Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit3dvddubsub
Volume 1
Spearwoman Of Kanbal
moribitoAt a time when the balance of nature still held the civilizations of mankind in thrall, a single drought could spell the end of a society and doom its inhabitants to piteous deaths. Prince Chagum has been imbued with the power to stave off the drought and bring new life to his empire. However, this is a suspicious time, and he is accused of possession by an evil spirit.
Court advisors only see one solution. Chagum must be put to death by his own father's hand. His salvation is in the form of Balsa, a spear woman and mercenary from Kanbal, the kingdom across the mountains. Her skills are legendary, and although reluctant, she is held by a mysterious vow to save eight souls before she dies. Can she fend off an entire empire and make Chagum her eighth soul?
Volume 2
From Prince To Peasant
Prince Chagum is hunted by his own father, who believes he is possessed by an evil spirit. Under the protection of a master spear woman named Balsa and her friends, he wonders if his strange powers are in truth a blessing or a curse. The empire's strongest warriors have been sent after them, a team called the Hunters who answer only to the throne. Not only are they seasoned warriors, but they have the resources of the empire behind them.
Escaping the town with a careful trick, Balsa's only chance is to take Chagum with her on a perilous ride over the mountains to reach her home kingdom. Wounded from an encounter with the Hunters, Balsa takes off on the desperate crossing. It's a journey she would be hard-pressed to complete safely, even unhurt and without killers on her trail.
Volume 3
Growing A Life
Balsa decides the best way to hide from the empire's Hunters is in plain sight. She creates a simple home for herself and Chagum in an old mill and hopes to live with him in peace. The boy prince must learn to live among the commoners but intelligence and sense of justice make him stand out. Balsa's new start is halted when she asks a local sword smith to fix her damaged spear. He knows who she is and the emperor's Hunters are also his clients. Balsa and Chagum are locked in a back room as the smith meets with the Hunters just a few feet away.
Volume 4
Tiger's Intuition
As Chagum develops, the power of the Egg exposes Balsa and the others to a layer of the world behind their five senses. To save Saya, Tanda crosses over to the spirit world. He finds it is not only difficult to go back, but perhaps he has even lost the desire return at all!
Chagum's inner nobility demands he challenge a local bully twice his size, and when Balsa gets involved an old enemy recognizes her. He is a patient strategist and master warrior, who attacks her physically and psychologically in perfect concert in a test of skill, endurance and pure force of will.
Volume 5
Burden of Fatal Knowledge
Shuga and Shaman Torogai both embark on their own quests to determine the true nature of the Water Spirit, each risking their lives against very different threats. Facing starvation locked in a secret vault, Shuga comes to the same shocking conclusion as Torogai, and learns the real tragic future of Chagum.
Meanwhile, the Hunters find Balsa, putting everyone in immediate peril. Balsa is forced to flee, but Chagum won't leave after learning what's happened to his brother back in the royal palace! Torn between his two lives, Chagum is lost as the torch comes down on his new home.
Volume 6
The Yakoo Storyteller
Chagum, Balsa, and the others reach the remote Yukue village in search of more information about the Spirit. When Chagum learns he is destined to be killed by the Rarunga, he finally lashes out against Balsa. She has been keeping secrets from him for too long, and the burden of being the Guardian of the Spirit has finally become too much.
Shuga and the Hunters arrive in the Yukue village, and face off against Madam Torogai. They engage in a battle of wills to see who can protect Chagum from the claws of the Rarunga. Will it be the New Yogo empire and its thousands of warriors, or Balsa and her single spear?
Volume 7
Escaping into the wilderness, Chagum, Balsa, Tanda and Madam Togarai reach a remote hideaway built into a cave. There, they plan to hole up for the winter and prepare for spring, when Rarunga will arrive to tear the egg from Chagum. Balsa finally reveals her past to Chagum, the story of Jiguro, master spear-wielder of Kanbal.
The story of Jiguro is the story of Balsa growing up, and the secret behind the eight deaths that weigh on her shoulders. With Balsa's sorrow on his mind, Chagum is determined to learn all he can before the spring comes, including how to fight. But can Chagum the boy become a man in time to face the power of Rarunga?
Volume 8
Infused with the power of the Egg, Chagum sets off to the Land of Feasting on pure instinct. Unable to keep up with him, Balsa, Shuga, and the Hunters race against time, tracking their way through the forest. Rarunga the Egg Eater rises up from Nayug to tear Chagum apart, but the immortal monster has to get past Balsa's spear first.
Shuga's research has also let him equip the Hunters with weapons that will let them fight. However, Rarunga is not a single monster but a species, and each and every one of them is coming for Chagum. Balsa and the others must somehow survive until dawn against a relentless tide of supernatural attackers!
Details
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is also known as Seirei No Moribito.
Commentary
I first encountered Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit on Cartoon Network. While I don't normally have any great interest in samurai-type shows, I found that Moribito was surprisingly good. I came into the middle of the series and have since managed to see almost half of the series and even though there's not much in the way of action, the series still managed to hold my interest.
The animation quality is crisp and clean. It's mostly traditional animation with a handful of CG effects thrown in here and there. One scene that occurs early in the series, shows Balsa standing at the top of a hill and then the point of view rotates 180-degrees. The scene looked good, but, was a bit choppy -- it was not as smooth as the animation in Tweeny Witches, which made extensive use of CG effects.
There's not much in the way of action. There is some in the first few episodes, but, most of what I've seen is somewhat less than action-packed. The story (or at least what I've seen so far) is more of a character-driven drama then a samurai epic. There's also a fair amount of political intrigue in the series.
The English dubbing is not bad. I've seen more episodes on Cartoon Network than I actually have on DVD and I think that the voice actors did a fairly good job. That being said, I still prefer to read my anime.
The packaging leaves something to be desired. The series is packaged in jewel DVD cases -- like a jewel CD case, but, tall enough not to look out of place in a DVD rack. I don't like these cases because they scratch and crack very easily, the spindle that holds the DVD is particularly flimsy and they won't be easy to replace, should the need arise. The good thing (or bad depending on your point of view) is that the box for the series reveals just how large the series is going the be. I'm pretty sure it'll be eight volumes with 3 or 4 episodes per volume and a total of 26 episodes.
Overall, the animation quality is very good, but, the pace of the series is a bit slow. I was, however, still pleased with the series, if not the DVD packaging. I have the first six volumes.