Melody of Oblivion

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Melody of Oblivion
忘却の旋律 (The Melody of Oblivion)
Genre	Horror, Mecha, Psychological, Science Fiction, Shounen, Supernatural
TV anime
Directed by	Hiroshi Nishikiori
Studio	J.C.STAFF
Network	TBS
Original run	6 April 2004 – 21 September 2004
No. of episodes	24

The Melody of Oblivion (忘却の旋律, Bōkyaku no Senritsu^?) is an anime series by J.C.STAFF, with some involvement from Gainax. The series is 24 episodes long, and originally aired between April 7, 2004 and September 21, 2004.

Contents 1 Information 2 Characters 2.1 Humans 2.2 Monsters 2.3 Monster Union Agents 3 Theme songs 4 External links

[edit] Information

The Melody of Oblivion is a series rife with cultural references. Everything from Zen Archery and Bushido to the Bible's Book of Revelations, stories of Greek Mythology, and images from The Garden of Forking Paths can be seen in the series.

Melody of Oblivion's premise is that in the 20th century, humanity waged and lost a war against beings known only as the Monsters. In the 21st century, the Monsters rule the earth, but they have reconstructed society such that virtually no one born after the war ended is aware that it ever happened. Children are disappearing mysteriously. Only the Warriors of Melos are still fighting against the Monsters. The series focuses on Bocca, a teenager who chooses the path of the Warrior. In doing so, he gains the power to fight back at the horrors he sees, but it costs him his place in society.

Warriors of Melos are the only ones who can see the ephemeral Melody of Oblivion, personified as a girl who appears at important times and shows emotion but does not speak. The Melos, as they are also referred to, fight primarily with bows and arrows infused with the energies of their spirit (seemingly described in Italian words and phrases used in musical notation). The visible marks (Sacred Scars) that they employ in this infusion process appear as tattoos on their person.

The Warriors of Melos are aided by devices called Aibar-Machines (could also be transliterated as Aiba-Machine), which are essentially futuristic motorcycles with many additional capabilities. ('Aiba' or 'Aibar' are transliterations for a word in Japanese meaning 'Favorite Horse.') The process of bonding a Warrior of Melos and an Aibar-Machine involves a symbolic naming of the bike by the one who is to ride it. Thereafter, the Aibar-Machine follows voice commands. All Aibar-Machines are at least minimally sentient, while some possess fully human-like intelligence. As such, they can function mostly or completely independently of their drivers when need be.

Opposing the Warriors of Melos are the Monsters themselves and their human lackeys, the Monster Union. The former are always shown as normal looking human beings, however this is not what they truly look like. If a normal person (one who is not a Melos Warrior) looks at their true form, they will automatically transmogrify into a bizarre object (such as stone statues or puppets, but varying with whatever monster is being viewed.) It should also be noted that all the monsters mirror creatures of Greek Mythology, such as Horu, the first monster featured, who is referred to by Kurofune as a "disgusting cow" and is said to have been sealed in a labyrinth. This, along with the fact that a pair of bull horns and legs manifest when he is around, implies he is the legendary Minotaur. Several other featured monsters are Medusa, Hecate, Talos, and Pan. All monsters seem to have some control over reality itself and can only be killed by Melos Arrows.

The Monster Union, which is part Satanic cult and part ultra-fascist secret society, is composed of people who have been given power and authority in exchange for providing a steady supply of human sacrifices to their Monster overlords, and keeping the majority of humanity in the dark as to who holds the real power and what really goes on in the world. The process of imbuing Monster Union members with their powers leaves a visible mark on the body identical to a hot iron brand mark.

Monster Union leaders employ machines called robot-monsters in combat, but in contrast to the Warriors of Melos, there is no standard design among these machines aside from the fact that all seem to be shaped like animals from the Chinese zodiac. The names of these robots are also in chinese.

The contrast between the Monster Union members and the Warriors of Melos is suggestive of the text in Revelations where it refers to people being marked by Heaven and being marked by Hell.

Melody of Oblivion has a very distinctive soundtrack featuring prominent virtuoso violin and acoustic guitar solos and other classical-style music. The theme music is titled "The Spirit of Framenco". There are also more disturbing synth and amplified guitar pieces during scenes of creeping horror. The show itself is also full of musical references, from the Melos Warriors' given names (Kurofune Ballad being the most obvious) to the Italian musical vocabulary which flashes on the Melos Warrior 'targeting interface' during battle (animato, con fuoco, passionato, energico, etc).

[edit] Characters

[edit] Humans

Bocca Serenade (ボッカ・セレナーデ, Bocca Serenade^?)

Anime frame showing Bocca, practicing Kyudo (Japanese archery).

