Ginga Legend Weed

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Ginga Densetsu Weed (Anime), Ginga Legend Weed
銀牙伝説ウィード
(Ginga Densetsu Wiido)
Genre Drama, Action, Adventure
Manga
Author Yoshihiro Takahashi
Publisher Flag of Japan Nihon Bungeisha
Demographic Shōnen
Serialized in Manga Goraku
Original run 1999 – ongoing
Volumes 50
TV anime
Director Toshiyuki Kato
Studio Studio Deen
Network Flag of Japan Animax
Original run November 3, 2005 – May 11, 2006
Episodes 26

Ginga Legend Weed (銀牙伝説ウィード Ginga Densetsu Wiido?, lit. Silver Fang Legend Weed) is a Japanese manga and anime series by Yoshihiro Takahashi, which was serialized between 1999 and July 2007 in the magazine Manga Goraku. The story takes place 14 years after Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin. The main character, Weed, is the son of Gin.

Studio Deen produced the anime adaptation, which premiered in November 2005 on Animax.

Future Film in Finland has translated the anime for Scandinavia, and released DVDs in November 2006. A complete box set is in the works. No plans to release the anime for English-speakers are in the works at present date.

Contents

[edit] Plot

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


[edit] Characters

[edit] Protagonists

Weed
(Akita Inu/Kishu mix) The son of Gin. Gin has never met Weed, and it is Sakura's dying request that Weed find his father in Ohu. Weed became the interim ruler of Gin's territory and leader of the Ohu soldiers in Gin's absence, officially as of episode 5. Weed is forgiving and kind-hearted almost to fault, refusing to kill his enemies unless the situations are dire. Voiced by Sachi Kokuryū.
GB
(English Setter) Cowardly but good-hearted, GB was formerly a slave of rogue boss dog Nero. His life was saved by Smith several months before Weed's birth. He is now Weed's godfather and closest friend. Voiced by Naru Kawamoto.
Sasuke
(Shiba Inu) One of GB's friends. Weed saved him from a guard dog in the first episode, then he left on his own to find his old master. He turned up in episode 19, a slave of Hougen, and GB and Weed were able to bring him into the Ohu soldiers. Sasuke is shown to be a little absent-minded and slow to catch on, cheerfully revealing GB's identity to Hougen's soldiers in episode 19 and nearly resulting in both of their deaths. Voiced by Makoto Ueki.
Mel
(Golden Retriever) A puppy younger than Weed. Formerly a slave of rogue boss dog Blue. He has shown considerable tenacity, especially in defense of Gajou. Voiced by Akiko Kobayashi.
Hook
(Labrador Retriever mix) Formerly a pet, and a slave to Blue before that, he escaped to avenge his brother Kuro's death. He is working for Weed independently. He is the one that told Gin about Weed, and helped Gin in secret during his detention by Hougen. He brought Reika to Gajou after Weed's first encounter with Hougen. Voiced by Kan Tanaka.
Ken
(Great Dane/Saluki mix) One of the commanders of the Ohu Soldiers prior to Weed's arrival. He is the son of Ben and Cross, and seems to have a certain lack of faith in his parents' abilities, something which vexes Ben, as well as Kagetora's father Kurotora. Voiced by Teruaki Ogawa.
Kagetora
(Kai Ken) Son of Kurotora, and one of the commanders of the Ohu Soldiers prior to Weed's arrival. Ken and Kagetora, like their parents Ben and Kurotora, are extremely close friends. Voiced by Eiji Takemoto.
Jerome
(German Shepherd) A trained guard dog and assassin. He was sent after Kaibutsu by his creators in order to kill the mutant. He originally had 15 subordinates; the last four of them died in episodes 4 and 5. He became Weed's advisor, and taught him some fighting techniques. Later, in a fight with one of Hougen's bosses, he lost an ear to Kamakiri in episode 14. He was driven out when he murdered two of Hougen's assassins in episode 16. He worked for Weed independently from then on. After Hougen threw him into a river, he drowned trying to save Weed in episode 25.(In the manga he does not die). As he dies, he awaits to meet his fallen comrades again as well as, interestingly, Kaibutsu, suggesting that he forgave the monstrous dog. Voiced by Masaya Takatsuka.
