Fractale
Encyclopedia
is an 11-episode Japanese anime
television series produced by A-1 Pictures
and Ordet
and directed by Yutaka Yamamoto
. The story was developed by Hiroki Azuma
and the screenplay was written by Mari Okada, with original character design by Hidari. The anime began airing in Japan in January 2011 on Fuji TV
's Noitamina
programming block. A manga
illustrated by Mutsumi Akasaki began serialization in Square Enix
's Gangan Online on September 30, 2010.
Dias
Barrot
adaptation illustrated by Mutsumi Akasaki began serialization in Square Enix
's Gangan Online magazine on September 30, 2010. The first tankōbon
volume was released on January 22, 2011.
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TV series produced by A-1 Pictures
and Ordet
began airing in Japan on January 14, 2011 on Fuji TV
's Noitamina
programming block
. The anime began airing on Kansai TV
and Tokai TV
at later dates. The anime is directed by Yutaka Yamamoto
, the story was developed by Hiroki Azuma
, and the screenplay was written by Mari Okada. Chief animator Masako Tashiro based the character design used in the anime on the illustrator Hidari's original concept. The music was produced by Sōhei Shikano and the sound director is Yōta Tsuruoka. The anime's opening theme song is , and the ending themes are English and Japanese versions of that was written in 1889 by William Butler Yeats
; both songs are sung by Hitomi Azuma. The single containing the opening theme and the English version of the ending theme was released on March 9, 2011 by Epic/Sony Records. North American anime distributor Funimation Entertainment
is streaming the series one hour after the premiere on their video portal and other sites after a brief interruption by the Fractale Production Committee that lasted until Funimation started taking legal action against illegally released episodes of the anime. Funimation announced that they will release the series in 2012 on DVD and Blu-ray.
novel written by Hiroki Azuma based on Fractale titled began serialization in the February 2011 issue of Media Factory
's Da Vinci magazine. The novel features a different story in the Fractale universe than the manga and anime, which both follow the same story.
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 produced by A-1 Pictures
A-1 Pictures
is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...
and Ordet
Ordet (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 2007 by ex-Kyoto Animation director Yutaka Yamamoto and other staff. The company initially served as a subcontractor before producing their first hit television series, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens in collaboration with A-1 Pictures in 2008...
and directed by Yutaka Yamamoto
Yutaka Yamamoto
is a Japanese anime director from Osaka. He is the founder of the Ordet animation studio, and is formerly of Kyoto Animation.-Personal history:Originally a member of Kyoto Animation, Yamamoto rose to prominence within the company after serving as assistant director on Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of...
. The story was developed by Hiroki Azuma
Hiroki Azuma
, born May 9, 1971 in Mitaka, Tokyo is a Japanese cultural critic.-Biography:He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan in 2003...
and the screenplay was written by Mari Okada, with original character design by Hidari. The anime began airing in Japan in January 2011 on Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
's Noitamina
Noitamina
– "Animation" written backwards – is a Fuji Television programming block, devoted to anime, originally broadcast each Thursday night from 24:45 to 25:15 . It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typical young male demographic...
programming block. A 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...
illustrated by Mutsumi Akasaki began serialization in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's Gangan Online on September 30, 2010.
Plot
The story takes place on an island resembling a futuristic Ireland (certain scenes are directly taken from Galway city in the west of Ireland), in a world ruled by the "Fractale System" that ensures mankind's stability and prosperity. One day, Clain meets a fleeing girl called Phryne, who disappears during the night leaving a pendant. When he is able to activate the pendant (which turns into a "doppel" named Nessa), Clain sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret behind the Fractale System.Main characters
- Clain is the main character. At the beginning of the series, he lives alone with "doppels"—holographic robots-which are representations of his parents. Although they act exactly as his real parents would, Clain is able to disperse them at will when he is tired of their talk. In terms of interests, Clain holds a strong curiosity in items created before the Fractale system was established such as an antique digital camera or a 21st century cell phone. Throughout the series, he is shown to be emotionally simple; all he really wants is to live happily together with his friends Phryne and Nessa.
- Phryne is a priestess of the Fractale system and later revealed to be the incomplete key to resetting Fractale. She is very closed about her background, partially due to sexual abuse. Oftentimes, she makes Clain blush due to her little sense of embarrassment and lack of decency. At the beginning of the series, Phryne runs away to try to stop the Fractale cycle. She is reluctant to make friends because she believes it is necessary for her to sacrifice herself for the good of all.
- Nessa is a "doppel" copy of Phryne's younger self, composed of "data" important to the Fractale system. Her existence is unique because, unlike other doppels, she can be touched, but only by people she chooses. Her character is very cheerful, energetic, and carefree. Clain meets Nessa for the first time when she suddenly appears out of Phryne's brooch. She smiles a lot and likes to explore, even occasionally dragging Clain into trouble. Her motto is often quoted to be that she "loves love." Like Clain, she expresses that she simply wants to be together with her friends.
Secondary characters
- The leader of the Granitz faction of Lost Millennium that Clain first encounters with. He is harsh and rude to Clain at first, but gradually, he lightens up. During the final confrontation, Sunda helps Clain enter the Temple and search for Phyrne. While in the Temple, Sunda sacrifices himself to allow Clain to join Phyrne and Nessa while they journey to reach the Temple's inner sanctum.
