The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok (魔探偵ロキRAGNAROK, Matantei Loki Ragnarok) is a manga by Sakura Kinoshita published from August 1999 to October 2004. A television anime based upon the manga series ran for 26 episodes from April 5 to September 27, 2003 in Japan.
The series originally ran in the magazine Monthly Shonen Gangan under the name The Mythical Detective Loki (魔探偵ロキ, Matantei Loki), but Ragnarok was added to the title when the series was purchased by publishing company MAG Garden and moved to Comic Blade magazine. The Mythical Detective Loki was collected in 7 volumes by Gangan Comics, which were later republished by Blade Comics; it has not been officially licensed for US distribution. The Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok ran for 5 more volumes, which were published in Japan by Blade Comics, and picked up for translation and English release by ADV Manga. Chuang Yi has released an English version in Singapore. The anime has been licensed for English release by ADV Films.
The fact that the second manga series has been licensed in North America without the first series is a source of some controversy among fans in English-speaking countries, as the second series is a direct continuation from the first and refers back to previous events frequently. Both series were licensed in Singapore.
Story
Template:Spoiler The main character is Loki, the Norse god of mischief. After causing boundless trouble int he land of the gods, Loki is banished to the world of humans and transformed into a childhood version of himself. To get home, he must collect "evil airs" (evil spirits), so he sets up Enjaku Detective Agency, specializing in strange and paranormal cases to make his search easier. For better or worse, he attracts Mayura Daidouji— a mystery-crazed teenage girl who quickly appoints herself a member of his detective agency.
The series is based upon Norse mythology, but with many artistic liberties taken with the source material for the manga, and many further changes made from the manga to the anime. For instance, an extra illustration at the end of the 7th volume ofThe Mythical Detective Loki is a mini-diagram of Loki's family tree, which makes reference to Sigyn, Vali, Nari, and Sleipnir, who never appear in either the manga or anime.
Primary Characters
God of mischief (and in some versions chaos) in Norse mythology. Trapped in the body of a child, he seeks a way back to the realm of the gods and his original body. He is the father of Fenrir, Yamino, and Hel. He has brown hair and green eyes; he also has an aversion to deep water.
- Mayura Daidouji (大堂寺繭良, Daidōji Mayura; まゆら is used in place of 繭良 after her introduction)
The main human character of the series: a pink-haired, red-eyed 16-year-old high school student obsessed with mysteries and the occult. Despite her love of strange cases, she never manages to find out who Loki is.
- Ryuusuke Yamino (闇野竜介, Yamino Ryūsuke; in the manga, various characters also address and refer to him as メガネ Megane, i.e. "four-eyes")
Loki's second son takes the form of a polite, bespectacled boy in his late teens, and serves as his housekeeper, cook, and assistant. He enjoys cooking, cleaning and other domestic activities, and in the anime, he also has an amusing addiction to ordering useless items from mail-order catalogs. His real name is Jormungand, also known as the Midgard serpent, since his true form is that of a giant serpent that encircles the Earth. Loki rescued Yamino from the bottom of the sea by casting a spell on him (thus giving him a human form) so that he could accompany his father on Earth; for this, he is eternally grateful. The revelation of Yamino's true identity occurs earlier in the manga than the anime, and seems to play more of a part in his characterization for the first manga series. He probably wears glasses as a reference to the Indian cobra (眼鏡蛇 meganehebi, or "glasses snake", in Japanese).
Loki's first son takes the form of a small black dog. His real identity is that of the Fenrisulfr, a giant wolf bound by the gods. Fenrir enjoys food and taunting Yamino. A running gag in both the anime and manga is how Fenrir can be very bossy and intentionally crude around Yamino, then instantly become the most affectionate and harmless puppy-son possible the moment "Daddy" walks in. (During the series, he has an almost scary Father Complex. He's very outwardly protective of Loki, spouting threats when Loki may be in danger.)
Loki's only daughter, Hel is the goddess of the underworld. Portrayed as an adolescent girl with wavey pink hair, green eyes and glasses, and a strong obsession with her father, though the nature of it differs between the manga and anime.
- Narugami (鳴神 Narugami; his given name is never used in the manga)
Actually the Norse God of thunder, Thor, in the form of a teenage boy with brown hair and eyes. He was sent to Earth from the realm of gods to kill Loki; in the manga, he doesn't remember this at first, while in the anime, he chooses not to kill Loki because he sees no reason to. Unfortunately, he forgot how to return to the realm of the gods, so he is forced to work a wide array of part-time jobs to support himself, which becomes another one of the series' recurring jokes. He always carries around a wooden sword, which is actually Thor's hammer Mjollnir in disguise.
