Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Manga / ViolinistOfHameln

Go To

1[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_hcover16.png]]
2
3->''"Tchaikovsky SUPLEX!"''
4-->-- '''Flute'''
5
6->''"This really is a stupid manga."''
7-->-- '''Oboe'''
8
9Once upon a time, there was a box containing all the evils in the world. It was opened by a woman named Pandora and the land was plunged in darkness. In a time of castles and kings, demons terrorize the land, enslaving humanity before the might of the demon army. The lands cry out for a hero, and that cry is answered by Hamel, a mysterious cloaked stranger who commands massive power while wielding his Big Freaking... Violin.
10
11Created by Michiaki Watanabe, ''Violinist of Hameln'' was serialized in ''Monthly Shonen Gangan'' from 1991 to 2001 and compiled into 37 volumes. It was adapted into a 25-episode anime which aired from 1996 to 1997, and it greatly differs from the manga in terms of plot, characterizations and overall tone. The series also spawned a half-hour long movie in 1996, which is based more closely upon the manga than the TV series. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, the tropes listed below are from Violinist Of Hameln ''manga'' (or are those few that apply to both the manga and the anime).
12
13Over ten years later in 2008, much to the surprise of fans, Watanabe published a Gaiden chapter leading up to a sequel manga, ''Manga/ViolinistOfHamelnShchelkunchik''.
14
15A few years after the sequel manga abruptly ended, Watanabe created a sort of Alternate Universe version of the original series. Violinist of Hameln Zoku. Zoku can mean "family" or "tribe", in this case "family" is the most probable intention. Very little is known about the series, as no one has attempted to translate it. It started in 2013 and it's still running.
16
17----
18!!Provides examples of:
19
20* ActionMom: Queen Horn. Her IncurableCoughOfDeath does not keep her from being one of the most powerful mages in the world.
21* AffablyEvil:
22** Guitar remains polite and cheery even when mass-murdering and torturing people. He also takes Drum treating him as a sidekick with good humor [[spoiler: before murdering Drum when the latter is heavily wounded]].
23** Vocal divides his on-panel time between goofing around, making a ButtMonkey out of [[MonsterClown Orgel]], who just managed to establish his reputation as the most vile and non-comedic villain up to that point, only to end up as Vocal's ChewToy, and indiscriminate, ruthless slaughter ForTheEvulz.
24* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler: Hamel and Flute come close to a kiss multiple times, but are stopped each time and result in Hamel kneeing Flute in the mouth. The first time it's interrupted by Hamel getting nervous and pulling out, while the second is caused by [[BigBad Chestra intervening]].]]
25* AnimeHair: Flute's voluminous pigtails (which transforms into waist-long hair when loose).
26* AntiAntiChrist: Hamel in the manga wants nothing to do with the demons, who for their part go out of their way to provoke him into embracing his demon blood. [[spoiler:When he does, it's not to help the demons at all.]] In the anime, [[spoiler:he temporarily sides with them, even though it meant invading the castle and endangering his friends and love interest.]]
27* ArtStyleDissonance: The main source of humor of the manga is how the beautiful [[{{Shoujo}} shoujo-manga]] style characters clash with the crass and absurdist humor of the comic.
28* TheAtoner: Sizer and Ocarina become this after they join the heroes. [[spoiler: Hamel and Oboe are also ones]].
29* AxCrazy: Vocal, [[EvenEvilHasStandards by Mazoku standards]], is a violent terror.
30* BabiesEverAfter: Hamel and Flute in the epilogue. To produce that many kids in ten years, Flute would have to literally be pregnant non-stop or have born twins and triplets repeatedly. [[FridgeLogic How is she still alive?]] [[AWizardDidIt A wizard did her.]]
31* BadassNormal: Trom Bone tries to be this in a party full of people who have magic [[spoiler: and demonic powers]]. Even though swordsmanship in this manga is a CharlesAtlasSuperpower this makes him nearly useless against major antagonists for most of the story.
32* BeautifulAllAlong: Just let down Flute's hair, and 'kinda cute' transforms into 'BEAUTIFUL!!'.
33* BerserkButton:
34** Trying to touch Hamel's hat is [[spoiler: as he hides his horn, identifying him as half-human, under it]].If you harm any of Hamel's friends (especially Flute), may heaven have mercy on your poor, damned soul. If anyone in your vicinity harms his mother then ''RUN'' AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN.