- Enri is Sunda's little sister. Although clumsy in many ways, she supports her brother in every way she can, and often helps command Lost Millennium troops. Enri is often accompanied by two sidekicks, and , the latter being killed during a confrontation with Temple forces. At the conclusion of the series, Enri becomes the leader of the Granitz faction and helps teach those who were once dependent on Fractale to live independent lives.
Dias
- Dias is the leader of the Alabaster faction of Lost Millennium. While Dias seems friendly at first, his is actually extremely manipulative and cold hearted, such as tricking a group of Fractale refugees into removing their terminals and forcing them to join his faction, gunning down one refugee when he attempts to flee. Dias joins with Sunda to rescue Phryne and Clain from the Temple, but exploits the opportunity to destroy the facility instead. During the final confrontation between Lost Millennium and the Temple, Dias's troops sacrifice themselves to destroy the Temple. When Archpriestess Moeran offers Sunda, Clain, and himself safety so that they may witness the restart of Fractale, he uses the opportunity to get close to Moeran, killing both in a suicidal explosion.
Antagonists
Moeran- Moeran is the Archpriestess of the Temple and a Phryne clone. Although she is the head of the temple, Moeran has a great hatred for Phryne because the younger clone is "beloved", giving Phryne a greater importance than Moeran. When Phryne confronts Moeran in order to stop the valance between the Temple and Lost Millennium, Moeran attempts to strangle the younger clone out of jealousy. In the conclusion of the series, offers Sunda, Clain, and Dias safety while they witness the restart of Fractale. However, Dias uses the opportunity to get close to Moeran, killing both in an explosion.
Barrot
- Barrot is a priest in charge of raising Phryne to become the "key" to restarting Fractale. Barrot is often overly affection towards Phryne, frequently groping her body when he is together with her and even insists on witnessing her gynecological exam to check that she has not been "spoiled". At the end of the series, Barrot reveals the full truth about Phryne and Nessa to Clain and that he had been using some of the clones for his own sexual pleasure. However, while proclaiming that Phryne is his alone, she stabs him with a knife and runs off.
Manga
Before the anime aired, a mangaManga
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...
adaptation illustrated by Mutsumi Akasaki began serialization in Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
's Gangan Online magazine on September 30, 2010. The first 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...
volume was released on January 22, 2011.
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Anime
The 11-episode Fractale animeAnime
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....
TV series produced by A-1 Pictures
A-1 Pictures
is a Japanese animation studio, a subsidiary of Sony's anime production firm Aniplex.-History:The studio was established by Sony's animation production division, Aniplex, on May 9, 2005, to animate its anime series and productions. In 2006, it co-produced the original production Zenmai Zamurai,...
and Ordet
Ordet (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 2007 by ex-Kyoto Animation director Yutaka Yamamoto and other staff. The company initially served as a subcontractor before producing their first hit television series, Kannagi: Crazy Shrine Maidens in collaboration with A-1 Pictures in 2008...
began airing in Japan on January 14, 2011 on Fuji TV
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
's Noitamina
Noitamina
– "Animation" written backwards – is a Fuji Television programming block, devoted to anime, originally broadcast each Thursday night from 24:45 to 25:15 . It was launched with the intention of expanding the target audience beyond the typical young male demographic...
programming block
Block programming
Block programming or television block is a strategy of broadcast programming and radio programmers. Block programming occurs when the television network schedules similar television programs back-to-back. The concept is to provide similar programming to keep the viewers. Radio stations use it...
. The anime began airing on Kansai TV
Kansai Telecasting Corporation
, often called or , is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System in Osaka, serving the Kansai region of Japan...
and Tokai TV
Tokai Television Broadcasting
Tokai Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd. is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network and Fuji Network System , serving in Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, and Mie Prefecture, Japan.-Offices:*the Headquarters - 14-27, Higashi-Sakura Itchome, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture,...
at later dates. The anime is directed by Yutaka Yamamoto
Yutaka Yamamoto
is a Japanese anime director from Osaka. He is the founder of the Ordet animation studio, and is formerly of Kyoto Animation.-Personal history:Originally a member of Kyoto Animation, Yamamoto rose to prominence within the company after serving as assistant director on Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of...
, the story was developed by Hiroki Azuma
Hiroki Azuma
, born May 9, 1971 in Mitaka, Tokyo is a Japanese cultural critic.-Biography:He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1999 and became a professor at the International University of Japan in 2003...
, and the screenplay was written by Mari Okada. Chief animator Masako Tashiro based the character design used in the anime on the illustrator Hidari's original concept. The music was produced by Sōhei Shikano and the sound director is Yōta Tsuruoka. The anime's opening theme song is , and the ending themes are English and Japanese versions of that was written in 1889 by William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
; both songs are sung by Hitomi Azuma. The single containing the opening theme and the English version of the ending theme was released on March 9, 2011 by Epic/Sony Records. North American anime distributor 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...
is streaming the series one hour after the premiere on their video portal and other sites after a brief interruption by the Fractale Production Committee that lasted until Funimation started taking legal action against illegally released episodes of the anime. Funimation announced that they will release the series in 2012 on DVD and Blu-ray.
Episode list
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Novel
A serialSerial (literature)
In literature, a serial is a publishing format by which a single large work, most often a work of narrative fiction, is presented in contiguous installments—also known as numbers, parts, or fascicles—either issued as separate publications or appearing in sequential issues of a single periodical...
novel written by Hiroki Azuma based on Fractale titled began serialization in the February 2011 issue of Media Factory
Media Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
's Da Vinci magazine. The novel features a different story in the Fractale universe than the manga and anime, which both follow the same story.