Gundam

The Gundam Series (ガンダムシリーズ Gandamu Shirīzu?) is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots (or "mecha") called "Gundam". The metaseries started in April 7, 1979 as a serial TV show called Mobile Suit Gundam. That first TV series has since spawned a franchise that has come to include works released in numerous media. Titles have appeared in the form of multiple television series and OVAs, movies, manga, novels and video games, among other modes. The story from the original 1979 series has been considerably extended with sequels, prequels, side stories and alternate timelines. As a result, the title "Gundam" has become a collective term for the seven distinct but related timelines that can be pieced together from the stories that appear in the Gundam franchise. Generally speaking, the timelines do not intersect, but they do contain a few common elements such as the titular war machines called Gundam. However, all Gundam timelines/worlds long after their own anime series will eventually intersect and combine back to one in the series Turn A Gundam.



The original timeline for the Gundam series was the Universal Century (UC) series, which included Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985). Since the 1990s, alternative timelines have been produced and developed, including the Future Century, After Colony, After War, Correct Century, Cosmic Era and Anno Domini timelines.
As of January 21, 2008, the Gundam franchise is a 50 billion yen trademark.[3] A year 2000 press release stated that retail sales of Gundam items had totaled $5 billion [4]. In the 2008 ranking of average sales figures for anime copies sold in Japan (1970-2008 total sales figures averaged by episode), Gundam series were in four of the top five places: Mobile Suit Gundam ranked second, with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny third, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED fourth, and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam fifth. Also, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing ranked 18th and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ ranked 20th.[5] Gunpla's (Gundam Plastic model) holds 90% of the Japan character plastic model market.



Academic fields in Japan have also viewed the series as a good inspiration in research fields, with the Gundam academy (or officially International Gundam Society) being the first academic institution based on an animated TV series.[7]
Overview
Concept
Mobile Suit Gundam was principally developed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Tomino, along with a changing group of Sunrise creators who went under the collective pseudonym of "Hajime Yatate".
During its conceptual phase, the series was titled Freedom Fighter Gunboy, or simply Gunboy for the gun the robot was armed with, and the primary target demographic were shōnen (boys). In the early production stages, there were numerous references to the word "freedom": the White Base was originally "Freedom's Fortress", the Core Fighter was the "Freedom Wing", and the Gunperry was the "Freedom Cruiser". The Yatate team combined the English word "gun" with the last syllable of the word "freedom" to form the name Gundom. Tomino then changed it to the current title, suggesting that Gundam signified a powerful unit wielding a gun powerful enough to hold back enemies, like a hydroelectric dam holding back floods.



Most Gundams are large, bipedal vehicles controlled from cockpits by a human pilot. The majority of these "mobile suits" have a cockpit in the "torso" of the machine, with a camera built into the "head" to transmit images to the cockpit (with the exception of the head-mounted cockpits in Psyco Gundam) and are non-sentient machines, with the exceptions of the artificial intelligence A.L.I.C.E. in the side-story Gundam Sentinel[9] and four mobile suits built with the EXAM System and sharing a Newtype human soul in The Blue Destiny.[10]
Innovation
Mobile Suit Gundam is said to have pioneered the real robot era of mecha anime.[11]
Unlike its super robot cousins, Gundam attempted a realism in the robot design and weaponry, by running out of energy and ammunition or breaking and malfunctioning. The technology is practical and is either derived from true science (such as Lagrange points in space and the O'Neill cylinder as a living environment) or at least well-explained, feasible technology, requiring only a few fictional elements to function (such as Minovsky Physics as a means of energy production from helium-3).[12]
The necessity of developing humanoid robots is also explained, albeit fictional. The fictional Minovsky particle pervasive in Universal Century is depicted as interfering with radar-guided long-distance cruise missiles, anti-aircraft guns, missiles, and all early warning systems, with weapons systems having to rely on human eyes. In Universal Century, the space-based Principality of Zeon rebels against Earth Federation, requiring a weapons system that could function in zero and normal gravity and be able to open and close air locks, plant demolition charges, and engage with enemy tanks and planes; with a robotic giant being an excellent choice. Once mobile suits have been developed by one side, the opposing force had to develop a similar system, just as British invention of tanks lead to the development of tanks in Germany, and eventually lead to tank-to-tank battles.
Gundam's realistic scientific setting has gained a reputation in the field itself as well. On July 18, 2007, when MIT's Astronautics Department's Professor Dava Newman displayed a biosuit, the suit was referenced as Mobile Suit Gundam's Normal Suit is now real by various news agencies.[13][14] On February 14, 2008, when NASA proposed research into nuclear thermal rockets, Technobahn, a scientific journal in Japan, referred to the usage of nuclear thermal rocket engines on mobile suits in the Gundam universe.[15]
Narrative
The narrative itself revolves around the mobile suits and their pilots fighting in a war, in which destruction and dehumanization are inherent, through multiple sides; each faction having their own heroes and villains, all of which have their own unique motives, failings, and virtues. Gundam also features political battles and debates on various important philosophical issues and political ideals on the nature and meaning of war, the ideal of pacifism, and the continuing evolution - natural or engineered - of humanity and its consequences. These are often framed in the series as a debate between the protagonist and antagonist over the course of a duel, as they try to convince each other of the righteousness of their causes.
Finally, most of the stories are basically structured as "coming-of-age" dramas, where the main protagonist (and sometimes the main antagonist) and most of the cast's personalities, points of view, allegiances, goals, and actions may or may not change dramatically as events unfold. This makes the plot seem more realistic than earlier super robot animated series where the hero and cast usually act in the same predictable manner, with little connection between the episodes. The best example of this is how the personalities of longtime rivals, Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, are influenced by their experiences in the Gundam saga.
Characteristics and variations



As a metaseries, Gundam functions with different designs and coloring (with most following Kunio Okawara's original Gundam design). Producer Masahiko Asano wrote in his notes on the production of S Gundam that everyone seemed to have their own idea of Gundam and in the meeting, they were trying to find the asymptotic view for everyone in the meeting.[16]
• In the Universal Century timeline, "Gundam" is the name of the Earth Federation's (Chikyū Renpō, 地球連邦) first experimental general-purpose mobile suit, which is incredibly powerful, compared to most of the mass-produced models eventually used by either side. Afterwards, many powerful mobile suits based on the Gundam's design also carry the name, such as the RX-178 Gundam Mk-II, MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam, LM312V04 Victory Gundam, etc. The Anaheim Gundams, or Greek alphabet Gundams are a series of mobile suits developed by the fictional company Anaheim Electronics, some of them are notably carrying different style heads than other Gundams in the series, like the Rick Dias (Gamma Gundam) and Hyaku Shiki (Delta Gundam). In this timeline, Gundam often stands for General-purpose Utility, Non Discontinuity Augmentation Maneuvering weapon system.
• In the Future Century timeline, the word "Gundam" refers to a space colony's entry in the "Gundam Fight", a competition that determines which colony would rule the Earth for the next 4 years. The pilots who use these Gundams are known as "Gundam Fighters". However, some suits that are called Gundams are not entries in the Gundam Fight at all, with the most operative examples being the JDG-009X (JDG-00X) Devil Gundam and the JMF-1336R (JMF1336R) Rising Gundam.
• In the After Colony timeline, the word "Gundam" refers to most mobile suits constructed out of a special alloy called "Gundanium", which can only be mined and produced in space. This alloy gives the Gundams high resistance to conventional weaponry and renders them stealthy under radar, due to its nature of absorbing electromagnetic radiation. Every Gundam has a unique name that befits the nature of the suit and/or its origins, such as the XXXG-01W Wing Gundam, XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe and the XXXG-01S Shenlong Gundam.
• The After War timeline is a loose continuation of the Universal Century continuity, presenting an alternate scenario, with many of the mecha designs loosely based on Universal Century suits. The After War timeline features a post-apocalyptic setting where virtually all colonies orbiting earth were de-orbited, with the resulting cataclysm almost exterminating humankind.
• In the Correct Century timeline, the name "Gundam" is given to the SYSTEM ∀-99 (WD-M01) ∀ Gundam "Turn A"/White Doll mobile suit by a specific character, who was originally ace pilot, but placed under suspended animation. The color scheme of the Turn A reminds the character of the Gundam mobile suits from previous eras.
• In the Cosmic Era works, Gundams are mobile suits that carry a specific type of operating system, first secretly produced (without the programmer himself knowing what he is programming the system for) by the one of the protagonist's robotics research group, and faced a few upgrades by various factions throughout the story. The acronym of the operating system always spells "GUNDAM" , thus, these suits are called "Gundam". However, this is retconned by later toys and scale models tagging the "Gundam", after the unit's own name.
• In the Anno Domini timeline of Mobile Suit Gundam 00, the term Gundam is the generic designation of a line of unique and highly effective mobile units developed by Celestial Being, such as the GN-001 Gundam Exia and GN-002 Gundam Dynames. Distinct from concurrently introduced weapons, suit torsos contain a core generator system known as the GN Drive or Solar Furnace, capable of sustaining independent unit function for an indefinite period of time without needing to refuel. In addition, onboard propulsion recycles the generator's GN particle exhaust for high-speed, virtually unlimited output. The particle exhaust disrupts the use of conventional radar and a range of wireless communications.
See also the Japanese article for Gundam Type /ガンダムタイプ for details.
Calendar system
The majority of Gundam, including the earliest series, occur in the Universal Century (UC) calendar, with later series set in alternate calendars or timelines mostly unrelated to the UC system (at least three of these calendar systems were actually initially numbered after the year that the series premiered, with 1979's Mobile Suit Gundam taking place in UC 0079, 1995's Mobile Suit Gundam Wing in After Colony 195, and 2007's Mobile Suit Gundam 00 takes place in 2307).
• Mobile Fighter G Gundam takes place in the Future Century (FC), where space colonies have gained the upper hand over Earth, consequently attempting to put an end to the internal power struggles now plaguing the planet.
• Mobile Suit Gundam Wing takes place in the After Colony (AC) calendar system, set after the foundation of the first space colony, where Earth firmly maintains repressive control over its colonies.
• After War Gundam X takes place in the After War (AW) timeline, set after the conclusion of the 7th Space War, where the Earth is devastated by massive colony drops.
• ∀ Gundam takes place in the CC (正歴 Seireki?) calendar system, which director Yoshiyuki Tomino intended as the distant future of all previous timelines. The CC sees the colonies becoming much stronger than the Earth, but unlike the FC timeline, takes a more aggressive stance towards it. The English acronym of CC is Correct Century (コレクトセンチュリー), in the official Japanese ∀ guide book.
• Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, its sequels, and spinoffs take place in the Cosmic Era, with CE referring to the years after the foundation of the first space colonies.
• The latest entry in the franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, is the first series to occur during the Anno Domini (西暦 Seireki?) timeline.
Bandai and Japanese-speaking fans unofficially refer to projects not directly related to the first Gundam series or its staffers (such as Gundam Sentinel and Mobile Fighter G Gundam) as "Another Gundam" stories, and to projects made after 1989 as "Heisei Gundam" stories. On a survey for a video game that would become Gundam: True Odyssey, the Cosmic Era series (including Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Astray) were collectively referred to as "21st Century First Gundam" (a reference to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series). English-speaking fans have used the term "Alternate Universe" ("AU" for short) as a nickname for the stories that do not take place within the Universal Century timeline, but this is made unofficial for use in Japan.



