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...!!!
