Iria
Encyclopedia
is a six episode original video animation
(OVA) anime
series produced by Ashi Productions
and directed by Tetsurō Amino
. The series serves as a prequel to the original live-action film Zeiram
, taking place several years earlier the female bounty hunter
protagonist Iria is still a rookie and detailing the events surrounding her first encounter with the unstoppable Zeiram. This does somewhat contradict the films, which imply that Iria's first encounter with Zeiram was in the first film.
. Iria's pendant as an apprentice is pink with two small dots on it, but when she receives her full license and ID number she is given a blue stone with three red dots on it. Although she is just a rookie at first and a bit reckless, Iria makes up for it with natural ability and a sharp mind. Her appearance in the OVA was designed by Masakazu Katsura
, loosely based on the original designs by the creator of the Zeiram series, Keita Amemiya
.
Glen is often seen as Iria's older brother and a full fledged hunter. In episode 5 however, it is hinted by Fujikuro that Glen might not be Iria's brother but is possibly her onii-san, (a Japanese term used for both older brothers and close older male figures). He taught Iria much of what she knows about hunting and serves as a mentor for her apprenticeship. He wears a blue cloak and hair beads which are similar to Iria as well as an unusual pendant which is later found by Kei. Glen is thought to have died in the explosion of the Karma in the first episode but later found to have been assimilated by Zeiram.
Bob is an agent of Ghomvak Security & Investigations and brings prime jobs to Glen and Iria (and elementary jobs to Fujikuro). He often helps out on these jobs as well and is severely injured by Zeiram on the Karma job. Following his escape from the Karma his personality is transferred to a computer by Puttubayh. In his computer form he is retrieved by Iria and helps her on her missions.
A jaded veteran hunter who claims to only grudgingly help Iria from time to time because he is promised money from Bob. However, as the show goes on, a softer side of him is shown, and it soon becomes obvious that he genuinely cares about her safety; he prevents Kei from going on her own against the Zeiram as well. He also resents that Bob frequently assigns the "good cases" to Glen and Iria, while he's left with lesser cases himself.
While he shares the name of a character in the second Zeiram film, their relations to Iria and general personalities are totally different. While the animated version is an older and sympathetic character, the movie version is a simple thief who uses Iria to help steal a rare artifact before being imprisoned by Bob.
An orphan child from the Shadow District of the resort planet Taowajan. Originally thought to be a boy, she was revealed to be a girl by Fujikuro. She befriends Iria and idolizes her much like Iria idolizes Glen. She helps Iria in her battles against Zeiram. She is something of a tech wizard ( she can pilot the space shuttle better than Iria and rigs a portable forcefield device that will be crucial in Iria's last fight against Zeiram )
Zeiram is the ultimate being and virtually indestructible. In addition to being extremely powerful, Zeiram can generate imperfect clones of itself to assist in battle. Zeiram also needs to assimilate other life forms in order to sustain itself, but in doing so it is thought that Zeiram can learn whatever is known by the organism being assimilated. Zeiram is not a unique creature and other versions of itself are known to exist throughout the universe. Later in the show Zeiram attempts to contact other Zeirams in order to bring them to Myce.
Original Soundtrack
Opening Theme
Ending Theme
called Hyper Iria
, although it does not seem to follow the storyline of the OVA very closely. Iria also appears as the main character in Zeiram Zone for the original PlayStation
.
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
(OVA) 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....
series produced by Ashi Productions
Ashi Productions
is a Japanese anime studio, located in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan, known for its four magical-girl anime, especially Magical Princess Minky Momo. It was established by Toshihiko Sato and other artists on December 24, 1975 as...
and directed by Tetsurō Amino
Tetsuro Amino
is a Japanese anime director, born on October 10, 1955 in Chiba Prefecture. In 1988, he started using his name in katakana.He has directed noted anime series as Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!!, I Love Bubu Chacha, the Macross 7 series and its continuations Macross 7: The Galaxy's Calling Me! and...
. The series serves as a prequel to the original live-action film Zeiram
Zeiram
also known as Zeram, is a 1991 Japanese live-action movie in which the bounty hunter from another planet named Iria comes to Earth to do battle with Zeiram, an immortal alien creature with a strangely shaped head which resembles a wide-brimmed hat...
, taking place several years earlier the female 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.:...
protagonist Iria is still a rookie and detailing the events surrounding her first encounter with the unstoppable Zeiram. This does somewhat contradict the films, which imply that Iria's first encounter with Zeiram was in the first film.
