Mardock Scramble

Mardock Scramble
Region 1 DVD Cover of the first film released by Sentai Filmworks
マルドゥック・スクランブル
(Marudukku Sukuranburu)
Genre Action, cyberpunk
Serial novel
Written by Tow Ubukata
Illustrated by Katsuya Terada
Published by Hayakawa
English publisher
Magazine Hayakawa's SF Magazine
Original run May 2003 – July 2003
Volumes 3
Manga
Written by Tow Ubukata
Illustrated by Yoshitoki Oima
Published by Kodansha
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine
Original run October 9, 2009 – May 9, 2012
Volumes 7
Anime film series
Directed by Susumu Kudo
Produced by Haruka Soya
Gou Nakanishi
Tomoyuki Kato
Written by Tow Ubukata
Music by Conisch
Studio GoHands
Licensed by
Released November 6, 2010 – September 29, 2012
Runtime 70 minutes (each)
Films 3

Mardock Scramble (マルドゥック・スクランブル, Marudukku Sukuranburu) is the name for a series of novels by Tow Ubukata, which were later adapted into a manga series and a trilogy anime film series. The story is about a girl named Rune Balot who was taken in by a man named Shell who later tried to kill her and left her for dead. She is saved and turned into a cyborg. It is up to her to stop Shell and his evil gang.

The first novel was published in Japan in May 2003, with the final novel published in July 2003. The novels were later adapted into a manga series and an anime film trilogy.

Viz Media licensed the novels and published all three in one volume. Kodansha USA published the manga series in English, and Sentai Filmworks released anime films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Plot

Taking place in a futuristic city called Mardock City, Rune Balot is a prostitute who was taken in by the notorious gambler Shell Septinous. One night, Shell abandons Rune and attempts to murder her in an explosion. However, she is rescued and transformed into a cyborg by Dr. Easter under regulation Mardock Scramble 09, an emergency ordinance where experimental technologies can be used to preserve life. An Artificial intelligence who takes the form of a Mouse accompanies her to adapt to her new life. Rune is trained to use the advanced technology fitted on her to defend herself against Shell's attempts to have her killed to stop her from testifying against him.

Characters

Rune Balot
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara (Japanese); Hilary Haag (English)
A prostitute who becomes a pawn to the notorious gambler Shell Septinos who then tries to kill her. She is retrieved and changed into a cyborg by Dr. Easter under regulation Mardock Scramble 09. Rune is trained to use the advanced technology imbedded within her and the AI construct Œufcoque to assist in Dr. Easter’s murder investigation into Shell. She uses these technologies to defend herself against the assassination attempts by the Bandersnatch group and Boiled, and take her revenge against the man who tried to terminate her.
Œufcoque Penteano
Voiced by: Norito Yashima (Japanese); Andy McAvin (English)
An artificial Intelligence multidimensional construct that can transform into any object or weapon, but mostly appears as a small male mouse. He was created to assist Mardock Scramble 09 case officers and is allowed to live as long as he maintains his usefulness.
Dr. Easter
Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); David Matranga (English)
A Freelance 09 Case Officer who saves Rune Balot and turns her into a cyborg. He gives her Œufcoque to pursue his court case against Shell Septinos.
Shell Septinos
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese); Kalob Martinez (Movies 1-2), Leraldo Anzaldua (Movie 3) (English)
The manager of the Eggnog Blue casino and funded by the October Corporation. He murders women whose bodies he then has transformed into blue diamonds which he wears as rings. The first woman he killed was his mother who sexually molested him as a child. To avoid dealing with his guilt, he has his memories removed and stored as digital data. He is on trial for these murders and hires the Bandersnatch group and then Boiled to kill Balot and stop her from testifying against him in court. Shell is also engaged to Octavia October, Cleanwill’s beautiful but idiotic daughter.
Dimsdale Boiled
Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese); David Wald (English)
A Freelance 09 Case Officer who used to be Œufcoque’s partner and wants to retrieve the construct from Dr. Easter and Balot. He is also hired by Shell to kill Balot.
Welldone the Pussyhand
Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka (Japanese); Christopher Ayres (English)
The Leader of the Bandersnatch group of assassins and has a vagina grafted onto his hand. The group deals in human body parts and use the discarded parts themselves, or eat them if otherwise unneeded.
Medium the Fingernail
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (Japanese); Justin Doran (English)
A member of the Bandersnatch group who collects fingers and wears them as a necklace around his neck.
Rare the Hair
Voiced by: Mika Kanai (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)
A member of the Bandersnatch group who collects hair and skin.
Mincemeat the Wink
Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Andrew Love (English)
A strongman in the Bandersnatch group who collects eyes and has them transplanted into his body.
Flesh the Pike
A hacker in the Bandersnatch group who has breasts transplanted onto his body.
Tweedledee
Voiced by: Yumiko Kobayashi (Japanese); Corey Hartzog (English)
A human cyborg created and living within the Paradise created by three scientists but it is now taken over by the government.
Tweedledim
Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); Mark X. Laskowski (English)
A dolphin and Tweedledee’s lover in Paradise.
Professor Faceman
Voiced by: Kinryū Arimoto (Japanese); Carl Masterson (English)
A Disembodied Head Administrator at the Paradise facility who lost the rest of his body to cancer.
Cleanwill John October
Voiced by: Masayuki Komuro (Japanese); John Swasey (English)
The owner and company director of the Eggnog Blue casino, Shell Septinos’s business partner and father of Octavia October. It is also revealed that John is a paedophile (an adult who has sexual feelings for children). He makes his first appearance in Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion.
Octavia October
Voiced by: Akiko Katsuta (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)
The beautiful but idiotic daughter of Cleanwill John October and the fiancée of Shell Septinos. She makes her first appearance in Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion.
Bell Wing
Voiced by: Toshiko Fujita (Japanese); Susan Koozin (English)
A spinner at the roulette table in the Eggnog Blue casino. She is fired for losing to Rune Balot.
Ashley Harvest
Voiced by: Takaya Hashi (Japanese); Brett Weaver (Movie 2), Andrew Love (Movie 3) (English)
The manager of the Eggnog Blue casino who takes over from Marlowe John Fever after firing him for losing to Rune Balot.
Marlowe John Fever
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese); Adam Gibbs (English)
A Blackjack dealer at the Eggnog Blue casino. He is fired for losing to Rune Balot.

