Master of Martial Hearts

Master of Martial Hearts
絶対衝激〜プラトニックハート〜
Genre Action, Martial arts
Original video animation
Directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto
Studio Arms Corporation
Licensed by
Released October 29, 2008 February 25, 2009
Runtime 30 minutes
Episodes 5
Manga
Written by Atsushi Kuragami
Published by Futabasha
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Comic High!
Original run September 2008January 2010
Volumes 3

Master of Martial Hearts, originally titled Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart (絶対衝激〜プラトニックハート〜 Zettai Shōgeki: Puratonikku Hāto), is a 2008–2009 Japanese original video animation series created by ARMS and Shochiku. It concerns a high school girl who gets involved in a series of fights against other young women with the Martial Heart (Platonic Heart in English subtitled and the Japanese version)[1] as the prize; a jewel that can grant any wish.[2] On January 7, 2010, Funimation Entertainment announced that they have licensed the OVA series in English. The series was released in North America on August 10, 2010.[3]

Development

The series is based on the video game Zettai Shōgeki - Platonic Heart.[3] The characters are designed by Jin Happobi who has illustrated adult games such as Boin.[2] ARMS has produced fan service titles such as Queen's Blade and they made the characters distinct and more realistically proportioned.[1] The musical score was done by Masaru Kuba.[1] The series was directed by Yoshitaka Fujimoto, who had worked on the comedy Girl's High.[3]

A website was launched for the series on July 2008.[2]

Characters

An image of the contestants in Zettai Shougeki II: All but one are in the original Zettai Shougeki and in the OVA Master of Martial Hearts - From left to right: Izumi, Saki, Yu, Rin, Miko, Aya, Aoi (exclusive to ZSII), Natsume, Azusa, Emi, Rei, Yueli

Main

Supporting

Competitors

For the Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart video game, the following women were listed in the lineup on the official site as competitors along with the main three girls.[5]

Other contestants include:

Others

Media

OVA

Previews were presented in "blog parts" (miniature applets for blogs) that showcased the bodies of the various characters.[2] Shochiku released the first volume of the series in Japan on October 25, 2008.[2] Subsequent episodes have been released monthly.

The opening theme of the series is "Tatsumaki Wave" (タツマキWAVE) by Little Non. The closing theme for episode 5 is "Zero Gravity" also by Little Non. The OVAs were released in Japan between October 29, 2008 and February 25, 2009.

No. Title Release date
1 "Destiny Sprints Into Motion"  October 29, 2008
Aya Iseshima is walking home with her best friend Natsume Honma from their high school, when they walk right into the middle of a fight between a teenage girl dressed as a shrine maiden and a young woman dressed as a flight attendant. The priestess looks like she is in trouble, so Aya beats up Rei Kakizaki, the flight attendant. The priestess is thankful and introduces herself as Miko Kazuki. She has been fighting in a tournament in which the prize is a gem called the Martial Heart (Platonic Heart) which can grant a wish. Aya, Natsume, and Miko become friends, and since Miko's wish of making friends is now granted, she withdraws from the tournament. However, later that night, Aya discovers Miko's apartment has been ransacked with Miko nowhere to be found; she realizes that the Martial Heart not only grants the wish of the winner, but also banishes the losers. 
2 "A Reason to Fight"  November 27, 2008
Aya's new friend Miko disappears without of trace and it seems she never existed. Aya now has to compete so she wish her friend back but her next opponent is her favorite teacher, Azusa Suma. 
3 "Three Sisters, Sworn Enemies"  December 20, 2008
Aya tries to find her new friend but no luck. So she decided to go to a local pool to calm her down. Just then she faces off against another opponent, Yu Daimonji, a lady cop in a bikini. Aya has to face Yu's sisters, Saki the geisha and Emi the nurse. 
4 "Silently, Like Secrets"  January 28, 2009
Aya is in a sea of turmoil as she wonders whether it was really Haruki Honma, Natsume's brother, she saw as the leader of the martial heart and her semifinal match is in a maid cafe. Her opponent is Rin Hiroishi. 
5 "Flames"  February 25, 2009
Aya faces her final opponent, Ryu Getsurei, a lady in red who says she is a clairvoyant who can see her heart. Getsurei tells Aya that the tournament is nothing more than a game, a trick by Miko. Angered, Aya defeats Getsurei, but not before the woman claims that Aya's heart has become "a sheet of darkness". Aya seems to snap and beats the woman to death, still hitting her after she has died. Miko appears and tells her that since Aya won she got her wish and Miko has returned. Miko takes Aya into a warehouse where all of her past opponents are being held. All of Aya's past opponents have gone insane and Miko says they are now "perfect women" that people would pay a lot for. While Miko is to explain why, a man who was pretending to be Haruki, who had used plastic surgery to disguise himself, and Izumi Hayakawa appear and finish explaining the reason. They worked for Miko and decided to betray her by choking her. She is saved by Natsume and the real Haruki: both are also in on the plan. They tell her that they were the ones who organized the entire Martial Hearts tournament as a way to take revenge on Aya's family. Before Aya was born her father, Shigeyuki Iseshima, and her mother, Suzuko Iseshima, set up the original Martial Hearts tournament and sold all the women who lost into slavery. Two of those women were sisters, one being Miko's mother Yumi Kazuki and the other being Natsume's mother Kumi. Yumi was given to Aya's father as a mistress and on her fourth birthday she witnessed him kill Yumi. Kumi had her throat slashed, effectively muting her, and was sold to a man overseas. Years later she was able to escape and tell her children her story. When Natsume and Miko met they realized that all their suffering came from Aya's family and chose to hold another tournament so they could destroy Aya. They shoot Aya twice but before they can further mutilate or kill her explosives go off throughout the building and it catches on fire. Suzuko appears, having set off the explosives, and tells everyone they are all caught in a web of vengeance. Aya's parents started the Martial Hearts tournament to seek revenge on Natsume and Miko's mothers, since their fathers were the evil men who killed their families, and now their daughters are caught in the web of revenge as well. Haruki and the girls attack her. Suzuko kills the three. She bandages up Aya and tells her she will atone for Aya's sins, staying in the burning building as a wounded Aya makes her escape. Later the audience sees Natsume's mother Kumi at home, carving up pictures of Aya, when the doorbell rings. When she answers it her eyes go wide in terror and she lets out a silent scream before the scene immediately cuts to black. 

