Review of "The Virgin Mary": Enjoy a beautiful and profound story

Maria the Virgin - Maria the Virgin -

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

January 11, 2015 - March 29, 2015

■TV Broadcast

• TOKYO MX / January 11, 2015 - March 29, 2015 / Sundays 22:30 - 23:00
• Sun Television / January 11, 2015 - March 29, 2015 / Sundays 25:00 - 25:30
• KBS Kyoto / January 11, 2015 - March 29, 2015 / Sunday 24:45 - 25:15
• TV Aichi / January 11, 2015 - March 29, 2015 / Sunday 26:05 - 26:35
• AT-X / January 12, 2015 - March 30, 2015 / Mondays 20:30 - 21:00
• BS11 / January 13, 2015 - March 31, 2015 / Tuesdays 24:30 - 25:00

■ Online distribution

• Bandai Channel January 12, 2015 - Updated Monday 12:00
• GyaO! Store January 12, 2015 - Updated Monday
• PlayStationStore January 14, 2015 - Updated Wednesday
• Hikari TV
• DMM.com
• U-NEXT
• J:COM On Demand
• Rakuten SHOWTIME
• TSUTAYA TV
• Video Market (Smartphone)
• Movief Plus (smartphone)

■Broadcasting station

TOKYO MX

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

・Original work: Masayuki Ishikawa's "Virgin Mary" (serialized in Kodansha's "good! Afternoon")

■ Director

・Director: Goro Taniguchi

■ Production

・Animation production: Production IG

Produced by Maria the Virgin Mary Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Lantis, Production IG, Q-Tech)

■Works

©Masayuki Ishikawa, Kodansha, Maria the Virgin Production Committee

■ Story

The story of a girl who is the strongest, a virgin, a witch and a saint, set in the era of the Hundred Years' War, a battle between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of England in medieval Europe. Maria, a witch who looks like a girl but has great magical powers, lives in the forest, unknown to anyone. She wants to fall in love, but is at an age where she is a little scared of what lies ahead... She hates the wars and conflicts that are all around her. She usually unleashes the succubus Artemis in the form of an owl to confuse the soldiers and the church that does not stop the war, and sometimes uses her powerful magical powers to destroy the battlefield itself and disrupt the war. However, her actions of intervening in the human world with her magical powers are not in line with the policy of heaven, and she attracts the attention of the archangel Michael... And so, the witch takes on the angels, the church, and the Hundred Years' War head-on. Even though she is a virgin.

■Cast

Maria / Hisako Kanemoto

・Artemis/Yoko Hikasa

Priapus / Mikako Komatsu

・Ezekiel/Hanazawa Kana

・Joseph/Kensho Ono

・Ann/Ai Kakuma

・Martha/Miyuki Ichijo

・Galfa/Yuki Ono

・Guillaume/Bin Shimada

・Rolotto/Sachiko Kojima

・Evan/Kenta Miyake

Bernard/Takahiro Sakurai

・Bib/Mamiko Noto

・Michael/Kikuko Inoue

■ Main staff

・Original work: Masayuki Ishikawa's "Virgin Mary" (serialized in Kodansha's "good! Afternoon")

・Director: Goro Taniguchi

・Series composition, scriptwriting: Hideyuki Kurata

・Character design: Yuriko Senba

・Conceptual design: Eiji Nakata

・Chief Researcher: Seiichi Shirato

・Art director: Shigemi Ikeda

・Color design: Narumi Sakai

Director of photography: Hiroji Tanaka

・3D Director: Yasuhiro Mikami

Edited by Seiji Morita

・Music by Masato Koda

・Music Production: Lantis

・Sound Director: Aketagawa Jin

・Animation production: Production IG

Produced by Maria the Virgin Mary Production Committee (Bandai Visual, Kodansha, Shogakukan, Lantis, Production IG, Q-Tech)

■ Main Characters

Maria

A witch who lives in the forest. She is called a heretic by the church, but is secretly loved by the people. She can not only compound medicines, but also control nightmares and dragons. She uses her powers to stop wars and conflicts that she hates. A virgin.

