Munto

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Munto
OVA
Studio Kyoto Animation
Episodes 2
Runtime 50 minutes

Munto is an anime series created by Kyoto Animation. The OVA was released in 2003 followed by a sequel in 2004.

Contents

[edit] Story and Settings

[edit] Plot Summary

In the first Munto OVA, the main source of energy in the world, Akuto, is running low. The Magical World in the Heavens uses most of the available Akuto energy, antagonizing the Heavenly people and causing them to unite against the Magical Kingdom. To restore the flow of Akuto and save both the Magical Kingdom and the Heavens, young King Munto decides to follow a vision and find Yumemi, a girl who lives in the "Lower World", Earth. Gass, the Guardian of Time, allows Munto passage to the Lower World, amid the chaos of potential war, to seek the girl of destiny. The prophetress Ryuely and her young apprentice Toche keep watch over Munto as he journeys to Earth.

The girl of destiny is junior-high student Yumemi Hidaka. Ever since she was little, Yumemi has had the ability to see floating islands in the sky, and accepted them as a part of everyday life. However, after unsuccessful attempts to convince her friends and peers of the islands' reality, she fears there is something wrong with her.

Munto falls to Earth successfully and manages to find Yumemi as she walks to school with her friends Ichiko and Suzume. Confronting a stricken Yumemi, he tries to convince her that she has a power he needs to save both their worlds to restore the flow of Akuto. In an attempt to get closer, Munto realizes that the space-time continuum prevents him from making further contact. Just as Yumemi is beginning to gather her wits, Ichiko pulls her out of what appeared to be a dreamlike trance, and breaks the conversation with Munto.

Throughout the OVA, Yumemi struggles to differentiate between reality and dreams while Munto appears to her every now and then, pressuring her to use her psychic power to aid him. Yumemi tells him several times that she doesn't know what this power is, and becomes confused and fearful for her sanity. Upon realizing she is the only one who can see Munto, she begins to ignore his requests and tries to shut him out. Her friends worry for her, but the issue is further complicated when childish Suzume voices her plan to marry her delinquent boyfriend, Kazuya. A meeting with Kazuya confirms their intentions, and Yumemi thinks about responsibility and duty, wondering what hers is to Munto. Meanwhile, Munto is getting weaker from staying on Earth for too long and has to battle a droid sent from the Heavens to eliminate him in order to seize control of the Magical Kingdom.

At the climax of the OVA, Suzume and Kazuya go through a trial where they cross a river together, calling this their "marriage." As she witnesses this with Ichiko, Yumemi realizes she must face her own uncertainties and help Munto -- for she sees that the island in the sky is now falling to certain doom. As the Magical Kingdom parts the clouds overhead, it becomes evident to Yumemi that Munto was telling her the truth.

After searching, she finds Munto as he is starting to disintegrate from staying too long in her world, giving up hope after narrowly defeating the droid. Yumemi willingly gives Munto her power by crossing the space-time continuum and touching him. As she does so, the people of Earth can see the island in the sky as well, although temporarily. Ichiko, who secretly desired to see the island since Yumemi mentioned it, has her wish fulfilled. The balance of Akuto is temporarily restored and the story closes as Munto returns to his kingdom. Yumemi can still see islands in the sky, but stops carrying her umbrella as her life goes on, assured that she is not hallucinating but merely psychic, and no longer ashamed of "the part of her that is different."

Munto 2: Beyond the Walls of Time takes up about a year since Yumemi last saw Munto. Yumemi often loses herself in gazing at the sky, to the discomfort of some of her friends. She senses that something is wrong up there, because her strange visions have returned with increasing force and frequency, but she doesn't know that she's at the center of a new political storm. The heavenly lands are in chaos, its regions battling each other, driven power-mad by the new wave of powerful Akuto.

Yumemi and Munto's roles are reversed in this OVA: Yumemi longs to overcome her earlier weakness and help Munto, but Munto won't risk calling her into his war. Unknown to Munto, though, he's not the only one who needs her power -- and certain others are not nearly so worried about risking her life.

At last Munto re-enters Yumemi's world, in need of her assistance whether or not he wants to admit it. Ichiko plays a bigger role in this OVA, fearfully trying to keep Yumemi a part of her life by pressuring her to forget about the sky she herself has once seen. At the moment of crisis, Yumemi finds Munto and convinces him to accept her help, and they take to the skies together toward the Magical Kingdom.

Kyoto Animation is releasing a third Munto OVA in the near future.