The main character. Bocca was a rebellious member of the archery club(the students are discouraged from using actual arrows since the monsters are trying to discourage the development of such skills) who longed to be a warrior to fight against the injustices he saw in the world. Bocca also worked part time for an old man named Tsunagi at his auto-shop. Bocca soons meets Sayoko who tells him she is looking for a warrior, hearing this gives Bocca new hope for what he wants to do in life. When the warrior Kurofune(the same warrior Sayoko was looking for) goes to see Tsunagi, Bocca learns that Tsunagi was the leading scientist of aibanetic technology and an ally of the warriors. Later that day Bocca witnessed a battle between Hor and Kurofune which awoke the possibility to become a warrior within him. When Kurofune leaves to continue on with his journey Bocca and Sayoko decide to go after him. The series then follows Bocca's journey as he sees the damage the monsters have done, learns of the humans who have pledged alligence to them, meets other Melos warriors and develops a romantic relationship with Sayoko. His Melos tattoo is on his left arm, and his Aibar-Machine is Elan Vital. (voiced by Houko Kuwashima).

Sayoko Tsukinomori (月之森小夜子, Tsukinomori Sayoko^?)

Anime frame showing Sayoko.

A girl who travels with Bocca to seek her love, Kurofune. She was given as a sacrifice to the monsters by her parents to improve her brother's chances of becoming a Monster Union agent. Kurofune rescued her and she fell in love with him. She ran away from the home Kurofune placed her in to chase after him. On her wrists she wears the chains that bound her as a sacrifice and with them she can track Kurofune.

Kurofune Ballad (黒船・バラード, Kurofune Baraado^?)

The first Warrior of Melos to appear, and Bocca's inspiration. Instead of a bow, he wields a crossbow. His Aibar-Machine is Jaguar Sun. His Melos tattoo is on his left arm.

Toune Requiem (旋律, Tōne^?)

Anime frame showing Toune.

A quiet girl who is proficient with the bow. Her Aibar-Machine is Sky Blue, an earlier model of the Unicorn-series. Her Melos tattoo is on the inside thigh of her right leg.

Coco Ninna-Nanna (ココ, Koko^?)

A very young and playful girl. Her last name is the Italian word for lullaby. A Monster Union Agent kidnapped her from her parents in the toy section of a department store. She managed to escape before she could be sacrificed; however, to this day she cannot remember who her parents were or where she lived. She is accompied by three Unicorn-series Aibar-Machines: Hikari, Nick, and Kuron. Together they form the armed theatrical group Chentauro. Her Melos tattoo is on her right cheek.

Saburou Musashino aka Tsunagi (, Saburou Musashino aka Tsunagi^?)

An old man who owns a repair shop that Bocca worked at. Kurofune comes to him to have his Aiber-Machine, Jaguar Sun, repaired. When the authorities arrives after Kurofune fights Hor, Saburou flees and joins with the armed theater group, Chentaruo. When Bocca meets Saburou again it is revealed that Saburou was a scientist who helped in the development of Aiber-Machines and the Mitoranoum, the space fortress that gives the Aiber-Machines the ability to fly and was supposed to destroy all monsters.

The Melody of Oblivion (忘却の旋律, Bōkyaku no Senritsu^?)

Anime frame showing the Melody of Oblivion.

A girl whose physical body is confined at an elusive area called the "Oblivion Playhouse" (also translated as "Melody Theatre,") but can project her image so that Melos Warriors can see her. She guides and supports them, although her capacity for communication seems to be very limited. It is rumored among Melos Warriors that if her physical form can be located and resuscitated, she could unlock a power capable of wiping the Monsters off the face of the planet.

[edit] Monsters

Hor

Horu is the first monster Bocca meets in Melody of Oblivion, and is also the most recurring monster in the series. He is said to have been sealed in a labyrinth, but claims that he was able to leave his prison when he discovered that everything "is all part of the labyrinth" He holds a long-standing grudge against Kurofune. Like all monsters, he has a broad, albeit nebulous, range of abilities. He is seen in the anime to warp space and time around him, teleport, and is known to cause the stars to vanish for periods of time. Whenever he is in the area, a pair of bullhorns is seen somewhere close. He is accompanied by a small "toy" bus that he implements in his attack by transforming it to life-size, making it grow the horns and legs of a bull, and ramming it into his opponent. (In the past, he was seen to use a similar attack with a Jeep in lieu of a bus.) He is often chewing cud, which, along with other elements of his design such as the bullhorns and labyrinth, is supposed to imply that he is the Minotaur of Greek Mythology. (In fact, the walls of the labyrinth he was trapped in have murals on them depicting the birth of the Minotaur. Also, another way to translate his name is Hol, a reference to Holstein cattle.) Horu is unique among monsters in that he gains sustenance by reverting to his true form (which is never seen on camera) and physically devouring the children who are sacrificed to him. This is excruciatingly (and eternally) painful for his victims because he constantly regurgitates and masticates them, as a cow does with its food. Those that see him in his true form immediately and irreversibly transform into puppets.