Plot
The story begins with Iria as an apprentice to her older brother, Glen, a veteran bounty hunter, and his partner Bob, who work for Ghomvak Security along with a somewhat loutish hunter named Fujikuro. During a rescue mission to a hi-jacked spaceship called the Karma, they discover that the hi-jacker is actually a seemingly indestructible alien called Zeiram that broke out of the cargo hold during transit and began to massacre the crew. Bob is critically wounded by Zeiram while evacuating the survivors, and Glen is lost while attempting to kill Zeiram by destroying the Karma. Returning to Myce, Iria finds herself targeted by assassins working for Tedan Tippedai, the corporation that owned the Karma, and discovers a covered-up plot to control Zeiram in order to use it as a weapon. Iria escapes with the help of Fujikuro and reunites with Bob, who never recovered from his injuries but had his mind downloaded into a computer program. Together they continue to investigate rumours that Zeiram has appeared on Myce, and try to find out what happened to Glen, who also seems to have survived the Karmas destruction....Characters
Iria hails from the Batabitajira region of the planet Myce and is employed by Ghomvak Security & Investigations, a bounty hunting agency. She is somewhat of a tomboy and is considered eccentric for her habit of wearing men's hair ornaments. Her hunter ID number is 9799-5. A hunter's rank is identified by the colour of a stone pendant which resembles a magatamaMagatama
Magatama , are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jōmon period.They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus graves as offerings to deities . They continued to be popular with the ruling elites throughout the Kofun Period of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of...
. Iria's pendant as an apprentice is pink with two small dots on it, but when she receives her full license and ID number she is given a blue stone with three red dots on it. Although she is just a rookie at first and a bit reckless, Iria makes up for it with natural ability and a sharp mind. Her appearance in the OVA was designed by Masakazu Katsura
Masakazu Katsura
is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for several works of manga, including Dream Fighter Wingman, Shadow Lady, DNA², Video Girl Ai, I"s, and Zetman. He has also worked on the character designs for Iria: Zeiram the Animation, which was based on the movie Zeiram.-History:He was born in the...
, loosely based on the original designs by the creator of the Zeiram series, Keita Amemiya
Keita Amemiya
is a prolific Japanese character designer and director from Urayasu, Chiba. Amemiya is known for his sophisticated science fiction & fantasy designs and unique directorial style, and is recognized among tokusatsu genre fans as one of the most creative, respected and successful professionals of all...
.
Glen is often seen as Iria's older brother and a full fledged hunter. In episode 5 however, it is hinted by Fujikuro that Glen might not be Iria's brother but is possibly her onii-san, (a Japanese term used for both older brothers and close older male figures). He taught Iria much of what she knows about hunting and serves as a mentor for her apprenticeship. He wears a blue cloak and hair beads which are similar to Iria as well as an unusual pendant which is later found by Kei. Glen is thought to have died in the explosion of the Karma in the first episode but later found to have been assimilated by Zeiram.
Bob is an agent of Ghomvak Security & Investigations and brings prime jobs to Glen and Iria (and elementary jobs to Fujikuro). He often helps out on these jobs as well and is severely injured by Zeiram on the Karma job. Following his escape from the Karma his personality is transferred to a computer by Puttubayh. In his computer form he is retrieved by Iria and helps her on her missions.
A jaded veteran hunter who claims to only grudgingly help Iria from time to time because he is promised money from Bob. However, as the show goes on, a softer side of him is shown, and it soon becomes obvious that he genuinely cares about her safety; he prevents Kei from going on her own against the Zeiram as well. He also resents that Bob frequently assigns the "good cases" to Glen and Iria, while he's left with lesser cases himself.
While he shares the name of a character in the second Zeiram film, their relations to Iria and general personalities are totally different. While the animated version is an older and sympathetic character, the movie version is a simple thief who uses Iria to help steal a rare artifact before being imprisoned by Bob.
An orphan child from the Shadow District of the resort planet Taowajan. Originally thought to be a boy, she was revealed to be a girl by Fujikuro. She befriends Iria and idolizes her much like Iria idolizes Glen. She helps Iria in her battles against Zeiram. She is something of a tech wizard ( she can pilot the space shuttle better than Iria and rigs a portable forcefield device that will be crucial in Iria's last fight against Zeiram )
Zeiram is the ultimate being and virtually indestructible. In addition to being extremely powerful, Zeiram can generate imperfect clones of itself to assist in battle. Zeiram also needs to assimilate other life forms in order to sustain itself, but in doing so it is thought that Zeiram can learn whatever is known by the organism being assimilated. Zeiram is not a unique creature and other versions of itself are known to exist throughout the universe. Later in the show Zeiram attempts to contact other Zeirams in order to bring them to Myce.
Media
U.S. DVD release- Iria - Zeiram the Animation, Episodes 1-6 (released July 14, 2000) (out of print)
- Iria - Zeiram the Animation Collection (released March 30, 2004)
Original Soundtrack
- Iria: Zeiram the Animation (released October 1, 1996)
Opening Theme
- , performed by Yayoi Gotō.
Ending Theme
- , performed by SAEKOSaekoSaeko is a media talent who has acted in a number of films and television dramas.Though she has been credited under the stagename Saeko Dōkyū, her real name remains a secret....
.
Video game versions
IRIA was adapted into a Japan-only video game for the Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
called Hyper Iria
Hyper Iria
is a cyberpunk action video game loosely based on the anime Iria: Zeiram the Animation. The game was released in 1995 to an exclusively Japanese market.-Summary:...
, although it does not seem to follow the storyline of the OVA very closely. Iria also appears as the main character in Zeiram Zone for the original PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.