Reika
(Akita Inu mix) Daughter of one of Gin's old comrades(Hakuro, a brown bear hunter) She was captured with John and Gin by Hougen, but escaped with John and Hiro. A pet, she is unaccostomed to fighting, but in episode 24 she bravely attacks Hougen, dragging him into an icy river in an attempt to drown him. Voiced by Eri Nakagawa.
Rocket
(Borzoi) Formerly one of Hougen's spies, he defected and joined Weed's group. His loyalty was solidified when his brothers, Missile and Jet, were murdered by Hougen. Though Jerome and the others were hesitant to trust him, he proved himself by rescuing GB in episode 8. In episode 14, he led the pack to his hometown in hopes of recruiting some natives. But, instead, he was lost and was held captive by Kamakiri, only to be rescued by Jerome. Voiced by Tsuyoshi Maeda.
Hiro
(Great Pyrenees) Nicknamed "the ballsnatcher" due to his signature attack of tearing the testicles from his enemies. He helped John and Reika escape from Hougen's clutches, then joined Weed's group. He seeks vengeance on Kamakiri for murdering his father and gouging out his right eye. He finally defeated Kamakiri and avenged his father in episode 22. Voiced by Kenji Nomura.
Kyoushiro
(Kishu Inu) The leader of a large but strong group of juvenile dogs, all abused or abandoned by their parents. After several episodes of dispute, Weed wins his loyalty, and the entire pack comes under Weed's leadership. He almost defected when Jerome was exiled, but Jerome convinced him to remain with Weed. In episode 20, he infiltrated Hougen's pack in an attempt to rescue Gin; he made his dogs believe he was really betraying Weed, to test their willingness to fight for Ohu. Voiced by Yūki Masuda.
Tesshin
(Shikoku Inu) Leader of the Kōga ninja dogs. Prior to Weed's birth, Gin chose him as the successor to Gajou to Futago Pass and had the strength of Gin, the fangs of John, and the speed of Akame. Now he and his ninja dogs are under Weed's leadership. Voiced by Kōsuke Takeuchi. (Note: Tesshin was the pup affectionately titled "Chibi" in Nagareboshi Gin.)
Gin
(Akita Inu) Weed's father. The hero of the battle with the bear demon Akakabuto 14 years ago, and now the ruler of Futago Pass. Was captured and held hostage by Hougen, but later rescued by Kyōshirō and Toubē. He then recovered and gave up leadership to his son Weed. Voiced by Hiroki Touchi.
Akame
(Kishu Inu) One of Gin's direct lieutenants. The last living Iga ninja dog. He assists in the defense of Gajou after escaping during Gin and John's capture by Hougen. Voiced by Takashi Matsuyama.
John
(German Shepherd) Gin's other direct lieutenant. He was killed by Hougen in episode 9 after escaping with Reika and Hiro. Voiced by Tōru Ōkawa.
Smith
(French Spaniel mix) One of Gin's commanders. He lost his leg after saving GB from being hit by a car. He was sent off during Kaibutsu's invasion to protect Sakura and tell Gin of the attack. He was killed by Kaibutsu in episode 4 in attempt to save Weed. Voiced by Ryūsei Nakao.
Ben
(Great Dane) One of the oldest of the surviving Ohu soldiers from the battle with Akakabuto. Ken's father. He's still very strong despite advanced age, but virtually blind, due to poison. He has to be guided by his mate, Cross. Voiced by Katsuhisa Hōki.
Cross
(Saluki) The only female Soldier of Ohu, with a fierce temper. Ben's mate, and Ken's mother. She serves as Ben's eyes in his old age. Voiced by Keiko Mizutani.
Kurotora
(Kai Ken) One of Gin's commanders and the only surviving one of three Kai brothers. Kagetora's father and Shigure's uncle. Voiced by Tadashi Miyazawa.
Moss
(English Mastiff) One of Gin's closets allies. He and Musashi came to Ohu from Shikoku after hearing the situation in Futago Pass from Jerome.
Musashi
(Tosa Inu) Musashi was the champion of the fighting dog middle weight division. Musashi went up against Toube in the ring and lost. He comes to Ohu with Moss to help Weed rescue Gin and defeat Hougen.

