Iwa ni Hana

Cover image of Vol.1 of "Nokemono to Hanayome"

I was in luck today. I managed to pick up the current issue of KERA, which is running a special on the manga Nokemono to Hanayome [ノケモノと花嫁]. I have been making noise about it on this blog because the story is written by Ikuhara “Utena” Kunihiko [幾原邦彦] and illustrated by Nakamura Asumiko [中村明日美子]. True to Ikuhara-sensei’s style, the story seems allegorical and endlessly intriguing. Below is my rough translation of the plot summary published on KERA:

Sera Hitsuji and Hagumaduka Itaru are a pair of eloping lovers. They are running away from the police and a group called “Moeru Kirin,” which is formed by children with the aim of rebelling against adults. They stop at a church they happen to pass by, and try to have a wedding there. In the church, there is a priest with bizarre tastes, and two young girls called Maronie and Miyutan who are in middle of their confession. The priest makes Hitsuji and Itaru unconscious out of his own bizarre tastes, and Inumori Eiji and Sera Shougo come to the church with a special order from “Moeru Kirin” to “ensure the safety of Hitsuji and Itaru.” Hitsuji (who has run away from the priest) tries to return to Itaru, but is taken away by Shougo. Itaru escapes with the help of Maronie and Miyutan. However, the kidnapped Hitsuji is confused in her memory, seems to take on another personality altogether, and has forgotten about Itaru. Meanwhile, Itaru has recovered from his wounds with the help of Maronie and Miyutan and tries to help Hitsuji to escape. At that time, back at “Moeru Kirin” Tonakai rebels against Togawa Gin (who tries to wield absolute power), and helps Itaru to search for Hitsuji. While the four of them are searching for Hitsuji, they hear Hitsuji’s cry from an abandoned factory. Hitsuji remembers Itaru again when she sees him. When Itaru tries to help Hitsuji to escape, Eiji beheads Itaru. Just when everyone gets confused, Gin says meaningfully that “he is not dead for sure.” In the midst of confusion, Shougo tries to escape with Hitsuji and is attacked. He vanishes into thin air from the scene just like Itaru before him. Maronie etc are caught by “Moeru Kirin,” and are sentenced to be burned to death by Gin.

If it helps to clarify, Sera Shougo is Hitsuji’s father. According to his character description on KERA, he is the only adult to be active in “Moeru Kirin” and is a former scientist. A picture of him shows him as having long pink hair and wearing a uniform reminiscent of… the duelist uniform in Revolutionary Girl Utena…

Vol.1 of the manga goes on sale on 14 Dec 2009. I will be sure to write more about it when the time comes.

(Can I also just add that this story seems to be begging for an anime adaptation directed by Shinbo Akiyuki [新房昭之,] in his Le Portrait de Petit Cossette mode? Better yet, I should like to see Ikuhara-sensei return to the anime scene and direct this himself…)