Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (精霊の守り人, Seirei no Moribito?) is a Japanese anime series based upon a novel by the same name by Nahoko Uehashi.
The series is written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with music composed by Kenji Kawai, and animation produced by Production I.G. Initially licensed by Geneon Entertainment, the rights to the series transferred to Media Blasters after the defunct of Geneon, then Viz Media who re-released the entire series on DVD and Blu-ray, then finally, Sentai Filmworks. The anime runs 26 episodes and is based entirely on the first novel in the Guardian series, and greatly expands the midsection of the novel.
Story[]
When Balsa, an itinerant female spear-wielder, saves the life of Chagum, the Second Prince of New Yogo, her life changes unexpectedly. At the request of Chagum's mother, the Second Queen, Balsa accepts the charge of protecting Chagum for the rest of his life when the Second Queen reveals that Chagum has been targeted for assassination by his father, the Mikado.
However, Chagum appears to be possessed by something, and signs point to it being a water demon that was defeated by the Mikado's ancestors two hundred years ago. Balsa and Chagum must allude the Hunters, an secret and elite group of warriors who serve the Mikado, and their leader, Mon, in order to survive. Meanwhile, with the blessing of the Master Star Reader, a young Star Reader named Shuga begins to delve into the archives of the founding of New Yogo, and discovers that the official history of New Yogo may not be entirely accurate. As Balsa and her friend Tanda, an apprentice magic weaver, struggle to save Chagum, Shuga desperately seeks the truth that will save the country.
Episodes[]
| # | Title | Original Air Date | English Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Balsa, the Female Bodyguard Barusa Onna Yōjinbō (バルサ女用心棒) |
April 7, 2007 | August 24, 2008 |
| A female spear-wielder from Kanbal, Balsa, has returned to New Yogo after two years to have her spear repaired. When the second prince of Yogo, Chagum, falls into a river, Balsa saves him and is invited to the palace by the Second Queen to be rewarded. However, Balsa soon learns that the Second Queen's true intent is to hire Balsa as Chagum's bodyguard because the Mikado believes that Chagum has been possessed by an evil water spirit and must be killed. Balsa reluctantly agrees to protect the boy from Imperial assassins and escapes with him, with the attendants setting fire to Chagum's bedchamber as a distraction. | |||
| 02 | Hunters, Hunted Nigerumono Oumono (逃げるもの 追うもの) |
April 14, 2007 | August 31, 2008 |
| Balsa makes preparations to leave the capital with Chagum. She must leave the city without being noticed -- a task made difficult by the prince being overcome with the grief of leaving his family. The Mikado dispatches four secret hunters to recover the prince and kill Balsa. | |||
| 03 | Fight to the Death Shitō (死闘) |
April 21, 2007 | September 7, 2008 |
| Balsa discovers that she and Chagum are being followed. She has no choice but to fight against the pursuers. In the confusion she loses Chagum; she manages to rescue him, but due to her wounds, he must carry on by himself to Tanda's hut. | |||
| 04 | Torogai's Letter Torogai no Fumi (トロガイの文) |
April 28, 2002 | September 14, 2008 |
| Following Balsa's direction, Chagum successfully reaches Tanda's house in the mountains. Tanda is able to retrieve and treat Balsa, but Balsa needs bed rest to recover her strength. She and Tanda nurture their relationship in the process. | |||
| 05 | Secret Plan, the Blue Hand Hisaku, Aoi Te (秘策、青い手) |
May 5, 2007 | September 21, 2008 |
| Chagum's ailment is revealed by Tanda's teacher, Torogai. Balsa knows that the Mikado will never openly search for the prince. However, when Chagum's staged funeral is held in the capital, a wide-area search for her is in the works. | |||
| 06 | To Die in the Misty Blue Aogiri ni Shisu (青霧に死す) |
May 12, 2007 | October 5, 2008 |
| Unable to determine Balsa's exact position, the Mikado's hunters split up. In the Misty Blue Mountains, they see Balsa and Chagum dragged down a cliff by a large wolf and assume that the pair have died. | |||
| 07 | Chagum's Resolve Chagumu no Ketsui (チャグムの決意) |
May 19, 2007 | October 12, 2008 |
| In order to remain hidden until next spring, Balsa buys a watermill and settles there with Chagum for the time being. To pass the time and make some money, they use the mill to grind grain for the local villagers. | |||
| 08 | The Swordsmith Katana Kaji (刀鍛冶) |
May 26, 2007 | October 19, 2008 |
