Lunar Legend Tsukihime (真月譚 月姫, Shingetsutan Tsukihime?) is an anime TV series released from October 10, 2003 to December 26, 2003. It was based on the visual novel Tsukihime. The episodes were directed by Katsushi Sakurabi, written by Hiroko Tokita and animated by J.C.StaffWP studio, and produced by the Tsukihime Production Committee, which included Geneon EntertainmentWP, MovicWP, Tokyo Broadcasting SystemWP, and J.C.Staff.[1]
Story[]
Shiki Tohno sustained a life threatening injury as a child, and due to that incident he was sent away from the Tohno household and was given to a relative to be raised. Years later, when Shiki is in high school, the head of the Tohno household—his father—dies, and he is ordered to move back in by his sister Akiha, who is the new head of the household. However, Shiki holds a huge secret. Ever since that injury, he has been seeing lines on objects, and only with a special pair of glasses is he able to stop seeing them. Also he is unable to remember anything well from the time before his accident. The day he moves back to the Tohno household is the day he stumbles upon a woman named Arcueid Brunestud and decapitates her with one stab of his knife in a temporary fit of insanity. When she suddenly showed up beside him later alive and well, and ask him to be her bodyguard, Shiki's journey to unravel the mysteries of his past begins.
Characters[]
- Shiki Tohno
- Arcueid Brunestud
- Akiha Tohno
- Kohaku
- Hisui
- Ciel
- Satsuki Yumizuka
- Arihiko Inui
- Nrvnqsr Chaos
- Roa
- Makihisa Tohno
- Aoko Aozaki
- SHIKI Tohno
Episode list[]
# | Title | Original airdate | English airdate |
01 | Inverted Impulses[2] Hanten Shōdō (反転衝動) |
October 9, 2003 | August 3, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
At a young age Shiki Tohno was able to see lines that, if hit, immediately destroy the objects (including people) they were situated on. He was given a pair of glasses that blocked the lines from his sight by a mysterious sorceress, and was able to live a normal life. Years later, he moves back into the house of his sister, Akiha Tohno, after the death of their father. After talking about the strange serial killings in the city with his friends at school, Yumizuka Satsuki, Inui Arihiko, and Ciel, he sees a woman on his way home from school, and after falling into a dreamlike sequence, kills her. He awakens in his sister's house, but on his way to school the following day, he sees the woman again. |
02 | Black Beast Kuroi Kemono (黒い獣) |
October 16, 2003 | August 10, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki is terrified of the woman and flees. As he returns home after school, however, he sees her in front of the house, and he flees once more, only to be cornered by her in an alley. As she approaches him, they are confronted by a pair of demonic hounds, whom the woman easily slays. She then identifies herself as Arcueid Brunestud, a vampire, and that she is hunting another vampire in the city. The same hounds begin to attack the hotel they are in, and Arcueid, weakened due to needing to regenerate after Shiki killed her, is forced to face the vampire Nrvnqsr Chaos. With Shiki's aid, the two manage to escape, and Arcueid recruits Shiki to help her kill Nrvnqsr. |
03 | Mystic Eyes of Death Perception Chokushi no Magan (直死の魔眼) |
October 23, 2003 | August 17, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki awakens in Arcueid's apartment, where Arcueid explains the difference between the True Ancestors and the Dead Apostles, and how her mission was to slay the latter. She then implores into the nature of Shiki's power, which she identifies as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, enabling Shiki to see the fated destruction of an object, and erase it from existence. As a result, she employs a trap using herself as bait for Nrvnqsr, while Shiki will kill him when he arrives. As Nrvnqsr arrives, Shiki attacks him, but is quickly repelled. However, Nrvnqsr's overconfidence allows Shiki to bypass his guard and kill him. As Shiki collapses, Arcueid kisses him on the forehead, thanking him for his work. |
04 | Garden of a Cradle Yurikago no Niwa (揺籠の庭) |
October 30, 2003 | August 24, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki awakens in the Tohno household, and is scolded over breakfast by Akiha for being late the previous night. At school, Shiki is relieved to see that Satsuki Yumizuka, who he had previously believed to be in the hotel when Nrvnqsr Chaos attacked, is safe. Shiki is given a party by Akiha, who formally welcomes her brother into the Tohno household. Shiki later converses with Kohaku, one of the maids, and learns that Akiha, despite her stoic demeanor, is pleased by Tohno's presence. Later that evening, Shiki has a dreamlike sequence where Arcueid comes, craving for his blood. The next day at school, Arcueid arrives, calling for Shiki, much to his embarrassment. |
