Genres: adventure, comedy, fantasy, romance
Plot Summary: After a routine raid, the rookie sky pirate
Cou finds a most unusual cargo in his mates’ cargo hold: Ren, an “Edel Reid”, a
race prized by humans for granting special combat power to their partners
through “Reacting”. He quickly discovers, however, that Ren is even more prized
than he expected. The pirate ship is visited by three members of the Edel Reid
Complete Protection Agency “Arc Aire”, who try to purchase her. When Cou
refuses, the ship is suddenly attacked by a mysterious force, and Cou’s captain
charges him with Ren’s protection.
Elemental Gelade (EREMENTAR GERAD(エレメンタル ジェレイド) Erementaru Jereido?) is a Japanese manga series
written and illustrated by Mayumi Azuma. The fantasy adventure is a tale of a
group of five who are on a journey to Edel Garden, the birthplace of mystical
beings called Edel Raids who are described as "living weapons".
The manga series has been adapted into a TV anime produced
by XEBEC, two light novels, two video games for the PlayStation 2 and Game Boy
Advance and four drama CDs. The anime ended with 26 episodes, but the manga is
still being serialized in the monthly Japanese manga magazine Monthly Comic
Blade, published by Mag Garden.
Prior to the original broadcast of the anime on TV Tokyo on
April 5, 2005, both the manga and anime were licensed by Tokyopop and Geneon
Entertainment, respectively for North American distribution. The announcement
was made even after ADV announced they acquired licensing rights for both manga
and anime a year before
Elemental Gelade
 |
| English manga cover of Elemental Gelade Vo1. 1 featuring Coud Van Giruet |
Erementar Gerad(エレメンタル ジェレイド)
(Erementar Gerad)
Genre Action, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy
Manga
Erementar Gerad
Written by Mayumi
Azuma
Published by Mag
Garden
English publisher Madman Entertainment
Tokyopop
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Monthly
Comic Blade
Original run 2002
– 2011
Volumes 18
Manga
Erementar Gerad -Flag of Blue Sky-
Written by Mayumi
Azuma
Published by Mag
Garden
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Comic Blade Masamune
Comic Blade Avarus
Original run June
15, 2003 – ongoing
Volumes 5
TV anime
Directed by Shigeru
Ueda
Studio XEBEC
Licensed by Madman Entertainment
Geneon Entertainment
MVM Films
Network TV
Tokyo
Original run April
5, 2005 – September 27, 2005
Episodes 26
(List of episodes)
Light novel
Written by Asaka
Shou
Illustrated by Mayumi
Azuma
Published by Mag
Garden
Original run August
29, 2005 – ongoing
Volumes 12
Game
Erementar Gerad: Matoe, Suifu no Ken
Developer Taito
Corporation
Genre Fighting
Platform PlayStation
2
Released June
30, 2005
Game
Erementar Gerad: Tozasareshi Uta
Developer Jupiter
Genre Role-playing
video game
Platform Game
Boy Advance
Released July
7, 2005
Anime and Manga Portal
Plot
The tale of Elemental Gelade (originally called Erementar
Gerad in the Japanese) is set in the world of Guardia where beings called Edel
Raids co-exist with humans. Edel Raids have the ability to fuse with a human
and become a living weapon. The story focuses on the adventures of a young sky
pirate named Cou Van Giruet, an Edel Raid named Reverie Metherlance or Ren as
she prefers to be called, and three guardians of an Edel Raid protection
organization called Arc Aile named Cisqua, Rowen, and Kuea. Reverie Metherlance
is set on journeying to the legendary land of gold called Edel Garden, but it
turns out that she is a powerful and rare Edel Raid called the shichikouhouji
which leads to many villains attempting to kidnap her for themselves.
