinking? Al says- I get full - and Ed asks-full of what? while he?s kicking Al?s stomach and after that a pile of sand falls from Al?s body and covers Ed.Then Al moves slowly cuze he new that Ed would be real mad about that, so then Ed explodes out of the pile of sand and starts chasing Al like if he was crazy saying-stop Al - you stop- Al says- you first-.Later they get to a strange city.Ed was so thirsty that he heard water and went running to the fountin but it was a wierd water.He picks up the water with a cup and looks at it well and sighs then a man grabs Ed?s jacket and says-what are you doing?,you now that?s against the law- then they apear in the juice store drinking juice of course.Then a song starts to sound from the radio and everybody ?prays? to their ?sun god? and Ed says -thats freekish-the man says -your budy is an armor and your wereing gloves in a desert and your calling us freeks-then he stops talking and he asks-are you street perormers-Ed spits what he was drinking and says real mad - do I look like a clown to you pops?!!!-then Al stands and breaks the radio because he?s tall and made the juice stand move,the man said you broke it to 200 of pieces - a lot of people come along then Al says -i?m sorry i?l fix it- he makes a transmutation circle around the radio and fixes it and the people say -he?s a miracle maker just like Cornello and Ed says no nothing like that it?s alchemy then Lust apears(Lust is a humunculi) and she says yes he?s a real prodigy of child and is also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist and the people say -ohhh your called Fullmetal Alchemist becaus of that suit of armor you use-while ther?re knocking on it Al says-I?m not the fullmetal alchemist he is- a guy says -ohh that shorty over there- Ed gets mad and grabs two persons and starts spinning around to make them dizzy while he?s spinning he says-want to call me shorty call me half person- he said somethin like that.Lust goes and a girl named Rose comes and says -don?t mind me I woulden?t like to spoil all the fun-.that?s all I can remember sorry.hope it helped :)

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Death Note - Season 2, Episode 19 - Visionary Deity

A head-strong, bored shinigami approaches Ryuk, asking him about his time in the human world. Ryuk replies by telling his recollection of the battle between Kira and L, only to get half way through and find his guest gone, headed towards the portal.

Full Recap
The movie opens with a scene of the shinigami realm, the time some point after the Kira incident. A shinigami approaches others seen throughout the Death Note series demanding to know where the shinigami who did something in the human world is. This shinigami has glowing red eyes and jewel-like teal goggles on his skull forehead. He climbs a narrow stair to find Ryuk, who has changed some since his adventures in the human world.

When Ryuk asks why the other shinigami has come to him, the other replies that he has something for Ryuk, throwing him a shinigami realm apple. Looking at it, Ryuk states he likes ones more juicy before eating it anyway. The other shinigami states that he's bored and wants to go to the human world. Ryuk replies that the human world is boring; what entertained him was the man who tried to change the world. In payment for the apple, Ryuk decides to tell the other shinigami about the man who tried to change the world and become a God.

Light's voice states that someone must do it, that humans cannot continue on the same path they've always walked. The scene shifts into the human world and flashes of human cruelty flash by, some familiar, some not. This transitions into the opening of the movie, showing Light using the Death Note, justifying his clean up of the world. He will be the God of a new world.

Light Yagami sits at his desk in high school, looking out the window in boredom when he sees a black notebook fall from the sky. After class, curiosity gets the better of him and he retrieves it, walking into the shadows to do so. He reads over the rules on the inside and places it back on the ground, feeling his intelligence insulted. He walks away, but moments later returns, unable to stay away.

In the shinigami realm, Ryuk approaches the portal between the two worlds and falls into Japan on a dark and stormy night.

Light arrives home and greets his mother, who wants his exam results. He's scored the highest, as is customary for him. He goes to his room and pulls out the Death Note, looking over the pages and pages of names signifying those he's killed in the name of justice. His gloating his disturbed by a voice, which turns out to be Ryuk's. At first the boy is shocked to find the god of death in his room but he quickly assesses the situation and rolls with it. They test each other, each complimenting and offering insecurities in turn. An agreement has formed between them, one that binds a human with a Death Note to the Death Note's owner.

Ryuk explains that there are no costs to using the Death Note. The only mentionable is that when the time comes, he will write Light's name in his own Death Note. He explains that humans who use the Death Note can go to neither Heaven nor Hell.

The next scene is of Matsuda and Soichiro Yagami at the ICPO international conference debating what to do about the 52 heart attack deaths. They come to the conclusion that they must call L in. L is a detective who has solved every case he's worked, though he chooses which cases he takes on. A voice tells the skeptics that L has already started work on the investigation. The voice belongs to Watari, the only contact the police have to L.

