Onmyō Taisenki
Onmyou Taisenki (陰陽大戦記) is an anime which began airing in September 30,2004, and is supposed to finish airing in September 22, 2005, being replaced by series Kotenkotenko. It is also a monthly manga series. The series has two authors: Hiroyuki Kaidou (海童博行) and Yoshihiko Tomisawa (富沢義彦).
Anime
The Onmyou Taisenki anime was produced by Bandai and Sunrise studios. It has a total of 51 (fifty-one) episodes, and aired weekly in TV Tokyo (from PM 6:00 to PM 6:30).
Story of Anime
Tachibana Riku (太刀花リク) is a 12-year old japanese boy who lives near Tokyo. He lives an ordinary life only with his adoptive grandfather, never having met his parents, excepting for the fact that his grandfather insisted on teaching him series of strange movements which Riku did not know for what purpose served for until the day his grandfather is attacked near a temple where he used to attend. But it is not an ordinary attacker. The attacker is a Shikigami (式神, literally 'Ritual Gods'), strange monsters with human owners. Riku comes to the scene and that's where he firstly gets in contact with his Zero Drive (零神操機), the device he uses to call and make a 'contract' (契約, keiyaku) with Byakko no Kogenta (白虎のコゲンタ), his Shikigami and, from that day on, best friend. The Shikigami needs, for attacking, a special series of In (印, seals), which happens to be the strange movements Riku's grandfather always taught him. As Riku's grandfather decides to leave the house for a big travel, the 10-year old boy Souma and the 10-year old girl Nazuna rent rooms in Riku's house. The 17-year old man Masaomi, who teaches Riku the secrets of Onmyoudou (such as 'how to revive Kogenta', in episode 24, for example), drops by eventually. The three of them have 'contracts' with Shikigami. The main events of Onmyou Taisenki anime are related to the menace of Mikadzuchi Group (ミカヅチグループ), a big japanese financial group related to the Onmyoudou, attempting to open the four Taiten (Shitaiten, 四大天, literally the 'Four Heavens'), and free Utsuho (ウツホ), a legendary and super-powerful demon that has been imprisioned for 1000 years. These events start in episode 20 and are carried until the end of the series.
Manga
The Onmyou Taisenki manga is published by Jump Comics, and runs monthly in V-Jump magazine (2005). It has two volumes, being the first one published in October 10, 2004 and the second one in August 04, 2005. The comic series yet hasn't reached an end. The volumes are average 190 pages, and nine chapters each. The manga has the collaboration of WiZ and Bandai. Each volume costs 390 Yen (Price inside Japanese territory).
Story of Manga
The Onmyou Taisenki manga does not tell the same history as the anime. The story happens years before the events in the anime. The main character, Yakumo (who also appears on the anime, as an adult)is the son of Monju, the chef priest of the Taihaku Temple, in Kyoto. Yakumo also trains the In, with a baseball ball. In this temple, a Toujinshi (闘神土, literally 'god of war'), and Monju's former teacher, Mahoroba, is imprisioned. The problems start when Mahoroba escapes, gains power, and transforms Monju into stone. Yakumo is called by a Zero Drive, which was one of the treasures of the temple. This Zero Drive handles Byakko no Kogenta. The story of the manga is about Yakumo's first steps with a Shikigami, training with Idzuna (Taihaku Temple's shrine maiden) and seeking Mahoroba.
General information
Onmyou Taisenki would litterally mean 'The great war story between Yin and Yang'. The series makes clear references to the japanese sect of Onmyoudou, the Taoist theory of the five elements: Tree (ki, 木), Gold (kin, 金), Earth (tsuchi, 土), Fire (hi, 火) and Water (mizu, 水). Various elements from Onmyoudou are incorporated within the story, such as the existence of the four Kimon (鬼門, literally 'Demoniac Portals'), the use of cards that act as the Onmyoudou's amulets (fuuji, 封じ), and the character Nazuna, who is a Taoist maiden. Template:Spoiler
The Shikigami
Onmyou Taisenki shows monsters called Shikigami. These monsters are extremely powerful, and their special abilities (hissatsu waza, 必殺術, literally 'certain-kill techniques') are activated when their owners use certain sequences of In. Every Shikigami has its own In sequences and some have special weapons, which are also activated by the In. Every Shikigami has its own name and a class. For example, Byakko no Kogenta's name is Kogenta, from the Byakko (one of the four japanese great Gods) class. The same for Hiiragi no Horin, Byakko no Rangetsu, Kurogane no Fuji, etc. When a Shikigami dies, its owner gets 'lost', generally depressed, and loses all the memories built since when he first got in touch with the Shikigami and the Zero Drive. That happens with Riku on episode 23-24, where Kogenta is killed by Rangetsu. After the fight, Riku does not remember who are Masaomi, Sooma or Nazuna, people he only met after he got in touch with Kogenta. However, he remembers Momo, his colleague in school. It also happens with Sooma and Yuuma's mother, who had both sons after getting in touch with her Shikigami, and, after losing a battle to Mikazuchi, she forgot about her two sons. The Shikigami can reach the Daikoujin form, which is a giant and extremely powerful form where they (usually) go berserk. The Shikigami that usually go Daikoujin are Byakko no Kogenta (Riku's), Byakko no Rangetsu (Yuuma's), Seiryuu no Kibachiyo (Masaomi's) and Akagane no Itsumu (Mikazuchi's).
--Keroro 03:18, 13 September 2005 (UTC) with corrections by Splash