From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Melody of Oblivion (忘却の旋律, Bōkyaku no Senritsu
?) is an anime series by J.C.Staff, with some involvement from Gainax. The series is 24 episodes
long, and originally aired between April 7, 2004 and September 21,
2004.
Information
The Melody of Oblivion is a series rife with cultural
references. Everything from Zen
Archery and Bushido to the Bible's Book of Revelation, stories of Greek Mythology, and images from The Garden of Forking Paths
can be seen in the series.
Melody of Oblivion's premise is that in the 20th century,
humanity waged and lost a war against beings known only as the
Monsters. In the 21st century, the Monsters rule
the earth, but they have reconstructed society such that virtually
no one born after the war ended is aware that it ever happened.
Children are disappearing mysteriously. Only the Warriors of
Melos are still fighting against the Monsters. The
series focuses on Bocca, a teenager who chooses the path of the
Warrior. In doing so, he gains the power to fight back at the
horrors he sees, but it costs him his place in society.
Melos Warriors are the only ones who can see the ephemeral
"Melody", personified as a girl who appears at important times and
shows emotion but does not speak. The Melos, as they are also
referred to, fight primarily with bows and arrows infused with the
energies of their spirit (seemingly described in Italian words and
phrases used in musical notation). The visible marks (Sacred Scars)
that they employ in this infusion process appear as tattoos on
their person.
The Melos Warriors are aided by devices called Aibar
machines (could also be transliterated as
Aiba-Machine), which are essentially futuristic
motorcycles with many additional capabilities. ('Aiba' or 'Aibar'
are transliterations for a word in Japanese meaning 'Favorite
Horse.') The process of bonding a Warrior of Melos and an Aibar
machine involves a symbolic naming of the bike by the one who is to
ride it. Thereafter, the Aibar machine follows voice commands. All
Aibar machines are at least minimally sentient, while some possess
fully human-like intelligence. As such, they can function mostly or
completely independently of their drivers when need be.
Opposing the Melos Warriors are the Monsters themselves and
their human lackeys, the Monster Union. The former are
always shown as normal looking human beings, however this is not
what they truly look like. If a normal person (one who is not a
Melos Warrior) looks at their true form, they will automatically
transmogrify into a bizarre object (such as stone statues or
puppets, but varying with whatever monster is being viewed.) It
should also be noted that all the monsters mirror creatures of
Greek Mythology, such as Horu, the first monster featured, who is
referred to by Kurofune as a "disgusting cow" and is said to have
been sealed in a labyrinth. This, along with the fact that a
pair of bull horns and legs manifest when he is around, implies he
is the legendary Minotaur.
Several other featured monsters are Medusa, Hecate, Talos, and Pan. All monsters
seem to have some control over reality itself and can only be
killed by Melos Arrows.
The Monster Union, which is part Satanic cult
and part ultra-fascist secret society, is composed of people
who have been given power and authority in exchange for providing a
steady supply of human sacrifices to their Monster overlords, and
keeping the majority of humanity in the dark as to who holds the
real power and what really goes on in the world. The process of
imbuing Monster Union members with their powers leaves a visible
mark on the body identical to a hot iron brand mark.
Monster Union leaders employ machines called robot-monsters in
combat, but in contrast to the Melos Warriors, there is no standard
design among these machines aside from the fact that all seem to be
shaped like animals from the Chinese zodiac. The names of these
robots are also in Chinese.
The contrast between the Monster Union members and the Melos
Warriors is suggestive of the text in Revelations where it refers
to people being marked by Heaven and being marked by Hell.
Melody of Oblivion has a very distinctive soundtrack featuring
prominent virtuoso violin and acoustic guitar solos and other
classical-style music. The theme music is titled "The Spirit of
Framenco". There are also more disturbing synth and amplified
guitar pieces during scenes of creeping horror. The show itself is
also full of musical references, from the Melos Warriors' given
names (Kurofune Ballad being the most obvious) to the Italian
musical vocabulary which flashes on the Melos Warrior 'targeting
interface' during battle (animato, con fuoco,
passionato, energico, etc).
Characters
Humans
- Bocca Serenade (ボッカ・セレナーデ
?)
- The main character. Brave, determined and equipped with a heart
for adventure, Bocca is not your average school boy. In fact, he
does badly in school and is disliked by his teachers. He eventually
drops out to pursue his dreams of becoming a Melos Warrior, leaving
behind the old and familiar, including his parents and brother.