At home, Light finds different websites dedicated to "Kira," the name the public has chosen to give to him. He takes relish in the fact that the world has acknowledged him. The TV program playing in the background is suddenly interrupted, a message from the ICPO is to be played. An airing of someone claiming to be L appears, his name clearly displayed as Lind L. Taylor. Arrogant, disregards what is said until "L" calls him evil. Offended, Light decides to kill "L," writing the name down in his Death Note. The man dies 40 seconds later. Light celebrates his 'victory,' only to discover that it was a trap set for him by the real L, who never believed the ploy would work. He challenges Kira to kill him and Light finds himself further degraded when he cannot do it. L has proved himself and issued a challenge to Kira. Both of them believe they are justice, but only one can prevail.

Some days later, Ryuk tips Light off that he's being followed. Having not noticed this before, Light is momentarily nervous, but is off and thinking after long.

Meanwhile, the Japanese Task Force meets L in person, surprised by his appearance. They introduce themselves by showing their badges and L tells them all that if he'd been Kira, they'd be dead. He warns them not to reveal their names and to call him Ryuzaki. In the month since the broadcast, 23 criminals died, at times when a student would be busy, but the damage has been done. L knows they're looking for a student. He knows the time of death can be programmed and that Kira hates to lose.

In Light's darkened bedroom, Ryuk asks him why he's not writing any names.

L draws out a map of events on the table, showing when the FBI agents, one of who had been following Light Yagami, died.

The scene shifts to the subway where Raye Penber is threatened by Kira. He has been provided with paper on which to write the names of those working with him. The train stops, Penber exits, and has a heart attack. He looks back to see Light Yagami, knowing he's been fooled. Light's method of having Penber kill his own colleagues by writing on Death Note paper.

Soichiro calls home to request a change of clothing and Light offers to take it over. Penber's fiancee, Naomi Misora, heads in the same direction, determined to share her insight on Kira's powers. She is apprehended by Light, who offers to hear her out in order to prevent information from reaching the wrong ears.

They introduce each other and Ryuk laughs at her name, Maki Shoko. They walk, sharing opinions on Kira's powers. It comes out that she was engaged to one of the FBI agents who were killed. Light is surprised by how much she's inferred from what little evidence he left behind and realizes he must get rid of her.

The Task Force meets Watari, a proper old gentleman.

Light tells Naomi that he thinks they should investigate her theory immediately. Tricking her into believing that he's writing down details, Light pulls out a piece of the Death Note and tries to kill her. When the moment passes and nothing happens, Light realizes something's wrong and almost panics. He realizes she's used a fake name and must now formulate a new plan. Ryuk's laughing when her name is mentioned gave it away. He lies to her, claiming to be on the Task Force, gaining her trust. He discovers that she worked with L before and invites her to join them, requesting her identification. She admits that she lied and produces a driver's license with her real name on it. After writing her cause of death, he reveals that he's Kira, completely destroying her.

L finds out that Naomi Misora came to headquarters and has been missing since. He doubts that she would commit suicide, jumping to the conclusion that Kira got to her. He orders an investigation of those Penber was following, including the Yagami household. Bugs are installed in the house and Light quickly picks up on the change. Ryuk speaks to him but is ignored. Soichiro and L watch, Light's father wonders why Light goes to such extremes to be warned if someone's been in his room and L reminds him that the boy is 17. After checking his clothing for bugs outside the house, Light explains what's happened to Ryuk, recruiting the shinigami to find the bugs and their range by threatening an embargo of apples.

While the families watch TV, L broadcasts a message declaring that 1500 investigators have been put on the Kira case to try and rouse a response from Kira. Light's response gets L thinking, suspecting. Light returns to his room with a bag of chips containing a miniature TV and proceeds to kill criminals while he does work. Ryuk experiences apple-withdrawal symptoms. L finds its suspicious that Light doesn't turn on the TV or computer, but, conveniently, his exams are approaching. Later, Watari reports that criminals reported that day died. Though Soichiro is convinced the families are cleared, L is not.

Later, Sakura TV broadcasts a message from "Kira," who proves his identity by killing off other stations' anchors live. After the first one, L declares that the broadcast must be halted. Ukita leaves in a rush when they are unable to contact the station by phone. The broadcast continues, the distorted voice speaking Kira's ideals in a compromised matter. Ukita reaches the station but before he can force entry, is killed by heart attack. The Task Force sees this and L prevents the rest from doing the same, guessing that Kira is watching the entrance to the station. Matsuda sees a bus barreling down on the station and the scene switches. Soichiro demands the broadcast be halted. Demegawa, the station head, tells him no. He does anyway and confiscates the tapes.

Light analyzes this impostor, content to sit back and wait a while longer. He can't let him keep doing what he's doing though. He needs to get on the investigation team. L wants the same.

Misa and Rem are introduced, the "Second Kira." Rem warns her she could be killed, but she is confident because she has the eyes.