| Balsa visits a great blacksmith to get a new blade for her spear. The smith agrees to forge her new blade once he is convinced that she did not kill the prince. | |||
| 09 | Shuga Thirsts Kawaki no Shuga (渇きのシュガ) |
June 2, 2007 | October 26, 2008 |
| Shuga, a star reader and Chagum's teacher, tries to figure whether the drought sign is diminishing. He gets permission from the Master Star Reader to translate the ancient stone scrolls that record the history of Yogo and that are rumored to contain information about the drought. | |||
| 10 | Soil and Heroes Tsuchi to Eiyū (土と英雄) |
June 9, 2007 | November 1, 2008 |
| Tōya teaches Chagum how to act more like a city dweller. After the prince sees through a rigged gambling game, he is determined to teach the men a lesson and help the people get their money back. | |||
| 11 | Flower Wine for Tanda Hanazake o Tanda ni (花酒をタンダに) |
June 16, 2007 | August 22, 2009 |
| Unhappy with her arranged marriage, Saya's soul leaves her body. Tanda performs a soul call to guide her back. However, his soul becomes trapped and needs Balsa's help to return to his own body. | |||
| 12 | Summer Solstice Festival Geshimatsuri (夏至祭) |
June 23, 2007 | August 29, 2009 |
| Chagum challenges a boy to a rucha match on the Summer Solstice festival. He asks Balsa to train him to fight. He fights the boy and wins the match. After the boy's father insults Chagum, Balsa steps in and defeats the father. | |||
| 13 | Neither Human Nor Tiger Hito de naku, Tora de naku (人でなく虎でなく) |
June 30, 2007 | September 12, 2009 |
| Balsa gets challenged to a duel by a former rival. The rival targets a traveling couple in order to draw out her anger. She attempts to protect the couple but ends up engaging in a fierce duel that allows her anger to overwhelm her. She wins the fight but thinks that she killed him, breaking her vow to never take a life. | |||
| 14 | The Knot Musubime (結び目) |
July 7, 2007 | September 19, 2009 |
| Torogai makes contact with the water beings of Nayug and discusses Chagum's current condition. Torogai discovers that the official Yogo founding history is false, and recounts her escape from the knot. | |||
| 15 | Untimely Death Yōsetsu (夭折) |
July 14, 2007 | September 26, 2009 |
| While gathering more information on the drought sign, Shuga finds proof that Chagum is alive. Shuga wishes to tell the prince's older brother, Crown Prince Sagum, whose health has been weakened by the recent events. However, he does not, fearing the Mikado will discover Chagum's location. | |||
| 16 | The Pursuit[1] Tada Hitasura ni (ただひたすらに) |
July 21, 2007 | October 3, 2009 |
| Chagum's brother Sagum dies from overwork and grief, leaving Chagum as the heir to the throne. Shuga learns from the ancient scroll that the water spirit is not evil, and must be born in order to prevent the drought. Armed with this knowledge, he leads the search for Chagum to bring him back so that he can become the crown prince. | |||
| 17 | The Waterwheel Burns Suisha Moyu (水車燃ゆ) |
July 28, 2007 | October 10, 2009 |
| Shuga locates Chagum and Balsa in the city. The watermill is found by the Mikado's hunters and they lay a trap. Tōya sets fire to the watermill to warn Balsa. Seeing the fire, Balsa meets up with Tanda, Torogai, and Chagum and they set off for Toumi Village. | |||
| 18 | The Ancient Village Inishie no Mura (いにしえの村) |
August 4, 2007 | October 17, 2009 |
| Balsa, Chagum, Torogai and Tanda travel to Toumi Village in the hope of learning the ancient story of the water spirit. They locate the village and listen to the ancient story. Chagum is horrified to learn that the spirit's "guardian" must die for the spirit to be born. | |||
| 19 | Escape Chagumu Tōbō (チャグム逃亡) |
August 11, 2007 | October 24, 2009 |
| Chagum runs away in an attempt to return to the Yogo court and to avoid being killed by the La Lunga (egg-eater). Determined to keep Chagum safe and bring him to Hunter's cave, Balsa goes after him. Seeing his distress, she vows to keep him alive even if she must sacrifice her life. | |||
| 20 | Trap[2] Kariana (狩り穴) |
August 18, 2007 | October 31, 2009 |
| Shuga and the hunters arrive in Inishie Village. Torogai tells Shuga of the egg eater. Shuga agrees to return to court and to decipher the remainder of the secret tome. Balsa, Chagum, Torogai and Tanda move to Hunter's cave, where they prepare for winter. | |||
| 21 | Jiguro Musa Jiguro Musa (ジグロ·ムサ) |
August 25, 2007 | November 7, 2009 |
| Winter arrives and the mountains become impassable. Balsa tells Chagum the story of her guardian, Jiguro, and how 24 years ago he decided to go against his king in order to save Balsa's life. | |||