Artemis

Maria's familiar, she is a succubus. She visits the battlefield at night and works hard at her "job" of seducing the commander in the form of a beautiful woman. Her true form is that of a white owl. She has an open personality and often talks about explicit things in front of Maria.

Priapus

Maria's familiar, an incubus. She was scouted to deal with women and homosexuality. Her true form is a white owl, but she can transform into a man. However, since Maria doesn't know any men, the important details remain unclear.

Joseph

A young French man often visits Maria's forest. He has a crush on her, but is she aware of it?

Michael

An archangel sent from heaven. Unable to bear witness to Maria's use of magical powers, he shackles her, stating that if she loses her pure blood, she will lose her witch powers.

・Galfa

A skilled mercenary working for the French army, he fights to make a living, and finds it annoying that Maria tries to stop him from fighting.

Guillaume

A French count, the owner of the manor where Joseph works, who served in the wars under the King of France, and Bernard's uncle.

Evan

The leader of the mercenary group "Brotherhood of the Red Arms" to which Galfa and the others belong. After a dispute over payment when they joined Guillaume's army, he is staying in the city with his comrades.

・Rolotte

A prostitute familiar to Galfa. She is attached to the mercenary group and engages in various businesses.

Bernard

The head of the city's monastery, he is known as a kind person with fervent faith in God.

Gilbert

A monk who serves Bernard. He reports to Bernard on the state of the village and Maria's actions.

Biff

A witch from Winchester in the south of England. She seems to have some thoughts about Maria's actions.

Ann

A young girl who visits Maria with her mother. She is worried about her father, who has been ordered to go to war by the lord.

Martha

Anne's grandmother. She has known Maria for a long time and trusts her.

Edwina

A witch who lives in the forest, she has great skill at compounding potions. She rarely appears in front of her fellow witches, and even when meeting with the witches, her familiar cat attends in her place.

- Bella, Chantal, Suzanne, Dorothy

A witch on the French side. She is a member of the witches' guild, but her work is often hindered by Maria's intervention on the battlefield.

Cernunnos

Old gods forgotten by the people. They are often seen around Maria, watching over her and sometimes even giving her advice or asking her questions directly.

