A N I M E / O T A K U : PART 2

Angel Heart

Other Title:

Angel Heart: Anime

Type:

TV

Aired:

October 4, 2005 to September 26, 2006

Source:

Manga

Genres:

Action, Mystery, Drama, Romance, Seinen

Synopsis:

A young Taiwanese assassin codenamed "Glass Heart" committed suicide by jumping off a building, and her heart was pierced by metal fence. Miraculously, her life was saved by heart transplantation. During her recovery she began to experience strange dreams, which lead her to Japan looking for the donor of her heart, who happens to be Kaori Makimura, former partner of City Hunter Ryo Saeba.

The author mentioned in the first tankoubon volume that Angel Heart only shares the same characters of City Hunter but not its continuation. The events are all parallel universe, therefore it has nothing to do with City Hunter.

Characters and Voice Actors:

- Main:

Jian Qiang "Master Li" Li

Often referred to as "Master Li", he is the leader of Zheng Dao Hui and father of Xiang-Ying. However, his true involvement with Zheng Dao Hui is unknown as it was discovered that it was his twin brother, Li Qian-De who was calling the shots while Li Jian-Qiang was raising a family. After Qian-De's death, he takes over the duties of the Zheng Dao Hui. Li Jian-Qiang will never forget that his daughter was made into an assassin in his own organization despite his efforts to find her after the accident that killed her mother. He will never forgive himself for everything she had to go through. Although he would like to be reunited with Xiang-Ying, he knows that it is best that she not know her true parentage. To that effect he requested Ryo to take care of her, knowing full well that she could never return to him. He is also the first to call her by her nickname, "Ah-Xiang" which is what he used to call her when she was so much younger. (It is common in Chinese culture to take someone's first name and add the prefix "ah" to it when addressing someone younger or in a friendly manner such as in a family). Ryo, Kaori and Saeko are the only other people who call her by this name.

- Nojima, Hirofumi (Japanese)

- Arimoto, Kinryuu (Japanese)

Xiang Ying "Glass Heart, Number 27" Li

A young Taiwanese girl who is the main protagonist of Angel Heart. In reality, she is the daughter of Li Jiang Qiang, the leader of the crime syndicate Zheng Dao Hui. However at the age of two, she and her mother were involved in a car accident when their car plunged off a cliff into a river. Her mother was killed in the accident but Xiang Ying was never found, despite the best efforts of her father and his organization to locate her. In a cruel twist of fate, Xiang Ying was found and taken in by the Zhuque Corps (a section of Zheng Dao Hui which specializes in assassinations) and trained to be an assassin. Because of the accident, she has no memory of her childhood, and as a result does not know her true parentage. This is also why her entry in the Zhuque was never known by her father until it was too late. While in training for the Zhuque Corps, she was referred to as Number 27 but after her training was complete, she was referred to as Glass Heart. After attempting to commit suicide, the heart of Kaori Makimura was transplanted into her, and with it, the overpowering desire to live and to be reunited with Ryo Saeba. As a result, she busts out of the lab she was kept in and travels to Japan where she finally meets Ryo. Ryo, in turn adopts Xiang Ying as their (Ryo and Kaori's) daughter.