Since last time, I stumbled across some information concerning Loki's weapon. According to the mythology notes I read on the Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok anime dvd (disc 5), the weapon is called “Laevatein,” meaning “lie stick” or “wand of destruction.”
There are two different versions of the story concerning the weapon – in one, Loki makes the staff in order to kill a cock. This would prevent the cock, who was serving as lookout, from warning Loki's enemies that his army was approaching on the day of Ragnarok. In the other story, Laevatein is a flaming sword Loki made for he and his brother to use to battle at Ragnarok. In both stories however, Loki almost always keeps the sword sealed carefully away.
As was said in the last post, the anime-Loki uses this staff for battling and uses magic through it.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Norse Loki vs. Anime (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok) Loki, Part I
In continuation of last time's post...
Personality
There's actually quite a difference between the Norse legends and the anime when it comes to Loki. While the Loki in the anime tends to be a logical realist who, for the most part, shows a level of maturity beyond his youthful appearance, the Loki of Norse legend is a sly trickster who loves causing mischief. He tends to be rude and insulting, as opposed to the anime Loki who is generally polite and refined in speech. (Although, anime-Loki did retain some of the playboy tendencies of the original.)
Abilities
In the anime, Loki has a staff that he summons and uses to fight with. He also has a special incantation (“Veil Lubadrock! Cuerios!”) he uses to seal his opponents in a flat and square, mirror-like object which usually shatters soon afterward. I couldn't find any equivalents to these in the Norse canon though, so maybe they're just there so the fighting will be cooler...? The incantation may be completely made up, but it'd be interesting if it was something foreign, like Old Norse. (If I find anything out, I'll come back and edit this post. Or if anyone knows about it, feel free to say.)
Strangely enough, Norse Loki has abilities that the anime version doesn't. First, Norse Loki is more manipulative and cunning, while anime Loki, though smart and perceptive, seems to be fairly straight forward when he deals with others. The Norse Loki is also a shape-shifter, who uses the power to its full advantage. Anime Loki, besides changing between being a child and young adult/teenager, doesn't seem to have this ability.
Personality
There's actually quite a difference between the Norse legends and the anime when it comes to Loki. While the Loki in the anime tends to be a logical realist who, for the most part, shows a level of maturity beyond his youthful appearance, the Loki of Norse legend is a sly trickster who loves causing mischief. He tends to be rude and insulting, as opposed to the anime Loki who is generally polite and refined in speech. (Although, anime-Loki did retain some of the playboy tendencies of the original.)
Abilities
In the anime, Loki has a staff that he summons and uses to fight with. He also has a special incantation (“Veil Lubadrock! Cuerios!”) he uses to seal his opponents in a flat and square, mirror-like object which usually shatters soon afterward. I couldn't find any equivalents to these in the Norse canon though, so maybe they're just there so the fighting will be cooler...? The incantation may be completely made up, but it'd be interesting if it was something foreign, like Old Norse. (If I find anything out, I'll come back and edit this post. Or if anyone knows about it, feel free to say.)
Strangely enough, Norse Loki has abilities that the anime version doesn't. First, Norse Loki is more manipulative and cunning, while anime Loki, though smart and perceptive, seems to be fairly straight forward when he deals with others. The Norse Loki is also a shape-shifter, who uses the power to its full advantage. Anime Loki, besides changing between being a child and young adult/teenager, doesn't seem to have this ability.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Norse Mythology and Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok
Introduction to Norse Mythology and Norse-Anime Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok
Norse mythology is a collection of myths from Iceland area, with most written records dating from between the 11th century the the 18th. It is somewhat similar to the mythologies of Greece and Rome, in that it is largely based on the interactions among its various gods.
Most memorable and central to the Norse myths is the concept of 'Ragnarok,' where a great battle between factions of the gods breaks out.
Referred to as the “final destiny of the gods,” Ragnarok is foretold to cause the deaths of many of the major gods as well as a series of natural disasters. After the battle, the remaining gods come back together and the world is then repopulated, more fertile than before.
The anime Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok uses Norse legends as its base, putting it in a modern setting. The story focuses on the Norse god Loki, a figure in Norse legend said to have brought about Ragnarok.
Cast down from the world of the gods for unknown reasons and trapped in the body of a child, Loki lives as a detective down in the human world. While Loki attempts to find a way back to the realm he belongs in, various other gods sent down to the earth attempt to destroy him. The progress of events appear to foreshadow the coming of Ragnarok.
Anyway, there a huge amount of material to borrow from when it comes to Norse mythology and I've read about several different anime that use it, but this one is the only one I've seen. (And it's rather obscure, I think...) There's so much this anime draws from the myths, that I'm going to spread this out among several posts.
