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

Arata Kangatari

Other Title:

Arata: The Legend

Type:

TV

Aired:

April 9, 2013 to July 2, 2013

Source:

Manga

Genres:

Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen

Synopsis:

Every 30 years, a new princess is chosen from the Hime family to serve the Hayagami. The time has come again, but over these past years, records state not a single female has been born, save for one, the 15-year-old Arata. The only problem is, Arata is actually a male! Forced to disguise himself and take the place of the princess candidate until a formal one can be found, he attends the festival only to witness the current princess, Kokuri-hime, murdered, and his own life is forfeit as well, by the hands of the princess' personal guard, the 12 Shinshou. As he runs for his life, Kannagi of the 12 convinces everyone that Arata is the one who has murdered the princess instead, and now everyone in the Imperial Court is after his head!

Character and Voice Actors:

- Main:

Arata

Arata, from Amawakuni, is outgoing, full of energy, and becomes bored quickly. At birth, his grandmother, Makari, claimed that he was a girl but still raised him as boy. He is part of the Hime clan, which provides the princesses to maintain balance in the world. With no other girls to succeed the current princess, Arata poses as a girl to become the princess' successor. At the succession ceremony, he witnesses the princess' assassination and is quickly framed for murder. He runs into Kando forest, where he switches places with Arata Hinohara from present-day Japan.

- Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu (Japanese)

Arata Hinohara

Arata Hinohara is a shy, quite person who doesn't like to stand out and tends to not have much self confidence, is athletic, and he also sticks to his morals as to what is right and wrong and he will stand up to someone who is getting hurt because of him. He is also from present day Japan, and ran track in middle school. His name Arata uses the kanji used in revolution.

Arata Hinohara is first introduced in chapter 2 of volume 1 getting ready for school and he is looking forward to the fact that he gets to start fresh in high school due to being bullied in middle school. On his way to school he catches a pervert in the act, and as he flees, Arata chases him down and tackles him until the police arrive. Because of that incident he meets his first friend in high school by the name Suguru Nishijima. He also becomes popular in school until Masato Kadowaki comes to his first day of class due to a broken leg and being hospitalized. He is then made fun of by Masato (who doesn't like him due to the fact that he slowed down during track training to let Masato win as he might not have been able to compete in the next meet) and the rest of the school. Later his desk gets covered in glue and he finds out that he is betrayed by his best friend Suguru.

After being made fun of and after school is over he wishes to disappear so that everyone can be happy. He loses all trust in people by saying it is pointless to trust people as they only betray you. As he is walking around he hears a voice call for him in an alley, and as he enters the alley everything becomes black. Although he finds that he is no longer in Japan, but rather a new world that is known as Amawakuni (he finds that out a little later).

In Amawakuni he meets Kotoha who was worried about Arata. He is confused at what is going on and when Kannagi searches his "house" he comes across a rusted sword and activates its power and becomes a Sho. The sword is known as a Hayagami, or god, and its name is Goshintai. His Hayagami has the power of the wind.