History Manga / MAR

* CombatSadomasochist: Candice. She outright says this to Jack when she fights him. Her Chimera guardian works by having her take pain in order to power it up, and then inflicts that "pain" on the foe by way of [[TakenForGranite petrification]].

* AwardBaitSong: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5gBv7H7U6U Sakuraio]] the fourth ending of the series
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB4Vcg9YB8A I Just Wanna Hold You Tight]], the first ending
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Phantom is killed in the previous war games, but gets revived and leads the Chess in the next set of war games. Danna at the end of the series]].

* CrapsaccharineWorld: It's a world of [[SugarBowl children's fairy tales]]... populated by [[OmnicidalManiac Omnicidal]] [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] who came very, very close to forcing the entire world's citizenry across the DespairEventHorizon six years ago, and some places have a very AfterTheEnd feel to it..

%% commented out Administrivia/ZeroContextExample * DistressedDamsel: Snow, although it only happens twice.

** It's even worse for the Zonnen. In order to end the War Games, they intended to assassinate the main characters during the latter's TrainingFromHell. Instead of simply killing Alan and destroying the training gates he had activated, they ''GO INSIDE THE TRAINING GATES AND TORTURE THE PEOPLE INSIDE''. [[KarmicDeath Cue the KÄrmic Deaths]].

* AccidentalPervert: Jack during his first match with Pano. He was entirely clueless to the UnfortunateImplications during his fight.

* YouHaveFailedMe: [[spoiler: In the fourth battle of the War Games, the Chess Knight Rapunzel kills those Chess members who lose their battles. Unfortunately, the last one killed was [[TastesLikeDiabetes sickenly adorable]], and her death drove Ginta [[RoaringRampageofRevenge COMPLETELY BERSERK]]]].

* {{Kawaiiko}}: Aqua. Her cuteness will [[TastesLikeDiabetes rot your teeth out.]]

* HateSinks:

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: All the members of Chess are named, and there are a lot of members... A select few (mainly the knights) are given backstory and/or become recurring characters throughout the tournament.

* MushroomSamba: In the War Games, Jack gets a rematch with Pano. He seeds her with special mushrooms that give her hallucinations. They go like this: The volcanoes around the battlefield erupt, the mushrooms become caterpillars, the caterpillars become [[PrettyButterflies butterflies]] and the [[MoodWhiplash wasteland becomes a field of flowers,]] the butterflies become bats, vines wrap her up, and ''then'' Jack, much better looking than he really is, appears and offers to remove the mushrooms if she gives up, which she [[DistractedByTheSexy does immediately.]] In fact, [[HypnotizeThePrincess he leaves one behind on purpose so she would still think he's handsome.]] He accidentally knocks it off when he goes to hug her, and the hallucinations wear off in the span of a few seconds.

* ActionGirl: Both Snow and Dorothy

* AffablyEvil: Phantom and Rolan. At a first glance you wouldn't recognize that they're evil.

* BodyHorror: Pretty much what [[spoiler:Chimera]] does to poor Gido.

* CaptainErsatz: Some of the characters in the show are inspired by fairy tale characters.

* DudeLooksLikeALady: Rolan.

* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: The Chess base themselves in Lestava, with Diana ruling over both.

* InvoluntaryShapeshifting: Alan and Ed occupy the same body, and switch places when one of them falls asleep.

[[quoteright:272:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mar_6798.jpg]]

A shonen action manga/anime by Nobuyuki Anzai, the creator of ''Manga/FlameOfRecca''.

* DishingOutDirt: Rolan has earth powers.

* SummonMagic: Guardian [=Ärm=], They're accessories or weapons that [[RuleOfCool turn into giant creatures and kick ass.]]

Poor Ginta just can't get a break. He's nearsighted, does poorly in school, isn't athletic, and to top it all off, is really short for his age. He has quite the imagination, however, having had the same dream of the fantastical world of Märhaven, where he's the hero that saves the day, a total of 102 times. This only makes him a bigger laughingstock at school, except for his childhood friend Koyuki who very much enjoys Ginta's imaginary adventures. Then one day, a mysterious portal appears in the middle of his class room and its guardian summons Ginta to the world beyond. With little hesitation, Ginta steps through to find himself in the land of his dreams. Not only is Märhaven real, but Ginta is now strong and agile and best of all, no longer needs his glasses to see! Thus begins Ginta's adventures in Märhaven.