Other media

Atsushi Kuragami, who did Debiru Naebiru, has serialized a manga version for Futabasha's Comic High! magazine with its debut on August 22, 2008.[2]

Slotter Mania V: Zettai Shougeki Platonic Heart II, a pachinko-style game featuring characters from the series, was released for the PS Vita.

Ten companies have planned to expand the franchise into mobile devices, music CD and other merchandise.[2]

Reception

The OVA series received negative reviews from critics. Theron Martin of Anime News Network likens the series to Ikki Tousen where women fight each other with "clothes-shredding attacks" but wrote that Master of Martial Hearts has more extreme fan service such as exposed breasts. The plot "exists almost entirely to give excuses for staging cosplay-like battles."[1] Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews found the show "a pretty simple and terrible story with a really awkward and dumb plot twist at the end, it's just impossible to recommend this show for anyone." He instead recommended other titles for those who are "up for the whole 'sexy girls chopsocky' thing." [9] Mike Ferreira of the Anime Herald wrote that it is "without a doubt, one of the most offensive, vile pieces of crap to pass through my DVD player. It makes Ikki Tousen look like The Gentleman’s Guide in comparison. There are absolutely no redeeming qualities to speak of, and everything just seems to go to extremes to repulse the viewer."[4] Bamboo Dong of Anime News Network praised Funimation for "cutting one of the funniest and most attention-grabbing trailers in recent anime history. Their coinage of 'Boobs, butts, and burgers' is genius," however, "Considering the terrible storyline, the complete lack of characterization, the lackluster animation, and the ear-splitting music, and the complete disregard for science, there is no redeeming feature of this show. Unless, of course, you want something to whack off to."[10] Chris Beveridge of Mania.com found the story to be formulaic with awkward pacing, and leading to a spectacular train wreck of the final episode.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Theron (August 6, 2010). "Master of Martial Hearts DVD". Anime News Network.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Zettai Shougeki ~Platonic Heart~ Video Anime Green-Lit". Anime News Network. 2008-07-07. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  3. 1 2 3 "Funimation Entertainment Acquires Master of Martial Hearts From Shochiku". Anime News Network. 2010-01-07.
  4. 1 2 Ferreira, Mike (July 2, 2011). "Review: Master of Martial Hearts". Anime Herald.
  5. http://web.archive.org/web/20081228045742/http://zettai.jp/#/index/character
  6. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/shelf-life/2010-08-02
  7. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/master-of-martial-hearts/dvd
  8. "c7.png." Zettai Shougeki: Platonic Heart II. Retrieved on October 9, 2013.
  9. Hogset, Stig (2008). "Master of Martial Hearts". THEM anime reviews.
  10. Dong, Bamboo (August 2, 2010). "Shelf Life - Mixed Martial Hearts". Anime News Network.
  11. Beveridge, Chris (August 10, 2010). "Master of Martial Hearts Complete Set". Mania.com.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.