Bocca was a rebellious member of the archery club (the students are
discouraged from using actual arrows since the monsters are trying
to discourage the development of such skills) who longed to be a
warrior to fight against the injustices he saw in the world.
Although people classify monsters as myth and tell Bocca to stay
away from the old man who loiters near his school, he befriends the
old man named Tsunagi , who is actually a scientist. Bocca also
worked part time for him at his auto-shop. Bocca soon meets Sayoko
who tells him she is looking for a warrior; hearing this gives
Bocca new hope for what he wants to do in life. When the warrior
Kurofune (the same warrior Sayoko was looking for) goes to see
Tsunagi, Bocca learns that Tsunagi was the leading scientist of
aibanetic technology and an ally of the warriors. Later that day
Bocca witnessed a battle between Hor and Kurofune, which awoke the
possibility to become a warrior within him. When Kurofune leaves to
continue on with his journey, Bocca and Sayoko decide to go after
him. The series then follows Bocca's journey as he sees the damage
the monsters have done, learns of the humans who have pledged
allegiance to them, meets other Melos Warriors and develops a
romantic relationship with Sayoko. His Melos tattoo is on his left
arm, and his Aibar machine is Elan Vital.
(Japanese voiced by Houko Kuwashima and
English voiced by Ted
Sroka). His command for his Melos arrow is "Flush." His bow was
originally the bow he used for the archery club, and when it got
broken, it was replaced by the handle bars of his Aibar
machine.
- Sayoko Tsukinomori (月之森小夜子,
Tsukinomori Sayoko
?)
- A girl who travels with Bocca to seek her love, Kurofune. She
was given as a sacrifice to the monsters by her parents to improve
her brother's chances of becoming a Monster Union agent. Kurofune
rescued her and she fell in love with him. She ran away from the
home Kurofune placed her in to chase after him. On her wrists she
wears the chains that bound her as a sacrifice and with them she
can track Kurofune. They will point to wherever Kurofune is if she
is lucky and there's nothing standing in the way of her and
Kurofune. During the journey, Sayoko develops a relationship with
Bocca.
- Although her identity as a runaway child is the first facet of
her character that is introduced to viewers, Sayoko is better known
as daring, sensitive girl who is ready to risk all for love. She
also has pick-pocketing skills to rival a professional, which helps
her survive and bring her to Bocca. They later become friends when
she realize that Bocca is a Melos Warrior, and decides to follow
him so that she can look for Kurofune, whom she is in love with.
Around Sayoko's left wrist is a red chain that vibrates and pulls
her in the direction of Kurofune when he uses his power.
Bocca says that Sayoko is a “girl who belong to a world of
sunlight”, but despite being generally cheerful in disposition,
Sayoko’s past is marred by a dark truth. Her parents always loved
her brother more than her. When her brother grew up, Sayoko was
sacrificed to help her brother become a member of the Monster Union
and Kurofune saved her from it. That was when Sayoko fell for him.
Together, Bocca and Sayoko traverses many monster-controlled area,
delving into the monsters network and hierarchy. Amidst the
conflicts and chaos, Bocca and Sayoko grow closer and find that
their fondness for each other had developed into something more
than friendship. Japanese voiced by Masumi Asano and English voiced by Carrie Savage.
- Kurofune Ballad (黒船・バラード, Kurofune
Baraado
?)
- The first Melos Warrior to appear, and Bocca's inspiration.
Instead of a bow, he wields a crossbow. His aibar machine is Jaguar
Sun. His Melos tattoo is on his left arm. (Japanese voiced by Mitsuru
Miyamoto and English voiced by Patrick Seitz).
His command for his Melos arrow is "Flush" (same as Bocca's) He
uses a bow gun.
- Toune Requiem (遠音・レクイエム, Tōne
?)
- A quiet girl who is proficient with the bow. One will think
that all Melos Warrior who find out about their powers would
embrace their identities immediately, but not Toune’s. She first
appeared as someone who can fight monsters, produce a Singing
Chord, and seems to know a great deal about Melos Warrior. All she
seemingly lacks are the tattoo and an Aibar Machine. In her
conversation with Bocca, Toune disclose her hatred for Melos
Warriors, and despise what she calls the arrogance of those who
ride on Aibar Machines.