L calls Light while the student is in a library, guiding him to a guarded theatre. L is sitting in the front row. He rises to greet Light, offering his left hand. After shaking hands, L uses a cloth to wipe his hand, offending Light. They sit to watch the second Kira's tapes and the police's response. Light is appalled at the amount of information the impostor drops, all the while observed by L. When prompted, Light says that he doesn't believe that the tapes are from Kira either.

Misa models for a photographer before collapsing for the day at home. Her shinigami, Rem, tells her how she received her Death Note. When a shinigami loves a human enough to kill for them and extend their life, the shinigami turns to dust. A shinigami named Jealous saved Misa when she was supposed to die, sacrificing his own life. Rem took his Death Note and gave it to the girl who caused its owner's death.

Misa approaches Light at his house, having figured out where he lived from his name alone. She offers him her Note; he touches it and sees Rem, confirming that she is the second Kira. He brings her inside and Light asks her how she found him. She replies that it was all because of the eyes. Those who have a Death Note don't show a lifespan to other humans. He worries that she will be caught by the police and that Kira's secrets will be revealed. Misa declares that she wants to be his girlfriend. He declines, saying that her fingerprints were on the tapes she sent. She argues that she had a friend did it for her, that she'd give him her Death Note. He states blandly that she could have removed pages. Misa leaps from the chair, declaring that she doesn't mind being used, that she only wants him to trust her. He asks why she's so desperate and she reveals that Kira killed the criminal that killed her parents, that she's thankful towards Kira for solving her predicament. Light rises and embraces her, saying that while he understands, he can't be her boyfriend, but he can pretend. This appeases her.

At school, Light walks with a college girlfriend, Kiyomi Takada. They see L on a park bench and Light encourages the girl to continue without him. L tells Light there's still a 5% chance he's Kira, that if he dies in the next few days it will be confirmed. Misa arrives, having had a shoot nearby. At first, Light believes this to be a disaster, but then realizes that she can see L's real name. Light's confidence soars, but L's demeanor unnerves him. It turns out that L's simply a fan of Misa-Misa. Having said this aloud, a crowd gathers around the girl, who is soon dragged off by her manager Yoshi. Light and L part and Light pulls out his phone to call Misa--only to find out that she has been arrested for being the second Kira.

Misa is held hostage, bound and blinded. Light wonders what to do and is approached by Rem, who has removed Misa's memories. She threatens to kill him if he doesn't save her. Light agrees to be held as well, to remove all suspicion on him and Misa. During the imprisonment, L wonders if he's correct in his assumptions, considering the actions taken don't represent Kira's way of thinking. Light discards his ownership of the Death Note, losing his memories and evil demeanor. He begs to be released, having realized that he's not Kira. L talks to Misa, asking why she's been imprisoned. She believes it is because she's an idol. Matsuda bursts in, declaring that ignored criminals are suddenly dying.

Light and Misa have both been released, but are confined to the Task Force building. Light is handcuffed to L 24/7. L reveals that he's rather depressed that his assumptions were wrong and Light punches him, annoyed at the pathetic reason. This sparks a fight. L lashes out with his feet, sending Light flying in the opposite direction, declaring 'an eye for an eye.' Misa looks on, unsure what to do. L admits that he wanted Light to be Kira and another round of blows are exchanged. Matsuda calls to interrupt them and L quickly hands up on him.

Still handcuffed together, Light requests L look at something he's found. Many large business owners have been dying recently, boosting Yotsuba's stocks and decreasing the others'. The scene transitions to a boardroom meeting discussing who they should kill next; Rem is in the room. The Task Force is informed that someone from the Yotsuba Group is trying to investigate L with one of L's own aliases. They decide to wait and see the next course of action, but Matsuda becomes impatient and infiltrates the building while the rest of the Force meets with a man and woman who L wants to do the infiltration. Matsuda is discovered quickly passes himself off as Misa's agent. L devises a plan to get Matsuda off the hook by using Misa.

Misa meets with the Yotsuba group at a party. Matsuda pretends to be drunk and does a handstand on the balcony. He slips, apparently falling to his doom, but is captured several floors down. The others on the Task Force play out the rest of the enactment, ensuring the Yotsuba Group believes the man dead. Higuchi, the man who now has the Death Note decides he'll make Misa his wife before he kills her, much to Rem's disgust. While Misa takes a break from an interview later, Rem touches her with a piece of the Death Note and replaces many of her lost memories. She reveals to Misa who now has the Death Note. In a brave act, Misa gets Higuchi to admit he's currently Kira and records it with her cell phone. She presents this to the Task Force with a wide smile.

Higuchi celebrates his success a few nights later only to be called and told to tune into Sakura TV. There is an interview with a man who claims to have overheard eight men speaking of Kira and killing. The screen blocking the men falls, revealing Matsuda. Higuchi goes on a rampage to figure out the name Matsuda gave him. Light and L watch to see how the man kills and are disappointed that he only writes down the name. When 40 seconds pass and nothing happens, Higuchi explodes, realizing the name was a fake. He does the eye deal with Rem and races to the TV station. L realizes he can now kill with only a face and orders he be apprehended.

They follow his progress in a helicopter while those in the station are evacuated. He's trapped in the station and pulls a gun to escape. He makes it back to his Porche and tries to escape but is quickly surrounded by police. He is cuffed and blinded and asked how he kills. He tells them about the Notebook and Soichiro is the first to find it in the car. After touching it, he sees Rem. The Note is brought to L, who stares in disbelief. All the hints he's received come flooding back and he realizes there is another Note. Light has taken the Death Note from L and all his memories come flooding back in a rush. He kills Higuchi with a piece of Note stored in his watch, gaining ownership of the Note and retaining his memories.

Misa digs up a box containing her Death Note and retrieves her memories as well. She opens it and finds a letter from Light. He requests that she write down the name of the man she met when she ran into him at school before she was imprisoned. If she does, he'll love her forever. The only problem is, it's been so long she no longer remembers, and now she is without the eyes. Ryuk returns and Misa greets him cheerfully, explaining that this was all part of Light's plan to relieve them of their suspicions. He also added two fake rules to the Death Note, further securing their innocence. Misa gives Ryuk an apple, which he promptly devours. He gives her a shriveled one from the shinigami realm and she takes a bite, declaring it tastes like sand before throwing it down. She tells him she wants to do the eye deal again.

Misa comes to visit Light and Rem sees that the girl's life has been halved again. Misa touches Light with a page from the Death Note and he greets Ryuk. He invites her to build a new world with him as they embrace in the headquarter entrance.

A flashback from L's childhood shows an orphanage full of discontent, crying children. Watari guides a small L towards a tolling bell, both are silent.

While Light is busy with the Task Force, Misa takes over the job of judgment for Kira. The others realize that Misa's release is the only explanation. Rem realizes this was Light's plan all along, forcing her into action. She must kill Ryuzaki to prevent Misa from receiving penalty.

Atop the headquarters, L stands in the rain. Light approaches him, asking what he's doing up there. He replies that he's listening to the bells, which Light cannot hear. When Light tells him to stop speaking nonsense and L admits that all he ever tells are lies. He accuses Light of the same and the brunette asks him what he means. People aren't perfect, they will lie to protect those they care for. His defense seems to prove L's point.

They return inside to outrage. Apparently L has authorized the use of the Death Note to test it. However, before L can test the 13-day rule, Rem acts. She kills Watari, who deletes the headquarter's data as his final act. L knows something is wrong and immediately notices that Rem is gone. His heart stops and Light realizes before he falls what has transpired. He catches his nemesis before he hits the ground, already in actor mode. The bells continue ringing as silent scenes flash by; the orphanage, the stained glass of the church, Rem falling to dust. Light successfully evokes a panic that they'll all be killed.

Time passes and they visit L's grave, the only ones who attended his funeral. The swear they'll arrest Kira one day, as their final farewell to him. The others leave and Light stays behind, Ryuk at his side. The shinigami is skeptic about the excitement of the future. Unable to control it any longer, Light bursts into maniacal laughter, his prospects high. He falls upon L's grave, rubbing these facts in, slightly crazed before regaining control. In response to Ryuk's claim, Light tells him he'll show the shinigami how to build a new world. As he walks along, people die in horrendous ways; a shot of Ryuk writing the last name in his Death Note flashes by.

Back in the present, Ryuk looks at that name in his worn Note. He speaks, 'you were not God, you were just--' reflecting on the actions the arrogant human took. He looks to the direction of his visitor, who has left, headed for the human world. Ryuk looks up at the perpetually grey sky, telling the absent shinigami that he might just get an experience he'll never forget.

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Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - Season 1, Episode 1 - Fame

After Ben's secret identity is revealed to the world, Kevin and Gwen take him to the person responsible, a young fan named Jimmy Jones. Using the information that Jimmy acquired, the gang discovers the existence of an alien attacking a NASA facility in Orlando.

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Ben, Gwen and Kevin sit in shock as Ben's secret identity is revealed on the news. Not convinced that anyone truly cares about his secret identity, Ben decides to leave his house. Unfortunately, dozens of news reporters are there hounding him for details. Kevin suggests that Ben lay low and head to Julie's house until the whole thing blows over. Using his new Ultimatrix to transform into Humungousaur, Ben scares away the reporters and is free to see Julie.

At Julie's house, they watch as a newscaster discusses Ben's potential threat level to society. Unable to decide whether Ben is a threat or a menace, the host of the television show tells the viewers to decide for themselves. In order to cheer Ben up, Julie suggests taking a ride in Ben's new car. While driving, they come across Kevin and Gwen who have information on the person who exposed Ben's secret.

Arriving at the informant's house, Kevin cautions that this "mastermind" could be potentially very dangerous. In reality, the informant is Jimmy Jones, a young fan of Ben's adventures. Jimmy informs the gang that he runs a website that collects pictures of aliens from around the world. After noticing the Omnitrix symbol on all of the aliens, Jimmy compiled a list of their pictures. Jimmy says that he decided to reveal Ben's secret so that people would know how he has saved the world numerous times.

Gwen spots a photo of an alien that she is not familiar with and asks Jimmy where it was last located. Jimmy shows them footage of the alien attacking a top-secret NASA facility in Orlando, Florida. The gang decides to investigate, but instead of taking Ship, Kevin offers them a new method of transportation: the new and improved Rust Bucket. Kevin explains that he decked out a standard issue Plumber ship with tons of alien tech.

On the way to Orlando, the gang takes fire from military fighter jets. Kevin attacks back, ultimately sending one pilot into the air with a parachute that's on fire. Not content with sitting idly by, Ben launches out of the aircraft and transforms into Jetray. While trying to rescue the pilot, the fighter jets begin attacking Ben! Luckily, Ben is able to save the pilots life, but not without being surrounded and captured.

Gwen and Kevin flash their Plumbers' badge to release Ben from a holding cell, while an admiral explains NASA's current problem. NASA has been building its new hyper-spaceship, The Orion, for over fifty years. However, a recent string of robberies has halted production. The admiral asks for Ben's help to stop the alien creature from stealing more pieces from the ship.

When the alien arrives, the Ultimatrix detects an un-cataloged DNA signature and enters stand-by mode. Thus, Gwen and Kevin must take the creature down themselves, but not without Ben's signature of helping. The water creature puts up a good fight, but eventually the Ultimatrix scans the alien and acquires its DNA sample just in time. Ben is now able to transform into Chromastone and fight back. However, the creature blasts a shot of water at Ben and a patch of electrical wires, inevitably electrocuting Ben. When Ben wakes up, he is told that the alien has taken the spaceship's atomic-bomb engine and he needs to get it back.

Using the new Rust Bucket's technology, Gwen and Kevin are able to locate the engine underwater. In an underwater cavern, the group confronts the creature and learns of its true intentions. The creature, named Bivalvan, is repairing his ship so that he can return to his home. Unfortunately, the detonation of the engine would kill millions of people on Earth. In order to knock some sense into Bivalvan, Ben transforms into Spidermonkey. But when Spidermonkey isn't enough to take him down, Ben goes Ultimate and encases Bivalvan in a web.

With the atomic-bomb engine properly defused, Ben exits his Ultimate Spidermonkey form. Gwen notices a strange pink glow in Ben's eyes and Ben admits that his Ultimate form was rather "different." Bivalvan later reveals that he and four other alien friends were captured by an evil monster named Aggregor. Barely able to escape Aggregor's clutches, the aliens were separated when they crash-landed on Earth. Ben promises to find and return Bivalvan and the others to their home-world. Kevin says he will return the engine to NASA and Ben contacts the Plumbers to retrieve Bivalvan.

In the end, Ben is faced with his first day back at high school after his secret was revealed. Julie calms his nerves and they walk in together. Much to Ben's relief, his classmates are appreciative of his efforts in saving the world. Back in the underwater cavern, Aggregor arrives before the Plumbers and intercepts Bivalvan.

WATCH VIDEO  HERE!!!

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Peacemaker Kurogane

The chaotic events that preceded the Meiji era (1868-1912), the period where medieval Japan, which had been kept in isolation by the Tokugawa Shogunate (Bakufu) for more than two centuries, stepped into modernism, have always been a source of fascination for both Japanese and non-Japanese alike. The events in question started with the rather innocuous 1853 arrival, in Uraga bay, of the American "Black Ships" commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry. Perry had transmitted to the Shogun a letter from President Willard Filmore, a letter whose content boiled down to this: "stop your isolationist policies or else". The Shogun, afraid of losing power, had then accepted to make certain concessions. This provoked a feud between those wanting to protect Japan's integrity and its allegiance to the Bakufu (the Emperor and his court were favorable to the Bakufu, but for their own reasons...), and the Reformist (foremost the Choshu and Satsuma clans) who wanted Japan to step into the modern world. Thus started a bloody, yet relatively secret war between two ideologies.

