Trinity Blood
Trinity Blood | |
Post-apocalyptic[3] | |
Light novel | |
Written by | Sunao Yoshida |
---|---|
Illustrated by | Thores Shibamoto |
Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Original run | February 28, 2001 – December 28, 2004 |
Volumes | 12 |
Manga | |
Written by | Kiyo Kyujyo |
Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
English publisher | |
Magazine |
|
Demographic | Shōjo |
Original run | October 2003 – April 2018 |
Volumes | 21 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Tomohiro Hirata |
Written by |
|
Original network | Wowow |
English network | |
Original run | April 28, 2005 – October 6, 2005 |
Episodes | 24 |
Trinity Blood (
Trinity Blood has been adapted into both manga and anime series, with continuity differences between the three versions. After Yoshida's death in 2004, his friend Kentaro Yasui aided in completing the manga, with illustrations by Kiyo Kujō. The anime series, spanning 24 episodes, was produced by Gonzo and originally aired on Wowow network. Both adaptations have the same unresolved conclusion as the final novel.
Plot
When Earth's population drastically increased, humanity, led by the United Nations, attempted to colonize Mars. During the colonization, they discovered two alien technologies: the Bacillus virus and the Crusnik nanomachines. The colonists injected the Bacillus in their bodies which transformed them into a vampiric race known as "Methuselah". They installed the Crusnik in the bodies of four test tube babies: Seth, Cain, Abel and Lilith whose enhanced bodies were the only ones able to survive the procedure. Continuing wars on Earth eventually led to Armageddon, the apocalyptic event that happened 900 years before the start of the story, and the colonists returned to Earth to help with rebuilding. However, when the colonists returned to Earth, a war broke out between the Methuselah and the humans who had remained on Earth. Abel, Cain, and Seth sided with the Methuselah—while Lilith supported the Vatican, which guarded humanity. During the war, Cain went insane and killed Lilith. In grief, Abel took her body to the Vatican where she was buried. Abel remained at her side, weeping for her, for 900 years.
At the start of the story, the Methuselah, still a major political and military force, continue to wage war on the "Terrans", as they call the human inhabitants of Earth. The
Differences among adaptations
While the novels, manga, and anime series all cover the same basic story and feature many of the same characters, they do have some minor and major differences.[4] Each has its own unique variation on the major story arcs, and in general the novels give the most detail concerning the political elements and background information on the stories. There are a few minor name changes and many details found in the novels are not given in the anime or manga.
The artwork also differs from all three versions, as the character designs were each created by different artists. There are similarities, however, as Shibamoto is responsible for the novel illustrations, while Kiyo Kujō based his work in the manga on Shibamoto's original designs. In the anime series, Dietrich von Lohengrin's cold, evil nature is reflected in his appearance, while in the manga he has a softer, bishōnen design that is incongruous with his actual nature. Similarly, Endre is described as looking like a boy of around 10–12 years old,[5] while in the anime he is given an adult appearance.[6] In additions to variants in appearances, there are differences in personalities relationships between the versions, and there are some characters that are unique to each adaptation. Sister Noelle, whose death devastates Abel in the anime series and in the novels, does not exist in the manga series. Alternatively, the anime does not mention Father Tres' two "brothers".
Depending on the adaptation, some events occur at varying points in the story, while other events are unique to a single adaptation. The anime series' introductory-style episodes are based on the novel segments with the same names, but they are told in a different story. For example, in the novels, "From the Empire", the chapter in which Abel meets Asthe is the third chapter, following Flight Night and Witch Hunt,[5] However, in the anime, "From the Empire" is the eleventh episode, coming after the Star of Sorrow arc and the Silent Noise incident. Conversely, the manga starts right with the Star of Sorrow arc and Abel meeting Esther and Dietrich. The Neumann brothers and their related story elements are found only in the novels. In the novels, it was Abel who interrupted the Cardinal's gathering, rather than Caterina or Leon, and the only people available to investigate the Silent Noise incident in Rome are Abel, Tres, and Leon.[7]
Characters
Humans
The humans once attempted to colonize
Methuselah
The Methuselah, or "Long-Lived Race", are vampire-like creatures that feed on human blood and have supernatural strength.[8] Their name is likely derived from the biblical figure Methuselah, who was reported to have lived 969 years. Methuselah have a prolonged lifespan, superior strength, and enhanced speed. They also have healing and regeneration abilities.[9]
In addition to their athleticism and stamina, Methuselah also possess varying individual powers. Most frequently, this power manifests itself in the form of a blade that comes out of the arms, claws, or even as sharp, prehensile hair. Some Methuselah have displayed an ability to control some elemental powers such as fire and ice. When being born, a Methuselah behaves as any normal human. He or she is able to wake during daytime and lacks the supernatural life and shortcomings of the race.