However, it soon becomes clear that her hatred for the Melos is
a veneer to protect her from the truth that she is unwilling to
accept: The boy she is in love with, Sky Blue, is really an Aibar
Machine. After overcoming this, she finally slips into her role of
a Melos warrior and mounts Sky Blue to travel to other places. Her
tattoo is hidden on inner thigh of her right leg, explaining why
Bocca thought she was not a Melos Warrior at first. Her Aibar is
Sky Blue, an earlier model of the Unicorn-series. His first
appearance in the series portrayed him to be a devil by Millionaire
Beaver. (Japanese voiced by Sanae Kobayashi and English voiced by
Wendy Tomson). Her command for her Melos
arrow is "Straight flush." Her bow is a wooden bow that she carries
around.
- Koko Ninna-Nanna (ココ・ニンナナンナ, Koko Ninna-Nanna
?)
- A very young and playful girl, a feisty girl with risqué humour
packaged in a petite frame. She may be young for a Melos Warrior,
but she is just as masterful and confident as the other Melos
Warrior. Her last name is the Italian word for lullaby.
A Monster Union Agent kidnapped her from her parents in the toy
section of a department store. She managed to escape before she
could be sacrificed; however, to this day she cannot remember who
her parents were or where she lived. She is accompanied by three
Unicorn-series aibar machines: Hikari, Nick, and Kuron. They came
together when Koko awakened them. She had wanted to free all of the
Unicorn-series Aibar Machines, but had no chance to so she set
these three free and gave them names. Together they form the armed
theatrical group Chentauro. Upon meeting Bocca and his friends,
fighting monsters and uncovering mysteries together, she was
reunited with her father, the Prime Minister. Misadventure has it
that they only come together when he was at the brink of death.
Father and Daughter never get to know each other beyond physical
appearance. Her Melos tattoo is on her right cheek. (Japanese
voiced by Yukari
Tamura and English voiced by Jennifer
Sekiguchi). Her command for her Melos arrow is "Four card." Her
bow is formed from a stick that she carries, which expands to a bow
at her command.
- Saburou Musashino, AKA Tsunagi (武蔵野 三郎/ツナギ, Musashino
Saburō/Tsunagi
?)
- An old man who owns a repair shop that Bocca worked at.
Kurofune comes to him to have his aibar machine, Jaguar Sun,
repaired. When the authorities arrive after Kurofune fights Hor,
Saburou flees and joins the armed theater group, Chentaruo (this is
not known until later in the series in episode 8–10). When Bocca
meets Saburou again, it is revealed Saburou was a scientist who
helped in the development of Aibar Machines and the Metronome, the
space fortress that gives the Aibar Machines the ability to fly,
and was supposed to destroy all monsters.
- The Melody of Oblivion (忘却の旋律, Bōkyaku
no Senritsu
?)
- A girl whose physical body is confined at an elusive area
called the "Oblivion Playhouse" (also translated as "Melody
Theatre"), but can project her image so Melos Warriors can see her.
She guides and supports them, although her capacity for
communication seems to be very limited. It is rumored among Melos
Warriors that if her physical form can be located and resuscitated,
she could unlock a power capable of wiping the Monsters off the
face of the planet. (Japanese voiced by Mamiko Noto and English voiced by Michelle
Ruff).
Monsters
- Horu / Minotaur
- Horu is the first monster Bocca meets in Melody of Oblivion,
and is also the most recurring monster in the series. He is said to
have been sealed in a labyrinth, but claims that he was able to
leave his prison when he discovered that everything "is all part of
the labyrinth" He holds a long-standing grudge against Kurofune.
Like all monsters, he has a broad, albeit nebulous, range of
abilities. He is seen in the anime to warp space and time around
him, teleport, and is known to cause the stars to vanish for
periods of time. Whenever he is in the area, a pair of bullhorns is
seen somewhere close. He is accompanied by a small "toy" bus that
he implements in his attack by transforming it to life-size, making
it grow the horns and legs of a bull, and ramming it into his
opponent. (In the past, he was seen to use a similar attack with a
Jeep in lieu of a bus.) He is
often chewing cud, which, along with other elements of his design
such as the bullhorns and labyrinth, is supposed to imply that he
is the Minotaur of Greek Mythology. (In fact, the walls of the
labyrinth he was trapped in have murals on them depicting the birth of the
Minotaur. Also, another way to translate his name is Hol,
a reference to Holstein cattle.) Horu is unique among
monsters in that he gains sustenance by reverting to his true form
(which is never seen on camera) and physically devouring the
children who are sacrificed to him. This is excruciatingly (and
eternally) painful for his victims because he constantly
regurgitates and masticates them, as a cow does with its food.
