Rune Soldier
魔法戦士リウイ (Mahō Senshi Riui)
Genre	Shōnen
TV anime
Director	Yoshitaka Koyama
Studio	J.C.Staff
Licensor	ADV Films
Network	WOWOW
Original run	3 April 2001 – 18 September 2001
Episodes	24

Rune Soldier (魔法戦士リウイ, Mahō Senshi Riui^?, lit. Magical Soldier Louie) is an anime and manga series based on the original novel series by Ryo Mizuno, which features soldier Louie as the hero. The series takes place on the continent of Alecrast on the world called Forcelia, and is related to the novel, anime, and manga series Sword World. It is a sibling series to Record of Lodoss War (which is also directed by Mizuno), taking place on a continent north of Lodoss Island. Bleach , a well-known example of Shōnen manga This article is about the shōnen style of anime and manga. ... “TV” redirects here. ... “Animé” redirects here. ... J.C.Staff Co. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... ADV Films logo ADV Films is the home video publication arm of A.D. Vision based in Houston, Texas. ... WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... “Animé” redirects here. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Ryo Mizuno (Japanese: 水野 良; Mizuno Ryō), born July 13, 1963) is a Japanese author and mangaka. ... For other uses, see Hero (disambiguation). ... “Animé” redirects here. ... This article is about the comics published in East Asian countries. ... Sword World RPG ) is the most popular Japanese role-playing game[1]. The current, 2nd edition, known as the Complete edition, was published in 1996, but the original was published in 1989, so many Japanese RPG gamers recognize it as a very classical role-playing game. ... Serialized in Original run – No. ...

• For general information purposes, it is important to point out that this series focuses on humor and sexual comedy as opposed to the action and drama commonly associated with other works from this director. While entertaining, fans of this series should not expect content similar to other related works.

Characters

Louie 

A member of the Magician's Guild in Ohfun. Is prone to getting drunk in bars and picking random fights when he should be studying his magic. As a result, he tends to use brute force instead of magic to fix problems; in his first adventure he breaks his magic wand by using it as a club. He is the adopted son of the head of the Guild, Master Carwes. He joins the troupe after Melissa receives a revelation saying that he is the valiant champion she must serve. Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese), Jason Douglas (English)

Melissa 

Adventurer and priestess to Mylee, god of war. Early on she receives a revelation from Mylee saying that she must follow Louie and serve him. She often despairs at this and does her best to keep it hidden from public knowledge (She says "This is against my will" several times an episode). Despite her disappointment with having Louie as her champion, she remains a dedicated follower of Mairie and is determined the carry out his wishes. Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese), Shelley Calene-Black (English)

Genie 

Adventurer and former soldier of Ohfun. She has a rather cool demeanor but tends to snap at Louie's stupid behavior, sometimes leading to Louie getting smacked. She trains extensively with her sword and is a highly adept warrior. However, she is not without her own faults, as she is easily angered and can be goaded into situations that can lead to disaster. Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese), Christine M. Auten (English)

Merrill 

Adventurer, thief and part-time job worker with a fanatical obsession for money. When not adventuring, Merrill is either raising funds for the next adventure through various part-time jobs or looking at any scheme to get rich, including running booths at various events in Ohfun. Many of these end in disaster, most memorably with her 'darling jar'.Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Allison Keith (English)

Ila 

Member of the Magician's Guild and Louie's friend. Despite many attempts to get Louie on a date, their relationship remains platonic and open. Although highly knowledgeable in magic theory and magical item lore, her chief area of study, Ila herself claims to be inferior to Louie in raw magical prowess. She also tends to go to pieces and pass out whenever trouble surfaces on adventures she tags along with.Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Jenny Strader (English)

Anna, Gannet, and Joan 

Three young teenage priestess of Mylee that hold Melissia in esteem. They have a low opinion of Louie and see him as a burden to Melissa.

