| Ja Kanji: | ハーメルンのバイオリン弾き |
| Ja Romaji: | Hamerun no Baiorin Hiki |
| Genre: | Dark fantasy[1] |
| Type: | manga |
| Author: | Michiaki Watanabe |
| Publisher: | Enix |
| Demographic: | Shōnen |
| Magazine: | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| First: | April 1991 |
| Last: | February 2001 |
| Volumes: | 37 |
| Developer: | Daft |
| Publisher: | Enix |
| Genre: | Side-scrolling platform game |
| Platforms: | Super Famicom |
| Released: | 29 September 1995 |
| Type: | film |
| Director: | Takashi Imanishi |
| Music: | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio: | Nippon Animation |
| Released: | 20 April 1996 |
| Runtime: | 30 minutes |
| Type: | tv series |
| Director: | Junji Nishimura |
| Producer: | Takashi Watanabe |
| Music: | Kohei Tanaka Shirō Hamaguchi (Arrangement) |
| Studio: | Studio Deen |
| Network: | TV Tokyo |
| First: | 2 October 1996 |
| Last: | 26 March 1997 |
| Episodes: | 25 |
| Type: | manga |
| Violinist of Hameln: Shchelkunchik | |
| Author: | Michiaki Watanabe |
| Publisher: | Square Enix |
| Demographic: | Seinen |
| Magazine: | Young Gangan |
| First: | 18 January 2008 |
| Last: | 21 October 2011 |
| Volumes: | 8 |
| Type: | manga |
| Zoku Violinist of Hameln: Ai no Bolero | |
| Author: | Michiaki Watanabe |
| Publisher: | Square Enix |
| Demographic: | Seinen |
| Magazine: | Young Gangan |
| First: | July 1, 2013 |
| Volumes: | 17 |
is a Japanese manga series created by Michiaki Watanabe. The story revolves around a group of adventurers named Hamel, Flute, Raiel, Trom, and Sizer. They set off on a perilous journey to the demon continent, seeking to avert a catastrophic event. Hamel, armed only with his magical violin, uses his music to persuade monstrous adversaries to atone for their misdeeds by killing themselves.
GanGan Comics ran the manga for approximately 10 years, publishing 37 volumes.
The manga combines a serious story with an irreverent tone, with the characters frequently alternating between heroic and pathetic depending on what the current situation calls for. The manga also contains a variety of unconventional running gags, such as Hamel repeatedly attempting to force other members of the group into costume. Each chapter is referred to as a set.
The setting is reminiscent of a medieval steampunk Europe, including the world's architecture, clothing trends, technology, and local environments. The steampunk universe features both futuristic technological advances and medieval architecture.
The main characters live in a world called "Europe," named after real-world Europe. Although the names are the same, the geography of the make-believe Europe bears little resemblance to real-world Europe.
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.
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.
The TV adaptation was twenty-five episodes long and suffered from budget constraints. Much of the story is told through pans over still images, with full animation reserved mainly for action-heavy scenes. The anime has a darker setting than the manga, and although it initially follows the basic outline of the manga's plot, the two stories diverge completely by the anime's end.
There is a 30-minute animated film whose plot does not overlap with the TV series. The film was released a few months before the TV series and benefits from a much higher animation budget.
The game was developed by Enix (who also published GanGan Comics magazine) for the Super Famicom and is a side-scrolling platformer. It largely follows the manga, but was changed to have Flute hit at the beginning of the story. As the game progresses, more jumps are made in the story. The game requires players to throw Flute and put her in various costumes to reach the end of the level. Numerous demons from the manga appear in the game as bosses.
During the game, Hamel will pick up numerous costumes that Flute will wear to achieve the goal.
Ostrich - Allows Flute to walk on spikes
Frog - When ridden, Flute jumps very high
Robot - When jumped on, destroys blocks
Duck - Can swim over water and dives when jumped on
Penguin - Can swim across the water and dashes when jumped on
Monster - Used to trick a monster into letting you cross a bridge
Monkey - Climbs up the wall when ridden
Orangutan - Used to move the story forward
Sunfish - Floats when ridden
Frisbee - Acts like a boomerang when thrown
Curling Puck - Slides when thrown
Elephant - Shoots water when jumped on
Octopus - Allows Hamel to move underwater in any direction when ridden
UFO - Floats and follows Hamel
Eagle - Flies in the direction Hamel is facing when ridden
Main party
Sforzando
The demon army that wants to revive Demon King Chestra by opening Pandora's box. They are immortal as long as they are not killed or consume all their energy. They try to free Chestra, who radiates so much power that they can live off it indefinitely.
The sequel. The plot 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 when Watanabe indicated health problems.
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.