Fafner of the Azure
Encyclopedia
is a 26-episode anime
series produced by Xebec. The story focuses on a group of children who pilot the titular Fafners in an escalating war against giant aliens called Festum. The anime is subtitled Dead Aggressor. A television special subtitled RIGHT OF LEFT aired on December 29, 2005, and a feature film subtitled HEAVEN AND EARTH had a theatrical release in Japan on December 25, 2010.
The character designs were created by Hisashi Hirai
, who is also known for his work on Infinite Ryvius
, s-CRY-ed, Gundam SEED, and Gundam SEED Destiny.
ese island of has only remained unscathed by virtue of an advanced cloaking shield. The island's young people continue with their daily lives unaware of these events, but after many years of peace a lone Festum discovers Tatsumiyajima and attacks. The adults activate Tatsumiyajima's hidden defense systems and attempt to repel the attacker but to no avail. In desperation they order the deployment of the Fafner Mark Elf but its pilot is killed en route to the hangar. Left with no further options, they send a young boy named Kazuki Makabe as the replacement pilot assisted by Soushi Minashiro from within the Siegfried System.
The Festum is destroyed but with Tasumiyajima's whereabouts exposed the adults choose to abandon the island's current location. Production is accelerated on the additional Fafner units and more children are recruited to pilot them. It is also revealed that the cloaking was not meant to conceal Tatsumiyajima from only the Festum, but the rest of humanity who would seek to use its technology in the greater war against them. Before long this is precisely what happens and Tatsumiyajima is coerced into giving the Fafner Mark Sechs to the Neo United Nations.
and one insert theme. Angela
performed the opening theme entitled "Shangri-La", the insert theme "Proof" in episode 15, and the ending theme "Separation".Sōkyū no Fafner: RIGHT OF LEFT, a 50-minute prequel special to the television series, aired on December 29, 2005. The ending theme "Peace of Mind" for the special was also performed by Angela
. The TV series was originally licensed by Geneon
under the shortened title, Fafner, but has since been out of print.
A film, titled "Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor: Heaven and Earth" premiered in Japan on 25 December 2010. Once again, Angela
performed all theme songs (image, opening and insert) for the film. "FORTUNES" and "Rikai to Hakai e no Prelude (Prelude to Comprehension and Destruction)" are used as image theme song for the movie. "Sōkyū (Azure)" is used as ending theme and "Sayonara no Toki Kurai Hohoen de (At Least, Smile When We Are Saying Goodbye)" is used as insert theme for the movie.
According to a twitvideo post from lead vocalist Atsuko of the Japanese music group angela, a sequel to the 「Soukyuu no Fafner」 series has been green-lit for production. The announcement was originally made at the live streaming event, 「Soukyuu Sakusen」, which was for the film, 「Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor – HEAVEN AND EARTH」. Some unconfirmed reports from 2ch state that the sequel is entitled, Soukyuu no Fafner -EXODUS-; and that it takes place 2 years after the film.
At New York Anime Festival
/New York Comic Con 2011, Funimation Entertainment
had announced that both the TV series and film were both licensed and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2012.
, and featured illustrations by Hisashi Hirai. It was published in English by Digital Manga Publishing
.
in early 2005. It follows almost directly to the storyline with two bonus missions and also features new weapons such as the dimension gun. It offers a unique style of gameplay being a 3-Dimensional, real-time Role-Playing-Game (RPG).
In 2009, the series made its debut into the long-running Super Robot Wars
series as a part of Super Robot Wars K for the Nintendo DS
.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series produced by Xebec. The story focuses on a group of children who pilot the titular Fafners in an escalating war against giant aliens called Festum. The anime is subtitled Dead Aggressor. A television special subtitled RIGHT OF LEFT aired on December 29, 2005, and a feature film subtitled HEAVEN AND EARTH had a theatrical release in Japan on December 25, 2010.
The character designs were created by Hisashi Hirai
Hisashi Hirai
is a Japanese animator, character designer, and manga artist. He is noted for his work with Sunrise, having worked in Infinite Ryvius, s-CRY-ed, Gundam SEED, Gundam SEED Destiny and also Fafner of the Azure...
, who is also known for his work on Infinite Ryvius
Infinite Ryvius
is a 26 episode drama/sci-fi series produced by Sunrise. The series also refers to a manga.The character and mecha designs in RYVIUS were created by Hisashi Hirai, who later went on to act as character designer for Gundam SEED....
, s-CRY-ed, Gundam SEED, and Gundam SEED Destiny.
