Crimson Spell

Plot

Vald, the prince of Alsvieth, is forced by circumstance to use his family's cursed sword, and so he seeks out the services of Halvir, a sorcerer, to help him lift the curse in exchange for the sword. The curse is unknown to Vald, but it manifests itself as turning Vald into a bloodthirsty and lustful demon at night. Halvir subdues the demon by having sex with it, and when Vald awakes, he remembers nothing. Throughout the manga, Vald and Halvir meet several new allies that accompany them in trying to defeat Vald's curse.

Characters

;Valdrigr Alsvieth : :Known as Vald for short, he is the Prince of Alsvieth and under a curse which transforms him into a demon. Leaving his kingdom to search for a cure, the prince meets the wizard, Halvir Hroptr who can tame the beast in his passionate embrace. ;Halvir Hropter : :Known as Havi for short, he is a wizard who helps Prince Vald tame the beast of his soul by his touch. Searching together for a cure to end the curse that the prince is under, they encounter many adventures on their journey, falling in love in the process. ;Liethregveel : :A legendary beast that was an apprentice to a powerful magician. He was rumored to have the ability to level an entire forest with a single breath. He can take two forms, a bunny-like character, and a beautiful young man. Whether in human or bunny form, he keeps the curly symbol on his forehead and his braid. He's very fond of Prince Vald, who named him Rulca but has a frosty relationship with the wizard, Havi. ;Halceles : :One of Celeasdiele's Wizard School's professors and Halvir's former teacher when he was 12 years old. Before the story, he caught in a time-bubble for 10 years and was freed by Halvir. ;Halrein : :A magician and one of the protectors of Celeasdeile, he's known Havi since childhood when they learned magic together. He joins Prince Vald's traveling group when he is ordered by the Grand Council of Celeasdeile to find Havi.

• Limwris: A mysterious Character who was locked in a castle for ten years by opposing forces until he was rescued by Vlad.
• Marus: A traveling swordsman who has a history of thieving, But besides this, he seems to be a nice fellow. Before the start of the story, he was an adviser to a late prince.--

Media

Manga

Crimson Spell is written and illustrated by Ayano Yamane. It was serialized in monthly manga magazine Chara Selection from 2004 until 2021. The chapters were released in 7 bound volumes by Tokuma Shoten under the Chara Comics imprint.

In August 2006, Media Blasters announced they had licensed the series in English for North American distribution, releasing the first two volumes under the title The Crimson Spell through their Kitty Media imprint. In May 2013, Viz Media took over English distribution rights and re-released the series under its original title through their SuBLime imprint. The series was given a print release only, as Viz Media could not acquire digital distribution rights.

December 10, 2013 (SuBLime) (SuBLime) February 11, 2014 (SuBLime) (SuBLime)

Drama CDs

Movic produced two audio drama adaptations of the first two volumes and released them on CD under the Chara CD Collection imprint. The first CD, adapting volume 1 of the manga, was released on June 24, 2009, and peaked at #156 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart on its first week of release. The second CD, adapting volume 2 of the manga, was released on March 25, 2010, peaking at #274 on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart on its first week of release.

Reception

Julie Rosato of Mania.com criticizes the first chapter for rushing "things a bit". Holly Ellingwood of Active Anime commends the manga for going "beyond the average ja to give readers a truly immersing fantasy world". She also comments on the "scorching and beautifully drawn" love scenes".

In the United States, SuBLime's translation of volume 3 debuted at #2 on The New York Times Best Seller List in the manga category, while volumes 4 and 5 debuted at #1.

References

References

1. Cha, Kai-Ming. (March 13, 2007). "Media Blasters Drops Shonen; Adds Yaoi". [[Publishers Weekly]].
2. (December 11, 2023). "Ayano Yamane's Crimson Spell Manga Ends on January 22".
3. Pineda, Rafael Antonio. (2020-06-24). "Ayano Yamane's Crimson Spell Manga Enters Climax". [[Anime News Network]].
4. Macdonald, Christopher. (2006-08-14). "Kitty Media Picks Up New Yaoi Titles". [[Anime News Network]].
5. Hodgkins, Crystalyn. (2013-05-06). "Viz's SuBLime Licenses Ayano Yamane's Crimson Spell Manga". [[Anime News Network]].
6. "キャラコミックス クリムゾン・スペル（１）". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
7. Hodgkins, Crystalyn. (2013-12-10). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, December 8–14". [[Anime News Network]].
8. "クリムゾン・スペル②". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
9. Ressler, Karen. (2014-02-11). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, February 9–15". [[Anime News Network]].
10. "クリムゾン・スペル③". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
11. Ressler, Karen. (2014-04-08). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, April 6–12". [[Anime News Network]].
12. "クリムゾン・スペル④". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
13. Ressler, Karen. (2014-06-11). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, June 8–14". [[Anime News Network]].
14. "クリムゾン・スペル⑤". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
15. Ressler, Karen. (2014-08-12). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, August 10–16". [[Anime News Network]].
16. "クリムゾン・スペル6". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
17. Sherman, Jennifer. (2019-07-10). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, July 7–13". [[Anime News Network]].
18. "クリムゾン・スペル⑦". [[Tokuma Shoten]].
19. "Crimson Spell, Vol. 7". [[Viz Media.
20. "Chara CD Collection クリムゾン・スペル". [[Oricon]].
21. "Chara CD Collection クリムゾン・スペル2". [[Oricon]].
22. Rosato, Julie. (December 10, 2007). "Crimson Spell Vol. #01". Mania.com.
23. Ellingwood, Holly. (December 10, 2007). "Crimson Spell". Active Anime.
24. Ressler, Karen. (2014-04-18). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, April 6–12". [[Anime News Network]].
25. Ressler, Karen. (2014-06-21). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, June 8–14". [[Anime News Network]].
26. Mahoney, Rachel. (2014-08-22). "New York Times Manga Best Seller List, August 10–16". [[Anime News Network]].