is an
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 ...
television series produced by
Arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
and directed by
Yasuomi Umetsu
is a Japanese animator, director, writer, and storyboard artist.
Career
Umetsu studied at the and was originally not interested in pursuing a career in the anime industry, and instead wanted to pursue a career as a manga artist. While in his 20 ...
. The series is a
legal drama
Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...
set in a world where ordinary humans co-exist with
magic users, and magic users are represented in law by a subset of
defense attorney
A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...
(Bengoshi) called "wizard barristers" (Benmashi). The series follows Cecil Sudo, who has recently become the youngest wizard barrister in history. The series aired from January 12, 2014 to March 30, 2014.
Plot
In 2018, humans and wizards live together in Tokyo. Police continue to protect order in society, but wizards known as Wud are tried according to magical law via Magic Prohibition Law, in special courts defended by wizard barristers via the Court for Magic. Half-Japanese, half-Canadian Cecile Sudo has just become the youngest wizard barrister and begins work at the Butterfly Law Office. While she has not realized it yet, she has tremendous magical potential.
Characters
Butterfly Law Office
;
:
:She is the main protagonist. She is a
Japanese Canadian
are Canadians, Canadian citizens of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of Japanese Canadians in British Columbia, British Columbia, which hosts the largest ...
. At 15 years old, she passed the national bar and at age 17, became the youngest wizard barrister in history. She has blue eyes and shoulder-length purple hair, mostly in two braids with multi-colored spherical beads at the ends, which shatter and have to be replaced when she uses her magic. She wears a loud colored "battle dress" including a miniskirt and rides a scooter. Her motive for becoming a wizard barrister is to rescue her mother Megumi from the death penalty. She has several magic powers, unlike most Wuds who only have one, which include manipulation of metal, fire and sand. Her most notable power is forming a giant robot vehicle called the "Diaboloid" from metal near her.
;
:
:She has long black hair and brown eyes. She joined the law firm on the same day as Cecil and is initially jealous of Cecil's reputation as a wizard barrister. Eventually, after learning that Cecil intends to rescue Megumi from the death penalty, Natsuna becomes friends with Cecil. Her magic is taming dust and sand.
;
:
:Mitsuhisa is a prosecutor of the Court of Magic, but resigns when he awakened as a wizard and joins the law firm. He has long white hair and green eyes. His magic is to create fast streams of water from thin air. He works alongside Cecil in a murder case, in which a girl named Mayu Saotome killed a manager named Ken Oizumi, who killed his employee and Mayu's lover Masato Namase.
;
:
: She is a paralegal assistant rather than a wizard barrister. She is
Lucifer
The most common meaning for Lucifer in English is as a name for the Devil in Christian theology.
He appeared in the King James Version of the Bible in Isaiah and before that in the Vulgate (the late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bib ...
in human form, despite being female, and is attracted to Cecil. She has short black hair and bright yellow eyes. The back of her black and red jacket shows a skull under the words "GO TO HELL". As an archangel, she has many magic powers which she hides. Most often, Moyo can sense where Cecil is at all times, secretly protecting her from dangerous situations.
;
:
:She has short yellow-green hair, blue eyes and is a kind person. Her magic is manipulating wind into large gusts and blasts.
;
:
:She has long brown hair, brown eyes with a voluptuous body and ample bosom. She is often seen wearing an orange and black low-cut long shirt and black form fitting skirt. She loves to make lewd puns accompanied by lewd actions like aggressively fondling her own breasts. Her magic is
divination
Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
, or precognition, by the use of tarot cards.
;
:
:The leader of the law firm. She has long orange hair and green eyes and uses two hairpins which look like butterflies. Although she has no magical abilities, she is clever and quick thinking.
;
:
:He is the Ageha's partner and brother in the law firm. He has blue hair that sticks out to the side and then curls under and inward and yellow eyes. He is very stern, especially to Cecil. His magic is creating human-size robots.
;
:
:She is the receptionist and computer operator of the law firm. She has long brown hair and brown eyes. Although she does not have magical abilities, her skills to quickly and accurately analyze and process any kind of information are supreme, for which she is extremely appreciated and respected.
;
:
:He is the slow but clever old man of the law firm. He wears brown suits and has light green hair. His magic is illusions, such as making one person look like another. He first worked with Cecil on a murder case, in which a bowling alley manager named Takuma Kiritani was knifed by his employee Hiroyuki Suzui.
Shark Knight Law Office
;
:
:He has yellow hair and brown eyes. He is part of the Labone, a pro-human group of Wuds, and seeks to protect Cecil from the Macal, an anti-human organization of Wuds.
;
:
:He has brown hair and green eyes. His magic power is using words to make people act against their will for a brief period.
Metropolitan Police Department
;
:
:He is the assistant and partner of Quinn. He is secretly and illegally a Wud, sub-leader of the Macal and the son of Makusu. He uses a gun as a weapon. He has light brown hair and brown eyes. He cares deeply for Cecil, despite his involvement with the Macal.
;
:
:She is the partner of Shizumu. She has long orange hair, brown eyes and smokes cigarettes. Although she has no magic abilities, she uses a gun as a weapon.
Familiars
;
:
:He is Cecil's
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') were believed ...
, who resembles an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics to ...
frog. He has a perverted personality and tries to sexually assault Cecil and makes suggestive remarks. He is also revealed to be a very skillful cook.
;
:
:She is Mitsuhisa's
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') were believed ...
, who resembles an anthropomorphic pig.
;
:
:She is Tsunomi's
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') were believed ...
, who resembles an anthropomorphic chicken.
Other characters
;
:
:He is the current president of the Court of Magic. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes.
;
:
:Megumi is Cecil Sudo's mother. During Cecil's childhood, she and her daughter are held hostage at the roof of an apartment, where a police officer named Kyosuke Oda opens fire and inadvertently hits Cecil with a stray bullet. Megumi uses fire magic and kills Oda in response, desperate to take her daughter to the hospital. She is put on
death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...
. She has purple hair and brown eyes.
;
:
:He is the chief justice of the Supreme Court. He is secretly and illegally a Wud, the head of Macal and the father of Shizumu. He has brown hair and brown eyes. He attempted to summon Lucifer using Cecil as a catalyst, but Shizumu prevents that from happening.
;
:
:He is the prosecutor for Megumi and Makusu's cases, and he is a conspirator with Makusu. He has dark brown hair.
;
:
:He is Cecil's first client, who is falsely accused of belonging to the Wud robbery gang "No Face" and killing a fellow gang member. He is actually defending himself and a bank employee named Keiko Endo whom he loves. He has brown hair.
Terminology
Magic Prohibition Law
The is a special law restricting the use of magic, which Wuds are subject to. Its articles include:
::*Article 1:
Magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
use against penal, civil, or commercial codes is prohibited.
::*Article 2: Those using
magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
illegally are tried in the Court of Magic.
::*Article 3: In the Court of Magic, wizard barristers protect wizards'
rights
Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
.
::*Article 4:
Wizard barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
s protect wizards' basic rights.
::*Article 5: One who has awakened to
magic
Magic or magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic
* Magic (illusion), also known as sta ...
must be registered immediately.
::*Article 6: It is prohibited for a public office to hire registered wizards.
::*Article 7: The Court of Magic holds only a single, fast trial.
::*Article 8: If a
familiar
In European folklore of the medieval and early modern periods, familiars (strictly familiar spirits, as "familiar" also meant just "close friend" or companion, and may be seen in the scientific name for dog, ''Canis familiaris'') were believed ...
breaks the
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
, the owner is held responsible.
::*Article 9: Creation or use of metallic mobile mecha is generally prohibited.
::*Article 10: Magic used for social justice is permitted.
Media
Light novel
A
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
entitled , written by Michiko Itou and illustrated by
Yasuomi Umetsu
is a Japanese animator, director, writer, and storyboard artist.
Career
Umetsu studied at the and was originally not interested in pursuing a career in the anime industry, and instead wanted to pursue a career as a manga artist. While in his 20 ...
was published March 3, 2014 by
Pony Canyon
, also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966, which distributes music, films, home video, and video games. It is affiliated with the Japanese media group Fujisankei Communications Group. Pony Canyo ...
. The novel depicts the early life of Cecil Sudo, before becoming a barrister.
Anime
The
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 ...
series produced by studio
Arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
, written and directed by
Yasuomi Umetsu
is a Japanese animator, director, writer, and storyboard artist.
Career
Umetsu studied at the and was originally not interested in pursuing a career in the anime industry, and instead wanted to pursue a career as a manga artist. While in his 20 ...
with scripts by Michiko Itou, and aired in Japan between January 12, 2014 and March 30, 2014. The series premiered on
Tokyo MX
JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...
on January 12, 2014 and was subsequently aired on
Sun TV,
KBS,
TV Aichi
Aichi Television Broadcasting Company, Ltd. (TVA; ), also referred to as , with the callsigns JOCI-DTV (channel 10) is a Japanese television station
A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity ...
,
AT-X and
BS11.
The
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 ...
was simulcasted in English on
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
and licensed by
Sentai Filmworks
Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios.
The ...
for North America.
The opening theme song "Justitia" is performed by
Lia
Lia is a feminine given name. In the Spanish-speaking world, it is accented Lía. In English-speaking countries, the name may be a variant of Leah or Lea. Lia may be a diminutive of various names including Julia, Cecilia, Amelia, Talia, Cornel ...
and the ending theme song "Blue Topaz" by Rui Tanabe.
Episode list
References
External links
*
*
{{Arms Corporation
Fiction set in 2018
Arms Corporation
Anime with original screenplays
Japanese legal television series
Tokyo MX original programming
Television shows about wizards
Sentai Filmworks
Supernatural anime and manga
Television series about lawyers
Anime and manga set in Canada