05 | A Bow of the Sky Sora no Yumi (空の弓) |
November 6, 2003 | August 31, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Embarrassed, Shiki goes down to meet Arcueid, who wants him to start helping her hunt vampires. They agree on a meeting time, and Shiki manages to leave home with the aid of Hisui, the other maid. After meeting Arcueid, she explains that she is hunting a vampire named Roa, who reincarnates by transferring his soul from host body to host body after he is killed. Shiki and Arcueid are confronted by a pair of dead humans under Roa's control, and Arcueid quickly dispatches them. The next day, Shiki is confronted by Ciel, and she takes him to her tea room, where she tells him to be wary of Arcueid. Arcueid treats Shiki to dinner that night, but quickly leaves after seeing his blood. |
06 | White Dream Shiroi Yume (白い夢) |
November 13, 2003 | September 7, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki overhears at school that three students went missing the previous night while they were in the city. When he returns home, Akiha has tea with him after dinner, and allows him to have a television, even though she normally dislikes noisy objects. Shiki manages to leave home and meet with Arcueid, who reveals she had been working to get money. They then notice the three supposedly missing students, whom Arcueid identifies as being under Roa's control. Arcueid dispatches two, and Shiki manages to defeat the third. Afterwards, Shiki takes Arcueid through the city, and promises to go on a date with her later. |
07 | Blue Sin Mark Aoi Kyuuseki (蒼い咎跡) |
November 20, 2003 | September 14, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Akiha agrees to go with Shiki and his friends to an amusement park, and they are joined by Arcueid who they meet on the way. The group enjoys the rides, although Shiki is exhausted in the process. As the group squabbles over where to go next, Yumizuka manages to break the animosity between Ahika, Arcueid, and Ciel, and the group ends up going to an onsen. Once there, Yumizuka divulges her envy of Arcueid's beauty, but Arcueid replies that she cannot have a significant relationship with Shiki because she is not human. Meanwhile, Akiha and Ciel converse, with Ciel revealing that she believes Akiha is not human, causing Akiha to storm off. |
08 | Origami Orikami (檻髪) |
November 27, 2003 | September 21, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
When Shiki returns home, Akiha collapses shortly after a conversation with him. Kohaku claims she will be fine, and Shiki stays with her through the night. The next day, he is strangely asked by Ciel to allow things to stay normal longer. At home, he sees Akiha taking blood from Kohaku's breast. Arcueid later reveals that Roa reincarnates in the bodies of families with inhuman characteristics, leading Shiki to believe that Ahika is Roa. Later that evening, Shiki follows Akiha, watching her hair turn red. Shiki then goes with Arcueid, but after leaving her, he is attacked by a man who can see the same lines as him, and he is cut across the chest. After Ciel forces the man to retreat, Shiki collapses. |
09 | Death Shi (死) |
December 4, 2003 | September 28, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki, in pain due to his wound, is watched by Akiha through the night. The following day, Kohaku reveals that the Tohno family carries inhuman characteristics, and the one with those characteristics designated the head of the family. With Akiha absent, Hisui allows Shiki into Akiha's study, where he finds a key. Trying doors throughout the house, he manages to open one that leads to a dungeon cell with "Help Me" scrawled on the walls in blood. Running outside, he recalls how there was another boy in his childhood also named Shiki and how he had killed him. Akiha, furious at him discovering this knowledge, reprimands Hisui and Kohaku. |
10 | Crimson Red Moon Shu no Kougetsu (朱の紅月) |
December 11, 2003 | October 5, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