Thanks to the popularity of Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X in English), Nobuhiro WatsukiÕs tale of a wandering Samurai of the early Meiji era, most anime and manga fans now know about the Reformist side of the conflict. Kenshin, whose war name was Himura Battosai, fought against the Bakufu's elite warriors, the most dangerous being the feared Shinsengumi, also known as "The Wolves Of Mibu", for some of its most illustrious members came from that area. While the Shinsengumi (whose emblem was the word "Makoto", lit. "Truth") was composed, at its peak, of ten brigades or patrol troops of about 30 men each, it is the names of some of those brigades' leaders that passed to history, names like Okita Souji (1st troop Captain), Saito Hajime (3rd troop Captain) and Hijikata Toshizo (Vice-Commander). It is the story of those "Wolves" that is recounted in Kurono Nanae's Peacemaker Kurogane.

Peacemaker Kurogane starts in 1864, before the "Ikeda-iya Incident" which made the group so well known to wanna-be Samurai heroes (at that time, the Shinsengumi was less than a hundred men strong) and guaranteed them a place in history. A 15 year-old red-haired boy, named Ichimura Tetsunosuke, comes to the Shinsengumi headquarters' gate and demands to join them so that he can avenge the death of his parents, killed by the Reformist. While Tetsunosuke ("Tetsu") is rather short for his age, his spunk and desire to serve the cause charms Okita Souji, who manages to have him accepted as page for Hijikata Toshizo, the feared Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. Tatsunosuke, Tetsu's older brother (and master of apologies!) also joins the group as librarian so that he can watch over his rather hot-tempered little brother, whom he loves very much. At first, Tetsu finds his new life cool (even if Hijikata is a rather demanding task master), but he soon discovers the truth about the Shinsengumi: if you want to be one of them, you have to become like them. And the Shinsengumi are blood-thirsty demons, as Hijikata and Okita will demonstrate to him. Tetsu will also learn from Okita that no mistakes can be tolerated in their world and that a slip of the tongue can cost a man his life. Later, Tetsu will meet Suzu Kitamura, who will become his friend. But, unbeknownst to them, they should be enemies, as Tetsu is part of the Shinsengumi, which Suzu hates with a passion and Suzu is the page of Toshimaro Yoshida, the man who killed Tetsu's parents! This revelation, near the end of the series, will drive Tetsu on the edge of madness. Will he be able to continue his search for revenge? And will he ever know why Yoshida butchered his parents like cattle, but spared him? The answers will come on a cold, damp night, while Okita's troop (14 men in all) battles Yoshida's men (more than 40 of them!) at Ikeda-iya (an hostel where members of the Reform movement had taken shelter while waiting for their orders) and Tetsu joins them, taking on Yoshida himself in a bloody fight to the finish...

Samurai series are pretty popular these days and it seems that studio GONZO (Blue Submarine #6, Yukikaze, Last Exile, Vandread) wanted a part of the action. It seemed that adapting Nanae Kurono's Peacemaker Kurogane would be a good choice for such a series and they were right! I was quite impressed by this series' story and for more than one reason. First, the arrival of Rurouni Kenshin, while tremendously successful and entertaining, had only shown one side of the war that preceded the Meiji era. It is true that the first OVA series of Kenshin had shown some of the Shinsengumi's activities and main characters (mainly Saito and Okita), but, that was not enough to give us a good idea of who these guys really were and what they were fighting for. That is taken care of in great detail in Peacemaker Kurogane, since we meet ALL the important figures of the Shinsengumi and we get to learn their motivations. Second, it quickly becomes evident that Tetsu is NOT just a gimmick to give us an entry in the Shinsengumi's world. He is a true character with motivations of his own, not just the "Character You Can Identify With". Third, we get to see ALL the sides of the Shinsengumi. OK, Okita is girlish and very kind, but he is also a monstrously efficient killing machine that loses all humanity in battle and the switch between the two is instantaneous (Hijikata is even worse!). The same goes for all the other Shinsengumi guys, including the peaceful Yamanami and the good-natured Kondou. The result of this is that you can never guess what is going to happen next, as the characters can go from humorous banter (the episode with Hijikata's Haiku book is a riot!) to murderous rampage in a flash! Keeps you on your toes and at the edge of your seat, believe me! And fourth, the story is gripping, as you really want to know what is going to happen to Tetsu and how he is going to vanquish his inner demons.

As for the animation, once again, Studio GONZO delivers the goods. The character designs are superb (even if some of them are hard to distinguish from one another. Ex. Hijikata and Yoshida), even if they are a bit "kiddy" for such a subject. The character design of Tetsu is very particular (weird eyes!), but it does make him unique. As for Okita, his feminine looks may have been exaggerated to emphasize his strength and murderous abilities. Kenshin fans will probably be EXTREMELY surprised by the way Hajime Saito is portrayed in Peacemaker, as he is at the antipodes of Kenshin's Saito! And how can we talk about Peacemaker's character designs without mentioning Saizou, Okita's little pig, who is as cute as he is bad tempered! The animation itself is beautifully done for a TV series, with especially fluid movements in battles.