Crusniks
Crusniks are vampires who feed on the blood of other vampires.
Crusniks possess unique attributes that separate them from Methuselahs. For instance, both Abel and Cain sport angelic wings and can fly quite easily. Crusniks can transmute their blood into weapons and often possess psychokinetic powers. Abel can generate powerful bio-electric fields while Cain can use psychokinetic waves to pulverize objects and enemies and to generate barriers. Seth can reduce people and objects to dust using sound waves.
In order to activate his Crusnik powers, Abel usually issues a verbal or mental command to the nanomachines in his body. The exact wording and method of activation varies among the novels, the manga, and anime, and between the original Japanese and the English translations. For example, in the anime he says "Nanomachines: Crusnik 02 - Power Output __% Activate" while in the manga he silently activates Crusnik mode and receives a confirmation from the nanomachines of "Crusnik 02 Loading. Limitation at __%... Acknowledged".[9] In the anime, neither Cain nor Seth demonstrated a need to do this in order to activate their powers, and there are several times when Abel activates his powers without saying his usual command, so it appears to just be a literary device; the only exception to this is in the third novel where Sister Paula Souwauski, who is in combat with him, prevents the change by not letting him finish the statement, as it would flip the playing field as Abel in his human form is ranked as having a B− fighting ability while his 40% Crusnik is described as an S+.
Media
Novels
Written by Sunao Yoshida and illustrated by Thores Shibamoto, Trinity Blood consists of two six-volume sub-series. The first series is subtitled Rage Against the Moons (RAM), while the second series, which continues where the first leaves off, is subtitled Reborn on the Mars (ROM). The novels began as a one-shot in The Sneaker in October 1999 and launched as a serialized novel in February 2000, with completed volumes published by Kadokawa Shoten from 2001.[10][11] Following the novels, a book containing backstory, world information and unreleased stories entitled Canon Summa Theologica, was released May 1, 2005.[12]
In North America, the novels have been licensed for an
Rage Against the Moons
No. | Title | Original release date | English release date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | From the Empire Furomu ji Enpaia (フロム・ジ・エンパイア) | April 27, 2001[15] 4-04-418404-6 | April 10, 2007[16] 978-1-59816-953-9 |
2 | Silent Noise Sairento Noizu (サイレント・ノイズ) | December 26, 2001[17] 4-04-418406-2 | December 11, 2007[16] 978-1-59816-954-6 |
3 | No Faith Nō Feisu (ノウ・フェイス) | August 31, 2002[18] 4-04-418408-9 | June 12, 2008[16] 978-1-59816-955-3 |
4 | Judgement Day Jajjimento Dei (ジャッジメント・デイ) | March 28, 2003[19] 4-04-418410-0 | April 27, 2010[20] 978-1-59816-956-0 |
5 | Bird Cage Bādo Kēji (バード・ケージ) | February 1, 2004[21] 4-04-418413-5 | — |
6 | Apocalypse Now Apokaripusu Nau (アポカリプス・ナウ) | December 28, 2004[22] 4-04-418415-1 | — |
Reborn on the Mars
No. | Title | Original release date | English release date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | The Star of Sorrow Nageki no Hoshi (嘆きの星) | February 28, 2001[23] 4-04-418403-8 | August 7, 2007[16] 978-1-4278-0090-9 |
2 | The Iblis Nessa no Tenshi (熱砂の天使) | July 31, 2001[24] 4-04-418405-4 | April 8, 2008[16] 978-1-4278-0091-6 |
3 | Empress of the Night Yoru no Joō (夜の女皇) | June 29, 2002[25] 4-04-418407-0 | November 10, 2009[26] 978-1-4278-0092-3 |
4 | Mark of the Holy Woman Seijo no Rakuin (聖女の烙印) | December 27, 2002[27] 4-04-418409-7 | — |
5 | Throne of Roses Bara no Gyokuza (薔薇の玉座) | August 1, 2003[28] 4-04-418411-9 | — |
6 | Crown of Thorns Ibara no Hōkan (茨の宝冠) | November 1, 2003[29] 4-04-418412-7 | — |
Trinity Blood Canon
Torinitei Buraddo Canon Shingaku Taizen (トリニティ・ブラッド Canon 神学大全, lit. Trinity Blood Canon Summa Theologica) was released in Japan on May 1, 2005 (
Manga
The chapters of the Trinity Blood manga series are illustrated by Kiyo Kujō, with story assistance by Kentaro Yasui.
