[ Main ] 

[ Angel Sanctuary ] [ Flame of Recca ] [Kemonozume] [ Meline Liebe ][ Hanare Toride no Yonna ] 

Brief Synopsis

A legend once said that a man rescued a woman who was meant to be sacrificed to the gods. Angered, the gods turned the couple into human-eating monsters for eternity. The couple lived on and their descendants known as the "Shokujinki" lived secretly among the human world. The only way to kill a Shokujinki was by cutting off their arms, its life source. And the only people capable of doing that was none other than the Kifuuken clan. However, in this modern era, the future for them ...

Comparing to the battles twenty five years ago, it seemed that future generation lacked real-life combat skills. Furthermore, the Shokujinki were evolving to have more human physical characteristics and unlike in the past, many mysteriously returned to their human form after they were killed.   

Seeing an opportunity, Kazuma proposed to upgrade themselves with combat machines instead of traditional weapons. His father, Jyuuzou, objected. Upset, he pointed out that Jyuuzou was getting too old to fight and Kifuuken's successor, Toshihiko, was incapable of fighting at all. (During the battles, he would have some odd memories of a woman claiming to be his new mother after which he would have stomachaches.) While leaving, he jealously burst out that Toshihiko ought to pay more attention towards his fiancée, Rie. 

The next day, Kazuma challenged Toshihiko to a duel, during which it was suddenly interrupted by a monkey. Curious, Toshihiko chased the monkey down to a beach where a beautiful blonde woman landed with a parachute. (she was skydiving). Strangely, she looked exactly like the woman in his memories.  And her name was Yuka.

After that encounter, he grew obsessed with this Yuka woman to the point that one night, he ran to the beach in the rain. If things couldn't get more convenient for him, Yuka appeared. The two kissed and made love passionately. 

However, Yuka had a secret. She's a Shokujinki. 

After nights of dating as well as slacking in his duties, Toshihiko decided to introduce her to Jyuuzou. Unfortunately, there was a problem. Jyuuzou was murdered and the Kifuuken clan suspected it was Yuka's doing. At the funeral, the Kifuuken clan exposed Yuka's identity and tried to kill her. Toshihiko intervened and the couple fled, much to Kazuma's rage. 

As the eloped couple wandered, Kazuma took over the Kifuuken clan and began implementing his combat machines program in alliance with a Kifuuken elder, Kyuutarou Ohba, whose business connection with the government's research centers sounded profitable ...     

25 years ago, Jyuuzou allied himself with Jin Kakinoki and Kyuutarou Ohba and hence, they were named the "Three Claws of Kifuuken". One night, they rescued a lady (Harumi) from a group of gangsters. After learning that she was homeless, the trio decided to let her stay with them where she was warmly welcomed by the rest. Her Shokujinki identity was exposed when she saw a severed Shokujinki arm which they brought back from their hunt.  Having considered her sincerity to live as a human, the trio decided to keep it a secret among themselves. 

The Kichin festival was arriving and the Master decided that it was time to chose his successor among the trio, during which Jin questioned a secret technique known as "Kemonozume". The Master replied that it was done by combining the Shokujinki arms with one's body (after cutting off his own arms first). The danger was that it could transform the user into a wild monster, a dire ending that befell on many unfortunate souls.

At the Kichin festival, it was a showdown between Jin and Jyuuzou (Ohba chose to withdraw). Although Jin merged as the winner, he felt insulted that Jyuuzou deliberately chose to lose. Jyuuzou replied that Harumi was carrying his child and it wouldn't be right for him to head the Kifuuken. Jin was outraged. 

In time, Harumi gave birth to a son (Kazuma). Jyuuzou  brought his son, Toshihiko, (who was living among relatives) to live with them. Jin married a woman named Akemi who had a daughter (Rie) from her previous marriage. Ohba started a new Kifuuken section specialized in gathering information. 

One day, Ohba reported to Jin about a Shokujinki village. There, Jin decided to use the Kemonozume which resulted in a bloody disaster. Feeling responsible for Jin's plight, Jyuuzou asked Harumi to give him her arms. (A scene witnessed by young Toshihiko). Once again, the cursed history repeated itself, ending with Jyuuzou, Toshihiko and Kazuma as the remaining survivors....

Presently, Rie longed for Toshihiko as she noticed peculiar changes in Kazuma (like his cravings for raw meat and alcoholism). Furthermore, Kazuma's leadership created unhappiness among the men.  With the tracking device that she hidden onto Toshihiko's suit (during the earlier episodes), Rie tracked down the eloped couple to an abandoned carnival. Meanwhile, Toshihiko was having problems with Yuka's sexual desires since her Shokujinki self always surfaced at her peak. Fed up at his insensitivity, Yuka left him at the ferry wheel terminal. When she was certain that Yuka was gone completely, Rie made a very bold move. Later, Yuka returned and found Toshihiko naked with Rie. Instantly, the two women fell into a verbal cat-fight that lasted for a very long time. Then, some Shokujinki showed up and took Toshihiko and Yuka away. 

Apparently, the kidnappers were led by Gakuto Joubari (Yuka's ex-lover) , a survivor of a Shokujinki massacre that happened 25 yrs ago. He believed that someone in the Kifuuken was responsible for it as well as the unusual "Shokujinki" incidents. When Toshihiko refused to co-operate, he was subjected to a mental torture. After gaining consciousness, they brought in a captured Kifuuken whom Gakuto experimented on, revealing the truth that Ohba was producing 'medicine' created from Shokujinki DNA. Suddenly, Kazuma & his team barged in (Rie must have informed them about Toshihiko's kidnap) and began their assault. Yuka and Toshihiko escaped (with Gakuto's help). Then, Ohba appeared and Gakuto was killed. 

As they fled, they came across an elderly couple. During the journey, Toshihiko talked to Yuka about her pregnancy while the elderly couple received free medicine from a passing salesmen who claimed that it could cure all ailments. Tragically, the medicine turned them into Shokujinki. However, Yuka gave in to her Shokujinki nature and killed them. Grieved, she ran away and was instantly captured by Ohba.

While searching for Yuka, Toshihiko ran into Ohba who arrogantly exposed all his dirty secrets - he's turning people into Shokujinki! Toshihiko tried to fight him but Ohba had mutated himself with Shokujinki DNA successfully. He survived (with the help of Obha' son - Bon-chan - a big friendly giant). From him, he found out that Jin Kakinoko was kept alive in Obha's building.  

Meanwhile, the Kifuuken clan fell into a financial crisis and many left to work for Ohba. Kazuma finally realized that Ohba had planned to destroy Kifuuken from the beginning. Seeing that her home was falling apart, Rie decided to accept Ohba's proposal to undergo the Kemonozume treatment. Rie transformed into a Shokujinki. After which, he forced Yuka to transform also( by using drugs). Yuka & Rie fought and Yuka merged as the winner. 

After learning about his Shokujinki mother (Harumi), the half-crazed Kazuma went to Ohba's building, only to find Rie disposed like trash. She died in his arms. Mentally disabled, he fell into Ohba's deathtrap. Later, Toshihiko found his body and swore to defeat Ohba at all costs.

The final showdown between Ohba and Toshihiko was somewhat an eccentric roller coaster ride. Basically, Ohba created a huge bomb to engulf Tokyo into chaos. Together with Yuka (who regained her human self), Bon-chan, Jin and Mr. Monkey, Toshihiko defeated Ohba while managing to prevent themselves from being blown up by the government's satellite bombs. Feeling responsible for the deaths of Rie, Kazuma and the rest of the Kifuuken Clan, Yuka decided to leave. However, Toshihiko refused to let her go and proposed marriage to her...

... And they lived happily ever after...  

Characters:

Toshihiko Momota 

Although he's heir of the Kifuuken clan, he's troubled at his inability to fight in real life combats (due to his stomachaches caused by the childhood trauma of witnessing Ohba murdering Harumi). When Yuka appeared, his simple view as a swordsman turned upside-down. Nevertheless, he  hoped to change their destinies for the better. As the the Kifuuken motto said, besides sealing demons away, it also involved sealing the demons within. [back]

Yuka Kamitsuki

She appeared to be a simple with a zest for life (and a rather big sexual appetite) but she's ashamed of her Shokujinki heritage and longed to be completely human. She sometimes wondered about her mother, Harumi (Kazuma's mother). Her love for Toshihiko proved genuine enough.  [back]

Kazuma Momota 

Toshihiko's younger half-brother.  Jealous of his father's favoritism and Rie's affections towards Toshihiko, Kazuma's ambitions to prove himself a much more worthy successor than Toshihiko led to the downfall of Kifuuken. He was severely  devastated when he discovered that his mother (Harumi) was a Shokujinki. Hence, the  explanation why Jyuuzou forbid him to eat octopus and drink alcohol.  Once emotionally and mentally disabled at Rie's death, he was easy prey for Ohba's deathtrap.     [back]

Rie Kakinoki 

The long-suffering "mother" of the clan. Despite being Toshihiko's fiancée, it was an unrequited love. To save Kifuuken (her only family), she sacrificed herself by subjecting herself to Ohba's operations that turned humans into Shokujinki.  She died after Ohba forced her to fight Yuka in her Shokujinki form.   [back]

Jyuuzou Momota 

Head of the Kifuuken. Toshihiko & Kazuma's father. His happiness with Harumi ended when he used her Shokujinki arms to defeat Jin. Ohba killed him by using a Harumi clone assassin.  [back]

Kyuutarou Ohba

Probably mentally traumatized during the Shokujinki showdown between Jin and Jyuuzou that led to his insatiable urge for the ultimate power, he planned to evolve the world by creating 'medicinal tonic drinks' that contained Shokujinki DNA (extracted from the Shokujinki arms that the Kifuuken clan collected), which transformed many innocent people into monsters. When he first saw Yuka at Jyuuzou's funeral, he was stunned at her resemblance of Harumi, whom he secretly liked. (In some way, he also blamed her for indirectly causing that terrible incident 25 yrs ago).  When Toshihiko eloped with Yuka, he seized the opportunity to manipulate Kazuma towards the destruction of the Kifuuken clan. He also triggered the Shokujinki genetics in Kazuma by influencing him to eat octopus and drink alcohol.  [back]

Jin Kakinoki

Rie's stepfather. He was upset at Jyuuzou for abandoning the Kifuuken succession for a Shokujinki  woman. He used the Kemonozume technique to prove that he's stronger than Jyuuzou which ended in a bloody disaster. He survived but became a crazy bitter old man locked away in Ohba's building. After Toshihiko talked to him, he took what's left of his Kifuuken honour and stopped Ohba's madness.   [back]

Mr.Monkey

Awed by its martial art abilities, Toshihiko acknowledged him as his sensei (teacher). It provided a lot of comical scenes.