[edit] Antagonists

Kaibutsu
Also known as experiment P4, he is a genetically altered dog created by humans; an enormous beast that weighs almost 600 pounds. During the painful lab experiments, Jerome was the only dog to comfort him. After escaping his laboratory, Jerome and his corps were sent to destroy him. Kaibutsu eventually took shelter in Gajou where he killed and devoured humans as he pleased. With the combined strength of Weed, Ken, Kagetora and Jerome, Kaibutsu's suffering finally came to an end when he fell from a cliff and was impaled on a fallen tree in episode 6. Voiced by Kong Kuwata.
Hougen
(Great Dane) A rogue boss dog in the Southern Alps. Both of his ears are ripped stubs. He took the injured Gin captive and intended to take over Futago Pass using Gin as trump card. In the past, he and his brother Genba were man-eaters, and cannibals as well, devouring the dogs they were left in a shed with by a careless breeder. In episode 26, Weed and Hougen battle for Ohu, and though Weed is nearly killed, the young dog succeeds in gravely wounding Hougen. As Hougen lies in the snow, Gin and the other dogs move forward to finish him off, but are stopped by Weed, who passionately tells them that if they cannot forgive their enemies, the war will never end. Hougen uses this opportunity to climb to the top of Gajou, screaming down at the dogs that he will kill them yet. As he gloats, he is struck by a bolt of lightning and killed instantly. Voiced by Kōji Ishii.
Genba
(Great Dane) Hougen's younger brother. He leads Hougen's invasion of the Futago Pass in episode 13. Hougen killed him in episode 18 out of mercy after he suffered a massive head injury from being thrown off a cliff by Tesshin and Shigure. Voiced by Masami Iwasaki.
Lector and Thunder
(Doberman Pinschers) Brothers that are Hougen's top assassins. Their teeth are essentially steel. Weed used a branch and then a razor to shatter their fangs. Jerome killed both of them in episode 16, leading to his exile from the Ohu Soldiers. Lector is voiced by Teruaki Ogawa, and Thunder is voiced by Susumu Akagi.
Kamakiri
(Irish Wolfhound) A rival of Hiro in the Southern Alps, he allies with Hougen in the takeover of Futago Pass. After Genba's death, however, he develops ambitions of his own. Kamakiri is also the murderer of Hiro's father Yukima, and tore out Hiro's right eye. He claims he does not even remember such a thing. In episode 22, he was defeated by the vengeful Hiro, with his fangs and testicles ripped off. Before Hiro leaves, however, he told Kamakiri to head south where there was a high population of rats - prey easy to catch with no fangs. As Hiro leaves, Kamakiri grieves in pain, despair and defeat. It is implied that a flock of crows who watched the battle devoured him. Voiced by Yoshitaka Kaizu.

[edit] Manga-only characters

As the manga is much longer and more detailed than the anime, certain characters did not make it into the TV show. There are new characters as well as reapperances from Ginga Nagareboshi Gin. Please note that these are only a very small few of the characters who appear in the manga, but not in the anime.

Joe & Yukimura
(Akita Inu/Kishu Inu mix) Joe and Yukimura are Weed's siblings. Joe inherited his father's silver fur, but no Tora-ge markings, while Yukimura had the red/brown coat of his grandfather, Riki. After their mother, Sakura, contracted an illness, she asked a dog named Saheiji to look after two of her pups, as she could not hunt to feed all three of them. Saheiji agreed and took them in as his own sons. After months pass, tragedy strikes. A clan of monkeys lead by an albino gelada baboon named Shougun try to take over Saheiji's territory in the Southern Alps.

Yukimura is attacked by Shougun and receives three scars across his right eye. Saheiji tries to protect them, but is paralyzed by a spinal cord injury. Shogun and his clan take Joe away, and he is thought to be dead. It has been recently revealed that Joe is alive, having been rescued from the monkeys by a human, who kept him as a pet - and that he has a son. Yukimura vows revenge and will kill any monkey that crosses him.

Months pass and Yukimura is a platoon leader in Saheiji's pack. He then crosses paths with his brother Weed. Though Yukimura recognizes Weed as his sibling, Weed has no idea who Yukimura is.

Together they learn of a rebellion group lead by the monkey Ishizaru. He and his followers want revenge on Shougun for ruining their lives. Weed and Yukimura agree to help them. The final battle is fierce. Shougun stabs a sharp branch into the side of Yukimura's stomach. The mortally injured dog then jumps and attacks Shougun with Zetsu Tenrou Battouga, wounding him badly. Yukimura watches as the remaining monkeys stab and pound Shougun to death. Yukimura dies shortly after from his wounds. Saheiji tells Weed that Yukimura was his brother and that Yukimura refrained from telling him that he was his brother in order to protect him from the battle against Shougun.

