MÄR

Märchen Awakens Romance, officially abbreviated as MÄR (メル), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai, serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from January 2003 to July 2006, with its chapters collected in 15 tankōbon volumes. The story follows 14-year-old junior high student Ginta Toramizu who is transported into a fantasy-based world known as MÄR-Heaven. As Ginta ventures in the world of MÄR-Heaven, he encounters allies and antagonists.

A 102-episode anime television series adaptation titled MÄR Heaven was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 2005 to March 2007.

In North America, Viz Media has licensed both the MÄR manga and anime for an English-language release. The manga was published between July 2005 and June 2007. The anime aired first in July 2006 on Toonami Jetstream, an online service from Cartoon Network, and then on the network itself, as part of the Toonami programming block in December 2006.

A manga sequel, MÄR Omega, written by Anzai and illustrated by Kōichirō Hoshino, was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 2006 to June 2007, with its chapters collected in four tankōbon volumes.

Synopsis
Ginta Toramizu is a 14-year-old kid who doesn't have a lot going for him: he's near-sighted, doesn't do well in school, sucks at sports, and to top it off—he's short! But Ginta is a dreamer and has had the same dream 102 times, always in the same fantasy world, where he is a hero blessed with all the abilities he lacks in real life.

One day, a supernatural figure appears at Ginta's school and summons him to a mysterious and exciting new world! In this strange universe filled with magic and wonder, he is strong, tough, agile—and he can see without his glasses! Thus, Ginta begins a mystical quest in search of the magical items known as "ÄRMS," one of which may have the power to send him home. Joining him on this epic journey are his companion Jack and the valuable living, talking, mustachioed iron-ball weapon known as "Babbo," which everyone wants but, it seems, only Ginta can possess!

(Source: VIZ Media)

MÄR Omega
Set six years after the events of MÄR, the story follows Kai, the adoptive son of an ÄRM smith. Kai idolizes Ginta and dreams of having an ÄRM for himself, despite not having magic power. Kai, however, inherited a magic stone from his dead parents; a memento that suggests his family's relation to the sorcerer kingdom of Caldia, birthplace of all ÄRMs and magic users. At the time throughout MÄR-Heaven, a new type of ÄRM, known as "Fake ÄRM", which is activated without magic power, became highly used.

On an errand, Kai is suddenly attacked by a remnant of the Chess Pieces. Kai jumps into a pond, where he meets Babbo. Using the ÄRM, Kai defeats the Chess Piece. Babbo wonders how Kai was able to use him, being a normal boy with no powers. Kai returns to his home alongside Babbo. Upon returning, Kai discovers that the Fake ÄRM users are possessed and want to take Babbo to bring him to a sinister mysterious figure who was watching them the whole time. Alviss comes to help and reveals that the Fake ÄRMs absorb the life energy from their users, allowing to control their minds in the process.

Kai, alongside Babbo, Alviss and his friend Elise, go to Caldia to seek help. They are welcomed into the Grand Elder's palace by Dorothy and a young wizard, Inga. The Grand Elder tells them that over 300 years ago the Fake ÄRMs were created by a dark magician, Unwetter, who experimented with the human mind manipulation. Babbo, the Elder of Caldia at the time, defeated him, consigning him and his malicious creations into oblivion, just before dying, transferring his soul into the ÄRM and erasing every memory related to the incident.

The Grand Elder does not know, however, why the supposedly sealed Fake ÄRMs were once again spread throughout MÄR Heaven, how the supposedly dead Unwetter could have been revived or what his goals are. The Grand Elder decides to seal Babbo to avoid more trouble, to which Kai disagrees. The Grand Elder orders Kai to prove himself worthy of wielding Babbo. Kai eventually unleashes all his dormant magic power, which is so powerful that confirms his relation to the magic kingdom and a direct blood connection to Babbo, finding out that he is one of his descendants.

A group of Fake ÄRM users present themselves before Caldia to take Babbo back to Unwetter. Kai and crew are able to fight them back with the assistance of Inga, who is revealed to be a descendant of Unwetter. Following Caldia's law, they must seek Unwetter out and kill him. Kai, alongside Inga and Elise go on a journey to find Babbo's magic stones, which would restore his memories of the Grand Elder who fought the Fake Arms and Unwetter 300 years ago, and save MÄR Heaven.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Anzai, MÄR was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from January 7, 2003, to July 5, 2006. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 15 tankōbon volumes released from May 17, 2003, to August 11, 2006.

In North America, the series was licensed for an English language release by Viz Media. The 15 volumes were released from May 3, 2005, to September 18, 2007.

