, is a Japanese light novel

Light novel

A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...

 series by Isao Miura, with illustrations by Luna. As of June 2011, ten volumes have been published by Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

 under their MF Bunko J

MF Bunko J

is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young adult males.Label names "J" is for "Japan" and "Juvenile" have meaning.-0-9:-A:-B:-C:...

 label. A manga

Manga

Manga 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...

 adaptation by Kōtarō Yamada started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive

Monthly Comic Alive

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...

on March 27, 2009. The first tankōbon

Tankobon

, 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...

 was published June 23, 2009. A 12 episode anime adaptation by Manglobe

Manglobe

is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It was formed on February 7, 2002 by Sunrise producers Shinichirō Kobayashi and Takashi Kochiyama.-Works:*Trip Trek *Samurai Champloo...

 studios aired from October 3, 2009 to December 19, 2009.

Synopsis

44 years ago, a great war known as the Valbanill War ravaged the land. One of the war's most dangerous weapons was the Demon Contract, where humans sacrifice their bodies to become powerful demons. Realizing the damage the contracts have caused the land, the surviving nations made peace and banned the use of the Demon contracts.

Cecily Cambell is a 3rd generation Knight from Housman, one of the cities of the Independent Trade Cities, a democratic federation of cities. As her grandfather was one of the founders of the Independent Trade Cities, she is proud of her heritage and wishes to protect her city as a knight, like her father and grandfather before her. One day, she fights a mad veteran of the war causing trouble in the market, and, inexperienced and overmatched, faces defeat. But she is saved by a mysterious blacksmith named Luke Ainsworth. Cecily is impressed by Luke's katana

Katana

A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

, a weapon she has never seen before, and asks him to make one for her. Her involvement with Luke will bring her to an adventure she never expected.

Protagonists

A girl with red hair, well-endowed, and a 3rd generation knight from The Knight Guards of Housman, the Third City of the Independent Trade Cities. Her grandfather, a former nobleman who became a knight, was one of the founders of the Independent Trade Cities during the Valbanill War. After the war ended, the Cambell family served as knights protecting the city's independence. When her father died of an illness, Cecily took up the role of the head of house, and thus became a knight. She believes strongly in justice, the protection of the city and its citizens.

In the manga and light novels, Cecily is depicted as a strong smart girl with great leadership skills, evident early when she leads a group of knights and mercenaries against a band of thieves and monsters. She quickly learns from her mistakes and is a skilled sword fighter. The anime portrays her in the opposite: she is inadequate and possesses mediocre swordsmanship, though she does improve as the series progresses. In the anime, most of the jokes are about her over-sized chest and inadequacies. She usually blushes but lashes out violently only to Luke. As the series progresses, she quickly develops romantic feelings towards Luke.

The titular character is a blacksmith of great skill and renown and is also a talented swordsman. Possessing dark brown hair and blue eyes with his left eye made of glass (his real eye was used to create Lisa), he is arrogant, private and often insensitive to others. He lives with Lisa, who aids him in his work and often accompanies him on his business. He comes to know Cecily after saving her repeatedly from certain death. Luke wields a Japanese katana and employs a unique sword-fighting style, which is uncommon in a land where most people use a longsword

Longsword

The longsword is a type of European sword designed for two-handed use, current during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550 .Longswords have long cruciform hilts with grips over 10 to 15 cm length The longsword (of which stems the variation called the bastard...

 and shield. He also possesses extraordinary blacksmith skills, aided by Lisa's magical powers.

Although Luke often criticizes Cecily for her inadequacies, he has slowly come to accept Cecily. Her will to protect the city and all its citizens reminds him of Lisa Oakwood, the love of his youth. After his encounters with Cecily, Luke has also come to appreciate Lisa. He becomes increasingly worried that Lisa is living a lifestyle he has forced upon her. After his confrontation with Lisa about her true feelings, he confesses his regret forcing the burden of his past onto her and wishes for her to walk her own path. At the end, Luke promises that they will be together forever.

A cute little girl who is a live-in assistant to Luke. Lisa is actually a demon born from Lisa Oakwood, Luke's childhood friend. Although unconfirmed, it is suggested that in order to protect Luke forever, Lisa Oakwood made a Demonic Pact before dying to Valbanill and sacrificed herself to create Lisa.

Lisa greatly resembles Lisa Oakwood when she was young, possessing similar traits, such as blonde hair, purple eyes, and elven ears. She has a sweet personality and is very polite. Lisa is also able to create a large magical fireball that enables Luke to forge katanas in the heat of battle. Lisa loves Luke and her life revolves entirely around him. She has proven herself very capable around the house and takes delight in doing them. In addition, Lisa assists Luke in the forge. When confronted by Luke about her true feelings, Lisa reveals that while she is very happy being with Luke, it also pains her because she is only a "duplicate". She shoulders the burden of Luke's past and knows that her existence reminds Luke of it. However, Lisa confesses that her one wish in life is to remain by Luke's side forever.

The demon sword of wind. Aria is special in that she can transform into a human. In her human form, she is beautiful, light-hearted, romantic and very feminine. Her exact age is unknown but she has memories reaching back to the Valbanill War where she was born of a demon contract on the battlefield. Her past is filled with murder and carnage and Aria has come to accept that it is her fate as a demon sword. However, after meeting Cecily, she has learned that there are those who would wield a sword not for the purpose of killing but protecting. Because of this, she has become incredibly fascinated with Cecily and the two form a powerful bond which enables them to become stronger. As a demon sword, Aria is able to sense other demon swords. Throughout her stay with Cecily, she has met other demon swords like her, which prompts her curiosity. She is particularly interested in how she was born and how she is able to take the human form. Her transformation into a sword is invoked with the chant: .

Supporting characters

Leader of the Knight Guards of Housman and veteran of the Valbanill War.

Mayor of the City of Housman.

A friend of Cecily who works for the city.

A powerful and aggressive knight of Housman that initially looks down on Cecily. However, after witnessing her fight against a monster, he starts to respect her more as a knight. He wields a zweihander (a two-handed sword).

A young girl from the Empire who is the illegitimate daughter of the Emperor. As proof, she has "E" as her middle name, which is an indication of the royal family. Initially portrayed as a spoiled and selfish girl, she is, in fact, very down to Earth, capable of all the household tasks. She struggles internally to fulfill her mother's dying wish: to be recognized as a legitimate child of the Emperor. However, when the Empire refuses to recognize her and brands her as an impostor, she is forced into the tough decision of having to face the death penalty or defect to an opposing nation. After she and her bodyguards were forcefully convinced by Cecily, she renounces her royal status and defects to the opposing nation along with her bodyguards.

One of Charlotte's companions. She wields Claymore, the Demon Sword of Earth.

One of Charlotte's companions. She wields Rhomphaia, the Demon Sword of Scarlet Light.

One of Charlotte's companions. She wields a ballock knife, the Demon Sword Assassin.

Luke's childhood friend that wanted to be a knight and protect everyone in the city. Unfortunately, she died trying to protect Luke from Valbanill and in result, a new demon called Lisa was created. While it has not been confirmed, Cecily believes that Lisa Oakwood was the one that created the current Lisa to stay by Luke's side forever in her place.

The maid who serves the Cambell Family. She is very strong within the domestic sphere and is able to physically overpower anyone who interferes with her duties as she perceives them. She is very loyal towards the Cambell's and reacts strongly to any ill speaking towards the family.

Cecily's mother. She is a calm and gentle woman. She wishes that Cecily would be more feminine. She acts as a mother figure to Charlotte while she and her bodyguards stayed in the Cambell house.

Antagonists

A recently promoted commander from the Empire. He is actually the cloaked figure who is the source for most of the conflict in the series. He wields the Demon Sword of Darkness.

Siegfried's bodyguard and personal attendant.

A Demon Sword of the Black Flame, who, like Aria, can take human form. In her human form, she is morose and taciturn. She was in Charlotte's possession but may have come from Siegfried. She transforms into a sword by chanting .

The wielder of Elsa, the Demon Sword of Thunder. A veteran of the Valbanill War, he lost his daughter after the war when a demon attacked his home. His sanity now gone, he lives for only one thing, to redeem his hatred of Valbanill. He comes to Luke's home seeking vengeance.

A Demon Sword of Thunder who can shape-shift to human form. In her human form, she is a quiet, sad girl. Elsa was born from the rage of the Old Knight when his daughter was slain. She has the same name as his daughter.

After his defeat, she slays him with a misericorde, fulfilling the promise made by his real daughter and dying herself from the wounds she received fighting Cecily and Aria. She transforms into a sword by chanting .

Theme songs

Opening Theme

"Justice of Light" by Mayumi Gojō

Ending Theme

by Aki Toyosaki

Aki Toyosaki

is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. She had her first major voice acting roles in 2007, voicing Amuro Ninagawa in Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō and Su in Shugo Chara!...

Anime

The anime comprises twelve episodes. The Japanese edition DVDs have been released by Blasmi. The English edition DVD set is licensed by Funimation and was released on January 25, 2011. Funimation began streaming episodes of the anime in June 2010.

The series made its North American television debut on August 8, 2011 on the Funimation Channel

FUNimation Channel

The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....

.

Reception

The light novels have sold over 780,000 copies. Chris Schmitt wrote "Sacred Blacksmith has a very odd take on the fantasy genre, mixing moe character designs similar to K-On! with some deep, and sometimes dark, fantasy elements."

Theron Martin of Anime News Network

Anime News Network

Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...

 gave the anime series a B concluding, "Although The Sacred Blacksmith stumbles in places and fails to fully develop its setting or carry through on the plot threads it establishes, it nonetheless achieves an occasional and undeniable level of sincerity in its characters' convictions and interactions and at least partly delivers on its potential. It may be far from the elite fantasy titles out there, but even within its genre you could certainly do far worse for a pleasing diversion."

External links

• The Sacred Blacksmith at MF Bunko J
• Sacred Blacksmith - The Official Anime Website from FUNimation