Plot
At the beginning of the story, much of the world has been destroyed by the Festum and the remote JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese island of has only remained unscathed by virtue of an advanced cloaking shield. The island's young people continue with their daily lives unaware of these events, but after many years of peace a lone Festum discovers Tatsumiyajima and attacks. The adults activate Tatsumiyajima's hidden defense systems and attempt to repel the attacker but to no avail. In desperation they order the deployment of the Fafner Mark Elf but its pilot is killed en route to the hangar. Left with no further options, they send a young boy named Kazuki Makabe as the replacement pilot assisted by Soushi Minashiro from within the Siegfried System.
The Festum is destroyed but with Tasumiyajima's whereabouts exposed the adults choose to abandon the island's current location. Production is accelerated on the additional Fafner units and more children are recruited to pilot them. It is also revealed that the cloaking was not meant to conceal Tatsumiyajima from only the Festum, but the rest of humanity who would seek to use its technology in the greater war against them. Before long this is precisely what happens and Tatsumiyajima is coerced into giving the Fafner Mark Sechs to the Neo United Nations.
Fafner Types
- Fafner Mark Dreizehn (XIII)- Nothung-model Fafner. Seen in the movie. It is piloted by Canon Hazama (old surname : Memphis).
- Fafner Mark Zwelf (XII)- Nothung-model Fafner. Seen in the movie. It is piloted by Seri Tatekami.
- Fafner Mark Elf (XI)- Nothung-model Fafner. Kazuki's boarding machine. Capable of atmospheric flight to a certain extent. Its core later implanted into Mark Sein when it was captured by the Neo UN. It doesn't appear in the movie.
- Fafner Mark Zehn (X)- Nothung model-Fafner. Seen in the movie. It is piloted by Akira Nishio.
- Fafner Mark Neun (IX)- Nothung-model Fafner. Seen in the movie. It is piloted by Rina Nishio.
- Fafner Mark Acht (VIII)- Nothung-model Fafner. Relatively basic Fafner used by Kenji Kondō.
- Fafner Mark Sieben (VII)- Nothung-model Fafner. Flight-capable Fafner based around the Mark Sechs. It is equipped with Dragon Tooth to fire enemies at distant range. It is piloted by Maya Tōmi.
- Fafner Mark Sechs (VI)- Nothung-model Fafner. Flight-capable in atmosphere. Used very briefly by Shōko in Episode 6 when she was trying to destroy Festum by activate self-destruct Fenrir System. It doesn't appear in the movie.
- Fafner Mark Funf (V)- Nothung-model Fafner. Defense-use Fafner equipped with the Aegis Shield. Used by Mamoru Kodate in the TV-series and later piloted by Hiroto Douma in the movie.
- Fafner Mark Vier (IV)- Nothung-model Fafner. Heavy assault unit briefly used by Kōyō Kasugai. Its core later implanted into Mark Nicht. In the movie, it is repiloted by Kōyō Kasugai (in Mir form).
- Fafner Mark Drei (III)- Nothung-model Fafner. Specialized Fafner used by Sakura Kaname. Can charge energy into its right hand to use the "Energy Knuckle" attack. Later piloted by Canon Memphis and repiloted by Sakura Kaname in the movie.
- Fafner Megatherion model- Michio's Fafner, which is very different from the Nothung models made by Tatsumiya. This model is made by the Neo UN. Later destroyed after the battle with Festum.
- Fafner Babylon model- Canon's Fafner, which is very different from the Nothung models made by Tatsumiya. This model is made by the Neo UN. Later destroyed after the battle with Festum.
- Fafner Gnosis model- The mass-production Fafner models made by the Neo UN. Their reliability is questionable. Their armaments consist of a right-arm Machine gun and a left-arm beam cannon, which, as seen in the anime, are mostly useless against even the most common Sphinx-type Festums. It is briefly used by Kazuki Makabe when he was trying to escape from the Neo UN base after Festum's attack in the TV-series.
- Fafner ? model- A second mass-production Fafner of the Neo UN seen during Operation Heaven's Door which is capable of flight. Might be Megatherion units.
- Fafner Mark Sein ('Existence')- A Salvator-model Fafner created the Neo UN. Initially supposed to be piloted by Michio Hino, it became Kazuki's second boarding machine, delivered to him by a Festum in Master Form (Festums that take on human appearance) after Mark Elf was captured by the Neo UN and its core implanted into Mark Sein. The Festum in question is called Mjolnir and is the Festum his mother Akane Makabe merged with, thus having her looks. This unit changed form and abilities drastically after 'melting' inside a Festum, which among other things made it pilotable only by Kazuki.
- Fafner Mark Nicht ('Nothingness')- A Salvator-model Fafner created by the Neo UN. It is a black version of the Mark Sein's original form using the core of the sunken remnaints of the Mark Vier. It was intended to be piloted by Yukie Kariya during Operation Heaven's Door, but it was stolen by the master festum Idun. It shares abilities from both Mark Sein and the festum. Later piloted by Misao Kurusu, as seen in the movie.
