Written by Toshio Maeda English publisher Manga 18 Magazine Manga Erotopia | Published by Wani Magazine Demographic Seinen | |
Genre Horror, Action, Paranormal, Erotic, Science Fiction |
Urotsukidōji (Japanese: 超神伝説うろつき童子, Hepburn: Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji) is a Japanese erotic horror manga series written and illustrated by Toshio Maeda and a series of original video animation (OVA) anime releases.
Contents
- Overview of the manga
- Overview of the anime
- Characters
- Ningen Humans
- Jjin Beast men
- Majin Demons
- Makemono Demon Beasts anime only
- Other characters
- Anime saga
- Legend of the Overfiend 19871989
- DVD releases
- Legend of the Demon Womb 19901991
- Return of the Overfiend 19921993
- Inferno Road 19931995
- The Final Chapter 1996
- New Urotsukidji New Saga 2002
- New Urotsukidoji manga
- References
Urotsukidōji was created by Toshio Maeda in 1986 and was a huge departure from his earlier works in that it mixed erotica with dark humor and the supernatural. He was commissioned to do the series for Manga Erotopia, a pornographic manga magazine published by Wani Magazine that deals mostly with avant garde stories. Maeda was picked because of his artistic style which paid incredible attention to detail and for his ability to tell rather good stories with complex plots, unlike most erotic manga artists at the time.
Although the manga would grow a cult following, it was the anime which became notorious. Anime director Hideki Takayama took great artistic liberties with the Urotsukidōji story, mixing elements of horror, violence, and sadistic scenes of rape not present in the original work. Maeda himself stated in an issue of Playboy Japan that he found the anime to be repugnant, cruel and sadistic, yet brilliant. He also said he admires Takayama's take on his vision. The anime series is most famous for being the first in the tentacle rape genre, though only one scene in the first OAV actually contains any tentacle rape. Tentacle rape was not present in the Urotsukidōji manga but was featured in a series that he would publish years later called Demon Beast Invasion. Takayama was incredibly influenced by this work of Maeda's but thought that the Urotsukidōji story was stronger.
In an interview as to why Hideki Takayama chose to tell such a violent and sadistic story he said "There is nothing that arouses a stronger response in human beings than either sex or violence. A mixture of the two is very powerful indeed." Today Urotsukidōji, as well as its later sequels, are infamous, not just in Japan, but in the rest of the world as well. According to The Erotic Anime Movie Guide, it is the most recognized adult anime in the world. It was number 72 in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Cartoons.
Overview of the manga
Jyaku (the eponymous wandering kid) is a beast/human hybrid who has been banished to Earth for his great misdeeds, mostly involving the Elder and his daughter Mimi. The Elder sends Jyaku to the human world to find the Chōjin: the unbeatable god of the demon world who is hiding within the body of a man.
A group of reptilian demons want to find the Chōjin and use his power on behalf of the Queen of Demons. Under the leadership of Suikakuju, the Elder's rival and lover of his estranged wife, the Queen of Demons, they hatch a series of plots to try to capture the Chōjin, most of which go horribly wrong.
Jyaku is sent to protect the Chōjin, but after his lecherous friend Koroko and then later his nymphomaniac sister Megumi come to find him, this proves to be more difficult.
Overview of the anime
Every 3,000 years the human world (人間界, Ningenkai) is united with the demon world (魔界, Makai) and the man-beast world (獣人界, Jūjinkai) by the revival of the Super God (超神, Chōjin), known as the Overfiend in the English version). The saga follows Jyaku Amano—a man-beast—and his quest to find the real Chōjin and to ensure the safe future of all three worlds. However, he finds his beliefs put to the test when he encounters numerous demons, who plan to destroy the Chōjin and prevent the three worlds from joining.
Characters
As the Urotsukidōji saga spans over a number of years it incorporates a wide variety of characters. Below is a list of the main characters, which are split into their races:
Ningen ("Humans")
Jūjin ("Beast-men")
In the manga there are only two worlds: the world of demons and the world of humans. However, in the anime there is a third world, the world of the "Man-Beasts". In the manga, Jyaku is a half breed, born of a human and demon, while Megumi is a human who has been given powers. Koroko, The Great Elder and Lady Mimi are all considered demons in the manga.
Majin ("Demons")
Makemono ("Demon-Beasts") (anime only)
Other characters
Anime saga
There are four main chapters in the original Urotsukidōji saga, along with an unfinished fifth chapter that has so far only been released in Japan and Germany, as well as a complete remake of the first chapter.
Legend of the Overfiend (1987–1989)
- "Birth of the Overfiend" (January 21, 1987)
- "Curse of the Overfiend" (March 21, 1988)
- "Final Inferno" (April 10, 1989)
The first OVA series was named Legend of the Demon God Urotsukidōji (超神伝説うろつき童子, Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji). These three episodes were adapted from the original manga but skip over much of humorous sub stories and sub plots and instead shift the focus to the apocalypse and the battle between Suikakuju and Jyaku.