Franchise
Animated series and films
Name
Media
Year(s)
MSG Date

Mobile Suit Gundam
TV series
Compilation movies 1979-1980
1981-1982 U.C. 0079
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
TV series
Compilation movies 1985-1986
2005-2006 U.C. 0087
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
TV series 1986-1987 U.C. 0088
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
Movie 1988 U.C. 0093
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
OVA
1989 U.C. 0079
Super Deformed Gundam
Movie
OVA
TV series 1988-1989, 1991, 1993
1988, 1990
1993 Unknown
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
OVA
Compilation movie 1991
1992 U.C. 0083
Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Movie 1991 U.C. 0123
Mobile Suit Victory Gundam
TV series 1993 U.C. 0153
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
TV series 1994-1995 F.C. 60
New Mobile Report Gundam Wing
TV series
Compilation OVA 1995-1996
1996 A.C.195
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
OVA
Compilation movie 1996
1998 U.C. 0079
After War Gundam X
TV series 1996 A.W. 0015
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
OVA
Compilation movie 1997
1998 A.C.197
Turn A Gundam
TV series
Compilation movies 1999-2000
2002 C.C. 2345
Gundam the Ride: A Baoa Qu
Amusement park attraction movie 2000 U.C. 0079
Gundam Neo Experience 0087: Green Divers
Specialty format movie 2001 U.C. 0087
Gundam Evolve
Animated shorts 2001-2005 various
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
TV series
Compilation specials 2002-2003
2004 C.E.71
Superior Defender Gundam Force
TV series 2003-2004 Neotopia
SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors
TV series 2010 Neotopia
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War
Movies 2004 U.C. 0079
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
TV series
Compilation specials 2004-2005
2006-2007 C.E.73
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: Apocalypse 0079
OVA 2006 U.C. 0079
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer
ONA
2006 C.E.73
Mobile Suit Gundam 00
TV series
Compilation specials 2007-2009
2009-2010 2307-2311 AD
Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front
OVA 2009 U.C. 0079
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
OVA 2010 U.C. 0096
SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors
Movie
TV series 2010 Mirisha
Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer
Movie 2010 2313 AD
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: The Movie
Movie To be Announced C.E.
Model Suit Gunpla Builders Beginning G
OVA Summer 2010
Further development
In an interview in the February 2009 issue of OtonaFami, Yoshiyuki Tomino commented on the lack of planning of Sunrise and Bandai and that because a good movie needs 3–4 years of production time, it is too late for him to do anything for 2009, the 30th anniversary of Gundam. However, he did comment that it was not too late to begin considering the 35th anniversary. His wish was that in the future, a common sentence people would use would be to Think like Gundam.[17]
In April 2009, Gundam Ace magazine confirmed that a Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn animated adaptation is in the works. It was recently confirmed to be a 6 episode OVA.
Super Deformed Gundam
Main article: Super Deformed Gundam
SD Gundam originated from a contributed illustration of a junior high school student from Nagoya by the name of Koji Yokoi to the "Model News" magazine that Bandai was issuing in the 1980s. The illustration is of a Gundam but with an unusual proportion where the overall height of the Gundam is equal to twice that of its head. This illustration interested the chief editor and so leading to Koji Yokoi serializing SD Gundam in 4 frame comics in "Model News".
The super deformed design was suitable for capsule toys and so SD Gundam started merchandising with the Gashapon series "SD Gundam World" in 1985. Although at first SD Gundam started out as a parody of the Gundam series by the 1990s SD Gundam spawned many spin-off series, SD Sengokuden (Musha Gundam) which has a Sengoku setting, SD Gundam Gaiden (Knight Gundam) which has a fantasy medieval setting and SD Command Chronicles which has a modern military style to name a few.
With its popularity, SD Gundam merchandise expanded to include manga, trading cards, anime and video games.
Live-action film
Main article: G-Saviour
G-Saviour is a live-action television movie set in the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam metaseries. It also officially marks the last events of the Universal Century.[18]
Manga and novels
Main article: List of Gundam manga and novels
The manga narration of the original series is published in English in North America by a variety of companies, such as Viz Media, Del Rey Manga, and TOKYOPOP, among others, and in Singapore by Chuang Yi.
Series based on Gundam models
Although not directly related to Gundam, these series incorporate Gundam models as part of the stories (it might be noted that Genshiken and Sgt. Frog were created by subdivisions of Bandai and Media Factory and Sunrise, respectively):
• Sgt. Frog
• Genshiken
Series about Gundam modeling simulation battle
These series are based on lead characters building their own Gundam Plastic Model and have them battle on a simulation arena.
• Plamo-kyo Shiro(1982–1986)
o A series mainly based on the models of the first Gundam series along with its Mobile Suit Variation series. It is the first series on Gundam models. Series features modification of existing models and creating new ones, like the PF-78-1 Perfect Gundam, Red Warrior, and Musha Gundam, which were endorsed by Bandai and was later released as official models and figures, and also as units featured in various games.[19] The series started the idea for G Gundam of pilot's emotion reflecting the emotion of the unit.[20] Various series basing on the same plot model were published, including sequels like:
 New Plamo-kyo Shiro
 Super Warrior Gundam yaro
 Plamo-kin Taro
• Plamo-Wars(1994~1998)
• Gunpla Musashi
Video games
Following the popularity of Gundam, various video games feature original characters previously not found in other media. Some video games have been converted into comics or novels.
Super Robot Wars
The Gundam metaverse makes regular appearances in the Super Robot Wars series by Banpresto. In fact, there has not been a single non-Banpresto Original title which has not featured at least one Gundam series and characters. Some series come and go, but Amuro Ray, often in his RX-93 "ν Gundam", is a regular character and has actually never missed a single game. This all changed in Super Robot Wars Judgement for the Game Boy Advance and Super Robot Wars W for the Nintendo DS. So far, almost every single major Gundam series has made at least one appearance in the series.
The mobile suit units are considered the representing unit in the "real robot" type of mecha. The games' units are often separated by being "super robots", powerful mecha that often have near-limitless powers and technology, but have a shorter range of movement, and real robots, mecha that are physically weaker, but possess a wider range of movement and accuracy. There have been so many mobile suit units that it is impossible to tell a distinct style, however, mobile suits are extremely agile and have an enormous variety of weapons.
Original design series and variations
Due to the sheer popularity of the Gundam franchise, especially the mobile suit design, several "Original Design Series" were published. These series are drawings and precise specifications for additional mobile suit units not found in the original animated material:
• Gundam Century (1981)
Gundam Century was a book published in September 22, 1981. At first it is an unofficial anime guide of Mobile Suit Gundam, published by Minori books(みのり書房) as an extra appendix of the monthly magazine 月刊OUT. The book served as the basics of all the technology and realistic demonstration of Gundam, in which at publish, it is a collection of fan material along with interviews and off-time works from the original Gundam creators like Yoshiyuki Tomino, Kunio Okawara and Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. Also collected various real world space exploration science and referenced scientific journals like L5 News, Science, Physics Today. The settings in the book has since then been adopted and endorsed by the official company Sunrise and Bandai. Although most of the numbers and history has since then been changed a few times, (for example, the One Year War started in November 0079 instead of the current official timeline January 0079).[21][22] the book is regarded as the pioneer of the realism of the Gundam franchise, and is acknowledged in Gundam Official and is republished by as an official publication in the year 2000, named as Gundam Century Renewal Version.
• Mobile Suit Variations (1983)
o Also known as "MSV", these variations exist from the One Year War, and considered to be official and canonical in the Universal Century timeline.
• Mobile Suit X (1984)
o Also known as "MSX", these are new models for a proposed, but never produced new animation series, and considered to be official and canonical in the Universal Century timeline.
• Z-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam series.
• ZZ-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Double Zeta Gundam series.
• CCA-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack movie.
• Kunio Okawara's MS Collection (M-MSV)
o Kunio Okawara's personal reinterpretations of his original designs.
• F91-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Gundam F91 movie.
• V-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Victory Gundam series.
• SEED-MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series.
• SEED Destiny MSV
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny series.
• 00V
o Variations from the Mobile Suit Gundam 00 series.
Merchandise
Bandai, the primary licensee of the Gundam trademark, makes a variety of products for the Gundam fan. Other companies produce unofficial toys, models, t-shirts, etc. Categories of products include the "Mobile Suit In Action" ("MSiA") action figures, and Gundam Model Kits in several scales and design complexity. Generally, each series listed above will have its own set of products, although the MSiA and models lines, such as Master Grade and High Grade Universal Century, may extend across series. The most popular line of action figure in recent year; however, is the "Gundam Fix" series. This line of figures include the mecha shown in the animated series/manga/novels, but also included new accessories to create a more updated version.
Internet
Bandai maintains a number of sites to promote various Gundam projects. Most prominent amongst these is "Gundam Perfect Web", the official Japanese site. Its English language counterpart is the US maintained "Gundam Official". For a brief trial period in 2005, the site hosted the "Gundam Official User Forum". These forums were based on the existing fan forum, "Gundam Watch", and made use of many of its staff. When the project was retired, Gundam Watch was reborn, before passing the torch onto "Gundam Evolution", which maintained many of the same traditions and staff.
A number of series specific websites have been produced. These are often available for a limited time, usually to promote a DVD release. Common content includes character and mecha listings, lists of related merchandise and pay-for-download content. "Special" pages are also frequent, often presenting downloadable wallpaper or a small game. The Superior Defender Gundam Force site, for example, offers a game where players take the role of the villain Commander Sazabi, attempting to blast his subordinate with his weapons. After completion, users are rewarded with a papercraft of the Ark fans featured frequently in the show's second half.
