The Qwaser of Stigmata
| The Qwaser of Stigmata | |
|
Cover of the first volume of The Qwaser of Stigmata as published by Akita Shoten featuring Mafuyu Oribe (center) and Alexander Nikolaevich Hell (bottom) | |
| 聖痕のクェイサー (Seikon no Kweisā) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, Supernatural |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hiroyuki Yoshino |
| Illustrated by | Kenetsu Satō |
| Published by | Akita Shoten |
| English publisher | Tokyopop (former) |
| Demographic | Shōnen, Seinen |
| Magazine |
Champion Red (2006−2010, 2014−2016) Champion Red Ichigo (2010−2014) |
| Original run | September 2006 – July 9, 2016 |
| Volumes | 24 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Hiraku Kaneko |
| Written by | Makoto Uezu |
| Music by | Tatsuya Kato |
| Studio | Hoods Entertainment |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | MBS, Tokyo MX, CTC, TVS, tvk, AT-X (TV, censored), AnimeOne (webcast, uncensored) |
| English network | |
| Original run | January 9, 2010 – June 19, 2010 |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Original video animation | |
| The Qwaser of Stigmata: Portrait of the Empress | |
| Directed by | Hiraku Kaneko |
| Written by | Makoto Uezu |
| Music by | Tatsuya Kato |
| Studio | Hoods Entertainment |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | October 20, 2010 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Anime television series | |
| The Qwaser of Stigmata II | |
| Directed by | Hiraku Kaneko |
| Written by | Makoto Uezu |
| Music by | Tatsuya Kato |
| Studio | Hoods Entertainment |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | Tokyo MX, CTC, AT-X (censored), AnimeOne (webcast, uncensored) |
| English network | |
| Original run | April 11, 2011 – June 28, 2011 |
| Episodes | 12 |
The Qwaser of Stigmata (Japanese: 聖痕のクェイサー Hepburn: Seikon no Kueisā) is an action manga and anime series authored by Hiroyuki Yoshino featuring art by Kenetsu Satō. The series is notable for its violence, fan service, and the use of breast milk as a central plot device. The manga series is published in Japan in the shōnen manga magazine Champion Red, starting in 2006 and continuing as of 2015. A 24-episode anime television series was produced with the same title as the manga series and broadcast in Japan on Biglobe in 2010. An OVA adaptation titled The Qwaser of Stigmata: Portrait of the Empress (聖痕のクェイサー: 女帝の肖像 Seikon no Kweisā: Jotei no Shōzō) was also produced and released on DVD with the manga series volume 10. A 12-episode second season was produced with the title The Qwaser of Stigmata II (聖痕のクェイサー II Seikon no Kweisā Tsū) and was broadcast in Japan between April and June, 2011.[1]
Sentai Filmworks licensed both seasons and the OVA for digital distribution and home video release in North America, releasing English subtitled DVD sets in 2012 and 2013.[2]
Plot
The story chronicles the school lives of Mafuyu Oribe and Tomo Yamanobe at the Japanese Eastern Orthodox school St. Mihailov Academy where they have endured persecution and isolation from other students led by the daughter of the current dean Miyuri Tsujidou and her second-in-command Hana Katsuragi. Mafuyu and Tomo's lives take a drastic turn when they nurse the silver-haired Russian-born Alexander "Sasha" Nikolaevich Hell back to health upon encountering him unconscious during their home commute one day. Almost immediately, Sasha begins to repay Mafuyu and Tomo's humanitarianism as he repels their tormentors; however, this does not change Sasha's prologue as a throw-away Qwaser from the Adepts and that the Adepts have no qualms about making an absolute war zone of the Academy in order to acquire the Theotokos of Tsarytsin from Athos who wishes to keep the icon's existence a secret from the world.
Media
Manga
The manga is written by Hiroyuki Yoshino and illustrated by Kenetsu Satō. The Qwaser of Stigmata is currently serialized by Akita Shoten in Champion Red magazine and the chapters collected in tankōbon. The first volume was released on December 20, 2006.[3] The series ended on July 9, 2016, and was collected into 24 volumes.[4]
The manga series has been licensed internationally, translated, and published in several countries outside Japan. The series is licensed in France by Kazé, listing the first 14 volumes in their online catalog.[5] In Italy the manga series is licensed by J-Pop Edizioni.[6] and Ever Glory Publishing in Taiwan.[7] Tokyopop licensed the series for the North American market and published the first four volumes; however, since resuming business in December 2012, the title has not been listed in their online catalog.[8]
Anime
A 24-episode anime television series titled The Qwaser of Stigmata (聖痕のクェイサー Seikon no Qwaser) was adaptated from the manga series of the same name and broadcast as a censored version on Biglobe. An uncensored version of the series was streamed online. The first season was followed by a single episode OVA with the title The Qwaser of Stigmata: Portrait of the Empress (聖痕のクェイサー: 女帝の肖像 Seikon no Kweisā: Jotei no Shouzou) that was released on DVD with the manga series volume 10. A 12-episode second season titled The Qwaser of Stigmata II (聖痕のクェイサー II Seikon no Kweisā Tsū) was broadcast in Japan in 2011 . The first and second seasons were also released on DVD in Japan.
Sentai Filmworks licensed both seasons and the OVA in North America and released three English subtitled DVD sets between 2012 and 2013.
- The Qwaser of Stigmata - Collection 1, 3 DVDs, episodes 1-12, released: 2012-12-31.
- The Qwaser of Stigmata - Collection 2, 3 DVDs, episodes 13-24, released: 2013-02-26.
- The Qwaser of Stigmata II - Complete Collection, 3 DVDs, episodes 1-12 plus the OVA, released: 2013-04-30.
Anime Network posted the Season I and II episodes for online streaming (uncensored).
Reception
Reviewer Chris Beverage gives the series' grades in the "B" range in The Fandom Post.[9][10][11] Theron Martin, an anime reviewer for the Anime News Network, reviewed the DVD release collections 1 and 2 of the first season gives the series grades from "C+" (story) to "A-" (music).[12][13]
Internet radio show
Lantis has taken the opportunity presented by the Seikon no Qwaser anime to produce an Internet radio show starring Aki Toyosaki as Tomo Yamanobe and Yōko Hikasa as Hana Katsuragi [14] alongside commercially releasing the five theme songs as indicated in the table below. They released also an original soundtrack composed by Tatsuya Kato on June 7, 2010.
| Song Title | Lyrics Author | Composition Data | Performance Parameters | Commercial Debut Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Errand | Aki Hata | Composed/arranged by Daisuke Kikuta (Elements Garden) | Sung by Faylan as Opening I | 27 January 2010 (Sole song on CD) |
| Baptize | Itsuki Yui | Composed/arranged by Daisuke Kikuta (Elements Garden) | Sung by Yōsei Teikoku as Opening II | 21 April 2010 (Sole song on CD) |
| Passionate Squall | Aki Hata | Composed/arranged by Tom-H@ck | Sung by Ayumi Fujimura, Aki Toyosaki, Minori Chihara, Aya Hirano, Yōko Hikasa, (anime role voices) as Ending I | 10 February 2010 (Sole song on CD) |
| Mimei no Inori (未明の祈り) | Aki Hata | Composed by Satoru Takada and arranged by Katsuya Yoshida | Sung by Minori Chihara as Ending II (Dedicated solely to Episode 5) | 10 February 2010 (Song released on Passionate Squall CD) |
| Wishes Hypocrites | Aki Hata | Composed by Katsuya Yoshida and arranged by Satoru Takada | Sung by Ayumi Fujimura, Aki Toyosaki, Minori Chihara, Aya Hirano, Yōko Hikasa, (anime role voices) as Ending III | 12 May 2010 (Sole song on CD) |
| Rasen, Arui wa Seinaru Yokubou | Aki Hata | Composed/arranged by Daisuke Kikuta (Elements Garden) | Sung by Faylan as Opening I from the second season | 27 April 2011 (Sole song on CD) |
| metaphor | Shoujo Byou | Composed/arranged by Pixel Bee and RD-Sounds | Sung by Shoujo Byou as Ending I from the second season | 25 May 2011 (Sole song on CD) |
References
- ↑ "Qwaser of Stigmata Season 2 Announced" (in Japanese). JBook. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Qwaser of Stigmata Anime". Anime News Network. July 1, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ↑ 聖痕のクェイサー 第1巻 (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Final Qwaser of Stigmata Manga Volume Ships in Japan". Anime News Network. September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ↑ "The Qwaser of Stigmata" (in French). Kazé. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ↑ "The Qwaser of Stigmata" (in Italian). J-Pop. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ↑ 聖痕鍊金士 (in Chinese). Ever Glory Publishing. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ↑ "Tokyopop Adds Songs & Laughter, Ratman, Seikon no Qwaser". Anime News Network. September 26, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
- ↑ Beveridge, Chris (December 21, 2012). "Qwaser Of Stigmata Season 1 Collection 1 Anime DVD Review". fandompost.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ↑ Beveridge, Chris (February 20, 2013). "Qwaser Of Stigmata Season 1 Collection 2 Anime DVD Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ↑ Beveridge, Chris (May 7, 2013). "Qwaser Of Stigmata II Complete Collection Anime DVD Review". fandompost.com. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ↑ Martin, Theron (January 25, 2013). "The Qwaser of Stigmata Sub.DVD - Collection 1". review. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ↑ Martin, Theron (March 8, 2013). "The Qwaser of Stigmata Sub.DVD - Collection 2". review. Anime News Network. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ↑ 聖痕のクェイサーラジオ！～ミハイロフ学園放送部～ (in Japanese). Lantis. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
External links
- Official website of the anime (Japanese)
- The Qwaser of Stigmata (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia