Shadow Skill

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Shadow Skill
First tankōbon volume cover (Bamboo Comics edition)
Manga
Phantom of Shade / Black Howling / Black Wing
Written byMegumu Okada
Published by
Magazine
  • Comic Gamma
  • (1992–1995)
  • Monthly Dragon Jr.
  • (1996–1998)
DemographicShōnen
Original run1992 – 1998
Volumes
  • 4 (original)
  • 3 (reissue)[a]
Manga
Written byMegumu Okada
Published byKodansha
Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original run2000 – 2014
Volumes11
Further information
Original video animation
Directed by
Written byMayori Sekijima
Music byToshiro Yabuki
StudioZero-G Room
Licensed by
Released October 25, 1995 – November 21, 1996
Runtime
  • 45 minutes (#1)
  • 30 minutes (#2–4)
Episodes4[b]
Anime film
Shadow Skill: The Movie[c]
Directed byYasuhiro Kuroda
Produced byLaurence Guinness
Written byKaoru Mfaume
Music byToshiro Yabuki
StudioZero-G Room
Licensed by
  • NA: Manga Entertainment
  • UK: Manga Entertainment
Runtime85 minutes
Anime television series
Shadow Skill: Eigi
Directed byTsukasa Sunaga
Produced by
  • Shinjiro Yokoyama
  • Masahiro Toyosumi
Written byMasashi Sogo
Music byOzamu Tezuka
StudioStudio Deen
Licensed by
Original networkTV Tokyo
English network
Original run July 2, 1998 – December 24, 1998
Episodes26
Manga
Written byMegumu Okada
Published byKodansha
Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original run2000 – 2014
Volumes11
Original video animation
Shadow Skill — Kurdan Style: The Secret of the Lethal Martial Art
Directed byKazuya Ichikawa
Written byKurasumi Sunayama
Music byHidenori Chiwata
StudioTandm
ReleasedOctober 2, 2004
Runtime60 minutes

Shadow Skill is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Megumu Okada. The series has been adapted into four original video animations released from 1995 to 1996 and an anime adaptation produced by Studio Deen aired on TV Tokyo in 1998.

In North America, the OVAs have been released by Manga Entertainment and the anime television series was distributed by ADV Films.

Plot[edit]

Main article: List of Shadow Skill characters

Shadow Skill takes place in the warrior kingdom of Kurda, where the main character Elle Regu has recently become the 59th Sevaar, a title awarded to their most elite warriors. She often leaves a trail of destruction when she fights and along with a drinking habit. Elle is constantly followed by debts and throughout the series takes on jobs to work off these debts. One of these such jobs leads her to the Green Octopus Inn on an island outside the city, which eventually becomes the protagonists' base of operation.

Throughout the series, Elle travels along with her adopted younger brother Gau Ban, who is studying Elle's fighting skills so that one day he could become the greatest Sevaar in Kurda. Also in Elle and Gau's life is Faulink Maya (Faulee), a Sui Rame talisman sorceress, and Kyuo Liu, a Septia beast-catcher and grandniece of Eva Stroll, the king of Kurda.

Warriors in Kurda fight using the Kurdan-style Kōsappō (交殺法, lit. "combining kill methods", ADV dub: "annihilation techniques") which has two general divisions: Hyōgi (表技, lit. "bright skills"), which emphasize punches and throws, and Eigi (影技, lit. "shadow skills"), which focus on kicks and the user's footwork.

Media[edit]

Manga[edit]

The Shadow Skill manga series was originally created by Megumu Okada as a self-published dōjinshi.[1] In 1992, it was picked up by Takeshobo for serialization in its shōnen magazine Comic Gamma. The magazine ceased publication in 1996; a total of four tankōbon (bound volumes) collecting the manga's chapters were released during that time. Shadow Skill was carried over by publisher Fujimi Shobo in its magazine Monthly Dragon Jr. until 1998; another four volumes were released by that publisher. Kodansha then gained the rights to Shadow Skill and released the existing chapters in three large aizōban volumes from 1999 to 2000. The following year, Okada began regularly publishing new chapters in the publisher's seinen magazine Afternoon Season Zōkan [ja], and later in Monthly Afternoon. Okada took a hiatus from the manga in 2006, but continued in 2009, submitting new chapters every other month, until finishing the series in 2014.[1] In total, the Kodansha released the entire Shadow Skill manga in three aizōban and an additional 11 tankōbon.

Anime[edit]

Original video animations[edit]

There have been a number of anime productions based on the Shadow Skill manga. It was first adapted into an original video animation (OVA) by Zero-G Room and released in Japan on October 25, 1995. Three additional OVA episodes were produced and released from September 21 to November 21, 1996. The first volume was officially numbered "volume 2.5" in Japan due to its chronological place among the four episodes.[2] All four OVAs were licensed in North America and the United Kingdom by Manga Entertainment.[3] The latter three episodes were compiled and released in English-speaking regions as Shadow Skill: The Movie, while the first OVA was later released as Shadow Skill: The Origin. Finally, a single cel shaded, CGI animation OVA[4] titled Shadow Skill — Kurdan Style: The Secret of the Lethal Martial Art (影技 ～クルダ流交殺法の秘密～, Shadō Sukiru Kuruda-ryū Kōsatsu-hō no Himitsu) was produced by Tandm and released in Japan on October 2, 2004.

TV series[edit]

A 26-episode television series titled Shadow Skill: Eigi (SHADOW SKILL —影技—) was produced by Studio Deen and aired on TV Tokyo from July 2 to December 24, 1998. ADV Films licensed the series in the United States.[1][5][6]

Reception[edit]

Anime News Network praised the series' Japanese and English voice acting, saying they did a good job capturing the light-hearted tone of the series. However, they felt the series stuck to the conventions of the martial arts genre with the plot focusing on fight scenes and the elaborate named moves being shouted aloud as they "powered up". As such, they thought that Shadow Skill appeals primarily to fans of the genre, but it was unlikely to appeal to viewers outside that fanbase.[6] THEM Anime Reviews described the OVA series as "well executed" and "fun to watch". But they advised that Shadow Skill would mainly appeal to fans of the martial arts genre and that it lacked the story development and characterization needed to truly become a great anime.[7]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The 4 original volumes were later reissued by Kodansha in 3 aizōban editions retitled as:
    1. Shadow Skil: Phantom of Shade
    2. Shadow Skil: Black Howling
    3. Shadow Skil: Black Wing
  2. ^ Episode 1 of OVA series was released in North America and the United Kingdom under the title Shadow Skill: The Origin as a prequel of Shadow Skill: The Movie.
  3. ^ Shadow Skill: The Movie is a compilation movie of OVAs 2 to 4 that was released exclusively in North America and the United Kingdom.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c ANN staff (March 11, 2014). "Shadow Skill Manga Ends After 24 Years". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  2. ^ Oppliger, John (August 11, 2000). "Ask John: What Happened to Shadow Skill?". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  3. ^ Oppliger, John (October 19, 2011). "Manga Announces Shadow Skill DVD". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  4. ^ Oppliger, John (November 3, 2003). "New Shadow Skill OAV in Production". AnimeNation. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  5. ^ ANN staff (June 27, 2005). "ADV to Release Shadow Skill TV?". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Martin, Theron (November 15, 2005). "Review: Shadow Skill - Eigi". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
  7. ^ Jason, Bustard (2003–2004). "THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Shadow Skill". THEM Anime Reviews. Retrieved March 4, 2011.

External links[edit]

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