Next: Anime-Loki vs. Traditional Norse-Loki
Monday, September 7, 2009
"Real" Alchemy vs. Anime Alchemy
As a quick introduction, I just want to comment that many storylines borrow and reference material outside their own stories. Not only does it give a general direction for the writer and therefore make it easier to write, but it also allow the reader to summon his or her own knowledge of a subject into trying to understand the world the characters live in.
This “outside resource” can be anything from the iconic green aliens with large heads and eyes to Japanese ninja. Both have a rich set of associations that surround them which an author can draw upon, ignore, or, for an interesting twist, include but in reverse.
An almost limitless supply of unique and original stories can be created by combining and tampering with these various outside sources. This blog will only be focusing on this aspect of the story lines in anime/manga, but many books, plays, and movies use them as well.
As an artist and (sort of) writer myself, I want to increase my library of iconic associations and knowledge as much as I can so that I can use some of them in my work.
Alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist and Buso Renkin
Plenty of stories use elements of alchemy. It's history is well-known: beginning with alchemists in Egypt, alchemy was an effort to both convert cheap metals like lead into precious ones like gold and to create a substance that would give one eternal life. Famous as it is, plenty of animes use elements of alchemy, but for sake of space I'll only discuss two here, both of which use alchemy as their central focus.
The first I'm going to mention, probably the more famous of the two, is Fullmetal Alchemist. In it, the alchemy is portrayed as more of a science, both logical and perfectly understandable, than something fantastic or magical. This idea is furthered by the rational law all alchemists follow known as “equivalent exchange.”
Though alchemists can fix things that appear to have been broken beyond repair or “transmute” materials into different shapes, an alchemist cannot make something from nothing. This is all based on a philosophic principle of “In order for something to be gained, something of equal value must be lost.”
The other anime I'm going to talk about is Buso Renkin (by the same author as the more well-known Rurouni Kenshin). “Buso Renkin,” literally meaning “arms alchemy” or “weapons alchemy” in Japanese, also uses the background of alchemy, but in a considerably different way.
Unlike in Fullmetal Alchemist, the main characters of Buso Renkin are, for the most part, not alchemists themselves, but fighters who are given alchemic weapons that have various powers.
True Homunculi and their Anime Counterparts
Both anime have beings called 'homunculi' (“homunculus” being the singular form). Surprisingly though, the term 'homunculus' is not used exclusively in relation to alchemy. Latin for “little human” it refers to either the representation of a human (as in diagrams used to show how the systems of the body work) or a human fetus.
From what I've read, I think the idea of a homunculus is often associated with alchemy because the term was first coined by the alchemist Paracelsus. He claimed to have created a small artificial human using various materials such as bones, skin, sperm, and the hair of whatever animal the creator wished the small human to be mixed with.
In both animes, homunculi are the enemies which the main characters must fight against (but are of normal sizes). In Fullmetal Alchemist, the homunculi are monstrosities resulting from alchemists' attempts to bring their loved ones back to life. This resembles somewhat Paracelsus' vision in that the alchemists are indeed trying to create 'new life' of a sort.
The homunculi of Buso Renkin, on the other hand, are more the creation of something new. As opposed to the weapons of the alchemist warriors, a homunculus is the result of an alchemist's attempt to tamper with life.
A 'humunculus core' (which, interestingly, resembles a mechanized fetus) is inserted into a human and that person is transformed. If the core is implanted with animal or plant DNA, the person will be turned into a monster with a different mind than the original host (much like Paracelsus' instructions for creating a homunculus crossed with some kind of animal).
However, if the core is given human DNA instead, alchemists can change themselves into homunculi, while keeping their human minds in tact. Homunculi are more powerful and live much longer than humans, but since it is still possible to kill one, some of the alchemists wound up pursuing other means of achieving immortality.
Philosopher's Stones
Supposedly the object alchemists wished to create in order to gain the 'elixir of life' which would grant immortality, the idea of the philosopher's stone is an important part of alchemy's history. It proceeds that the stone plays a key role in both alchemy anime.
This original vision of the stone coincides well with the Fullmetal Alchemist version. The main characters search ceaselessly for the stone, but, while the main character's only want the stone in order to strengthen their alchemic powers (another ability historically the stone was thought to possess) in order to gain back what they lost, others seek it to extend their lives.
In terms of the overall story, the stone is often described as being an object that grants the user the power to overcome the laws of equivalent exchange.
The Buso Renkin philosopher's “stone” does take some aspects of the original stone, but differs from it more that the Fullmetal Alchemist version. In Buso Renkin, the “stone” is really a more powerful version of a normal alchemic weapon the warriors use.
A black metal object (as opposed to the glittering, blood red globules of Fullmetal Alchemist), it increases the user's physical power, rather than their powers of alchemy.
The “stone” doesn't seem to lengthen one's life either, at least not in the usual sense. Rather, it is used as a replacement heart for someone who is already dead in order to bring that person back to life.
