Mardock Scramble
8 /10 1 Votes
Director Susumu Kudo | Duration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Release date September 29, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mardock Scramble (マルドゥック・スクランブル, Marudukku Sukuranburu) is the name for a series of novels by Tow Ubukata, which were later adapted into a manga series and a trilogy anime film series. The story is about a girl named Rune Balot who was taken in by a man named Shell who later tried to kill her and left her for dead. She is saved and turned into a cyborg. It is up to her to stop Shell and his evil gang.
Contents
The first novel was published in Japan in May 2003, with the final novel published on July 2003. The novels were later adapted into a manga series and an anime film trilogy.
Viz Media licensed the novels and published all three in one volume. Kodansha Comics USA published the manga series in English, and Sentai Filmworks released anime films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.
Plot
Taking place in a futuristic city called Kamina City, Rune Balot is a prostitute who was taken in by the notorious gambler Shell Septinous. One night, Shell abandons Rune and attempts to murder her in an explosion. However, she is rescued and transformed into a cyborg by Dr. Easter under regulation Mardock Scramble 09, an emergency ordinance where experimental technologies can be used to preserve life. An Artificial intelligence who takes the form of a Mouse accompanies her to adapt to her new life. Rune is trained to use the advanced technology fitted on her to defend herself against Shell's attempts to have her killed to stop her from testifying against him.
Characters
Characters and voice actors appearing in the Anime films.
Novel
The story was written by Tow Ubukata, and illustrated by Katsuya Terada was serialized in Hayakawa's SF Magazine. The first novel was published in May 2003, and the final novel was published in July 2003. Viz Media licensed the novels in English and published all three in one volume on January 18, 2011.
Manga
A manga adaptation illustrated by Yoshitoki Oima was published in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine between October 9, 2009 and May 9, 2012, compiled in seven volumes. The first volume was released in Japan on March 17, 2010, and the last on June 9, 2012. Kodansha Comics USA published the manga in English, the first volume was released on August 23, 2011, while the last one was released on May 21, 2013.
Anime OVAs
An OVA anime series was announced by Gonzo in 2005 which would have been directed by Yasufumi Soejima and produced by Geneon, screenplay written by Ubukata himself and character designs by Range Murata (Blue Submarine No. 6, Last Exile). However, the project was cancelled in 2006.
Anime films
On January 18, 2010, a website opened up that announced that an anime adaptation would take place. Later, it was confirmed that the Mardock Scramble anime would be turned into a film trilogy. The film trilogy was animated at GoHands studio and produced by Aniplex, directed by Susumu Kudo and the screenplay was written by Ubukata himself. The soundtrack was composed by Conisch.
- The first film, The First Compression, was released in Japanese theaters on November 6, 2010. It was also aired on Anime Festival Asia 2010.
- The second film, The Second Combustion, was released in to Japanese theaters on September 3, 2011.
- The third film, The Third Exhaust, was released in Japanese theaters on September 29, 2012.
Sentai Filmworks has licensed the three films and released The First Compression on DVD on September 27, 2011 followed by a Blu-ray Disc release on March 13, 2012. On the DVD the nudity from the theatrical release has been censored out, the Blu-ray contains both editions of the movie. DVDs of the last two films, The Second Combustion and The Third Exhaust, where released on January 1, 2012 and March 25, 2014 respectively.
Live-action film
On May 30, 2012, Dentsu and Hayakawa Publishing licensed the rights to produce a live-action film adaptation of Mardock Scramble. Michael Davis is scheduled to produce and direct the film. However, on May 31, Hayakawa editor Yoshihiro Shiozawa confirmed that the rights of the film are not sold yet and have been in negotiations.