Principal characters
Main article: List of Elemental Gelade characters
Cou / Coud Van Giruet
Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese), Kristian Ayre (English),
Naozumi Takahashi (drama CD)
Age:15
Coud Van Giruet, better known as Cou, is a young member of
the Red Lynx sky pirates. He finds Reverie Metherlence in a coffin that was
picked up as loot in a raid. He reacts and becomes her Pledger, someone who
bonds with a Edel Raid and he promises her that he will be the one to escort
her to Edel Garden. He soon realizes he has deep feelings for Ren and does his
best to fight on his own, not wanting to needlessly waste her energy. Although
being a sky pirate, he is a kind person who hates to see the weak getting
bullied and is one of the only few people who consider Edel Raids as people
instead of weapons. And, despite being a sky pirate, he has absolutely no skill
at driving and/or flying ANY vehicle. However, he improved quite a bit by the
time the anime ended.
Gelade
Techniques
Euros
Loop/Euro Lumin
Notus Chord/Ardos Sword
Reject Out/Wind Armour
Zephyrus Art
Ren / Reverie Metherlence
Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Brenna O'Brien
(English), Houko Kuwashima (drama CD)
Age:14-15
Reverie Metherlence, better known as Ren, is an Edel Raid
and direct descendant of the Metherlence bloodline. She is also one of the
Seven Glittering Jewels (or Shichiko-hoji), an Edel Raid line said to be the
strongest. She recharges her powers by sleeping, which happens fairly often. In
the beginning, she stated that she had hated Coud because he was human, but
after he does his best to protect her from an invasion, she reacts with him and
begins to think better of him. As the story progresses, she realizes that she
has developed feelings for Cou. Her elemental gelade is on her hair above her
forehead. Her elemental power is wind, which she best uses both defensively and
offensively. Her weapon form is a giant sword on Cou's right arm; the appearance
of the sword differs between the anime and manga.
Cisqua
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Alexandra Carter
(English), Ikue Otani (drama CD)
Age:16
Cisqua is the energetic and upbeat leader of one of Arc
Aile's Edel Raid Complete Protection Association squads consisting of Rowen and
Kuea. She is honest and passionate about her work, but only because of her
desire to be promoted and her love for money. Cisqua is modeled from a
character the creator drew in middle and high school and B.B. Hood from the Darkstalkers
series.
Cisqua is not an Edel Raid Pledger, but she is well versed
in martial arts and gunmanship. Despite having a small frame, she's physically
strong and capable on taking down well trained Pledgers such as the Edel Raid
Hunter, Wolx Hound. Underneath her robes and hat, she keeps an arsenal of
firearms, missiles, knives, and other weapons she uses to fulfill her missions.
Cisqua's gun can be adjusted to become a launcher, shotgun, or machine gun. Her
sister is Merfond.
Rowen
Voiced by: Yuji Ueda (Japanese), Philip Pacaud (English),
Shoutarou Morikubo (drama CD)
Age:21
Rowen is a guardian of Arc Aile, and is occasionally tasked
to assist with his senior in rank, Cisqua. He is a young blond-haired man that
tends to dislike conflict. In contrast to the impulsive and somewhat outrageous
Cisqua, Rowen is logical, polite, and considerate of others.
Rowen is very intelligent and seems to be well skilled in
multiple areas, making it seem as if he was perfect. Whether it is cooking or
fighting he seems to excel at it. However Rowen claims to not be entirely
perfect and have weaknesses as well. He is an excellent cook which is an
ability that the other members appreciate. Rowen is also the only member who is
consistently doing jobs to meet ends with the party's expenses.
Gelade
Techniques
Vice Lit
Steel
Vengeance
Three of Hearts
Curva Proclesis
Kuea / Kullweet Envatilia
Voiced by: Naoko Suzuki (Japanese), France Perras (English),
Akemi Okamura (drama CD)
Age:17
Kuea, whose real name is Kullweet Envatilia, is a first
class Edel Raid from Arc Aile and is Rowen's partner. Her garnet red elemental
gelade are on the back of both her hands which she covers with arm length
gloves. Out of the five main characters, Kuea wears the most revealing clothes,
however the creator modeled her character from an old male character she once
drew in the past.[3] When Kuea gets hungry - which seems to be often - she
can't react, so she eats enormous amounts of food at a time. It is an ongoing
gag that she'll eat anything and anyone and she nibbles on Cisqua when she is
extremely hungry, her hunger-induced stupor leading her to view Cisqua's head
as an apple and in episode 4, she gnaws on Rowen's head, which he ignores and
normally greets Cou.