35** Clari can also be described as the psycho big brother, willing to punch anyone through a steel wall that makes his little sister Cornet cry.
36* BerserkerTears: Let's see who's guilty, Hamel, Flute, Sizer, Raiel...Trom...Pandora...Clari
37** Chestra in his human form definitely qualifies. in his true form he looks more or less the same, except for sharper teeth and gigantic demon horns.
38* BishonenLine: And on this note - while most of the powerful mazoku are humongous monsters in their true forms, the most powerful ones have rather cosmetic differences from humans. Hell King Bass looked completely human, before being reduced to a literally disembodied head.
39* BlackComedy: [[spoiler: Flute gets killed multiple times as a baby by her brother in a flashback only to be revived by Queen Horn]]. It's all PlayedForLaughs.
40* BreakingTheFourthWall: Hamel and Trom do this in glorious style at one point. To wit - [[spoiler:"OHMYGOD OHMYGOD AT LONG LAST AFTER 120 CHAPTERS WE GET A HOT SPRING SPECIAL!" However, the manga being what it is, it quickly gets ridiculous.]]
41* ButtMonkey: Hamel makes all his "friends" like this at one point or another.
42** Flute. Though she tries to stay upbeat even she complains about it from time to time, describing herself as a "pathetic heroine".
43*** The Super Famicom game runs with this, giving you the option of making her wear silly costumes for different abilities (the animation for doing so seems to be her getting stuffed into a sack and apparently forced into the costumes based on her expressions) as well as letting you ''[[GrievousHarmWithABody throw her at things]]'', including certain walls to break them.
44** Raiel has also been described by the characters as the perfect "comic relief"
45* CallingYourAttacks: A couple of times, mostly played for comedy in the manga (see the first page quote).
46* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: The majority of the main humanoid male cast is {{Bishonen}}.
47* CerebusSyndrome: The manga goes from mostly comedic with sudden flashes of seriousness to mostly serious with sudden flashes of comedy. The transition is so seemless that you barely notice the change.
48* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Hamel and Flute have this in the anime; there he's been living with her in Staccato since their childhood.
49* ComedicSociopathy: Hamel's actions. Also, Flute's mom loves to arrange festivals in Flute's name that are somewhat morbid. For example, there's the Flute Cow festival, where a raging bull representing Flute rampages through the city which is then eaten and the remains used as part of a funeral ceremony...
50* CooldownHug: Flute to Hamel, [[spoiler: first when he almost gives in to his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide mazoku instincts]] and attempts to kill Raiel, and a few times later as well.]]
51* CoolOldGuy: [[spoiler: In his true form, Oboe is probably the second or third most powerful mazoku after Chestra. And he looks like aged, short-haired version of [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]], too.]]
52* CrystalDragonJesus: The human nations, particularly Sforzando, exhibiting an at best loose understanding of Catholicism. The church is headed by non-celibate magical High Priest Clari and omnipresently symbolized by crosses (Clari and Cornet's weapons and Flute's necklace- which in the manga includes a tiny crucified Jesus on it). Later volumes show a definition of angels and the summoning of a massive guardian goddess.
53* CrystalPrison: Pandora is kept in one.
54* DarkerAndEdgier: The anime compared to both the manga and the 30 minute movie.
55* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler:Lute, by Hell King Bass.]]
56* DirtyOldMan: Olin, in an odd twist, he's dirty around young ''men'' and hits on Hamel and Clari multiple times.
57* DownerEnding: The anime. [[spoiler: Nearly everyone dies, Hamel becomes the demon king and Flute is forced to lock him in PandorasBox forever.]]
58* TheDreaded: Great Demon King Chestra inspires fear (and, among the mazoku, awe) in everyone. His presence is so overwhelming, that most humans are paralyzed with terror. One of the most badass characters in the series [[Manga/ViolinistOfHamelnShchelkunchik still sees Chestra in his nightmares 20 years after the war against the mazoku]]. Even [[TheDeterminator Determinator]] main characters doubt if there is any hope left for them his unsealing].
59* DualWielding:
60** Trom Bone's style.
61** Warrior King Guitar also uses it from time to time.
62* EarnYourHappyEnding: The end of the manga. [[spoiler:After all their trials and horrible torment, there is a happy ending for all the characters, even the [[{{TheChewToy}} long-suffering]] Flute. She and Hamel get married and have ''nine children.'']]