The three OVAs were later edited into a western theatrical version known as Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend, with much of the more explicit material being removed (continued in the UK and Australia by the BBFC and OFLC, now the ACB, who also removed some of the more 'shocking' material).
Planet Earth is not all it seems. It is revealed that humans are not alone and that there are unseen realms running parallel to our own: the realms of the Demons (Makai) and the Man-Beasts (Jyujinkai). To further that, there is a 3000-year-old legend that foretells the coming of the Overfiend (Chōjin)—a being of unimaginable power that will unite all three realms into a land of eternity.
The story follows the exploits of the protagonists—man-beast Jyaku Amano, his nympho sister Megumi and their companion Kuroko—as their 300-year search for the Overfiend takes them to a high school in Osaka, Japan. Their discoveries led them to two students: shy, lecherous Tatsuo Nagumo and school idol Akemi Ito. But as the film plunges deeper into the dark and macabre, Jyaku discovers that the Legend of the Overfiend is not what it seems and that the future of the three realms may be strikingly different from what he is led to believe.
DVD releases
- Perfect Collection (Anime 18)—2:26:06
- Special DVD Edition (Manga Entertainment)—1:42:55
- Movie Edition (Kitty Media)—1:45:20
The Perfect Collection from Anime 18 is the only English friendly uncut version of the first OVA available outside Japan. Other versions such as the one on the "Hell on Earth" boxed set and the Australian Madman release with both Legend of the Overfiend and Legend of the Demon Womb have been cut for 45 minutes total, which included a total of 24 minutes of sexual-oriented scenes. The U.S. DVD releases are now out of print. The Movie Edition, licensed by Kitty Media in 2010 and released in 2011, is the first time any of the anime has been released on Blu-ray, though it is reformatted for widescreen (the DVD version released alongside it retains the original aspect ratio).
Legend of the Demon Womb (1990–1991)
- "A Prayer for the Resurrection of the Lord of Chaos" (December 1, 1990)
- "Battle at Shinjuku Skyscrapers" (April 10, 1991)
The second OVA series was named The True Legend of the Demon God Urotsukidōji: Connections with the Devil (真・超神伝説うろつき童子 魔胎伝, Shin Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji: Mataiden). This series was not based on the manga, but elements from it were used. With Tatsuo's cousin Takeaki taking on a character similar to the character of Niki in the manga and Münchhausen II taking after the character of Suikakuju.
The second part of the saga created an ongoing controversy among Urotsukidōji fans as to where it fits into the saga as a whole. One main theory is that the two chapters happen between "Birth of the Overfiend" and "Curse of the Overfiend" of the first OVA. Another main theory is that since the characters and tone are fairly unfaithful to the first three OVAs, it ought not to be considered part of the canon in the first place.
The two OVAs were again later recut into a theatrical version, known as Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Demon Womb; however, whereas the original two OVA episodes in this case censored sexual acts with blurring throughout, the movie edit was fully uncensored and even featured additional scenes with new animation and effects added to improve existing scenes. No material was taken out in the process — the time difference arising due to redundant credits and recaps — so the movie is to be considered the most complete version.
Unbeknownst to Jyaku and Megumi, in 1944, the Nazis attempted to summon the Overfiend's nemesis: the Lord of Chaos (Kyō-Ō). Top scientist Dr Münchhausen and his son invented a perverse death-rape machine to summon the Lord of Chaos—but the machine overloaded; and helped to destroy half of Berlin—leaving Münchhausen II alive, but psychologically scarred.
During his adolescence, Münchhausen II discovers his father's journal and tries to uncover the secrets of the Jyujinkai and the Makai. He finally succeeds and reawakens Kohoki—a demon banished to hell for eternity—into the human realm and the two form an infamous partnership.
Cut to the present day and Münchhausen II is trying to fulfill his father's work—to summon the Lord of Chaos—but to make sure it will work this time, he needs a human sacrifice. And it just so happens Tatsuo's cousin Takeaki Kiryu is on the next plane to Osaka...
DVD releases
- Perfect Collection (Anime 18)—1:37:33
- Urotsukidōji II: Legend of the Demon Womb (Anime 18)—1:26:51
- Special DVD Edition (Manga Entertainment)—1:23:32
The Perfect Collection from Anime 18 is the only uncut version of the second Urotsukidōji OVA available outside Japan — however, even the Japanese version was censored and this censoring was carried over. As mentioned above, this was rectified for the movie version which is uncensored and contains more original material than the OVAs. Anime 18's DVD release is uncut though others (such as Manga UK's) have again been censored with cuts made. Both Japanese and English language tracks are included on Anime 18's DVD of the movie, but there are no subtitles. Like the Perfect Collection, it is not region coded. Other versions such as the one on the "Hell on Earth" boxed set and the Australian Madman release with both Legend of the Overfiend and Legend of the Demon Womb have been cut for 14 minutes total, which included a total of 7 minutes of sexual-oriented scenes. The U.S. releases are also now out of print.
