Shadow Skill

Shadow Skill (影技 SHADOW SKILL, Shadō Sukiru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Megumu Okada. The series has been adapted into four original video animations released from 1995 to 1996 and an anime adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired on TV Tokyo in 1998.

Shadow Skill
Cover of the first manga volume
影技 SHADOW SKILL
(Shadō Sukiru)
Manga
Written byMegumu Okada
Published by
Magazine
  • Comic Gamma
  • (1992–1996)
  • Monthly Dragon Jr.
  • (1996–1998)
DemographicShōnen
Original run1992 – 1998
Volumes4
Notes

* The 4 volumes was later reissued by Kodansha in 3 aizōban editions retitled as Shadow Skil: Phantom Of Shade, Shadow Skil: Black Howling, and Shadow Skil: Black Wing respectively.

Manga
Written byMegumu Okada
Published byKodansha
Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original run2001 – 2014
Volumes11
Original video animation
Directed byHiroshi Negishi (ep. 1)
Yasuhiro Kuroda (ep. 2-4)
Written byMayori Sekijima
Music byToshiro Yabuki
StudioZero-G Room
Licensed by
Manga Entertainment
Released October 25, 1995 – November 21, 1996
Runtime45 minutes (ep. 1)
30 minutes (ep. 2-4)
Episodes4
Anime film
Shadow Skill: The Movie
Directed byPat Griffiths
Produced byLaurence Guinness
Written byKaoru Mfaume
Music byToshiro Yabuki
StudioZero-G Room, CTV Studios
Licensed by
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Runtime85 minutes
Notes

* Shadow Skill: The Movie is the American compilation film of OVAs 2 to 4.
* Episode 1 of OVA series was later released in North America as Shadow Skill: The Origin

Anime television series
Shadow Skill -Eigi-
Directed byTsukasa Sunaga
Written byKoji Ueda
Music byOzamu Tezuka
StudioStudio Deen
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo
English network
Original run July 2, 1998 – December 24, 1998
Episodes26
Original video animation
Shadow Skill: Kuruda-ryu Kousatsu-hou no Himitsu
Directed byKazuya Ichikawa
Written byKurasumi Sunayama
Music byHidenori Chiwata
StudioTandm
ReleasedOctober 2, 2004
Runtime65 minutes

In North America, the OVAs have been released by Manga Entertainment and the anime television series was distributed by ADV Films.

Plot
Main article: List of Shadow Skill characters

Shadow Skill takes place in the warrior kingdom of Kurda, where the main character Elle Regu has recently become the 59th Sevaar, a title awarded to their most elite warriors. She often leaves a trail of destruction when she fights and along with a drinking habit. Elle is constantly followed by debts and throughout the series takes on jobs to work off these debts. One of these such jobs leads her to the Green Octopus Inn on an island outside the city, which eventually becomes the protagonists' base of operation.

Throughout the series, Elle travels along with her adopted younger brother Gau Ban, who is studying Elle's fighting skills so that one day he could become the greatest Sevaar in Kurda. Also in Elle and Gau's life is Faurink Maya (Faury), a Sui Rame talisman sorceress, and Kyuo Lyu, a Septia beast-catcher and grandniece of Eva Stroll, the king of Kurda.

Warriors in Kurda fight using the Kurda-style Kōsappō (交殺法, lit. "combining kill methods", ADV "Annihilation techniques") which has two general divisions: Hyōgi (表技, "open skills" or "bright skills"), which emphasize punches and throws, and Eigi (影技, "shadow skills"), which focus on kicks and the user's footwork.

Media

Manga

The Shadow Skill manga series was originally created by Megumu Okada as a self-published dōjinshi.[1] In 1992, it was picked up by Takeshobo for serialization in its shōnen magazine Comic Gamma. The magazine ceased publication in 1996; a total of four tankōbon (bound volumes) collecting the manga's chapters were released during that time. Shadow Skill was carried over by publisher Fujimi Shobo in its magazine Monthly Dragon Jr. until 1998; another four volumes were released by that publisher. Kodansha then gained the rights to Shadow Skill and released the existing chapters in three large aizōban volumes from 1999 to 2000. The following year, Okada began regularly publishing new chapters in the publisher's seinen magazine Afternoon Season Zōkan, and later in Monthly Afternoon. Okada took a hiatus from the manga in 2006, but continued in 2009, submitting new chapters every other month, until finishing the series in 2014.[1] In total, the Kodansha released the entire Shadow Skill manga in three aizōban and an additional 11 tankōbon.

OVAs

There have been a number of anime productions based on the Shadow Skill manga. It was first adapted into an original video animation (OVA) by Zero-G Room and released in Japan on October 25, 1995. Three additional OVA episodes were produced and released from September 21 to November 21, 1996. The first volume was officially numbered "volume 2.5" in Japan due to its chronological place among the four episodes.[2] All four OVAs were licensed in North America and the United Kingdom by Manga Entertainment.[3] The latter three episodes were compiled and released in English-speaking regions as Shadow Skill: The Movie, while the first OVA was later released as Shadow Skill: The Origin. Finally, a single cel shaded, CGI animation OVA[4] titled Shadow Skill: Kuruda-ryu Kousatsu-hou no Himitsu (SHADOW SKILL ～クルダ流交殺法の秘密～, Shadow Skill: Secret of the Kurudan Style) was produced by Tandm and released in Japan on October 2, 2004.

TV series

A 26-episode television series titled Shadow Skill -Eigi- (SHADOW SKILL -影技-) was produced by Studio Deen and aired on TV Tokyo from July 2 to December 24, 1998. ADV Films licensed the series in the United States.[1][5][6]

Reception

Anime News Network praised the series' Japanese and English voice acting, saying they did a good job capturing the light-hearted tone of the series. However, they felt the series stuck to the conventions of the martial arts genre with the plot focusing on fight scenes and the elaborate named moves being shouted aloud as they "powered up". As such, they thought that Shadow Skill appeals primarily to fans of the genre, but it was unlikely to appeal to viewers outside that fanbase.[6] THEM Anime Reviews described the OVA series as "well executed" and "fun to watch". But they advised that Shadow Skill would mainly appeal to fans of the martial arts genre and that it lacked the story development and characterization needed to truly become a great anime.[7]

References
  1. ANN staff (March 11, 2014). "Shadow Skill Manga Ends After 24 Years". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  2. Oppliger, John (August 11, 2000). "Ask John: What Happened to Shadow Skill?". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. Oppliger, John (October 19, 2011). "Manga Announces Shadow Skill DVD". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. Oppliger, John (November 3, 2003). "New Shadow Skill OAV in Production". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  5. ANN staff (June 27, 2005). "ADV to Release Shadow Skill TV?". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  6. Martin, Theron (November 15, 2005). "Review: Shadow Skill - Eigi". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  7. Jason, Bustard (2003–2004). "THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Shadow Skill". THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
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