63* EliteFour: The Mazoku have four Generals.
64* EveryoneCanSeeIt: During the first 16 volumes, Hamel and Flute, are ''utterly determined'' not to let the other know how they really feel, to the point where they come across as having BelligerentSexualTension. Flute herself very much wants Hamel to respond to the feelings she doesn't really try to hide, but Hamel has a lot of [[BreakTheCutie emotional baggage]] that makes him [[BreakTheCutie afraid of opening up to anyone]], while desperately craving human contact. It's made all the more hilarious since they're constantly mistaken for a couple and their party call them out on their feelings constantly and loudly, in front of the other party, which prompts one of them (usually Hamel) to engage in frothing, stuttering spiels about how that's a stupid mistake and/or a filthy lie, usually crossing into SuspiciouslySpecificDenial.
65* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Of all the mazoku only [[spoiler: Oboe, Ocarina and Chestra]] have any idea what compassion for other people, friendship, love or hope are, although the latter obviously feels none of that. When heroes find strength to persevere in these feelings, their current opponent usually goes into a VillainousBreakdown.
66* EvilCounterpart: Sizer to Hamel before her HeelFaceTurn, serving as an angelic AntiVillain to Hamel's demonic AntiHero and possessing a bird companion. Vocal plays a much more evil version to him later on, being a Mazoku who opposes Chestra, like Hamel. Though unlike Hamel, who actively rejects his identity as a Mazoku, Vocal relishes his.
67* EvilOverlord: The four mazoku kings are [[CardCarryingVillain card carrying]] examples of this, and so is [[BigBad Great Demon King Chestra]].
68* FantasyWorldMap: Whenever Hamel makes MagicMusic, he uses a real-world classical composition and he or someone explains in detail it's origin such as Mozart composing it in France. However, none of them appear to exist on his version of earth and instead there's a bunch of made-up countries named for musical terms.
69* FightingFromTheInside: To Bass's consternation, Lute's body occasionally shows small signs of this like shedding tears.
70* ForTheEvulz: The mazoku [[spoiler: with three known exception, one of whom is the [[BigBad big baddie Chestra]] himself, who sees everyone else in the world as food/tools]], have this as their main reason for waging endless war on humans. Those of them, who have their mindset revealed, believe that the humans' whole reason to exist is to suffer and be killed and the mazoku's whole reason to exist is to bestow death and despair upon them.
71* GagSeries: About 70% of the manga is written to make you laugh, and 30% of the manga is everything else. It has even been referred in universe by one character as a 'stupid gag manga'.
72* GeckoEnding: The anime ended at episode 25 of a planned 30 or so, (around volume 11 of the manga, storyline-wise) due to a lack of budget and failing ratings.
73* GreenEyedMonster: Hamel was jealous of Trom when he was first introduced because he [[spoiler: asked Flute to be his Queen, groped Flute's breasts and had a bath with Flute]] all while acting like an innocent brat.
74* HalfHumanHybrid: [[spoiler:Hamel is constantly referred as being half-mazoku and half-human. His twin sister Sizer is said to be half-angel and half-human. A later flashback implies they are, in fact, Half-demon, a fourth-human and a fourth-angel... but the source wasn't particularly trustworthy.]]
75* HappilyMarried:
76** [[spoiler: Raiel and Sizer (manga)]] and [[SickeninglySweethearts sickeningly so]].
77** [[spoiler: Hamel and Flute]] though they still have arguments for comedy's sake.
78* HealingHands: The Sforzando royal family has this power.
79** [[spoiler: As princess, Flute has this power]]
80** [[spoiler: in the manga, Queen Horn is dying from having used hers too much.]]
81** Lute can also be considered a healer. At the beginning of the manga it is said that only the women in the family have it-- but at the end, once [[spoiler:Clari returns his soul and he is free of his possession, he heals both Flute and Clari's wounds.]]
82* HeelFaceTurn:
83** [[spoiler:Sizer and Ocarina join the Five Hopes]]
84** [[spoiler:Oboe, before the story begins.]]
85* HeroicLineage: [[spoiler: Hamel and Sizer are the descendants of the legendary hero who sealed all the Mazoku in PandorasBox. Though since that hero was [[DirtyOldMan Olin]], they’d rather deny it.]]
