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Anime 101
Houshin Engi
The manga of Houshin Engi is created by Ryu Fujisaki. It was serialized in Weekly Jump from 1996-2000, with a total of 201 issues, 23 Tankoubon, and an informational book called Houshin Deluxe.
The premise of the manga is close to that of the novel. The In dynasty has been corrupted by a beautiful and evil demon who is exerting her control over the King. In the manga, the protagonist Taikoubou is given a tragic background. He was a prince of the Kyou tribe, which was almost wiped out on one of Dakki's whims. Dakki announced that slaves must be sent to rebuild the tombs for past In emperors. Taikoubou was taken to Konron by G-san and began his training. His greatest wish is to avenge his race and build a human world without the intervention of immortals or gods... but at what cost?
In the manga, Taikoubou is the main character, but certainly not the only character to whom special attention was paid. Characterization is achieved with great success, as distinct as the costumes that Fujimon assigns his characters. This is the probably the most wonderful and also horrible part of the manga. In the novel one never gets a chance to grow attached to many characters, since the author of the novel wasn't very skilled at character descriptions at all. On the contrary, Fujisaki manages to lure the readers into the inner worlds of his characters until the readers become entirely engrossed by them. What's the bad part? Well, remember the whole purpose of the Houshin Project is the destruction of Sennin and demons alike. The reader can never be able to guess which of his/her favorite character will be the next one to be sent to the Houshin Dai, and forever away from them. No wonder Fujisaki is also one of the most hated mangaka in the industry.
At the beginning of the Houshin Project, G-san tells Taikoubou that the mission is to purge the human world of evil immortals. Then the mission changes to destroying Dakki and the In dynasty and building the Shuu dynasty. But at the end, they discover that this is not the true goal after all. And the true goal is... the Director of History? What in the world is that? What are the secrets still hidden from Taikoubou and the readers? Every step in the manga is taken with great care, not only on the part of Fujisaki, but also the readers. Unexpected events are abound. Other differences in the manga and the novel are the abundance of humor and technology in the manga. Keep in mind that this is 11th century B.C., but you won't need to flip more than two pages of the manga in order to find either a flying robot or some sort of incredibly advanced technology. The nice blend of sci-fi and fantastic elements also adds to Houshin's appeal.
Special Thanks to: Sashi from Houshin no Mikos' Houshin Engi for the information.
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