George
(Great Dane/Saluki mix) Ken's brother and Ben and Cross' son. He more resembles his mother than his father. He meets up with his brother and Weed while they look for the Koga dog Tesshin. He blames himself for his sister Minnie's (also not shown in the anime) death when she jumped across a river to reach him and drowned.
Daisuke
(Human) Gin's former owner and best friend. Daisuke has grown from an "adventurous little kid" into a young man. He hears about a monster (Kaibutsu) in Futago Pass that's been attacking people and killing them. Daisuke drives up to the mountain to see if it is true. On the way, he finds Weed, riddled with bullet wounds, and is speechless: The young dog is a Tora-ge, just like Gin. Positive that the puppy is Gin's son, Daisuke goes after him but then runs into Kaibutsu. Weed saves him and Kaibutsu is driven off by hunters and their rifles. Daisuke then takes Weed home and treats his wounds. After Weed is fully recovored, Daisuke lets him return to Futago Pass.
Shouji Sudou
(Human) Shouji is a one-eyed retired policeman who has an intense hatred for Hougen. Long ago, he and his partner, Tanuma, was in the Southern Alps on a mission to capture a criminal. There they found an abandoned kennel. As they inspect it inside, they saw the two Great Danes, Hougen and Genba, eating a human. Then the Danes attacked the policemen. Though Shouji only lost his left eye, Tanuma was mercilessly killed by Hougen. Fuelled with hatred, Shouji swore to hunt down and kill Hougen for the death of Tanuma. In the end, he finally found Hougen, heavily wounded and tired from his defeat by Weed. Without an ounce of mercy for the defeated dog, Shouji shoots Hougen straight through the head with his rifle and avenges his friend. He is nicknamed "Shouji the Mamushi" for his tenacious spirit of hunting down criminals.
Jaguar
(English Mastiff) Moss's son. He accompanies his father and the fighting dog Musashi to Ohu after hearing about Hougen's invasion on Futago Pass.
Kisaragi
(Siberian Husky) The former leader of the four Mutsu Generals. After hearing about Hougen and Genba from Chutora's son Shigure, he sends his six sons to Ohu to aid Weed and the others in battle. Kisaragi stays behind because he fears he would not be of any help because of his old age.
Takeshi
(Doberman) A young puppy in Kyoushiro's pack. He slipped into a river and was rescued by Toube, who was forced to bring the pup to Kamakiri as a hostage in order to spare his life. Takeshi later escapes Hougen with Kyoushiro as Toube fights off Kamakiri's pack.
Wilson
(Rough Collie) A veteran from the battle against Akakabuto. He stays in Ohu and meets Weed during the Kaibutsu arc. At first, he doesn't believe that Weed is the son of Gin.
Koyuki
(Kishu Inu) A female pet dog. When her younger brother, Kotetsu, goes missing, she goes out looks for him on her own. While walking along, she gets caught in a hunter's trap. Weed hears her cries and rescues her. Koyuki then develops a crush on Weed. When gets home, she tells her half-sister Choko what happened. Choko tells Koyuki that she was also rescued by a Shiba Inu named Sasuke. Suddenly, Koyuki's owner desides to send her away to become a breeding dog. Weed hears the news from Kotetsu, he runs after the truck that's carrying her. He frees her and then Weed realizes his feelings toward Koyuki.

[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

Yoshihiro Takahashi wrote Ginga Densetsu Weed as a sequel to his original work Ginga Nagareboshi Gin that is set fourteen years after the original and that focuses on Gin's son Weed. It was initially serialized in Manga Goraku, premiering in 1999. The chapters have been published in collected volumes by Nihonbungeisha. As of March 2008, fifty volumes have been published in Japan.[1]

The manga was licensed for an English language release by ComicsOne.[2] Three volumes were released on April 1, 2001 under the shortened name Weed before ComicsOne quietly canceled the series due to low sales. All three volumes are now out-of-print. In 2004, ComicsOne went out of business and DrMaster acquired all of the company's manga licenses.[3][4] However, DrMaster did not chose to continue the Ginga Legend Weed series.

[edit] Anime

In 2005, Studio DEEN produced 26 Ginga Densetsu Weed episodes. [5] Several incidents were changed, including how Akakabuto was killed. The series ended after the death of Hougen. So far, there is no indication that the anime will be translated into English.

  • Opening: Ginga Densetsu WEED by Dohatsuten
  • Ending : Tsuki Akari by Dohatsuten

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ginga Densetsu Weed, volume 50 page (Japanese). Nihonbungeisha. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  2. ^ Ginga Densetsu Weed (manga) (English). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  3. ^ ComicsOne Titles Back from DrMaster. ICv2 (2005-03-25). Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  4. ^ Chavez, Ed (2006). Year in Review 2005: DrMaster. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.
  5. ^ Ginga Densetsu Weed (TV) (English). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-03-21.

[edit] External links