Mirai Nikki
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Japanese
manga author
Sakae Esuno. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese shōnen
manga magazine Shōnen Ace
on January 26, 2006, and is published by Kadokawa Shoten
. As of April 26, 2011, eleven tankōbon
volumes have been released in Japan. The manga has been licensed by Tokyopop
, and ten of the English volumes have been released, with a release for the last two now uncertain due to Tokyopop ceasing publishing in North America. A "pilot
anime
" DVD was released with the 11th manga volume in December 2010. A TV anime series animated by Asread began airing in Japan on October 10, 2011. Funimation has licensed the anime for distribution in North America.
Esuno has also authored two side-story manga, each one spanning five chapters: first Future Diary: Mosaic which focuses on another Diary Holder and tells unrevealed plot points of the main story; and in 2009-2010, Future Diary: Paradox (published in Young Ace
), which tells the exploits of Aru Akise and Murumuru set in an alternate timeline.
with eleven other people. Within this "Diary Game", the contestants are given special diaries that can predict the future, with each diary having unique features that gives them both advantages and disadvantages. Within the next 90 days, the contestants must try to kill each other and survive until there is only one person standing, the winner becoming the new God of Time and Space. In order to survive, Yuki tries to find allies, with one of them being another diary user named Yuno Gasai, a girl who is madly in love with him. As the game continues, Yuki soon learns that not everyone can be trusted, not even Yuno, whose obsession to keep both of them alive no matter the cost terrifies him. Yet despite her faults, Yuki continues to trust Yuno since he manages to survive the game thanks to her.
Originally, Yuki had no desire to win the game and stoop as low as the other contestants who either cheat, lie, manipulate or kill
in order to win. However, that all changes when late in the game, Yuki's parents are killed. Yuki suffers a breakdown over his parents death until Yuno seduces and convinces him that if he becomes the new God of Time and Space, he can bring his parents back to life. Now having a reason to win, Yuki becomes a ruthless, backstabbing, and manipulative terrorist who causes the deaths of thousands of civilians and destruction throughout the city in order to kill the other contestants. Yuki's actions shock his friends, in particular Aru Akise, who had suspicions about Yuno and her motives. By the time Yuno and Yuki becomes the last contestants, Aru and the rest of Yuki's friends chastis him on how he has become just as bad as the other contestants. Aru tries to warn Yuki that Yuno is manipulating him and that she has an ulterior motive. Refusing to accept the truth and wishing to bring his parents back, Yuki kills them until Aru manages to stop him and gives Yuki a clue over Yuno's true identity before he is killed by Yuno herself.
Eventually, Yuki learns that the Yuno he knows is actually from a parallel universe. In Yuno's universe, she and Yuki were the last contestants and both of them agreed to commit suicide but Yuno faked her death in an attempt to resurrect Yuki. But Yuno became distraught and more insane when she learns that while she can resurrect the dead, she cannot bring back their souls. With the help of Muru Muru, Deus' servant and now Yuno's after she won the Diary game, both of them travel back in time to Yuki's universe and killed the Yuno of that universe and took her place so she could play the game again and find a way to bring back "her" Yuki. As Yuno is about to kill him, Yuki is saved by Minene Uryu, one of his allies and the 9th Diary user who he believed died in the game but was initially turned part God by Deus, who had suspicions that the Muru Muru working for him is not the one he knows but the one from the parallel world working with Yuno, knowing that he would live long enough to stop them. Their plans foiled, Yuno and Muru Muru travel back in time to another universe to start over again but are followed by Yuki and Minene who are trying to stop them. Finally, Yuno and Muru Muru are stopped when the former learns in this new universe, all the terrible things that happened to everyone in the previous universes never happened including Yuno's parents were never abusive and lead to her insanity, due to Minene tampering the past, causing many events to change it's course including the Diary Game never initiating. With Yuno's Muru Muru stopped by Yuki's Muru Muru that Yuki had freed, Yuki convinces Yuno to come to her senses and surrender as he loves her, requesting that she kill him and return to his universe to create a better world for herself. Regretting her mistakes, Yuno instead kills herself as she loves Yuki too much, ending her life and making Yuki the new God of his universe.
