Blue Sonnet
Encyclopedia
is a 19-volume manga
series by Masahiro Shibata which ran in Hana to Yume
magazine from 1981 to 1987 as part of the Akai Kiba series of stories. A five episode anime
OVA series was adapted from the manga by Mushi Productions and released in 1989. The OAV series was licensed and released on VHS and LaserDisc in North America by Central Park Media
in 1990.
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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 Masahiro Shibata which ran in Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
magazine from 1981 to 1987 as part of the Akai Kiba series of stories. A five episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
OVA series was adapted from the manga by Mushi Productions and released in 1989. The OAV series was licensed and released on VHS and LaserDisc in North America by Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...
in 1990.
Characters
- Lan was in a plane crash with her parents just after she was born, and she was raised by wolves for five years. She possess the latent esper abilities which identify her as the "Crimson Fang".
- Sonnet is a 16 year old esper cyborg soldier with silver hair (though it is blue in the OAV) who works as a scout for Talon. Her mother is from Puerto Rico and her father is CaucasianCaucasian raceThe term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
-Russian. She was raised in the slums of New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. When she was about 13 years old, her latent esper abilities began randomly manifesting themselves, causing people to label her a "witch" or a "devil child", and this caused her mother to have to turn to prostitution for money.
- She was tricked into believing her mother was going to be killed, which caused her latent esper powers to fully manifest. Because of this, she now works as a scout for Talon, mercilessly hunting down espers such as Lan. Her interaction and blooming friendship with Lan and others at the school, however, has caused her to remember her humanity and she begins to question her loyalties to Talon. She finally learns from Lan's boyfriend Bird what real love is.
- Dr. Merikus, a German scientist of Jewish descent, manages the cyborg division of Talon. He is a recognized authority in cybernetic engineeringCyberneticsCybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
, and is the one responsible for Sonnet's and Bird's cyborg capabilities. While he is generally a cool-headed person, his growing parental love for Sonnet is his eventual undoing.
- A first year student at Seiryō Academy who looked up to Bird. He feels responsible for Ran's injuries, and thinks that her powers are caused in part by the blood transfusion she received. He is always helping her.
- Jin is a novelist. After learning about Talon after being involved in an incident with Lan, he supports her however he can.
- Often called Bird, he is a delinquent offered room and board at Seiryō Academy in exchange for working there in the dining hall. He was good friends with Lan, but Talon kills him. They then take his remains and turn him into the cyborg RX-606, and he seeks out Lan again.
- The daughter of Professor Onagara and a powerful esper whose abilities include clairvoyanceClairvoyanceThe term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, telepathyTelepathyTelepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, and precognitionPrecognitionIn parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
. Due to a fiery incident in her past, she is unable to see, hear, or speak due to the burns she received. She is currently an ally of Lan and intent on attacking Talon.
- Daisuke is the son of Jin Kiryu and a student at Ōsei Academy.
- A student at Ōsei Academy. She works in the library and is Lan's best friend. She's been raised as a foster daughter by the Haibara family. She has a crush on Daisuke.
Others
- Kaburagi (Miyoko AsōMiyoko Asois a Japanese voice actress. She is best known for the role of Fune Isono in the longest-running Japanese anime series Sazae-san that began in 1969 and recently celebrated its 40 year anniversary. Her recent works include Dr. Pinako Rockbell in the 2009-2010 anime series Fullmetal Alchemist:...
) - Sodeki (Mari Yokō)
- Tsunaga (Kōzō ShioyaKozo ShioyaKōzō Shioya is a veteran seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. He is currently represented by Aoni Production...
) - Mikura (Kōichi KitamuraKoichi Kitamura, real name was a Japanese voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He died on October 2, 2007 of pneumonia.-TV:*April to Sandman *Dragon Ball GT *Esper Mami...
) - Okano (Seiko Nakano)
- Ina (Issei FutamataIssei Futamatais a veteran seiyū who was born on March 15, 1955 in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from Towada Technical High School. He is a member of the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society....
) - Yumi (Yuko MinaguchiYuko Minaguchiis a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!...
) - Editor Kubota (Kazumi TanakaKazumi Tanakawas a male voice actor from Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. He was the younger brother of Ryouichi Tanaka and was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of his death. He was best known for his roles in Dragon Ball Z , Galaxy Cyclone Braiger and Zawazawamori no Ganko-chan...
) - Race Track Announcer (Yukimasa KishinoYukimasa Kishinois a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Aoni Production. He is also active in the theatrical entertainment field and is the chairman of his own theatrical group, Gekidan Kishino Gumi...
) - Researcher (Hideyuki UmezuHideyuki Umezuis a Japanese voice actor and member of 81 Produce.-Anime:* Bakugan Battle Brawlers * Blood+ * Bonobono * Death Note * Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood...
) - Guard (Junji Kitajima)
- Doctor (Hiroyuki Satō)
- Squad Leader (Hirohiko KakegawaHirohiko Kakegawais a Japanese actor. He has starred in a number of anime series, such as Transformers and Turn A Gundam. He enjoys softball, ice-skating and tennis.-Appearances:*Saint Seiya *Transformers: The Headmasters...
)
Story
The opening credits for each episode show Sonnet's former life and give hints about her powers. In the battle between the two powerful espers, Sonnet starts to rediscover her humanity, while Lan has to fight to keep her humanity, and control the Crimson Fang powers.| # | Title | | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
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OVA staff
- Director: Takeyuki Kanda
- Creator: Masahiro Shibata
- Screenplays: Seiji Matsuoka, Kōichi Mizuide
- Producer: Yukihiro Shino
- Character Designs: Katsuichi Nakayama
- Mechanical Designs: Masahito Yamashita
- Storyboards: Yūichirō Yokoyama
- Production: Mushi Productions
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