Questions and comments are welcome. Feel free to correct me if I made any errors or to mention any other anime/manga that bring in forms of alchemy.
This “outside resource” can be anything from the iconic green aliens with large heads and eyes to Japanese ninja. Both have a rich set of associations that surround them which an author can draw upon, ignore, or, for an interesting twist, include but in reverse.
An almost limitless supply of unique and original stories can be created by combining and tampering with these various outside sources. This blog will only be focusing on this aspect of the story lines in anime/manga, but many books, plays, and movies use them as well.
As an artist and (sort of) writer myself, I want to increase my library of iconic associations and knowledge as much as I can so that I can use some of them in my work.
Alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist and Buso Renkin
Plenty of stories use elements of alchemy. It's history is well-known: beginning with alchemists in Egypt, alchemy was an effort to both convert cheap metals like lead into precious ones like gold and to create a substance that would give one eternal life. Famous as it is, plenty of animes use elements of alchemy, but for sake of space I'll only discuss two here, both of which use alchemy as their central focus.
The first I'm going to mention, probably the more famous of the two, is Fullmetal Alchemist. In it, the alchemy is portrayed as more of a science, both logical and perfectly understandable, than something fantastic or magical. This idea is furthered by the rational law all alchemists follow known as “equivalent exchange.”
Though alchemists can fix things that appear to have been broken beyond repair or “transmute” materials into different shapes, an alchemist cannot make something from nothing. This is all based on a philosophic principle of “In order for something to be gained, something of equal value must be lost.”
The other anime I'm going to talk about is Buso Renkin (by the same author as the more well-known Rurouni Kenshin). “Buso Renkin,” literally meaning “arms alchemy” or “weapons alchemy” in Japanese, also uses the background of alchemy, but in a considerably different way.
Unlike in Fullmetal Alchemist, the main characters of Buso Renkin are, for the most part, not alchemists themselves, but fighters who are given alchemic weapons that have various powers.
True Homunculi and their Anime Counterparts
Both anime have beings called 'homunculi' (“homunculus” being the singular form). Surprisingly though, the term 'homunculus' is not used exclusively in relation to alchemy. Latin for “little human” it refers to either the representation of a human (as in diagrams used to show how the systems of the body work) or a human fetus.
From what I've read, I think the idea of a homunculus is often associated with alchemy because the term was first coined by the alchemist Paracelsus. He claimed to have created a small artificial human using various materials such as bones, skin, sperm, and the hair of whatever animal the creator wished the small human to be mixed with.
In both animes, homunculi are the enemies which the main characters must fight against (but are of normal sizes). In Fullmetal Alchemist, the homunculi are monstrosities resulting from alchemists' attempts to bring their loved ones back to life. This resembles somewhat Paracelsus' vision in that the alchemists are indeed trying to create 'new life' of a sort.
The homunculi of Buso Renkin, on the other hand, are more the creation of something new. As opposed to the weapons of the alchemist warriors, a homunculus is the result of an alchemist's attempt to tamper with life.
A 'humunculus core' (which, interestingly, resembles a mechanized fetus) is inserted into a human and that person is transformed. If the core is implanted with animal or plant DNA, the person will be turned into a monster with a different mind than the original host (much like Paracelsus' instructions for creating a homunculus crossed with some kind of animal).
However, if the core is given human DNA instead, alchemists can change themselves into homunculi, while keeping their human minds in tact. Homunculi are more powerful and live much longer than humans, but since it is still possible to kill one, some of the alchemists wound up pursuing other means of achieving immortality.
Philosopher's Stones
Supposedly the object alchemists wished to create in order to gain the 'elixir of life' which would grant immortality, the idea of the philosopher's stone is an important part of alchemy's history. It proceeds that the stone plays a key role in both alchemy anime.
This original vision of the stone coincides well with the Fullmetal Alchemist version. The main characters search ceaselessly for the stone, but, while the main character's only want the stone in order to strengthen their alchemic powers (another ability historically the stone was thought to possess) in order to gain back what they lost, others seek it to extend their lives.
In terms of the overall story, the stone is often described as being an object that grants the user the power to overcome the laws of equivalent exchange.
The Buso Renkin philosopher's “stone” does take some aspects of the original stone, but differs from it more that the Fullmetal Alchemist version. In Buso Renkin, the “stone” is really a more powerful version of a normal alchemic weapon the warriors use.
A black metal object (as opposed to the glittering, blood red globules of Fullmetal Alchemist), it increases the user's physical power, rather than their powers of alchemy.
The “stone” doesn't seem to lengthen one's life either, at least not in the usual sense. Rather, it is used as a replacement heart for someone who is already dead in order to bring that person back to life.
Questions and comments are welcome. Feel free to correct me if I made any errors or to mention any other anime/manga that bring in forms of alchemy.
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