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| Senkaiden Houshin Engi |
Soul Hunter
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Series
Info  |
 Adapted from Ano Tsutomu's "Houshin
Engi" and beatifully drawn by Ryuu Fujisaki, first
serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, it was renamed
Senkaiden Houshin Engi (Legend of the Celestial World)
when it was adapted into 26 anime episodes (aired on
television in Japan weekly at 7:00 am on Saturdays,
between 1999-Jul-03 and 1999-Dec-25 by TV Tokyo) aired in
Manila by ABS-CBN ch.2. At first it religiously followed
the first six volumes of the manga and then it veers off
from the storyline and it was abruptly brought to a
close, with several major characters from the manga and
their stories were omitted.
The series starts with Konron's disciple Taikoubou's
mission to complete what is dubbed as the "Houshin
Project" which dealt with the capture of 300 youkais
of various strengths and have their souls imprisoned in
Konron, unbeknownst to Taikoubou, he himself is included
in the list. He was given a Paopei staff and the riding
beast, Suupuushan, a sort of a flying hippo, complete
with a cape and a crystal ball. The problem is the
youkais that Taikoubou's after are quite strong and armed
with Paopeis as well and he is quite lazy and
inexperienced in this line of work(he usually makes
Suupuushan do all the work), nevertheless he cockyly
gunned for more than he can chew when he went after the
most powerful youkai of all, the deceivingly cute and
pretty Dakki So, who controls the emperor of the mighty
In Dynasty. So along Taikoubou's bungling way, he meets
allies and foes alike, and then some "neutrals"
as he discovers there is more than what the Houshin
Project seems to be, and the anwser lies in his own home
in Konron.
|
| Dramatis
Personae |
| Name: |
Taikoubou
(Master Taikun) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is the one who
accepted Geishitenson's Houshin project. He is
quite lazy and inexperienced though he gets
things done. He has a way of dealing with people
and make them follow him. He is revealed as the
human form of an ancient God named Fukki posesses
incredible powers and is the true originator of
the Houshin Project in the manga. |
| Name: |
Dakki So
(Dajji) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
She is the cute girl, who
always ends her lines with a heart, she is
Taikoubou's archnemesis and is the most powerful
youkai in the land. She was a girl who was
possessed by Dakki and she seduced the emperor
and had the legitimate queen killed. Among her
paopeis are her "armor" and a sort of
perfume which can control weak-willed individuals.
She also uses a paopei which can control gravity.
In the end she was revealed to have links in
Konron. |
| Name: |
Emperor Chou |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
The good ruler of the In
Dynasty, before he married Dakki, which then
controlled him and gave in to her every whim. He
is a skilled swordsman (he was trained by Bunchuu)
and was shown have led the In military in battles.
He fought Hiko under Dakki's paopei's influence.
He turned into a horrible monster near the end of
the series which killed most of the people in the
capital. |
| Name: |
In Kou, elder/ In Kou,
younger (In Chao/ In Hon) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
They were Emperor Chou's
sons, who were targeted by Dakki since they are
next in line to the throne. Ko Hiko and Taikubou
saved them and were sent to Konron to train. They
later went back to avenge their father, but the
elder In was somehow brainwashed by Konron into
believing it was all Taikoubou's fault and then
fought Hiko and died happy that Hiko fulfilled
his promise to fight him. The younger In then
came along with Taikoubou and the gang to the
capital only to die at the hands of his father
which turned into a monster. The emperor then
regained most of his memories and started lashing
out at Dakki. |
| Name: |
BunChuu (Cmdr. Wenson) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He's the protector of the
In dynasty for over 300 years because of a
promise he made to Shushi (a concubine of an
Chou's ancestor). He leads most of the military
and is Ko Hiko's best friend, but was forced to
fight him when Hiko turned away from the corrupt
In dynasty. He nearly died fighting Dakki in the
capital, but succeeded with the help of Hiko and
his ever loyal riding beast, Kokukirin (Black
Horse). |
| Name: |
Kyohi (Chi Ha) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
She is Emperor Chou's
legitimate wife and the rightful queen. She was
accused of plotting to kill the emperor and
treason and was imprisoned. Then she was forced
to commit suicide and Dakki took over as Queen of
the In. |
| Name: |
Kibi (Emi)/ Kijin (Wanki) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
They are Dakki's youkai
sisters, and lives in the palace doing errands
for Dakki from time to time. They are both Youkai
that has gained enough power to take human form.
