Shōnen Onmyōji (少年陰陽師?) is a 26-episode anime television series adapted from a light novel series of the same title by Mitsuru Yūki. It began airing on October 03, 2006. The light novel currently has 22 volumes. Along with the anime and novel, there is also a drama CD, PS2 videogame and recently a manga series and a live play.
The anime was licensed for North American Distribution by Geneon Entertainment, however, only two volumes of the series have been released, and has yet to receive a full release due to Geneon’s ceasing DVD sales and distribution in the American market. On July 3, 2008, Geneon Entertainment and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon Entertainment will still retain the license, Funimation Entertainment will assume exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. Shōnen Onmyōji was one of several titles involved in the deal.
Story
Shounen Onmyouji: The young spirit master is set in the Heian era in Japan and focuses on the life of Abe no Masahiro, the grandson of the great onmyouji Abe no Seimei. Despite having received training since he was young, Masahiro has no sixth sense or the ability to see spirits. This has caused him to feel resentful for being in his Grandfather’s shadow and constantly change jobs to find something he can be other than an onmyouji. However, one day Masahiro meets a fox-like creature which he names Mokkun who shows him his sealed powers after fighting a demon. Mokkun is actually Touda (who prefers to be called Guren), the strongest of the 12 Shinshou (or summoned spirits) of his grandfather’s. Guren pledges his loyalty to Masahiro to help him to one day surpass his grandfather and become the greatest Onmyouji ever.
Masahiro’s dreams does not come easily as not only does he have to convince the other Shinshou that he is Seimei’s successor but he must also become more powerful in order to stop demons from China, Japan, the Underworld and evil onmyoujis from destroying Japan all while keeping his promise of protecting the Princess Akiko of the Fujiwara House.
Story Arcs
Following the novels, Shōnen Onmyouji is split into arcs, usually having one major nemesis per arc. The anime covers two arcs, the Kyuuki arc and the Kazane arc.
Kyuuki Arc: episode 01~12, volume 01~03
Kyuuki, a winged tiger from the West has been forced to evacuate after being defeated by another demon. He arrives in Japan and plans to eat Fujiwara no Akiko to replenish his spirit powers and heal his wounds. With him are an army of foreign demons, all unknown to the inexperienced onmyouji Masahiro who has started to use his skills.
Kazane Arc: episode 13~26, volume 04~07
A vengeful spirit has been summoned and has cursed Yukinari. A mysterious woman appears and tries to take Seimei’s life. Someone is trying to open the gate to the underworld. Events from fifty years ago reoccur and Touda and Masahiro must undergo the ultimate test.
In the end, Masahiro has to kill Touda as he is under Kazane’s spell (basically Ryuusai’s spell{Ryuusai is the person that Kazane thought was her father}) since he cannot be stopped and the world is in danger. But, he gave his life for Touda though they’re both alive in the end with Touda who has forgotten Masahiro.
House of Abe
Abe no Masahiro/Masahiro Abe (安倍昌浩 Abe no Masahiro?)
A 13-year-old Onmyouji in training and the grandson of the legendary Abe no Seimei. As a young child, his spiritual sight was so strong that Seimei temporarily sealed it away until he was old enough to properly use it. After meeting Mokkun (Touda/Guren), Masahiro regained his spirit sight and embraced his destiny as an Onmyouji in service to the emperor. He is friendly and kind to both youkai and people whom he seeks to protect from evil demons who had taken up residence surrounding the imperial capital. Although he is sometimes cocky and clumsy, there are moments when he utilizes powers beyond those of a mere apprentice which is why Seimei claims he is the only one who can succeed him. Masahiro greatly resents being known only as “Seimei’s grandson” (Masahiro really hates it when anyone calls him Seimei’s grandson and usually replies “Don’t call me that!” to people who calls him Seimei’s Grandson) and trains hard to surpass his grandfather. In addition to his magic, Masahiro later receives a sword called the Gouma no Tsurugi (Devil conquering sword) which was forged by Seimei. He cares a lot about his friends, his family and, Princess Akiko whom he vows to protect no matter what. Also, he and Princess Akiko are mutally in love.
Abe no Seimei/Seimei Abe (安倍晴明 Abe no Seimei?)
