, is a
mangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by
Hiro Mashimais a Japanese manga artist. He is most known for his fantasy manga Groove Adventure Rave, published by Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine, from 1999 to 2005. The series was later adapted into an anime. However, the anime adaption was cancelled before it could complete the series.In 2003, he...
. The manga was serialized in
Shōnen Magazine from July 1999 through July 2005, and published in thirty-five
tankōbon, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by
Kodansha, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
. The manga series was licensed for an English release in North America by
TokyopopTokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
until Kodansha allowed their contract to expire.
Del Rey Mangawas the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
announced on September 26, 2009, at their
New York Anime FestivalThe 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...
panel, that it had acquired the rights to
Rave Master with a release date in September 2010. Kodansha Comics USA will keep publishing the series in 2011.
The series was adapted into a fifty-one episode anime series by
Studio Deenis a Japanese company that produces anime. Three years after Sunrise was founded in 1972, Studio Deen was established by Sunrise's members in 1975. As a result of this, anime shows such as Cowboy Bebop that were produced by Sunrise may have had assistance from Studio Deen.-Produced anime:* Urusei...
. The anime premiered on
TBS, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
on October 13, 2001 and ran until September 28, 2002. The anime series is based on the first twelve volumes of the manga series. Tokyopop also licensed the anime adaptation. The English
dubbedDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
version premiered on
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in the United States on June 5, 2004 as part of the
ToonamiToonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
programming block, and re-broadcast on
SyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
in 2009.
Plot
In 0015, fifty years before the story's start, the world was being corrupted by
Dark BringDark Bring are evil magical stones from the Japanese anime show and manga series Groove Adventure RAVE...
,DB for short,evil stones that bestowed incredible powers to their owners. The Dark Bring were used by the Raregroove Kingdom, and the Symphonia Kingdom fought against them with their Holy Bring.
Shiba, the first RAVE Master, attempted to destroy Sinclaire, the "mother" of the Dark Bring, with his Ten Commandments Sword. The aftermath caused the massive explosion known as "Overdrive" that destroyed one-tenth of the known world. Shiba, protected from the disaster by Plue, a special guardian "dog" who shielded him from the blast, held onto the RAVE required to power his sword. Plue and the five remaining fragments of RAVE, however, were scattered around the world.
Fifty years later
Haru Gloryis a character and main character of the Studio Deen anime series and manga, Rave Master. He is voiced by seiyū Tomokazu Seki and Yuri Lowenthal in English dub.-Character outline:...
, a teenager living on the peaceful Garage Island, fishes Plue up by accident. Several events soon follow, including Shiba's arrival and his desire to reclaim Plue, as well as the appearance of a mysterious organization known as Demon Card, whose members possess Dark Bring and aim to rule the world. After Haru battles one of its members, Shiba discovers that Haru is the second RAVE Master, and entrusts his RAVE, Plue, and the Ten Commandments Sword to Haru. Haru embarks upon an adventure to find the other fragments of Rave and to save the world.
Development
Hiro Mashima created
Rave Master with the idea of travelling around the world. Composed of thirty-five
tankōbon, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes, Mashima comments that although it was sometimes difficult to think of how to develop the storyline, he still remembers enjoying the making of
Rave Master. Still he regards that the series' end was "a little sentimental, a little sad." In both
Rave Master and his other manga
Fairy Tailis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiro Mashima. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since August 23, 2006, and has been published by Kodansha in 29 tankōbon volumes . An ongoing anime produced by A-1 Pictures and Satelight was released in Japan on October 12, 2009,...
, Mashima wants to make justice prevail but also make readers understand the villains' reasons to fight the main character in order to make them more complex characters.
Manga
Rave Master was serialized in
Weekly Shōnen Magazine, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...
in 1999 and ran for 296 chapters until its conclusion in 2005. It was published in thirty-five
collected volumes, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by
Kodansha, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
, with the first volume released in November 1999 and the final volume released in September 2005.
