Sunday, February 24, 2013

Why Does a Werewolf Have a Katana?



 A werewolf is sometimes in human form, right?


Like vampires and zombies, werewolves come with expectations: they rely on the phases of the moon to transform into a beast and they're weak against silver. In a werewolf story, we often find the protagonist struggle with humanity while attempting to reconcile its existence as a beast.

With the Japanese Werewolf Apocalypse serial, I've decided to combine Japanese myth with Manga expectations and Takashi Miike-style gore. Werewolves don't need the moon to transform; they're ancient spirits that curse humans, and once the wolf is destroyed, it returns to a lifestream, which is a netherworld of spirit energy, until it randomly curses another human. The werewolves can be permanently destroyed when the heart is destroyed by a silver weapon—one common element I kept from werewolf mythos.

Speaking of elements, these beasts have powers, too. Each wolf possesses wind, fire, water, or earth energy, and each elemental "clan" is represented by an ancient werewolf (there were preceding "representatives," but that's a story for another day).

And then there are the clanless. The scourge of the werewolf species; as long as the elements remain in balance, the world itself remains balanced. The werewolf elementals are essential, and for the most part, they're hardly bloodthirsty beasts. However, the clanless represent chaos, and there are some who believe the werewolf species should rule over mankind in a savage, violent world.

The clanless are hunted in every corner of the globe.

Why does a werewolf have a katana? In her quest for vengeance against humanity, Ritsuko Kita wields a blade with terrible powers, and with it, she can awaken an ancient power to unite the clanless in an apocalyptic war against man.

Let's meet the cast of the first episode of JWA:

Edmund Grant: An American werewolf hunter whose personal vendetta against the beasts give him a taste for violence; once he destroys the last clanless, he will extend his crusade against all of the creatures, though this is against the rules and traditions of the hunter caste.

Takeshi Asa: A college student who is dragged into a werewolf-hunting escapade because his ancestors have served the Society, the group of hunters dedicated to destroying the clanless. Though he received the proper instruction for hunting, he still doesn't believe it. To him, it's nothing more than a silly fantasy, though he is honor-bound to carry out his father's wishes.

Ritsuko Kita: Armed with a mysterious katana, this woman claims allegiance to the fire clan, though her true intentions involve a lust for revenge that can only be satisfied when every human is wiped off the face of the planet.

Sano: The ancient representative of the fire clan, he once created the Society to combat an uprising of clanless wolves that were led by his lover, Amano. Sano once believed in maintaining the elemental balance, but his faith in humanity has been lost. He now languishes in solitude, and many believe him to be dead. 

The first episode is only 99 Cents! 



Let me know what you think! Leave a review to help keep the series going! Episode Two will be on the way very shortly...!!! 

No comments :

Post a Comment