As a cultural icon
Gundam is a popular cultural icon of Japan, it is a 50 billion yen business of Bandai Namco (projected 50 billion yen income of the company and reached a highest number of 54.5 billion yen in 2006).[23] Not only were stamps published, an employee of the Agriculture Ministry was reprimanded for contribution to Japanese Wikipedia Gundam related pages,[24] the Japanese Self Defense Forces code-named its developing advance personal combat system as Gundam and the Fire department used Gundam to promote the future of fire fighting developments. A tram station stood a monument of the original Gundam and used the main theme of the first Gundam anime as its departure melody and other businesses like Mitsubishi not only created a test-type simulator for concept cars with a version of Gundam cockpit, it also held recruitment seminars using "How to make a Gundam" as a demo of what their development process is and based their Lancer Evolution design on Gundam. Isuzu also used a Gundam to model the VX2. A conference as a preparation for the "International Gundam Society" (国際ガンダム学会) was held on the August 24 in Hiroshima, using Gundam as the main topic to discuss about the relationship of the science and technology in science fiction anime and the real world.
Fire fighting poster
An official poster of the Japanese Fire department depicting the Gundam.
The RX-78-2 Gundam and 2 Medea transport planes were featured in a fire fighting poster in Japan. The RX-78-2 was equipped with water spraying equipment instead of weapons.
Japanese stamps
The RX-78 Gundam was recognized as a culturally significant subject by the nation of Japan on October 23, 2000, with the inclusion of the suit and the main pilot on two stamps in the 20th Century Stamp Series.[25]
Additionally, this mobile suit and other notable mecha from various Gundam series were recognized in the second set of "Anime Heroes and Heroines" stamps, released in 2005. It was one of only four franchises to be given the honor; the others were Pokémon, Galaxy Express 999, and Detective Conan.[26]
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The code name for the under-development Japan Self-Defense Forces advanced personal combat equipment is "Gundam".[27][28][29][30] On the display exhibition on November 7, 2007, the equipment of the set contains infra-red camera and scope that can verify the incoming target is friend or foe, along with a monitor display that can browse the internet. The equipment has a total weight of 9 kg and the powered suit can run for 8 hours. The testing team consisting of troopers claims that the major improvement should be focused on increasing the battery life of the system. The researchers are also aiming for funnel type systems including missiles that can stay/hover in air and mini scouting robots.[31]
Tram station monument
On March 23, 2008, a RX-78 Gundam monument in the south exit of the Kamiigusa Station (上井草駅), and an original Gundam head mark will be on display on the Seibu Shinjuku Line train until April 4, 2008. The music of the train departing is also changed to the melody of the opening theme of Mobile Suit Gundam. The event also featured free Gundam eco-bags. The monument pose is directed by Tomino, the original creator of Gundam, and featured a pose of Gundam pointing its hand towards the sky symbolizing paragenesis and hoping for the future. According to the director, it corresponds to the title of the first episode of Gundam, ガンダム大地に立つ!!, and carries a meaning of from Earth.[32]
Isuzu VX2
The concept of Isuzu VX 2 official link is inspired by RX-178 Gundam Mk-II as concept design arts released in the Jan/Feb 1998, as seen in issue no. 71 of the magazine Axis published in Japan.
Mitsubishi
Test-type simulator
Mitsubishi has cooperated with Bandai to create a simulator for concept cars, which will show up in various places including car shows and factory sites for visitors to test run different cars. The simulator features an up to 0.5G simulated acceleration, a 100 inch screen with 24 bit digital sound and accommodation for 4 people in a 2 line formation that the front seaters will control the simulated vehicle. Although the commercial release will be a car simulator, the test-type of this simulator will be decorated like the Gundam cockpit and become a simulation theatre in the Toyota theme park, Mega Web, located in Tokyo.[33]
Seminars
As part of MHI Jobcon 2005 (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Job Convention 2005), a recruiting event of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, seminars were held in six Japanese cities. The topic of these seminars was "Mobile Suit Gundam Development Story"; which indicated the requirements and processes that Mitsubishi would have to implement if the company had been required to build an RX-78 mobile suit.[34]
Lancer Evolution
According to Gundam-san 4 koma comic, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution appearance is influenced by the RX-78-2 Gundam.[35]
Nissan GT-R(R35)
Nissan Chief Creative Officer Shiro Nakamura said that the angular lines and high-tech vents of the GT-R were inspired by the Japanese anime series Gundam. [36] [37]
Ink and wash painting
In 2008, the ink and wash painting of Gundam drawn by Hisashi Tenmyouya in 2005 was sold in the Christie's auction held in Hong Kong with a price of US$600,000.[38][39]
International Gundam Society
On August 24, 2008, a conference was held in Hiroshima with hundreds of academic professionals in different fields joining together to discuss about the relationship of anime science and technology with the modern world, including military, economical, linguistics, possibility of the Universal Century (human colonizing space) and beam weaponry in the Gundam world. Many envisioned the science in Gundam is not far from our time.[40][41][42] One aeronautics expert in the project said Thermal nuclear rockets and spherical helper bots should be pursued.[7]
1:1 Life-size Gundam
As part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series, the company officially announced a project on March 11, 2009 called Real-G to build a 1:1 real-size, scaled Gundam statue in Japan.[43] The project was finished in early June 2009[44][45] and opened to the public on July 11, 2009.[46] It was located in Shiokaze Park on Odaiba island in Tokyo, Japan, and attracted over 4 million visitors. The statue was then taken down in September. It was re-erected in the city of Shizuoka in July 2010, this time with a beam saber[47].
Gundam Rock
American musician Andrew W.K. released an album called Gundam Rock on September 9, 2009 in Japan. The album consists of covered music from the Gundam series to celebrate its 30th Anniversary.[48]
MTR X Gundam
The Hong Kong MTR issued a special set of tickets featuring Gundam theme in December, 2009.[49]
See also
• Bandai Museum
Bibliography
• Mobile Suit Gundam. Yoshiyuki Tomino. Sunrise. Nagoya Broadcasting Network. 1979-04-07–1980-01-26.
• Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam. Yoshiyuki Tomino. Sunrise. Nagoya Broadcasting Network. 1985-03-02–1986-02-22.
• Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. Yoshiyuki Tomino. Sunrise. Nagoya Broadcasting Network. 1986-03-01–1987-01-31.
References
1. ^ SD Gundam G-Generation Promotional Leaflet, second last page
2. ^ Turn A Gundam "Moon's Wind", Gundam Ace, 2006
3. ^ Otona no Gundam Perfect, 大人のガンダム完全版
4. ^ Gundam Wing Phenomenon Grows With Addition of New Licensees as Television Ratings and Toy Line Sales Surge, Business Wire, 2000-6-13
5. ^ TV anime sales history total sales figure ranking averaged by episode, Latest version. TVアニメ歷代売上累計平均ランキング最新版TOP25
6. ^ Flow of the Japan toy industry (日本の玩具産業の動向), Japan Economic Department, Information section (日本経済情報課)
7. ^ a b Gundam cartoon academy to turn science fiction into reality in Japan
8. ^ Gundam Archives, production notes
9. ^ Gundam Sentinel
10. ^ Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Blue Destiny
11. ^ Oppliger, John (2007-10-12). "Ask John: Which Gundam Series Have Had the Most Impact on Anime?". AnimeNation. http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/10/12/ask-john-which-gundam-series-have-had-the-most-impact-on-anime/. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
12. ^ Gundam Science, The High Frontier - G.K. O'neil's Space colonization plan, Gundam Century, Out Magazine special edition, Renewal Version
13. ^ tehnobahn, 機動戦士ガンダムのノーマルスーツが現実に
14. ^ Ming Pao, July 19, 2007
15. ^ technobahn ガンダムにも搭載予定？ NASAが研究開発中の熱核ロケットエンジン
16. ^ What's "Sentinel", Masahiko Asano, Model Graphix Special Edition "Gundam Wars III" Gundam Sentinel The battle of "Real Gundam", ISBN 4-499-20530-1
17. ^ Yoshiyuki Tomino scolding the 30th anniversary of Gundam (富野由悠季『ガンダム』30周年を叱る), OtonaFami (オトナファミ) 2009 February
18. ^ official chronological order of animation and films.
19. ^ Perfect Plamo-Kyoshiro
20. ^ Continue(コンティニュー)magazine interview, vol. 40.
21. ^ Gundam Century Renewal Version
22. ^ Gundam Officials, references
23. ^ Nekkei BP mook, Otona no Gundamu Perfect (Gundam for Adult's Perfect), Business & History+Character+Mechanic, Nekkei Entertainment, ISBN 978-4-8222-6317-1
24. ^ "Japanese workers in Wikipedia row". BBC News Online. October 5, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7029685.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
25. ^ "The 20th Century Stamp Series 15". http://yushu.or.jp/english/e_sdate/00jpn/00comm/00oct23c1.html. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
26. ^ "Anime Hero and Heroine Series II - Gundam". http://yushu.or.jp/english/e_sdate/05jpn/05kine/050801c1.html. Retrieved 2007-01-13.
27. ^ yahoo news
28. ^ yahoo news picture
29. ^ original pdf file from Technical Research And Development Institute Ministry of Defense, ガンダムの実現に向けて(先進個人装備システム), Aiming to archieve (in building a) Gundam (Advanced personal equipment system).
30. ^ The actual Gundam developing by the Defence Forces is (防衛省が開発する「ガンダム」の正体とは)
31. ^ 防衛省：“ガンダム”新装備を公開 暗視カメラに生体認証、ファンネル？も (まんたんウェブ) - 毎日ｊｐ(毎日新聞)
32. ^ 機動戦士ガンダム：上井草駅に記念オブジェ 富野監督も祝福(まんたんウェブ) - 毎日ｊｐ(毎日新聞)
33. ^ 三菱重工｜「機動戦士ガンダム」のシミュレーターを製作 アミューズメントエキスポに試作機を参考出展
34. ^ "MHI Jobcon 2005" (in Japanese). February 4, 2005. http://www.mhi.co.jp/news/sec1/200502044313.html. Retrieved 2007-01-11.(Website prevented deep linking, see Year of 2004 and link to February 4, 2005)
35. ^ Mobile Suit Gundam-san (Kidou Senshi Gundamu san), p. 123.
36. ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-27/nissan-gt-r%27s-redesign-inspired-by-gundam
37. ^ http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2007/id20071119_902449.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_innovation+%2Bamp%3B+design
38. ^ 史上最貴高達水墨畫拍出60萬美元天價-游戲-人民網
39. ^ 遊戲基地-新聞:史上最貴鋼彈RX-78-2水墨畫 拍出1800萬台幣天價
40. ^ J-Cast
41. ^ Chugoku shinbun online 中國新聞
42. ^ GNN Gamer News Network Taiwan
43. ^ http://recommend.yahoo.co.jp/silverlight/gundam/
44. ^ http://www.examiner.com/x-10430-Japan-Travel-Examiner~y2009m6d11-Gundam-mecha-robot-warrior-appears-in-Tokyo
45. ^ http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/06/gundam-night-pics/
46. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLIciIRK6jM
47. ^ http://kotaku.com/5498808/giant-gundam-returns-with-giant-beam-saber
48. ^ "Gundam Rock English Cover Album to Ship in Japan". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-08-14/gundam-rock-english-cover-album-to-ship-in-japan. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
49. ^ http://www.mtr.com.hk/chi/whatsnew/gundam.html