MÄR Special
There is a newly drawn illustration in the whole volume. The frontispiece in Volume 8 is an illustration of GARNET CROW with gratitude

MÄR Omega
A sequel titled MÄR Omega (メル Ω, メル オメガ), written by Anzai but illustrated by Kōichirō Hoshino, was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 13, 2006, to June 27, 2007. Its chapters were collected in four tankōbon volumes published from December 16, 2006, to August 10, 2007.

Official fan book
MÄR: Official Fan Book AKT.SILVER; Released July 15, 2005 - ISBN 978-4-09-127772-5

Various guidebooks

 * MÄR Heaven: Knockin' on Heaven's Door Official Guidebook; Released August 16, 2005 - ISBN 978-4-09-106249-9
 * MÄR Heaven: Armfight Dream Official Guide Book; Released December 26, 2005 - ISBN 978-4-09-106272-7
 * MÄR Heaven: Chaldean Demon Official Guidebook; Released April 26, 2006 - ISBN 978-4-09-106298-7
 * MÄR Heaven: Oblivion Clavier Official Guidebook; Released September 28, 2006 - ISBN 978-4-09-106321-2
 * MÄR Heaven: The Arm Battle ÄRM Master Super Winning Book; Released December 9, 2005 - ISBN 978-4-09-106269-7

Others
CRAZY MANIAX by Nobuyuki Anzai; Released August 11, 2006 - ISBN 978-4-09-120577-3

Character
Ginta Toramizu is a 14-year-old junior high student from Tokyo. He is a near-sighted, video game geek, underachieving student and a fan of fairy tales. One day and without warning, he finds himself summoned to the mysterious world of MÄR Heaven, which he has only seen before in his dreams and in his mother's books. In this fairy tale world, Ginta's physical weakness is replaced with superior physical strength, incredible stamina and endurance, being able to see without his glasses.

Upon meeting a mysterious 16-year-old witch named Dorothy, Ginta is introduced to the powerful magical accessories and weapons called "ÄRMs". Dorothy plans to steal the mysterious ÄRM Babbo, from a trap-guarded cave, and brings Ginta along to assist her, intrigued by his unusual strength and abilities. Babbo is revealed to be an extremely special and unique ÄRM, as he possesses a will of his own and the ability to speak. Displeased with the fact that Babbo is so cumbersome, Dorothy gives Babbo to Ginta instead, departing with a warning that others will try to steal Babbo from him.

Ginta continues on a journey of discovery, reveling in this new world. When Ginta encounters the farmer Jack and his mother, who are troubled by two werewolf brothers, he finds that he misses the real world. Ginta resolves to find a way to reach home while enjoying as much of MÄR as he can along the way, with Jack journeying with him. However, it is not long before Ginta learns that the world of MÄR Heaven is not as peaceful as it seems when he is attacked by thieves wishing to steal Babbo.

Upon meeting a boy named Alviss, who summoned him to MÄR Heaven using an ÄRM known as the Gate Keeper Clown, Ginta learns of the sinister Chess Pieces, an organization who tried to take over MÄR Heaven six years earlier. Alviss reveals that he summoned Ginta in order to gain assistance from an "other-worlder" in the upcoming war, as was done previously, and that Babbo originally belonged to one of the knights of the Chess Pieces. Gaining both allies and enemies, the series follows Ginta as he opposes the Chess Pieces, led by King Orb, Queen Diana and her servant Phantom.

Abilities
"I can't stop being excited!"

- Ginta Toramizu

Upon meeting a mysterious 16-year-old witch named Dorothy, Ginta is introduced to the powerful magical accessories and weapons called "ÄRMs". Dorothy plans to steal the mysterious ÄRM Babbo, from a trap-guarded cave, and brings Ginta along to assist her, intrigued by his unusual strength and abilities. Babbo is revealed to be an extremely special and unique ÄRM, as he possesses a will of his own and the ability to speak.

His academic grades were below average, and because he played too many games, his eyesight was quite weak at 0.1 in both eyes, and he was wearing glasses. Also improved physical fitness even after he returned to the real world, her physical ability was still improving due to the relationship he was training in MAR Heaven.

TV Anime
A It aired in Japan between April 2005 and March 25, 2007, containing 102 episodes. The anime of MAR is an oddity among most anime in that it continued long after the manga had ended. Rather than follow what was originally set by the author, the anime expanded upon the source material by adding additional battles during the climax and having a somewhat different ending. The anime was licensed by Viz Media and aired on Cartoon Network's online broadband service Toonami Jetstream and, for a limited time, on their television programming block Toonami, until they stopped airing it for unknown reasons.

