Outlanders (manga)

Outlanders (アウトランダーズ, Autorandāzu) — is a popular[1] manga comic written by Johji Manabe, combining aspects of the space opera, science fantasy, fan service,[2] magical girlfriend and harem genres.

Outlanders
Princess Kahm on the cover of Outlanders #1
アウトランダーズ
(Autorandāzu)
GenreMagical girlfriend, comedy, science fiction
Manga
Written byJohji Manabe
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
MagazineComicomi Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original run1985 – 1987
Volumes8
Original video animation
Directed byKatsuhisa Yamada
Produced byHiroshi Iwata
Tomoko Satō
Written byKenji Terada
Sukehiro Tomita
Music byKei Wakakusa
StudioTatsunoko Production
Licensed by
Central Park Media, L.A. Hero, Inc.
ReleasedDecember 16, 1986
Runtime48 minutes

Plot

Outlanders tells the story of alien Princess Kahm and Japanese news photographer Tetsuya Wakatsuki as they try to save the Earth from the invasion forces led by Kahm's father, emperor of the interstellar Santovasku Empire. The Santovasku use giant organic spaceships, or "Biomech," their advanced technology and their mastery of sorcery in their assault.

Tetsuya learns from Kahm that her ancestors in fact came from earth and they've returned to reclaim their sacred home planet that mankind has subsequently spoiled (due to pollution). However, the invasion of the "sacred planet" is really the front for a struggle between two secret fractions from the Santovasku Empire, ancient rivals which have vowed to destroy each other no matter what the cost - even if this includes all of humankind. And Earth, too, has her share of sinister conspirators who solely seek advancement for their own benefit...

Characters

Main characters
Tetsuya Wakatsuki (若槻哲也, Wakatsuki Tetsuya)
The human main protagonist, and a young photographer for the newspaper agency Toa News. Originally self-conscious and timid, he grows in courage and willpower during the war, mainly when he falls in love with Kahm, and takes up the fight against the Santovasku Empire.
Princess Kahm (カーム, Kāmu)
The story's alien main protagonist, and the impulsive crown princess of the Santovasku Empire. She originally came to Earth in order to escape her confined life in the Imperial palace and find adventure and excitement in battle. After first attempting to kill Tetsuya, she falls in love with him, compelling her into helping him defend the Earth against her father's predations.

Friends and Allies
Battia (バティア, Batia)
A catgirl officer in the Santovasku Empire, Kahm's minder and best friend, and Geobaldi's lover. She is a swordswoman of extraordinary skill. She dies during Tetsuya's assault on the Imperial palace to rescue Kahm from her father, although her spirit returns in the manga's epilogue as part of a special holiday (on which the living are allowed to spend one day each year with dear departed friends and family) on the planet on which Tetsuya and Kahm have settled.
Geobaldi (ゲオバルディ, Geobarudi)
An immensely strong soldier and a member of the Gadom, a primitive bear-man people which were all but eradicated by the Santovasku Empire. The few survivors were drafted as battle fodder into the Imperial forces; Geobaldi has risen to the rank of commander over their forces. After testing Tetsuya's courage in a duel, he becomes impressed enough with him to turn against the Empire. He is killed during the final attack on the Imperial palace, but returns as a spirit in the story's epilogue.
Aki Okazawa (岡沢亜紀, Okazawa Aki) / Jilher Maruda (マルダーギレ, Marudā Gire)
A reporter for Toa News, and Tetsuya's boss. A very temperamental, stubborn personality, she is used by Neo as a vessel to resurrect the dead Santovaskuan witch Jilehr Maruda, who was reincarnated in her, as his weapon of vengeance against the Empire. Despite her bossy nature, she deeply cares for Tetsuya, and it is this affection which allows her to rid herself of Jilehr's spirit, although the strain kills her. Like Battia and Geobaldi, she appears again as a spirit in the manga's epilogue chapter.
Raisa Vogel (ライザ・フォーゲル, Raiza Fōgeru)
A young German girl who lost her family during the first wave of the Santovasku invasion, she encounters Tetsuya and Kahm when the alien princess first returns him to Earth. Because she falls in love with Tetsuya, and due to her hatred for the alien invaders, she and Kahm initially become rivals, but Raisa eventually ends up aiding them in their struggle against the Empire. She is killed during the final mission to rescue Kahm from her father, but returns as a spirit in the manga's epilogue.
Nao (ナオ, Nao)
The head of Kahm's faithful servants, a clan of dwarfish reptilian humanoids.
Momo (メメ, Momo)
Nao's wife.
Megane (メーガネ, Mēgane)
A bespectacled member of Nao's servant clan who falls in unrequited love with Raisa.

