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Spriggan (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series written by Hiroshi Takashige
and illustrated by Ryōji Minagawa
during the early 1990s. It was initially released as Striker in the North American English translation, as it is the English translation of the word Spriggan
from Celtic.
Spriggan takes places in the last years of the Cold War where mysterious and unknown artifacts called out-of-place artifacts (OOPArt) are discovered in various parts of the world, leading to a secret war between various forces against the ARCAM Corporation, an organization that placed itself the guardians of the OOPArts in order to prevent them from being used as weapons.
Spriggan was serialized in Shogakukan
's manga magazines Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Shōnen Sunday Super
. The manga was adapted into an anime film by Studio 4°C
in 1998. A PlayStation
game called Spriggan: Lunar Verse was also based on the manga with some material created for the game.
Various paramilitaries, national armies, and armed private forces began to secretly search for these "mysterious artifacts" in order to be used for their own good and against their enemies. The ARCAM Corporation and their military arm, the ARCAM Private Army, can stop these forces from destroying themselves with their elite secret agents known as Spriggans (or Strikers).
in eleven full volumes from July 1991 to April 1996, with reprints in both 2001 and 2006 (including the unpublished stories "First Mission" and "Gold Rush"). Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.'s licensing arm in North America, VIZ Media
, translated and published three out of eleven volumes as Striker after it was first serialized in Manga Vizion, before the company curtailed further translation.
In Europe, two volumes were published in France and in French-speaking countries and territories by Glénat
under the name Striker in the Netherlands by Big Balloon, eleven volumes in Germany by Planet Manga, and three full volume in Spain and in Spanish-speaking territories and countries by Planeta DeAgostini
in 1993 followed by a reprint from 1996 to 1997.
In Asia, the manga was released in Hong Kong by Jade Dynasty
, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo
, in Malaysia as part of an installment in a fortnightly comic magazine, Komik Remaja
(but was cancelled during the Noah's Ark story arc due to 'inappropriate religious elements'), in Singapore with all 11 volumes fully translated by Chuang Yi
in English, in South Korea by Daiwon C.I.
with the first 11 volumes followed by the 8 volume bunkoban and in Taiwan as eleven full chapters translated into Mandarin by Tong Li Comics
under the Youth Comic series label and was released as 轟天高校生.
. The movie was directed and story boarded by Hirotsugu Kawasaki, written by Kawasaki and Yasutaka Itō, and supervised by Katsuhiro Otomo
. Hiroshi Takashige
and Ryoji Minagawa
had a hand in assisting the director through production.
ADV Films released the film in all English-speaking countries on April 23, 2002 with a special edition released on February 15, 2005, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, where the film was distributed by Madman Entertainment
. A Japanese release of the film was on DVD on April 25, 1999.
The film was distributed in Japan by Toho
, in Hong Kong and other Asian countries under Neovision. The film was released in Taiwan by Proware Multimedia International. In Europe, it was produced in German by Anime Connection of Germany, in Russian by MC Entertainment
,
in Dutch by Dybex, Italian by Dynit
, in Polish by IDG
and in Swedish by Sandrew Metronome
.
Spriggan has been recently released in Japan in Blu-Ray disc format on November 11, 2007 with another release on July 25, 2008.
released a video game adaptation in Japan and Asia of Spriggan for the PlayStation named Spriggan: Lunar Verse with an initial street price of ¥
6,090. It can be played by either one or two players.
A soundtrack of the game, composed by Keiichiro Segawa, Tsukasa Saito, and Yuji Kanda, was also released by Absord Music Japan on November 26, 1999.
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 by Hiroshi Takashige
Hiroshi Takashige
is a Japanese manga artist best known in various manga communities in Japan and overseas for his work in Spriggan and later in Until Death Do Us Part.-Biography:...
and illustrated by Ryōji Minagawa
Ryoji Minagawa
' is a Japanese manga artist born in Sumida, Tokyo.He was invited with Spriggan story writer Hiroshi Takashige to go to a comic convention in Portugal in 1996 as a guest of honor due to his work on Spriggan. He worked on other manga comics before he went on to create Project ARMS with fellow manga...
during the early 1990s. It was initially released as Striker in the North American English translation, as it is the English translation of the word Spriggan
Spriggan
Spriggans are legendary creatures known from Cornish faery lore. They are particular to West Penwith in Cornwall.-Spriggans in folklore:Spriggans were depicted as grotesquely ugly, and were said to be found at old ruins and barrows guarding buried treasure and generally acting as fairy bodyguards....
from Celtic.
Spriggan takes places in the last years of the Cold War where mysterious and unknown artifacts called out-of-place artifacts (OOPArt) are discovered in various parts of the world, leading to a secret war between various forces against the ARCAM Corporation, an organization that placed itself the guardians of the OOPArts in order to prevent them from being used as weapons.