The greatest Onmyouji in the history of Japan, Abe no Seimei is the grandfather of Masahiro. He has Twelve Shikigami called the Shinshou (heavenly summons) under his command and is able to project his soul (which takes the form of his younger self) outside of his body in order to aide Masahiro in combat. Doing so however leaves his body defenseless should an enemy attack. He constantly needles Masahiro to push him further in his journey as a sort of reverse psychology which causes Masahiro to refer to Seimei as a “sly tanuki” or raccoon. Rumor has it that Seimei’s mother was not human but a powerful fox spirit which may explain why he is so powerful. Despite showing such a happy attitude, there were two moments of his life that he was sad, the first when he couldn’t save his only best friend, Ryuusai and secondly the death of his wife, Wakana whom he loved deeply.
Abe no Yoshimasa (安倍吉昌 Abe no Yoshimasa?)
Masahiro’s father and Seimei’s youngest son. He is married to Tsuyuki and has three sons: Narichika, Masachika and Masahiro. He has a doctorate in star-gazing and is a prominent figure in the onmyou world. However, he is not as powerful as Seimei or Masahiro (after he realizes his potential). Yoshimasa realizes that Masahiro is the true heir to Seimei, acknowledged by Touda, as he is the only one not afraid of his aura. He is a kind and supportive father, taking holidays for Masahiro when he goes to fight and purposefully ignoring his nightly escapades.
Abe no Narichika (安倍成親 Abe no Narichika?)
Yoshimasa’s eldest son and Masahiro’s oldest brother. He has an easygoing personality and is, personality wise out of the three brothers, most similar to Seimei. He married into his wife’s family and has two sons and a daughter. Narichika has a doctorate in calender and date studies, making him a highly recognized figure in the dorm. He cares for his family and Masahiro a lot.
Fujiwara no Yukinari (藤原行成?)
The minister of the right to the Emperor whose primary duty is the management and upkeep of the imperial capital. Yukinari takes a liking to Masahiro from the moment they meet and constantly encourages him to advance in his studies because he knows he will be a powerful Onmyomji like Seimei, which of course promotes a high amount of jealousy among Masahiro’s peers in the Onmyou dorms. Seimei helped him long ago and because of this Yukinari offered to be Masahiro’s guardian at his coming of age ceremony in return. During the series, he was cursed by a vengeful spirit who had mistaken him for his grandfather but the spirit was later excorised by Masahiro. He also seems to be aware of Masahiro’s activities fighting demons.
Fujiwara no Toshitsugu (藤原敏次?)
Two years Masahiro’s senior, Toshitsugu works at the Onmyou dorms with him. He is a diligent worker that values effort and hard work above all else. Toshitsugu was the first person that talked to Masahiro but after a misunderstanding of seeing Masahiro at night when he was supposed to be at home on rest, Toshitsugu’s attitude became harsh and critical, saying he shouldn’t do as he wish just because of his family’s influence. Toshitsugu shows promise as an onmyouji by ‘normal’ standards (not compared to Seimei or Masahiro). He does not know of Masahiro’s power but gets suspicious after a cloaked Masahiro saves him. Toshitsugu was possessed by a vengeful spirit summoned by Kazane in the Kazane arc and placed a curse on Yukinari who had taken care of him since he was young. Masahiro eventually breaks the curse and he retained no memory of the incident.
[edit] 12 Spirit Summons (Shinshou)
The 12 summons have been in existence for a very, very long time and can be considered as gods of the lower rank. Currently they fall under the command of Abe no Seimei, the greatest Onmyouji of all times. Unless Seimei summons them, they usually reside in the spirit world of the gods.
These 12 summons are special as they were actually created by human dream’s. Overtime, people’s dreams and imaginations were transformed into the 12, giving them unique forms and personalities. They can be considered as the children of humans. Hence, the golden rule of the 12 is that they must never harm a human let alone kill one. Should they break that rule, they will lose their souls & become demons.
Although they are gods possessing strong powers, the summons can get injured, can feel pain and can lose their lives. When one of them dies they will be reborn instantly as people’s dreams never stop giving them form but they will forget their past self and continue on as a completely different god.
Guren (紅蓮?)/Touda (騰蛇 Tōda?)/Mokkun (もっくん?)
