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Frequently catering to anime fans at odd hours of the morning if not exclusively through Saturday nights, Adult Swim has lined up the historical fantasy Japanese television animation Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit for its stateside premiere.
Based on an immensely popular novel, out of a series of several, by author Nahoko Uehashi, published a dozen years ago, Moribito blends dependable characters with a ferociously detailed environment.
The anime Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit begins with the legend that a spiritual element was planted, for nurturing, within the body of a young man. The legend, which is said to occur roughly once every century or so, appears to have come around again, as the young prince of the imperial kingdom has been chosen to serve as the body and temple of this egg so-called.
As Moribito continues, the young prince, named Chagum, finds himself in many a precarious situation, as various men from provinces near and far as well as beasts from another world, begin to hunt him down, in search of the spirit within. Chagum houses the egg of the Water Spirit, and is thus the guardian of the spirit.
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A stubborn, spear-wielding, but ultimately very conscientious woman, Balsa is charged with the protection of Chagum from several foes: the most dangerous of which is his father, who has evidently sent out an edict to kill the boy.
The first episode of Moribito is scheduled to air on Saturday, August 23rd at 1:30am (ET), on Adult Swim. A full-length animated television series, the anime Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit has won favor with many cartoon fans for its genuine characters, whose flexible emotions guide them through danger and turmoil of a various sort. Initially licensed for western distribution by the now-defunct Geneon Entertainment, the license now lies in the able hands of Media Blasters. Animation production was by the noted studio Production I.G.
In the words of the original author, Uehashi, "I just can't bear the cliché of 'an innocent child becomes a grown-up and loses something important.' It doesn't happen that way. I think it's wonderful that because one matures, one can protect someone and live on through gaining various experiences. […] I wanted to write that in my story. That's why I created Balsa."
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