* MeaningfulName: Dorothy, being a ShoutOut to ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', whose most powerful Ärm is a giantic dog named Toto, a giant robot, a crucified scarecrow, and a flying lion, as well as a psychotic quilted doll ([[Literature/LandOfOz books only]]); Snow, being a ShoutOut to "Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs", whose Ärm are all ice based; Jack, being a ShoutOut to Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk whose [=Ärm=] are mostly based around plants and gardening. See a [[ThemeNaming theme developing here]]?

* GingerbreadHouse: In one round of the War Games, Princess Snow fights against the Bishop Emokiss, an ugly little girl whose signature ÄRM is the Gingerbread House: a house of sweets. When she eats the House, she bulks up, growing fatter and larger and stronger with each bite.

* HeavyVoice: One character's signature ARM is the GingerbreadHouse: a house of sweets. Eating it makes her grow to sumo-like proportions, gaining superhuman strength and toughness in the process. As she grows bigger, her voice grows deeper and thicker.

* NormalFishInATinyPond: Ginta has superstrength because of a gravity difference.

* TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects:The anime is very guilty of this, spending more budget on CGI Guardians than flowing animation.

* SummonMagic: Guardian [=Ärm=].

* ConspicuousCG: The anime is very guilty of this, spending more budget on CGI Guardians than flowing animation

* DarkIsEdgy: Alviss and Loco both have darkness based powers.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * AlternateUniverse: Mär
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Chess

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * ApologeticAttacker: Rolan

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * BloodyMurder: Peta

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * CuteGhostGirl: Alma
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * CuteWitch: Dorothy
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DarkActionGirl: Kandis and Chimera would fit.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DistressedDamsel: Snow, although it only happens twice.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DiscOneNuke: Babbo, and Ginta too, pretty much.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Danna, and in the anime, Alviss]]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * FamousAncestor: [[spoiler:Ginta's father Danna]]

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * GladiatorGames: The War Games

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * HeroesRUs: Cross Guard

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * HighlyVisibleNinja: Kouga

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * JamesBondage: Alviss, in the anime.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * LoveableRogue: Nanashi

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * LoveBubbles: Quite usual in the anime

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * MagicalLand: Märhaven

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * MagiTek: The [=Ärm=]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * ManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:The King]]

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * OmnicidalManiac: The majority of the Chess Pieces, ''especially'' Phantom.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * OurWerewolvesAreDifferent:

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * PrincessesPreferPink: Snow.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * SissyVillain: Rolan again.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * SympatheticMurderer: Chimera, Ash, Rolan, and some of the more minor Chess.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheBaroness: Candice
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheChosenOne: Ginta
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheDragon: Peta

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential: Gaira and Alan are usually responsible for those.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TroubledButCute: Alviss again.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * VillainousFriendship: Phantom and Peta sport a type I.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample ** This happened to [[spoiler:[[KarmicDeath Rapunzel herself]]]].

* {{Deconstruction}}: Alviss- among the FracturedFairyTale characters, Alvis is by far the most disturbing. Peter Pan won't grow up not because he chose to stay eternally young, but because he's a zombie, and his mind and body are slowly being attacked by a curse mark.

* MoreThanMindControl: Both Phantom and Diana [[spoiler:were actually under the manipulation of king, but both where twisted to begin with.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: This was what lead to Chimera's StartOfDarkness when her wedding was crashed and her groom killed all because he was a former (and by then reformed) Chess member. If that wasn't enough the mob that killed him turned their hatred on her, scarring her face horribly and even RAPED her. WhatTheHellTownspeople!!]]

The anime's North American release ran on Creator/CartoonNetwork's {{Toonami}} (after a more consistent run on Toonami Jetstream), however [[ScrewedByTheNetwork schedule irregularities]] ensured its tenure was short lived. Due to that, the English dub was discontinued as well.