Historie
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| Historie | |
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| ヒストリエ | |
| Genre | Historical |
| Manga | |
| Author | Hitoshi Iwaaki |
| Publisher | Kodansha |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Afternoon |
| Original run | 2004 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 4 |
Historie (ヒストリエ?) is a historical manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki that tells the life story of Eumenes, a secretary and general to Alexander the Great. It is serialized by Kodansha in Afternoon, and collected in 4 tankobon volumes as of February 2008. The first part of the series was completed with the January 2008 issue.
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[edit] Story
The story begins with Eumenes' return to his childhood home Cardia during a Macedonian siege of the town, before entering into a prolonged flashback, showing his childhood, how he left Cardia, his early adventures, and his first war in Paphlagonia.
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[edit] Main characters
Historie portrays many historical characters who actually existed in ancient Greece and Persia.
- Eumenes
- An intelligent young boy from Cardia who has been troubled with a bad dream of a woman killing soldiers since childhood. Much of his past is revealed during the series: he is, in truth, a Scythian, but is adopted by Hieronymus when his own family is massacred in a Greek slave raid. After a relatively happy childhood in Cardia, the events following Thrax's escape resulted in Hieronymus' death and the revelation of Eumenes' Scythian heritage, making him a slave. He is sold and shipped off Cardia, but soon after the slaves on the ship he is in mutinied before being sunk in a storm. Shipwrecked, Eumenes found himself on the shores of Paphlagonia, near the village of Boa, where he spent the rest of his childhood teaching its villagers in the ways of the Greeks, while becoming accepted as one of their own in the meantime. This quiet life was interrupted when a mercenary army from the nearby Greek city of Tios attacked the village.
- Charon
- A slave in the Hieronymus household and Eumenes' personal attendant ("pedagogue" in the original sense of the word). He gives Eumenes an amulet that belongs to Eumenes' mother before the latter leaves Cardia. It is revealed in a flashback that he is, despite his denial to Eumenes, actually present in the incident of Eumenes' mother's death, and is in fact responsible for her downfall by holding young Eumenes hostage.
- Hieronymus (the Elder)
- At first appears to be Eumenes' father. However, it is later revealed that he actually adopts him after killing all of Eumenes' family during a slave raid he led. Considered to be killed by Thrax during the latter's attempted escape, though another person actually appears to be responsible for the crime.
- Hieronymus (the Younger)
- Hieronymus's son who is jealous of Eumenes in his childhood due to the Eumenes's superior intelligence and skills and his father's apparent favoritism.
- Tolmides
- A childhood friend of Eumenes. Is seen serving in Cardia's militia when Eumenes returns to the city.
- Perialla
- A childhood friend of Eumenes who appears to be attracted to him at first. When Eumenes becomes a slave, she treats him with hostility.
- Thrax
- A Scythian slave. Appears to have recognized Eumenes as a fellow Scythian. During the series, he breaks free and attempts to escape Cardia, killing many of the city's militia and citizens in the process. During a fight in the marketplace, he comes in close contact with Eumenes but does not kill the latter, leading the citizens of Cardia to suspect Eumenes. He is eventually mortally wounded, though apparently died only after attempting to follow Eumenes somewhere.
- Theogeiton
- A loan shark who owns the slave Thrax; known for his brutal treatment of his slaves. When Thrax is released from the shackles that binds his arms and leg, he and his entire family are killed.
- Memnon
- A Persian general chasing after Aristotle. First seen in Assus, then a part of the Persian Empire while interrogating Hermias, Aristotle's father-in-law, in an attempt to track down the Philosopher.
- Hermias
- Aristotle's father-in law; an Eunuch. First seen chained up in Assus. Even under intense interrogation, he refuses to say anything about the teacher Aristotle.
- Aristotle
- A world renowned philosopher. At the start of the series, he is being chased by the Persian Empire on suspicion of spying. Along with one of his students, Callisthenes, and the slave Victas, he first meets Eumenes near the ruins of Troy while in need of a boat to cross the Dardanelles. Because Eumenes has not yet finished building his improvised oar, he spend the night camping and conversing with the latter over various subjects, and becomes impressed by the latter's intelligence. The day after that, he, Callisthenes, and Eumenes escapes the Persians in the nick of time, landing in Europe, all headed to Cardia (though Eumenes is left behind).
- Barsine
- The wife of the governor of Troius. Is shown to be very intelligent.
- Antigonus
- A one-eyed man claiming to be a merchant from Perinthus, coming to Cardia to look for Hieronymus (the Younger). First meets Eumenes outside the gates of Cardia. Impressed by the latter's performance in gaining entrance to the city, he impetuously asks Eumenes to come and work for him.
[edit] Manga
Historie is published by Kodansha in Afternoon. As of April 2008, 46 chapters have been serialized, 38 of which have been collected in 4 tankobon volumes.
| # | Release date | ISBN |
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| 1 | October 2004 | ISBN 4-06-363559-7 |
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| 2 | October 2004 | ISBN 4-06-314359-7 |
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| 3 | November 2005 | ISBN 4-06-314395-3 |
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| 4 | July 2007 | ISBN 4-06-31446-07 |
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[edit] Reception
The Mainichi newspaper calls Iwaaki's vision of Eumenes' past (which, historically, is largely a mystery) "Bold and unique."[1] Jason Thompson, one of the best-known manga critics in the United States, says that in terms of scale, ambition, and plotting, Historie is the author's masterpiece.[2]
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Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Historie (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