Anna Voiced by: Miyu Matsuki (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English) Katsuyuki Konishi ) is a Japanese voice actor (seiyū) who was born on April 21, 1973 in Wakayama. ... Jason Douglas is an American stage actor who is gaining increasing visibility of late by breaking into mainstream film and television work. ... The following is a list of characters from the Record of Lodoss War media franchise. ... // From Sakura Taisen Paris no Christmas, Joyeux Noel Kikuko Inoue ) (her birth name is 井之上 喜久子, pronounced the same as her stage name) is a popular Japanese seiyū (voice actress) and singer born on September 25, 1964 (though she frequently says I am 17 years old) in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. ... Shelley Calene-Black is an American voice actress working with ADV Films, known for her roles in the English-language dubs of anime series. ... Minami Takayama (高山 みなみ Takayama Minami) is a voice actress (seiyū) and a popular singer in Japan. ... Christine M. Auten is an American voice actress working with ADV Films, who is noted for her roles in English-languages dubs of anime series, including those of Priss Asagiri in Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 and Sakaki in Azumanga Daioh. ... Tomoko Kawakami , real name in kanji: 川上 倫子) (April 25, 1971 - ) is a female seiyū from Tokyo, Japan. ... Allison Keith is an actor and voice actor who is best-known for her English-dubbing work with ADV Films on such anime movies and television series as Neon Genesis Evangelion, in which she voiced the character Misato Katsuragi. ... Akiko Yajima ) (May 4, 1967 - ) is a female seiyū from Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. ... Miyu Matsuki , born on September 14, 1977 in Kure, Hiroshima) is a Japanese voice actress. ... Hilary A. Haag (born December 3, 1973 in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin) is an American voice actress, often providing English dialogue for the Japanese anime dubbed and distributed by ADV Films. ...

Gannet Voiced by: Ryoka Yuzuki (Japanese), Jessica Boone (English) Ryoka Yuzuki (柚木 涼香 Yuzuki Ryōka, born January 10, 1974) is a seiyuu who was born in Anjo, Aichi, Japan. ... Jessica Boone (born May 14, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is a well-known and well-established voice-over actress with ADV Films, working out of Texas. ...

Joan Voiced by: Ryoko Nagata (Japanese), Nora Stein (English) Ryoko Nagata , born February 23, 1975 in Gifu) is a seiyū who works for Vi-Vo. ...

Anime

The Rune Soldier anime consists of 24 episodes. The episodes are either a stand alone adventure, or a story arc consisting of multiple episodes. In general the plot of each episode or story arc revolves around the group looking for, finding, and participating in an adventure. Probably due to interpretation or stylistic differences most episodes have a verbal spoken and written name that does not match exactly.

Episodes

Episodes 1-4 represent a single story arc.

1 The Hero Descends

The episode introduces themain characters, beginning with Melissia, Genie, and Merrill. While investigating a ruin they indicate their need for a magician to join them to open a magically sealed door. Three days later they have traveled to the town of Ohfun. Merrill and Genie individually meet Louie with mixed results. Merrill believes him to be a pervert because he was being chased by a group of angry women and that he slips, while thanking her, and pulls her shorts down. Genie meets Louie while she is being confronted by a group of their rival adventurers. They claim she has insulted them by running into one of them and not apologizing. Louie appears, impossibly wedged in a slight opening between the town wall and a building. He precedes to attack the three men using his fists. Genie sees Louie as a reckless trill seeker.

Later Melissia, Merrill, and Genie have meet up at a tavern. Merrill reveals she has learned of a pub that magicians frequent. The next night they have met up at the pub, and approach Iila. She in turn introduces them to Louie. All three refuse Louie in joining them. Iila and Louie inform them that Louie is likely the only magician willing to join them. As Louie tries to convince them of his worth he irritates Genie and she confronts him. He refuses to back down and pulls out a magical device, that he drops and damages the pub. Luckily he was the only person left in the pub as everyone else fled. Later still the three girls meet at apparently a new tavern, they are drinking and angrily discuss Louie's incompetence. Melissia then reveals she will be undergoing her "Sacred Ritual of Revealing," the next day. This is a Mylee rite that reveals a Champion to whom the priestess must serve. She envisions a dashing knight, and gets lost in her daydream of their adventures together.