Touda is one of twelve Shikigami in service to Seimei; who gave him the name Guren after Touda pledged his servitude. The form he takes most of the time is a cat/dog like mononoke whom Masahiro named Mokkun. Because he is invisible to anyone without a spirit sense, Mokkun frequently plays tricks on people who annoy him, much to Masahiro’s chagrin. From the time Masahiro was a baby, Guren had watched over and protected him as Masahiro was the only person who wasn’t afraid of him. Because of this, despite how they constantly bicker with each other, Masahiro and Touda share a deep sense of friendship and trust between them and both are willing to lay down their own lives for the other. In his past, a spell was cast upon Guren by Seimei’s best friend Ryuusai who ordered Guren to kill Seimei and after that Guren kills Ryuusai. Also because of that incident Seimei’s other Shikigami don’t trust him. It is also mentioned that Guren is one of most feared summon Gods, possessing a power so great (controlling the fires of Hell) that Seimei created a golden ring to wear around Guren’s head so as to keep his own strength from overwhelming him. Since Masahiro doesn’t fear Guren, Seimei cites this as the proof his grandson is the only one worthy to be his successor. In the form of Mokkun, he is able to erect barriers and project crescent shaped blades of energy; in the form of Guren, he attacks with blasts of fire and a trident. (A fraction of this post has been removed due to the fact that it gives away the ending of the anime.)
Kouchin (勾陣?)
Kouchin appears as a mature-looking woman, about 25, with shoulder-length black hair. She is ranked second strongest of the twelve in attack power, after Touda. Kouchin specializes in close range fighting with twin sai. Unlike the others, Kouchin does not resent Touda as much and is actually his close friend, as Touda refers to Kouchin as ‘Kou’. When Masahiro asks him about this, he refused to respond. She has also watched over Masahiro when he was a baby together with Guren. She is very observant and has a clear grasp of all of the 12’s personalities. She is also very good at noticing small details. Her second name from Seimei is Keito (慧斗).
Rikugou/Saiki (六合 Rikugō?)
Rikugou’s primary role is to be the on-call bodyguard to Seimei but he will leave Seimei’s side to aide Masahiro should he be ordered to. Rikugou’s sense of loyalty is so strong that he was willing to put aside his doubts regarding Masahiro’s abilities and accepted him as Seimei’s successor on little more than his master’s assurances. He differs from the other Sheishou in that he rarely use magical attacks, preferring instead to fight opponents head on with a barbed spear. Rikugou can also use his cape as a shield and create an explosive 360 degree shock wave of air by striking the ground with his weapon. He also has a chain that was used against a ‘controlled’ Guren but Guren overpowered him. Rikugou is a man of few words and only speaks when he must. The only way to notice any change in his emotions was through his eyes. This began to change, however, after he met Kazane whom he fell in love with. Rikugou saved Kazane’s life two times. Once when she was swallowed by a demon and the other is when they were in the underworld. He began to show worry, frustration and was furious when she was killed. Just before she died, they shared an emotional embrace and he revealed to her that his name from Seimei is Saiki(彩輝), and that she is the only one he told his name to. He also gets along well with Mokkun.
Seiryu (青龍?)
Seiryu is stubborn, antisocial and has a bad temper. He holds a deep loathing for Guren due his attempted murder of Seimei and also considers Masahiro to be unworthy to be Seimei’s successor. Seiryu even went as far as to say that if Guren ever harms a human again, he will personally kill him. He attacks with blasts of lightning and fights with a large two handed scythe. His second name from Seimei is Shouran (宵藍). Seiryuu cares about Seimei’s wellbeing more than any of the others. However he always shows his care through anger.
Suzaku (朱雀 Suzaku?)
Suzaku is a fire user like Touda but unlike Touda’s destructive flames, Suzaku’s flames are used to purify evil spirits. He uses a heavybladed Zanbato to slash his enemies. Suzaku has bright red hair and wears a white strip of cloth around his forehead, which was Tenitsu’s. He is very much in love with Tenitsu and is fiercely protective of her due to her wound transfer ability, going as far as to hit Masahiro after Tenitsu saved him. The reason he cares about her was because Tenitsu past self was Suzaku’s best friend who was reborn right before his eyes after she died. Not wanting to lose her again, he becomes her protector. His sword which has the power to kill gods was later given to Masahiro to use against Touda.
Tenitsu (天一 Ten’itsu?)
A member of Seimei’s Shikigami, Tenitsu has the appearance of a young woman with long blond hair. Her ear-ring is Suzaku’s. Unlike the other members of the Sheishou, she specializes more in magic than combat, particularly healing and clairvoyance. When someone has a very serious wound, she heals it by transferring the wound onto herself, something her lover and fellow Shikigami Suzaku distresses over. Tenitsu has another name, Tenki (天貴), which only Suzaku calls her by. She is usually seen protecting Akiko or just keeping her company. She is the only Shikigami of the 12 that has died before. Her past self wore her hair short and was loud and energetic. She was also the best friend of Suzaku.
Taiin (太陰 Taiin?)
