Hero Tales
| Hero Tales | |
Cover from the first volume from Hero Tales
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獣神演武 (Jūshin Enbu) |
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| Genre | Adventure, Fantasy, Martial arts |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Huang Jin Zhou |
| Illustrated by | Hiromu Arakawa |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Magazine | Gangan Powered (former) Monthly Shōnen Gangan (current) |
| English magazine | |
| Original run | 2006 – 2010 |
| Volumes | 5 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Osamu Sekita |
| Studio | Studio Flag |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | October 7, 2007 – March 30, 2008 |
| Episodes | 26 |
Hero Tales (獣神演武 Jūshin Enbu?) is a Japanese manga that was serialized in Square Enix's Gangan Powered. It later moved to Monthly Shōnen Gangan, when the magazine was closed. The original story is by Huang Jin Zhou (a unit composed of Hiromu Arakawa, Genco, and Studio Flag) and illustrated by Arakawa. The motif of the story are Chinese wuxia drama and novels. The world view is rooted in Chinese folklore and history, as well as having an element of fantasy.
A period piece, Jūshin Enbu features Taitou, a young man who hates the empire that rules at the time, with his sister Laila as they learn of a mysterious power Taitou holds, unbeknownst to him. Taitou is the incarnation of a mysterious star that grants him a huge amount of power that he has yet to fully master. Joining them is Ryuukou, who has power similar to Taitou, just more honed.
After Taitou's coming of age ceremony, which required him being beaten by Ryuukou, he is given the Kenkaranpu, described as a conqueror's sword, which Taitou is not even capable of drawing. Soon after, he and Laila are greeted by a man named Shimei, who wants to take the sword. After a quick exchange of blows, Shimei explains the source of Taitou's power - the star Hagun, one of the most powerful Hokushin-Tenkun. When Shimei uses his own sword's power to cause Laila to stop breathing, Taitou becomes so angry he releases Hagun's power, draws Kenkaranpu and pins Shimei to the wall by throwing the Kenkaranpu through his stomach. He then turns to Ryuukou and attacks. Despite his best efforts, Ryuukou cannot overcome Hagun's power. It is only a resuscitated Laila's intervention (along with a nasty head butt) that brings Taitou to his senses. However, they all soon learn that Shimei had escaped with the sword.
At midnight, Taitou sneaks out to recover the sword. As he leaves, Ryuukou and Laila quickly join him on his journey. As they travel, they come to the canal town of Jousei. While they're there, Ryuukou attempts to teach Taitou how to control his ki, and with it, the power of his star. When you don't refine and focus the power, it exits the body any way it can, leaving the body covered with cuts from the power exiting. But Taito is too impatient to learn Ryuukou's way, who was trained by monks. The three are living in an inn in the refugee section of town, right next to the canal. It starts raining hard, and Ryuukou worries about the levee walls holding. At the inn, the three meet Koyou, a handsome ship captain, who does ladies make-up for entertainment. As they talk, the city officials close the inner canal gates to protect their harbor, not caring that it puts the refugee section in danger of being flooded. When the refugees try to enter the city for safety, they are refused access, even as the levee bursts right into the section. Taitou tells Ryuukou to break the flood gates to release the pressure, because he can control his ki. He does so, but is still dangling over the water when a downed tree hits a bridge, breaks it, and heads towards him. Taitou, in a reckless attempt to save his friend, leaps from the gate walls and smashes the debris, unfortunately forgetting to attach himself to something, and so falls into the canal. Ryuukou jumps in after him, and pulls him onto a floating piece of wood, where he then starts to berate him for almost sacrificing himself, saying he should have left him. Taitou is explaining that he could not abandon a friend like that, when their piece of wood hits an obstruction and disintegrates. Taitou starts to drown, and Ryuukou finds the current too strong for him to carry both of them as he is, and Taitou glimpses the symbol of a star on his chest before he falls unconscious.
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Wikipedia