86* HeroicSacrifice:
87** There are several side stories in which this happens, especially parents dying for their children.
88** Lute also gives up his own life to protect Sforzando and save Flute, eventually leading to [[spoiler:his death and possession by Bass.]]
89** Siding with humans and trying to prevent the resurrection of/defeat Chestra sort qualifies for any mazoku, [[spoiler: like Oboe]], as the power that grants all mazoku [[{{immortality}} unlimited lifespans]] flows from Chestra.
90** Of the major characters, [[spoiler:Ocarina dies restoring Sizer's limbs after a critical injury]].
91* HeroicComedicSociopath: Hamel will not hesitate to sell Flute, eat Oboe, use anyone within reach as a [[GrievousHarmWithABody throwing weapon]], or generally just make life a living hell for everyone.
92* HeterosexualLifePartners: Hamel and Raiel, who have known each other since childhood and are virtually inseparable.
93* HistoryRepeats: The anime's epilogue hints that [[spoiler:Flute's love for Hamel will drive her to want to open the box.]]
94* HookedUpAfterwards: Trom and... [[spoiler:''Cornet'']].
95* HopeSpot: Most important battles have at least one. [[spoiler: The biggest one is when Chestra seems defeated by Hamel in one-on-one battle for a whole chapter.]]
96* ICanStillFight: Raiel, who regularly takes damage capable of killing a person several times over only to stand up and keep fighting.
97* IntimateHealing: Sizer does this to Raiel with a [[spoiler: kiss]] to 'clean his wound'.
98* ItMakesSenseInContext: Hamel made Raiel, Oboe, and Trom wear bunny suits in order to lure Flute out of her room (long story). They look absolutely ridiculous.
99* JerkAss: Hamel in the manga, who routinely humiliates and torments others for his own profit, charges exorbitant prices for hearing his music, and regularly tries to eat his crow companion and closest friend Oboe. Secretly he's a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.
100* KarmaHoudini: Averted with Sizer. She is constantly internally tormented over the fact that she freely murdered innocents before her HeelFaceTurn. Even the humans she's protecting frequently call her out on this. So do Guitar and Chestra, but they are doing so to shake her resolve/be a dick, respectively.
101* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Ocarina, Queen Horn, Lute, nearly all of the villains, not to mention about a third of the rest of mankind, too. There's not enough healing magic in the world to repair ''that'' much damage.]]
102* KnightOfCerebus:
103** Vocal is the first major enemy with little to no humor to his character and is portrayed as a very real threat. The tone becomes noticeably more serious as soon as he enters the scene and sticks that way to the end.
104** Chestra himself has no humor to him whatsoever.
105* LaserGuidedKarma:
106** Cornet. Granted, she had it coming almost as badly as Chestra himself, but she's almost TheWoobie by the end of the manga.
107** Most of the villains' deaths qualify, to an extent, but [[spoiler: Vocal]] gets a particularly spectacular one. [[spoiler: First he runs out of his much-vaunted overwhelming power, then he learns the hard way that other mazoku care only about themselves as well, and gets to taste the same fear of imminent death he loved to invoke. Barely surviving in reduced and weakened form, and knowing for a fact, that his days are numbered, he spends the brief remainder of his days in torment. Then the souls of his victims, summoned by his former ChewToy drag him to hell, and he dies knowing, that he was nothing but a puppet in the plot to resurrect Chestra (whom he hated) and that his blood will help Chestra to recover.]] Notably, he's so evil and badass, that even after this direct LaserGuidedKarma hit he still regrets only not being able to kill even more people, and goes into DontYouDarePityMe speech when it seems that heroes cannot bring themselves to really hate him in his current pathetic state.
108** Sizer in the anime. [[spoiler:Destroyed a kingdom, millions of innocent people, and trying to get revenge against her brother and mother by monopolizing her father all because she was jealous and blamed the kingdoms for not allowing Pandora to stay in their land. Her actions however lead her to lose everything, her army, Ocarina, her mother who she found out really loved her, her brother, and even a reason for revenge.]]
109* LateArrivalSpoiler: It's hard to read about the series without finding out Sizer joins the party ahead of time, considering how much focus she gets.
110* LoveFreak: Raiel, the self-proclaimed Warrior of Love. Hamel mocks this ruthlessly, as seeing anything remotely sexy causes Raiel to collapse from massive a nosebleed for most of the manga.
111* LoveMakesYouDumb: Raiel, at the start of his crush on Sizer (and after that too).
112* MagicMusic: Flutes, violins, etc. are as good as a MagicWand in this setting.
113* MagicPants: In the anime, every time Hamel [[spoiler:transforms into a demon]] his clothes explode off him dramatically, and they're usually completely intact when he comes back.
114* {{Magitek}}: Magic power is used to power all military equipment, including tanks and warships.
115* MamaBear: [[spoiler:Pandora. Ask all the mazoku she slaughters to protect her children. This is also frequently played for laughs-- in trying to shelter Hamel from the world's various unpleasantries, Pandora nearly burns a village to the ground, works up contracts with the devil and assaults and poisons a five-year-old Raiel.]]
116* MeaningfulName: We've got Oboe, Flute, Trombone, Ocarina, Lute, Bass, Drum, and Guitar. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
117* MediumAwareness: The populace know that they exist in a Shonen manga. The main cast also tried to change the whole title and theme of the manga when [[spoiler: Hamel had his HeroicBSOD after his violin was cut in two by Sizer]].
118* MomentKiller: Several times and most often by Chestra. He gets his in ''Shchelkunchik''. [[spoiler: While he's doing his classic villain ranting in Great's noggin, Biyorne (the elder of the two sisters) glares at him and mutters "Quit butting in already, Chestra."]]
119* MoodWhiplash: The manga switches tones from drama, tragedy and angst to heartwarming romance ''and'' insane, ludicrous humor, all in the span of a few pages. It's pulled off surprisingly well. It sometimes goes like this: Action secene -> despair -> DynamicEntry by Hamel's party or someone related to them -> Funny Moment -> Back to action.
120* MoralityPet: Flute is essential for diminishing the "anti" in Hamel's anti-hero.
121* MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong: Local demon is terrorizing a town. The Marrionette Dance may have given Flute strength, but Tchaikovsky gave the beat down.
122* MrFanservice: Raiel and Vocal provide the vast majority of fanservice for the ladies, though Hamel isn't too shabby himself.
123* MsFanservice: Sizer and Ocarina most prominently, though all female characters slip into this role from time to time.
124* MurderTheHypotenuse: Cornet, in the manga. [[spoiler:Under guise of "magical training" she makes multiple attempts to murder her "love rival" Flute- from pushing her into shark-infested waters and scattering buckets of bloody chum around her, to transforming her into a cow and persuading Hamel to make her into sukiyaki.]]
125* MusicalThemeNaming: Everyone but Hamel and his mom.
126* MysteriousVeil: Queen Horn wears one during the first arc of the anime. Presumably this is so that nobody would be able to figure out what her daughter looks like, since she takes it off once she is reunited with Flute.
127* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Daimou Sword [[spoiler: is powered by a holy soul and therefore results in Flute getting abducted by Vocal and Sizer for her soul so Vocal can run ripshit all over the damn place...this thing exists because ''Olin could not open a can of peaches and needed something that would cut through anything''.]]
128* NoseBleed: Raiel, at the merest sight of a leg.
129* NotQuiteDead: Occurs mostly in the final chapters where [[spoiler: Hamel, Oboe, Raiel, Sizer and Pandora are]] labelled dead and then heal [[spoiler: thanks to Flute]].
130* {{Obfuscating Stupidity}}/{{Feigning Intelligence}}: Hamel zigzags between the two, often several times per chapter.
131* OfficialCouple: That'd be [[spoiler: Hamel and Flute, Raiel and Sizer, [[HookedUpAfterwards Trom and Cornet]] and... anyone else?]]
132* OneWingedAngel: Every single one of the Mazoku generals has one that is considerably more impressive than their regular form.
133** Drum becomes [[spoiler: a massive ''32-headed'' hydra.]]
134** Guitar becomes [[spoiler: a massive cerberus beast and can take it a step further and ''stack other Mazoku's One Winged Angel forms with it''.]]
135** Posthumous General Pick became a two-headed goat beast but was killed by Lute before he got to use it.
136** Queen Organ becomes [[spoiler: a vicious harpy beast.]]
137** Vocal becomes [[spoiler: a more demonic and even more {{Bishonen}} version of himself]].
138** [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Bass]] does not have one.]]
139* OnlyAFleshWound: As the manga goes on, the injuries suffered and survived by characters in battle grow increasingly more over-the-top, from the comparably tame[[spoiler:savage beatings and Raiel having his hands speared to his piano]] to [[spoiler:a demonic Hamel ripping off his own wing and putting his fist through Flute's chest]]. However, first prize has to go to [[spoiler:Clari, who has all four of his limbs obliterated in a single battle.]] They all survive and recover completely [[spoiler:though Clari did have his limbs replaced by robotic prosthetics but in the sequel, his limbs have regrown.]].
140* OnlySaneMan: Flute and Oboe to the main party, being the only ones who ever point out the insanity surrounding them. Clari also plays this role, being a serious warrior serving under a CloudCuckoolander, though he is more prone to moments of NotSoAboveItAll. Any character can play it when the situation calls for a straight man.
141* OrcusOnHisThrone: Chestra, after being unsealed. [[spoiler: Then defied- he stands up from his throne and starts kicking heroes' asses immediately after regenerating both legs, and uses magical projections to attack even before that.]]
142* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Drum is extremely humanoid and has two heads. [[spoiler: And is also actually ''32 different dragons''!]]
143* PapaWolf: Late in the series, [[spoiler:when Oboe reveals his true form to lay the royal smackdown on Chestra, saving Hamel's life.]]
144* ParentalAbandonment: Absolutely everyone. [[spoiler:The only character with living and present parents is Flute, whose mother is slowly dying from the moment we meet her. Everyone else's parents are dead, sealed in crystal or the BigBad.]]
145* ParentalSubstitute: [[spoiler: Oboe to Hamel. Hamel throws this into Chestra's face by saying that Oboe is the only being he'll ever call "father". Chestra doesn't care.]]
146* PastelChalkedFreezeFrame: The anime version consists mainly of these. ''Slideshow of Hamelin'' indeed.
147* PersonOfMassDestruction: Most of the main characters and major villains can be this if they want by the end of the manga, but the greatest is [[spoiler: Chestra, who nuked huge swathes of the world for lulz and a quick snack during the final battle.]]
148* PowerAtAPrice: The Sforzando royal family has healing power and using it drains a little of their life every time.
149* PowerCopying: Guitar's power on top of being a powerful swordsman/dog is obtaining an opponent's power after licking their blood.
150* PowerDegeneration: The underpinning of the plot is the fact that [[spoiler: all mazoku have a limited, non-replenishable amount of magic power throughout most of the story. Only Demon King Chestra has infinite magic and he can raise it even more [[HumanResources by sucking blood and souls out of humans]], so the existence of the whole mazoku race depends on the flow of magic from him - that's the reason why selfish and power-hungry Mazoku Kings bother with cracking open the Pandora Box. Without magic from Chestra, all mazoku are doomed to eventually run out of their remaining reserves and disintegrate horribly and painfully. There are a few rare workarounds, but their main way of avoiding PowerDegeneration is assuming weaker and less powerful forms to minimize magic use. That's why Drum and Guitar walk around in their rather goofy bodies, and that's why Oboe adamantly refused to assume his true form before the final battle, despite having enough power to blow away most enemies before that.]]
151* PowerOfLove: Hamel's and Flute's love is literally used in the anime [[spoiler:to seal the Demon King.]]
152* ProphecyTwist: [[spoiler:It is prophesized that Chestra is going to slaughter our heroes. He does... and then Flute brings them BackFromTheDead with PowerOfLove.]]
153* PunnyName: King Chestra's name and title (''Ou Chestra'' in Japanese) form an obvious pun on "Orchestra". Quite fitting, even though his Mazoku generals (if we only replace Sizer with Vocal) form a rock band instead. When you get down to it, virtually everyone in the cast is named after a musical instrument.
154* TheRival: Raiel's initial goal is to defeat Hamel and avenge his parents, though he switches this out for friendly bickering soon after, Sizer is a general on the opposite side with similar powers and abilities to Hamel and an unexplained grudge against him, and Vocal is a BloodKnight Mazoku with an obsession with fighting Hamel to quench his bloodlust. All three play the role at one point or another.
155* RoyalBrat: The eight-year-old orphaned prince of Dal Segno, Trom. He matures greatly as the series goes on.
156* SealedEvilInACan: PandorasBox, and Pandora's Microwave and Pandora's ''Toilet''. ...Olin, would you stop already.
157** Revealed in time to be a LeakingCanOfEvil, as years ago Chestra was able to [[spoiler: free a portion of his consciousness, which was able to take on human form. He seduced Pandora, impregnated her, and manipulated her into opening the box.]]
158* ShipTease: Tons but of it includes Hamel and Flute by everyone else and their blushy embarrased denials.
159* {{Shoujo}}: Parodied in the manga with Raiel's attempts to win Sizer's heart by staging elaborate shoujo-comic scenarios starring her as the innocent schoolgirl with him as the love interest. Since Sizer has no idea what he's talking about, they never work.
160* ShouldersOfDoom: Bass and Chestra have pretty impressive ones, Sizer's shoulder armor pieces are ''longer than her torso'' but Dark Sizer puts them all to shame in this department.
161* ShoutOut:
162** One of the coolest, nerdiest ones ever seen. [[spoiler:When Hamel demands to know how many people's blood Chestra's drank, Chestra replies with, "I'm not sure. But it's like this - can you remember how many times you've eaten bread?" a la [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Dio Brando]].]]
163** [[http://www.onemanga.com/Violinist_of_Hameln/31/31/ Horn takes a page from Ultraman's book.]]
164* SinisterScythe: Sizer uses one of these. It's got her name on it in huge letters.
165* TheSixthRanger: Sizer joins the Five Hopes eventually.
166* StoryBreakerPower: Lute and [[spoiler: Oboe]] are both strong enough to wipe the floor with all but the absolute strongest of the Mazoku effortlessly and thus have to be written into situations that make them useless to the heroes. In Lute's case, he gets taken over by a villain with a bigger case of this..
167* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler: Hamel's Mazoku form]].
168* TemptingFate: At one point, Hamel bought clothes for Sizer to wear after her HeelFaceTurn. Catch is all of them are cosplay outfits. Cue Flute saying "I'm glad Raiel's not conscious for this". Next panel shows Raiel bleeding out of his nose ala ''Manga/TomorrowsJoe''.
169* ThisCannotBe: Every major villain [[spoiler: except Guitar, who gets defeated too fast for that]] says something to this effect before going down.
170* ThisIsUnforgivable: Every major villain past Drum provokes this reaction at some point.
171* UnstoppableRage: Hamel in [[spoiler: mazoku mode.]]
172* UntrustingCommunity: Despite his reputation as a hero, nearly every town Hamel visits shuns him or outright attacks him, due either to his selfish behavior or [[spoiler:the fact that he is half demon]]. They generally change their minds after he saves them in a spectacular manner.
173* WarringNatures: Hamel's human side and Mazoku side are in constant conflict. He identifies as human and tries very hard to keep the Mazoku's murderous nature under control. [[spoiler: It turns out that the constant struggle increases his magical power.]]
174* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove:
175** Sizer, to Raiel's dismay, though he cures her of it in a awesome and heartwarming scene.
176** Averted with Chestra, who fully understands the concept and how to utilize it to cause pain: He ''will'' murder your spouse and children in front of you ForTheEvulz.
177* WholesomeCrossdresser: The party needed to get into Sforzando, which was heavily guarded. Hamel's plan is to disguise the group as a party of Portuguese ostrich sellers, with Hamel as the 'mysterious foreigner', Flute (and Oboe) as ostrich, Trom as...a piece of bamboo, and Raile as a young girl. He was cute enough for ''Hamel'' to start hitting on him.
178* WingedHumanoid: Sizer, known as the "Angel of Death" thanks to her bloodsoaked wings. [[spoiler:They get better when she pulls a HeelFaceTurn.]] She actually is revealed to be part angel. Similarly, her mazoku bodyguard Ocarina possesses the ability to turn into a winged humanoid [[spoiler:as does Ocarina's father, Oboe.]]
179* YouHaveFailedMe:
180** Averted with named villains, even though Hell King Bass has all the tolerance for failure of a proper EvilOverlord, and Chestra offed his own honor guard because he felt like drinking some blood right now.
181** Bass tries this, but other, mazoku leaders manage to talk him down every time.
182* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: It is easy to see that [[spoiler: Sizer's]] attempt to reseal the mazoku in the PandorasBox is doomed to fail. For starters, we're still in the first third of the manga... And indeed, it all was ExactlyAsPlanned by Bass and Guitar.

Top