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Violinist of Hameln

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Violinist of Hameln
Volume 1 of Violinist of Hameln
ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き
(Hamerun no Baiorin Hiki)
GenreDark fantasy[1]
Manga
Written byMichiaki Watanabe
Published byEnix
MagazineMonthly Shōnen Gangan
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 1991 – February 2001
Volumes37
Video game
DeveloperDaft
PublisherEnix
GenreSide-scrolling platform game
PlatformSuper Famicom
Released29 September 1995
Anime film
Directed byTakashi Imanishi
Produced by
  • Kenji Kume
  • Masahiko Kobayashi
  • Tsuyoshi Yoshida
Written byTakashi Imanishi
Music byKohei Tanaka
StudioNippon Animation
Released20 April 1996
Runtime30 minutes
Anime television series
Directed byJunji Nishimura
Produced byTakashi Watanabe
Written byYasuhiro Imagawa
Music byKohei Tanaka
Shirō Hamaguchi (Arrangement)
StudioStudio Deen
Original networkTV Tokyo
Original run 2 October 1996 – 26 March 1997
Episodes25
Manga
Violinist of Hameln: Shchelkunchik
Written byMichiaki Watanabe
Published bySquare Enix
MagazineYoung Gangan
DemographicSeinen
Original run18 January 2008 – 21 October 2011
Volumes8
Manga
Zoku Violinist of Hameln: Ai no Bolero
Written byMichiaki Watanabe
Published bySquare Enix
MagazineYoung Gangan
DemographicSeinen
Original runJuly 1, 2013 – present
Volumes17

Violinist of Hameln (Japanese: ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き, Hepburn: Hamerun no Baiorin Hiki) is a Japanese manga series created by Michiaki Watanabe. It was published by GanGan Comics for approximately 10 years, over 37 volumes.

The plot revolves around a group of adventurers named Hamel, Flute, Raiel, Trom, and Sizer, who embark on a journey to the demon continent, seeking to avert a catastrophic event. Hamel, armed with a magical violin, uses his music to persuade monstrous adversaries to atone for their misdeeds by killing themselves.

Story

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Background

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The story's world is divided into two dominant races: humans and Mazoku. The Mazoku, a race of demonic creatures, ruled the world until 500 years ago when they were locked away by a heroic angel. This led to a period of prosperity and peace for humanity, resulting in the founding of cities and nations, as well as the development of science and magic.

However, this period came to an abrupt end when a woman named Pandora accidentally released the Mazoku from their imprisonment. The demons were freed, plunging the world back into darkness and chaos. In a desperate attempt to save humanity, the Demon King Chestra, who was also freed from Pandora's Box, was resealed inside.

Pandora's two children, who were fathered by Chestra, were separated as infants. One child was kidnapped by the Mazoku, and the other remained with Pandora. In order to protect the world, the box containing the Demon King, now known as Pandora's Box, and its key were sent far away.

The demons fled north, establishing their capital city of Hameln on the northernmost continent, and a never-ending war broke out between humans and Mazoku for survival. Pandora's children, one raised among humans and hated by all, and the other living with the Mazoku without ever feeling any affection, are destined to reunite and put an end to the war, one way or another.

Plot

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The plot of the manga revolves around the hero Hamel, who travels north towards the continent of demons to avert a great catastrophe. With the help of his magical, oversized violin, he plays music that forces his enemies to repent of their sins and kill themselves - or at least that's how it should go. Instead, Hamel is a selfish, cowardly, heartless and immoral fiend who seeks to exploit those around him and extort money from those he saves. After saving the remote village of Staccato from nearby demons, he decides to kidnap an orphan girl named Flute as payment for his services. Hamel, Flute, and Oboe, a talking crow and Hamel's advisor set out on their long, arduous, and mockery-filled journey north. Along the way, they meet Raiel, the hero of love and Hamel's childhood friend, who plays beautiful and powerful melodies with a 500 kg golden piano that can summon spirits and manipulate people. Their first encounter ends with a not-so-deadly battle for revenge. They then meet Trombone, the young prince of a nation called Dal Segno, which is a warrior nation best known for its knights and swordsmanship. After his land is burned and his parents are murdered before his eyes, the young prince vows revenge and joins the group on their quest north. Adventure, comedy, and humiliation ensue as Hamel leads the motley band north while the street performers war with one another. Along the way, they face terrible enemies and eventually meet the Hell Hawk King Sizer, one of the Lords of Hell who are the guardians of the demon legions. In a rather one-sided battle, Hamel's violin breaks, and it is revealed that Hamel is actually the son of the demon king Chestra and that the reason he is traveling north is to defeat his father and save his mother Pandora.