Return of the Overfiend (1992–1993)
- "Birth of the True Overfiend" (October 1, 1992)
- "The Mystery of Caesar's Palace" (January 21, 1993)
- "The Collapse of Caesar's Palace" (May 21, 1993)
- "Journey to an Unknown World" (August 21, 1993)
The third OVA series was named Legend of the Demon God Urotsukidōji: The Future (超神伝説うろつき童子 未来篇, Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji: Mirai-hen). This is where the saga begins to focus less on the remaining central characters and introduces other secondary characters, none of which are present in the manga. The four parts were edited for western audiences as Urotsukidōji: Return of the Overfiend, in some cases cut into a pair of films.
At the end of "Final Inferno", we discover that the Chōjin is the offspring of Tatsuo and Akemi and of Tatsuo's horrific transformation into the Demon of Destruction—who needs to "destroy the old to make way for the new".
Twenty years have passed and the Chojin has been prematurely born. He summons Jyaku Amano to protect him and to help to discover what has happened, sending Jyaku forth to search for the evil born in the east. Unfortunately a new race called the Makemono (Demon Beasts) have arisen following the apocalypse, ruled over by the fanatical cyborg Caesar and his mysterious comrade "Faust". It is apparent they are the cause behind these events and intend to resurrect the Kyō-Ō.
Jyaku, along with the Makemono Buju and Caesar's traitorous daughter Alector, need to stop the two dictators from ruling the land of eternity. The question is, who will succeed?
Inferno Road (1993–1995)
- "The Secret Garden" (December 21, 1993)
- "The Long Road to God" (March 21, 1994)
- "The End of the Journey" (May 20, 1995)
The fourth OVA series was named Legend of the Demon God Urotsukidōji: The Wandering (超神伝説うろつき童子 放浪篇, Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji: Hōrō-hen). Forgetting plot and some characters entirely for the self-contained storyline of the first two OVAs, they gained such notoriety for their gratuitous and explicit nature that they were banned outright from many countries (including Britain). They were edited again for the west under the title Urotsukidōji: Inferno Road.
Continuing straight after the climax of Return of the Overfiend, Jyaku and the survivors head for Osaka to help the Overfiend after his climatic battle. On the way they find a kingdom where children cruelly dominate adults (OVAs 1 and 2). Jyaku's problems are furthered when an old nemesis shows up at the wrong time (OVA 3).
The third OVA in this series, "The End of the Journey", stands alone plot-wise (wrapping up the story arc from Urotsukidoji: Return of the Overfiend, on which the first two OVA have no bearing), and was originally intended to be a theatrical release. It is based on the final chapters of Maeda's New Urotsukidoji.
NOTE: Inferno Road was originally to have another ending, which was fully completed but ultimately discarded. This ending was to have revealed that the apparent Chōjin as seen at the start of Urotsukidoji: Return of the Overfiend was not in fact the real Chōjin, but yet another Makai. This alternate ending was to have set up the abandoned The Final Chapter.
The Final Chapter (1996)
- "The Final" (December 28, 1996)
The fifth OVA series was named Legend of the Demon God Urotsukidōji: The Final Act (超神伝説うろつき童子 完結篇, Chōjin Densetsu Urotsukidōji: Kanketsu-hen), also known as Urotsukidōji: The Final Chapter in the west. Only one episode of this was partially completed, the released version containing numerous examples of animation that is missing in-between frames. The story, as such, concerned the arrival of the real Chōjin who creates a new hermaphrodite race to wipe out all remaining life on Earth.
After giving birth to the Chōjin, Akemi reawakens in hospital, along with Jyaku, who had barely survived a recent confrontation with the Chōjin (whose form constantly changes between male and female). Destroyer God Tatsuo also reappears (after supposedly being killed by Kyō-Ō in Urotsukidoji: Return of the Overfiend) and continues his ravaging of Earth. Still in love with Tatsuo, Akemi runs out to find him.
Meanwhile, Jyaku is confronted by some of the Chōjin's new 'children', and engages them in battle. However, his efforts prove almost futile, as they are constantly regenerated by the Chojin. Akemi eventually finds Tatsuo, still in God form, and pleads with him. He clutches her in his hand (similarly to the end of the first episode) and prepares to kill her. However, she is rescued at the last minute by Jyaku, although she condemns him for doing so.
New Urotsukidōji: New Saga (2002)
- "The Urotsuki: Part I" (May 3, 2002)
- "The Urotsuki: Part II" (August 9, 2002)
- "The Urotsuki: Part III" (November 19, 2002)
This series was named The Urotsuki (ザ・うろつき, Za Urotsuki), also known as New Urotsukidōji: New Saga in the west. Released in North America on March 9, 2004. This three-disc collection is a retelling of the first episode in The Legend of the Overfiend. It has the same basic plot as "Birth of the Overfiend"
New Urotsukidoji manga
After the popularity of the anime version of his work, Maeda sought to redo the Urotsukidoji series. Inspired by the post-apocalyptic story in the anime version, Maeda fleshed out the story and also took it into the realm of the post apocalyptic.
The Urotsuki video series and the Urotsukidoji horror film are the only anime works which have borrowed from this series.