Juvenile Orion

Juvenile Orion
Cover to volume 1 of Juvenile Orion
オリオンの少年 (Orion no Shōnen)
Genre	Fantasy, Romance, Drama
Manga
Written by	Sakurako Gokurakuin
Published by	Square-Enix
English publisher	Broccoli Books
Magazine	Monthly Stencil
Original run	June 2001 – 2003
Volumes	5

Juvenile Orion (オリオンの少年, Orion no Shōnen) is a trading card game and shōjo manga series. A spin-off of the Aquarian Age franchise, the story revolves around male and female characters with supernatural powers similar to that series.

The trading card game was developed and released in Japan by Broccoli Co., Ltd. while the Juvenile Orion manga is written by Sakurako Gokurakuin, otherwise known as Ashika Sakura. Originally published in Japan by Square Enix, "Junevile Orion" also has an English language translation of the manga published by Broccoli Books. The manga was serialized in Monthly Stencil from June 2001 to August 2003.

Plot

The manga follows the story of 16-year-old Mana on an adventure through the Aquarian Age. Mana, returns to her hometown to reunite with her childhood friend after having been away for seven years. But her friend, Kaname, seems to have changed too, while they've been apart.

Mana's re-emergence soon sets off a series of events that alters the lives of Kaname and his best friend, Naoya. Classmates Isshin and Tsukasa, as well as their teacher Tomonori, find themselves drawn in as well. Soon, they all discover that they have a part to play in the "Aquarian Age" - a war that has been secretly raging for thousands of years. Now the future of the world depends on one girl and her destiny.

Characters

The characters in the Juvenile Orion series include:

• Mana Kirihara (桐原まな, Kirihara Mana) - 16 years old - Mana has just transferred to Seika High. Because of her strong need to protect her loved ones, she agrees to participate in the Aquarian Age. She is kind and a hard worker, but can be klutzy at times. She cares deeply for Kaname. Since her parents died, she currently lives with her aunt, who is a writer. She is a strong mind breaker. Her sudden appearance awakens Kaname's dark powers. He avoids her due to this but slowly opens up to her. At the end they become a couple and are recognized as such by everyone.

• Kaname Kusakabe (日下部要, Kusakabe Kaname) - 16 years old - Kaname considers himself a typical high school student. He is a little stubborn but straightforward. He lost his parents in an accident when he was younger, and lives with his older sister. He is in the basketball team at school. Faction: Darklore

• Naoya Itsuki (斎木直哉, Itsuki Naoya) - 17 years old - Naoya is the only male kin of the Itsuki family, an influential power in the E.G.O. He has telepathic ability, and has the potential to become a strong Mind Breaker. He is outgoing and friendly. Faction: E.G.O

• Isshin Shiba (司馬一心, Shiba Isshin or Yi-Xin) - 18 years old - Isshin is an heir to a Chinese conglomerate, and an expert in Chinese martial arts. His hobbies include motorcycles and basketball, and he's on the same basketball team as Kaname. He is very proper and straight-laced. Faction: Arayashiki

• Tsukasa Amou (天羽つかさ, Amou Tsukasa) - 16 years old - Tsukasa was suffering from amnesia and wandering the streets when he was found by Tomonori and now stays with him. He is kind and gentle, but gets depressed easily because of his loss of memory. Faction: Eraser

• Tomonori Nakaura (中浦智律, Nakaura Tomonori) - 24 years old - Tomonori grew up in a Wiz-Dom orphanage, and used to live alone until he found Tsukasa. He is a math teacher at Seika High. He is a little strict, but is well liked by his students. He is a great cook, but has a low tolerance of alcohol. Faction: Wiz-Dom

• Haruna Itsuki (斎木榛名, Itsuki Haruna) - 17 years old - Haruna is Naoya's twin sister. She is bed-ridden and connected to a machine that controls her strong powers. Faction: E.G.O

• Kaoru (花織, Kaoru) - Kaoru is a strong Mind Breaker who is interested in Mana for reasons unknown.

• Mizunagi (水生, Mizunagi) - Mizunagi is a cool and calm guy. He is one of the psychic hunters. Faction: E.G.O

• Ama-inu (海犬, Amainu) - Ama-inu is a hot-blooded psychic who takes enjoyment in killing people. Faction: Darklore

• Kuga (Kuga) - Kuga is a handsome psychic who is the closest to Kaoru. Faction: Wiz-Dom

• Kasei (Kasei) - Kasei is a mysterious psychic who doesn't talk much. He carries a long sword on his back. Faction: Arayashiki

• Lafayel - Lafayel is a strong psychic who has great resentment towards Tsukasa Amou. He is one of the psychic hunters. Faction: Eraser

Factions

There are five factions seiryoku (勢力) in Juvenile Orion and the Aquarian Age TCG. They are:

• E.G.O - Officially named the "Evolutional Girls Organization," they claim to be a new kind of race with special psychic abilities. They rose to unite the other three factions on Earth.

Jobs: psychic, student, businessman, rock star, athlete, doctor

• Arayashiki - With the power of the gods and nature on their side, they use their own spiritual powers as catalyst for their spells. Arayashiki is the federation that the Eastern spell casters created.

Jobs: shaman, martial artist, onmyōji, ninja, samurai

• Wiz-Dom - Born in the West. The forbidden art of magic has been passed down through generations despite facing much persecution. This secret organization is created by these magic users is Wiz-Dom.

Jobs: priest, witch, sorcerer, wizard, pierrot

• Darklore - They are the descendants of various legendary species that ruled the Earth during ancient times.

Jobs: vampire, werewolf, mermaid/merman, demon

• Eraser - This space crew of aliens suddenly appeared from the outer world. Their merciless attacks on the Earth's four powers earned them the name Eraser.

Jobs: angels, androids

A 6th faction, Polestar Empire, is introduced in the main Aquarian Age Saga II trading card game and briefly mentioned in the manga.

Further reading

• Aquarian Age - Juvenile Orion Vol. #04
• Aquarian Age - Juvenile Orion Vol. #05

External links

• Aquarian Age - Juvenile Orion website Template:Language icon