[edit] Characters

Yumemi Hidaka (日高ユメミ Hidaka Yumemi?)
Voiced by: Haruna Mima
Yumemi is the main character of the story, and the only person who can see the "floating islands in the sky." She is afraid of her ability because it makes her different from others, and has learned the hard way that most people don't believe what she sees. Because of this, she keeps her gift to herself, carrying a pink umbrella to block out the view of the sky. She is a dreamy, quiet, gentle person, with a caring and compassionate personality. Throughout the second OVA, she becomes more confident of who she is, but is still insecure about what she sees because of her special connection with Munto. Because of the connection, she is constantly haunted by images of Munto's past and is confused and tormented as to why she sees them. In the second OVA, Yumemi takes the initiative and becomes more accepting of her gift and role. She is the one to offer her help to Munto in the second OVA.
Munto (ムント?)
Voiced by: Mazakazu Higo
Ruler of the Magical Kingdom (one of several kingdoms in the sky). He deliberately falls to the dangerous Lower World in a desperate bid to contact Yumemi and save his people and the heavenly world. He is proud and stubborn to a fault, but also strong, courageous and caring. In the second OVA, like Yumemi who sees his past, he sees hers in exchange, though unwillingly and subconsciously. He grows closer to her in that sense and is even more hesitatant to reach out for her help as a result of this, afraid that if he does, she would disappear in an instant, a theory that terrifies him so. It is Munto this time, who is hesitating and unwilling.
Ryuely (リュエリ?)
Voiced by: Norie Sawai
A prophetess under Munto's supervision who has the gift of foresight. She sacrifices her own vision to help Munto find the way to restore Akuto. Calm and collected, she is a motherly figure, especially to the young Toche. She has great faith and respect for Munto, and willingly gave up her eyesight for him.
Gass (ガス?)
Voiced by: Yoshinori Shima
The enigmatic Outsider and guardian of Time. Despite the dangers of overstepping his role, he allows Munto to slip through a hole in time to find Yumemi. In the second OVA, because Gass allowed Munto to pass through time, his body is slowing rotting away. This is because of he neglected the role as a guardian of Time during the first crisis. He seems to have given his powers to Munto. Gass is a strong-willed person but can be compassionate, as seen with Irita, the small imp-like girl who follows him around.
Gntarl (グンタール?)
Voiced by: Kouchi Kawashima
"Gntarl" is a corruption of the German name "Gunther," and the name is subbed as "Gunther" in Munto I. He answers to the Elders, and is in command of the united armies. He is a cunning and dangerous person. He directs the attacks against Munto's Magical Kingdom in an attempt to seize control. It was shown that he kept close watch over Yumemi in the Lower World, and that he too seeks her power.
7 heads
The leaders of each Heavenly country. They unite an army with Gntarl against the Magical Kingdom.
Ichiko Ono (小野以知子 One Ichiko?)
Voiced by: Kayoko Satoi
Yumemi's classmate and childhood friend. Ichiko is a very positive and energetic person. She always encourages Yumemi whenever she feels gloomy and is very protective of her. However, she also seems to have co-dependent tendencies and can be overly controlling due to her own insecurities. She had always wanted to see the islands in the sky Yumemi spoke of, and quietly wished for the day that she would see them. It is revealed that Yumemi begins to carry the umbrella as a result of an outburst of Ichiko when they were younger. Ichiko is especially worried whenever Yumemi's gaze returned to the skies after the first OVA, afraid that the "red man" was going to take Yumemi away somewhere that she couldn't protect her anymore. She constantly tries to convince Yumemi that Munto and the islands in the sky were a place that they don't belong to.
Suzume Imamura (今村涼芽 Imaura Suzume?)
Voiced by: Ayano Sasaki
She is also Yumemi's classmate and childhood friend. She is a very optimistic and cheerful girl who lives at her own pace. She has a rather immature and childish personality, but is always smiling. Though she is a girl with a very soft-spoken nature and childish at that, she often surprises others by her wise words and "outsider looking in" view. She is more understanding when Yumemi claims she must go to Munto to help in the second OVA, and helps convince Ichiko that everything was going to be alright. She has a boyfriend named Kazuya who she loves dearly and "marries."
Kazuya Takamori (高森和也 Takamori Kazuya?)
Voiced by: Shougo Matsui
Suzume's boyfriend. A strong boy born to distant parents, Kazuya became a delinquent and a loner to such an extent that, feeling useless, he contemplated suicide. In an attempt to drown himself, Suzume stops him and helps Kazuya learn to appreciate life. He then determines to live strongly. He deeply cares for Suzume and spends lots of time with her. The always cheery personality that is sometimes found annoying by her peers is what he likes most about her. He "marries" Suzume by crossing a river with her, symbolizing their willingness to face any obstacles in the way of their relationship. It is revealed later that Kazuya is the top student in his grade (as well as best-looking) and was accepted into a prestigious school.

[edit] External links

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