is a Japan

Japan

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 anime

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 based on the Sangokushi 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...

 by Mitsuteru Yokoyama

Mitsuteru Yokoyama

was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo. His personal name was originally spelled , with the same pronunciation. His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, Akakage, Babel II, Sally, the Witch, Princess Comet, and adaptations of the Chinese classics Outlaws of the Marsh and...

, itself based on Eiji Yoshikawa

Eiji Yoshikawa

was a Japanese historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works. He was mainly influenced by classics such as The Tale of the Heike, Tale of Genji, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Romance of the Three...

's retelling of the Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 literary classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...

.

Shu Han

An original character in the manga. She was a daughter of Hong family, who Zhang Fei served. When Liu Bei escaped from the Yellow Turban, he saved her. Meeting Liu Bei and falling in love with him from his younger day, that makes her based on Lady Gan

Lady Gan

Lady Gan was Liu Bei's first wife and mother of Liu Shan. Very little is mentioned about her. She was posthumously named as Empress Zhaolie and was buried alongside Liu Bei.-See also:*List of people of the Three Kingdoms...

. and Kikuko Inoue

Kikuko Inoue

is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer. She has been part of the singing groups DoCo and Goddess Family Club, among others, and is the manager of her voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Inoue tends to play the "perfect girlfriend" or "motherly" role in many series, but she has also played...

An original character in the anime, she was Liu Bei's apprentice who grew up to be his wife. She died of her injuries during the Battle of Changban

Battle of Changban

The Battle of Changban was a battle fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in 208 during the prelude to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

, this makes her based on Lady Mi

Lady Mi

Lady Mi was the second wife of the warlord Liu Bei, who lived during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Lady Mi was the sister of Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, who previously served the warlord Tao Qian before joining Liu Bei's side...

.

Cao Wei

Although his name should be Xiahou Dun (夏侯惇), both the anime and the manga named him Xiahou Chun (夏侯淳). and Michitaka Kobayashi

Michitaka Kobayashi

is a Japanese voice actor. For a time, he was known as . He currently works for Aoni Production.-Television animation:*Atashin'chi *Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin *Legend of the Galactic Heroes *Mirai Keisatsu Urashiman...

  and Jun Hazumi

Jun Hazumi

, better known as his stage name , is a Japanese voice actor from Tōkyō Metropolis attached to Arts Vision. He was formerly attached to Production Baobab...

Cao hong

Eastern Wu

and Kazuo Hayashi

Kazuo Hayashi

is a Japanese actor and Japanese voice actor from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Theater Echo, and is skilled in Buyō.-Television animation:*Ippotsu Kanta-kun *Legendary Giant God Ideon *Pocket Monsters...

Others

and Hikaru Midorikawa

Hikaru Midorikawa

is a Japanese voice actor from Otawara, Tochigi who is represented by Aoni Production.He is most known for the roles of Softon in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Tamahome in Fushigi Yugi, Seiran Shi in Saiunkoku Monogatari, Heero Yuy in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Kaede Rukawa in Slam Dunk, Zelgadis Greywords in...

 

• Narrator

Manga

The manga was first serialized in the Kibō no Tomo magazine, which changed its name to Comic World in 1978, and then to Comic Tom in 1980.

Although Eiji Yoshikawa only wrote the story up to Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang

Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....

's death in the Battle of Wuzhang Plains

Battle of Wuzhang Plains

The Battle of Wuzhang Plains was a standoff between the contending states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in 234 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...

, the manga continued until the fall of Shu Han

Conquest of Shu by Wei

The conquest of Shu by Wei was a military campaign launched by the state of Cao Wei against its rival Shu Han in 263 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The campaign culminated in the fall of Shu and the tripartite equilibrium maintained in China for over 40 years since the end of...

.

With this manga, Mitsuteru Yokoyama won the 1991 Japanese Cartoonist Association Award for Excellence.

Anime

The anime was largely faithful to the manga, though it centered mainly on the camps of Liu Bei

Liu Bei

Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...

 and Cao Cao

Cao Cao

Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...

, often minimizing the scenes of other camps. The anime stopped after the Battle of Red Cliffs

Battle of Red Cliffs

The Battle of Red Cliffs, otherwise known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive battle at the end of the Han Dynasty, immediately prior to the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. It was fought in the winter of 208/9 AD between the allied forces of the southern warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan...

, which is about the midway through the manga series.

Theme songs

• Opening

} by Fence of Defense

• • "Don't Look Back" by Fence of Defense
• Ending

} by Mimori Yusa

Mimori Yusa

, , is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Although she has had a very prolific career, Yusa achieved only minor popularity in Japan until very recently when her song newest song, "Kuro", was featured on the popular NHK television program Minna no Uta from December 2005 until January 2006...

• • "Standing Alone" by Fence of Defense