There are two firms known to have released the DVDs of the anime: Shogakukan for the Japanese DVDs and Viz Media for the English DVDs. In the Japanese DVDs, the original 102 episodes were divided into 17 DVDs, 3 episodes for each and 2 episodes for the 1st and 18th discs. There were also two extra merchandises in the 8th and 9th volumes. From episode 51, the DVDs were released as 'DVD Z'. The English DVDs were released on June 12, 2007, with 4 episodes for each DVD and a running time of 92 minutes. Four volumes were released, consisting of 16 episodes in total.

Twelve pieces of music were used throughout the series, four openings and eight endings. The four openings themes are The Heaven That Collects The Dreams You Imagined (君の思い描いた夢 集メル HEAVEN, Kimi no Omoi Egaita Yume Atsumeru Heaven) from episode 1 to 31, Clear Weather Clock (晴れ時計, Hare Tokei) from 32 to 53, Dreams and Fireworks (夢·花火, Yume Hanabi) from 54 to 80, and The Wind and the Rainbow (風とRAINBOW, Kaze to RAINBOW) from 81 to 102. All of them are composed by the group Garnet Crow.

The eight pieces of music are I Just Wanna Hold You Tight by Miho Komatsu from episodes 1 to 13, I'm In A Bad Mood (不機嫌になる私, Fukigen ni Naru Watashi) by Sayuri Iwata from episodes 14 to 26, Everyday Adventure (毎日アドベンチャー, Mainichi Adobenchā) by Sparkling Point from episodes 27 to 39, Cherry Blossom Colored (桜色, Sakurairo) by Shiori Takei from episodes 40 to 52, Miracle by Rina Aiuchi from episodes 53 to 65, Tonight, in Eden's Corner (今宵エデンの片隅で, Koyoi Eden no Katasumi De) by Garnet Crow from episodes 66 to 78, Don't Make My Heart Tremble Anymore (もう心揺れたりしないで, Mō kokoro yuretari shinaide) by Aiko Kitahara from episodes 79 to 90, and If I Reach Out My Hands (この手を伸ばせば, Kono te o Nobaseba) by Garnet Crow from episodes 91 to 102.


 * Staff:
 * Original Author - Nobuyuki Anzai (serialized in Shogakukan's "Weekly Shonen Sunday")
 * Director - Masaharu Okuwaki (episodes 1-52) → Keiichiro Kawaguchi (episodes 53-final)
 * Supervisor - Atsushi Nomura, Nobumasa Sawabe, Yutaka Saito
 * Series composition - Junki Takegami
 * Character design and animation director - Toshiyuki Komaru
 * ÄRM setting design - Kotetsu Ebina (episode 1-51) → Koichi Konno (episode 52-final episode)
 * Art Director - Yoshiro Kajiwara
 * Color Design - Tomoko Kuroyanagi
 * Director of Photography - Kenji Hirochi
 * Editing - Hiromi Komine
 * Acoustic Director - Jun Watanabe
 * Music - Daisuke Ikeda
 * Planning Cooperation - Shogakukan Character Business Center
 * 3DCG Production - Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment
 * Line Producer - Shimoji Shinao (episodes 1-26)
 * Animation Producer - Ryosuke Sakurai
 * Producer - Takeshi Sasamura (episodes 1-10) → Toshishi Aoki (episodes 11-71) → Shinichi Iwata (episodes 72-final), Naohiko Furuichi
 * Animation Production - SynergySP
 * Production - TV Tokyo, Shogakukan Production

Four volumes were released before Viz delisted the series in favor of other titles. In June 2011, the first 52 episodes were available on Netflix's Instant streaming service. As of 2008, MÄR DVDs were delisted from distribution. According to Viz Media's spokesperson, this was done to make room for other titles' releases.

Märchen Information Bureau
It is a patapata animation-style corner between the end of the ED staff roll and the next preview, in which Edward and Bell talk to each other. The duration is 30 seconds.

Significant differences between the original and the anime
Due to TV broadcasting codes and other reasons, some settings were added and some lines were changed in the anime that were not in the original work.