In short, although I had not expected much from this series, I found myself enthralled by it and felt a bit betrayed when it became evident that there would only be 24 episodes! My only warning for this series would be about its violence. A few episodes (the death of Ayu-ne and the ones at Ikeda-iya) are particularly violent and disturbing, so, despite the somewhat "kiddy" look, this is not for little kids. If you are a fan of Kenshin and have the chance to see Peacemaker Kurogane, then do it, you will not be disappointed!

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NEON GENESIS EVANGELION Over the years, Studio Gainax has been responsible for some of the greatest achievements in the field of Japanese animation. Masterpieces like WINGS OF HONNEAMISE, TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and SECRET OF BLUE WATER have now become the stuff legends are made of. It has been four years since the completion of that last work, which was probably the studioÕs greatest success, and it is now time for a brand new Gainax TV series. SECRET OF BLUE WATER had been heavily inspired by Jules Verne's 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA and, as such, featured a Victorian era atmosphere and technology. The new series, called SHINSEIKI EVANGERION (NEON GENESIS EVANGELION), is much closer to MEIOU PROJECT: ZEORYMER and TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and refers to the Christian bible, Hebraic scriptures, Babylonian mythology, even to the Kabbalah, as parts of its inspiration. It indicates the possibility of the "Tree of Life" (or "Zephiroth"), which is seen in the opening animation, being an important detail in the unfolding of the story. The direction, by Hideaki Anno, is rather similar to TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and shares the same feel that is unique to Anno. The events also unfold much the same way as in GUNBUSTER. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION offers the viewer a terrible and unstoppable menace from outer-space, a assortment of huge, weird monsters, special forces created to counter them, the gigantic humanoid machines designed and built with tax payer's money and a bevy of cute girls running around in skimpy pilot outfits. One exception is that the principal character, Shinji Ikari, is a boy instead of a nubile, teary female teenager. The character designs, by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, are similar to the ones that were found in SECRET OF BLUE WATER, yet somehow different. They look less "cartoon", especially Shinji, who has the haunted look of a autistic child who is suddenly forced to wake up from his dream world. The most beautiful design is definitely Rei Anayama, nearly a female version of Shinji, but with light blue-silver hair. Those two characters are the most interesting to date, but, since the series is only a few episodes old at the moment this article is being written, it is quite possible that more interesting ones will pop up as time goes by. However, the most "special" feature of NEON GENESIS EVANGELION is its mecha designs. Done by manga artist Ikuto Yamashita, who specializes in weird, high-tech shapes (he did DARK WHISPER, one of the most visually stunning manga of the last decade) and worked on both GUNBUSTER and SECRET OF BLUE WATER, they are truly unique in the world of Japanese animation mecha. The way they are built, the way their cockpit is designed, their very shape, breaks the mold of the giant robots as the genre's fans know it and even challenges the viewers to re-adjust their way of thinking about such machines. Their unique color schemes (the EVA-01 is dark purple and neon green!) are the finishing touches to these strange, but wonderfully detailed designs. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION is a worthy successor to TOP O NERAE: GUNBUSTER! and SECRET OF BLUE WATER. It has only been playing for a few weeks, but has already collected a huge amount of praises for all its aspects, be it story, character development, mecha designs and music. It will very probably join the likes of SUPER DIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM in the ranks of the groundbreaking mecha series. This only shows that, contrarily to the rumors, Studio Gainax was not dead. It was only taking a breather and preparing its next attack upon the unsuspecting animation world.

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DIRTY PAIR FLASH

Although the Dirty Pair have been a favorite for years, their original design, by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, was in serious need of a overhaul. This has been done with Dirty Pair Flash, the latest OVA series featuring the two most dangerous trouble consultants in the universe. Since the story tells the adventures Yuri and Kei as teenagers, this OVA is definitely cuter than the previous ones. The two girls were totally redesigned, from their physical looks to their uniforms. Kei is still a fiery redhead, but she now has a lock of blond hair, which gives her a "kiddy" look, and her eyes have gone from brown to green.. Yuri is a lot cuter than she was and her hair is now purple, giving her the same "kiddy" look as Kei. She also has huge eyes (big surprise!). Their uniforms are more in keeping with today's anime fashion. They are less revealing than the old ones, but much wilder in their design, especially Kei's. The relationship between the two characters is also quite different; they are at the beginning of their careers and much less patient with each other. As in the old times, Kei uses a handgun, but Yuri has a kind of "beam sword", which she uses with great efficiency. Some people will probably love the baby Mughi, which is probably cuter than the girls themselves. All in all, the new Yuri and Kei are a mix between Dragon Half and Super Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, but they are still easily recognizable as themselves.

