Bastard!!

Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy (BASTARD!! -暗黒の破壊神-) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazushi Hagiwara. It began its serialization in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1988, after debuting with a pilot one-shot in that magazine in 1987, and has continued irregularly in the manga magazine Ultra Jump since 2000, with its latest chapter released in 2010. As of 2012, 27 collected volumes have been released. The pilot one-shot was remade by Tatsuya Shihara and published in Ultra Jump in July 2023. The manga was formerly licensed for English release in North America by Viz Media; only the first 19 volumes were released.

Hagiwara is an enthusiastic fan of heavy metal music and Dungeons & Dragons,[5] using ideas from both of these in the Bastard!! story. Many characters and places in the story, for instance, are named after members of Hagiwara's favorite bands.

The manga was adapted into a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series by AIC, released from 1992 to 1993. The OVA was released in North America by Pioneer in 1998. An original net animation (ONA) adaptation of the same name, by Liden Films, premiered on Netflix worldwide in June 2022. The second season premiered in July 2023.

Bastard!! is one of Shueisha's best-selling manga series of all time, with over 30 million copies in circulation.

Overview

Four centuries ago, Earth suffered a cataclysm caused by the demon Anthrasax before she was slain by the Dragon Knight, plunging the world into a new Dark Age. In the present, the Kingdom of Metallicana is attacked by the Dark Rebel Army who seek to resurrect Anthrasax. This prompts the high priest to ask his daughter to awaken Dark Schneider, a dark wizard and founding leader of the Dark Rebel Army who reincarnated himself within the body of 15-year-old Lucien Renlen. In time, Dark's allies learn of his true nature and ties to the calamity that befell the Old World.

Bastard!!s history is about sorcery, revenge, and other power struggles in a Dungeons & Dragons–like world. It is a dystopian world where people need magic to survive against wild beasts and evil monsters. There are four kingdoms, each one the protector of one of the four seals that keep the God of Destruction in stasis.

Production

Kazushi Hagiwara aspired to become a manga artist after reading Go Nagai's Devilman and popular manga magazines during his youth. Following his departure from high school, he served as an assistant to Izumi Matsumoto on the Weekly Shōnen Jump series Kimagure Orange Road at Shueisha, concurrently developing his own one-shot stories.[4] In 1987, Hagiwara contributed to a Shueisha initiative designed to showcase new artists. His dark fantasy one-shot Wizard!! Bakuen no Seifukusha (WIZARD!!〜爆炎の征服者〜) was selected, performed favorably in reader surveys, and earned a weekly serialization. Hagiwara subsequently adapted the sword and sorcery setting and characters from Wizard!! for the newly titled Bastard!!, which debuted in Shōnen Jump in 1988.[6][7]

From the manga's inception, Hagiwara integrated scriptwriting, storyboarding, and artwork into a single process. He estimated dividing his time equally between illustrations and dialogue, completing up to three pages daily.[7] The initial chapters, which comprised the first few volumes, were produced solely by Hagiwara on a demanding weekly schedule. He concluded that while he could work faster to complete more volumes, the perceived artistic quality would decline under strict deadlines.[6][8] A team of up to six assistants at his studio aided with backgrounds, inking, and screentone application.[6][7] The series later transitioned to a less frequent publication schedule in other Shueisha magazines.[9] With more time between chapters, Hagiwara assumed greater responsibility for the artwork rather than delegating it to assistants.[7] Beginning during his tenure as an assistant, Hagiwara employed extensive screentone for character shadows, background shading, and effects to create a three-dimensional appearance. He instructed his assistants in this technique and increased its use after the magazine transition.[8] Hagiwara also referenced cosplay photographs and his extensive figurine collection to achieve a more realistic aesthetic.[6][9] He experimented with digital coloring for the series but predominantly used analog methods with Pantone and Copic markers.[8]

In addition to the significant influence of Devilman, Hagiwara derived inspiration for the fantasy setting of Bastard!! from role-playing video games such as the Dragon Quest series and gamebooks, particularly the Fighting Fantasy series by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone.[6][8] As an avid anime enthusiast, he attempted to emulate the styles of contemporary artists and animators he admired.[8] Primary influences on the character designs included Naoyuki Onda, Hiroyuki Kitatsumi, Tomonori Kogawa, and Mutsumi Inomata. Kitatsumi later contributed to the character designs for the Bastard!! anime OVA, while Onda illustrated the adaptation's DVD covers.[7] Hagiwara had studied and replicated Kogawa's distinctive cel art style for years; the character Princess Sheila was conceived due to his appreciation for Ciela from Aura Battler Dunbine, a series on which Kogawa worked.[8] Locations, spells, and certain characters in Bastard!! are directly named after hard rock and heavy metal bands, including Bon Jovi, Accept, Stryper, Metallica, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Anthrax, Megadeth, Venom, Guns N' Roses, Black Sabbath, and Helloween.[10][2][11][12][13]

Media

Reception and legacy

Bastard!! is one of Shueisha's best-selling manga series of all time, with over 30 million copies in circulation.[106][93]

Video game designer and producer Daisuke Ishiwatari said Bastard!!'s fantasy setting was a major influence on creating Guilty Gear.[107]

Further reading

External links