Kuea loves to battle and often jumps into fights hastily.
When reacted, she increases Rowen's fighting speed. She takes the weapon form
of double blades that Rowen wields on each hand and six chained sickles on his
back which can detach and attack opponents from a distance. Her attacks are
designed for piercing over slicing. Kuea and Rowen can perform an Obligath, a
technique that enables them to chant two songs simultaneously. This technique
requires complete synchronicity between the pledger and Edel Raid, and is thus
not an easy feat to accomplish.
Viro
A strange girl who temporarily tags along with the group.
Artificially created as an Edel Raid, she was assigned to assassinate Coud but
later apparently develops feelings for him. Unable to successfully carry her
mission out, she is killed by her superiors.
Rasati
Rasati fought Coud at the battle arena to win the freedom of
both herself and her sister Lilia. After released from debt and winning her
freedom, she later eventually tags along with the group.
Lilia
Taken in by Rasati's family, she is Rasati's Edel Raid and
little sister.
Flag of Blue Sky
Plot
The Kingdom of the Sun, Fuajarl was ruthlessly invaded by
the Garden of Eden. They came seeking the King's Edel Raid, rumored to be one
of the Seven Glittering Jewels (or Shichiko-hoji).
Sensing their intent, the King hid his daughter with his
Edel Raid and fought against the invasion but was defeated in battle. The
desert kingdom is now blanketed in a sheet of white snow after the battle.
Escaping capture, the Crown Princess Acheaburca Fuajarl XIV
reacted with Jeen, the King's Edel Raid, and along with Puffe, the Kingdom's
only mechanic, fled Fuajarl in an ancient tank. They are on a journey to
restore the Kingdom and exact vengeance on the Garden of Eden.
However just like the first elemental gelade, it is
uncertain why Edel Garden is a warring nation for a place that has the name of
a beautiful Eden or Utopia.
Primary Characters
Princess Acheaburca Fuajarl XIV
The crown princess of Fuajarl, the Kingdom of the Sun, her
father was King Varna Shinga Fuajarl. She was hidden along with the King's Edel
Raid during the invasion of the Garden of Eden. She is now Jeen's pledger after
her father's death vowing vengeance on the Garden of Eden. She has fled her
Kingdom with Jeen and Puffe in an ancient tank traveling to restore her country
and reclaim her throne.
Her crystal pendant somehow allows her to communicate with
Idola, a childhood friend.
Jelio "Jeen" Velsown
The Edel Raid of King Varna Shinga and now Princess Achea,
she is one of the Shichikou-hoju and her family has been serving the
"Solar Bloodline" of Fuajarl for generations. The King's death
affected her greatly since the purpose of the attack was to kidnap her, but she
hides it by acting cold. Her Gelade is Onyx black and her weapon form is a
sword which absorbs sun light, when it moves it looks like a sword dance. She's
very skilled with throwing knives.
Puffe Lunder
Resembling a short dog-like creature. He is actually the
mechanic of the "Race=Cradle", an ancient tank. He was trusted by the
King and serves as Achea's personal attendant. He is now traveling with the
Princess and Jeen.
Merfond Liberdec
A woman seeking to open a store in Fuajarl, it was destroyed
by the invasion. After getting arrested for fighting, she met Princess Achea
and helped them escaped. In exchange for returning the King's sword to Princess
Achea, she will build a new store on a first grade piece of land paid for by
the royal family once she reclaims the throne. She carries explosives with her
similar to Cisqua in the main series and is actually her older sister.
Secondary Characters
King Varna Shinga Fuajarl
The King of Fuajarl, the Kingdom of the Sun, Princess
Achea's father, and Jeen's pledger. Bearing much foresight, he hid his daughter
and his Edel Raid during the invasion by the Garden of Eden. He fought against
the invasion of his Kingdom but ultimately lost in a battle against a skilled
warrior named the "White Devil".
Idola
Princess Achea's childhood friend and source of strength as
he mysteriously guides her to attain more power.
Terminology
Arc Aile - An organization that "aims to protect the
Edel Raids, as well as provide them with happiness". Little is known of
their true intentions regarding Edel Raids, especially Ren.
Chaos Choir - Otherwise known as Organite, a group who
opposes Arc Aile. Most members are Sting Raids or Edel Raids.
Pledger or "Pleasure" - One who has Reacted with
an Edel Raid. Also called User in some places.
React - To merge with an Edel Raid, thus gaining their
power.
Edel Raid - An entity capable of Reacting with a human and
becoming a weapon. An Edel Raid can only have one Pledger at any time; to take
a new Pledger, the old one must first die. Edel Raids are also capable of using
"songs" (謳), which are the equivalent of magical spells. If the
elemental gelade is removed then they turn into normal women.
Sting Raid - Otherwise known as Viros in the manga, it is an
imitation Edel Raid, possessing lesser powers than that of true Edel Raids. (3
Edel Raids can finish off entire armies of sting raids) They are actually
created with imitation elemental gelades or elemental stones. They are
generally treated as tools by the Chaos Choir. Sting Raids are also different
from Edel Raids in that they don't need a Pledger to react with, they can
transform a part of their body.
Garden of Eden or Edel Garden - Where Edel Raids are born.
Elemental Gelade - A gem that is embedded on the Edel raid's
body. It is proof that they are an Edel Raid. It is also stated to be their
soul.
Shichikou-hoji - The strongest of the Edel Raid bloodlines.
There are seven of them.
Edel Raids Attributes
In Volume 9, it was shown that all Edel Raids have an
attribute belonging to one of the 4 glittering rings.
First Ring
Earth - Weak to Wisdom, strong to Wind
Wind - Weak to Earth, strong to Fire; Ren is this attribute.
Fire - Weak to Wind, strong to Water
Water - Weak to Fire, strong to Greenery
Greenery - Weak to Water, strong to Wisdom
Wisdom - Weak to Greenery, strong to Earth
Second Ring
Beauty - Weak to Void, strong to Sound
Sound - Weak to Beauty, strong to Shield
Shield - Weak to Sound, strong to Sword; Tilel is this
attribute.
Sword - Weak to Shield, strong to Love
Love - Weak to Sword, strong to Void
Void - Weak to Love, strong to Beauty
Third Ring
Light - Weak to Death, strong to Darkness; This is one of
the most rare attributes.
Darkness - Weak to Light, strong to Movement; Idwy is this
attribute.
Movement - Weak to Darkness, strong to Quiet; Kuea is this
attribute.
Quiet - Weak to Movement, strong to Life
Life - Weak to Quiet, strong to Death
Death - Weak to Life, strong to Light
Fourth Ring
The fourth ring is still in research at the moment.
Ice is possibly one of the Attribute of this Ring.
Media
Manga
The Elemental Gelade manga was first serialized in the
Japanese shōnen/seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Blade on February 28, 2002.
The manga is written and illustrated by Mayumi Azuma. In the summer of 2003,
A.D. Vision announced that they will be publishing the manga to the North
American audience.However, Tokyopop is the licensor and publisher in the United
Kingdom and North America. The English translation is done by Alethea and
Athena Nibley and the English adaption is done by Jordon Capell. The manga has
recently reached its final conclusion at the eighteenth volume, along with the
releases of two guide books. Compared to the anime adaptation, the manga has a
much darker story.
