Isuca
| Isuca | |
 Cover of the first manga volume | |
| イスカ (Isuka) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Supernatural, Harem[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Osamu Takahashi |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Young Ace |
| Original run | July 4, 2009 – present |
| Volumes | 8 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Akira Iwanaga |
| Produced by |
Takeshi Yasuda Gomi Kenjiro |
| Written by | Masashi Suzuki |
| Music by |
Naoki Chiba RUKA Susumu Akizuki |
| Studio | Arms |
| Licensed by | |
| Network | Tokyo MX, AT-X, BS11, TVS, CTC, tvk, SUN, TVQ, GBS |
| Original run | January 24, 2015 – March 28, 2015 |
| Episodes | 10 |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Akira Iwanaga |
| Written by | Masashi Suzuki |
| Music by |
Naoki Chiba RUKA Susumu Akizuki |
| Studio | Arms |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | August 26, 2015 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
Isuca (Japanese: イスカ Hepburn: Isuka) is a Japanese action manga series by Osamu Takahashi. It has been serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Young Ace since 2009; the series has been collected in eight tankōbon volumes as of October 2016, and will finish in the ninth tankōbon volume in 2017.[2] An anime adaptation by Arms started to air in January 2015.[3]
Plot
The story revolves around Shinichirō, a male student who gets a job as a housekeeper in order to pay his rent. When he unintentionally releases a strange creature into the world he learns that his female employer, named Sakuya Shimizu, is the head of the Shimizu clan that hunts these creatures. Shinichirō cooperates with her to hunt down the monsters that are running loose.[3]
Characters
- Shinichirō Asano (浅野 真一郎 Asano Shin'ichirō)
- Voiced by: Keisuke Koumoto
- Shinichirō appears to be an average high-school student but he has an unusual ability, the Eyes of Truth which allow him to divine the true name of a supernatural being or person with supernatural powers when he kisses them. Since the first person to speak an individual's true name gains the ability to compel said individual to do whatever he wants (within reason), he becomes a powerful ally in Sakuya's work. Unfortunately, he learns and speaks Sakuya's true name, leaving her unable to disobey him.
- Sakuya Shimazu (島津 朔邪 Shimazu Sakuya)
- Voiced by: Ibuki Kido
- Sakuya is the de facto 37th head of the Shimazu family, but is in a power struggle with her younger cousin for the position. She wishes to become head of the family in order to find out what happened to her parents several years before the present. Her family is tasked with sealing monsters and spirits that cross over into this world but, unlike many in her family, does not believe that the ends justify the means and tries to keep collateral damage to a minimum. She uses a bow and arrow with several spiritual attacks in combat and, when charged-up by Shinichiro, those attacks are amplified ten-fold. At first she is reluctant to do so since it involves kissing him, but over time she comes to have feelings for him. Although she maintains a haughty attitude, her facade hides a young lady who just wants to live like a normal person. When Shinichiro discovers her true name, she becomes unable to disobey any of his orders. In order to save face and avoid losing her position in the family, she forces Shinichirō to become her fiancé, if only in name. This twist is omitted from the anime, but is hinted at by Nami Shimazu, Sakuya's grandmother, when she calls Shinichrō "Mr. Husband". Her true name is Isuca. She chose this name after a plush bird toy given to her by her father. The Isuca is supposed to bring luck and prevent illness.
- Nadeshiko Sōma (相馬 撫子 Sōma Nadeshiko)
- Voiced by: Saeko Zougou
- Shinichirō and Sakuya's homeroom teacher at the high school that they attend. She has a connection with the Shimazu family and helps to clean up the messes left behind Sakuya's work. She is also responsible for getting Shinichirō his job as Sakuya's housekeeper and later having him move in with her. Although she helps Sakuya, Nadeshiko supports Suseri as the next head of the family.
- Tamako (タマ子)
- Voiced by: Kaori Sadohara
- A two-tailed cat-spirit with red hair and a large bosom. She can change into a giant cat form and is the first spirit whom Shinichiro meets. He learns her true name when she kisses him as thanks for saving her from Sakuya after clearing her from suspicion of a lightning beast attack. Shinichirō gives her the name Tamako in order to disguise her true name. Like most spirits she needs life energy to survive, though she has never attacked anyone. True to her cat-like nature, she licks Shinichirō in affection, likes to curl up in his lap and tends to eat her meals on the floor. She also has a disturbing tendency of catching prey and bringing it to him. Her true name is Tama
- Suseri Shimazu (島津 須世璃 Shimazu Suseri)
- Voiced by: Mao Ichimichi
- Suseri is Sakuya's cousin who is in the running to be the next head of the Shimazu family. She specializes in spirit summoning and wind magic. In the beginning, she seems somewhat emotionless and focused on only becoming the next head. She even tries to increase her chances of becoming the next head by attempting to steal Shinichiro away from Sakuya. She later transfers to the same school as Sakuya not only to steal Shinichiro away but to also investigate the appearance of so many specters at the school. As time passes, she begins to develop feelings for Shinichiro. Because she is envious and secretly admires her older cousin Suseri chooses her true name to be Sakuya.