■Subtitle

・LIBER I Episode 1/VIRGO INTACTA The Perfect Maiden

・LIBER II Episode 2/CONTRA MUNDUM Against the World

・LIBER III Episode 3: FIDE, NON ARMIS

・LIBER IV Episode 4/MEMENTO MORI: Remember Death

・LIBER V Episode 5 / SAPERE AUDE Courage, discretion,

・LIBER VI Episode 6/SUB ROSA Under the Roses

・LIBER VII Episode 7 / BELLUM SE IPSUM ALET War Eats War

・LIBER VIII Episode 8/LUPUS EST HOMO HOMINI Man is a wolf to man

・LIBER IX Episode 9/CUM GRANO SALIS A pinch of salt

・LIBER X Episode 10/ODI ET AMO I hate, I love

・LIBER XI Episode 11/SI VIS AMARI, AMA If you want love, love

・LIBER XII Final Episode/APOCALIPSIS OMNIA VINCIT AMOR Love conquers all

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1

・Philosophy of Dear World

2 to 12

Lyrics: ZAQ

・Composition: ZAQ

Arrangement: ZAQ

・Song: ZAQ

・ED1

・Philosophy of Dear World

・1

Lyrics: ZAQ

・Composition: ZAQ

Arrangement: ZAQ

・Song: ZAQ

・ED2

・Ailes

2 to 11

・Lyrics by Miho Karasawa

・Composer: Tatsuya Kato

Arrangement: Tatsuya Kato

・Song: TRUE

・Insert song 1

・The vows of chastity

・10

Lyrics by Yohei Matsui

・Composition: myu

・Arrangement: myu

・Song: TRUE

・Insert song 2

Let's sing and offer up the wonderful harvest

12

Lyrics by Yohei Matsui

・Composition: myu

・Arrangement: myu

Maria the Virgin - Review and Recommendation

"Maria the Virgin Mary" is an anime series that aired in 2015 and is based on the manga of the same name by Ishikawa Masayuki. The series is set against the backdrop of the Hundred Years' War in medieval Europe and tells the story of Maria, a witch with great magical powers. She hates war and conflict and tries to stop them using her magic, but her actions bring her into conflict with heaven and the church. The series is known for its unique worldview that blends fantasy and history, as well as its deep themes.

Story and Themes

The story of "The Virgin Mary" skillfully weaves together conflicting elements such as war and peace, faith and freedom, purity and desire. Maria is a witch with powerful magical powers, but she is also a girl who is interested in love but afraid to take the next step. This character setting succeeds in portraying her actions and conflicts more realistically. Furthermore, Maria's actions of using her magical powers to stop the war lead to conflict with the archangel Michael in heaven and the church, adding tension to the story.

The themes of this work delve deeply into the meaninglessness of war, human desire, and the value of chastity. Maria's attitude of trying to stop the war makes the viewer think about the importance of peace. Meanwhile, her fight to protect her chastity depicts the human nature of being torn between desire and chastity. These themes provide viewers with deep emotion and thought.

character

Maria is the central character of this work, and her growth and conflict drive the story. Her purity and powerful magical powers leave a strong impression on the viewer. Her familiars, Artemis and Priapus, add humor and depth to the characters, enriching the story. In particular, Artemis's open personality and Priapus's role as a man highlight Maria's purity while also being important elements in depicting the relationships around her.

The other characters also have their own unique personalities and add to the story. Joseph's love for Mary contrasts with her purity and evokes sympathy from the viewer. Michael's presence also adds depth to the story by providing a heavenly perspective on Mary's actions. Characters such as Galfa and Guillaume highlight the realities of war and human desires, emphasizing the theme of the work.

Production and direction

"Maria the Virgin Mary" is known for its high-quality animation by Production IG. Character design by Yuriko Senba brings out the individuality of each character vividly. The film also owes a great deal to the influence of Eiji Nakata, who was in charge of conceptual design, which enriches the worldview of the film. With the cooperation of art director Shigemi Ikeda and color designer Narumi Sakai, the visual aspects of the film are extremely beautiful.

Director Goro Taniguchi expertly directs the progression of the story and the development of the characters. In particular, the contrast between Maria's purity and her powerful magical powers is visually very effective. Additionally, Hideyuki Kurata, who was in charge of the series composition and script, has a powerful storytelling ability that draws the viewer in. The music by Masato Koda and Lantis is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

Theme songs and insert songs

The opening theme "Philosophy of Dear World" was written, composed, arranged and sung by ZAQ, and is a powerful song that symbolizes the theme of the work. The ending theme "ailes" is sung by TRUE, and is a beautiful song that enhances the moving scenes of the work. In addition, the insert songs "Les serments de chasteté ~The Vow of Purity~" and "Let Us Sing and Dedicate the Wonderful Fruit" are also used in important scenes of the story, stirring the emotions of the viewers.

Recommendation

"Maria the Virgin" is a work with a unique worldview that fuses fantasy and history, and a deep theme. It skillfully depicts conflicting elements such as war and peace, faith and freedom, purity and desire, providing viewers with deep emotions and thoughts. Maria's growth and conflicts, the personalities and relationships of the characters surrounding her, and the high-quality animation and music make this work even more fascinating.

This work is especially recommended for those who like fantasy anime, historical anime, and those who are looking for works with deep themes. It is also recommended for those who are interested in character development and human relationships. "Virgin Mary" is a work that makes the viewer think a lot and is moving, so it is definitely worth watching at least once.