Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler: A deep look into the fascinating story and characters

Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler - A fantasy adventure of beautiful girls

Overview

"Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler" is a TV anime series that aired on Mainichi Broadcasting System from October 2, 2003 to January 8, 2004. It is based on an 18+ game by Orbit, and the animation was done by Studio Deen. It consists of 13 episodes and was broadcast on UHF and TBS. It was directed by Yamaguchi Yuji, with series composition by Mochizuki Tomomitsu, and character design and general animation director Nishida Asako.

■ Story

"Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler" is an adventure fantasy set in a spectacular world and depicting the fleeting story of beautiful girls. The story begins with the relationship between Hatsumi and Hazuki, who are not related by blood. Hazuki has a faint crush on her older sister Hatsumi, and one day, when Hatsumi suddenly disappears, she sets out on a journey to find her. The setting for this journey is the huge library that contains all worlds, the "Yami Yama Library." There, Hazuki meets Lilith, the administrator of the library, and accompanies her on her journey to find Eve, her younger sister and Hatsumi's true identity. The two continue to search for Hatsumi (Eve), moving from book to book and adventuring through various worlds.

■ Characters

The protagonist of this work is Hazuki, who sets out on a journey to find Hatsumi. She is a beautiful high school student and a dignified character who speaks like a boy. Hazuki continues her journey to find Hatsumi, keeping her feelings for her in her heart. Lilith is the caretaker of the Yami-Yahma Library and Eve's older sister. She is characterized by her childish behavior and is angry that Eve forced her to do the work. Eve is Lilith's younger sister and the caretaker of the Yami-Yahma Library, but in the world of books she plays the role of a quiet girl. Her true identity is Hatsumi, and she is an important character who holds the key to the story. Other characters with unique personalities also appear, such as Ken-chan, Tamamo no Mae, Mau (Mariel), Gargantua, Ritsuko, and Aya.

■Production Background

Since the original work of "Yami, the Hat and the Book of Traveler" is an 18+ game, some settings and scenes were changed when it was made into an anime. However, the staff paid close attention to bring out the charm of the world view and characters of the original work to the fullest. Director Yamaguchi Yuji aimed to deeply move viewers by carefully depicting the emotions and relationships of the characters while emphasizing the fantasy elements of the original work. Additionally, Nishida Asako, who was in charge of character design, created designs that paid attention to even the smallest details in order to bring out the charm of the beautiful girl characters to the fullest.

■ Evaluation and impact

"Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler" has won many fans with its beautiful visuals and deep story. In particular, the sisterly love between Hazuki and Hatsumi, and the sisterly relationship between Lilith and Eve struck a strong chord with viewers. In addition, by depicting a different world in each episode, it provided viewers with fresh surprises and excitement. The success of the anime led to further increasing the popularity of the original game, and also contributed to the expansion of the fan community. Furthermore, the attractive designs of the beautiful girl characters and the spectacular world setting had a major influence on later fantasy anime.

■ Recommendation points

"Yami, the Hat and the Book Traveler" is a work that combines the charm of beautiful girls with a magnificent fantasy world. It is especially recommended for those who want to be moved by the sisterly love between Hazuki and Hatsumi, and the sisterly relationship between Lilith and Eve. In addition, the story of the adventure in a different world in each episode provides viewers with fresh surprises and excitement. It is highly recommended for those who want to enjoy beautiful visuals and a deep story.

■Detailed information

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Broadcast period

October 2, 2003 - January 9, 2004 Mainichi Broadcasting System October 2, 2003 - January 8, 2004 (Episodes 1-13) Every Thursday 26:20-26:50
Tokyo MX TV October 4, 2003 to December 27, 2003 (Episodes 1 to 13) Every Saturday 25:30 to 26:00

■Broadcasting station

UHF, TBS series

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 13

■Original Story

Orbit "Yami, the Hat, and the Book Traveler"

■ Director

Yuji Yamaguchi

■ Production

Animation Production: Studio Deen

■Works

©ORBIT/Yami-Yama Library Management Association

■Cast

・Hazuki/Mamiko Noto・Lilith/Sanae Kobayashi・Eve (Jill, Hatsumi)/Ai Shimizu・Koge Chibi/Ai Shimizu・Ken-chan/Reiko Takagi・Layla Mars/Aiko Kayo・Ramuro Line/Junko Noda・Voice of Lala/Yukana・Voice of Layla's mother/Eriko Kawasaki・Tamamo no Mae/Kyoko Higami・Mau (Mariel)/Hiroko Kasahara・Gargantua/Shinichiro Miki・Ritsuko/Kikuko Inoue・Aya/Jun Fukuyama

■ Main staff

Original story: "Yami, the Hat, and the Book Traveler" by Orbit
・Director / Yamaguchi Yuji・Series Composition / Mochizuki Tomomitsu・Character Design, Chief Animation Director / Nishida Asako・Prop Design / Kosaka Satoshi・Art Director / Koyama Toshihisa, Watanabe Shin・Color Design / Matsumoto Shinji・Director of Photography / Kondo Shinyo・Editor / Matsumura Masahiro・Sound Director / Tsujitani Koji・Music / Tada Akifumi・Producers / Takaya Yoshito, Takabatake Yuichiro, Urasaki Nobumitsu・Animation Production / Studio Deen・Planning, General Producer / Nagasawa Takayuki (avex mode)
・Production Director: Hiroshi Hasegawa ・Production, copyright: avex mode

■ Main Characters

Hazuki is a beautiful high school student. Hatsumi's younger sister. She talks like a boy. She is popular with girls because of her dignified appearance, but Hazuki herself only has eyes for Hatsumi.
Lilith Yami - The manager of the Yama library and Eve's older sister. She uses Ken-chan to search for Eve, who forced a job on her. She acts childishly.
・Eve (Jill, Hatsumi)
The caretaker of the Yami Yama Library and Lilith's younger sister. She cannot speak in the world of books, so she acts like a quiet girl, but deep down she is a devilish girl.
Ken-chan is a bird that Lilith has been tracking Eve's whereabouts. He speaks in Kansai dialect for some reason. He is often put in danger by Lilith and the others.
Tamamo no Mae is the mistress of the Space Garden. She spends all day drinking, but she is well versed in the subtleties of life and gives accurate advice to Gargantua and the others. She has a straightforward personality.
・Mau (Mariel)
She was a princess of a certain kingdom, but was seduced by Gargantua and turned into a frog. However, she was restored to human form by Tamamo-no-Mae and worked as her servant.
Gargantua, the alchemist. In exchange for the soul of Princess Mariel, he is given the world of books that he can control as he pleases. He is searching for Jill in order to make her his bride.
Ritsuko is a childhood friend of Gargantua and a female alchemist. She gained immortality together with Gargantua and now wanders around the country searching for Gargantua.
Aya is a guide to the world of books. She appears frequently to explain the circumstances of the world of the book. She also represents the reader.

■Subtitle

Episode 1/Hazuki, Episode 2/Yoko, Episode 3/Jill, Episode 4/Mariel, Episode 5/Quill, Episode 6/Milka, Episode 7/Hatsumi, Episode 8/Fujihime, Episode 9/Meyrin, Episode 10/Layla, Episode 11/Tamamo no Mae, Episode 12/Gargantua, Episode 13/Lilith

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Labyrinth in the Eyes・Lyrics by Kenn Kato
・Composition: Watanabe Cher ・Arrangement: ats-
・Song: Aiko Kayo

・ED1
・Offering eternal prayers・Lyrics by Keiko Kimoto・Music by Orie Kajiyama・Arrangement by Sho Goto・Singer by Sanae Kobayashi