+Anima

: A strange lady who not much is known about. Since chapter 21, she has decided to follow Cooro and his friends. She is constantly taking notes on their behavior, etc. It is also insinuated many times that she may have a connection to Cooro somehow (including the fact that she looks a good deal like him). She first appears in the second book, at the very beginning, reading the work of another scholar about +Anima. The end of her very short appearance is her closing the book and saying "+Anima, huh? Sounds fun." It is revealed in volume 9 that she works with Fly in researching +Anima.

Lord Arthur: In chapter 25, his fiancee, Penelope, steals his beloved teddy bear Lopie and gets Senri to take her on a joyride across the town, splitting their time between running from the guards and doing whatever Penny wants to do (Pick flowers, get a drink of water, etc.) In the end of the chapter it shows that Arthur had his engagement ring to Penny inside Lopie's stuffing, and that's why he needed the bear back. He also seems to have some sort of connection to Igneous and what he's trying to do with the Kim-Un-Kur people.

Penelope: Lord Arthur's fiancee and Igneous' cousin. Penelope once stole Arthur's teddy bear and, with Senri's help, took a joy ride around the city. It turns out that Penelope had just stolen the bear to get some attention from Arthur, and the bear held her engagement ring. Despite the fact that Penelope bossed Senri around a bit, he seems to be very fond of her, although he knew her for only a very short time. Penelope also seems to have grown a crush on Senri, much to Arthur's dismay.

Miss Emma: A young lady that runs an apple orchard with her husband, Tim. Cooro gets knocked unconscious when he fell out of a tree at the orchard. He recovers at her house and he and his friends decide to stay there for a while. She treats him like a son, fondling him and his friends. She constantly talks about a boy named Sept, her son who ran away to join the circus. Cooro says that Emma's house is like a dream, so Husky, Nana, and Senri decide to leave him behind. Cooro finds out and follows them, telling them that he wants to go with them. But when Emma comes looking for him, Cooro goes to say goodbye and to give back a bandana she gave him. When he lands in front of her, she is horrified by his black wings. Then she asks her husband if he saw the "Black Angel", and he told her that they got a letter from the ringleader of the circus that Sept had been taken by the Black Angel (i.e, he died).

nihongo|Riiya|リイヤ

: Senri's father wielded a Bear +Anima. His appearance was almost the same as his child, except he had longer hair looked older. He died when fought Amurui, a dangerous man-eater bear. Unlike other bears, which must be hunted with respect, Amurui must be killed. Senri's left eye was damaged in that incident, too. However, when Riiya showed his perfect metamorphose, he lost control, and Amurui's +Anima was moved to his. He fought himself until death, and Senri inherited his +Anima at that time.

nihongo|Upas|ウパス|Upasu

: Riiya's best friend years ago, wielded Bear +Anima. Unlike Riiya, his hair was loose. When he met Senri, his best friend's son, he didn't seem happy, and had a strange manner. When his own tribe, Tooa, was destroyed by Sailand, he was received by Sulos tribe and live among them since then.

nihongo|Shi Mukara|シ ムカラ

: It seems that "Shi" was the meaning of "chief" between Kim-un-kur people. He was the chief of Sulos tribe. He wielded Wolf +Anima, and his hair accessories contained 5 big feathers. When he came onto his metamorphose, his Wolf was bigger than normal wolf-as big as a mature lion.

Magdala: The future leader of Maggie Vil, she is a spoiled girl who lives in the coliseum of Maggie Vil. She doesn't know anything about the outside world and when she is told about, she wants to go out and prove she's not afraid. She has two pet panthers named Tom and Elga [ +Anima vol. 4 page 128] which she releases so they can "play" with people who try to run away. She is afraid that people don't need here and so surrounds herself with "friends" (slaves).

Lady Dylana A rival queen who lives in the Harem. She attempted to drown Husky/Myrra, possibly for being next in line for the throne. However, as Husky descends into the water, she screams "You're useless!" (Japanese), "It's your fault!" (Translation), hinting a deeper cause.

Keane Son of Lady Dylana. He used to bully Husky for looking like a girl and having a husky voice. However, when it is thought Husky had committed suicide, he had always felt deep regret and thought he had pushed Husky to drowning himself. He willingly helps the gang navigate around the Harem to find Lady Marein, although he blew their cover when he told his mother Husky was alive (not to deceive the gang, but to 'reassure' his mother and put her mind at ease as he did.).

Crystala The leader of a caravan were Senri used to live. She has a love plus anima and cares for them bringing out their potential. She seems to be very good at handling people, for instance Senri she found a solution for both his wild anima and his memory problem. Ironically she's the King's twin sister, which would make her a princess and harem child, which would mean she was raised as a princess. She is a princess and the king's sister yet she runs a caravan and caters to people her brother makes slaves of.

Kazana A crow +Anima like Cooro. He was part of a rebellion group against Crystala, which he formed after learning that she was the king's sister and she didn't do anything about having power for changing how +Anima were treated (he didn't realize that if the king died, the prince next in line would rule, and then on and on to the next prince in line and never Crystala). He helped Husky and the group try and find Husky's mother (though really trying to see where the king would be), and in the morning slipped away from the group to come back when the king to return to assasinate him. He was knocked out by Crystala and is currently to be sent to her plantation to work in safety.

Lyra A girl that Cooro knew from the church he grew up in Kilter. She met Cooro once again in volume 9 during the +Anima race, displaying her new swallow +Anima. In the middle of the race, she loses her +Anima, and later tells the others that it was implanted into her by Fly, a royal researcher, adding that 'he was going to be mad' at her. She accepted his offer, remembering Cooro always beating her and being more liked then her by the nuns because of his +Anima.

The +Anima phenomenon

In the +Anima fantasy world, some humans have an unusual gift that grants them the ability to morph one or more of their body parts, such as limbs, into a form similar to an animal's body part. Some are capable of even more radical changes, such as growing wings or full-body transformation. The transformation processes are very fast, and occur at the user's will. When inactive, the morphed areas revert back to normal, leaving person's clothing and body completely untouched. The only visual mark of this ability appears on the body of the person, in the form of a black tattoo-like marking. Occasionally, the user bears some behavioral characteristics of their animal, but this is not common.

All who have such an ability are collectively referred to as +Anima. (Much like the word sheep)

The +Anima are capable of controlling their powers at will. Their abilities range widely — including, but not limited to, superhuman strength, agility, and reflexes, as well as heightened senses, and the growth of physical features such as claws or wings. All of these originate from the characteristics of a +Anima's animal. Every +Anima bears the characteristics of only a single animal.

The origin of this phenomenon is unexplained, but it is slowly being revealed the criteria for one to become a +Anima, the main two are which 1) They are usually children age 14 or younger and 2) They are very close to death or in a desperate situation, and losing one's +Anima being 1) Lack of use over time and/or 2) Having found their 'guardian' and/or 3) Fulfilling their goal or destiny. The Kim-Un-Kur seem to break these criteria, as they seem to voluntarily equip their +Anima and do not seem to vanish under the criteria.

There are different theories how an animal is chosen for a +Anima. A likely one is that there is a 'mental imprint' factor involved, noting that Husky (a fish), Nana (a bat), and Sinon (a bird), had seen/been around their specific animal just before they became a +Anima. Another theory linking to this could be that they the animal that becomes their +Anima has to have the ability to get the person out of their situation (the ability to swim or fly away from the danger they are in).

It has recently been discovered that it is possible for +Anima to be implanted into someone. Lyra was originally a normal human, but had said she was implanted her recently disappeared swallow +Anima into her by Fly Greena Aight, a royal researcher in Astaria. Her situation for gaining and losing her +Anima does not meet any criteria, so it is possible there is a fluke in the implantation process or it hasn't been perfected, thus, they can disappear at any random given time or fade away.

In other words, naturally given +Anima are like birthmarks - they are more permanent and bestowed to them naturally. An implanted +Anima is like a rub-off tattoo - they are not like the real thing and fade over time.

Outcasts

The +Anima's powers are not understood by the normal people, and the +Anima are subject to negative prejudice. Similar to the X-Men of Marvel Comics, they are feared as monsters, and even hated by some. Some are envious of such powers and seek to gain control over them. Thus, afraid of the negative reaction from others, most +Anima tend to hide their true powers whenever possible, although Cooro doesn't seem as ashamed of his powers as the others. He actually tends to love, cherish, and show off his +Anima powers.

Another reason +Anima can be considered outcasts and dangerous is the fact that their +Anima can get stronger over continuous use for daily life, even to the point where individuals eventually (most likely involuntarily) giving up their human sanity and soul and becoming more and more like the animal they were bestowed.

Volume Covers (Characters)

Vol.1 +Anima Cooro is closer to the frontal area of the picture with his +Anima wings out--one of them is folded toward him, and Husky is in the background. (The setting looks like a desert)

Vol.2 +Anima Husky is on the frontal area, and Senri is in the nearby background. Husky is in his +Anima form, holding the 'Cooro punishing stick'. (He seems to be in a river in a forest)

Vol.3 +Anima Senri is on the frontal area his +Anima is (of course) out, with Nana sitting on a rock in the background. (The setting seems to be another kind of desert or dry land. It has no trees and has a lot of rocks scattered across it.)

Vol.4 +Anima Nana is on the frontal area, wearing pink clothing (it's different than her usual clothes) and her +Anima (her bat ears and wings) are out, with Cooro in the background, his back turned, staring at the full moon. (The setting looks like a field of pink flowers just outside the edge of a forest.

Vol.5 +Anima Cooro is on the frontal area, flying with his +Anima, while Senri is in the background below him. (The setting appears to be near a beach or ocean, because Senri is near the edge of a cliff.)

Vol.6 +Anima Senri is on the frontal area, wearing a scarf, and his +Anima claw is leaning on his leg. (He was sitting.) Cooro is in the background, with his back turned. (The setting is more on a colder side, with ice all around, with the exception that Cooro and Senri are sitting/standing on desert rocks.)

Vol.7 +Anima Husky is on the frontal area, in his +Anima form, sort of jumping... His tail is sticking out high, and through the room inbetween the tail is Nana. She's wearing her normal clothing and is holding a necklace of flowers. (The setting is sort of like ocean, but Nana is standing on what looks like an island.)

Vol.8 +Anima Nana is on the frontal area, and has her +Anima out. She sort of looks like she was gently pushing aside some large leaves. (She is wearing sort of a whitish-greenish dress. different from her normal clothings) Husky is in the background, with light shining down on him. (The setting looks like a rainforest, or jungle, or maybe just a forest with rather light green colors.)

Vol.9 Cooro is by himself flying across what seems to be another desert. His clothes are only slightly different.

Vol.10 +Anima This one seems like the last volume, since it's looks slightly more special than the others (cover-wise.) Cooro is in the frontal area, his back turned, and his +Anima wings out (He's standing in water, Nana is sitting on a rock (maybe tree-root?), while Senri is on the right side along with Nana, also standing on water. Husky is on the Left, sitting near the water. Cooro's clothing seem slightly different. (The setting seems to take place in another rainforest.)

Trivia

In the Manga, there is a running gag where strangers (or members of the group) sometimes distinguish Husky as a girl, which irritates him as he hates girls.

References

External links

* [http://www.tokyopop.com/S-1575/ English Tokyopop webpage]
*
* [http://www.tokyopop.de/buecher/manga/anima/index.php German Tokyopop webpage]

+ Anima is the coolest