Angel Sanctuary

Angel Sanctuary
File:Angelsanct.jpg Angel Sanctuary manga, volume 1 (Japanese version)
Genre	Fantasy, Romance
Manga
Angel Sanctuary
Written by	Kaori Yuki
Published by	Hakusensha Viz Media
Demographic	Shōjo
Anime
Angel Sanctuary
Directed by	Kiyoko Sayama
Studio	Bandai Visual

Angel Sanctuary (天使禁猟区, Tenshi Kinryōku) is a manga and anime series created by Kaori Yuki. This 20-volume series was originally serialized in Hakusensha's Hana to Yume. The manga was adapted as a three-episode OVA series that loosely covers the first story arc; it was intended to be an introduction to the manga rather than a complete story, and thus ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. Both the manga and anime feature mature content.

A series of drama CDs based on the other story arcs was also released. Another interesting fact is that the black metal band 1349 has based several songs off Angel Sanctuary, the most well known being Celestial Deconstruction.

Angel Sanctuary is one of Kaori Yuki's most celebrated works. Among other things, it discusses the morality of incestuous relationships, the nature of God, and other philosophical topics. North American distribution rights of the anime have been rescued from Central Park Media by Media Blasters (2007).

Story

The background story is that of Organic Angel Alexiel, who is one of the highest beings in existence, third only to God himself and the primordial man known as Adam Kadmon. She is, in rank, equal to her twin brother the Inorganic Angel Rosiel. Before the beginning of the series God has fallen asleep to "gather his powers" which indicates that he is, in this series, very powerful but not omnipotent.

In this series Assiah (Earth) and the upper levels of Hell (Gehenna) are mirror images of each other. As mankind polluted and destroyed the Earth the lands of Hell also began to weaken. Taking advantage of their creator's sleep and the weakening of their enemies the angels of heaven wage war on the Evil race (a group of beings that are demons who have turned away from the Devil, Lucifer, and God; they live in Gehenna and worship "Holy Dragon Gods"), wiping most of them out.

In doing this the angels fighting the war are corrupted. They commit vile crimes and murders under the name of God and righteousness. This deeply goes against Alexiel's morals. She feels that the Evils are more pure in their actions since they do not put up a charade of purity to cover their crimes. She joins the Evils' side of the war and declares an official revolt against God.

The war comes to a climax and end when Alexiel fights against her brother Rosiel. Earlier, Rosiel had found out that he is decomposing and that his mind will rot. He went to Alexiel to ask her to kill him before he goes crazy, which she agrees to. But when she is about to deal the killing blow to him, he yells "Would you kill your own twin brother, Alexiel!?". She then is filled with pity and remorse, so she seals him within the Earth using a barrier of forbidden magic. However in doing this she used every ounce of her power and shatters Nanatsusaya (the "Holy Sword of God", that made every bearer before Alexiel go mad with its power and kill themselves and countless others). The result is that Rosiel is now sealed inside Assiah and Alexiel is captured and tried by the Angel of Judgment, Uriel.

For her crimes, Alexiel is sentenced to the most severe punishment given to the fallen. Her body and soul are separated. The body is frozen in an angel crystal, it is then locked away in the deepest depths of angel security on the fourth circle/layer of Heaven, Machonon. Her soul is sentenced to be incarnated into a human mortal. That mortal's life is sentenced to be filled with physical and emotional pain. Everytime Alexiel is re-incarnated, the cycle begins anew. But in every incarnation Alexiel's personality is still present under specific, e.g. dangerous, circumstances, which causes her incarnation to have strange spiritual patterns and powers at times; it is as if the incarnation has a multiple personality disorder. In the storyline she is incarnated into a boy named Setsuna Mudo.

Setsuna Mudo is a problematic delinquent high school student, who is in love with his sister (thus producing the emotional pain required by her punishment). To add to his problems, he is also discovered as the reincarnation of a fallen angel, which gets him caught in the complex war between heaven and hell.

Main characters

Setsuna and his sister, Sara.

Main article: List of Angel Sanctuary characters

Setsuna Mudo (無道 刹那, Mudou Setsuna)

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima

The current incarnation of the Organic Angel Alexiel, retaining many of Alexiel's high astral powers. Like all of Alexiel's reincarnations, Setsuna is doomed to live a miserable life and die a slow, and very painful death.He has feelings for his sister which can only be described as incestuous.

Sara Mudo (無道 紗羅, Mudou Sara)

Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi

Setsuna Mudo's younger sister, who is actually the reincarnation of Jibril, the Angel of Water. She is in love with her brother.

Alexiel

Voiced by: Ai Orikasa

One of the most powerful angels in heaven, Alexiel was loved by many, including Uriel and Lucifer. Disgusted by the corrupt practices of heaven, Alexiel rebelled against God. As punishment for her treason, Alexiel's soul is doomed to be endlessly reincarnated into miserable lives. Her current incarnation is Setsuna Mudo.

Sakuya Kira (吉良 朔夜, Kira Sakuya)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

A seven year old who was killed in a car accident. At the moment of his death, Nanatsusaya appeared to him and offered Sakuya another chance at life, if Sakuya would lend his body to Nanatsusaya.

Lucifer

The Demon Lord of Hell, Lucifer was told by God that he was born with only one reason - to become the Prince of Darkness and rule the demons. As revenge, Lucifer planned to rape Alexiel, believing that she was God's "beloved daughter," but soon fell in love with her, and, though he tried to, could not follow through with his plans to rape her.

Rosiel

Voiced by: Susumu Chiba

The younger twin of Alexiel, once wise, kind and benevolent, Rosiel eventually went insane and became destructive. He asked Alexiel to kill him before this happened, but her feelings prevented her from doing so and she sealed him within the earth instead.

YHWH

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata

The ultimate villain of the story, YHWH, presumed to be God, is actually a being from another universe. He is a megalomaniac with no real physical form, who created the universe in order to test an equation that he had fashioned.

See also

List of Angel Sanctuary soundtracks

External links

• Central Park Media Official site for the anime
• Angel Sanctuary ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Angel Sanctuary ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Angel Sanctuary at IMDb