Ao no Fuin
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
series by Chie Shinohara
which was serialized in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic
from issue 22 in 1991 until 1994. The story is about a high school girl, Sōko Kiryū, who finds out she is the latest reincarnation of Sōryū (usually called "Seiryū"), the demon queen who once ruled the earth with her demon armies. Unfortunately, she has fallen in love with a boy named Akira who is the reincarnation of Byakko
, the legendary white tiger who is destined to kill her.
The story is loosely based on the tale of Four Gods
in oriental cultures, namely the Azure Dragon (east), the White Tiger (west), the Black Turtle (north) and the Red Phoenix (south). Ao no Fūin was adapted into a CD drama in 1993 and three novels by Natsumi Yamamoto in 1998.
About this time, a boy named Akira appears at the school and begins pursuing her. He tells her that he is Byakko, the white tiger of the west, and that he will kill her because she is the reincarnation of the demon queen Soryū. With growing a horn, remembering a hunger for humans, and exhibiting unusual powers, Sōko is forced to accept that she is an oni even though she denies it. However, due to her growing feelings of love for Akira and her desire to become human, Sōko is determined to fight against this ill fate.
from issue 22 in 1991 until 1994. There were 11 tankōbon
volumes released under the Flower Comics label from Shogakukan
which collected the series.
Bunkoban editions were released under the Shogakukan Bunko label in 1999, collecting the series in seven volumes.
in 1998.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Chie Shinohara
Chie Shinohara
is an award winning Japanese manga artist best known for Red River, known in Japan as Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: Anatolia Story. She has twice received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo, in 1987 for Yami no Purple Eye and in 2001 for Red River....
which was serialized in the manga magazine Shōjo Comic
Shojo Comic
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio's works and Keiko Takemiya's works in...
from issue 22 in 1991 until 1994. The story is about a high school girl, Sōko Kiryū, who finds out she is the latest reincarnation of Sōryū (usually called "Seiryū"), the demon queen who once ruled the earth with her demon armies. Unfortunately, she has fallen in love with a boy named Akira who is the reincarnation of Byakko
White Tiger (Chinese constellation)
The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations. It is sometimes called the White Tiger of the West , and is known as Baihu in Chinese, Byakko in Japanese, Baekho in Korean and Bạch Hổ in Vietnamese...
, the legendary white tiger who is destined to kill her.
The story is loosely based on the tale of Four Gods
Four Symbols (Chinese constellation)
The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North...
in oriental cultures, namely the Azure Dragon (east), the White Tiger (west), the Black Turtle (north) and the Red Phoenix (south). Ao no Fūin was adapted into a CD drama in 1993 and three novels by Natsumi Yamamoto in 1998.
Plot
The story is set in modern Japan. Sōko Kiryū is a first year transfer student in high school, having just moved into the area. Due to her uneasiness over the move, she has developed dizziness and fainting spells. Shortly after she transfers into the new school, she somehow causes a would-be rapist who attacks her in the infirmary to simply vanish, leaving his clothes on the floor.About this time, a boy named Akira appears at the school and begins pursuing her. He tells her that he is Byakko, the white tiger of the west, and that he will kill her because she is the reincarnation of the demon queen Soryū. With growing a horn, remembering a hunger for humans, and exhibiting unusual powers, Sōko is forced to accept that she is an oni even though she denies it. However, due to her growing feelings of love for Akira and her desire to become human, Sōko is determined to fight against this ill fate.
Characters
- The protagonist.
- The antagonist.
- Sōko's brother.
Manga
The manga was serialized in Shōjo ComicShojo Comic
is a shōjo manga magazine published twice monthly in Japan by Shogakukan since 1968. It was originally published weekly and it continued to be published weekly until the 1980s. Many influential shōjo manga ran in Shōjo Comic during the 70s. Moto Hagio's works and Keiko Takemiya's works in...
from issue 22 in 1991 until 1994. There were 11 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes released under the Flower Comics label from Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
which collected the series.
- Volume 1, ISBN 4-09-134321-X, May 1992
- Volume 2, ISBN 4-09-134322-8, August 1992
- Volume 3, ISBN 4-09-134323-6, November 1992
- Volume 4, ISBN 4-09-134324-4, February 1993
- Volume 5, ISBN 4-09-134325-2, May 1993
- Volume 6, ISBN 4-09-134326-0, August 1993
- Volume 7, ISBN 4-09-134327-9, December 1993
- Volume 8, ISBN 4-09-134328-7, April 1994
- Volume 9, ISBN 4-09-134329-5, July 1994
- Volume 10, ISBN 4-09-134330-9, September 1994
- Volume 11, ISBN 4-09-136251-6, November 1994
Bunkoban editions were released under the Shogakukan Bunko label in 1999, collecting the series in seven volumes.
- Volume 1, ISBN 4-09-191123-4, February 1999
- Volume 2, ISBN 4-09-191124-2, February 1999
- Volume 3, ISBN 4-09-191125-0, April 1999
- Volume 4, ISBN 4-09-191126-9, April 1999
- Volume 5, ISBN 4-09-191127-7, May 1999
- Volume 6, ISBN 4-09-191128-5, May 1999
- Volume 7, ISBN 4-09-191129-3, May 1999
Novels
A series of three novels by Natsumi Yamamoto and based on the manga was released by KSSKSS (company)
KSS Inc. is a Japanese company that provides anime studio services including production, music, subtitles and translation. At one time, they had also published video games.-Anime that KSS has been associated with:*Barbapapa*Battle Angel *Calimero...
in 1998.
- Volume 1, ISBN 487709234X, September 1998
- Volume 2, ISBN 4877092358, October 1998
- Volume 3, ISBN 4877092366, December 1998
See also
- Fushigi YūgiFushigi Yūgi, also known as Curious Play, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yu Watase. Shogakukan published Fushigi Yûgi in Shōjo Comic in its original serialized form from May 1992 through June 1996. Viz Media released the manga series in English in North America starting in 1999...
, a manga series based on the same legendsFour Symbols (Chinese constellation)The Four Symbols are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are:*Azure Dragon of the East *Vermilion Bird of the South *White Tiger of the West *Black Tortoise of the North...
.