Spriggan was serialized in Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
's manga magazines Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Shōnen Sunday Super
Shonen Sunday Super
is a bi-monthly shōnen manga magazine published by Shogakukan.-History & Background:Originally billed as a special edition of Shōnen Sunday entitled Shōnen Sunday Zōkan, it was renamed Shōnen Sunday Super in 1995. It is often the home of short term serials by established Shogakukan artists, as well...
. The manga was adapted into an anime film by Studio 4°C
Studio 4°C
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense.-History:STUDIO4°C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titles include; Memories , Spriggan and Princess Arete...
in 1998. A 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...
game called Spriggan: Lunar Verse was also based on the manga with some material created for the game.
Plot
Many years ago, an ancient civilization known for their advanced technology once ruled Earth, but were destroyed in the end by their misuse. So, they left messages for later generations in the form of indestructible message plates written in ancient Hebrew, informing them that if they could not find a good use for their creations, they should be destroyed.Various paramilitaries, national armies, and armed private forces began to secretly search for these "mysterious artifacts" in order to be used for their own good and against their enemies. The ARCAM Corporation and their military arm, the ARCAM Private Army, can stop these forces from destroying themselves with their elite secret agents known as Spriggans (or Strikers).
Organizations
- ARCAM Corporation: Founded in the United States, it has branches covering all countries from across the globe. Its mission is to covertly secure and/or destroy all ancient artifacts (whether they would be items, machines, ruins, etc.) from all known enemies that may use them for their own benefit. Its breakthrough was the refinement of Orichalcum, a strong metal that was used for ARCAM's Armored Muscle Suit and on Yu Ominae's Orichalcum combat knife. MJ-12 and Trident Corporation were able to refine their own Orichalcum suits, mostly based/stolen from ARCAM's research. The spelling ARCAM is said to be a misspelling of Arkham.
- ARCAM Private Army: The ARCAM Corporation's paramilitary wing, its duties vary but their main purpose is to conduct offensive and defensive operations on various out-of-place artifact locations and its aggressors, ranging from private corporate military wings to national militaries.
- Spriggans: Part of the ARCAM Private Army's divisions, consisting of special agents recruited by the ARCAM Corporation in order to do covert work in hostile areas without compromising the company.
- ARCAM Private Army: The ARCAM Corporation's paramilitary wing, its duties vary but their main purpose is to conduct offensive and defensive operations on various out-of-place artifact locations and its aggressors, ranging from private corporate military wings to national militaries.
- Trident Corporation: Originally founded by NATO as an R&D Division, it soon went rogue and broke away for unknown reasons and was soon declared as an illegal organization. It searches for ancient artifacts in order to refine them as potential military weapons. Currently, it is heavily funded by the European Campbell Company (European Corporation, possibly British), the American Clovers Heavy Industries and the Japanese Takasumi Zaibatsu. Its greatest breakthrough - apparently based on ARCAM's Armored Muscle Suit - was the Orichalcum Armored Machine Suit. One of its users was the Trident Corp. operator Iwao Akatsuki.
- COSMOS (Children Of Soldiers Machine Organic System): A black-ops unit of the US Army. Most of its operatives are child soldiers who were kidnapped by CIA agents/US Army soldiers from around the world and brainwashed.
Manga
The manga was initially published in Japan by ShogakukanShogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
in eleven full volumes from July 1991 to April 1996, with reprints in both 2001 and 2006 (including the unpublished stories "First Mission" and "Gold Rush"). Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.'s licensing arm in North America, VIZ Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
, translated and published three out of eleven volumes as Striker after it was first serialized in Manga Vizion, before the company curtailed further translation.
In Europe, two volumes were published in France and in French-speaking countries and territories by Glénat
Glénat (publisher)
Glénat Editions SA is a French publisher with its head office in Grenoble. The company publishes many things, including comic books and manga in France, Benelux, and Spain; it was founded by Jacques Glénat. The Spanish subsidiary has its head office in Barcelona. The Benelux subsidiary, Glénat...
under the name Striker in the Netherlands by Big Balloon, eleven volumes in Germany by Planet Manga, and three full volume in Spain and in Spanish-speaking territories and countries by Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini
Planeta DeAgostini is a Spanish-Italian publisher and a subsidiary of Grupo Planeta specializing in collectable books, sold in pieces, periodically through newsstands. It has its headquarters in Barcelona....
in 1993 followed by a reprint from 1996 to 1997.
In Asia, the manga was released in Hong Kong by Jade Dynasty
Jade Dynasty
Jade Dynasty is a Hong Kong publisher. Jade Dynasty Group Ltd. is mainly responsible for comic book publications in Hong Kong.-Notable works:*666 Satan*Angel Heart*Boys Over Flowers*Capeta*Fullmetal Alchemist*Initial D*Soul Eater*Spriggan...
, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo
Elex Media Komputindo
Elex Media Komputindo is a major Indonesian publisher of literature on computers as well as comic books. In addition to local comic books, it also publishes Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and Chinese manhua. Founded on 15 January 1985, Elex Media Komputindo is within the publishing arm of the...