D.Gray-Man

D.Gray-man (ディー・グレイマン, Dī Gureiman?) is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. The series tells the story of a boy named Allen Walker, a member of an organization of Exorcists who makes use of an ancient substance called Innocence to combat the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of akuma. Many characters and their designs were adapted from some of Katsura Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone, and Continue, and her assistants.



The manga began serialization in 2004 in the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine, published by Shueisha under their Jump Comics imprint, and to date, 20 collected volumes have been released. It made the transition from weekly to monthly series in November 2009, when it began serialization in Jump Square. There is also a spin-off novel series titled D.Gray-man Reverse, authored by Kaya Kizaki, that explores the history of various characters. As of May 4, 2010, Viz Media has released the first seventeen volumes in the United States. The manga has also been adapted into a 103 episode anime series that aired from October 3, 2006 to September 30, 2008 in Japan. The anime is licensed by Funimation Entertainment in North America.

The manga series has become one of the best-sellers for Shueisha. During its second release week, the 15th volume of the manga ranked as the second best selling comic in Japan. Although most reviewers compared it to other series from the same genre, they praised its moments of originality and its well-developed characters and their personalities.



Plot
D.Gray-man follows the adventures of 15-year-old Allen Walker, whose left arm can transform into a monstrous claw and destroy Akuma, evolving machines created by the Millennium Earl to help him destroy humanity. As ordered by his master General Cross Marian, Allen becomes an Exorcist, people who can destroy Akuma, for the Black Order, an organization attempting to stop the Earl. He becomes a powerful asset for the Order because he can detect disguised akuma with his left eye. Allen is sent to recover pieces of Innocence, a substance that gives the Exorcists the ability to destroy Akuma. The Earl decides to call together the Noah Family, superhuman descendants of Noah who can destroy Innocence. Both sides start the search for the Great Heart, the most powerful piece of Innocence that will assure victory to the side that finds it.
During his search, the Earl begins killing the Generals, the Order's most powerful Exorcists. To protect them, the Order attempts to bring the Generals back to headquarters, and Allen and three other Exorcists are sent to search for the missing General Cross. During the search, Allen and Lenalee Lee are nearly killed and saved by their Innocence, leading the Earl and Bookman and his apprentice Lavi, who are chronicling the war, to believe one of them possesses the Great Heart. Meanwhile, the Order learns that the 14th, a Noah that betrayed and was killed by the Earl, implanted his memories into Allen. The memories will erode Allen away until he becomes the 14th. This leads the Order to believe that Allen may betray them.



Production
Some of the concepts in D.Gray-man first appeared in Katsura Hoshino's one-shot title, Zone. This earlier work includes the same concepts of the akuma and their creation, Exorcists, and the Earl's plans for ending the world. Allen Walker, the main character from the series, is also based from the previous series's protagonist, who is a girl, but Hoshino changed some of his characteristics to make him look more masculine.[1] In addition, Lavi is based on the protagonist of one of her planned series, Book-man.[2] Other characters such as the Millennium Earl, Lenalee Lee and Komui Lee are based on real people, although Hoshino has not confirmed who those people are. She has mentioned that some of them are famous scientists, while Komui is based on her boss.[3][4][5] After beginning work on the longer D.Gray-man series, Hoshino considered continuing to use the name Zone. She also considered naming the series Dolls or Chronoa. The word "D.Gray-man" is meant to have various meanings, most of them being the state of Allen and the other main characters.
Hoshino commented that she got most of her ideas for the series while asleep in the bath for 6 hours. One exception occurs in the plot of the second volume, which she based on a story called Koi no Omoni.



