- Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan
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Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 
Japanese manga cover of the first volume of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clanぬらりひょんの孫
(Nurarihyon no Mago)Genre Action, Supernatural Manga Written by Hiroshi Shiibashi Published by Shueisha English publisher 
Viz MediaDemographic Shōnen Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump Original run March, 2008 – ongoing Volumes 17 TV anime Directed by Junji Nishimura Written by Natsuko Takahashi Music by Kohei Tanaka Studio Studio Deen Network Yomiuri TV, Tokyo MX, Chukyo TV, BS11, Animax Asia Original run July 5, 2010 – December 27, 2010 Episodes 26 TV anime Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital Directed by Michio Fukuda Music by Kazuhiko Sawaguchi, Keiji Iuchi, Kouhei Tanaka Studio Studio Deen Network Yomiuri TV, Tokyo MX, BS11, Animax Asia, Nagoya Broadcasting Network Original run July 5, 2011 – ongoing Episodes 21+ Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as Nurarihyon no Mago (ぬらりひょんの孫, "Nurarihyon's Grandchild") is a manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Shiibashi. The series was first published in Shueisha as a oneshot in 2007. The manga has been continuously serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008 and has been collected into 17 tankōbon volumes as of July 2011. A Drama CD was released in December 2009.[1] An anime adaptation by Studio DEEN began airing in Japan on July 5, 2010, with the first season consisting of 26 episodes.
Viz Media acquired the licensing rights for a North American release of the manga and anime adaptations. The anime episodes have been streamed on Viz Media's anime streaming site, Viz Anime, since July 2010, while the first manga volume was released February 2011.[2]
Contents
Plot
See also: List of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan charactersRikuo Nura is part human and a quarter yōkai (monster). Because he is only a quarter yōkai, Rikuo is able to turn into his yōkai form only after sunset, when the moon is out; he turns back into his human self when the sun rises. He lives in a house full of spirits along with his yōkai grandfather. Trying to escape his fate, he does good deeds in order to avoid becoming a yōkai, despite his grandfather's wish that Rikuo succeed him as master of the Nura yōkai clan. Rikuo is a different yōkai because he helps humans. He eventually comes to terms with his demon blood and decides to take up the position of Young Head of the Nura house. Multiple factions aim to stop him or usurp his position, and he must gather friends and allies, a new Hyakki Yakō under his banner of "Fear".
Storyline
- Gyuki Arc
- The Kiyo Cross Squad travels to Mt. Nejireme at the invitation of a supposed yokai specialist. However, the invitation turns out to have been a trap by the head of the yokai Gyuki Clan. Separated, the members of the Kiyo Cross Squad must deal with yokai of the Gyuki Clan and Rikuo ultimately faces Gyuki himself. Rikuo learns that Gyuki set up the trap because he didn't want the Nura Clan, which he greatly cherishes, to suffer under the influence of a weak leader, they clash and Gyuki is overwhelmed by Rikuo's night form. Afterward, Rikuo decides to take up the mantle of Nurarihyon and officially become the next Nura Clan head.
- Shikoku Arc
- When one of the board members of the Nura Group is attacked and killed, and Nurarihyon subsequently disappears without notice, the Nura Clan is thrown into chaos. Trying to keep them together, Rikuo encounters a rival faction from the Shikoku area who intend to take over the Nura Clan's territory. Their leader, Tamazuki, is ruthless and willing to sacrifice his subordinates to further his own goals. Rikuo and his Hyakki Yako battle with Tamazuki and his 88-ki Yako (consisting of 88 demons, instead of the 100 of a Hyakki Yako) and emerge victorious, but spare Tamazuki in the end at the request of his father - who Nurarihyon had gone to visit. Tamazuki is spared under the condition that he build a memorial in honor of the subordinates who died by his hand.
- Past Arc
- The story of Rikuo's grandparents: Nurarihyon and Yohime, the creation of the spirit blade Nenekirimaru, and the battle against Hagoromo-Gitsune 400 years ago.
- Tono Arc
- When Haguromo-Gitsune resurfaces in Kyoto, Rikuo is determined to fight her and take revenge for his father's death - as well as rescue Yura, who has gone to aid the rest of the Keikain family in protecting Kyoto. However, as he is still too inexperienced and weak, his grandfather asks the head of the yokai Tono Village to take in and train Rikuo. After an encounter with one of the Kyoto yokai, Rikuo comes to realize what sort of power the yokai Nurarihyon possesses and, having grown stronger, leaves along with several Tono yokai to return to the Nura main house and prepare for the assault on Kyoto.
- Kyoto Arc
- Rikuo, along with the vast majority of the Nura Clan and several yokai from Tono, invade Kyoto. Nearly all of the onmyoji barriers around the city have been destroyed by Kyoto yokai, and the Keikain house itself struggles to fight against Hagoromo-Gitsune's forces. They ultimately join forces with Rikuo's Hyakki Yako to replace the fallen barriers and stop Hagoromo-Gitsune from giving birth to a new evil.
- Hundred Tales Clan Arc
- Following a time skip, the Nura Clan begins to expand its territory in order to prepare for the coming battle with Seimei. Various yokai appear and cause interference with the expansion, one of whom was the Toryanse the Ripper, who tells Rikuo of the Hundred Tales Clan.
Terminology
- Sakazuki (杯) is the term used for a pledge of loyalty made over an exchange of wine or sake. This pledge is taken very seriously, and is akin to a blood pledge, linking fellow yōkai of different families. A 50-50 portion division gives equal footing to both parties, and is considered a sakazuki of sworn brothers. A 70-30 portion division is a pledge of fealty between a boss and his subordinates, and requires a great amount of trust on the part of both parties.[3]
- Ikigimo (生き肝) is a term for when a person's liver is taken out while they are still alive. Many yōkai in Nurarihyon's time believed that by ingesting the life force (i.e. liver) of infants, priests/priestesses and imperial princesses, their strength would increase.
- Osore (畏, lit. "Fear") is the term that denotes the unique skills and traits of each yōkai. It refers to the "Fear" of the unknown, an emotional reaction produced when the yōkai represent themselves as "monsters". It is especially important for leaders who wish to draw together gangs of yōkai. There are different types of "Fear" depending on the species of yōkai, such as water or ice. It also plays an important role in battles between yōkai, in which they must "scare one another".
- Hatsu (鬼發, lit. "Manifestation") is the first stage of activating "Fear", and is simply an attempt to scare an opponent by exerting a frightening aura. Those affected by "Manifestation" will experience an overwhelming sense of intimidation, and depending on their opponent's skills, may hallucinate. This aura produces a palpable wall of pressure in the atmosphere, and cutting through this tension to reach the enemy is an important part of yōkai combat.
- Hyōi (鬼憑, lit. "Haunting") is the second stage of activating "Fear" used in yōkai battles. It is the process by which a yōkai materializes their "Fear" into an attack that can harm their enemy by severing their "Manifestation". Yōkai can produce a variety of attacks and techniques based on their type of "Fear".
- Matoi (鬼纏) is a special technique allowing the leader of the Hyakki Yakō to strengthen their "fear". This technique was created by the Second Head of the Nura Clan, Rihan Nura, and will only work for a leader who is part human. The explanation for this requirement is that the leader must have a 'human heart' to be able to empathize or 'understand' his subordinates, in order to invoke Matoi. The technique works by 'layering' or 'covering' the leader in his subordinate's fear, which augments and strengthens his own power. The leader literally 'wears' his subordinate, which also gives him access to his subordinate's unique abilities (when Rikuo used Matoi with Tsurara, his attacks gained the ability to freeze his targets). When Matoi is invoked with a subordinate for the first time, a tattoo-like marking appears on the leaders body, symbolizing the pact they have made.
