Ozanari Dungeon Explained

Ozanari Dungeon
Ja Kanji:おざなりダンジョン
Ja Romaji:Ozanari Danjon
Genre:Sword and sorcery[1]
Type:manga
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Gakken (before 1998)
Biblos (1998–2006)
Jive (after 2006)
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Monthly Comic Nora
First:November 1987
Last:November 1996
Volumes:17
Type:ova
Ozanari Dungeon: The Tower of Wind
Director:Hiroshi Aoyama
Studio:Telecom Animation Film
First:27 September 1991
Last:20 December 1991
Runtime:30 minutes each
Episodes:3
Type:manga
Nariyuki Dungeon
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Gakken
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Monthly Comic Nora
First:1997
Last:1998
Volumes:3
Type:manga
Naozari Dungeon
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Jive
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Comic Rush
First:2006
Last:2010
Volumes:8
Type:manga
Ozanari Dungeon Special
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Jive
Demographic:Shōnen
Published:2008
Volumes:1
Type:manga
Ozanari Dungeon Tactics
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Jive
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Comic Rush
First:2010
Last:2013
Volumes:6
Type:manga
Ozanari Dungeon Tactics
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Jive
Demographic:Shōnen
Magazine:Comic Rush
First:2010
Last:2013
Volumes:6
Type:manga
Ozanari Dungeon Cloud Pangea
Author:Motoo Koyama
Publisher:Jive
Demographic:Shōnen
Published:2016
Volumes:1
Portal:yes

is a comedy fantasy manga series by Motoo Koyama which was serialized in Monthly Comic Nora from November 1987 to November 1996. The manga series was adapted into a three-episode OVA series titled from Toshiba EMI.

Premise, Setting, Plot

Ozanari Dungeon is an adventure manga set in a fantastical Sword and Sorcery world while occasionally showing a few pieces of anachronistic technologies such as missiles and airships.

This manga follows the adventures of a group of mercenaries: the barbarian Mocha (the main character), the rogue Blueman, and the mage Kiriman. Mocha and her gang belong to a mercenary guild. Their main concern is gold, but they will help to save the day even if the troubles don't concern them.

In early phases of the first manga, the stories are self-contained and have little connection with each other. In that phase, the tone and atmosphere tend to the light-hearted and episodic. The art style develops over the course of the manga. The plot becomes much more refined as well. After volume 10 or so, the plot becomes more profound, deep, and heavier on continuity. The scale becomes quite large, with whole nations going to war and dragon(s) which can destroy the world.

Characters

Protagonists

Mocha is an Elven fighter and she acts as the melee combatant in the Dungeons & Dragons "Fighter-Mage-Thief" party formation. She has great physical strength, yet little intelligence. Despite her very revealing armor, she is very innocent and naive. The first manga shows snippets of her past with her mentor and father figure, a legendary gladiator and adventurer, Salvador. She is named after a coffee type, Mocha.
  • Blueman is Nekomatango (a cat-like race) rogue and acts as a thief. His full name is Blue Manjaro, a mashup of the coffee types Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro.
  • Kilimon is an Inumoarukeba (a dog-like race) magician and acts as a mage. He always "talks" with a written sign. His full name is Kilie Mountain, which, like Blueman, is mashup of the coffee types Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro.
  • Esprit is a member of Magic Academy and thus an Astral, a transforming spirit who can exist without a physical body. He passes off as a longsword so he can follow and observe Mocha and her gang incognito. He is named after a coffee type, Espresso.
  • Supporting characters

    Kain is a bookish human prince who is smitten with Mocha. In a bid to win Mocha's heart, he trains under Falco and Keaton and starts adventuring.

    Falco is a master swordsman and veteran adventurer. He is engaged to Azusa.

    Azusa is a heiress to a ninja clan. She is engaged to Falco.

    Buster Keaton is a veteran adventurer. Though he looks like an expressionless airhead, he is one of the most skilled fighters in the guild

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Oppliger . John . Ask John: What Are the Best Sword & Sorcery Anime? . . May 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080725042316/http://www.animenation.net/blog/2008/07/18/ask-john-what-are-the-best-sword-sorcery-anime/ . July 18, 2008 . July 25, 2008.