is a series by

Kunihiko Ikuhara , also known by the nickname Ikuni, is a Japanese director, writer, artist, and music producer. He has created and collaborated on several notable anime and manga series, including ''Sailor Moon'', '' Revolutionary Girl Utena'', '' Penguindrum' ...

. It is composed of a two-volume novel by Ikuhara with artwork by

Mamoru Nagano is a Japanese manga artist, animator, and mecha and character designer. Born in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, he is noted for his work with anime studio Sunrise. He is married to voice actress Maria Kawamura. Career Mamoru Nagano made his professi ...

, and , a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

composed by Tenpei Sato with vocals from Ikuhara and

Maria Kawamura , better known by the stage name, , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Setagaya, Tokyo. Kawamura is a freelancer and a former affiliate of Arts Vision. In 1991, she married manga artist Mamoru Nagano. In addition to her voice a ...

Synopsis

As a result of gene manipulation, society is segregated by

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s into "Majors" –

intersex Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...

humans who maintain a monopoly on stronger genetic material – and lesser dual-sex "Minors". (Ikuhara stated that he chose to make the Majors intersex because he wished to create "a race which combines the good parts of both women and men.") Protagonist Ors Break is hired by the intergalactic trading company Balt Liner Corporation to pilot a schell, a bio-organic

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...

, by claiming to be a Major. When the truth of his Minor status is revealed, he comes to an agreement with his superior, a Major named Delbee Ibus, to continue working for the organization.

Production

''Schell Bullet'' was published by Ikuhara following the release of ''

Adolescence of Utena ''Adolescence of Utena'' is a 1999 Japanese animated romantic fantasy film. It is a follow-up to the 1997 anime television series '' Revolutionary Girl Utena'', created by the artist collective Be-Papas. The film is directed by Kunihiko Ikuhar ...

'', the film sequel to the anime series ''

Revolutionary Girl Utena is a Japanese anime television series created by Be-Papas, a production group formed by director Kunihiko Ikuhara and composed of himself, Chiho Saito, Shinya Hasegawa, Yōji Enokido and Yūichirō Oguro. The series was produced by ...

'', and shortly prior to his relocation from

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The novel was Ikuhara's first project released during his twelve-year hiatus from directing

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

, which spanned from the conclusion of ''Utena'' in 1999 to the release of ''

Penguindrum ''Penguindrum'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese anime television series produced by Brain's Base. It was written by Kunihiko Ikuhara and Takayo Ikami, was co-directed by Ikuhara along with Shouko Nakamura, with character designs by Lil ...

'' in 2011. Ikuhara and Nagano promoted the novel at an event held by ''

Newtype is a monthly magazine originating from Japan covering anime and, to a lesser extent, manga, voice actors, science fiction, , and video games. It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, and has since been released in ...

'' by

cosplay Cosplay, a blend word of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and Fashion accessory, fashion accessories to represent a specific Character (arts), character. Cosplayers often i ...

ing as characters

Sailor Mars , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. In the series, Rei is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Guardians, female supernatural ...

and

Sailor Venus , better known as , is a fictional character in the ''Sailor Moon'' and '' Codename: Sailor V'' manga series written by Naoko Takeuchi. Minako is her sailor form's alternative human identity as part of the Sailor Guardians (of which she is the ...

from the TV series ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo manga, ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 60 individual chapters (later reorganized into ...

'', of which Ikuhara was a director and series director. Though Ikuhara stated that he received offers to adapt the novel into an anime, an anime adaptation never transpired.

Media

Novel

''Schell Bullet'' was published by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

. The novel was released in two volumes: ''Aden Arabie'', published in 1999, and ''Abraxas'', published in 2000. The novels include illustrations by Nakano of the novel's characters and settings, as well as diagrams of the schells.

Album

for the novel, , was composed by Tenpei Sato, and features vocals from Ikuhara and

. The

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

for the album famously feature a photograph of Ikuhara wearing a leather bodysuit with a spiked

corset A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and Posture correction, posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of Baleen, whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schell Bullet 1999 books Book series introduced in 1999 Japanese science fiction novels Intersex literature Novel series