Antagonists
Emperor Quevas (クェイヴァス皇帝, Ku~eivu~asu kōtei)
The supreme ruler of the Santovasku Empire. He is Kahm's caring but overbearing father, and ruthless to the extreme, he even resorts to mind control to get her back to his side. He initiates the invasion of Earth solely to eradicate Neo, the last survivor of the Yoma Clan who poses a threat to his life. When Tetsuya invades the Imperial palace to rescue Kahm, and she sees him injured, she shakes off the mind control and mortally wounds her father, thereby triggering the utter destruction of the Empire.
Togo (東郷, Togo)
The supreme commander of the Japanese Self-Defense Force. On the surface the leader of Earth's defenses against the aliens, he is actually a member of the Shadow Cabinet, a small group of Earth people who are aware of Neo's origins and are working hand in hand with his goals to destroy the Empire. Secretly, however, he schemes to take control of Earth for himself, manipulating Giru and even Jilehr to this end; but Jilehr, unwilling to be dominated, eventually turns against him. Just before Jilehr wipes out the rest of humanity by causing the Moon to crash into the Earth, he is killed by one of his underlings when his megalomania turns into desperate ruthlessness.
Neo (ネオ, Neo)
An ancient sorcerer of the alien Yoma Clan who has kept himself alive for centuries with the use of life-sustaining machines. Intent on a vendetta against the Santovasku Empire for banishing his clan, he has allied himself with the authorities on Earth, and upon the beginning of the Santovasku invasion he resurrects Jilehr in Aki's body as his weapon of vengeance. He is eventually betrayed by his familiar Giru and murdered by his human ally Togo.
Masato Hagiwara (萩原, Hagiwara Masato) / Giru (ギル, Giru)
A JSDF captain and Aki's ex-boyfriend, he is actually Neo's familiar, a raven bestowed with sentience and speech capability who was temporarily shapechanged into a human form. Still in love with Aki, and therefore a reluctant helper in Neo's scheme, he eventually betrays him to Togo and is subsequently murdered by the general once he has served his purpose.
Gelvas (ゲルバス, Gerubasu)
The head bishop of the Santovasku Empire. While loyal to the Emperor, he is a much more level-headed man and sympathetic towards Kahm and Tetsuya's relationship. He remains behind and is killed when the Imperial homeworld self-destructs upon the Emperor's death.

OVA Voice cast
Cast
Character Actor
Japanese English
U.S. Renditions Central Park Media
Tetsuya Wakatsuki Mitsuo Iwata Tom Fahn (as Tom Charles) Sean Schemmel
Princess Kahm Fumi Hirano Trish Ledoux Liza Kaplan (as Liza Jacqueline)
Battia Braytin Law Mari Yokoo Dorothy Elias-Fahn Rebecca Soler
Emperor Quevas XIII Takashi Toyama Doug Stone Jay Snyder (as Dan Green)
Geobaldi Kenji Utsumi Kevin Seymour (as Dougary Grant) Sean Schemmel
Momo Mika Doi Dorothy Elias-Fahn (as Dorothy Melendrez) Erica Schroeder
Nao Akira Kamiya Gary Dubin Oliver Wyman (as Pete Zarustica)
Progress Miko Terashima Steve Bulen Oliver Wyman (as Pete Zarustica)

Production and release

Outlanders was animated by Tatsunoko Production and is not listed on Tatsunoko's web site. There is an Outlanders OVA and the Outlanders manga was distributed by Dark Horse Comics in the United States prior to the expiration of their license on the property. The Dark Horse version was translated by Toren Smith of Studio Proteus.[3]

U.S. Renditions released the OVA on VHS with an English dub produced by Animaze. In 2005 Central Park Media released a remastered version of the Outlanders OVA with a new English dub. A poll was conducted to select the voice actors, and 18,000 voters selected Sean Schemmel to play Tetsuya and Rebecca Soler selected to play Battia.[2]

Manabe would later revisit the Outlanders universe with the one-shot manga, The Key of Graciale. Although it is not a direct prequel to his earlier Outlanders manga in terms of plot, Princess Kham does return as heroine complete with her band of trusted servants in tow. The principal characters also make several cameos in Manabe's subsequent works, as do those from the other titles he has produced.

The OVA condenses roughly the first half of the series into a single self-contained episode less than an hour in length; all but the main story elements, in addition to most of the non-essential characters, are subsequently dispensed with.

References
  1. Schodt, Frederick L. (1996). Dreamland Japan: Writings on Modern Manga. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-880656-23-5.
  2. Luscik, Joseph (December 2005). "A Classic Revisited". Anime Fringe. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  3. Pilcher, Tim; Brad Brooks (2005). The Essential Guide to World Comics. London: Collins & Brown. ISBN 1-84340-300-5.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.