Rave Master was licensed for an English release in North America by
TokyopopTokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
, which released 32 volumes of the series. On August 31, 2009, Tokyopop announced that they would not be completing the series as their licenses with
Kodansha, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
expired and Kodansha required that they immediately stop publication of all previously licensed series, including
Rave Master. The next month, it was announced that
Del Rey Mangawas the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
had acquired the license and would begin publishing the remaining volumes in 2010. The last three volumes will be published in a single omnibus volume. Del Rey has not announced plans to re-release earlier volumes.
The series is licensed for regional language releases in French by
GlenatGlénat Editions SA is a French publisher with its head office in Grenoble. The company publishes many things, including comic books and manga in France, Benelux, and Spain; it was founded by Jacques Glénat. The Spanish subsidiary has its head office in Barcelona. The Benelux subsidiary, Glénat...
, in Spanish by
Norma EditorialNorma Editorial is a Spanish comics publisher, with its headquarters in Barcelona.Founded in 1977 by Rafael Martínez, it publishes both original Spanish comics , Spanish translations of Japanese manga as well as Spanish translations of American or European comics and...
, and in Italian by Editions Star Comics.
Egmont Manga & AnimeEgmont Manga & Anime is one of the largest publishers of manga in Germany. It was founded in the year 2000 as a daughter company of Egmont Ehapa, after the manga boom in Germany became apparent around the turn of the millennium. Since 2003, EMA has been part of Egmont vgs in Cologne.- History :In...
licensed
Rave Master for a German release, including serializing it in their monthly anthology
Manga Power.
Rave Master was also one of the first manga series released in Spanish in North America by Public Square Books.
Anime
The series was adapted into a fifty-one episode anime series, entitled
Rave: the Groove Adventure, by
Studio Deenis a Japanese company that produces anime. Three years after Sunrise was founded in 1972, Studio Deen was established by Sunrise's members in 1975. As a result of this, anime shows such as Cowboy Bebop that were produced by Sunrise may have had assistance from Studio Deen.-Produced anime:* Urusei...
. The anime premiered on
TBS, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
on October 13, 2001 and ran until September 28, 2002. The anime series is based on the first twelve volumes of the manga series.
TokyopopTokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
licensed the series for release and broadcast in North America. As with the manga, Tokyopop released the series under the name
Rave Master.
Their English
dubbedDubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
version aired on
Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in the United States, premiering in June 2004, as part of the
ToonamiToonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
programming block.
SyfySyfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
had begun airing the dubbed episodes on March 16, 2009 as part of its "Ani-Monday" programming block and finished on September 21, 2009.
Video games
There are six video games based on
Rave Master.
Nintendo GameCubeThe , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
Game Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
- Groove Adventure Rave
- Rave Master: Special Attack Force!
Rave Master: Special Attack Force! is a 2-d video game of the fighting game genre. It is based on the Japanese anime called Rave Master . It was released for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance...
(Groove Adventure Rave: Hikari to Yami no Daikessen 2)
PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
- Groove Adventure Rave
- Groove Adventure Rave: Mikan no Hiseki
- Groove Adventure Rave: Plue no Daibouken
Reception
In the Manga reviewers guide, published by Del-Rey in 2007, they gave the
Rave Master manga a positive review of 3 out of 4 stars. It states that
Rave Master had a relatively shaky start, in terms of storyline and art. However, it states that about part way through the first major story arc, the series began to improve and set itself apart from other manga series. Like most reviewers, they stated that
Rave Master had a collection of likeable characters.
Adaptations
A live-action/CG film is planned from
Illumination EntertainmentIllumination Entertainment is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It is owned by Universal Studios and based in Santa Monica, California. It is best known for its 2010 animated feature Despicable Me.- History :...
and
Universal Pictures-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, the production team responsible for the 2010 summer blockbuster
Despicable MeDespicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
.
Hayden ChristensenHayden Christensen is a Canadian actor. He appeared in Canadian television programs when he was young, then diversified into American television in the late 1990s. He moved on to minor acting roles before being praised for his role of Sam in Life as a House, for which he was nominated for a Golden...
will portrayed Haru Glory and
Hilary DuffHilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
will portrayed Elie.
External links