The series was licensed for English-language release in North America by Tokyopop,[34] who released twelve volumes from 2006 to 2010. Viz Media re-licensed the manga for digital-only release in 2014,[35] releasing the same twelve volumes. In Australia and New Zealand, both the Chuang Yi and Tokyopop volumes are being released by Madman Entertainment through an importation agreement.[citation needed]
Anime
The Trinity Blood anime television series premiered on the satellite network
Funimation, which owns the
The
Reception
The first volume of the Trinity Blood manga reached the 30th spot on the Top 100 Graphic Novel sales for November 2006.[63] Subsequent volumes have also all appeared in the top 100 spots in March, July, and November 2007.[64][65][66]
The Trinity Blood anime series enjoyed strong television ratings when it originally aired in Japan.[67] Its North American debut was also considered successful.[68] The series is one of four FUNimation properties credited with helping the company achieve a 47.8% sales gain in 2006.[69]
Anime News Network's Carl Kimlinger finds the series "shiny, attractive, and—on the whole—entertaining".[70] But he adds that "given the premise (and skill of the writers) it really should have shot for pulpy thrills instead of stately political intrigue."[71] Theron Martin says "for the series as a whole to be worth watching, though, the storytelling and character development need to improve".[72] Melissa Harper adds it is a "slick, well animated show" but "disjointed story makes it difficult to know or care what is going on".[73] Hyper's Daniel Wilks comments that the anime is "for most part rather formulaic but the series does really pick up when it comes to the action scenes which are fast, frenetic, highly creative and beautifully animated".[74]
See also
References
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In this gorgeous, gothic-action series - part of the super-popular Trinity Blood franchise - the very survival of the human race is at stake!
- ^ Ellingwood, Holly (March 7, 2007). "Trinity Blood (Vol. 2) [Advance Review]". activeAnime. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
Trinity Blood's immersing dark fantasy art style and imaginative supernatural vampiric creatures make it an exhilarating neo-gothic read.
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Trinity Blood is a post-apocalyptic vampire action and conspiracy series that creates a unique visual palette by combining futuristic fantasy and gothic fashion.
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- ^ Trinity Blood Canon 聖魔之血 神學大全 Archived March 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (in Traditional Chinese). Kadokawa Media (Taiwan) Co, Ltd Archived February 6, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
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- ISSN 1320-7458.
External links
- Kadokawa's official Trinity Blood web site (in Japanese)
- WOWOW's official Trinity Blood anime web site (in Japanese)
- Official Tokyopop websites: Trinity Blood manga, Rage Against the Moon novels, Reborn on the Mars novels
- Madman Entertainment Trinity Blood manga site
- Official Kadokawa website (in Japanese)
- Official Adult Swim website
- Madman Entertainment series website
- FUNimation's official website
- Trinity Blood (light novel) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Trinity Blood at IMDb