Ajin: Demi-Human Explained

Ja Kanji:亜人
Ja Romaji:Ajin
Type:manga
Publisher:Kodansha
Magazine:Good! Afternoon
First:July 6, 2012
Last:February 5, 2021
Volumes:17
Type:film series
Music:Yugo Kanno
Studio:Polygon Pictures
Type:tv series
Music:Yugo Kanno
Studio:Polygon Pictures
Network:JNN (MBS, TBS, CBC, BS-TBS)
First:January 16, 2016
Last:December 24, 2016
Episodes:26
Episode List:List of Ajin: Demi-Human episodes
Type:OVA
Music:Yugo Kanno
Studio:Polygon Pictures
First:May 6, 2016
Last:April 7, 2017
Runtime:21–24 minutes each
Episodes:3
Episode List:List of Ajin: Demi-Human episodes#OAD
Type:live film
Director:Katsuyuki Motohiro
Music:Yugo Kanno
Released:September 30, 2017
Runtime:109 minutes
Portal:yes

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by . It was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Good! Afternoon from July 2012 to February 2021, with its chapters collected in seventeen volumes. In North America, it has been licensed for English release by Vertical.

It was adapted into a 3D anime film trilogy by Polygon Pictures between November 2015 and September 2016. An anime television series adaptation, also by Polygon Pictures, aired between January and April 2016, with a second season aired from October to December 2016. A live-action film adaptation was released in September 2017.

Plot

Ajin presents the story of a student named Nagai Kei, who discovers he is an "Ajin" when he is fatally wounded in a traffic accident. In the world of Ajin, a small number of humans (termed "Ajin") possess immortality and extreme regenerative abilities that trigger upon death, allowing them to completely recover from any mortal injury in a matter of seconds. Ajin can also create "black ghosts", highly dangerous combat-oriented entities that are only visible to other Ajin. "Black ghosts" are resistant to physical injury, exhibit extraordinary physical strength, and have sharp teeth and claws. Different "black ghosts" have varying degrees of intelligence: most are completely reliant on their Ajin for directions, and others, such as Kei's, are more independent and likely to engage in self-initiated actions.

Consequently, Ajin are considered dangerous and inhuman by the public, and most are captured by governments. Governments claim to protect Ajin, but in reality, most use them as subjects for cruel and inhumane experiments, as their abilities to completely recover from fatal wounds provides an unlimited source of organs and bodies in dangerous tests (such as live-fire weapons testing). As a result, Ajin that have escaped from government custody (such as Satou, the main antagonist) are bent on exacting revenge on governments. Kei, however, wants no part in the emerging Ajin-human conflict, but forms an agreement with Japanese governmental agents to fight Satou in exchange for his freedom from government experimentation.

Characters

Kei's Group

Played by: Takeru Satoh
  • Kei first discovers that he is an Ajin after being killed in a traffic accident. To his peers, he appears to be a normal and carefree student, but in reality he is emotionally detached from other people and often willing to endanger the lives of other people in order for him to accomplish his own goals. He differs from most Ajin as he has the ability to create an abnormally large amount of IBM (Invisible Black Matter, which is key to an Ajin's regeneration and ability to create "black ghosts"), allowing Kei to manifest more "black ghosts" than his Ajin peers. According to Ikuya, he is implied to have manifested his Ajin-related abilities at a very young age.
    A close friend of Kei who helps him to escape from the police. He was later sent to prison for assisting in Kei's escape and later befriends Takeshi, another Ajin, allowing Kaito to escape imprisonment.
  • Kō is an Ajin and a partner of Kei with the intention to stop Satō, as Satō's plans for the creation of an Ajin-led government will lead to the loss of many human lives. Unlike Kei, who is indifferent and cold to others, Kō values friendship and is willing to put the safety of others above his own. He is also physically fitter than Kei, but lacks Kei's intellectual capabilities, often relying on Kei for planning in combat operations, with him acting as the "muscle" of the operation. Kō has the rapid regenerative abilities common to Ajin, but lacks the ability to manifest his own "black ghost".

    • Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

    Played by: Tetsuji Tamayama
  • Yū is the head of Ajin Research under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and has a comatose fiancée, Ai. He is protected by an Ajin bodyguard named Izumi Shimomura. He agrees to let Kei work with him to stop Satō on the condition that Kei is allowed to live a normal life afterwards.
    /
  • Played by: Rina Kawaei
  • Izumi is a stoic and taciturn Ajin working for Yū Tosaki at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Izumi's birth name is Yōko Tainaka. As Yōko, she first discovered her Ajin abilities in her teenage years, when she first died after defending herself from a rape attempt of an abusive stepfather. Yōko would run away from home, where she is eventually recruited by Yū as a bodyguard under a special contract. The contract allowed Yōko to adopt the alias of "Izumi Shinomura", such that "Yōko Tainaka" is legally deceased and that "Izumi Shimomura" is a separate identity. She affectionately refers to her "black ghost" as "Kuro".
    Yū's junior at the Ministry who was also assigned to supervise Yū. After Yū decides to defy orders from the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Sokabe was appointed as his successor.

    Ajin

    /
  • Played by: Gō Ayano
  • The leader of the pro-Ajin movement, also known as due to his signature flat cap hat, Satō is a calm and collected individual who is well known within the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as the most dangerous Ajin. Despite his appearance as a genial old man who enjoys video gaming, he is in reality a sinister, calculating tactician with combat experience as a former special-operations soldier in the USMC.[1] Satō originally claims that he wishes to protest against the mistreatment of Ajins worldwide, but it is later revealed that he uses this claim as an excuse to gather an army of Ajin under his command to create an immortal army to rule Japan and simply for the sake of violence and destruction. He is frequently described as a "player" in the latter half of the anime, as he is prone to using strategies adapted from video games to carry out assassinations of famous politicians in order to force negotiations with the government for allowing rights of Ajins. He enjoys the use of violence against anybody (human or Ajin) who attempts to disrupt his plans and is especially irked by provocation.
    Played by: Yu Shirota
  • He is the second Ajin to be discovered in Japan. He was rescued by Satō from brutal experimentation and joins in with his pro-Ajin movement against the Japanese government.
    Played by: Yudai Chiba
  • Masumi is one of the few Ajins who accepts Satō's invitation to use genocide to fight for Ajins' rights. He is a skilled hacker knowledgeable in weaponry and machines. In the anime, he eventually betrays Satō and reaches out to Kei in order to defeat him.
    A prisoner who had escaped from jail after seeing Sato's announcement to protest for Ajins' rights. Takeshi becomes Kaito's partner after Kaito helped him when he was bullied by the other prisoners wanting to know how he had escaped from jail. His IBM has wings, which was his means of escape from prison. After he and Kai reconcile he promises to let Kai use his IBM to escape prison if, for whatever reason, he wishes to escape in order to assist Kei. In the anime, Takeshi uses his IBM to bring himself as well as Kai to Eriko's hospital in order to save both her and Kei from the riots occurring there.

    Others

    Played by: Minami Hamabe
  • Kei's sister who seems to suffer from a terminal illness and is hospitalized throughout most of the series.
    He is a Japanese-American researcher who studied Ajins in the United States and has a great deal of knowledge about them.

    Media

    Manga

    Ajin: Demi-Human is written and illustrated by Gamon Sakurai. Initially, it was written by Tsuina Miura; however, his name is not mentioned in the credits after the first volume, and Gamon Sakurai has been creating the manga himself since.[2] The series was published in Kodansha's manga magazine Good! Afternoon from July 6, 2012 to February 5, 2021 and was collected into seventeen volumes.[3] [4] [5]

    In February 2014, Vertical announced that it had licensed the series for English release.[6] On March 15, 2014, Crunchyroll began to release the series on their manga service under the title Ajin: Demi-Human, starting with the first two chapters.[7]

    Volumes

    Film

    Plans to adapt the series into an anime film trilogy were announced in June 2015.[8] The films were directed by Hiroaki Andō and written by Hiroshi Seko, with animation by Polygon Pictures.[9] The first film, titled Ajin: Shōdō (Ajin: Impulse),[10] debuted in Japan on November 27, 2015.[11] This film is a compilation of the first six episodes of the TV series. The second film, titled Ajin: Shōtotsu (Ajin: Collision), debuted in Japan on May 6, 2016, and the third and final film in the trilogy, titled Ajin: Shōgeki (Ajin: Clash), was released on September 23, 2016.[12]

    Anime

    A television series that follows the anime films premiered on January 16, 2016. It is produced by the staff that produced the film trilogy.[13] It aired on MBS, TBS, CBC and BS-TBS,[13] with 13 episodes.[14] The series was streamed by Netflix,[13] starting on April 12, 2016, along with English, French, Spanish, German and Brazilian Portuguese dubs.[15] The series is licensed by Sentai Filmworks for home video release in North America.[16] An OAD was bundled with the manga's 8th limited-edition volume, which was released on May 6, 2016.[17] A second OAD was bundled with manga's 9th limited-edition volume, which was released on October 7, 2016.[18] A third OAD was bundled with manga's 10th limited-edition volume, which was released on April 7, 2017.[19] A second season premiered on October 8, 2016 and continued the original numbering sequence,[20] [21] and premiered on Netflix on December 27, 2016.[22]