Media

Novel

The story was written by Tow Ubukata, and illustrated by Katsuya Terada was serialized in Hayakawa's SF Magazine. The first novel was published in May 2003, and the final novel was published in July 2003. Viz Media licensed the novels in English and published all three in one volume on January 18, 2011.[1]

Manga

A manga adaptation illustrated by Yoshitoki Oima was published in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine between October 9, 2009 and May 9, 2012, compiled in seven volumes. The first volume was released in Japan on March 17, 2010, and the last on June 9, 2012. Kodansha USA published the manga in English, the first volume was released on August 23, 2011,[2][3] while the last one was released on May 21, 2013.[4]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 March 17, 2010[5] ISBN 978-4-06-384278-4August 23, 2011[3] ISBN 978-1935429531 [3]
2 August 17, 2010[6] ISBN 978-4-06-384353-8October 18, 2011[7] ISBN 978-1935429548 [7]
3 October 15, 2010[8] ISBN 978-4-06-384389-7December 6, 2011[9] ISBN 978-1935429555 [9]
4 January 7, 2011[10] ISBN 978-4-06-384408-5February 21, 2012[11] ISBN 978-1612620664 [11]
5 June 9, 2011[12] ISBN 978-4-06-384499-3June 19, 2012[13] ISBN 978-1612621197 [13]
6 December 9, 2011[14] ISBN 978-4-06-384574-7October 30, 2012[15] ISBN 978-1612622385 [15]
7 June 9, 2012[16] ISBN 978-4-06-384698-0May 21, 2013[4] ISBN 978-1612622989 [4]

Anime OVAs

An OVA anime series was announced by Gonzo in 2005 which would have been directed by Yasufumi Soejima and produced by Geneon, screenplay written by Ubukata himself and character designs by Range Murata (Blue Submarine No. 6, Last Exile).[17] However, the project was cancelled in 2006.[18]

Anime films

On January 18, 2010, a website opened up that announced that an anime adaptation would take place. Later, it was confirmed that the Mardock Scramble anime would be turned into a film trilogy. The film trilogy was animated at GoHands studio and produced by Aniplex, directed by Susumu Kudo and the screenplay was written by Ubukata himself. The soundtrack was composed by Conisch.

  1. The first film, The First Compression, was released in Japanese theaters on November 6, 2010.[19] It was also aired on Anime Festival Asia 2010.
  2. The second film, The Second Combustion, was released in to Japanese theaters on September 3, 2011.[20]
  3. The third film, The Third Exhaust, was released in Japanese theaters on September 29, 2012.[21]

Sentai Filmworks has licensed the three films and released The First Compression on DVD on September 27, 2011 followed by a Blu-ray Disc release on March 13, 2012. On the DVD the nudity from the theatrical release has been censored out, the Blu-ray contains both editions of the movie.[22] DVDs of the last two films, The Second Combustion and The Third Exhaust, where released on January 1, 2012 and March 25, 2014 respectively.[23][24]

