Kurozuka

Kurozuka (黒塚) is a novel and Japanese manga series written by Baku Yumemakura and illustrated by Takashi Noguchi. The manga was first serialized in the Japanese seinen manga magazine Super Jump starting in 2003 by Shueisha and ended in December 2006. An anime adaptation by Madhouse was announced by Japanese anime television network Animax in May 2008 and ran between October and December 2008, spanning a total of 12 episodes.

Plot
The series begins in 12th century Japan and centers on Kuro, a character based loosely on the legendary Japanese swordsman Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Kuro and his servant, Benkei, meet a beautiful and mysterious woman named Kuromitsu while on the run from Kuro's elder brother, who seeks his life. Kuromitsu and Kuro fall in love, but he soon discovers that she harbors a terrible secret: she is a vampiric immortal. Following an attack by his pursuers, Kuro is badly injured and must imbibe Kuromitsu's blood to save his own life. Kuro is then betrayed and attacked by Benkei, who has been subverted by a shadowy organization called the Red Army, and Kuro's head is severed, which interferes with his transformation into a fully immortal being.

Kuro loses consciousness and wakes up centuries later in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian Japan. The surviving citizens have fallen under constant oppression by the Red Army, and Kuro is quickly found and recruited by an underground revolutionary movement called Haniwa. The remaining episodes follow Kuro's fight with the Red Army and its host of elite warriors, who have been enhanced by samples of Kuromitsu's blood, and his quest to find his inexplicably lost love.

The starting plot for the series is probably inspired by Kurozuka, a 1939 Japanese dance-drama, which features a man-eating ogress named Kuromitsu, as well as the life of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

Characters

 * Kuro (クロウ)
 * Kuromitsu (黒蜜)
 * Benkei (弁慶)
 * Karuta (歌留多)
 * Kuon (久遠)
 * Izana (居座魚)
 * Saniwa (沙仁輪)
 * Kurumasou (車僧)
 * Rai (ライ)
 * Kagetsu (花月)
 * Tonba (トンバ)
 * Hasegawa (長谷川)
 * Arashiyama (嵐山)
 * Man in Black (黒づくめの男)

Manga
The Kurozuka manga was adapted from the original novel by author Baku Yumemakura and was illustrated by Takashi Noguchi. Serialized in Shueisha's Super Jump, the series spans ten volumes. The first was released in January 2003 and the last in December 2006.

Anime
The anime adaptation of Kurozuka is produced by Madhouse and Animax. It began on October 7, 2008, on Animax. The opening theme is "SYSTEMATIC PEOPLE" by Wagdug Futuristic Unity with Maximum the Ryo of Maximum the Hormone. The closing theme is "Hanarebanare (ハナレバナレ)" by Shigi.