World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman (聖剣使いの禁呪詠唱, Seiken Tsukai no Wārudo Bureiku, lit. Holy Swordsman's World Break) is a Japanese light novel series written by Akamitsu Awamura and illustrated by Refeia. SB Creative has published twenty-two volumes from November 2012 to June 2018 under their GA Bunko imprint. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Diomedéa aired between January 11 and March 29, 2015. A manga adaptation was serializaed in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Comp Ace from June 2014 to February 2016 and was collected into four volumes. A game adaptation by the Japanese company ASOBIMO has also been released.[3]
World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman | |
聖剣使いの禁呪詠唱 (Seiken Tsukai no Wārudo Bureiku) | |
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Genre | Action, fantasy,[1] harem[2] |
Light novel | |
Written by | Akamitsu Awamura |
Illustrated by | Refeia |
Published by | SB Creative |
Imprint | GA Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Original run | November 15, 2012 – June 14, 2018 |
Volumes | 22 |
Manga | |
Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
Magazine | Comp Ace |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | June 2014 – February 2016 |
Volumes | 4 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Takayuki Inagaki |
Produced by | Atsunori Yoshida |
Written by | Hiroshi Yamaguchi |
Music by | Go Sakabe |
Studio | Diomedéa |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Tokyo, TVO, TVA, AT-X |
Original run | January 11, 2015 – March 29, 2015 |
Episodes | 12 |
World Break: Aria of Curse for a Holy Swordsman takes place at a school named Akane Academy, where students with special powers and known as Saviors are trained to defend against monsters called Metaphysicals, which brutally and indiscriminately attack humans. Saviors, divided into Shirogane (White Iron) and Kuroma (Black Magic), are the reincarnations of talented individuals who possess awakened memories of their past lives. Shirogane manifest weapons and martial techniques while Kuroma manifest magic for defense purposes.
The story follows main protagonist, Moroha Haimura, who is unique in that he has awakened memories of two past lives: Flaga, a swordmaster and prince of a small country, and Shu Saura, a magician and King of the Netherworld. This gives Moroha the abilities of both a Shirogane and Kuroma. At the academy he meets Satsuki, a boisterous girl who is very boastful and brash and who was Sarasha, Flaga's sister, in her past life; and Shizuno, a calm and levelheaded girl, who was Shu Saura's wife. With his unique abilities he joins the Striker Unit, Akane Academy's team of elite Saviors.
Moroha's plans for a peaceful school life go up in flames when Satsuki and Shizuno begin to vie for his attention and matters only get worse when Metaphysicals start appearing.
The first light novel volume was published on November 15, 2012, by SB Creative under their GA Bunko imprint. The series ended with its 22nd volume on June 14, 2018.[5]
No. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | November 15, 2012[6] | 978-4-7973-7195-6 |
2 | February 16, 2013[7] | 978-4-7973-7305-9 |
3 | April 16, 2013[8] | 978-4-7973-7363-9 |
4 | August 12, 2013[9] | 978-4-7973-7472-8 |
5 | November 15, 2013[10] | 978-4-7973-7523-7 |
6 | February 17, 2014[11] | 978-4-7973-7556-5 |
7 | May 15, 2014[12] | 978-4-7973-7741-5 |
8 | August 8, 2014[13] | 978-4-7973-8016-3 |
9 | November 14, 2014[14] | 978-4-7973-8167-2 |
10 | January 14, 2015[15] | 978-4-7973-8248-8 |
11 | February 13, 2015[16] | 978-4-7973-8234-1 |
12 | June 12, 2015[17] | 978-4-7973-8332-4 |
13 | August 08, 2015[18] | 978-4-7973-8481-9 |
14 | October 14, 2015[19] | 978-4-7973-8523-6 |
15 | February 13, 2016[20] | 978-4-7973-8619-6 |
16 | June 14, 2016[21] | 978-4-7973-8737-7 |
17 | August 9, 2016[22] | 978-4-7973-8886-2 |
18 | October 10, 2016[23] | 978-4-7973-8944-9 |
19 | February 14, 2017[24] | 978-4-7973-8970-8 |
20 | June 14, 2017[25] | 978-4-7973-9181-7 |
21 | October 12, 2017[26] | 978-4-7973-9383-5 |
22 | June 14, 2018[27] | 978-4-7973-9705-5 |
A manga was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's seinen manga magazine Comp Ace from June 2014 to February 2016 and was collected in four tankōbon volumes.
No. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | December 25, 2014[28] | 978-4-0410-2465-2 |
2 | January 23, 2015[29] | 978-4-0410-2466-9 |
3 | August 15, 2015[30] | 978-4-0410-3339-5 |
4 | February 24, 2016[31] | 978-4-0410-3782-9 |
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Diomedéa aired between January 11 and March 29, 2015.[32] The opening theme is "Hi no Ito Rinne no Gemini" (緋ノ糸輪廻ノGEMINI), composed by Katakura Mikiya and performed by Petit Milady (Aoi Yūki and Ayana Taketatsu), and the ending theme is ""Magna Idea" (マグナ・イデア, Maguna Idea), performed by Fortuna (Aoi Yūki, Ayana Taketatsu, Maaya Uchida and Yui Ogura).