No. Title Release date
1"The First Compression"November 6, 2010
In futuristic Kamina City, the prostitute Rune Balot has become a slave to the notorious gambler Shell Septinous. One night, he locks her in his limousine and blows up the vehicle. After the explosion her severely damaged body is taken and transformed into a cyborg by Dr. Easter under regulation Mardock Scramble 09. Easter assigns to her an Artificial intelligence construct called Oeufcoque which can transform into any object, but mostly appears in the form of a mouse. Oeufcoque's former owner, Dimsdale Boiled wants the AI unit back. Three days later she is cross-examined at the court case into Shell's actions , but is intensively questioned about the past life and sexually abusive father in an attempt to discredit her. Boiled exchanges human body parts with the Bandersnatch Company for data he then destroys. To have Balot eliminated he offers her to them as an excellent source of body parts. Meanwhile Dr. Easter upgrades Balot's Snark abilities. The Bandersnatch Company attack Balot but she easily defeats them with Oeufcoque's assistance. The powerful cyborg Boiled goes after Balot himself to retrieve Oeufcoque. During the battle, Oeufcoque rejects her as part of its self-defense mechanism and she is left defenseless. Boiled prepares to kill her while Oeufcoque lies dying and unable to help.
2"The Second Combustion"September 3, 2011
Just as Balot is about to be killed by Boiled, Dr. Easter arrives in the Flying House Humpty, an egg-shaped airborne vehicle, and rescues her with Oeufcoque. Balot awakes in a lab with Tweedledee who calls it Paradise. She meets Professor Faceman who tells her about the work carried out there. Boiled meets with Shell and they discus their situation and the nature of his business. He wants Balot killed. Boiled goes to the Paradise facility with his psychopathic assistant who is attacked and destroyed by the shark-like security guards, but Dr. Easter escapes with Balot in Flying House Humpty. Using her technology, Balot finds that the incriminating memories of the women Shell has killed are stored on twelve 1 million dollar casino chips. Dr. Easter then starts teaching Balot gambling techniques to beat the casino and win the chips. Balot has a tearful reunion with the repaired Oeufcoque. They all go to the casino and, using Dr. Easter’s strategy, win at cards and then at the roulette table run by Bell Wing. Lastly they enter the high-roller blackjack room for higher stakes.
3"The Third Exhaust"September 29, 2012
Dr. Easter and Balot play blackjack at the table of dealer Marlowe John Fever. They start to win with Oeufcoque's help, but draw the attention of the casino manager Ashley Harvest who tells Shell. Balot wins enough for one 1 million dollar chip and Oeufcoque downloads its data. Ashley Harvest takes over the dealing, but Easter suspects that the cards are stacked and withdraws from the game. Balot plays on, believing that she has worked out his system. After winning a couple of hands, she bets the million dollar chip and wins three more. Rather than cash them in she asks to see the owner Cleanwill John October. As he arrives, and after Oeufcoque has scanned the chips, she loses them on the next hand. Boiled follows them in his car and they have a shoot-out in which Balot is shot. After she recovers they analyse Shell's memories to establish the process that led to his crimes. Boiled proposes a deal, but when they arrive at Shell's apartment, they find his fiancée dead and are ambushed. She kills the gunmen and finds Cleanwill John October surrounded by young children and wants to kill him, but Easter talks her out of it. She goes after Shell, and after disabling him, inserts the memories of the murders he committed that he wanted to forget. Boiled arrives and in the ensuing shoot-out, and with the assistance of Oeufcoque, she manages to kill him.

Live-action film

On May 30, 2012, Dentsu and Hayakawa Publishing licensed the rights to produce a live-action film adaptation of Mardock Scramble. Michael Davis is scheduled to produce and direct the film.[25] However, on May 31, Hayakawa editor Yoshihiro Shiozawa confirmed that the rights of the film are not sold yet and have been in negotiations.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "Tow Ubukata's Mardock Scramble Listed by Viz Distributor". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  2. ↑ "Kodansha USA Adds Phoenix Wright, Monster Hunter, Deltora Quest". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Mardock Scramble Vol.1 Date". RandomHouse.com. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 7". RandomHouse.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  5. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（1）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  6. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（2）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 2". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  8. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（3）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  10. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（4）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 4". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  12. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（5）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 5". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  14. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（6）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Mardock Scramble Vol. 6". Amazon.com. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  16. ↑ マルドゥック・スクランブル（7）. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Gonzo to Adapt Lauded Sci-Fi Novel". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "Mardock ScrambleCanceled". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  19. ↑ "Mardock Scramble The First Compression's Ad Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  20. ↑ "2nd Mardock Scramble Anime Film Slated for September 3rd". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "Mardock Scramble: The Third Exhaust Promo Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  22. ↑ "Sentai Filmworks Licenses Mardock Scramble Anime Films". Anime News Network. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
  23. ↑ Van Renssen, André (February 5, 2013). "Mardock Scramble – The Second Combustion". Active Anime. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016.
  24. ↑ Van Renssen, André (July 20, 2014). "Mardock Scramble – The Third Exhaust". Active Anime. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015.
  25. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (30 May 2012). "Japanese sci-fi lures Hollywood". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  26. ↑ "Editor: Mardock Scramble, Sands of Time Film Rights Not Yet Sold". Anime News Network. 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2012-05-31.

Further reading

  • Bennett, Steve (30 September 2011). "Review: 'Mardock Scramble' Vol. 1 (Manga)". ICv2.
  • Ellingwood, Holly (12 September 2011). "Mardock Scramble". Active Anime.
  • Hanley, Andy (13 April 2011). "Review: Mardock Scramble". UK Anime Network. Archived from the original on 27 December 2011.
  • Hanley, Andy (1 September 2011). "Manga Review: Mardock Scramble Vol. 1". UK Anime Network.
  • Martin, Theron (13 September 2011). "Mardock Scramble: The First Compression DVD". Anime News Network.
  • Ruh, Brian (25 January 2011). "Howling Mad Mardock – BD". Anime News Network.
  • "Mardock Scramble 1". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. 12 September 2011.
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