, in Malaysia as part of an installment in a fortnightly comic magazine, Komik Remaja
Komik Remaja
Kreko Remaja, usually referred to as Kreko, is a Malaysian manga magazine which publishes chapters of manga and occasionally manhwa, translated into Bahasa Malaysia. It is published three times a month - on the 1st, 11th and 21st day respectively...
(but was cancelled during the Noah's Ark story arc due to 'inappropriate religious elements'), in Singapore with all 11 volumes fully translated by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...
in English, in South Korea by Daiwon C.I.
Daiwon C.I.
Daewon C.I. , short for Daewon Culture Industry, is a subsidiary of Daewon Media founded in 1991. This South Korean publisher releases domestic and imported comics, Newtype Korea Magazine, children's books, and light novels. With Haksan Culture Company and Seoul Cultural Publishers, Daewon C.I...
with the first 11 volumes followed by the 8 volume bunkoban and in Taiwan as eleven full chapters translated into Mandarin by Tong Li Comics
Tong Li Comics
Tongli Publishing Co. , most known as Tong Li Comics, is a publishing company which distributes a variety of domestic and imported comics in the Republic of China .-History:...
under the Youth Comic series label and was released as 轟天高校生.
Film
A film adaptation of the manga, using the Noah's Ark story, was released to Japanese audiences by Studio 4°CStudio 4°C
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense.-History:STUDIO4°C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titles include; Memories , Spriggan and Princess Arete...
. The movie was directed and story boarded by Hirotsugu Kawasaki, written by Kawasaki and Yasutaka Itō, and supervised by Katsuhiro Otomo
Katsuhiro Otomo
is a Japanese comic book creator, screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the creator of the manga Akira and its animated film adaptation. Otomo has also directed several live-action films, such as the 2006 feature film adaptation of the manga Mushishi.-Biography:Katsuhiro Otomo was...
. Hiroshi Takashige
Hiroshi Takashige
is a Japanese manga artist best known in various manga communities in Japan and overseas for his work in Spriggan and later in Until Death Do Us Part.-Biography:...
and Ryoji Minagawa
Ryoji Minagawa
' is a Japanese manga artist born in Sumida, Tokyo.He was invited with Spriggan story writer Hiroshi Takashige to go to a comic convention in Portugal in 1996 as a guest of honor due to his work on Spriggan. He worked on other manga comics before he went on to create Project ARMS with fellow manga...
had a hand in assisting the director through production.
ADV Films released the film in all English-speaking countries on April 23, 2002 with a special edition released on February 15, 2005, with the exception of Australia and New Zealand, where the film was distributed by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
. A Japanese release of the film was on DVD on April 25, 1999.
The film was distributed in Japan by Toho
Toho
is a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
, in Hong Kong and other Asian countries under Neovision. The film was released in Taiwan by Proware Multimedia International. In Europe, it was produced in German by Anime Connection of Germany, in Russian by MC Entertainment
MC Entertainment
MC Entertainment is a Russian distributor of anime and films from Japan, USA, Germany, Great Britain, China, Thailand and South Korea. The company, headed by Dmitry Fedotkin, was founded in 2000. As of 2007, it the largest anime company in Russia. It is also the first Russian company aimed...
,
in Dutch by Dybex, Italian by Dynit
Dynit
Dynit SRL is one of the main Italian manga and anime publishers. It was founded in 1995 by Francesco Di Sanzo, Claudia Cangini, Francesco Bombardini, Paolo Nascetti, Saetti SRL and Federico Colpi and its original name was Dynamic Italia SRL. The name was changed following a litigation between Colpi...
, in Polish by IDG
IDG
International Data Group is a technology media, research, event management, and venture capital organization.IDG evolved from International Data Corporation which was formed in 1964 in Newtonville, Massachusetts, by Patrick Joseph McGovern and a friend, Fred Kirch...
and in Swedish by Sandrew Metronome
Sandrew Metronome
Sandrew Metronome is a Scandinavian film distributor. It is one of the biggest distributor companies in the Nordic countries. It is owned by the Anders Sandrew Foundation and the Norwegian Schibsted group....
.
Spriggan has been recently released in Japan in Blu-Ray disc format on November 11, 2007 with another release on July 25, 2008.
Video game
On June 16, 1999, From SoftwareFrom Software
is a Japanese video game company founded in November 1986 known primarily for being the developers of the Armored Core, Demon's Souls, King's Field, Otogi and Tenchu series.-Games:...
released a video game adaptation in Japan and Asia of Spriggan for the PlayStation named Spriggan: Lunar Verse with an initial street price of ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
6,090. It can be played by either one or two players.
A soundtrack of the game, composed by Keiichiro Segawa, Tsukasa Saito, and Yuji Kanda, was also released by Absord Music Japan on November 26, 1999.