Dazzle (manga)

Dazzle (破天荒遊戯) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Minari Endoh. It was serialized in Enix's manga magazine Monthly GFantasy from 1999 to 2002, and Ichijinsha's manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum from 2002 to 2019, and Ichijinsha's website Zero-Sum Online from 2019 to 2022. Its chapters were collected in 24 volumes. The manga was published in North America by Tokyopop; only the first ten volumes were released. A ten-episode anime adaptation, Hatenkou Yugi, aired between January and March 2008 on Kyoto Broadcasting System.

Plot

A young girl named Rahzel is abruptly sent off to see the world by her eccentric, doting father. She is alone on her travels until she meets Alzeid, an attractive, mysterious loner on a mission to avenge his father's murder. After aiding Alzeid in retrieving his stolen gun from a thief, Rahzel decides to follow Alzeid promising that she would make his "lousy and boring" life "more interesting and fun!" Alzeid grudgingly acknowledges that Rahzel will be traveling with him from now on. Soon after, a womanizing acquaintance of Alzeid's named Baroqueheat joins in their adventure.

Characters

• Rahzel Anadis (ラゼル・アナディス)
• Rahzel, born Rahzenshia Rose (ラゼンシア・ローズ), is a fifteen-year-old girl with high magical aptitude. After being cast out by her foster father, she travels with Alzeid. During her childhood, in self-defense, Rahzel killed her mother—who had the ability to see the future and tried to kill her nine-year-old daughter during her birthday—and was subsequently abandoned by her real father. She was later found and named by Kiara, who considers her his property. Following a time slip to the past, she kills the entity known as Second to end its suffering and save others.
• Alzeid (アルゼイド)
• Alzeid is a twenty-four-year-old albino on a journey of revenge against his father's enemy, a woman with black hair and blue eyes. He is cold and quiet and exerts significant influence on Rahzel. He and his older brother, who shares his name, are clones of the entity known as Second. Alzeid's brother, possessing greater magical ability, defeats him in a confrontation orchestrated by Kiara. Alzeid was nearly sacrificed by Second to become a new vessel, but was saved when Rahzel, prompted by Second himself, intervened and killed the entity. When encountering a time-traveled Rahzel as a child, his isolated upbringing leaves him unfamiliar with how to interact with others.
• Baroqueheat Anadis (バロックヒート・アナディス)
• Baroqueheat is a non-human companion of Alzeid and Rahzel, appearing as a twenty-eight-year-old man, despite being significantly older. The youngest of four siblings, he once loved Natsume and believes Second killed her, leading to his conflicted feelings toward Alzeid, whom he refuses to address by name. He possesses a tattoo that transforms into a sword. His initially harassing behavior toward Rahzel develops into deeper affection, and he frequently admonishes Alzeid for treating her harshly while attempting to provoke Alzeid into acknowledging his own feelings for her.
• Kiara Anadis (キアラ・アナディス)
• Kiara is Baroqueheat's older brother and a mysterious figure with a significant but enigmatic role in Rahzel's past. He discovered Rahzel abandoned in the woods as a child, delivered her to her foster father, and named her, leading him to consider her his property. He periodically encounters Rahzel during her journey, offering cryptic advice over tea while she regards him with deep suspicion. He orchestrates events involving Rahzel, Alzeid, and Baroqueheat according to his own scenarios. His younger clone companion, known as the other Alzeid, is a powerful, ageless being who harbors a deep grudge against his brother Alzeid for supplanting him. This other Alzeid feels a strong, possessive connection to Rahzel, whom he identifies by scent and refers to as "Big Sister".
• Alzeid (アルゼイド)
• The other Alzeid is the first, ageless clone of Second, possessing a childlike form and significant magical power. Deemed a failure and replaced by the younger Alzeid, he harbors a deep grudge against his brother. He is closely associated with Kiara, who named him Alzeid, a name he despises. He identifies Rahzel by scent, referring to her as "Big Sister" and believing she promised to give him a true name. He and Kiara frame his brother for murders in Acanea, leading to a confrontation where he easily defeats Alzeid. Despite his resentment, flashbacks reveal he once cared for his younger brother and planned their escape.
• Soresta (ソレスタ)
• Soresta is an army friend of Alzeid and Baroqueheat. He is obsessed with Alzeid in a very stalker-like fashion, such as making dolls of him, and writing poetry. In an attempt to kill Rahzel, he is killed by Alzeid. It is revealed later that he had been married to a medic named Taylor.
• Vincent (ヴィンセント)
• Vincent is a kid who is being watched by Baroqueheat and Soresta. It is later revealed that he is the imposter of an illegitimate child between a king and one of his servants. The real Vincent died in the sickness that killed the king and all the other heirs, leaving his servant to impersonate him and be delivered to the king.
• Jelice Bryah (ジェリス・ブライア)
• Jelice is a friend of Rahzel's father and is like an older brother to Rahzel. He is an eccentric priest who was sent into seminary by his adoptive parents when they found out he had a relationship with their biological daughter. He admits that he does not believe in God, but thinks that the church serves as an important service to the people. His adoptive sister was left by family and after living as prostitute, murdered due to a fatal drug which was being distributed around the town, driving Jelice to murder the man who had sold the "Angel Text" drug to her.
• Branowen (ブランオーウェン)
• Branowen is Baroqueheat's older sister, who possesses great intelligence and mechanical skill. Like her siblings, she was deeply attached to Second and Natsume, keeping Second's glasses as a memento. This connection fuels her dislike for Alzeid due to his resemblance to Second. She refuses to take sides in conflicts between her brothers, maintaining her love for all her siblings.
• Serateed Anadis (セラティード・アナディス)
• Serateed is the eldest of the four siblings and Rahzel's overprotective foster father. A close friend of Second, he harbors a strong hatred for Alzeid, whom he blames for Second's death and for appropriating his name and gun. Unlike his siblings, he does not unconditionally revere Natsume, bearing a grudge for her forcing him to test the Angel Text. His protectiveness stems from Kiara's directive to raise Rahzel and the warning that he would one day return to claim her.
• Natsume Anadis Takamura (ナツメ・アナディス・タカムラ)
• She was the one who created Serateed, Kiara, Branoween and Baroqueheat. She was killed by Second, her lover. Each one who knew Natsume and Rahzel says that Rahzel looks like her. Somehow she foresaw her death. Although she was loved by the siblings, Serateed, whom she experimented on with the Angel Text, commented that she carried a large darkness in her heart. She was the one who gave Baroqueheat his tattoo/weapon.
• Second (セカンド)
• Second is the original being from which the two Alzeids were cloned. He is a scientist from Earth who led a colonization effort on another planet, becoming stranded with his companions, including Natsume. After Natsume's death, he spends centuries attempting to resurrect her by transferring his consciousness into successive cloned bodies. He encounters a time-traveled Rahzel and hires her as a housekeeper. Ultimately, he prompts Rahzel to end his life to stop his immortal cycle, an act that also saves the younger Alzeid from being sacrificed as his next vessel.
• Taylor (テイラ)
• Taylor is a medic who saves Alzeid after he is poisoned. She previously served in the military with Alzeid and Baroqueheat, where she worked alongside and later married Solesta, who is ultimately killed by Alzeid. In the past, a younger and more insecure Taylor is advised by a time-traveled Rahzel, whom she begins to admire and address as "". She was Involved in Second's cloning experiments and developed a degree of attachment to the young clones.

Media

External links

• Ichijinsha's website on the series
• Anime official website