Ozanari Dungeon

Ozanari Dungeon
Volume 1 tankōbon cover of Ozanari Dungeon
おざなりダンジョン
(Ozanari Danjon)
GenreSword and sorcery[1]
Manga
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byGakken (before 1998)
Biblos (1998–2006)
Jive (after 2006)
MagazineMonthly Comic Nora
DemographicShōnen
Original runNovember 1987November 1996
Volumes17
Original video animation
Ozanari Dungeon: The Tower of Wind
Directed byHiroshi Aoyama
Written byFumihiko Shimo, Hideki Sonoda
StudioTelecom Animation Film
Released 27 September 1991 20 December 1991
Runtime30 minutes each
Episodes3
Manga
Nariyuki Dungeon
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byGakken
MagazineMonthly Comic Nora
DemographicShōnen
Original run19971998
Volumes3
Manga
Naozari Dungeon
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byJive
MagazineComic Rush
DemographicShōnen
Original run20062010
Volumes8
Manga
Ozanari Dungeon Special
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byJive
DemographicShōnen
Published2008
Volumes1
Manga
Ozanari Dungeon Tactics
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byJive
MagazineComic Rush
DemographicShōnen
Original run20102013
Volumes6
Manga
Ozanari Dungeon Tactics
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byJive
MagazineComic Rush
DemographicShōnen
Original run20102013
Volumes6
Manga
Ozanari Dungeon Cloud Pangea
Written byMotoo Koyama
Published byJive
DemographicShōnen
Published2016
Volumes1
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Ozanari Dungeon (Japanese: おざなりダンジョン, Hepburn: Ozanari Danjon) is a comedy fantasy manga series by Motoo Koyama which was serialized in Monthly Comic Nora from November 1987 to November 1996. The manga series was adapted into a three-episode OVA series titled Ozanari Dungeon: The Tower of Wind (おざなりダンジョン 風の塔, Ozanari Danjon: Kaze no Tō) from Toshiba EMI.

Premise, Setting, Plot

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Ozanari Dungeon is an adventure manga set in a fantastical Sword and Sorcery world while occasionally showing a few pieces of anachronistic technologies such as missiles and airships.

This manga follows the adventures of a group of mercenaries: the barbarian Mocha (the main character), the rogue Blueman, and the mage Kiriman. Mocha and her gang belong to a mercenary guild. Their main concern is gold, but they will help to save the day even if the troubles don't concern them.

In early phases of the first manga, the stories are self-contained and have little connection with each other. In that phase, the tone and atmosphere tend to the light-hearted and episodic. The art style develops over the course of the manga. The plot becomes much more refined as well. After volume 10 or so, the plot becomes more profound, deep, and heavier on continuity. The scale becomes quite large, with whole nations going to war and dragon(s) which can destroy the world.

Characters

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Protagonists

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Mocha (モカ, Moka)
Mocha is an Elven fighter and she acts as the melee combatant in the Dungeons & Dragons "Fighter-Mage-Thief" party formation. She has great physical strength, yet little intelligence. Despite her very revealing armor, she is very innocent and naive. The first manga shows snippets of her past with her mentor and father figure, a legendary gladiator and adventurer, Salvador. She is named after a coffee type, Mocha.
Blueman (ブルーマン, Burūman)
Blueman is Nekomatango (a cat-like race) rogue and acts as a thief. His full name is Blue Manjaro, a mashup of the coffee types Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro.
Kiriman (キリマン, Kiriman)
Kilimon is an Inumoarukeba (a dog-like race) magician and acts as a mage. He always "talks" with a written sign. His full name is Kilie Mountain, which, like Blueman, is mashup of the coffee types Blue Mountain and Kilimanjaro.
Esprit (エスプレ, Esupure)
Esprit is a member of Magic Academy and thus an Astral, a transforming spirit who can exist without a physical body. He passes off as a longsword so he can follow and observe Mocha and her gang incognito. He is named after a coffee type, Espresso.

Supporting characters

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  • Kain
Kain is a bookish human prince who is smitten with Mocha. In a bid to win Mocha's heart, he trains under Falco and Keaton and starts adventuring.
  • Falco
Falco is a master swordsman and veteran adventurer. He is engaged to Azusa.
  • Azusa
Azusa is a heiress to a ninja clan. She is engaged to Falco.
  • Keaton
Buster Keaton is a veteran adventurer. Though he looks like an expressionless airhead, he is one of the most skilled fighters in the guild

References

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  1. ^ Oppliger, John (18 July 2008). "Ask John: What Are the Best Sword & Sorcery Anime?". AnimeNation. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
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