Taiin is a wind user who resembles a young girl with high pigtails. Fittingly she also has a childish personality despite living for so long. Said to be rash by a fair few of the Seishou, Taiin attacks with mini tornadoes and can also use the wind to communicate and pass messages. She can also ‘read’ the wind to know what’s happening at other places but she’s not good at it. Because of her personality she is often at the receiving end of one of Byakko’s lectures with the current record lasting 8 hours. Taiin does not like slimy things and often appears with Genbu. She can create a tornado to transport people to other places but the ride is usually very rough. A recurring gag in the series is that whenever she uses this, Masahiro and Genbu falls on the ground with only the older Shikigami remain standing.
Genbu (玄武 Genbu?)
Genbu resembles a young boy of about ten years. Although not possessing much ability in combat, Genbu specializes in defense and making barriers. However, out of the four people that can make barriers his is the weakest. He is a water user and has a water mirror that allows the user to see things happening far away. He can also use this mirror to communicate with fellow water user Tenkou. Genbu is often seen with Taiin who he constantly berates on some of the things she does.
Tenkou (天后 Tenkou?)
A water user like Genbu. Tenkou appears to be about the same age as Kazane and has long, light sliver hair. She gets along well with Kouchin. Tenkou is the weakest out of the eight fighting summons and is angry at herself for that. She is about as stubborn as Seiryuu but has her gentle side. She usually apologises on behalf on Taijou when he’s made Seiryuu mad. She first appears in the 20th episode and finally had a speaking role in the final episode of the series.
Taijou (太裳 Taijou?)
A man with green hair and lavendar eyes. He appears as a very peaceful, respectful man who always call Seimei’s family with the suffix “sama”. He used to take care of Narichika when he was young and was the one who taught Masachika how to use the bow and arrow. Taijou usually resides in the spirit world along with Tenkuu. He has the second strongest barrier making ability. Although being polite to everyone, Taijou seems to not think when he talks, especially to Seiryuu, and never realises that he’s made him angry until it’s too late. He first appears in the 20th episode & finally had his first speaking role in the final episode of the series.
Byakko (白虎 Byakko?)
Byakko resembles a strong middle-aged man with grayish-green hair. Like Taiin, he is a wind user but his wind is more ‘gentle’ and travels slower than Taiin’s. He treats Taiin and Genbu like his children. He is also the only one that can keep Taiin under control.
Tenkuu (天空 Tenkuu?)
A summon that resembles an old man with a long beard. Tenkuu is the governor of the 12 and rarely leaves the spirit world. He also has the strongest barrier making and defense powers of the 12. So strong, in fact that he can immobilize enemies without leaving the spirit world. He also makes all the Shikigami’s weapons. He first appear in the 20th episode & finally had his first speaking role in the final episode of the series where he talks with Kifune about Masahiro’s willingness to save Touda at the cost of his life.
Takaokami no Kami
The Dragon goddess of Kifune Mountain. She is a very powerful god that the 12 Shikigami including Seimei respect. When Kyuuki and his demons came to Japan, he manipulated Akiko’s cousin Keiko to seal her so that he and his demons could hide at Kifune Mountain without interference. She was later freed by Masahiro who used his magic to break the seal. As a sign of gratitude, she saves Masahiro’s life after he is stabbed by a possessed Akiko. She would later help Masahiro and his companions when the capital is in trouble. She usually appears as a White Dragon but later appears as a purple haired woman in her 30’s usually telling anyone to call Takao when she is in her human form. She first took over Mashiro’s body to discuss important issues with Guren regarding Mashiro but later decides to tell the latter herself in her human form. She later gave Masahiro the power to kill gods in order to kill Guren who has been corrupted.
Kurumanosuke
A youkai who resembles a carriage with a wide-mouthed ogre’s face mounted on the left wheel. Masahiro first encountered Kurumanosuke while patrolling the streets of the capital and almost exorcised him for allegedly attacking a human, but spared him after realizing Kuramanosuke was only trying to help a drunk who had passed out in the street. Afterwards, Kuramanosuke accepted Masahiro as his master and began serving as his personal transporter. When the capital was invaded by the Demons from the Underworld, it was Kurumanosuke who help hid the Zakki in his carriage to save their lives.
The Zakki
The term ‘zakki’ is used to refer to the lower demons. Since Masahiro exorcised Ban Ban, a demon that was attacking the zakki, they now act as informants for Masahiro, telling him of any strange happenings or sightings. In the anime, the zakki are usually represented by three demons; a lizard with three eyes, a yellow skinned gremlin and a pink, round ball. The Zakki usually appear by suddenly dropping out of the sky and landing on his head and calling him “Seimei’s grandson” much to his dismay, a running gag in the light novels and anime.
Kazane
The ‘daughter’ of Ryuusai. She is a formidable fighter, able to use magic and weapons as well. She is able to stand her ground and even defeat Seiryu and Genbu in a 2-on-1 battle. She has a deep hatred for Guren because she believes that he killed her father. She has a crow for a companion named Kai and cares very deeply for it. She and Rikugou seem to have feelings for each other. Rikugou has the most confrontations with her and ended up falling in love with her. He tried to convince her that Chigaeshi no Guuji is just using her to open the underworld but she replied that it is of her own free will.
It is later revealed that she is not really Ryuusai’s daughter but in fact the daughter of the Priestess of the Overturned Earth. She was kidnapped by Guuji when she was young and had her memories sealed. She was trained by Guuji and was told a lie that Seimei and Guren were responsible for her parents’ death. Unknown to her, she was secretly used to open the first gates of the underworld due to the fact only those related to the Priestess can open the gate. When she found out the truth and was weakened by Ryuusai/Guuji to open the gate, she tried to escape from the underworld demons and her crow Kai sacrificed his life by teleporting her away. Sadly, it was all vain as she was killed by a demon who stabbed her through the chest. Despite being a villain, she was still a good person since did care about Princess Nagako and tried to send her back to her family as she regretted kidnapping and using her in the first place. Her last moments before dying were with Rikugou who held her in his arms where she learned his real name. Her necklace was used to defeat Guuji and was later given to Rikugou by her mother who later brought her daughter’s body back to their home.
Princess Nagako
The Emperor’s daughter. When her baby brother was born, her parents ignored her who were joyful that they finally had a son. She felt lonely and bitter that here parents were ignoring her where she soon was befriended by Kazane who was disguised as a Nanny. Kazane use her anger to curse the capital. Despite being used by Kazane, she still love her since she was the only friend she ever had as Kazane knew what it was like being lonely.. When she was sent into the underworld, she felt nobody including her mother, cared about her anymore. When Masahiro and Genbu shown her that her mother still care for her and regret not spending time with her she realize her parents still love her. She was later sent back to her family.
Chigaeshi no Miko
The Priestess of the Overturned Earth and the mother of Kazane. She resides in the Overturned Earth, a realm between the human world & the underworld where she & her family are protected by the guardian’s of the underworld, large animals who’s duty is to serve the Priestess & protect the seal of the Underworld. 50 years before the Kazane arc began, she sought the help of Onmyoji Seimei and Ryusai to help her seal the gates of the underworld since the seal was getting weaker. However Ryuusai fell deeply in love and kidnapped her instead. She later left Ryuusai to go back to the her realm but was kidnap by Guuji. He sealed her into a frozen rock since he couldn’t get her to open the underworld gate, instead he used her daughter, Kazane. She was later found and rescued by Seimei and was in grief when she found out her daughter had died. She later brought back her daughter’s body back to her home and gave Rikugou Kazane’s necklace as a sign of gratitude for protecting her daughter.
Enoki Ryuusai
Seimei’s only best friend and a powerful onmyoji. Ryuusai while was not as powerful as Seimei, had learnt the Baku-kon spell, a spell that could forcefully control anyone and a spell that Seimei dislikes. 50 years ago, he accompanied Seimei to Izumo to check a disturbance there despite objection by Seimei not to follow him. There, he and Seimei meet The Chigaeshi no Miko who he fell deeply in love with. He was soon manipulated by Guuji to kidnap the Priestess and break the seal of the underworld and made to believe that by doing so, he could get the Priestess all for himself. When Guren and Seimei tried to stop him, he uses the Baku-kon spell on Guren and made him try to kill Seimei. He was finally killed by Guren but his body would be later used by Guuji’s soul. Guuji uses his body to help him in his plan with the promise he could still get the Priestess all for himself. His body was finally destroyed by Rikugou & Seimei and his spirit thanks Seimei for freeing him.
Chishiki no Guuji
The Shrine Priest of Knowledge. The real villain that hass been controlling Kazane and Ryuusai. Seimei and his Spirit Summons fought him once before many years ago, but now he has returned to open the Gates of the Underworld. Rikugou was the first one to realize he was back because he heard Kazane talking to him through a second head protruding from her crow, Kai. When he was mortally injured, he transfered his soul into Ryuusai’s body to continue his plans. He trained Kazane & lied about what happen to her parents so she would help him open the gates of the underworld. He later also controls Touda since his blood was needed to break the final seal. He was finally killed, ironically by Kazane’s necklace.
Miiaaww!! I like Masahiro!!
^_<