Media
Manga
Main article: List of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan chaptersThe manga has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 2008. As of July 4, 2011, it has been collected into 17 volumes.[4]
Anime
Main article: List of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan episodesThe anime series, produced by Studio Deen, premiered on July 5, 2010 and is licensed for North America by Viz Media under the name Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan. New episodes, subtitled in English, are simulcast each week on their website several hours after they air in Japan.[5] The opening themes are Fast Forward and Sunshine performed by Monkey Majik and the ending themes are Sparky☆Start and Symphonic Dream performed by Katate Size (Aya Hirano, Yui Horie and Ai Maeda). The anime is slated to be released on eight DVDs.[6] A second season was announced and began broadcasting in Japan on July 3rd, 2011; as well as a 24-hour delayed broadcast with English subtitles on Hulu.com[7]
Data Book
A character data book titled Nurarihyon no Mago: Official Character Data Book: Ayakashi Hiroku (ぬらりひょんの孫 キャラクター公式データブック 妖秘録 Nurarihyon no Mago: Kyarakutā Kōshiki Dēta Bukku: Ayakashi Hiroku) was released on July 2, 2010. At 264 pages, it contains information on all the major factions in the series, as well as on Shiibashi and his assistants.
Light Novel
A light novel adaptation written by Satoshi Oosaki with art by Hiroshi Shiibashi was published by J-Books in December 2009. It features the stories of Nurarihyon and Youhime's wedding ceremony and a strange encounter between Zen and Kuroumaru, as well as an original tale centering on the yōkai who live in Ukiyoe Town.[8]
Video Game
A fighting game adaptation called Nurarihyon no Mago: Hyakki Ryouran Taisen has been announced as developed by Arc System Works and published by Konami.[9]
Reception
The first tankōbon ranked 9th on Tohan manga charts,[10] the third ranked 5th,[11] the fourth ranked 10th,[12] the fifth ranked 9th,[13] and the sixth ranked 8th,[14] and each volume starting from the third sold over 100,000 copies.[11][12][14][15]
Weekly Shōnen Jump allows its readers to vote on their favorite manga, giving out the Future Gold Cup award each year to the most popular manga one-shot it publishes. In 2007, Nurarihyon no Mago ranked number one in the Future Gold Cup.[citation needed]
References
- ^ http://www.shueisha.co.jp/drama_cd/nurari/index.html
- ^ "Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Manga Listed in English". http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-08-17/nura/rise-of-the-yokai-clan-manga-listed-in-english.
- ^ Chapter 40
- ^ "ぬらりひょんの孫17" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://books.shueisha.co.jp/CGI/search/syousai_put.cgi?isbn_cd=978-4-08-870266-7&mode=1. Retrieved 2011-07-01.
- ^ http://www.viz.com/vizblog/index.php?id=623
- ^ http://www.nuramago.jp/
- ^ News: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan TV Anime Gets 2nd Season
- ^ http://j-books.shueisha.co.jp/book/book129.html
- ^ Nuranihyon no Mago Official Product Page
- ^ "Japanese Comic Ranking, August 5–11". Anime News Network. August 13, 2008. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-08-13/japanese-comic-ranking-august-5-11. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "Japanese Comic Ranking, January 6–12". Anime News Network. January 14, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-01-14/japanese-comic-ranking-january-6-12. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "Japanese Comic Ranking, April 7–13". Anime News Network. April 15, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-15/japanese-comic-ranking-april-7-13. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 1–7 (Updated)". Anime News Network. June 10, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-10/japanese-comic-ranking-june-1-7. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "Japanese Comic Ranking, August 3–9". Anime News Network. August 12, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-08-12/japanese-comic-ranking-august-3-9. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 8–14 (Updated)". Anime News Network. June 17, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-06-17/japanese-comic-ranking-june-8-14. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
External links
- Anime official website (Japanese)
- Brazilian Nurarihyon No Mago Site
- MXTV Site
- BS11 Site
- Vomic Site
- Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
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