Those that see him in his true form immediately and irreversibly
transform into puppets. He's voiced by Shotaro Morikubo
in Japanese.
- The Girl With Red Hair / Medusa
- The most childish and unpredictable of all the monsters
featured. She appears as a young red-haired girl. Her transport of
choice is a large cruise-liner called "The Hebihanabi," or "Snake
Fireworks ship," that can move on land or sea, and is always
accompanied by a thick fog. Her sacrifices are turned into stone
statues through looking upon her true form, and are either kept in
her onboard private collection, or used to decorate the cities
under her command (she seems to have a preference for young and
beautiful boys.) During one scene in the anime, bunch of snakes are
scattered around after she throws her head at a mob of angry
parents, implying that she is made out of snakes. One of her oddest
features is that she is always accompanied by a servant whose voice
is heard, but who never appears onscreen. Whether this servant is
another monster or in fact an extension of her power is unknown.
She was the monster that scouted out the Monster Union members
Midnight Hiyoko and Millionaire Beaver, although she may have found
others as well. Like all monsters, her powers are difficult to
gauge, and she has an unquestionably evil nature. She is referred
to as Medusa by other
monsters, which goes along with the fact that she is associated
with snakes, can petrify others at will and lastly, when she
removed her head it was likely referencing the legend of when Perseus decapitated Medusa in
combat, and later used her head (or rather her petrifying eyes) as
a weapon. On top of that, The Monster king directly referred to her
by the name, Medusa.
- Tamakorogashi / Hecate
- Or "Ball-Roller" is the third most featured monster in the
story, and seems to be the most calculating. She is the monster
that is noted to be the one that scouted the union agent, Hustle
Monkey. She appears in the form of a young woman with green hair
held in pig-tails by bowling ball shaped hair clips. She is always
accompanied by a ferocious looking black dog that acts like her
guardian. This dog is probably a part of her true form. As her hair
clips may indicate, she is fond of bowling and prefers to play in a
bowling alley of her own creation that is made out of hearses. People who view her
balls and pins are assaulted by visions of the people they have
wronged. It is explicably shown that she turns her sacrifices into
bowling balls (she actually orders her sacrifices based on their
weight, so that the ball's weight is more comfortable for her to
throw), but it is unknown as to whether or not this also applies to
the pins. The monster, Pan, called her, Hecate, when they met up at the
parthenon. This goes
along with her dog since black dogs were regularly sacrificed to
the Witch-Goddess.
- Pan
- Not much is known about him, the only information is that he is
a boy who is wearing glasses and plays a flute. He seems to have an
intressed thing for Medusa. Pan is a human with
goat legs and horns.
- Talos
- Talos can only be seen once for a brief moment. Talos appears
to look like a sumo and he guards
the Island of Monsters.
- Monster King Solomon III aka Solo
- The current Monster King, he is a former Melos warrior. After
defeating the previous Monster King, the Melody of Oblivion told
him that the monsters would attack the humans indiscriminately. And
if every monster were to be defeated, then humans would turn into
monsters. The only way to prevent it would be for Solo to take up
the role of Monster King himself. He pleads with Bocca to join him
as his equal, to help relieve the extreme loneliness of his
position. Solomon goes so far as to offer Bocca half of the world
to control if he would only join him. He keeps the Melody of
Oblivion in chains at his palace on the Island of Monsters. Solo is
also riddled with guilt over what he has done to protect people. He
has the ability to instantly hypnotise humans and control them into
doing what every Solo desires. He uses this ability to kill the
Prime Minister of Japan. (English voiced by Johnny Yong
Bosch).
Monster
Union
- Midnight Hiyoko
- After having her home town's hot springs discovered as a fake
and her sister stealing her boyfriend, she dedicates herself to the
monster union. She causes her town to be under constant night,
which makes it famous for 'A town without dawn, or always in dusk'.