In the end, 10,000 years have past since Yuki became the God of Time and Space but refuses to rule his world as he has lost everything that he ever loved and cared; his friends, parents and Yuno. But in an unexpected Deus ex machina
, the Yuno of the new universe breaks through time and space, recognizing Yuki and invites him to her universe. The Muru Muru of Yuki's universe revealed that she contacted her new universe counterpart and together, they both implanted Yuno of the new universe with memories of her past universe, hence why she recognizes Yuki. Furthermore, the Deus of the new universe also invites Yuki to his universe and make both he and Yuno his heirs. The series ends with Yuki reuniting with Yuno, his friends, parents and the Diary users in a new, happier universe.
magazine from January 26, 2006 to December 27, 2010 and was compiled into fourteen volumes published by Kadokawa Shoten
including two side-story mangas, Future Diary: Mosaic and Future Diary: Paradox. The manga was originally licensed in English by Tokyopop
for North America but only ten volumes were released before Tokyopop cease publishing operations on May 31, 2011.
anime" was bundled with the limited edition of the eleventh volume of the manga. Originally it was going to be released on September 9, 2010, but was postponed and released on December 9, 2010. An anime television adaptation by Asread and directed by Naoto Hosoda began airing from October 10, 2011. Character designs are done by Eiji Hirayama and Ruriko Watanabe. The opening theme song is "Kuso Mesorogiwi" by Yousei Teikoku and the ending theme song is "Blood-teller" by Faylan. Funimation licensed the series for North American distribution as part of the Funico brand, a joint venture between Funimation, and Niconico
.
produced a visual novel
based on the manga titled for the PlayStation Portable
, was released on January 28, 2010 in Japan.
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 written and illustrated by Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
manga author
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Sakae Esuno. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese shōnen
Shonen
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 Shōnen Ace
Shonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
on January 26, 2006, and is published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. As of April 26, 2011, eleven 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 have been released in Japan. The manga has been licensed by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, and ten of the English volumes have been released, with a release for the last two now uncertain due to Tokyopop ceasing publishing in North America. A "pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
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....
" DVD was released with the 11th manga volume in December 2010. A TV anime series animated by Asread began airing in Japan on October 10, 2011. Funimation has licensed the anime for distribution in North America.
Esuno has also authored two side-story manga, each one spanning five chapters: first Future Diary: Mosaic which focuses on another Diary Holder and tells unrevealed plot points of the main story; and in 2009-2010, Future Diary: Paradox (published in Young Ace
Young Ace
is a seinen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 2009.-Manga artists and series featured in Young Ace:*Akuma no Ikenie by Ayun Tachibana*Black Rock Shooter: Innocent Soul by Sanami Suzuki...
), which tells the exploits of Aru Akise and Murumuru set in an alternate timeline.
Plot
Yukiteru "Yuki" Amano is a loner who never really interacts with people and prefers writing a diary on his cell phone with his only companion being an imaginary friend named Deus Ex Machina, the God of Time and Space. However, Yuki soon learns that Deus is real when he makes Yuki participate in a battle royalBattle royal
Battle royal traditionally refers to a fight involving three or more combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing. In recent times the term has been used in a more general sense to refer to any fight involving large numbers of people that are not organized into factions...
with eleven other people. Within this "Diary Game", the contestants are given special diaries that can predict the future, with each diary having unique features that gives them both advantages and disadvantages. Within the next 90 days, the contestants must try to kill each other and survive until there is only one person standing, the winner becoming the new God of Time and Space. In order to survive, Yuki tries to find allies, with one of them being another diary user named Yuno Gasai, a girl who is madly in love with him. As the game continues, Yuki soon learns that not everyone can be trusted, not even Yuno, whose obsession to keep both of them alive no matter the cost terrifies him. Yet despite her faults, Yuki continues to trust Yuno since he manages to survive the game thanks to her.
Originally, Yuki had no desire to win the game and stoop as low as the other contestants who either cheat, lie, manipulate or kill
in order to win. However, that all changes when late in the game, Yuki's parents are killed. Yuki suffers a breakdown over his parents death until Yuno seduces and convinces him that if he becomes the new God of Time and Space, he can bring his parents back to life. Now having a reason to win, Yuki becomes a ruthless, backstabbing, and manipulative terrorist who causes the deaths of thousands of civilians and destruction throughout the city in order to kill the other contestants. Yuki's actions shock his friends, in particular Aru Akise, who had suspicions about Yuno and her motives. By the time Yuno and Yuki becomes the last contestants, Aru and the rest of Yuki's friends chastis him on how he has become just as bad as the other contestants. Aru tries to warn Yuki that Yuno is manipulating him and that she has an ulterior motive. Refusing to accept the truth and wishing to bring his parents back, Yuki kills them until Aru manages to stop him and gives Yuki a clue over Yuno's true identity before he is killed by Yuno herself.
Eventually, Yuki learns that the Yuno he knows is actually from a parallel universe. In Yuno's universe, she and Yuki were the last contestants and both of them agreed to commit suicide but Yuno faked her death in an attempt to resurrect Yuki. But Yuno became distraught and more insane when she learns that while she can resurrect the dead, she cannot bring back their souls. With the help of Muru Muru, Deus' servant and now Yuno's after she won the Diary game, both of them travel back in time to Yuki's universe and killed the Yuno of that universe and took her place so she could play the game again and find a way to bring back "her" Yuki. As Yuno is about to kill him, Yuki is saved by Minene Uryu, one of his allies and the 9th Diary user who he believed died in the game but was initially turned part God by Deus, who had suspicions that the Muru Muru working for him is not the one he knows but the one from the parallel world working with Yuno, knowing that he would live long enough to stop them. Their plans foiled, Yuno and Muru Muru travel back in time to another universe to start over again but are followed by Yuki and Minene who are trying to stop them. Finally, Yuno and Muru Muru are stopped when the former learns in this new universe, all the terrible things that happened to everyone in the previous universes never happened including Yuno's parents were never abusive and lead to her insanity, due to Minene tampering the past, causing many events to change it's course including the Diary Game never initiating. With Yuno's Muru Muru stopped by Yuki's Muru Muru that Yuki had freed, Yuki convinces Yuno to come to her senses and surrender as he loves her, requesting that she kill him and return to his universe to create a better world for herself. Regretting her mistakes, Yuno instead kills herself as she loves Yuki too much, ending her life and making Yuki the new God of his universe.
In the end, 10,000 years have past since Yuki became the God of Time and Space but refuses to rule his world as he has lost everything that he ever loved and cared; his friends, parents and Yuno. But in an unexpected Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
, the Yuno of the new universe breaks through time and space, recognizing Yuki and invites him to her universe. The Muru Muru of Yuki's universe revealed that she contacted her new universe counterpart and together, they both implanted Yuno of the new universe with memories of her past universe, hence why she recognizes Yuki. Furthermore, the Deus of the new universe also invites Yuki to his universe and make both he and Yuno his heirs. The series ends with Yuki reuniting with Yuno, his friends, parents and the Diary users in a new, happier universe.
Manga
The series was serialized Shōnen AceShonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
magazine from January 26, 2006 to December 27, 2010 and was compiled into fourteen volumes published by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
including two side-story mangas, Future Diary: Mosaic and Future Diary: Paradox. The manga was originally licensed in English by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
for North America but only ten volumes were released before Tokyopop cease publishing operations on May 31, 2011.
Volumes list
Anime
A special anime DVD containing a "pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
anime" was bundled with the limited edition of the eleventh volume of the manga. Originally it was going to be released on September 9, 2010, but was postponed and released on December 9, 2010. An anime television adaptation by Asread and directed by Naoto Hosoda began airing from October 10, 2011. Character designs are done by Eiji Hirayama and Ruriko Watanabe. The opening theme song is "Kuso Mesorogiwi" by Yousei Teikoku and the ending theme song is "Blood-teller" by Faylan. Funimation licensed the series for North American distribution as part of the Funico brand, a joint venture between Funimation, and Niconico
Nico Nico Douga
is a popular video sharing website in Japan managed by Niwango, a subsidiary of Dwango. Its nickname is "Niconico" or "Nico-dō", where "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. Nico Nico Douga is the thirteenth most visited website in Japan...
.
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
Video game
Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
produced a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
based on the manga titled for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, was released on January 28, 2010 in Japan.