 * There are fewer scenes of bleeding than in the original. Scenes that were cruel in the original are restrained (Myra's being eaten is changed to being sucked in, Ali Baba is not dead, Mr. Hook, Collecchio, and Avrutu's heads do not fly off when Rapunzel decapitates them, and Rapunzel is not beheaded by "Ian"). Rapunzel's death is changed from "beheaded by Ian" to "burned to death by Ian's flames"; when the ring of Marco, Chimera's past husband, is thrown, only the ring is returned with the index finger as in the original story; Chimera dies from a fall to heaven instead of bleeding as in the original story; the end of Phantom The last part of "The Phantom" is not a transformation from mist to nothingness, but an eternal sleep in the shade of a tree, etc.).
 * In the beginning, the cruel dialogues ("die," "kill," etc.) were changed a little ("killed" → "fucked," "executed," → "go to hell," "kill," "die," → "disappear," etc. for Rapunchel's parents' murder), but in the middle, "die" and "kill" are now used normally.
 * Some of the ÄRMs that appeared in the original work do not appear, while others are equipped with ÄRMs original to the anime, so the number and equipment of ÄRMs differ from the original work.
 * In the original work, the ÄRMs that were once discarded by Mel's opponent in Chess are often not depicted as well as the broken ÄRMs even though they are not broken.
 * Mr. Hook's one leg is a prosthetic cane in the original story, but in the animated version, it is no longer a prosthetic leg and both legs are clearly depicted.
 * Candice's self-introduction has been changed from "sadist and masochist" to "someone who likes to hurt and be hurt.
 * Nanashi and Galian's past is depicted from Nanashi's point of view in the original story, but in the anime, it is depicted from a more holistic viewpoint.
 * Nanashi's first person is unified as "I" in the original story, but in the anime, there are "Yi" and "Ore (very few)" in addition to "I".
 * Koga's magical power, which was not present in the original work, is now set to be below the middle of bishops, and Nanashi, Dorothy, and Alvis tell him early in the game that it is not much.
 * In the 7th battle between Alvis and Loran, in the original story, Alvis first released 13 totem poles and Loran avoided them before attacking, but in the anime, the 13 totem pole attack part was deleted.
 * Chaton and Rocco, who had little contact in the original work, get along well.
 * Some things are revealed in the anime, such as the faces of Phantom's parents, Halloween's childhood identity, and the name of the sailor girl, which were not seen in the original work.
 * In the original work, ÄRM "Garnet Crow," the weapon ÄRM that cuts with a claw installed in Peta's right arm, is the music artist of the work, and his entire name is used in the episode titled "Peta," which is why the name ÄRM was not mentioned when the ÄRM is activated in the anime version in the original work. Also, the ghost ÄRM "Abyss Canon" used by Peta in the original work was not used at all, perhaps because the Chimera and ghost ÄRM genres were covered, so instead he used Blood Sirens and Garnet Crows to relentlessly inflict near-death damage.
 * In the anime, Pinocchion II is not a Guardian ÄRM, but rather the lower half of Pinocchion repaired on a cart.
 * From the middle of the story, the scenario has been changed to a reconstructed version that combines the scenario of the original story with that of the game "Märchen: Oblivion Clavier".
 * In addition to Guillom, Kouga recognizes Alvis as his sworn enemy and unilaterally defines him as his eternal rival, and Kinopion begins to pursue Dorothy and discusses how to take revenge on them without punishment in the final episode's ED.
 * In the original story, the Phantom accepted his own death, but in the anime, he plots to make Alvis join him in order to fulfill a certain dream.
 * Most of the main members of Team MÄR - MÄR - and the Chess Army disappear in the middle of the story (except for Snow and Magical Row, who are restored). *Magical Rowe disappears after Snow's rescue at the cost of unlocking the Darkness ARM in which Snow was trapped.
 * The roles of Koyuki and Gintama are abstractly associated with Märchen. This is why there are differences from the original work in relation to their origins.

Other Media

 * The program was introduced on "Ohasuta" every Friday during the anime broadcast. The characters of this work appeared in the "Korokoro Weather Kids" section of the program.
 * The SE for the subtitle display was a high-pitched melody until episode 51, a simple melody from episodes 52 to 67, and a rock sound from episode 68 onward.
 * The eye catches were Ginta's bubbos until episode 39, full TCG illustrations, technique names, flavor text, and the camp they belong to in the background for episodes 40-67, and "I can't stop the excitement!" after the characters appeared for episodes 68 and after. (with changes depending on the character's tone of voice).
 * Outside of Japan, the series was broadcast on Global TV in Indonesia, Cartoon Network in the U.S., Cuatro in Spain, YTV in Canada, and Hiro in Italy, among others. It has a total of 52 episodes, but in Italy, all 102 episodes were broadcast.

External Link

 * TV Anime "MÄR Heaven" ー Official Website
 * TV Anime "Märchen Awakens Romance" ー TV Tokyo Official
 * TV Anime "Märchen Awakens Romance" ー THEME SONG BEST Official
 * TV Anime "Märchen Awakens Romance" ー OFFICIAL YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
 * Sunday Ueburi: MÄR ー Official Manga Website
 * MÄR Heaven ー IMDb
 * Märchen Awakens Romance ーWikipedia  JP 
 * Märchen Awakens Romance ーWikipedia  EN 

Trivia
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