King of thorns
King of Thorns ( Japanese い ば ら の 王 , Ibara no Ō ) is a manga series by the Japanese artist Yuji Iwahara . It belongs to the genre of his own and describes the experiences of a group of terminally ill people who wake up after a cold sleep in an environment that is hostile to them and have to fight for their survival there.
In 2010 the series was also implemented as an anime film.
action
In the near future humanity will be threatened by the dangerous disease "Medusa". Anyone who suffers from this disease petrifies alive within six weeks. There is no cure for this disease, which is why the millionaire Sir Henry Epstein set up a foundation. A research station with a total of 160 cold sleeping chambers is located in a castle from the 13th century, in which randomly selected people are put into cold sleep. You should not be resuscitated until there is a cure for the disease. The chosen one also includes the young girl Kasumi.
When Kasumi wakes up, she realizes that something has gone wrong. Not all the cold sleep capsules are open, the room is overgrown with thorny plants; In addition, the infected people who have just awakened are attacked by a horde of flying reptiles. The patients try to escape into the elevator, where almost everyone is attacked and eaten by another monster. Only seven, including Kasumi, escape. The group then not only tries to find out what happened during their cold sleep, but also has to defend themselves against the beasts, the thorns that grow everywhere, and their disease, which continues to rage in their bodies.
Characters
- Kasumi Ishiki
- is a japanese girl. Although she is one of the 160 candidates chosen for deep sleep, she is not particularly happy about it because her twin sister Shizuku, who also suffers from the disease "Medusa", did not get this chance. Although Kasumi is shy and reserved, she develops a surprising amount of strength over the course of events. She trusts the seedy Marco Owen. Her sister, who had to stay behind, appears to her in visions. It seems that this plays a major role in the events. Consequently, Kasumi is vehemently in favor of leaving no one behind. When there is friction within the group of the surviving seven, she tirelessly speaks to the consciences of the others.
- Shizuku Ishiki
- is Kasumi's twin sister. She appears to Kasumi again and again and repeats only one sentence: "Live, Kasumi!" In a flashback of Kasumi, it is also described that an accident happened in the twins' childhood in which Shizuku was injured through Kasumi's fault. That is also the reason why Kasumi wanted to kill herself to give her sister the space in the capsule, which Shizuku prevented.
- Marco Owen
- Owen, with multiple tattoos, is a seedy figure. The former hacker does not suffer from "Medusa Syndrome". While the rest of the group initially accused him of being a criminal, he later revealed himself to be a government-appointed spy who knew about the true nature of the research laboratory. "Call me Marco!" - he hates being called by his last name. Marco knows how to handle weapons and is an excellent fighter.
- Peter Stevens
- Stevens is a scientist and developed the cold sleeping chambers for the research center. In order to get the data about the real reason for the cold sleep he causes a power failure. He is strictly religious and always wears a cross chain. He is Marco Owen's partner.
- Kathryn Turner
- Kathryn was an alcoholic, which is why their son was taken away from her. Plagued by feelings of guilt, she takes care of little Tim, who looks very much like her son. Kathryn is most severely afflicted by "Medusa Syndrome", with her the disease is about to break out. Whenever she has the opportunity, she quotes from the fairy tale "Sleeping Beauty". Kathryn has an unstable personality and fluctuates between extreme behaviors. Most of the time she is very calm, but from time to time she breaks out into hysterical screaming fits. It is also astonishing that she often calls little Tim by name before he betrays him shortly before the end.
- Timothy Laisenbach
- Tim is a bright boy, but has withdrawn into himself and into the world of video games. The names for the monsters living in the castle come from him and he regards everything, including the death of people, as part of a game.
- Alice Kosnovski
- The mysterious girl in the coat seems to be able to communicate with the monsters and to create them. It turns out that she was one of the first to suffer from "Medusa Syndrome" but survived. It is believed that Alice came from outer space.
- Ivan Karol Vega
- Vega is the head of the "Venus Gate" sect. He discovered Alice in Siberia and believed that he was chosen by God to create a new world with the help of "Medusa". He first realizes the true meaning of "Medusa" and the power that lies behind it. However, when everything got out of hand, he committed suicide.
- Ron Portman
- Only the giant policeman's sense of justice and high sense of responsibility is greater than his dislike of Marco Owen. Again and again he gets into an argument with him and it is only thanks to Kasumi's courageous intervention that the arguments between the two alpha males do not get out of hand.
- Alessandro Peccino
- The arrogant and selfish Italian politician doesn't care about his colleagues. Originally not intended for the "Medusa" program, he bought his place among the 160 chosen people who were supposed to survive the pandemic in cold sleep with bribes.
Publications
The King of Thorns appeared in Japan from October 2002 to October 2005 in individual chapters in the manga magazine Comic Beam , in which Kaoru Mori's manga series Emma - A Victorian Love was published. Enterbrain also summarized these individual chapters in six paperbacks.
The six volumes of the manga were published in German by Tokyopop- Verlag from November 2005 to January 2007 . From November 2012 to April 2013 a new German edition was published in three double volumes.
The manga was published as King of Thorns in the USA by Tokyopop, in France it was published under the title Roi des ronces by Soleil and in Spain by Glénat as King of Thorn .
Anime
The film premiered in Japan on May 1, 2010 under the name Ibara no Ō - King of Thorn . In Germany he was released as King of Thorn on November 26, 2010 on DVD.
synchronization
| role | Japanese speaker ( seiyū ) |
|---|---|
| Kasumi | Kana Hanazawa |
| Marco Owen | Toshiyuki Morikawa |
| Peter Steavens | Shin'ichirō Miki |
| Kathryn | Sayaka Ōhara |
| Alice | Misaki Kuno |
| Ivan Karol Vega | Tsutomu Isobe |
Awards
The manga was nominated for the 2006 Seiun Prize for Best Comic , but Reiko Okanos Onmyōji had to admit defeat.