Media
Manga
Written and drawn by Katsura Hoshino, the chapters of the D.Gray-man manga series have been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump by Shueisha. Since its premiere on May 31, 2004, over one hundred chapters have been released in Japan.[9] The series was put on hiatus twice in Japan due to Hoshino falling ill; however, the series continued a few weeks after each incident.[10][11] In November 2008, Weekly Shōnen Jump announced that Hoshino was again putting the series on hold due to an injured wrist.[12][13] Publication resumed on March 9, 2009.[14][15] The series once again went on hiatus starting May 11.[16] The series reappeared in the seasonal magazine Akamaru Jump on August 17. Following the release in Akamaru Jump, D.Gray-Man resumed serialization on November 4, 2009 in the monthly-release Japanese manga magazine, Jump Square.[17] D.Gray-man has been licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media.[18]
The individual chapters are published in tankōbon by Shueisha. The first volume was released on October 9, 2004, and as of June 4, 2010, twenty volumes have been released.[19][20] Viz released the first collected volume of the series on May 2, 2006, and as of May 2010, eighteen volumes have been released.[21]
Anime
Main article: List of D.Gray-man episodes
The episodes of the D.Gray-man anime are directed by Osamu Nabeshima and produced by Dentsu, TMS Entertainment, Aniplex and TV Tokyo. TMS Entertainment produced the animation and Aniplex was responsible for the music production. The episodes began airing on October 3, 2006 in Japan on TV Tokyo.[22] The first season of the anime, known as the "1st stage", aired for 51 episodes, finishing its run on September 25, 2007.[23][24] The second season, known as the "2nd stage", began airing on October 2, 2007, and finished its run on September 30, 2008, lasting 52 episodes giving a total of 103 episodes over both seasons.[25][26] The English adaptation of the series has been licensed by Funimation.[27][28]
As of February 2009, twenty-six DVD compilations have been released by Aniplex between the first on February 7, 2007 and the latest on March 4, 2009.[29][30] The first thirteen compilations contain episodes of the first season, and all successive compilations have episodes of the second season. The first thirteen episodes of the anime were released in the US, dubbed, on DVD on March 31, 2009 and also Blu-ray on January 5, 2010.[31][32] The remaining 52 episodes (seasons 3 and 4) have yet to be dubbed, and are currently on hiatus.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel September 6th, 2010.
Soundtracks
All of the music for the D.Gray-man anime series were composed by Kaoru Wada, and so far three CD soundtracks have been released in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment. The first, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 1 that contains thirty-four tracks was released on March 21, 2007 with musical production and composition, which includes the first opening theme of the series and the first two ending themes as well.[34]
The second soundtrack containing thirty-two tracks, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 2, was released on December 19, 2007. It includes the second opening theme of the series, as well as the third and fourth ending themes.[35] All opening and ending themes were also collected in a CD called D.Gray-man Complete Best that was released on September 24, 2008. Its limited edition includes an extra DVD that contains credit-less footage of the videos and a large number of anime illustrations.[36] The third soundtrack, which contains thirty-one tracks, was released in Japan on December 17, 2008. It includes the third and fourth opening themes of the series, as well as the fifth to eighth ending themes and the insert song "Hands Sealed With a Kiss" (つないだ手にキスを Tsunaida Te Ni Kisu o?) sung by Sanae Kobayashi.[37]
Video games
A D.Gray-man video game for the Nintendo DS was released in Japan on March 29, 2007. The game is titled D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi and was released by Konami. In the game, the player interacts with characters from the series and destroys akuma using the touch screen and stylus.[38] A second video game titled D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku for the PlayStation 2 was released on September 11, 2008.[39] Additionally, characters from D.Gray-man are featured in the Nintendo DS game Jump Super Stars and its sequel Jump Ultimate Stars.[40][41]
Books
Two novels, one fanbook and two art books. Based on the manga series, two novels titled D.Gray-man: Reverse and written by Kaya Kizaki are published by Shueisha. The first of them was released on May 30, 2005, while the second one was released on July 4, 2006.[42][43] The D.Gray-man Official Fanbook: Gray Ark was released June 4, 2008.[44] On September 4, 2008, the TV Animation D.Gray-man Official Visual Collection: Clown Art was released.[45] They were followed by an illustration book titled D.Gray-man Illustrations Noche on February 4, 2010.[46]
Reception
The D.Gray-man manga has been highly popular in Japan; as of 2007, the series ranked as the ninth best seller series of the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine.[47] On December 31, 2008, Comipress reported that the first fifteen volumes from the series had sold 14,000,000 copies.[48] During its second release week, the volume fifteen of the manga ranked as the second best seller comic in Japan.[49] The anime DVDs have also been popular; they have ranked high in several Japanese Animation DVD Rankings.[50][51] Zassosha's manga magazine Puff ranked the series as the seventh best long story manga of 2006.[52] The series has also picked up attention in France as it was awarded the prize for best manga series 2006 at the Anime and Manga 2007 French Grand Prix, which was organized by Animeland. It was also awarded the prize of manga of the year 2006 by Webotaku.[53] Even the novel adaptions were well-received. The second novel adaption was the third bestselling novel in Japan in 2006.[54]
In his review of volume one, Carlo Santos of Anime News Network stated that certain plot points "come out of nowhere" and that the story was kept from its full potential due to "generic character designs and sparse backgrounds." The quick moving story plot and the series' exposition and back-story received positive comments.[55] A.E. Sparrow of IGN also reviewed the first volume and compared the series' antagonist to three of Batman's villains. He also said that "Walker is a solid hero with a dark past, the Millenium [sic] Earl is a menacing villain you'll love to hate" and the supporting cast shows enough potential to hold interest into future volumes.[56] Carl Kimlinger, also from Anime News Network, gave his thoughts on the first episode of the anime. He stated the series was very derivative and there was "absolutely nothing original". However, Kimlinger said that it was not a boring anime.[57] Mania.com commented that series becomes better as it continues, remarking that some elements seemed derivative but it has developed its own unique identity. However, they criticized several changes made in the Viz Media edition, such as the fact that the Japanese sound effects have been replaced by ones that make fans detract while viewing it and some translations of the names of the characters that the reviewer deemed awkward.[58]
References
1. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 61. ISBN 1-4215-0623-8.
2. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 4. Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-0623-8.
3. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 112. ISBN 1-4215-0623-8.
4. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 2. Viz Media. p. 172. ISBN 1-4215-0623-8.
5. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 1. Viz Media. p. 152. ISBN 1-4215-0623-8.
6. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 3. Viz Media. p. 26. ISBN 1-4215-0625-4.
7. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 3. Viz Media. p. 81. ISBN 1-4215-0625-4.
8. ^ Hoshino, Katsura (2006). D.Gray-man, Volume 2. Viz Media. p. 119. ISBN 1-4215-0624-6.
9. ^ "本誌の内容" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080205071139/http://jump.shueisha.co.jp/henshu/backnumber/2004/27.html. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
10. ^ "D.Gray-man Manga-ka Ill". Anime News Network. 2005-11-07. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-11-07/d.gray-man-manga-ka-ill. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
11. ^ "D.Gray-man on Hiatus... Again". Anime News Network. 2006-02-04. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-02-24/d.gray-man-on-hiatus-again. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
12. ^ "Hoshino Puts D. Gray-man Manga on Hold Due to Health". Anime News Network. 2008-11-16. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-16/hoshino-puts-d-gray-man-manga-on-hold-due-to-health. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
13. ^ "Ediciones Glenat-ADIÓS, MUÑECA" (in Spanish). Glénat Manga. 2009-01-19. http://www.edicionesglenat.es/asp/noticia.asp?pid=447. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
14. ^ "Katsura Hoshino to Resume D.Gray-man Manga on March 9". Anime News Network. 2009-02-15. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-02-15/katsura-hoshino-to-resume-d.gray-man-manga-on-march-9. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
15. ^ "本誌 2009年 No.15" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://jump.shueisha.co.jp/henshu/backnumber/2009/15.html. Retrieved 2009-03-10.[dead link]
16. ^ "Majin Tantei Nōgami Neuro Manga Ends in Japan on Monday". Anime News Network. 2009-04-20. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-20/majin-tantei-nogami-neuro-manga-ends-in-japan-on-monday. Retrieved 2009-04-25.
17. ^ "D. Gray-man to Move to Jump SQ. After 1/2-Year Hiatus". Anime News Network. 2009-08-17. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-08-17/d-gray-man-to-move-to-jump-sq-after-year-hiatus. Retrieved 2009-08-17.
18. ^ "New Viz Manga". Anime News Network. 2005-07-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-07-18/new-viz-manga. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
19. ^ "D.Gray-man/1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=4-08-873691-5&mode=1. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
20. ^ "D．Gray－man／20" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-874764-4. Retrieved June 3, 2010.
21. ^ "(D.Gray-Man) (Paperback)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/D-Gray-man-Vol-18-Katsura-Hoshino/dp/1421535432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282913161&sr=8-1. Retrieved Augest 3, 2010.
22. ^ "D.Gray-man staff" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXtViOsJ. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
23. ^ "List of D.Gray-man episode titles (1-13)" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXtZS3Pu. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
24. ^ "List of D.Gray-man episode titles (39-51)" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXtcBr4t. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
25. ^ "List of D.Gray-man episode titles (52-64)" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXtepXhM. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
26. ^ "List of D.Gray-man episode titles (90-103)" (in Japanese). TV Tokyo. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5iXthuhvJ. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
27. ^ "Funimation Acquires Romeo x Juliet, D. Gray-Man (Updated)". Anime News Network. 2008-05-17. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-05-17/funimation-entertainment-acquires-romeo-x-juliet. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
28. ^ "FUNimation Entertainment Acquires D. Gray-Man from Dentsu". Mania Entertainment. 2008-05-19. http://www.animeondvd.com/news/pr.php?pr_view=1391. Retrieved 2008-05-20.
29. ^ "DVD第1巻発売は2007年2月7日！" (in Japanese). TMS Entertainment. 2007-11-01. http://www.tms-e.com/tv_movie/dgrayman/html/news.html#kiji06. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
30. ^ "D.Gray-man 2nd Stage 13" (in Japanese). Aniplex. http://www.aniplex.co.jp/dgrayman/dvdcd/dvd0213.html. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
31. ^ "D.Gray-man Season 1 DVD Part 1 (Hyb)". rightstuf.com. http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/O18BbhYQbWmwFiLOxF/browse/item/82457/4/2730/108. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
32. ^ "D. Grayman: Season One, Part One [Blu-ray"]. Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UOMGV0/. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
33. ^ http://www.funimationchannel.com/schedule/2_e037.htm
34. ^ "D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 1". CDJapan. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=SVWC-7446. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
35. ^ "D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 2". CDJapan. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=SVWC-7508. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
36. ^ "D.Gray-man Complete Best w/ DVD, Limited Pressing". CDJapan. http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=SVWC-7576. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
37. ^ "D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 3: TVサントラ, access, Rie fu, Sowelu, 星村麻衣, ステファニー, UVERworld: 音楽" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B001HK0DQS. Retrieved 2009-01-25.
38. ^ "D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi". Game Spot. http://www.gamespot.com/ds/action/dgrayman/tech_info.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
39. ^ "D.Gray-man: Sosha no Shikaku". IGN. http://ps2.ign.com/objects/142/14260360.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11.
40. ^ "JUMP SUPER STARS". Nintendo. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ajsj/p3.html#. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
41. ^ "JUMP ULTIMATE STARS". Nintendo. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ajuj/index.html. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
42. ^ "D. Gray-man Reverse1" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=4-08-703156-X&mode=1. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
43. ^ "D. Gray-man Reverse2" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=4-08-703165-9&mode=1. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
44. ^ "D．Gray－man　公式ファンブック　灰色ノ聖櫃｜ 星野　桂" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-874248-9&mode=1. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
45. ^ "テレビアニメ D．Gray－man 公式ビジュアルコレクション 道化ノ聖画｜ 星野　桂／ジャンプ・コミック出版編集部" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-102076-8&mode=1. Retrieved January 18, 2009.
46. ^ "星野桂　D．Gray－manイラスト集　Noche　　" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-782264-9&mode=1. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
47. ^ "Comipress News article on "The Rise and Fall of Weekly Shōnen Jump"". comipress.com. 2007-05-06. http://comipress.com/article/2007/05/06/1923. Retrieved 2008-06-02.
48. ^ "Top Manga Properties in 2008 - Rankings and Circulation Data". Comipress.com. December 31, 2008. http://comipress.com/article/2008/12/31/3733. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
49. ^ "Japanese comic ranking June 10-16". Anime News Network. 2008-06-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-06-18/japanese-comic-ranking-june-10-16. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
50. ^ "Japanese Animation DVD Ranking, September 3–9". Anime News Network. 2008-09-12. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-09-12/japanese-animation-dvd-ranking-september-3-9a. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
51. ^ "Japanese Animation DVD Ranking, November 7–13". Anime News Network. 2007-11-16. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-11-16/japanese-animation-dvd-ranking-november-7-13. Retrieved 2008-09-25.
52. ^ "Winners of PUFF 2006 Manga Best Ten Announced". comipress.com. 2007-03-06. http://comipress.com/news/2007/03/06/1598. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
53. ^ "Manga culte" (in French). at Glénat Manga. http://www.glenatmanga.com/manga-culte3.asp#d_gray_man. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
54. ^ "Manga-Based Novels Tops in Japan". ICv2.com. December 19, 2006. http://icv2.com/articles/home/9783.html. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
55. ^ "Full Frontal Alchemy - RIGHT TURN ONLY!!". Anime News Network. 2008-04-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/right-turn-only/2006-04-18. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
56. ^ "IGN: D. Gray-Man Vol. 1 Review". IGN. http://comics.ign.com/articles/702/702496p1.html. Retrieved 2008-08-12.
57. ^ "The Fall Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2006-10-22. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
58. ^ Henson, Brian (2007-05-01). "D. Gray-man Vol.#05 Review". Mania.com. http://www.mania.com/d-grayman-vol05_article_83103.html. Retrieved 2008-09-06.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

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Reborn!, known in Japan as Katekyō Hitman Reborn! (家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN!, Katekyō Hittoman Ribōn!?, "Katekyō" being a portmanteau of Katei Kyōshi and translated as Home Tutor), is Japanese manga written and illustrated by Akira Amano. The plot revolves around the life of a young boy named Tsunayoshi Sawada, who finds out that he is next in line to become the boss of the most powerful Mafia organization called Vongola, the Vongola Family. As such, the Vongola's most powerful hitman, a gun-toting infant named Reborn, is sent to tutor "Tsuna" on how to become a respectable boss.