- Isuca (イスカ Isuka)
- Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura
- Isuca is the main antagonist of the anime. She holds a grudge against the Shimazu family but seems to be focusing mainly on Sakuya. However, she doesn't want to kill her immediately: she first wants to torment Sakuya by killing the people closest to her until she has given in to despair and only then kill her. She is revealed to be a homunculus from the Asahina family, a rival family of magic users. It is not revealed why her name is same as Sakuya's true name, but at the end of the anime it shows that Sakuya's father may be involved too.
- Kanae Tachibana (奏絵 Kanae)
- Voiced by: Sarah Emi Bridcutt
- Fumizuki (文月 Fumizuki)
- Voiced by: Yumeha Kōda
- Mari Sōma (相馬 茉莉 Sōma Mari)
- Voiced by: Akane Kohinata
Media
Manga
Volume list
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 21, 2010[4] | ISBN 978-4-04-715458-2 |
| 2 | February 23, 2011[5] | ISBN 978-4-04-715625-8 |
| 3 | November 21, 2012[6] | ISBN 978-4-04-120502-0 |
| 4 | August 22, 2013[7] | ISBN 978-4-04-120851-9 |
| 5 | June 26, 2014[8] | ISBN 978-4-04-102025-8 |
| 6 | December 29, 2014[9] | ISBN 978-4-04-102026-5 |
| 7 | September 4, 2015[10] | ISBN 978-4-04-102803-2 |
| 8 | October 4, 2016[11] | ISBN 978-4-04-104418-6 |
Anime
The opening song theme for the anime was "Never say Never" by Afilia Saga, while the ending song theme was "Somebody to Love" by TWO-FORMULA, a duo consisted of the singers and voice actresses Saeko Zōgō and Kaori Sadohara.
Episode list
| No. | Title[12] | Original air date[13] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chance Meeting" "Kaikō" (邂逅) | January 24, 2015 |
| 2 | "True Name" "Mana" (真名) | January 31, 2015 |
| 3 | "Confrontation" "Tairitsu" (対立) | February 7, 2015 |
| 4 | "Shadow Play" "An'yaku" (暗躍) | February 14, 2015 |
| 5 | "Eye of Truth" "Shingan" (真眼) | February 21, 2015 |
| 6 | "Promise" "Yakusoku" (約束) | February 28, 2015 |
| 7 | "Light and Dark" "Meian" (明暗) | March 7, 2015 |
| 8 | "Trials" "Shiren" (試練) | March 14, 2015 |
| 9 | "Attack" "Shūgeki" (襲撃) | March 21, 2015 |
| 10 | "Resolution" "Ketchaku" (決着) | March 28, 2015 |
| 11 (OVA) | "Paradise" "Gokuraku" (極楽) | August 26, 2015 |
Reception
Allen Moody of THEM Anime Reviews wrote that the show had "more nudity (and less plot) than many H shows", and there was a lot of censored nudity in the Crunchyroll version such as a bath scene that "looks like an explosion in a White-Out factory" and "it seems like a black spot over the villainess' chest was an actual feature of her anatomy." He also wrote that the "continuity errors in a cartoon are just shameful."[1] Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post stated that "this might have been a decent six episode OVA series twenty years ago, but today it’s just one more brick in the wall of bland stories with milquetoast characters and nothing compelling to say".[14] Theron Martin of Anime News Network called it a cross between Shakugan no Shana and Kekkaishi but with a lot more harem elements. He thought that the sense of timing was poor with characters talking too much during critical battle scenes, and the fanservice being pushed too hard in some places. On the positive side, the music and sound were appreciable.[15]
Works cited
- ^ "Ch." is shortened form for chapter and refers to a chapter number of the Isuca manga
- ^ "Ep." is shortened form for episode and refers to a episode number of the Isuca anime
References
- 1 2 Moody, Allen (2015). "THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Isuca". THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ↑ "Osamu Takahashi's Isuca Manga Will End in 9th Volume". Anime News Network. October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- 1 2 "Isuca Action Anime Slated For 2015 With Director Akira Iwanaga". Anime News Network. August 31, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (1)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (2)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (3)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (4)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (5)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ↑ "ISUCA (6)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
- ↑ "ISUCA (7)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ↑ "ISUCA (8)" (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
- ↑ "STORY" (in Japanese). Arms. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ↑ "ISUCA". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ↑ Beveridge, Chris (March 29, 2015). "ISUCA Episode #10 Anime Review (Series Finale)". The Fandom Post. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ↑ Martin, Theron (April 6, 2015). "Isuca Episodes 1-10 streaming". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
External links
- Official anime website(Japanese)
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