- Fafner Titan Model (TSX)- Seen in Right of Left piloted by Ryō, Yumi, and their classmates, it appears to be a pre-production model Fafner. At least four were produced. The Assimilation Phenomenon also appears to be accelerated when using the Titan models. Armaments seems to consist of Arm Machineguns, a prototype version of the Ruga Lance simply called Naginata, and a multi-tube Missile launcher.
- Fafner Mark Eins (I)- This appears to be the first Nothung Model made by Tatsumiya island. It was supposed to be piloted by Sōshi Minashiro (as seen in Right of Left), but apparently he cannot use it because of his scarred eye. It is a basic unit that became Michio's after the destruction of the Megatherion. It doesn't appear in the movie.
- Fafner Mark Zwei (II)- Also seen in Right of Left. It appears to have been built at the same time as the Mark I as their piloting tests were at the same time and they seem to have virtually identical configurations. This was Karin Kuramae's unit which she tried to board in the first episode. Most of it was used to repair/rebuild Mark Elf after Kazuki's first battle. It doesn't appear in the movie.
- Zero Fafner- The prototype Fafner model, later referred as Agile-model Fafner in the movie, only mentioned in official background information. After its initial test phase some high ranking members of Alvis defected to the Neo UN. Zero Fafner is piloted by Rina Nishio and Akira Nishio as seen in the movie.
- Mk.I-III+XI apparently share the same body design, as do Mk.VI & VII and IV & VIII, respectively, according to the Memorial Book.
- Considering there was less left of Mk.VII than of Mk.XI after their respective near-destructions, it is safe to assume that one of the two unseen Fafner Nothung model units (Mk.IX & X) was used for its reconstruction.
Festum Types
- Sphinx Type: Most common throughout the series; primarily consists of A Types. B Types rarely appear in the series, but serve as the primary festum in Right of Left. only one C Type appears early in the series in episodes 5 and 6 and is taken out by a suicide attack from the Mark Sechs. A D Type primarily uses long ranged weaponry and is the first festum to be killed in the first joint operation by Marks Drei, Funf, and Acht.
- Grendel Type: Human sized festum that resemble fleas.
- Alhenteris Type: Weaker versions of standard sphinx types.
- Pleidaes Type: Asexually reproductive festum with highly explosive larvae. Exactly 117 newborns can easily destroy a mountain.
- Koagyula Type: Festum that only assimilate with no real offensive weapons. They can only be killed when their eyes acquire serious damage.
- Scarab Type: Festum that only destroy with no assimilation properties.
- Master Type: The leaders and the most powerful of the festum, only a select few can differentiate from the hive mind.
- Idun: The most powerful master type and the main antagonist of the series. His power at both the destructive and assimilation level is greater than any other festum and can turn into a gigantic sphinx type that required the power of Mark Sein to stop. Near the end of the series he hijacks Mark Nicht.
- Eurus Type: Primary evolved Festum as seen in Heaven and Earth. Its body appears in red color, different from the most common Festum.
Weapons
These are all listed and used in the anime and/or game.- Aegis Shield- Mounted on protectors either on the shoulders or the back. It is essentially a portable Welle Shield, and is used to block Festum attacks.
- Cluster Bomb
- Dimension Gun- A large cannon/bazooka type weapon capable of inflicting a large amount of inter-dimensional damage. Can only fire one shot. Appears only in the game.
- Dragon Tooth- A high-caliber sniper rifle with a 'tooth' to dig into the ground for stability.
- Durandal- A small sidearm for taking on light targets. Ineffectual against Festums.
- Electromagnetic Launcher - A railcannon type weapon. It is usually referred to as the "Rail Gun".
- Fafner Finger- Used by Mark Drei initially. Concentrating energy into its right hand, the Fafner shoves it through the Festum's core, destroying it. It highly resembles the "god finger" attack used by the God Gundam.
- Fenrir System- A self-destruct system that is assumed to activate automatically, should the Fafner be assimilated. It creates a miniaturized black hole similar to the Festums upon detonation.
- Fire Drake
- Garm-44- A semi-automatic rifle with 100 rounds, scaled to Fafner size.
- Gegner- A small energy weapon, used typically against small Festums.
- Gelatic Bullet-
- Lindwurm- The Fafner's carrier-type vehicle. It is guided by the Siegfried System. Its armaments include Missile Pods, Grapple Pods, and a rotating Laser Cannon.
- Long Sword- Mounted in a compartment within the Lindwurm. A solid shaft with a laser-edge running up the blade. Proved to be marginally effective against Festums.
