El Cazador de la Bruja
Encyclopedia
, is an anime
television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo
and animated by Bee Train
studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir
and Madlax
and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo
from April to September in 2007. A manga adaptation began serializing in the Champion RED Magazine in March 2007, and is releasing chapters monthly.
The series was announced for international release by FUNimation Entertainment
on February 19, 2009. It was released in two complete season sets in early December 2009 and re-released as a complete set in March of 2011.
The series made its North American television debut on March 22, 2010, when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
.
, a troubled past, and supernatural powers, and Nadie, a feisty bounty hunter
, leads to the two of them traveling south together in search of the key to unlocking Ellis's past. The only clues they have are a mysterious stone given to Ellis by a fortune teller she was staying with, and Ellis' notion that she has to go south.
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
. The opening theme "Hikari no Yukue" is performed by savage genius
, while the ending theme "romanesque
" is performed by FictionJunction Yuuka
.
manga magazine Champion RED
on March 19, 2007. The manga finished serialization, with only one bound volume
released on September 20, 2007.
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....
television series directed by Kōichi Mashimo
Koichi Mashimo
is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...
and animated by Bee Train
Bee Train
, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir, .hack//Sign, and Madlax they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively...
studio. It is a spiritual successor of Noir
Noir (anime)
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2001 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Noir, it was written by Ryoe Tsukimura, and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
and Madlax
MADLAX
is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series produced in 2004 by the Bee Train animation studio. Kōichi Mashimo directed Madlax and the soundtrack was composed by Yuki Kajiura...
and the final installment of Bee Train's "girls-with-guns" trilogy. The series was aired on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
from April to September in 2007. A manga adaptation began serializing in the Champion RED Magazine in March 2007, and is releasing chapters monthly.
The series was announced for international release by FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
on February 19, 2009. It was released in two complete season sets in early December 2009 and re-released as a complete set in March of 2011.
The series made its North American television debut on March 22, 2010, when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
.
Plot
A fateful encounter between Ellis, a fugitive girl with amnesiaAmnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
, a troubled past, and supernatural powers, and Nadie, a feisty bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
, leads to the two of them traveling south together in search of the key to unlocking Ellis's past. The only clues they have are a mysterious stone given to Ellis by a fortune teller she was staying with, and Ellis' notion that she has to go south.
Characters
:- A girl wanted as a suspect for Dr. Heinz Schneider's murder. She heads south in order to seek the truth of the incident, as well as to find her birthplace; based on the vague memories she holds and an old fortune teller's advice. Ellis has "Witch DNA", but her abilities are accidental and incomplete. These include superhuman strength, temporary levitation, and heating as well as freezing of physical objects. She cannot control her abilities at will, usually becoming active only in times of need. She speaks whatever is on her mind in an almost expressionless way of talking, she could almost be classified as a comic relief character because of some of the things she does. Throughout the series, Ellis falls in love with Nadie and is quite open about her feelings towards her.
:
- A maverick female bounty hunter and a top marksman, she carries an old Colt M1911 .45.45 ACPThe .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
pistol as her weapon of choice. She holds an optimistic attitude but in actuality, Nadie was the sole survivor of an attack on her hometown. Working for Hayward, Nadie accompanies Ellis on her journey. Before killing her opponents, Nadie has a habit of saying, "If you have any last words, say them now". She is feisty and can lose her temper very easily, although when it comes to protecting Ellis she doesn't joke around. She's willing to please Ellis in numerous ways, and even puts up with Squenchy when Ellis keeps the salamander indoors with them overnight. Nadie's name in Spanish means "nobody"
:
- First appearing to be a member of the Central Intelligence Agency's accounting department, Jody is actually a mole for another mysterious group. For the first part of the series she is tasked with watching Rosenberg and uncovering information on Project LEVIATHAN. After uncovering the true nature of the project she breaks her cover and is assigned to work more directly to disrupt Rosenberg's plans. From this point on, she is only referred to by her code name "Blue-Eyes". It is never made clear whether Jody Hayward is her true name or only part of her cover. It was Blue-Eyes who hired Nadie to protect Ellis.
:
- A director in the Central Intelligence Agency and a shrewd agent, Rosenberg serves as the main antagonist of the story. He appears to have a great number of connections, using them at least once to attack Nadie and Ellis with military forces. He hired Ricardo to observe Ellis and Nadie and to subdue L.A. when he got out of control. While his true intentions and motivations never truly become clear, he always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else.
:
- A doctor of physics, he is a GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
immigrant who has no family and thrives on his study. He is a key player in developing and researching "Project LEVIATHAN" and was in charge of caring for and studying Ellis during her childhood. In flashbacks, he appears to have been generally kind to Ellis.
:
- A mysterious young man who is in love with and harbors a deep obsession for Ellis. L.A is always constantly watching her but he has a deep hatred for humans. He and Ellis are the last survivors out of the five whom were artificially engineered with witch DNA. Though he doesn't have witch-like powers himself, he does possess superhuman agility and strength. L.A uses metal threads as a weapon.
:
- A taciturn bounty hunterBounty hunterA bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
who was hired by Douglas Rosenberg. He is a retired mercenary. In the later episodes, Ricardo and Nadie find themselves working together in order to thwart Rosenberg's plans to capture Ellis. He is generally quiet and would do anything to protect Lirio. It is possible that he either lived or worked in Australia as he is teaching Lirio to use a boomerang in the last episode.
:
- A young girl who is being raised by Ricardo and is seen constantly following him around. Lirio seems to be very attached to both Nadie and Ellis. She is not very talkative, only speaking in episode 25.
Anime
The music is handled by Yuki KajiuraYuki Kajiura
, born August 6, 1965 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese composer and music producer. She has provided the music for several popular anime series, such as one of the Kimagure Orange Road movies, Noir, .hack//SIGN, Aquarian Age, Madlax, My-HiME, My-Otome, .hack//Roots, Pandora Hearts, Puella Magi...
. The opening theme "Hikari no Yukue" is performed by savage genius
Savage genius
savage genius is a Japanese band signed to Victor Entertainment. Since 2008, has stayed as the only member of the band.-History:The duo Aa and Takumi started as a songwriting group in the live music scene in Kobe...
, while the ending theme "romanesque
Romanesque (song)
"Romanesque" is the seventh single of J-pop duo FictionJunction Yuuka. It was released on April 18, 2007.This single includes the ending song of the anime El Cazador de la Bruja, composed by Yuki Kajiura....
" is performed by FictionJunction Yuuka
FictionJunction YUUKA
is a pop duo, part of Japanese composer Yuki Kajiura’s solo project FictionJunction, consisting of Yuuka Nanri and Kajiura .-Biography:...
.
Manga
A manga titled El Cazador de la Bruja by Hirose Shū started serialization in the shōnenShonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga magazine Champion RED
Champion Red
is a monthly Japanese shōnen manga magazine published on the 19th each month by Akita Shoten since . is a special edition of Champion Red.-Current serializations:*Chaotic Rune Es*Domina No Do!*Desperado*Franken Fran...
on March 19, 2007. The manga finished serialization, with only one bound volume
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...
released on September 20, 2007.