Little Red-Haired Girl

Anime frame showing the mysterious red-haired girl kissing one of her statues.

The most childish and unpredictable of all the monsters featured. Her transport of choice is a large cruise-liner called "The Hebihanabi," or "Snake Fireworks ship," that can move on land or sea, and is always accompanied by a thick fog. Her sacrifices are turned into stone statues through looking upon her true form, and are either kept in her onboard private collection, or used to decorate the cities under her command (she seems to have a preference for young and beautiful boys.) One scene where camera angles made it difficult to discern what was going on featured a bunch of adders scattered awry after she threw her head at a crowd of innocents. This implies that she is made out of snakes. One of her oddest features is that she is always accompanied by a servant whose voice is heard, but who never appears onscreen. Whether this servant is another monster or in fact an extension of her power is unknown. She was the monster that scouted out the Monster Union members Midnight Hiyoko and Millionaire Beaver, although she may have found others as well. Like all monsters, her powers are difficult to gauge, and she has an unquestionably evil nature. She is referred to as Medusa by other monsters, which goes along with the fact that she is associated with snakes, can petrify others at will and lastly, when she removed her head it was likely referencing the legend of when Perseus decapitated Medusa in combat, and later used her head (or rather her petrifying eyes) as a weapon. On top of that, The Monster king directly referred to her by the name, Medusa.

Tamakorogashi

Or "Ball-Roller" is the third most featured monster in the story, and seems to be the most calculating. She is the monster that is noted to be the one that scouted the union agent, Hustle Monkey. She appears in the form of a young woman with green hair held in pig-tails by bowling ball shaped hair clips. She is always accompanied by a ferocious looking black dog that acts like her guardian. This dog is probably a part of her true form. As her hair clips may indicate, she is fond of bowling and prefers to play in a bowling alley of her own creation that is made out of hearses. People who view her balls and pins are assaulted by visions of the people they have wronged. It is explicably shown that she turns her sacrifices into bowling balls(she actually orders her sacrifices based on their weight, so that the balls weight is more comfortable for her to throw), but it is unknown as to whether or not this also applys to the pins. The monster, Pan, called her, Hecate, when they met up at the parthenon. This goes along with her dog since black dogs were regularly sacrificed to the Witch-Goddess.

Monster King Solomon III aka Solo

The current monster king is a Melos warrior who defeated the previous monster king.

[edit] Monster Union Agents

Midnight Hiyoko

After her home town springs were discovered as a scandal, and he sister steals her own boyfriend she throws what little she has left away and turns to the monster union to make her towns hotels famous for 'A town without dawn, or always in dusk'. Her robot monster is a rooster.

Millionaire Beaver

A childhood friend of Toune, when looking for Sky Blue, Toune's future Abai Machine. The Red-haired Girl confronts them and she splits up with Toune to join the Monster Union leaving Toune behind. She was jealous of Toune for being liked by Eichi instead of her, and after fears Toune's return after running away when Sky Blue saves the town that chased him and hunted him. Her robot monster is a mouse, even though she is called Millionaire Beaver. She is defeated when Bocca learns the move Singing Chord.

Hustle Monkey

Global Wildcat

Worked under Hol (Horu) on his mirage island shipping children to him, was defeated by Bocca who's Abai Machine (Elan Vital) appeared to be immune to the Abai Machine sealing move Global Noise Cannon. His robot monster is a Bobcat.

Lucky Throughbred

The older brother of Sayoko. His robot monster is a horse.

Flying Bunny

Subordinate to Child Dragon, went to scope out Lucky Throughbred's tower and helped Sayoko escape. Fights with a carrot, and rides a carrot shaped surfboard(it flies) Her robot monster is apparently a giant cocktail waitress (larger version of herself).

Electric Sheep

Little is known about this boys past, except he states my true self is dead in real life, and that he is in a dream in real life, after being rudely awoken by Koko he becomes angered and attacks her and the other Mer(l)os Warriors. His robot monster is based off of hundreds of 'electronic sheep' little white electrized balls that form when massed in thousands create a ring like shield around him.

Discount Uribou

Has some past with Toune, possible met her when she had ran away from her home village. Her robot monster is based off of pigs.

Child Dragon

Leader of the Monster Union, he enjoys sock puppets.(You need to see the show to understand that) His robot monster is a pair of dragons.

[edit] Theme songs

Opening

• Will by lisa

Ending

• Tenohira no Hikari (てのひらの光) by Minawo

[edit] External links

• TBS official site (Japanese)
• J.C.STAFF website for the series (Japanese)
• Gainax site for the series (Japanese)
• Geneon site for the series
• AniDB entry on the series
• The Melody of Oblivion (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia