Kyo Kara Maou
SYNOPSIS

Season One

The first season of Kyo Kara Maoh! begins when Yuri intervenes upon finding his classmate, Ken Murata (村田　健, Murata Ken?), being bullied, and gets his head dunked in a toilet by the bullies. When his head enters the water, he is sucked into the toilet, and ends up in another world. Waking on dry land, he initially assumes that he is at a theme park, because of the medieval-style clothes the inhabitants wear. He encounters Adelbert von Grantz, who uses some form of magic to unlock the local language hidden in Yuri's spirit. Conrart Weller and Günter von Christ then rescue Yuri and take him to Covenant Castle, where he is informed that he is the new heir to the throne of the Great Demon Kingdom. While spending his first night at the castle, Yuri encounters Wolfram von Bielefeld, who immediately marks Yuri as an unworthy heir to the throne, and claims that Yuri's mother was of poor breeding, as well as being human. Yuri reacts to the insult by slapping Wolfram across the left cheek, which, unbeknown st to Yuri, is the traditional way to propose marriage among the nobles of the Great Demon Kingdom. Though Yuri insists that he is not interested in men, Wolfram takes the proposal very seriously, becoming a jealous, critical fiancée, constantly complaining about how Yuri is a wimp of a fiancée, to great comic effect. Though initially hesitant to claim the throne of a nation he has never heard of at age 15, Yuri has a change of heart upon learning that the humans of the world are at odds with the Demon Tribe, and that the kingdom is on the brink of war with the humans. Yuri feels the bitterness of war firsthand when visiting a town that was burned by enemies, and he feels compelled to bring peace to the land. Just as Yuri is beginning to accept his responsibility as Demon King, another being within his soul manifests itself. This other being is known as "the Demon King" proper, and has longer hair, and more adult features as well as a deeper voice. He is extremely powerful with magic. He is brought forth when Yuri is angered, hurt, or otherwise distressed. The Demon King is always eloquent and direct when he appears, always promoting the idea of justice; in fact, whenever he punishes wrongdoers, he always creates an image of the kanji meaning "justice" (正義, seigi?) somewhere within the scene. The Demon King often appears at crucial moments to help out and to ensure justice prevails. Yuri slowly becomes the champion of peace and justice, and becomes iconic of a new era of understanding as he rules with a strict policy of peace and negotiation. He even encounters Prince Heathcrife of Cavalcade on a ship, and inadvertently forms an alliance for the Great Demon Kingdom by helping out who he believes is just a stranger in need. On one instance, Ken Murata tries to save Yuri from drowning as he is "flushed" to the other world, and is accidentally brought along. After some initial awkward caution between the friends, Ken reveals to Yuri that he is the reincarnated soul of the Great Wise Man (大賢者, daikenja?), the close friend and adviser of the original Demon King, known as the Great One (眞王, shin'ō?, True King). The Great Wise Man always remembers his past lives. After this encounter, Ken usually travels with Yuri to and from the kingdom, and the boys become closer in both worlds. Later in the season, Yuri learns that in ancient times, the Great One sealed up his greatest enemy, the Originator (宗主, sōshu?), in four wooden boxes named "End of the Wind", "End of the Earth", "Hell's Fire on Frozen Tundra" and "Mirror at the Bottom of the Sea", collectively known as the "Four Forbidden Boxes". According to Ken, peace cannot prevail until all four boxes, which can be used as powerful weapons of destruction, are brought back into the control of the Demon Tribe. Yuri begins searching for the boxes, and subsequently clashes with King Belar of Big Cimarron, who is also seeking the boxes to use as weapons against his human enemies, as well as the Demon Tribe.

Season Two

The second season begins with Yuri and his companions in Franzia with the box named "End of the Wind" in their possession. While travelling back to the Great Demon Kingdom, however, they are confronted by a group of soldiers lead by Conrad. He openly declares his new allegiance to Big Cimarron, and takes the group and the box into custody. When King Belar orders Conrad to execute Yuri, however, he reveals that he has always remained faithful to Yuri, and had been attempting to gain access to the boxes controlled by Big Cimarron. The companions escape when the armies of Cavalcade and of a newly-allied Franzia arrive and order Belar out of of Franzia, but not before Conrad is pierces by two arrows protecting Yuri. End of the Wind is successfully secured, but Yuri and Ken get pulled back to Japan before reaching the Great Demon Kingdom. Through a series of side stories, it becomes clear that Yuri's brother, Shori Shibuya (渋谷 勝利, Shibuya Shōri?)is being trained to take over the role of Demon King for the small population of Demon Tribe living in secret in our world. Throughout the progression of the early second season, viewers are presented with a slow accumulation of information about a mysterious character who apparently died three years before Yuri's birth, named Suzanna Julia von Wincott. Both Conrad and Adelbert were very close to Julia, and Adelbert was her lover and fiancée. As the season continues, it is eventually revealed that Suzanna Julia volunteered to give her life to the Great One, and was subsequently reincarnated as Yuri. Julia was chosen to become the next Demon King because she was a gentle, caring soul, and she abhorred war in every sense. Like Yuri, she did not understand what she felt was the needless sacrifice of war. It is also later revealed that the soul of the Great Wise Man was deliberately brought to Earth along with Yuri's, so that Ken Murata could be raised with the future Demon King. It is difficult to draw a broad line across the plot progressions of the beginning of the second season, as most many episodes present isolated side-stories including chasing a baby around Covenant Castle, a villain attempting to take Yuri hostage but giving up when he tastes soup similar to a recipe made by his mother, and Yuri traveling to the past to encounter Suzanna Julia. Meanwhile, the fourth box, the Mirror at the Bottom of the Sea, becomes increasingly elusive, until the Great One informs Ulrike that the box was hidden away on Earth in ancient times. Yuri, Gwendal, Conrad, Wolfram, and Ken travel to Earth and meet Yuri's parents, then begin searching for the Demon King of Earth, Bob. Bob turns away the demons, telling them to return home, and setting various obstacles in their way, which the companions overcome to finally meet with Bob in Switzerland. Bob and Yuri (as the original Demon King) battle with magic, and Bob is eventually defeated, yielding the box to Yuri, and also explaining that his ancestors had made an oath never to allow the box to return to the Great Demon Kingdom. The obstacles had been a test of Yuri's strength and worthiness. Upon returning the Mirror at the Bottom of the Sea to the Great Demon Kingdom, and thus collecting all four boxes, strange things begin to happen, such as the Fly-Bone Tribe becoming uneasy and flocking en masse to Covenant Castle, and travel between worlds becoming more difficult and less predictable. Finally, Conrad and Gwendal discover that the Originator is beginning to leak out of the boxes as the seals weaken. Yuri comes forward to help reseal the boxes, but Wolfram, possessed by the spirit of the Originator, leaps forward and distracts Yuri, who releases his hold on the Originator. Suddenly, the spirit of the Great One appears and takes Gwendals's left eye, Conrad's left arm and Wolfram's heart, three of the four keys to the boxes, and releases the trapped parts of the Originator in those three boxes, but later gives back the original body parts. Ken reveals that, before his death, the Great One had accidentally absorbed part of the Originator, and that his spirit had now combined with the Originator. The Great One takes over Yuri's body, and Ken sits aside to see who will win out. Günter and Dakaskos take Morgif back to the island where he was found, and throw him into the volcano to renew his power. The Great One tries to use Yuri's blood as the key to the fourth box, but Julia's pendant reacts to the act and transmits a vision of Julia into Yuri's soul, where she tells him that he is strong and can save everyone. Just then, Günter, Dakaskos and Morgif arrive, and Morgif rips the Great One out of Yuri's body. In the crucial moment, Ken reveals the Great One's final plan to use his soul as a vessel in which to ultimately destroy the Originator. Yuri was chosen to be the only Demon King stronger than the Great One. Yuri vanquishes the Great One and the Originator, and becomes strong enough to travel between worlds at will.

Season Three

The third season of the series, consisting of 39 episodes, began airing on April 3rd 2008 in Japan. Before Yuri returned to Shin Makoku at the end of Season 2, the Ten Noble families chooses Wolfram to become the next Demon King. Conflict arises when Yuri returns, and Wolfram is forced to call off their engagement due to Wolfram's proud mazoku uncle. In the end, Yuri becomes the Maoh to defend himself and Wolfram, and proves to the noble family that he is a responsible Maoh. This is later followed by a few individual side stories, such as the episode about bear bees being sold in Shin Makoku, in which later are proven to be fakes; and the episode of Leila's wedding to Antoine, the king of the Francia kingdom. In this episode, Yuri and his companions encounter a group of bandits that have been stealing important swords from different kingdoms, it is later revaled that they have a deeper purpose. The story continues on as Conrad and Murata travel to Big Shimaron to fulfill some somewhat hidden agendas, who are later followed by Yuri and Wolfram. A new character is introduced, the new king of Small Shimeron- Sararegi, who seems to be interested in Yuri. The Original King appears to be well as he appears to Yuri to give him advice, as well as threatened those who oppose Yuri's rule.

Courtesy of: www.wikipedia.com

Ouran High School Host Club
PLOT

Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at Ouran High School, a fictional school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Because of the superlative cost of the school uniform, Haruhi resorts to wearing long slacks, polo shirts and vests. Combined with her large glasses and tousled short hair, Haruhi's look causes her to be confused for a boy.

Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, the working place of the Ouran Host Club, a group of six attractive male students (Takashi "Mori", Mitsukuni "Hunny", Kaoru and Hikaru, Tamaki, and Kyouya) who spend their time charming and entertaining the school's girls for profit. During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and break a vase valued at ¥8,000,000, estimated to be US$80,000.

In order to pay off the large debt, Haruhi is employed as the club's "dog" and constantly ordered to do menial tasks like serving food or cleaning up. The Club president, without knowing she is really a girl, promotes Haruhi to "host" as soon as he discovers her potential. Even after the truth comes out in the Club, Haruhi continues the charade and is allowed to pay off the rest of her debt working as a host; in order to accomplish this, Haruhi conceals her true identity/gender from the customers.

CLUBS

The Ouran Private Academy encompasses kindergarten to twelfth grade. Most students come from wealthy families but, in rare occasions, special scholarships are granted to students from a lower income bracket. The school's unofficial motto is "Lineage counts first, wealth a close second," meaning students with stellar family backgrounds are given top priority over those from rich families but low social status.

Host Club

Tamaki thought up the Host Club while in eighth grade and started it upon entering the Ouran High School. The members of the club include:

Tamaki Suoh
The president or "King" of the Host club. He is a very silly character with an obsession for the "commoner's lifestyle". Tamaki tends to be over-dramatic and yet a very kind empathetic person. He can be very serious when the situation calls for it. He considers the Host Club to be a family and named himself father and Kyouya as the mother. His father is the chairman of Ouran High School and his family is probably the wealthiest in Japan. His mother was forced to leave him so he could be recognized as the son of the Suoh family. Tamaki is half-French. He later discovers he possesses feelings for Haruhi that he is unable to decipher.

Kyouya Ootori
The Vice President and "Shadow King". He is behind most of the Host Club schemes and the other club members tend to go along with whatever Kyouya says. He is a third son and has spent his whole life honoring his family name and yet yielding his true abilities as to not overshadow his brothers.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin
Twin Brothers who used to reject others. Only recently after they joined the Host Club did they start to open up and allow other people into their world. They are the same age as Haruhi and are in her class, and so have a special bond with her; Haruhi is the first and only person who is able to tell the twins apart. They enjoy playing "games" and tricks on classmates, especially Tamaki. The twins later on discovers that, they too, harbor feelings for Haruhi. But the question remains, there is only one Haruhi, so who shall win her heart?

Mitsukuni Haninozuka
Also known as "Hunny" or "Honey," he is the cutesy shota character — he looks like an elementary school student rather than a high school student. Hunny is obsessed with sweets and cute things. He is very smart despite his looks and is usually found with Mori who is his cousin and a very upbeat character. Honey comes from a family known for their martial art abilities.

Takashi Morinozuka
Also known as "Mori". The tall, stoic character. Mori dedicates his life to Hunny by protecting him and an angry Mori is only seen when Hunny is injured or hurt. His character for the most part is very silent and only speaks occasionally. Mori's family has served Honey's family for years, until a marriage two generations ago — Mori and Honey are cousins.