    Live-action film

    The production of a live-action film was announced in November 2016,[23] with release on September 30, 2017. The director is Katsuyuki Motohiro, with Takeru Satoh in the lead role. The action scenes were planned by the team behind the Rurouni Kenshin films, which also starred Satoh.[24] The additional cast includes Tetsuji Tamayama, Rina Kawaei, Minami Hamabe, Yuu Shirota, Yudai Chiba and Yuki Yamada.[25]

    Reception

    The Japanese manga news site Comic Natalie awarded the series third place in its poll of the best manga in 2013.[26] The third volume ranked 6th on the Oricon manga chart on the week of its release.[27] In a survey of 400 manga and publishing professionals for the manga guidebook Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, the series was rated 3rd place in a list of top 20 manga for Male readers.[28] The manga had over 4 million copies in print as of December 2015.[29]

    The series was listed as a nominee for the Readers Award in the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, and in the General category in the 38th Kodansha Manga Awards.[30] [31]

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: How the 'Ajin: Demi-Human' Cast Compares to Manga Characters. Inverse. June 16, 2017 . December 18, 2018. November 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109032722/https://www.inverse.com/article/33046-ajin-demi-human-live-action-cast-manga. live.
    2. Web site: Ajin - House of 1000 Manga. Thompson. Jason. Jason Thompson (writer). June 26, 2014. Anime News Network. October 15, 2015. November 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151130001347/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2014-06-26/ajin/.76005. live.
    3. Web site: ja:三上延×新鋭・交田稜のマンガ版「ビブリア古書堂」始動. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/72539. Natalie. December 28, 2020. ja. July 6, 2012. May 15, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210515161657/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/72539. live.
    4. Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Gamon Sakurai's Ajin: Demi-Human Manga Ends. Anime News Network. February 5, 2021. February 4, 2021. February 21, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210221081041/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-02-04/gamon-sakurai-ajin-demi-human-manga-ends/.169166. live.
    5. Web site: ja:桜井画門「亜人」がgood!アフタで完結、約9年間の連載に幕. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/415210. Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. February 5, 2021. ja. February 5, 2021. March 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210303095254/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/415210. live.
    6. Web site: Vertical Licenses Ajin, Witchcraft Works, Garden of Words Manga. Anime News Network. February 15, 2014. February 16, 2014. November 6, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141106195516/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-02-15/vertical-licenses-ajin-witchcraft-works-garden-of-words-manga. live.
    7. Web site: Crunchyroll Releases Ajin, Koe no Katachi, Arslan Manga. March 14, 2014. Anime News Network. May 21, 2014. March 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140315094248/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-03-14/crunchyroll-releases-ajin-koe-no-katachi-arslan-manga. live.
    8. Web site: Ajin: Demi-Human Action Manga Gets Anime Film Trilogy. June 2, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. September 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150925171648/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-06-02/ajin-demi-human-action-manga-gets-anime-film-trilogy/.88736. live.
    9. Web site: Ajin: Demi-Human Film Trilogy Unveils Teaser Trailer, Staff from Sidonia. June 4, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095630/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-06-04/ajin-demi-human-film-trilogy-unveils-teaser-trailer-staff-from-sidonia/.88912. live.
    10. Web site: Ajin Anime Film Project's 2nd Promo Video Reveals Cast. July 30, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. September 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150926023036/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-07-30/ajin-anime-film-project-2nd-promo-video-reveals-cast/.91069. live.
    11. Web site: Ajin - Demi-Human Film's Trailer Reveals flumpool Song, Release Date. September 14, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. September 17, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150917165510/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-09-14/ajin-demi-human-film-trailer-reveals-flumpool-song-release-date/.92938. live.
    12. Web site: 2nd Ajin Film Premieres on May 6, 3rd Film on September 23. March 7, 2016. Anime News Network. March 7, 2016. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108090921/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-03-07/2nd-ajin-film-premieres-on-may-6-3rd-film-on-september-23/.99493. live.
    13. Web site: Ajin - Demi-Human Manga Gets TV Anime in January (Updated). September 10, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108125608/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-09-10/ajin-demi-human-manga-gets-tv-anime-in-january/.92749. live.
    14. Web site: Ajin - Demi-Human TV Anime to Have 13 Episodes. September 21, 2015. Anime News Network. September 21, 2015. September 22, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150922075841/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2015-09-21/ajin-demi-human-tv-anime-to-have-13-episodes/.93209. live.
