Thursday 19 March 2009

Hakushaku to Yousei

Hakushaku to Yōsei (伯爵と妖精?, "Earl and Fairy") is set in Victorian England. It follows the adventures of 17-year old Lydia Carlton, who is nicknamed the "Fairy Doctor" due to her interest in fairies. Her life takes a 180-degrees turn when she meets Edgar J.C Ashenbert, the "Legendary Blue Knight Count" and his crew on a sea voyage to London. Edgar hires her as an adviser during his quest to obtain a treasured sword that was supposed to be handed down to him by his family.
Characters
Lydia Carlton (リディア・カールトン ?)
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki
Lydia Carlton, the daughter of Professor Carlton, is a 17 year old fairy doctor. She has the rare power to see fairies, an ability she inherited from her mother. Lydia also possesses green eyes, a trait of those with the gift to see fairies. She is independent and kind, Lydia doesn't hesitate to help others. She loves her father dearly and will do anything for him. She ends up working for Edgar as his consultant on fairy-related matters after helping him retrieve the Merrow's Sword (key to him being recognized as the Blue Knight Earl by the Queen of England). Because of past difficulties, Lydia dislikes the idea of falling in love and even seems to be afraid of it. When she was a child, she was given a love letter by a boy who - as it turns out later - was dared to do so by his friends, crushing her. She also cast a spell on Kelpie so that he would not come near her, as his aggressive advances were troublesome to her. She doesn't believe Edgar when he reveals his love for her, and only believes he is just being his usual playboy self.
Her goal is to become a full-fledged fairy doctor, and frequently places herself in danger willingly when it comes to anything to do with problems between humans and fairies.
She appears to have some self-esteem issues, referring to her own hair as "rust-colored" and comparing herself to her mother, who was apparently a woman of considerable beauty; everyone who knew her mother before she passed away says that they don't look anything alike. Once, in an outburst, she confesses to Paul Ferman that she thinks that she isn't cute at all, and that it's part of the reason why she tries so hard to help in other ways (by working hard).
Lydia currently is considered Edgar's fiancee, a status she vehemently denies, despite Edgar's courtship of her and multiple fairies calling her that. She obtained this status when she accepted a moonstone ring (previously owned by Gwendolen, the countess of one of the past Blue Knight Earls before Edgar), which effectively meant that she accepted his proposal. The moonstone ring apparently has some protective powers of its own; it prevented Lydia's soul from being fully trapped by the fairy world in volume 6 of the novel series, as well as enabling Lydia to break Kelpie's spell on her when he tried to bring her to the fairy world by magic (to prevent her from being hurt in the crossfire between Edgar and the Prince).
Edgar J. C. Ashenbert (エドガー・J・C・アシェンバート ?)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa
Edgar is a flirtatious man in his early twenties with very distinctive ash mauve eyes. When he was young his parents were both murdered. As a result, he was thrown onto the streets and branded as a white slave. He was subsequently framed as a mass murderer and forced to flee from America for his alleged crimes. Stripped of his honorable name, Edgar embarks on a journey to find the famed Sword of Merrow. By obtaining the sword, Edgar hopes to assert himself as the "Earl of the Blue Knights" thus acquiring a respectable title and gaining a fabricated sense of honor. In his quest to find the Sword of the Merrow, Edgar captures Lydia Carlton, believing her eyes to be the key to finding the legendary sword. He is revealed to be in love with Lydia, and is frustrated and confused that she continually avoids his advances. He openly shows his love for her and even asks her on the night of his ball to dance only with him, lest he becomes jealous. He tells her it makes him uneasy to see her communicate with other men so easily and is rather unnerved by her friendship with Paul.
He does, however, maintain relations with other paramours for some time even after claiming engagement to Lydia, which makes her ever more distrustful of his advances. Later, he decides to be truly faithful to Lydia alone.
He is severely possessive, and it has been noted by Lydia that he "cannot tolerate anything that belongs to him being taken away by another". This possessiveness extends to Lydia also; Edgar has been known to become jealous of many men who appear interested in Lydia, or whom Lydia are friendly with. On one occasion, when Raven accidentally saw Lydia dressed in a revealing Arabic costume, Edgar commands him to forget what he saw.
It is later revealed that Edgar was heir to a dukedom (the highest rank in the British peerage) before his family was murdered. He was then captured by an organization headed by a mysterious figure known only as the Prince. There, he was groomed to be the Prince's successor, learning all the knowledge that the Prince possessed, including how to ruthlessly make use of the people around him. Later, he managed to successfully flee the organization, taking Ermine and Raven with him, among other supporters. However, on more than one occasion, Edgar has wondered whether he is becoming more like the Prince by making use of the techniques taught him by the Prince in his quest for survival after his escape.
Initially, his driving goal was revenge on the Prince for murdering his family, no matter the sacrifice. In order to achieve this goal, he cares little for his own life. After the Ashenbert family's banshee saved him at the cost of her own life and entrusted the key to the land of Ibrazel to him, however, he tells Lydia that his thinking has changed, and now he understands that as the current Blue Knight Earl, even if he does not possess the ability to see fairies, he will persevere and find a way to defeat the Prince as the duty that comes with his title. He also tells her that he will no longer treat the preservation of his own life as cavalierly as he did before.
Raven (レイヴン ?)
Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita
Raven is 18 years old and Edgar's personal servant. He is Ermine's half-brother. He possesses mysterious green eyes and exceptional fighting skills. It is revealed that Raven is a half-demon, and for this reason he is not acknowledged by many. Edgar has control over the sprite within Raven, giving him the power to control Raven and make him do his bidding. According to Raven, Edgar would never take advantage of this power. And because Edgar accepts him despite his obscurities, Raven is pleased to serve him. He will protect Lydia because she is "Lord Edgar's Fairy Doctor" but will compliment or help her even if Edgar doesn't order him to. He is a kind young man, but quiet.
Because he was treated as a killing machine in the past, Raven has become almost emotionless, responding to the commands of those he obeys, and very little else. As the series wears on, however, he begins to show emotions of his own, a fact Edgar is glad about. He apparently does not like how young/childish his face appears, as he was noted by Ermine to have brooded over how a couple of maids thought he was only 15 years old. He has also pleaded with Edgar on Ermine's behalf, and hidden his suspicions about Ermine from Edgar briefly despite his overwhelming loyalty to Edgar.
He is apprenticing under Tompkins in order to learn the skills of a butler. Lydia surmised that this is in preparation for the day Edgar defeats the Prince and obtains true peace, and Raven's fighting skills will no longer be useful to Edgar. He has been captured by the Prince, and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
Nico (ニコ ?)
Voiced by: Hiro Yūki
Nico is a fairy who takes on the form of a cat. He accompanies Lydia on her journey with Edgar.
While he can walk on four legs like a normal cat, he prefers to walk on two legs like a human. He is able to turn invisible, and can read and write human language. Nico was Lydia's mother's companion, as well.
He likes liquor, and fine tea. He is also very particular about being treated like a gentleman rather than a cat, and as such obsesses over his attire (most frequently a single neck ribbon, but he has been known to wear suits and tailcoats), and the state of his fur and whiskers. On a few occasions, Edgar has provoked him deliberately by scratching Nico and petting him like a mere cat.
He is rather cowardly, often disappearing when things turn nasty. Despite his inability/unwillingness to engage in physical combat, his assistance is invaluable to Lydia. He often gathers information for Lydia from the fairies in the area, as well as acts as a guide when Lydia needs to travel to or from the fairy world. He is also something of an adviser to Lydia.
In recent times, Edgar has taken to bribing Nico with things like fine food or a gentleman's "essentials" (a cane, a tailcoat, letter-writing set, etc), in order to find out developments around Lydia.
Ermine (アーミン ?)
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara
Raven's half-sister and Edgar's dear friend. Edgar would do anything for her if it will make her happy. She is a beautiful woman who has fine fighting skills (though she is not on par with Raven), with short black hair, snow-white skin, and a womanly allure that "is not dimmed by her wearing male clothes" most of the time.
She was in love with Edgar, and the Prince used this fact to his advantage and turned her spy against Edgar. Later, she confesses her betrayal to Edgar and commits suicide by jumping into the sea.
Later, she is revived by the Selkies on Ulysses's command, and becomes a Selkie. After reuniting with Edgar's group, she serves him for a further amount of time before betraying him yet again. The reason for her betrayal is yet unknown.
While she does not openly express her affection for Raven, she has been shown to worry about him.
Later on, Ermine relates to Lydia that when they were still under the Prince's organization, she was the woman "given" to Edgar (as his sexual partner). Edgar, however, refused to touch her because he understood that it was the Prince's way of training Edgar's sexual inclinations to match his own. When the Prince realized this, he raped her in front of Edgar.
Kelpie (ケルピー ?)
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu
An impolite and arrogant fairy who aggressively pursues Lydia. Bound by the moon spell, which drives away unwanted advances from fairies, Kelpie must bring Lydia the "moon" in order to win her over, although it's clear to everyone but Kelpie she has no interest in him. He follows Lydia all the way to London to bring her back to Scotland. Despite his aggressiveness, Kelpie genuinely loves and cares for Lydia, and comforts her when she's confused (though she protests at times).
His fairy form is that of a black horse, while his human form is that of an attractive young man with dark hair and eyes (his pupils are white swirls). His eyes are able to bewitch both men and women alike, and he has strong magical powers. He has the ability to purify water and cleanse toxins.
"Kelpie" is actually the name of his species, and not his given name (it has not been explicitly mentioned). He and Lydia first met in Scotland. At the time, a middle-aged woman came to Lydia with her tale of a young man whom she was in love with. Lydia discovers that the man is actually a Kelpie; the younger brother of the Kelpie that wants to marry Lydia. After being convinced of their love, Lydia eventually aids the woman and younger Kelpie in their relationship.
Despite first appearances, Kelpie (for the sake of the rest of this article, Kelpie shall refer to the main story's Kelpie) demonstrates considerable concern for Lydia. He has saved Lydia (and inadvertently, Edgar and Co. as well) on several occasions, and has gotten hurt on one occasion in her defense. He recuperates quickly when in water. At least twice, he has tried to protect Lydia by taking her from Edgar's side, as he believes that her being by Edgar is dangerous for Lydia. He is also considerate of Lydia's feelings; rather than blaming her when she broke the spirit of their deal (that she would stay in the fairy world with him if Kelpie would save Edgar), he told her that he would wait till she no longer had anything holding her back in the human world.
Paul Ferman (ポール・ファーマン ?)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya
A human who is trying to become a great artist. He was invited to Edgar's ball, and met Lydia there. While helping Lydia, getting Kelpie off of her, the moon ring accidentally slipped onto his finger, and wouldn't come off. He seems to be on friendly terms with Lydia, though it makes both Kelpie and Edgar uneasy. His inspiration for art are the fairies, and he has always loved them but cannot see them, so he doesn't know if they are real or not, but likes to believe they are.
His father was killed by the Prince's organization, and he has since joined an organization - the Scarlet Moon - that opposes the Prince's.
Professor Carlton (カールトン教授 ?)
Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa
Lydia's father. He cares for his daughter deeply but isn't above calling her a tomboy.
He is accepting of the slightly dangerous nature of Lydia's job, and respects her decision in working as Edgar's consultant. He is, however, extremely suspicious of Edgar's intentions towards his young daughter, because he believes that noblemen would not seriously pursue women born into the lower classes.
Tomkins (トムキンス ?)
Voiced by: Chafūrin
Edgar's kind butler who gives him advice regarding his love life here and there.
He has Merrow blood, and his face vaguely resembles a fish's. He also states that he has a fin on his back. When he met the leader of the Merrows for the first time, the leader mistook him for his ancestor, and said that "he is almost human now".
He takes pride in being able to accomplish any task related to his duties that Edgar gives him, no matter how rushed the deadline or how ludicrous it is.
Ulysses (ユリシス ?)
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano
A mysterious, young blonde man who has the power to see and communicate with fairies, just like Lydia. Unlike Lydia, however, his fae powers do not stop there, and he has been shown to be able to command fairies such as spectral hounds, a type of Unseelie Court (malicious fairy). This is later revealed to be because he is of the Blue Knight Earl's direct bloodline. He was, however, not recognized as a heir because his parents were not wed.
He has, in fact, attempted to obtain the Sword of the Merrow before (and hence establish himself as the Blue Knight Earl). But because he interpreted the last line of the fairies' riddle as the Merrow requiring a blood sacrifice in exchange for the sword as Edgar did initially, he was sent back home by the Merrow, and made it.
He was the one to command the Selkies to revive Ermine as a Selkie when she committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

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