Desert Punk(Japanese: 砂ぼうず,Hepburn: Sunabōzu) is a post-apocalyptic manga series written and illustrated by Usune Masatoshi, serialized in Enterbrain's Comic Beam since 1997. The published chapters have been collected in 13 volumes.
The manga was adapted into a 24-episode science fiction action adventure anime television series produced by Gonzo and directed by Takayuki Inagaki with character designs by Takahiro Yoshimatsu and music by Kōhei Tanaka. It aired in Japan from 4 October 2004 to 28 March 2005. FUNimation has licensed the series for distribution in the United States.
Plot
After an implied global nuclear catastrophe Japan has been reduced to a desert and the surviving humans seek out a meager living in the hot sands. Desert Punk focuses on the adventures of a wandering mercenary named Kanta Mizuno, nicknamed Desert Punk (Sunabōzu), due to his seemingly incredible feats of skill and daring while on the job. Throughout the series, he acquires an apprentice and makes a few friends as well as enemies. "The Great Kanto Desert is a truly miserable place. It’s also the home of hero-for-hire Desert Punk, the closest thing to a good guy the sandy wasteland’s got. He’s never failed to complete a mission, and he’s known far and wide as the best man for any job.
Protagonists
Desert Punk(砂ぼうず,Sunabōzu, lit. "Sand Brat" or "Sand Punk")
Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese); Eric Vale (English)Real name being Kanta Mizuno(水野 灌太,Mizuno Kanta), he is also known as the "Demon of the Desert". An 19-year-old member of a mercenary group known as the Handyman Guild, he is outwardly obsessed with large female breasts and sex. Although thought of as a despicable person, he is highly professional in accomplishing assigned tasks. His legendary reputation is due to his good luck, practicality, sharp wit, specialist equipment, and his grandiose self-promotion. In volume 13, he changes sides in the civil war raging between desert oases, betraying his old friends in the hope of trading them as captives for a promotion. He offers Taiko the chance to join him, telling her that she has no trade value. She declines, and after this point, Taiko becomes the main character.Desert Punk uses his father's old Winchester Model 1897 shotgun, along with other equipment. Enemies will often mistake his rocket-powered winch with an ability to levitate and fly. He carries a massive quantity of balloons which are identical to his outward appearance to obscure his position. He also employs smoke bombs, and has sabotage devices for his own equipment in case it is stolen.
Kosuna(小砂,lit. "Little Sand")
Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)Real name: Taiko Koizumi(小泉 太湖,Koizumi Taiko). Kosuna is the former apprentice of the Shimmer Sniper with a goal to become the desert's number one "power babe" mercenary. After the Shimmer Sniper is lying naked and defeated, Kosuna immediately abandons him and begs to be made Kanta's apprentice. He only accepts after she shows him a picture of a large breasted woman Kosuna claims to be her mother.Seemingly unable to complete any task by herself at first, she is an able assistant and honestly looks up to Kanta, despite his extremely perverted ways. She is very loyal and follows orders with little or no complaints. As the series progresses, Kosuna becomes an excellent mercenary, surpassing Kanta's abilities in marksmanship even when her weapon is unfamiliar or oversized. Kosuna becomes the series' main character in volume 13, after Kanta betrays his friends and she declines his offer to switch sides with him.
Machine Gun Brothers
Childhood friends of Desert Punk. They are often seen making fun of Desert Punk, though it is implied they actually respect him. In situations where they save Desert Punk, they are seen jokingly asking if they should finish him off, with quotes such as "well, time to go kill him." Kanta attempts to betray them, along with Natsuko and Kosuna, in volume 13.Their names are based on the seasons of winter, autumn and spring respectively, while their sister's is based on summer.
Fuyuo Kawaguchi(川口 冬夫,Kawaguchi Fuyuo)
Voiced by: Jiro Saito (Japanese); Jeremy Inman (English)Fuyuo is the biggest of the three, and is seen giving orders occasionally. His weapon of choice is a Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun with rifle stock and forward grip.
Akio Kawaguchi (川口 秋夫,Kawaguchi Akio)
Voiced by: Otoya Kawano (Japanese); Justin Cook (English)Akio is the second oldest brother and the biggest smart-aleck. His is seen with a weapon designated as a "M249 SAW".
Haruo Kawaguchi(川口 春夫,Kawaguchi Haruo)
Voiced by: Yasuhiro Takato (Japanese); Mike McFarland (English)The youngest brother, Haruo carries the traits of a crybaby. He is good frends with Taiko, and uses an M60 machine gun.
Others
Junko Asagiri(朝霧 純子,Asagiri Junko)
Voiced by: Tomoko Kotani (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English)A female rival of Desert Punk with voluptuously large breasts, she is known as the "Vixen of the Desert". She is introduced to the series in a situation where she uses her sex appeal to steal an important key from Desert Punk which he recently procured as part of a mercenary contract. Despite this and other similar actions, she remains an object of Kanta's desires, which she uses to further manipulate him. Despite often working closely together, the series never confirms if she and Desert Punk become romantically intimate.
Rain Spider(雨蜘蛛,Amagumo)
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (Japanese); Kenny Green (English)A male rival of Desert Punk, he is depicted as an equal match for him in combat. He is renowned as a fearsome debt collector who is rumored to collect even the souls of his targets. While he has earned his reputation through forceful tactics, he is not against running away when he is at a disadvantage, however often his seeming retreats are merely feints from which he soon unexpectedly returns.
Natsuko Kawaguchi(川口 夏子,Kawaguchi Natsuko)
Voiced by: Yuko Minaguchi (Japanese); Jamie Marchi (English)Sister of the Machine Gun Brothers, she was a childhood friend of Kanta. She is a proficient hand-to-hand combatant and the current idol of Kosuna.
Manga
Desert Punk began as a manga series written and illustrated by Usune Masatoshi, which began serialization in Enterbrain's Comic Beam manga magazine on August 5, 1997. thirteen bound volumes have been released in Japan as of March 2010. The manga is significantly different from the anime with a more realistic look and far more common use of black comedy as opposed to quirky and sexual humor. Many changes were made to give the anime a more light hearted feel when adapting it from the manga. The manga also has a different ending than the anime. Also notable is that five story arcs are missing from the anime and at episode 19 the anime separates from the manga, leaving a new 6 episode ending in place of chapters 43 to 86 of the manga.
Anime
During the first half, the series has light-hearted overtones as Kanta and his life in the desert are introduced through his humorous adventures. The show adopts a more serious atmosphere during the second half of the anime as Kanta becomes embroiled in political turmoil that erupts over the Great Kanto Desert. This change in tone is reflected in a change of the opening and closing themes of the series. There are currently no plans to continue the anime series.