The story of the first OVA episode is rather straightforward and is, in fact, only a character development episode. It begins with Yuri strolling in a crowded street, wearing a rather cute sailor uniform. A man, pursued by a bunch of thugs, is shot and drops a card in her hand, telling her to keep it away from the thugs. Yuri starts to run and bumps into Kei, who seems a little peeved by the fact that her night out is ruined. The chase scene (which will not take the rest of the episode) starts in earnest and the girls use all the means of transportation they can find, including a bicycle and half a car! In the end, the thugs, tired of playing, pull out the heavy weaponry and transform their car into a big purple and pink mecha. Seeing this, the girls do their own transformation (their clothes are made of a "memory plastic", which transforms into their uniform at will) and start to hit back, making the thugs' lives rather miserable. Finally, a diminutive Mughi comes to their rescue, the girls both put the thugs under arrest and deliver the card to the WWWA office.

This OVA is fun and entertaining, as well as keeping the "chaos and mayhem" tradition of the Dirty Pair. We thought the new character designs would bother us, but they proved very efficient. There is a lot of action, the music is dynamic and the animation is decent, although it sometimes shows some lack of detail. We are sure that the "transformation" scene of the two girls will get the undivided attention of more than one male viewer (Kei's is rather eye popping -- keep that remote handy!). All in all, Dirty Pair Flash is a good buy and proves to be as good as the original ones.

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BLUE SEED: 

Ancient Japan has left us many legends, which have inspired a great number of artists in the fields of animation and manga. Works like Masamune Shirow's ORION, Kei Kuzunoki's OGRE SLAYER or Hayao Miyazaki's KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSICAA are well documented examples of the extent of this inspiration.


Shown on TV a little more than one year ago, BLUE SEED, by Yuzo Takada (3X3 EYES, SUPER CATGIRL NUKU NUKU, EVERYDAY IS SUNDAY) is one of the more recent works to draw inspiration from Japan's immense wealth of legends. A 25-episode series produced by the BS Project, BLUE SEED was based on one of Takada's own manga works, named COMICS GAMMA. He directed the whole project himself and the result was Takada's own brand of romance, action and comedy in its purest form. Basically, BLUE SEED recounts the battle between the forces that ruled ancient Japan and the ones that rule the Japan of today; the war of the spirit world against the formidable industrial power of today's Japan; magic against science and technology.


However, the Legend began eons ago, when Japan was still a young land and the gods were still living amongst humans. Susano-O, the storm god, had been traveling through Japan and, one day, his wandering led him to the Hi river, in Izumo. This is where he met Ashi-na-zuki, the earth god, and his wife Te-na-zuki. Both of them were very sad, for each year, Yamata-no-orochi, the eight-headed dragon, would come and devour one of their eight daughters. Now, it was the time of the dragon's return and he would take away their last daughter, princess Kushinada. Susano-O listened to their story and proposed to slay the monster if they gave him their daughter's hand. The parents gladly accepted and Susano-O prepared for battle. Under his supervision, the old couple prepared an enormous quantity of sake (rice wine) and divided it in eight gigantic bowls. Then Susano-O transformed the princess into a comb and stuck her in his hair. When the dragon appeared, even Susano-O was impressed. It was as long as the eye could see, trees grew on its back and each of its eight heads had eyes like burning amber. When it saw the bowls of sake, the monster devoured them and became drunk. Susano-O, waiting for that moment, drew his sword and killed it. Then he took the sword that was in the dragon's tail (that sword later became part of the imperial regalia) and restored the princess to her true form. They married in Suga and their children became mythological heroes.


In BLUE SEED, thousands of years have passed and the Aragami have been asleep for all this time, thanks to the legendary power of princess Kushinada and Susano-O's female descendants. It was said that this mysterious power consisted in a kind of energy, which was liberated by its owner's death and could contain the Aragami. However, fifteen years ago, the birth of the Fujimiya twins, Kaede and Momiji, split the power of the Kushinada in two and the Aragami woke up, starting the Aragami war. The Aragami is much like a plant and uses "Mitama's" (blue seeds) to take control of any living creature and transform it into a monster that only serves the Aragami's cause.


To thwart the plans of the Aragami, the Japanese government created the NLMB (National Land Management Bureau). Headed by Daitetsu Kunikida, the NLMB fought the Aragami on all fronts and even kidnapped Kaede, the oldest Kushinada twin, to study and develop weaponry based on the legendary Kushinada energy. The NLMB's scientists also discovered a new ceramic that could contain that energy. Even if Kunikida had adopted Kaede, that did not stop him to use her as a weapon. With time, Kaede started to feel the need to discover this "destiny" her adopted father was always talking about. One night, she went to the Aragami and disappeared, leaving Kunikida in grief. However, he knew that the monster had not won yet, for there was another Kushinada, an ordinary girl named Momiji Fujimiya. The only question was: would she be able to stand up and face the storm?

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