- Medusa- A shoulder mounted energy cannon. Contains considerable power, comparable to that of the Lindwurms Tail Laser Cannon.
- Mine Blade- A short laser-edged knife. The blade is apparently made of nanomachines and can reshape itself, if broken. It bears an uncanny resemblance to the 'progressive knife' of the renowned series Evangelion in both appearance and use.
- Piram- A handheld spike launcher. Once the spike hits the target, it sends an electric charge through the cable to damage or immobilize it.
- Punch- A basic punching attack. Usually aided by a piston to provide more of a kick.
- Razing Cutter- Small wires stored in the Fafner's knuckles that shoot out and envelope enemies. The wires can be charged to cut through materials.
- Ruga Lance- The Fafner's main weapon. Usually used as a sword, but can be expanded to open a gap. Once a gap is made, an energy shot can be launched.
- Scorpion
- Thermotics Blade
Anime
The series features two pieces of theme musicTheme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
and one insert theme. Angela
Angela (band)
Angela is a Japanese pop band that's best known for theme songs of anime television shows. The main members are atsuko and KATSU. Their signature upbeat tunes and rich arrangements is a dazzling mix of electronica, dance, rock, swing jazz and ska...
performed the opening theme entitled "Shangri-La", the insert theme "Proof" in episode 15, and the ending theme "Separation".Sōkyū no Fafner: RIGHT OF LEFT, a 50-minute prequel special to the television series, aired on December 29, 2005. The ending theme "Peace of Mind" for the special was also performed by Angela
Angela (band)
Angela is a Japanese pop band that's best known for theme songs of anime television shows. The main members are atsuko and KATSU. Their signature upbeat tunes and rich arrangements is a dazzling mix of electronica, dance, rock, swing jazz and ska...
. The TV series was originally licensed by Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
under the shortened title, Fafner, but has since been out of print.
A film, titled "Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor: Heaven and Earth" premiered in Japan on 25 December 2010. Once again, Angela
Angela (band)
Angela is a Japanese pop band that's best known for theme songs of anime television shows. The main members are atsuko and KATSU. Their signature upbeat tunes and rich arrangements is a dazzling mix of electronica, dance, rock, swing jazz and ska...
performed all theme songs (image, opening and insert) for the film. "FORTUNES" and "Rikai to Hakai e no Prelude (Prelude to Comprehension and Destruction)" are used as image theme song for the movie. "Sōkyū (Azure)" is used as ending theme and "Sayonara no Toki Kurai Hohoen de (At Least, Smile When We Are Saying Goodbye)" is used as insert theme for the movie.
According to a twitvideo post from lead vocalist Atsuko of the Japanese music group angela, a sequel to the 「Soukyuu no Fafner」 series has been green-lit for production. The announcement was originally made at the live streaming event, 「Soukyuu Sakusen」, which was for the film, 「Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor – HEAVEN AND EARTH」. Some unconfirmed reports from 2ch state that the sequel is entitled, Soukyuu no Fafner -EXODUS-; and that it takes place 2 years after the film.
At New York Anime Festival
New York Anime Festival
The New York Anime Festival is an anime and manga convention held annually since 2007 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City...
/New York Comic Con 2011, Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
had announced that both the TV series and film were both licensed and will be released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2012.
Light novel
A novelization of the series was written by Tow UbukataTow Ubukata
is a Japanese science fiction light novel, manga and anime creator. He spent ages four to nine of his childhood in Singapore and ages 10 to 14 in Nepal. In Nepal, Ubukata made great effort to maintain his Japanese heritage and language abilities; he read dictionaries to keep in touch with his...
, and featured illustrations by Hisashi Hirai. It was published in English by Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga Publishing
Digital Manga is a company that licenses and releases, in English, Japanese anime, manga, and related merchandise. The company has several subdivisions: Digital Manga Publishing, which publishes Japanese manga, novels and instructional and illustration books in North America with multiple imprints,...
.
Video games
Fafner in the Azure was adapted into a video game released for the PlayStation PortablePlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in early 2005. It follows almost directly to the storyline with two bonus missions and also features new weapons such as the dimension gun. It offers a unique style of gameplay being a 3-Dimensional, real-time Role-Playing-Game (RPG).
In 2009, the series made its debut into the long-running Super Robot Wars
Super Robot Wars
is a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
series as a part of Super Robot Wars K for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
See also
- FafnirFafnirIn Norse mythology, Fáfnir or Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin and Ótr. In the Volsunga saga, Fáfnir was a dwarf gifted with a powerful arm and fearless soul. He guarded his father's house of glittering gold and flashing gems...
- a character in Norse MythologyNorse mythologyNorse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
who turns himself into a dragon to protect its treasure.