The individual manga chapters are serialized in Japan in Weekly Shōnen Jump. The individual chapters are collected and published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with twenty-seven volumes released as of October 2, 2009. Viz Media licensed the series for an English language release in North America, shortening the series name to Reborn!. An anime adaptation of the series by Artland aired on TV Tokyo between October 7, 2006 and September 25, 2010. There have also been various video games based on the series, as well as two light novels by Hideaki Koyasu.

Reborn! has become one of the best-selling Weekly Shōnen Jump manga with several of its volumes becoming top-sellers in Japan.[1][2] Reviewers from the series praised its use of comedy as well as the designs used for the infants characters.[3][4] They also mentioned that though it has become more violent since volume 8, it has turned into a better shōnen series, praising the storylines and the fights



Plot
The Reborn! story revolves around a boy named Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada, who is chosen to become the Vongola Family's boss due to him being the great-great-great-great grandson of the first Vongola boss, who had moved to Japan from Italy during his time. He is told by Reborn that he will become the tenth (Italian decimo) Vongola boss. Also, the other candidates for the position of the head of the Vongola Family have died. For these reasons, Tsuna is the only remaining heir. As such, Timoteo a.k.a. "Vongola IX", the current head of the family, sends Reborn, an infant hitman from Italy, to train Tsuna. Tsuna then unwillingly undergoes training from Reborn. Reborn's main method of teaching Tsuna is the "Dying Will Bullet", which will make the person be "reborn" with a stronger self intent on fulfilling his dying will. Through his experiences, the initially clumsy and underachieving Tsuna unconsciously becomes stronger and more confident, which ultimately makes him better suited as the Vongola Family's boss despite continuing to reject his Mafia inheritance. He also starts making several friendships such as his crush Kyoko Sasagawa.
Tsuna goes through many predicaments in his progress of becoming the Vongola boss including fighting against escaped Mafia convicts posing as Kokuyo Junior High students. Later, The Varia, Vongola assassin squad, claim the right for their boss, Xanxus to be the true Vongola boss, and start a competition to decide it. To defeat the Varia, Reborn recruits most of Tsuna's schoolmates to become the Vongola guardians: Hayato Gokudera, a dynamite expert who wishes to be his right-hand man, Takeshi Yamamoto, a baseball player who thinks the Mafia is a game, Ryohei Sasagawa, the energetic captain of the school boxing club, and Kyoya Hibari, the deadly head prefect. Lambo, a weak infant assassin who came to kill Reborn, and Chrome Dokuro, a girl who has a mental and physical link with the criminal Mukuro Rokudo, joins them as well. Later, after defeating the Varia, Tsuna and his friends are transported to the future where they must face the Millefiore Family, who are annihilating the Vongola. As Tsuna and the Vongola Guardians from his time fight the Millefiore they learn that Shoichi Irie, a comrade of Tsuna's future self, was the one who sent them to the future as the future Tsuna said they were the only ones who can defeat the Millefiore leader Byakuran. It is later revealed that Byakuran has gained knowledge from parallel worlds and that he wants to obtain all the Mafia rings in order to obtain a power similar to omniscience.



After defeating Byakuran, Tsuna and co return to the present where they learn that Tsuna is to undergo the inheritance ceremony to become the new leader of the Vongola family. However, the ceremony is attacked by the Shimon Family, who have sworn revenge on Vongola Primo for supposedly betraying the first Shimon boss. Using the power of the Shimon rings, they have destroyed the Vongola Rings, left Yamamoto hospitalised and kidnapped Chrome. However, a man named Talbot reconstructs the Vongola Rings into the Vongola Gear, and Tsuna and the remaining guardians go to Shimon's hideout where they must face the Shimon family in battles with their prides on the line.
Production
The Early versions of the series were published in seinen manga magazines, Reborn! first appeared in Weekly Shōnen Jump as a one-shot chapter in late 2003. The success of this chapter led Weekly Shōnen Jump to begin serializing Reborn! in mid-2004.[7] The author Akira Amano has referred to the series and its characters as weird and mentioned that they changed the style of the manga in volume eight, but it would keep showing its weird style.[8] When the serialization became 2 years long, Amano was satisfied with the length of the series and commented she wanted to continue writing the manga.[9]
Media
Manga
Main article: List of Reborn! chapters
Written and drawn by Akira Amano, the Reborn! manga has been serialized in Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump Volume 26 since May 31, 2004 and it is still ongoing.[7] The individual chapters are also published in collected volumes by Shueisha, with the first volume having been released on October 4, 2004,[10] and as of April 30, 2010, twenty-nine volumes have been released.[11] The series has been licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. Viz serializes the chapters in their monthly manga anthology Shōnen Jump Advanced and has also released them in volumes. The first volume was released on October 3, 2006[12] and as of July 6, 2010, sixteen volumes have been released.[13] Reborn! is also licensed in German by Tokyopop,[14] and in French by Glénat.[15]
An official character book titled Katekyō Hitman Reborn! Official Character Book Vongola 77 was released on October 4, 2007 in Japan. It is based on the manga and covers the 77 incidents that happened since Reborn arrived at the Sawada household. The book also reveals profiles of major characters including birthdays and favorites. Short side stories not shown in the manga are also included, along with free color posters drawn by Amano.[16] On April 2, 2010, it was released the series' first artbook titled Reborn Colore![17]
Anime
The series has been adapted into an anime series, and is produced by Artland and directed by Kenichi Imaizumi. It first aired on October 7, 2006 on the Japanese network TV Tokyo and ended on September 25th 2010, there have been rumors of a season 2 that would begin in spring 2011.[18][19] Though the anime series has not been licensed for distribution outside of Japan, Funimation, on behalf of Japan's d-rights production company, exercised a power of attorney to remove fansubbed episodes of the Reborn! anime from the internet. Thus, to prevent copyright infringement, cease and desist notices were sent to fansub groups who were subtitling the series.[20] On March 21, 2009, the anime-streaming website Crunchyroll.com began streaming subtitled episodes of the Japanese series in North America. New episodes are available within an hour after its airing in Japan.[21]
As of May 29, 2009, a total of twenty-seven DVD volumes have been released in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment.[22][23] The DVDs have secondary volume titles: the first eight volumes are "Bullets" which contains the first thirty-three episodes; the next eight are "Battles", and contains episodes 34 to 65; volumes seventeen and eighteen are "Daily Chapters", containing episodes 66 to 73; the next seven are the "Burn" volumes and contains episodes 74 to 101; and starting from volume 26, they are referred to as the "X.Burn" volumes.[22][24] A DVD box containing the Bullet episodes was published in Japan on June 17, 2009.[25]
CDs
All of the Reborn! music was composed by Toshihiko Sahashi. Each theme music has been released into a single or album by their corresponding performers.[26] Four Reborn! OSTs (Original Soundtracks) have been released; the first soundtrack, Katekyō Hitman Reborn! Target 1 OST, was released in Japan on December 20, 2006;[27] the second, Katekyō Hitman Reborn! Target 2 OST, was released in Japan on April 18, 2007.[28] The third soundtrack was released on August 20, 2008. It includes two CDs that include songs used from episode 78 onwards in the anime.[29] OST 4 was released in Japan on September 26 2010. Consiting of a few tracks that will be used in the second season of Reborn!Most of the Japanese voice actors of the series have performed a song; all of them were gathered in a CD called Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Character Soshutsuen Album Bongorefamiry Sotojo - Shinukidekatare! Soshiteutae!, which contains ten tracks.[30] Pony Canyon also released two volumes of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Opening & Ending Themes, which contain the opening and ending themes from the series. Additionally, there have been various CDs that include songs performed by various characters such as the Varia or Hayato Gokudera along with Takeshi Yamamoto.



Video games
Besides characters from the series making special appearances in Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars for the Nintendo DS (more prominently Tsuna, who can be chosen to fight aided by Reborn), there are six video games based solely on the series. The first one released was Katekyo Hitman Reborn! DS – Shinuki Max! Vongola Carnival!! on June 28, 2008 for the Nintendo DS.[35] and three fighting games titled Katekyo Hitman Reborn Flame Rumble were subsequently released on the Nintendo DS With the latest game in the Flame Rumble series being released in July 2009.[36][37][38] Katekyo Hitman Reborn DS: Fate of Heat, an adventure fighting game, was released for the Nintendo DS.[39]
A PlayStation 2 game titled Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Dream Hyper Battle! was released on August 30, 2007, and the same game was released on the Wii on January 10, 2008. In contrast to the PlayStation 2 version, the one from Wii added characters from the fight between the Vongola and the Varia.[40][41] Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Kindan no Yami no Delta for the Wii and PS2 was also released in Japan on November 20, 2008.[42][43] Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Nerae was released for the PlayStation 2 on August 28, 2008, but unlike the other games it was from the adventure genre.[44] Another Nintendo DS game entitled Hitman Reborn! DS : Mafia Daishūgō Vongola Festival! was released on December 4, 2008.[45] On July 23, 2009, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! DS Flame Rumble X was released for the DS.[46] Also there were two releases for the PlayStation Portable, the names of the titles are: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Battle Arena and the newly released, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!: Battle Arena 2 - Spirit Burst. Both titles are side-scrolling arcade style fighting games that take place before and during the 10 Year arc.[47][48] and Katekyo Hitman Reborn Kizuna no Tag Battle released in Playstation Portable.
Radio
Starting from September 10, 2007, after the recording of the episode for the following week, there is a radio show called ReboRaji! Bucchake Ring Tournament (リボラジ!〜ぶっちゃけリング争奪戦〜 riboraji! ~bucchake ringu sōdatsusen~?). The hosts for the radio are Hidekazu Ichinose (the voice for Hayato Gokudera), Suguru Inoue (the voice for Takeshi Yamamoto), and Rika Ishibashi (as the assistant). The show has brought in guests starting from the tenth episode. It has also hosted live audiences for the show during the Christmas break in '07, and also a couple of episodes near the end in Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. The last episode of ~Bucchake Ring Tournament~ was aired on June 30, 2008. However, they restarted the radio show on July 21, 2008.[49]
The current radio show name is ReboRaji! Bucchake Namimori Dong Dong (リボラジ!ぶっちゃけ 並盛Dong☆Dong riboraji! bucchake namimori Ding☆Dong?). The hosts are Hidekazu Ichinose, Suguru Inoue, and Toshinobu Iida (the voice for Mukuro Rokudo).[49]
Light novels
So far, three Reborn! light novels have been released by Shueisha. Written by Hideaki Koyasu and illustrated by Akira Amano, the novels were originally serialized in Jump Square. The first one, Hidden Bullet 1: Mukuro's Illusions (隠し弾1 骸•幻想 Kakushi dan 1 Mukuro•Gensō?), shows how the character Mukuro Rokudo took over Kokuyo High, and it was released on March 12, 2007.[50] The second one, Hidden Bullet 2: X-Fiamma (隠し弾2 X-炎 Kakushi dan 2 X-en?), which recaps the mystery of Xanxus, was released on February 4, 2008.[51] A third light novel, Hidden Bullet 3: Millefiore Panic (隠し弾3　ミルフィオーレ・パニック Kakushi dan 3 Mirufiōre・panikku?) was published on July 3, 2009. It is focused on the Millefiore Family as well as various members of the Vongola Family.[52]
Reception
The Reborn manga has been highly popular in Japan, with the series having ranked as the tenth best seller of the Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine as of 2007,[2] a total of 7 million copies sold.[2] During 2008, it increased to 15 million copies.[53] During its second release week, the twentieth volume of the manga ranked as the third best seller comic in Japan.[1] In 2008, the manga sold 3.3 million copies in Japan, becoming 4th best seller series from the country in 2008.[54] In the first half of 2009, Reborn! ranked as the seventh best-selling manga in Japan, having sold over 2 million volumes.[55] Volume 23 ranked fifteenth with 598,192 copies, and it was followed by volume 24 at the twentieth spot, which sold 554,920 copies.[56] Additionally, the second light novel from the series became the third best selling light novel in Japan during 2008, having sold 106,229 copies.[57] The DVDs from the anime have also been popular in Japan, sometimes appearing in the Japanese Animation DVD Ranking.[58][59] The DVD box from the first season sold all its weekly copies during the week of its release.[60]
Various publications from different types of media have commented on Reborn!. Carlos Santos from Anime News Network noted the first volume from the manga to have several episodic chapters in which the plot does not go to the important parts of the series and that the art was "downright messy and crowded", but noted the "volatile chemistry" between Tsuna and Reborn to be very likely.[61] Popcultureshock.com noted the series to be aimed for girls due to the large number of male characters appearing in the chapters and mentioned the series has a good combination of artwork and humor, making jokes repeated gags very funny.[3] A. E. Sparrow from IGN praised the artwork from the manga due to the "cartoonish characters exist alongside chiseled, well-sculpted figures" and liked how it jokes with the "Mafia concept" since most of it is comedy.[4] In another review, Sparrow noted the series "is quickly becoming a great shōnen read in no small part due to this current storyline" and noted the manga evolved since the character start to grow up and the fights became more violent.[6] Comicbookbin.com mentions that though they liked that the fights were well made and the comedy was still in the series, volume 8 of the manga becomes too violent and that its common reader may find it strange.[5] The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper has noted Reborn! to have one of the highest number of cosplayers in Japan.



References
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2. ^ a b c "Comipress News article on "The Rise and Fall of Weekly Shōnen Jump"". Comipress. May 6, 2007. http://comipress.com/article/2007/05/06/1923. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
3. ^ a b F. Erin (June 14, 2008). "Manga Reviews: Reborn! Vol. 7, Hikaru No Go, Vol. 12". Popcultureshock. http://www.popcultureshock.com/reviews/reborn-7-hikaru-no-go-12/. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
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5. ^ a b Leroy Douresseaux (June 27, 2008). "Reborn!: Volume 8 By Leroy Douresseaux". comicbookbin.com. http://www.comicbookbin.com/reborn008.html. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
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31. ^ "家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN!OPENING&ENDING THEME SONGS~ヴァリアー編までのアニメ主題歌をフルで聴け~" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0012Z35DQ/. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
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Love Monster

Love Monster (ラブ·モンスター, Rabu Monsutā?) is a shōjo manga series by Riko Miyagi. It was serialized in Japan by the publishing company Shueisha in the Margaret from 2002 to 2006 and collected in 12 Tankōbon volumes



Story

Hiyo Osora failed the entrance exam to the high school she chose, but somehow she receives a strange acceptance letter to SM Academy (Saint Monster Academy) -- which she hadn't even applied to. Thinking that her father, an alumnus of the school, must have sent in a reference letter for her, she decides to go to the school. When she first arrives there, while being distracted by the flowers and green nature around her, two hooded people (yuki and jiro) snatch her and bring her to the school president, Kurou Tenma. Fortunately, all that was simply a type of hazing for all new members of the school.

She is surprised to find the school crawling with people who are actually monsters in disguise! The next big shock is being told by Kurou himself that she is his fiancée! She is so shocked she faints. She then wakes up and finds out that Kurou has gone as far as having her room connected to his. The only way she can get out is in his arms with his wings or as we discover later on, a trap door down an enormous amount of stairs (since his room is located in a tower). As Hiyo stays in the school, she becomes more and more used to the monsters of the school, though strange things begin to happen that reveal a stunning revelation about Hiyo—she is a monster herself; one called Great White Crow who is also rarely seen. Many incidents follow with this exposure of truth.



Characters
Main Characters
Hiyo Osora
Hiyo Osora is 15 years old and attends SM Academy (Saint Monster Academy). Her genre/type of monster is crow, specifically, a white crow which was considered to be a legend. She is actually only half monster from her father, Shou Osora, and half human from her mother, Kyoko Osora. Her parents are divorced because of her father's doll face high school appearance, which he can't help, since he's a monster. Hiyo's life is in constant danger because there are dangerous people that are out to get her white feathers. It is said that whoever gets a white crow feather will be granted any wish they desire. The person that usually ends up saving her is Kurou. She secretly harbors feelings for him, but will repeatedly deny that she is his fiancé. Kurou asked Hiyo if he could just call her Hiyo, and she said yes. Later on in the story Hiyo no longer denies her feelings. She adores food, video games, and everything cute. Ironically, she has a fear of heights; she developed the fear due to the fact that she didn't know she had wings until she went to SM Academy. When Hiyo was still young, a powerful witch erased all her childhood memories, and that is why she doesn't know how to fly until she attends SM Academy. Hiyo has many people who adores her and loves her, but the only person she truly loves is Kurou. In recent chapters when K burst through the window badly injured, and tells her that something went wrong with L. She has reached L's castle in England but everyone is acting suspiciously, including J.Hiyo finds out that L has been taken over by his grandfather A and at the moment L had come back he killed his grandfather but even weirder things happen such as, people start to disappear into thin air and from people memories and Kurou's mother comes to kill Hiyo because she is the only person who can defeat the Demon King. Hiyo had to make a choice between destroying the Demon King, Kurou, and saving the Monster and Human world, or living with Kurou. In the end Hiyo used her last white crow feather to wish everything back to normal.
Kurou Tenma
Kurou Tenma is 15 years old and attends SM Academy. His genre type is crow, though unlike Hiyo, his wings are a normal black colour. Kurou actually owns a crow named Eigatsu who has been with him since he was little and is friends with Hiyo as well. He is a confident, strong, and at times cocky person. He is regarded as one of the strongest student presidents of all time (the strongest was Hiyo's father). He loves Hiyo very much, and vows to protect her. He is distant with his whole family except his grandfather because when he was young, he failed to grow wings and was abandoned by everyone. When Kurou was 3, he met Hiyo. Due the fact he couldn't grow wings and the fact his family abandoned him, he had lost all will to live. Hiyo really wanted to befriend Kurou at first, but Kurou was stubborn and rejected the offer, but was later convinced to be her friend when she "proposed to him" saying she's going be his bride. Later they climbed up a mountain, and when they reached the summit, Hiyo fell off, and Kurou jumped after her to save her and received his wings. After meeting Hiyo and receiving his wings, he regained his will to live, hence Kurou believes that Hiyo saved him. Kurou is the demon king because of his unbelievable strength and power when Kurou gets mad. He can destroy anything he wants and may lose contact with reality. To Kurou, Hiyo is the most important person to him and he would do anything to save her, even risking his own life. Kurou is over protective of Hiyo and can get very jealous. In recent chapters, he wants to become stronger so that he can protect Hiyo. He wanted to protect Hiyo so much that he was willing to destroy mankind so no one would be able to hurt her. But in the end he gave up the idea of destroying to worlds so he could be with Hiyo and with his family and friends.
Jiro Gin
Jiro Gin is Kurou's best friend. Kurou first thought that Jiro was a dog at first due to his ears. They were six at the time. Jiro's true form is a wolf. They usually call him Jin. Just like Kurou, Jin's also loves to bully people, especially the smaller ones. However he's also kind hearted and always cheers people up. Jin is simple minded and has known Kurou very well ever since childhood. Jin's also a first year student at SM. Also, whenever he is provoked, or at sometimes lustful, his ears will appear, especially if he's thinking about Hiyo, whom he has a crush on. In an omake, Jin had first met Yuki at his first year at SM. He thought that Yuki was a girl at first and called him his first love. The illusion did not last as Yuki took off his shirt. Jin's father was the vice president of SM's Student Union when Hiyo's dad (rumored to be the strongest president of SM) was studying. He is friends along with Yuki's mother and Hiyo's father. While summer vacation, he admits that Komugi (Hiyo's human friend) is cute and Kurou asks him if he's ever thought of dating her. Then, Gin rescues Komugi from a crumbling building and the two sneak off to the beach together. It is also shown that his mother is Yuik's aunt so she is a fox not a wolf.
Yuki Snow-White
Yuki is also Kouro's best friend. He is a Northern European Snowman type monster. He's very popular among girls and has been expelled for trying to seduce a teacher. He's calm and just like Jin and Kurou, he's also very powerful. Yuki is often around the main characters and loves to fool around with people. Yuki's mother was the queen of the girl's dorms when she attended SM and is the most beautiful queen in the history of SM. Yuki knows K. Bradford from the main SM campus. Yuki seems to be able to freeze people into ice. K. Bradford hates Yuki because he's been able to impress more girls than K.



The Student Union
Tsurugi Yazaki
Student Union VP. His true form is a snake. Sadly, no matter how hard he tries, he always turns out second-best. Yamata constantly begs Kurou to focus on administrative problems. Yazaki is very handsome if he doesn't wear glasses and if he messes up his hair. He is also in love with Hiyo. Hiyo thinks he's interesting and likes to hang out with him.
Issori Usukuchi
Student Union General Secretary, junior high 3rd year. He is a Ittan-momen.
Makio Kawamura
Student Union accountant, senior high 2nd year. He is a Kappa and thus hates incredibly dry conditions. He is the smartest student in the second year.
Fellow Students
Maki Tamaki
Maki is a cat-girl and at first has a strong liking for Kurou. She is very jealous of Hiyo and extremely stuck up. She can transform into other people. Later she reveals to Hiyoko that she doesn't harbor actual feelings for Kurou. She just likes anyone who is a crow. When she and the other people in the academy find out that Hiyo is the white crow, she declares herself as Hiyoko's best friend. When Hiyoko's father comes to visit for a parents' day, Maki asks Hiyo to introduce her father to her.
Haitani Tadao
He is Tamaki's slave and she calls him Aichu. He's a mouse and people make fun of him because of that. He seems to have a crush on her.
Hitomi
She is the Guardian of the girls' dormitory. She was admitted to SM Academy 100 years ago, but never attended school. She refused to leave the female dormitory because the guest room was too comfortable to live in. Only the current and future queen can see her. She likes Hiyo and wants her to play with her forever. She makes a deal with Kurou that if Hiyo says she likes him, she'll let her go, if not, Hiyo will keep her accompanied forever. Hiyo couldn't decide and dashed out of Hitomi's Invincible Guarding Barrier leaving everyone dumbstruck because even the queen couldn't break it yet she did it easily. After that she started to attend school to be close to Hiyo. She seems to be nice only to Hiyo and wants everyone else to respect her.
Yatsude Keiko
The queen of the female dormitory. She seems to be like an older sister to Hitomi. Other students call her "Spider" due to her ability to shoot out webs. When we first meet Keiko, she is actually someone else pretending to be her while she was absent.
Koma Inukami
Mako's twin. She has light hair and wears her pigtail on the left side. She and her sister are trying to get Hiyo's feathers. She is a dog kami.
Mako Inukami
Koma's twin. She has dark hair and wears her pigtail on the right side. She is also a dog spirit.
Konta Inari
Koma's and Mako's "good friend"(slave). He's a fox, but he has self-esteem issues. He was born with a pure fox bloodline, but inherited half of its power. But once he's able to transform he's very strong. When he helps Hiyo escape from the Inukami twins he transforms into his monster form. The Inukami twins are disappointed because his true form is a handsome adult. When Kurou arrives with Yuki and Jin, he kidnaps Hiyo because he loves her and doesn't want to hand her over. He escapes into the mirror, which leads into a dimension where only foxes can enter. He takes Hiyo as his bride because it is tradition that when a fox grows up, he must take his bride to his home. But he transforms back into his child-like form because his soul isn't mature.
Tenma Family
Hayate Tenma
Hayate is Kurou's older brother who wants to get everything that belongs to Kurou because he believes that Kurou must die. Hayate will do anything to get his mother's attention, but because his other brothers outdo him easily he's out of luck. He has a liking for professor Kamako, but he doesn't realize that professor Kamako is a transvestite and no one seems to tell him.
Chiya Tenma
Chiya Tenma is a stubborn and strong willed crow with black wings. She is a pop idol in the monster world. It is later revealed that she is Kurou's younger sister whom he was separated from after birth. She goes to school at Hyakki Academy. She is friends with Haine. She falls in love with Kurou at first sight and arranges the marriage between her and Kurou with their parents. They broke up eventually because she thinks Kurou is weird. She seems jealous of Hiyo's relationship with Kurou at start but after a while she gives up. Chiya has the power to erase memories. Chiya actually likes Haine but Haine thinks she's just his friend.
Crow King
The grandfather who raised Kouro. He actually raised Hiyo's father as well. When he was young he stood up against Kouro's father and enjoyed raising children. At first he doesn't seem like a great crow, but he is actually very strong.
Miyako Tenma
Mother of Kurou and Hayate. Miyako shows a deep affection for Hiyo's father, Shou, but Shou insists that Miyako sincerely loves Yasha. She likes him because she can't see his future; she thinks this is because he is stronger than her. She is extremely childish, and is quite often insulting the characters. In latest chapters we find that since she had met Yasha she knew she would kill him and tried to distance herself from him but he is the first person that she has met that was not afraid of her. She says she has no feelings not even for her son Kurou but it is proven wrong for she wanted to kill Hiyo instead of Kurou to save him, she also sent Yasha away to protect him from what would happen.
Yasha Tenma
Father of Kurou, Hayate and Chiya. Yasha is the elder brother of Shou Osora, but not by blood. He was very close friends with his adoptive brother up until the meeting of the Dark Priestess, Miyako. Yasha fell in love-at-first-sight. Unfortunately, Yasha was rejected by Miyako, because of her feelings towards Shou. However, Shou turned down Miyako because she was childish, but in fact he was also aware of Yasha's strong feelings for her. It seemed that Shou was betraying Yasha more and more. He disapproves of Kurou and Hiyo's "engagement" and has a deep hatred towards humans, since they killed his mother.
Other
Shou Osora
Hiyo's father and former student body president of SM Academy. Like Kurou, he is a black crow. He is very cheerful and humble, and believes that Hiyo and Kurou should be together, when many believe that they should not. It is revealed by Kurou that Shou was the strongest student body president (stronger than Kurou's father) in his high school years (currently, many claim that he still is one of the strongest monsters). In fact, he was so fearful that during his time in the treasure hunt that took place between SM and Hyakki Academy, Hyakki immediately gave up without a fight (he was very polite in asking for the treasure). His high school appearance led to his and Kyoko's divorce, yet he is still in love with her. He is quite close to Hiyo and is in good terms with Kurou. In the last chapter, he is shown to be 10,000 years old and also has one black and one white wing, something that not even the Miyako could explain, leaving them to believe he is a god. In the new world that Hiyo and Kurou created, he and Kyoko are married and did not divorce.
Semu
He is the school doctor. He has a bunch of toys who act like servants to him. Although he looks like a cute little boy, every time he sees a girl who he likes transforms into an adult. Whenever anyone looks into his eyes when he's in his adult form, they turn into stone. (This can be solved by pouring boiling water on the statue). He is actually the descendant of the legendary Medusa. Semu, Hitomi, and Kurou's mother Miyako all have extensive collections of stuffed toys.
L Bradford
L is a vampire that transferred in the SM University with his cousins, J and K Bradford. They are looking for the white crow who is actually Hiyoko. In chapter 51, Hiyoko and he fell in a cave then he accidentally sucked her blood, he sucked a lot so Kurou and his friends thought that Hiyoko will be a vampire, Kurou became mad and tore his wings, but Hiyoko still, became a white crow. He falls in love with Hiyoko. Like Haine, L is despised by Kurou and will do anything to keep L away from Hiyoko, which proves to be difficult as Hiyoko offered to let L drink her blood. In recent chapter, he is to succeed the vampire clan, but his grandfather, who is the current leader, did something to him, and in the end of chapter 73, he is shown to have drunk the blood of many girl vampires, and is saying that they will not satisfy him. He says that only his "white" bride will be able to satisfy him. He is recently shown to be a lot more taller, and more evil than his other self. It is recently implied that he is the true demon king rather than Kurou. It is seen in the end of chapter 74 and during 75 that A: L's,K's and J's Uncle, absorbed his soul and took of his body [which was his body in the first place.] He later was able to return to his true self thanks to Hiyoko.
K Bradford
K is L's cousin, he envies Yuki because all the girls like Yuki better than him. He planned to take Hiyo too, but later on, he leaves with J. He has a crush on Kinuko the "queen" in the girls dorm. In recent chapter, he burst through the window in a conversation between the director of the school and Kurou and Hiyoko. He is injured and begins telling them that something went wrong with L, and that Hiyoko must save L. His mother was a human who got pregnant by a vampire. He worships L because l didn't mind he was from a human mother.
J Bradford
J is a cousin of L too. He planned to take Hiyoko too, but ends up leaving with K. J became afraid of Kurou after he attempted to fight Kurou, in order to kidnap Hiyoko, and was defeated instantly, with little effort from Kurou. He has a crush on Hitomi. His mother was a human who got pregnant by a vampire.
Semu
He is the school doctor. He has a bunch of toys who act like servants to him. Although he looks like a cute little boy, every time he sees a girl who he likes transforms into an adult. Whenever anyone looks into his eyes when he's in his adult form, they turn into stone. (This can be solved by pouring boiling water on the statue). He is actually the descendant of the legendary Medusa. Semu, Hitomi, and Kurou's mother Miyako all have extensive collections of stuffed toys.
Komugi Taneda
Hiyoko's friend since junior-high. Komugi has had a strong sixth sense since she and Hiyoko were younger (a trait probably inherited from her mother), and when Hiyoko returns to the human world for a while she instantly notices that Haine is not human. After being mistaken for Hiyoko, Gin pulls her through Konta's dimensional rift where she finds out that Hiyoko is half monster and that all monsters aren't evil. Apparently she has a crush on Gin.
Maboroshidou Haine
Haine is the Student body president of Hyakki Academy. He is a crow with grey wings, this is believed to have happened because he is half-human. He captured Hiyoko in chapter 28 because of the contest (during the annual treasure hunt). He eventually finds out that Hiyoko is really the legendary white crow. Haine at first appears to be lecherous, but he helps Hiyoko and her mother escape from a weird monster. He is in love with Hiyoko and arranges their marriage, with her mother's approval. However, Hiyoko's father claims that since Kurou's engagement with Hiyoko is still standing it means that Haine's engagement is not legitimate. Haine is also able to cook really well.
Marilyn
Marilyn is as powerful as Miyako, she has the ability to eat a spirit or a soul. She's the one who made Kurou to completely become the "demon king".