On their way north, the group eventually reaches the kingdom of Sforzando, one of the most powerful nations in their world, which is known for its magical knight corps, healing magic and the strongest woman in the world, Queen Horn. In Sforzando, they meet the Head Priest of the kingdom, who is also the greatest magic user in the entire kingdom, and he immediately takes a disliking to Hamel. It's revealed that Flute, the victim of Hamel's humiliating antics, was once the sole princess of Sforzando, but was abandoned as a baby to increase her chances of survival after Sforzando was besieged in a terrible war many years ago. Reunited with her estranged mother, Flute tries to deal with pent-up emotions while Hamel is sent to find a man who can repair his magical violin. Unfortunately, during Hamel and Raiel's absence, Sforzando is once again besieged by the armies of Hell. Led by the Dragon King Drum and the King of Beasts Guitar, both extremely strong and one of the 4 Lords of Hell, it's a true threat to Sforzando's safety. A fierce battle ensues in which powerful clashes and tens of thousands of casualties are on each side. In the end, Hamel and Raiel return to finish off their enemies after meeting Vi Olin and having the violin repaired. In a final attempt, with everyone's efforts of attacking at the same time, they manage to defeat the Dragon King Drum, who had by then transformed into a 48-headed Hydra.

The battle ends with the victory of Sforzando and the revelation that the Queen had only a few years to live since her barrier magic makes the user pay by giving up his lifespan. With preparations complete, Hamel, Raiel, Trombone, and Oboe once again set out for the northern continent. Flute is torn between wanting to stay with her recovered mother and wanting to join her companions on their journey, but she eventually decides to follow Hamel and she slowly becomes aware of her feelings for him. At this point, the group splits up. Raiel sets off for Staccato to deliver to Hamel the money he has received in case he leaves Flute behind in Sforzando; Trombone returns to Dal Segno to pay his last respects to the dead; and Flute, Hamel and Oboe set off north, where they are joined by Cornet, Clarinet's younger sister.

A sequel to the series, titled Violinist of Hameln: Shchelkunchik, was serialized from January 2008 to October 2011. In it, the story is about the journey of a boy named Schel, who wants to become a wizard. On his way, he meets Hamel's son, Great.

Characters

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Protagonists

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Main party
  • Hamel - The 18-year-old main character. A traveling hero who uses a violin and magical music to fight his enemies.
  • Oboe - Hamel's protector and companion, a crow.
  • Flute - 16-year-old female protagonist who grew up in the small mountain village of Staccato.
  • Raiel - A childhood friend of Hamel.
  • Trombone - The prince of the ruined land of Dal Segno.
  • Sizer - The leader of the airborne falcon army of demons, later revealed to be Hamel's younger twin sister.
  • Ocarina - Sizer's servant, who often takes the form of a crow.
Sforzando
  • Queen Horn - The Queen of Sforzando and the mother of Flute.
  • Clarinet - A man in his 20s who is the High Priest and Commander of the Magic Corps.
  • Percuss - One of the ministers of Queen Horn.
  • King of Sforzando - The nameless, deceased king of Sforzando, who appears only in a flashback.
  • Cornet - The younger sister of Clari.
  • Lute - The elder brother of Flute.

Antagonists

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  • Hell King Bass - The supreme general of the demon armies and leader of the army of the undead.
  • Dragon King Drum - The head of the Dragon Army, an ogre-like monster with two heads.
  • Warrior King Guitar - The 4th General of Hameln is a centaur-like, canine being.
  • Orgel - (Clown of Hell) Appears as a masked jester with a very exaggerated costume.
  • Vocal - A wild, arrogant demon who rebelled against the authority of Chestra.
  • Pick - Pick, seen only in flashbacks, was once the 3rd warlord of Hameln.
  • Demon King Chestra - King of the Demons, and the father of Hamel and Sizer.

Other characters

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  • Pandora - The woman who opened a box that released misery into the world.
  • Vi Olin (Introduced in Movement 26) - The inventor of Hamel's giant magic violin and the creator of Pandora's Box.

Sequels

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Violinist of Hameln: Shchelkunchik

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The sequel to the original story takes place 20 years after the war against the Mazoku. It deals with the children of the protagonists of the Violinist of Hameln. The subtitle "Shchelkunchik" is the original Russian name for the ballet "The Nutcracker". The series ran for eight volumes and ended abruptly due to Watanabe's health problems.

Zoku Violinist of Hameln: Ai no Bolero

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Two years after the abrupt end of the sequel manga, Watanabe created a sort of version of the original series in an alternate universe. The series is titled Zoku Violinist of Hameln: Ai no Bolero, where "Zoku" means "continuation". It began in 2013 and is still running. It is first published on Watanabe's personal website.

Reception

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References

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  1. ^ "ダークファンタジーまとめ" (in Japanese). Akiba Souken. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
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