Her robot monster is a large flying rooster. Her real name is Keiko
Hamasaki. (Japanese voiced by Yuri Amano)
- Millionaire Beaver
- A childhood friend of Toune, she was recruited by Medusa while
they were looking for Sky Blue, Toune's future Aiba Machine. She
was jealous of Toune for being liked by Eichi instead of her, and
after Toune's return fears he will run away with her. She is in
charge of a dam that holds all of the tears of children saddend by
adults. The tears are collected by robot rats, and are counted as a
way determining which adults are eligible to be Monster Union
members. Her robot monster is a giant rat, which is made out of a
number of her robotic rats. She is defeated by Bocca when he learns
the Singing Chord attack. Her real name is Miri Kanaya. (Japanese
voiced by Aya
Hisakawa)
- Wrench Monkey
- He's in charged of a factory of making weapons for the Monster
Union. He captures Sayoko as his special love. He gets the shivers
when Hecate gets a little upset with him. He pilots a robot monkey
as he fights the Warrios of Melos. He appear to have died as Engine
One gets destroyed. His real name is Masaru Hashimoto. (Japanese
voiced by Mitsuaki Madono)
- Global Wildcat
- Worked under Hol (Horu) on his mirage island shipping children
to him, was defeated by Bocca who's Aiba Machine Elan Vital
appeared to be immune to the Aibar Machine sealing attack Global
Noise Cannon. His robot monster is a tiger. (Japanese voiced by Ryotaro Okiayu)
- Lucky Thoroughbred
- The older brother of Sayoko. His robot monster is a horse.
- Flying Bunny
- Subordinate to Child Dragon, went to scope out Lucky
Thoroughbred's tower and helped Sayoko escape. Fights with a
carrot, and rides a carrot shaped flying surfboard. Her robot
monster is apparently a giant cocktail waitress (larger version of
herself).
- Electric Sheep
- Little is known about this boy's past, except he states his
true self is dead in real life, and that he is in a dream in real
life, after being rudely awoken by Koko he becomes angered and
attacks her and the other Melos Warriors. His robot monster is a
giant sheeps head, with thousands of 'electronic sheep', little
white electrized balls, that join together to create a ring like
shield around him.
- Discount Uribou
- Has some past with Toune, possible met her when she had run
away from her home village. Her robot monster is based on
pigs.
- Child Dragon
- Leader of the Monster Union, he enjoys sock puppets. His robot
monster is a pair of dragons.
Aibar
Machines
- Elan Vital (Pegasus Series)
- Bocca's machine. His human form can only be seen in Episode 14
and 24.
- Sky Blue (Unicorn Series)
- Tone's Aibar Machine. In human form, he's a soft-spoken young
boy with blue, wavy hair. (Japanese voiced by Soichiro Hoshi)
- Nick, Kuron and Hikari
- The three Aibar machine of the Unicorn Series, Nick, Kuron and
Hikari, are Koko's constant companions and helpers. They follow her
and plot their moves against the Monster Union together. Their
machines may be from the series with hearts, but their warmth and
affection are reserved solely for Koko. All other human they treat
with cool indiffrence, but they are nevertheless loyal to those
whom the recognise as allies. Hailing from the Unicorn Series, they
are all imbued with tremendous physical strength - their blows can
destroy any surface, and they are capable of fighting one-on-one
with a robot monster.
- Kuron
- First of the three machines frequently seen with Koko. In human
form, he wears glasses. (Japanese voiced by Daisuke
Namikawa)
- Hikari
- Second of the three machines frequently seen with Koko. In
human form, he has yellow hair.(Japanese voiced by Miyazaki Issei)
- Nick
- Third of the three machines frequently seen with Koko. In Human
form, he is the one with the hood on always. (Japanese voiced by
Harasawa Katsuhiro) Voiced by Josh Phillips (actor)
- Jaguar Sun
- Kurofune's machine. Jaguar Sun does not have a human form. It
is last seen on Hol's mirage island, where it waits for Kurofune's
return from the Labyrinth.
- Mono 4
- Rouge Aibar Machine. Waken up when Engine 2 docks with
Mitronome. In Human form, he has red hair.
Theme
songs
- Opening
- Ending
- "Tenohira no Hikari" (てのひらの光
?) by Minawo
External
links
Kadokawa Comics
Geneon
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