As Shiki lays in bed, Arcueid visits him and asks him to take her on a date. After vising several locales, she then asks Shiki to take her to his school. In a classroom, Arcueid expresses her fear that should she go to sleep again, she will awaken and Shiki will be gone. Shiki then makes a promise with her that after the events are over, he will go on another date with her. Afterwards, they visit the tea room, and Shiki inquires about Ciel. Arcueid reveals that Ciel used to be Roa's incarnation. The two are then attacked by Roa's minions, but after Arcueid dispatches them, Shiki collapses. The sight of his blood awakens Arcueid's vampire nature, and she is separated from Shiki by a sword sent by Ciel. |
11 | Misfortunate Night Magatsu Yoru (凶つ夜) |
December 18, 2003 | October 12, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Arcueid flees, and Ciel explains that Arcueid was the White Princess of the True Ancestors until Roa offered her a rose with blood that caused her to undergo a cycle where she would awaken for brief periods to kill Roa and then go to sleep once more. Shiki goes to follow Arcueid but comes upon Roa and Akiha. Roa begins to overwhelm the two until Ciel arrives, but she is dispatched. Roa retreats and Ciel regenerates her wound. At home, Shiki finds that he was adopted, and that he swapped places with the original SHIKI after he went berserk. Shiki then goes to Arcueid, and makes love to her in her apartment. When he awakens, he finds a note with the words "Bye, Bye" on them. |
12 | Lunar World Gessekai (月世界) |
December 25, 2003 | October 19, 2005 |
---|---|---|---|
Shiki attempts to find Arcueid, but is confronted by Ciel. Ciel agrees to help Shiki find Arcueid after seeing his determination, and the two come upon Roa fighting Arcueid at the school. Despite Arcueid's efforts, she is killed by Roa, and an enraged Shiki begins to fight with Roa. Although initially outmatched, a distraction by Ciel enables Shiki to destroy the entire walkway the two are situated on and get behind Roa, destroying him in the process. Ciel disappears, with no person in the school besides Shiki having any memory of her. Shiki then goes to the same tree he visited as a youth and thanks the same sorceress he saw, Aoko Aozaki. While waiting for Arcueid after school, Shiki sees her, and she thanks him for fulfilling his promise before disappearing. |
Adaptation Differences[]
Gallery[]
Music[]
- Opening Theme:
- The Sacred Moon by Toshiyuki OmoriWP
- Ending Theme:
- "Rinne no Hate ni..." (輪廻の果てに?) by Fumiko OrikasaWP
Rinne no Hate ni...[]
- Main article: Rinne no Hate ni...
Moonlit archives: Lunar Legend Tsukihime Original Sound Track 1[]
Moonlit Memoirs: Lunar Legend Tsukihime Original Sound Track 2[]
Development[]
A prequel OVA named Lunar Legend Tsukihime prologue was released on September 26, 2003 by Geneon.
The English adaptation of the episodes has been licensed by Geneon Entertainment.[3] The episodes are based on the visual novelWP Tsukihime by Type-Moon and adapt the source material over twelve episodes. The plot of the episodes follows Shiki Tohno after he moves into his sister's house, and his interactions with the vampire Arcueid Brunestud. It is based on the Near-Side: Arcueid Route.
The episodes aired in Japan from October 9, 2003 to December 25, 2003 on BS-iWP and Tokyo Broadcasting System. The episodes received their international premiere on the anime television network AnimaxWP, who have also later broadcast the series across its respective networks worldwide in Southeast AsiaWP and South AsiaWP, and its other networks in East AsiaWP, South America and other regions under the title Lunar Legend Tsukihime.
Six DVD compilations, each containing two episodes, have been released by Geneon EntertainmentWP in Japan.[4] The first was released on December 10, 2003, and the sixth on May 13, 2004.[5][6] Geneon Entertainment has released three DVD compilations, each containing four episodes, in North America, with the third released on February 22, 2005.
ATX announced on August 26, 2022 it would rebroadcast the entire series in a marathon starting from 00:30 to 06:30 on September 25, 2022.[7]
References[]
- ↑ Tsukihime: Lunar Legend's Homepage (Japanese). J.C.StaffWP. Retrieved on 2009-06-05.
- ↑ List of Tsukihime, Lunar Legend episode titles (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ↑ Anime Central - Geneon License Announcements. Anime News NetworkWP (2004-05-14). Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ↑ 真月譚 月姫 Official Site (Japanese). Type-Moon. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ↑ Amazon.co.jp: 真月譚 月姫 1 初回限定版: DVD (Japanese). Amazon.comWP. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ↑ Amazon.co.jp: 真月譚 月姫 6: DVD (Japanese). Amazon.comWP. Retrieved on 2007-12-12.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/ATX_PR/status/1563031629366706181 2:12 AM · Aug 26, 2022