The next day opens on Melissia giving a sermon on Champions and heroes. She then speaks with Anna, Ganet, and Joan, three younger priestesses who believe she will be shown her champion. She calmly advises them that it may not be successful, and then when alone giggles and sings about getting her champion. The next scene shows Louie being released from jail and we find his adoptive father Master Carwes, arranged for his early release. He goes to the magician's guild and tries to attend classes but cannot get the idea of adventuring out of his mind. He and Iila talk in his dorm room, about his apparent lack of talent and dedication to his studies. As they speak about the three adventurers, they both conclude that they adventurers are looking for a magician to complete their group. Louie leaps to the conclusion that they want his help, but cannot ask him directly. He tells Iila the only member of the group he knows how to find is Melissia since she is a Mylee priestess. Genie and Merrill meet up at Genie's home outside Ohfun and their conversation turns to Louie. They decide to go see Melissia to see how her "Ritual of Revealing" has gone. Melissia is shown entering a sacred room of the Mylee temple with Chief Priestess Jenny officiating the rite. Melissia now alone and nude enters a pool of waist high water facing a statue of Mylee. To her delight, the deity speaks to her stating the next person she sees will be her champion. During the rite Louie arrives at the temple and is driven off by the three young priestesses. He then meets Genie and Merrill and after Genie pulls her sword on him, he runs away with Merrill and Genie in pursuit. As he navigates the temple he is constantly confronted by and attacked by a small army of young priestesses. He finally evades them and climbs to the top of the temple. Genie and Merrill are already there and begin to attack him. Louie pulls out his magic wand and begins to cast a spell, which backfires and destroys part of the temple roof. He falls through and lands in front of Melissia. Melissia screams, realizing Louie is her destined champion.

2. First Time (written title) / The First Experience (verbal title) The girls confront Louie in Genie's home and Melissia reveals her revelation that Louie is her champion. Much to her despair. Even Louie doubts the validity of this revleation. He then uses it to convince the girls to take him on their adventure. Melissia indicates she is forced to go with him if it his his wish. In preparing for the adventure Louie recives a charm for his magic wand, from his adoptive father Master Carwes, and sword training from Genie. Upon leaving for the adventure Louie recieves what will become a reoccuring task of carrying the party's equipment and provisions. Upon reaching the ruins Louie is left to move rubble from the entrance, only Genie helps out with moving the final, and largest stone. Louie then attepmts to open the sealed door with his magic, but is forced to read some cheat note to complete it. Upon entering and exploring the underground ruins, the group come to a dead end room and begin to search for secert doors, Louie by luck alone, effertlessly finds a hidden door, and envisions finding a mountain of treasure taht will earn him the affections of all three girls. Instead he finds a small force of monsters called goblins. He tries to flee and rejoin the girls who were on the other side of the room. When he is struck on the back of the head he loses control of himself and begins to brawl with the goblins. While he successfully defeats them, the girls have a running dialoge of their despair at Louie not accepting his role as their magician, instead of their fighter. Apexing with the fact that he breaks his magic wand by using it like a club. In the end they find no treasure, but Louie comments on his happiness to have been on the adventure. This provokes Merrill to punch him.

3. The Big Melee (written title) / The Big Scuffle (verbal title) The group returns to Ohfun. The girls are still angry from not finding any treasure and uses the fact that Louie needs a wand to use magic to abandon him un til he can find a replcement wand. The girls are indiviually shown complaining about Louie to people they know in town. They meet up a an inn and Iila and Louie meet them. Iila proceeds to give Louie three useless magical items: a cloak that can make him invisible, but is too small, a box containing an illusion of a cooked chicken, and a whistle than can call demons to your locatiuon, but does not allow you to control them. When Merrill comments on how useless each one is, Iila comments the would be more usefull than non existant teammates. This angers the three girls and Louie precieving their hostility quickly excuses himself and Iila.

4. The Phantom Forest (written title) / The Demon Forest (verbal title)'''/

External links

• (Japanese) Official website