A spin off series called Erementar Gerad -Flag of Blue Sky-,
also by Mayumi Azuma, was first serialized in the Japanese bi-monthly manga
magazine Comic Blade Masamune on June 15, 2003, but then migrated in the
monthly magazine Comic Blade Avarus on September 15, 2007. Flag of Blue Sky
takes place two years after the original story and stars a new heroine named
Acheaburca Fuajarl XIV, a princess of the Fuajarl Kingdom. A video promoting
the new series was released but there are currently no plans for an anime
adaptation.
Anime
The anime adaptation of Elemental Gelade was first aired in
Japan on TV Tokyo. On April 5, 2005, it took the Tuesday evening at 6 PM
timeslot, replacing the first season of School Rumble TV. XEBEC produced the
animated television series which spawned 26 episodes directed by Shigeru Ueda
and music by Yuki Kajiura. The production of the anime adaptation was estimated
to cost $400,000. Since the anime was produced before the original story had
ended, a new opposing organization called Chaos Choir and their members was
created. Existing characters such as Viro were adjusted to fit the new
storyline.
In April 2005, Geneon Entertainment announced they were the
North American licensor at the MIP TV trade show in France, although ADV Films
originally announced that they were the licensor as part of a co-production
deal with Mag Garden at Anime Expo in July 2004 Geneon released six DVD volumes
bi-monthly from June 2006 to April 2007 containing four to five episodes each.
On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an
agreement to distribute select titles in North America after Geneon ceased
distribution of their own titles in October 2007. While Geneon Entertainment
will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive
rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select
titles. Elemental Gelade was one of several titles involved in the deal.
As of October 2007, Geneon no longer is involved in the US
anime industry, so North American distribution rights of the anime have been
rescued from Geneon by FUNimation Entertainment.
ImaginAsian TV, an American television network, broadcasted
the series along with several other titles from Geneon Entertainment as part of
their animation block "Anime EnerG". It was first aired in Japanese
with English subtitles beginning January 30, 2007 and later aired with English
dubs.
Music
Opening Theme
"Forever..."
Lyrics: Aa
Composition: takumi
Arrangement: Hideyuki "Daichi" Suzuki
Artist: savage genius
Ending Theme
"Yakusoku" (約束?, Promise)
Lyrics & Composition: Michihiro Kuroda
Arrangement: Kazuyoshi Baba
Artist: Michihiro Kuroda
Episodes: 1-25
Insert Theme
"everlasting song"
Lyrics, Composition, & Arrangement: Yuki Kajiura
Artist: FictionJunction ASUKA
Episodes: 26
"Ameagari"
Artist: Savage Genius
Episode: 15
Audio CDs
Three drama CDs was released by Frontier Works every eleven
months for three years starting on October 24, 2003. It featured different
voice actors than the anime adaptation.Three maxi singles of the opening and
ending themes, two original soundtracks, and one drama CD featuring voice
actors from the anime adaptation was released by Victor Entertainment between
April 21, 2005 and September 22, 2005.
Video games
Three video games based on Elemental Gelade was released
only in Japan midway through the anime season for mobile phones, PlayStation 2,
and Game Boy Advance. Prior to the PS2 release, Taito released a 2D fighting
game for mobile phones in May 2005.[10] The PS2 version of the game called
Erementar Gerad: Matoe, Suifu no Ken was released on June 30, 2005. Matoe,
Suifu no Ken is a 3D cel-shaded fighting game featuring seven characters/groups
and two unlockable characters in four modes of play. It was re-released on June
8, 2006 as part of the Taito Best lineup.
The GBA game called Elemental Gelade: Tozasareshi Uta is a
2D turn-based role-playing video game released on July 7, 2005 developed by
Jupiter and published by Tomy Corporation. Playing as Cou, Ren, Cisqua, Rowen,
and Kuea, you journey from town to town and fight enemies through an original
story and meet new original characters.
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