Haruhi Fujioka
Haruhi is the heroine of the story. She comes from a very poor family, but is very intelligent and so she is a scholarship student at Ouran. Her mother died when she was very young and so her cross-dressing father raises her on his own. She is an apathetic heroine who has no interest in pretty and flashy things, sweet food, or bunnies. The members of the Host Club all have a sort of weakness for her and absolutely adore her. Haruhi appears as if she cares not about the host club member's feelings. However, she actually studies each and every one of them individually. The twins begin to realize that Haruhi appears to care more about Tamaki than she seems to demonstrate. Thus, trouble in the host club paradise arises.

The members of the Host Club are highest ranking students at the school. At Ouran High School, class is determined by lineage and intelligence ("A" is the highest class and "D" the lowest usually consisting of the kids of Yakuza leaders). All the members are in class A and tend to be number one or two in their class coming from the wealthiest families in Japan with the exception of the twins and Haruhi. The twins are ranked fourth and fifth in their class and Haruhi is a scholarship student receiving the special privilege of being in class A due to her scholarship status (she is ranked number one in her year).

Customers have the freedom to choose which host will entertain them, playing to their specific needs and interests. Most of the members in the Host Club strikingly resemble the characters from Bisco Hatori's other shōjo manga, Millennium Snow. The Third Music Room has been outfitted by the Club to accommodate their business and, sometimes, it has a specific theme, ranging from a tropical paradise to a traditional picnic, to heighten the customers' pleasure and keep things interesting.

Black Magic Club

The Dark Magic Club is led by Umehito Nekozawa, a third year student. The club members seem to spend most of their time in a dimly-lit room poring over witchcraft paraphernalia, but the Club President insists they are performing a Black Mass. Each member wears a black coat and is provided their own free Beelzenef cat-puppet.

In the television series, Nekozawa is the only member shown and it is unknown if he managed to recruit anyone into his club. However, it is shown in the manga (volume 10) that there are four other members, including Reiko Kanazuki, who seems to have developed a crush on Mitsukuni Haninozuka.

Newspaper Club

The Newspaper Club is made up by its Chairman Akira Komatsuzawa, Chikage Ukyo and Tomochika Sakyo. The Club strives to be more popular than the Host Club, but their newsletter is a sensational, gossip-filled tabloid no one bothers to read.

Zuka Club

The White Lily Group, otherwise known as the Zuka Club (ズカ部, Zukabu?) in honor of the Takarazuka Revue, is Ouran Host Club's counterpart at St. Lobelia Girls Academy (St. Roberia Girls Academy in the manga). The leading body, composed of third-year student Benio Amakusa "Benibara", second-year student Chizuru Maihara "Suzuran", and first-year student Hinako Tsuwabuki "Hinagiku", have gained idol status at St. Lobelia; Benio, particularly, is the subject of extreme affection from her fellow students, requiring her own student security agents. The group is a strong advocate of female superiority. Besides theatric performances, the club hosts a wide range of activities, such as tea ceremonies and discussion groups.

American Football Club

The American Football Club consists of Captain Takeshi Kuze, Vice-captain Makoto Togoin and Hayato Tarumi. Kuze's family controls the largest domestic share of fruit and vegetable imports. The team is called the Ouran Orage, which rhymes with "orange" and is French for "tempest". The American Football Club only appears in the manga. It is shown that the captain, Takeshi Kuze holds some sort of grudge against Kyouya. The grudge apparently comes from when they were very young, and Kyouya contradicted Kuze's knowledge on the nutritional value of oranges (and their peels). The American Football Club does not appear in the anime version.

Karate Club

Little is known about the Karate Club, besides that Honey was its captain before joining the Host Club in his second year of high school. As captain, Honey was strict and hard on the students in an attempt to purge the cuteness from him. The current captain is Honey's stricter, younger brother Yasuchika Haninozuka.

Visual Arts Club

The only thing known about this club is that their works are featured on the Ouran Gondola.

Gardening Club

This club only comes out in the manga, probably the only thing we know about this club is that "Bossa-nova" is in the club, and is constantly growing crops for Haruhi.

Classical Music Club

Very little is known of this club, apart from the fact that Shirou Takaouji is in it, along with his crush, who is set to move to Germany. The club performs large concert pieces, none of which are actually seen in the anime, but are spoken of. And the club consists mainly of pianists it is shown.

Courtesy of: www.wikipedia.com