    15. Web site: Netflix Lists "Ajin: Demi-Human" Premiere Date. Green. Scott. March 13, 2016. Crunchyroll. April 7, 2016. April 12, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160412032108/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2016/03/13-1/netflix-lists-ajin-demi-human-premiere-date. live.
    16. Web site: Sentai Filmworks Licenses: Ajin: Demi-Human Anime for Home Video. Anime News Network. January 17, 2017. January 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170118064231/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-01-17/sentai-filmworks-licenses-ajin-demi-human-anime-for-home-video/.111160. live.
    17. Web site: Ajin: Demi-Human Original Anime DVD Promo Previews 'Shinya Nakamura Incident'. April 18, 2016. Anime News Network. April 30, 2016. April 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160423181601/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-04-18/ajin-demi-human-original-anime-dvd-promo-previews-shinya-nakamura-incident/.101213. live.
    18. Web site: Ajin Manga Bundles 2nd Anime DVD in 9th Volume. April 29, 2016. Anime News Network. April 30, 2016. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108134634/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-04-29/ajin-manga-bundles-2nd-anime-dvd-in-9th-volume/.101598. live.
    19. Web site: Ajin Manga's 10th Volume to Bundle Anime DVD in April. October 7, 2016. Anime News Network. April 30, 2017. July 12, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170712125212/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-10-07/ajin-manga-10th-volume-to-bundle-anime-dvd-in-april/.107378. live.
    20. Web site: Ajin TV Anime Gets 2nd Season in October . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201108114512/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-05-02/ajin-tv-anime-gets-2nd-season-in-october/.101709 . November 8, 2020 . 2016-05-02 . Anime News Network.
    21. Web site: Ajin Anime Season 2 Reveals October 7 Premiere, New Visual. August 31, 2016. Anime News Network. August 31, 2016. August 31, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160831175716/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2016-08-30/ajin-anime-season-2-reveals-october-7-premiere-new-visual/.105943. live.
    22. Web site: Ajin Anime Season 2 Slated for December 27 on Netflix. November 23, 2016. Anime News Network. November 27, 2020. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108113952/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2016-11-23/ajin-anime-season-2-slated-for-december-27-on-netflix/.109101. live.
    23. Web site: 2016-11-03 . Ajin - Demi Human Manga Gets Live-Action Film With Rurouni Kenshin's Takeru Satoh . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160605163040/http://allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=353179#HyGTZkH3pV4tAZKq.01 . June 5, 2016 . 2016-11-05 . Anime News Network.
    24. Web site: Live-Action Ajin Film Slated for September 30, 2017. December 16, 2016. Anime News Network. December 16, 2016. December 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051817/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2016-12-16/live-action-ajin-film-slated-for-september-30-2017/.110006. live.
    25. Web site: Live-Action Ajin Film's Additional Cast Revealed. February 17, 2017. Anime News Network. February 21, 2021. March 4, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210304130920/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-17/live-action-ajin-film-additional-cast-revealed/.112366. live.
    26. Web site: Nami Sano's Sakamoto desu ga? Manga Wins Comic Natalie Grand Prize. Anime News Network. September 18, 2013. January 27, 2014. April 9, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140409222425/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-09-18/nami-sano-sakamoto-desu-ga-manga-wins-comic-natalie-grand-prize. live.
    27. Web site: Japanese Comic Ranking, November 4–10. Anime News Network. November 13, 2013. January 27, 2014. January 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140120031419/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-11-13/japanese-comic-ranking-november-4-10. live.
    28. Web site: Top Manga Ranked by Kono Manga ga Sugoi 2014 Voters. Anime News Network. December 9, 2013. February 16, 2014. May 8, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140508113757/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-12-09/top-manga-ranked-by-kono-manga-ga-sugoi-2014-voters. live.
    29. Web site: 2nd Ajin - Demi-Human Anime Film Previewed in Trailer. Anime News Network. December 17, 2015. November 11, 2020. November 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201108162710/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-12-17/2nd-ajin-demi-human-anime-film-previewed-in-trailer/.96609. live.
    30. Web site: Loveridge. Lynzee. 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 'Reader Award' Nominees Announced. Anime News Network. March 3, 2014. March 3, 2014. July 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190704130818/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-03-03/18th-tezuka-osamu-cultural-prize-reader-award-nominees-announced. live.
    31. Web site: Nelkin. Sarah. 38th Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Nominees Announced. Anime News Network. April 3, 2014. April 4, 2014. December 2, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202154801/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-04-03/38th-annual-kodansha-manga-awards-nominees-announced. live.

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ajin: Demi-Human".

    Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.