Kibi is also a shapeshifter like Youzen. |
| Name: |
Geishitenson (Master
Chenson) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is the old guy who
trained Taikoubou and gave him the Houshin
Project to complete. He is quite powerful and is
the acknowledged leader of Konron doushis and
sennins. He has quite a few secrets of his own
and has plenty of secret agendas as well
including Taikoubou's true mission and identity. |
| Name: |
Fugen Shinjin (Chou Ren) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is one of Konron's 12
Immortal defenders. He uses a sphere-shaped
crystal ball called Tai Kyouku Fu In. He was
trained alongside Taikoubou and is quite close to
him. They even sneaked out a Konron Robot and
went to earth to go fishing. He seems to care a
lot for other people and does not want to hurt
them (check out his fishing hook, its straight as
a needle, as not to hurt the fish). |
| Name: |
Taiitsu Shinjin (Chen Ren) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is one of the 12
Immortals of Konron and is like the chief
scientist there. He was the one who remade
Nataku's body and is shown to repair most of
Konron's giant fighting robots. |
| Name: |
Raishinshi (ThunderBolt) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
Sei Haku Ko Kisyo (Kisyo
the Lord of the West) found him as an infant, one
stormy night in the mountains and adopted him as
his 100th son. He was raised by Kisyo but was
sent to Konron to train as a sennin. He is quite
ill-tempered and impulsive at times but is very
loyal and caring person. |
| Name: |
Ko Tenka (Fan Tenka) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is Ko Hiko's son who
wields a lightsaber-like paopei called Haku Sha
no Hoken. His master is Dotoku Shinjin, another
of the Twelve Gods of Konron. He is known to
smoke a lot and his main goal in life if to be as
strong as his father. |
| Name: |
Youzen (Yang To) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is the long-haired
bishonen member of Taikoubou's group, but is
actually working under Geishitenson orders. He
can change his shape into any form, usually
copying his opponent's moves and abilities. He
sided with Taikoubou when they attacked Konron
and confronted Geishitenson about his secret
agendas. |
| Name: |
Nataku (Naza) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
Nataku, who was born
under extraordinary circumstances, is the
resurrected son of Li Shi by a lotus flower. He
was killed when he was confronted by a Dragon
lord, who came to avenge the death of his "son".
After he was brought back to life, he sought to
fight others to improve his already formidable
skills. He followed Taikoubou so he can fight
Dakki and become more powerful. He is shown as
emotionless and calculating, since more than half
of his body is mechanized. |
| Name: |
Hakutsuru
(White Crane) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He acts a Geishitenson's
messenger and operates Konron's giant fighting
robots as well. |
| Name: |
Ka Shi (Cha Shir) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
She is Ko Hiko's wife,
who is well-known in the entire counrty for her
beauty. She was invited to a party by Dakki and
when the emperor saw her he wanted her so badly
that he began to make amorous advances on her.
She felt disgraced and committed suicide in
disgust. |
| Name: |
Kou Shi (Fan Fi) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
She is Hiko's younger
sister and one of the emperor's concubines. She
died defending Ka Shi from the emperor's soldiers
who went to fetch her. |
| Name: |
In Shi (Suzi) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
She is Nataku's pretty
mother and is probably the only person that
Nataku cares for a lot. She is shown to be a
caring mother as she was willing to trade her
life for his son's. |
| Name: |
Li Sei (Li King) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
Nataku's irresponsible
father, according to Nataku, when Nataku died he
threw his body away instead of putting it in a
grave and this started the father-son quarrel. |
| Name: |
Sinkohyou (Shen-kun) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
This strange-looking
doushi may look like a clown but he wields the
most powerful paopei, and rides the most powerful
riding beast, he is also about 5000 years old,
and claims to be neutral, though he may have
hidden agendas of his own, he usually watches
over the forces vying for control of the land
which according to Kokutenko, his riding beast,
amuses himself with such. |
| Name: |
Suupuushan |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is Taikoubou's riding
beast and companion in their quest for the
Houshin Project. He is shown usually arguing over
his master's decisions and often criticizes
Taikoubou's rash actions. He looks like a caped
hippo complete with gloves and holds a crystal-ball
like sphere. Adult members of Suupuus has the
power to transform into powerful creatures as
well. |
| Name: |
Sei Haku Ko Kisyo (Lord
Chi Chan) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He was one of the four
lords of the In dynasty, he was imprisoned when
he told the emperor that he was not fit to rule
anymore. When he escaped he vowed to establish
the Shuu dynasty and end Dakki's evil rule, but
he died before reaching his goal, he was
succeeded by his second son, Ki Hatsu (Chi Fa). |
| Name: |
Kokutenko (Tiger Cat) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He is known as the most
powerful riding beast, though his true might is
yet to be revealed. He usually provides comic
relief together with his master Sinkohyo. |
| Name: |
Ko Hiko (Fan Fei) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
He was once the loyal
general of the In dynasty, but he realized that
the emperor was being held as a puppet, he turned
away from him. He then smuggled the two princes
out of the capital and sent them to Konron. He
joines forces with Lord Kisyo and planned to
overthrow the corrupt In dynasty under Dakki. He
is shown to have super-human strength. |
| Name: |
Kokukirin (Black Horse) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
BunChuu's insect-like
riding beast, he is very strong and very loyal to
his master. |
| Name: |
Koutenken (Sky Howler) |
| Age: |
|
| Background: |
Youzen's cute dog-like
riding beast, which can be hidden in Youzen's
sleeve. It seems to have limited attack power and
does not seem to speak at all. |
^_^
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