The anime series has been licensed for streaming by Funimation and Crunchyroll.[33]
No. | Title | Original air date | |
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1 | "The Reincarnater" "Tensei seshi mono" (転生せし者) | January 11, 2015 | |
Moroha begins classes at the Akane Academy because he has inherited mystical powers from a former life. While there he meets Satsuki and Shizuno, two girls who immediately find themselves drawn to him for various reasons. | |||
2 | "Dwell within My Sword, Magic Flame" "Waga Ken ni Yadore ma Homura" (我が剣に宿れ魔焔) | January 18, 2015 | |
Moroha and Shizuno join the Strikers. Satsuki is frustrated by her lack of ability, but one weekend, she faces down a Metaphysical at the shopping mall. | |||
3 | "The Netherworld Sorceress" "Meifu no Majo" (冥府の魔女) | January 25, 2015 | |
Edward, one of the six Rank S Saviors, comes to Japan. Meanwhile, Shizuno refuses to talk about her past life, causing friction between her and Moroha. | |||
4 | "White Knight Assault" "Shiro kishi kyōshū" (白騎士強襲) | February 1, 2015 | |
When Shizuno's brother tries to bully her into studying abroad, Moroha intervenes by revealing that he defeated the Dreadnought Class Metaphysical without any assistance. This leads to a high-stakes duel between himself and Sir Edward. | |||
5 | "We Are the Summer" "we are the Natsu" (we are the 夏) | February 8, 2015 | |
The Strikers go to a small island for a summer training camp, and Satsuki takes it upon herself to become a faster, more capable Savior. Meanwhile, the Head Six are preparing to meet regarding Moroha's suggested promotion to rank S. | |||
6 | "We Are the Swords of Salvation" "Warera, kyuusei no ken nari" (我ら, 救世の剣なり) | February 15, 2015 | |
A gigantic Metaphysical attacks just as the summer training camp is drawing to a close. Some members of the Head Six doubt Moroha's abilities, and they see this attack as the perfect opportunity to force him to prove himself in battle. | |||
7 | "The Silver-haired Stranger" "Ginpatsu no Ihōjin" (銀髪の異邦人) | February 22, 2015 | |
A new student arrives from Russia on exchange, immediately confessing her feelings towards Moroha. Moroha is accommodating, but Shizuno has suspicions. | |||
8 | "The Magic Sword and the Holy Sword" "Maken to seiken" (魔剣と聖剣) | March 1, 2015 | |
Lesya's true identity is revealed: she is a maneater -- an assassin. As they take swings at each other, Moroha's holy sword awakens. | |||
9 | "Siberian line" "Shiberia-yuki" (シベリア行) | March 8, 2015 | |
Moroha challenges the Russia division to a fight on Lesya's behalf. With Edward's support, they arrive in Russia. | |||
10 | "Battle at Yekaterinburg" "Kessen· ekaterinburuku" (決戦・エカテリンブルク) | March 15, 2015 | |
With some help from his friends, Moroha finally faces the Russian Terror on her home turf. But when her Dark Arts turn out to be as powerful as his, it's unclear who will emerge victorious in this clash of titans. | |||
11 | "The Nightmare from a Former Life" "Akumu wa zense yori" (悪夢は前世より) | March 22, 2015 | |
The emergence of a Metaphysical delays Moroha's departure from Russia. Little does anyone realize, a dark specter from his former lives is about to reappear in Japan, forcing everyone there to face it without his aid. The Metaphysical destroys everything in sight. Moraha gets informed about the Metaphysical and remembers both of his past lifes discovering that he lost both of the people he loved by the Metaphysical. | |||
12 | "Surpass Two Lives" "Futatsu no nama o koe" (二つの生を越え) | March 29, 2015 | |
The Saviors fight valiantly in what appears to be a losing battle against an unusually intelligent Metaphysical. When Moroha finally enters the fray, he finds it will take more than his powers alone to emerge victorious. |
The anime series' first episode received negative reviews from Anime News Network's staff during the Winter 2015 season previews. Rebecca Silverman was optimistic about the premise and said it wasn't as awful as other shows of its ilk during the season but found it generic with its poor execution in storytelling and harem-standard characters that made for an overall lackluster viewing experience. Theron Martin was also intrigued by the fantasy plot concept being used to justify the harem elements but was deterred by the tiring humor, average production and sexist comments made towards women. Nick Creamer heavily criticized the overuse of generic harem tropes throughout the episode, ranging from body humor gags to elements of sexism that "reflect[ive] of an underlying worldview that sees women as unknowable prizes to be won." Zac Bertschy felt the adaptation carried a "generic, flavorless" feel throughout with its direction, female cast and the overall aesthetic of their character designs, calling it "zero-effort junk."[2] Silverman reviewed the complete series in 2016.[34] Despite having both Moroha and Shizuno carry traits above your typical harem characters, she criticized the anime overall for poor storytelling economy, lack of character development and world building, concluding that: "Unless you're in desperate need of a new magic high school story, this is something that you can safely skip."[34]