- Reya Ohshima (大島玲也 Ōshima Reiya, usually called レイヤ Reiya; "Reiya" is a more popular spelling among fans)
Reya is a young girl with blue eyes, brown hair and a cute crush on young Loki. In the anime, she is the sole survivor of a rich family killed in a car accident, and she hires Loki to solve a mystery about her mansion. In the manga, she hires Loki because she has been having unsettling dreams about her deceased sister Lisa; she lives with her aunt, uncle, and two older cousins. Reya's true identity is the transmigrated Norse goddess Freya—unlike Loki, however, Reya's memory was wiped by Odin, so she has no memory of her past life. Reya becomes Freya when the necklace Brisingamen is put around her neck, but reverts back to Reya when the necklace is removed, with no memory of what happens while wearing it. Freya, just like her alter ego, is enamoured with Loki, though she's far more agressive about it than Reya. Reya is also capable of becoming Freya when extremely jealous, among other circumstances.
- Kazumi Higashiyama (東山和美 Higashiyama Kazumi)
Sent by Odin to assassinate Loki, the watchman Heimdall takes the form of a young boy as a disguise. However, due to the theft of his right eye, he is forced to have neck-length purple hair that completely covers the right side of his face. His nails are actually long, sharp claws, so he wears bulky gloves to hide them. He believes Loki to be the thief that stole his eye, so in addition to carrying out the assassination order, he intends to retrieve his eye or avenge its loss by any means necessary. Although he is one of the more serious characters in the series, Heimdall is also the butt of many jokes. The manga frequently makes fun of his serious personality and his obsession with Loki, and even though "Kazumi Higashiyama" doesn't attend school, Heimdall still has a daily schedule consisting of piano lessons, singing lessons, and cram school. In the anime, Heimdall usually gets dragged along on shopping sprees by his roommate Freyr, much to his own dismay.
- Mysterious Thief Freyr (怪盗フレイ Kaitō Furei; sometimes translated as "Phantom Thief Frey" and other variants)
Freyr is Freya's older brother. He was brought to Earth to aid Heimdall in the destruction of Loki, but quickly drops that mission to search for Freya once he realizes she is there, too. Somewhere along the line, he decides to get Loki's attention by becoming a master jewel thief—the natural enemy of any great detective. Impulsive and quixotic, Freyr seems to think of everything in terms of Romantic cliche, dramatic stereotypes, and absurd non sequitors. His primary agenda is to find Freya, or at least ensure that Loki isn't corrupting her. However, in the course of his plans, Freyr runs into Mayura, falls in love at first sight, and renames her Yamato Nadeshiko (大和撫子 Yamato nadeshiko, a name for the prototypical ideal woman; a sort of Japanese Dulcinea).
- The Norn Sisters
Verdandi, Urd and Skuld are the goddesses of fate. In the manga, they are a bit ambiguous in their loyalties. Though they help Loki often, such as by giving him the magical ring Draupnir (which can be used to store evil spirits), they have plans of their own, separate from those of Odin and the other gods. Urd, in particular, is implied to be manipulating events on her own. In the anime, they have been sent to earth by Odin to kill Loki. Most of their attempts fall into the "Monster of the Week" pattern familiar to Super Sentai shows and magical girl/magical boy anime. (There is many indications that Loki had an affair with Skuld in Asgard, which could be their fuel for 'hating' and helping him.)
King of the gods. Odin is only refered to, never seen or interacted with, in the first series of the manga. In the second series, he is hinted at for a while with silhouettes and frames containing parts of his clothing, but eventually is seen unobscured. In the anime, he is only shown as a red eye. He seeks to kill Loki, but is somehow unable to do so himself, so he sends assassins instead. He was the one who commanded Loki to take Heimdall's eye.
The Mythology
Below is some information to help you understand the relationships.
- There is a prophecy that at Ragnarok (the end of the world) Loki and his children by his first wife would cause trouble. That is why Odin bound Fenrir and Jormungand and exiled Hel and Loki.
- At Ragnarok, Odin is kiled by Fenrir, and Fenrir is killed by Odin's son. Thor kills, and is killed by, Jormungand. Heimdall and Loki battle, and both are killed.
- Loki's tricks were just harmless at first, but gradually grew more evil until he killed Odin's beloved son.
- Loki had two children by a second marrage as well as several illegitimate children. They are never mentioned.
Publication
Japanese
- . ISBN 4-901926-53-5.
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- . ISBN 4901926160.
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- . ISBN 4901926837.
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Limited Editions
These were often packaged with special extras, such as audio drama CDs or collectible figurines.
- . ISBN 4901926349.
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English
- . ISBN 1-4139-0055-0.
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