| 22 | Season of Awakening Mezame no Toki (目覚めの季) |
September 1, 2007 | November 14, 2009 |
| Balsa continues Jiguro's story and reveals the reason behind her oath to save eight souls. Balsa begins to train Chagum as they await the spring. | |||
| 23 | Searching for the Spring Equinox Shigu Sarua o Otte (シグ·サルアを追って) |
September 8, 2007 | November 21, 2009 |
| Spring has arrived and Chagum has grown both physically and mentally. Chagum and Balsa are reunited with Shuga and the eight hunters. The power of the sacred Spirit begins to influence Chagum's actions, and La Lunga finally appears to claim the egg. | |||
| 24 | The Last Hope Saigo no Kibō (最後の希望) |
September 15, 2007 | November 28, 2009 |
| Balsa, Tanda, and the hunters chase after Chagum. Shuga and Torogai learn that the spirit will be born in another location and race to get there before dawn. When Balsa's group encounters two La Lunga, Tanda learns how to harm the creatures, allowing the group to kill one of the egg eaters. | |||
| 25 | The Time of Celebration Utage (宴) |
September 22, 2007 | December 12, 2009 |
| Balsa's group locate Chagum. The physical world and Nayug begin to merge. Balsa and the hunters manage to hold off endless waves of La Lunga long enough for the sun to rise. Tanda successfully extracts the egg and Chagum's life is saved. | |||
| 26 | Beginning a Journey Tabidachi (旅立ち) |
September 29, 2007 | December 19, 2009 |
| Chagum returns to the palace and is named Crown Prince and Divine Hero of the People. While Chagum is reunited with his mother, Balsa contemplates the future. After being rewarded by the Mikado, Balsa, Tanda, and Torogai prepare to leave the palace, but are redirected to the side gate by Mon and Jin so they can see Chagum one last time. Though Chagum is apprehensive about separating from Balsa, her words give him the courage to stay. While Tanda visits Toya and Saya's errand shop, Balsa has already departed for Kanbal, as Tanda explains there is one last thing for her to do. | |||
Staff[]
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Series Composition: Kenji Kamiyama
Composer: Kenji Kawai
Character Designer: Gatou Asou
Chief Animation Director: Takayuki Goto
Animation Work: Production I.G
Cast[]
Mabuki Andou as Balsa
Naoto Adachi as Chagum
Ako Mayama as Torogai
Atsushi Ono as Mikado
Hirofumi Nojima as Shuga
Kouji Tsujitani as Tanda
Mayumi Asano as Touya
Rintarou Nishi as Jiguro
Ryou Hirohashi as Saya
Ryouya Kobayashi as Sagum
Music[]
- Opening Theme: Shine by L'Arc-en-Ciel
- Ending Theme: Itoshii Hito e by Sachi Tainaka
Broadcast and Releases[]
Six DVD compilations, each containing two episodes of the series, have been released in Japan by Geneon Entertainment, with the latest released on November 21, 2007.[3] A seventh compilation was released on December 21, 2007.[4] At the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2007 in March, Geneon Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license to the anime and Scholastic announced they had US distribution rights to the novels. After Geneon discontinued its distribution division, the rights transferred to Media Blasters. Viz Media later re-released the entire series on DVD and Blu-ray on August 26, 2014.[5] Rights were later transferred again onto Sentai Filmworks, who announced so in August of 2020.[6]
The anime premiered in Japan on NHK-BS2 from April 7, 2007 to September 29, 2007. The series premiered in the United States at 1:30 AM. On August 24, 2008 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, but was dropped from the schedule without warning or explanation on January 15, 2009 after two runs of the first ten episodes. On June 13, 2009, the series was back on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in the United States at 1:30 AM Sundays, but was moved to 2:30 AM Eastern time, swapping it with Fullmetal Alchemist in November.[7]
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ Alternate English episode title With All One's Heart (Viz Media)
- ↑ Alternate English episode title To Hunter's Hole (Viz Media)
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000VYPQBI/
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000XECSD0/
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-01-08/viz-media-adds-moribito-fantasy-anime-series
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-08-25/sentai-filmworks-licenses-moribito-guardian-of-the-spirit-anime/.163296
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111006084336/http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/onair.html