Red River (manga)
From Open Encyclopedia
Red River, known in Japan as Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: Anatolia Story (天は赤い河のほとり, "Heaven by the Red River"), is a shōjo manga series made by Chie Shinohara. It is published in Japan by Shogakukan, and it is published English by Viz Communications.
Red River is about a fifteen-year old Japanese girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia, the heart of ancient Turkey. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri's blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia's son as the sole heir to the throne.
The story takes place during the reign of King Suppiluliuma I, at a time when the Hittite Empire was near its peak of power, rivaled only by Egypt, which was then ruled by the young Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Many of the people and events in the story are drawn from actual history, from Princes Kail Mursili, Sari Arnuwanda, and Zannanza, to battles with the neighboring Mitanni kingdom around the town of Kizzuwatna. As a result, it is likely that a close study of that period of history may contain spoilers of sorts for the series.
Both the Japanese and English names are in direct reference to the Halys River, which is colored red in the wet season due to sediment carried by the water's flow, but may also be an allegory for blood or womanhood, both of which are key threads in the story.
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Characters
Main
Yuri Suzuki (鈴木夕梨 Suzuki Yūri) - the main character of the story. Only fifteen, Yuri is confident and willing to take up any charitable cause. As she possesses knowledge far greater than any woman of the time (such as recognition of iron and knowledge of 20th century medical practices and hygiene), she is often considered to have divine powers and is thought by most to be the living incarnation of the goddess of love and war, Ishtar. As such, she is often referred to as Yuri Ishtar (ユーリ・イシュタル). Despite this, she is tomboyish, preferring to dress in men's clothing for the sake of practicality, much to the consternation of her handmaids. She is an accomplished gymnast, and during her stay in Hattusa she learns the art of swordfighting and archery so that she can better help Kail, and survive.
Kail Mursili - third prince of the Hittite empire, son of King Suppililiuma and the second Tawananna. At the beginning of the series, he finds Yuri running frantically from guards, and gives her the gift of understanding and speaking their language by way of a kiss. He finds Yuri to be quite unlike any woman he has ever met, and promises to help her find a way home to Japan, while struggling with his own growing love and desire for her. He initially calls Yuri his concubine and the incarnate form of Ishtar in order to protect her from Queen Nakia, but even he begins to believe his own tale after a while, and the legend of Yuri as Ishtar grows beyond his control. He is loyal to those he cares for, but constantly at odds with his stepmother, the third Tawananna, Queen Nakia. A powerful sorcerer in his own right, he has the ability to control wind and air, and is one of the few who can counter Nakia's spells in any way. Part way through the series, he ascends to the throne as King Mursili II.
Enemies
Queen Nakia - third and current Tawananna (queen) of the Hittite Empire, wife of King Suppililiuma. It was Nakia's spell that took Yuri from her original timeframe, and she intends to use Yuri's blood as part of a curse to kill the five princes ahead of her son in line for the throne. Foiled by Prince Kail in her initial attempts to secure Yuri, Nakia constantly and shamelessly manipulates people and situations to her benefit. She has some control over water, using certain kinds of enchanted water as a form of mind control.
Urhi Shalma - Nakia's personal servant, an assassin who usually takes the guise of a royal priest. He takes advantage of his position and his uncommonly feminine appearance to gain trust of people to be used in Nakia's plots against Yuri and Prince Kail. His surname is not well-known, and is used when he chooses to go incognito. He is rumored to be the true father of Prince Juda.
Royalty
King Suppililiuma - ruler of the Hittites, by the beginning of the story he is already advanced in years. He has fought several wars with the Mitanni and the Egyptians, and his reign is considered to be a high point in the history of the people.
Sari Arnuwanda - the Crown Prince, oldest son of King Suppiluliuma and the King's first wife. Largely invalid, he relies heavily on his brothers, specifically Zannanza and Kail, in order to fulfill his duties. After he ascends to the throne, he in turn picks Kail to be his heir, as he has no sons.
Zannanza - the fourth son of King Suppiluliuma (with a palace maid), he is very skilled with swords and military tactics. Prince Zannanza is very fond of Kail, whom he regards as a full brother, since they were playmates when they were little, and he was also raised by Kail's mother after his own mother died. He also falls in love with Yuri, which unfortunately is exploited by Queen Nakia. Zannanza is very loyal to Kail, and despite his feelings, does not try to get in the way of the relationship between Kail and Yuri. He is betrothed to Ankhesenamen, the widow of Tutankhamen in an attempt to make peace between the Hittites and Egypt, but never arrives at his destination, having been assassinated en route.
Juda Haspasrupi - the sixth son of King Suppiluliuma and the current Tawananna, Queen Nakia. Despite his mother's constant and blatantly evil scheming, Prince Juda is a kind boy who doesn't understand his mother's enmity towards his beloved brothers, particularly his favorite, Kail. His dream is to serve as a domestic advisor to Kail, who he wishes to become king, and thinks of Yuri as an older sister. Juda falls victim to his mother's schemes quite often but is an unwilling pawn who must be controlled by magic to cooperate.
Telipinu - the second son of King Suppililiuma (with a concubine), he is not considered to be one of the serious claimants to the throne and is largely relegated to royal ceremonies.
Servants
Tito - Yuri's first true friend after arriving, he is a servant in the palace, but also the only son of Talos, the head of the Hatti clan, and the inheritor of the secret of iron-making. While helping Yuri escape from Queen Nakia, he is murdered by Nakia's servant, Zuwa. Yuri is framed for the death, and his sisters attempt to kill her in retaliation. Tito is finally avenged when Yuri defeats Zuwa and reveals him as the true killer. In gratitude, Talos granted Tito's inheritance to Yuri, and Tito's sisters take his place in the royal household.
Hadi - the eldest sister of Tito, she is an intelligent and skilled fighter. She and her sisters tried to kill Yuri in order to avenge Tito's death, but after finding out the truth, pledges her life as one of Yuri's handmaids. Though she admires Yuri for her bravery and kindness, her attempts to get Yuri to be more traditionally feminine have mixed results.
Ryui and Shala - twin sisters of Hadi and Tito, both loyal and capable fighters in their own right. Along with Hadi, they pledge their lives as Yuri's loyal handmaids. Both of them often conspire with Hadi and Kikkuri to draw Kail and Yuri closer together, and eventually, both Ryui and Shala become romantically involved with Kikkuri, due to similar tastes and personalities.
Kikkuri - Prince Kail's servant, who goes everywhere with him. Though quite cautious and timid by nature, he is not above conspiring with Yuri's handmaids and working behind Kail's back in order to encourage him to "settle down" with Yuri.
Ilbani - Prince Kail's strategic advisor and childhood friend. Though very serious and formal, Ilbani has a dry wit and an insatiable urge to find a wife for Prince Kail. At first unsure of Yuri's intentions and suitability, he quickly decides that Yuri is the perfect wife for Kail and the best possible candidate to unseat Nakia as Tawananna. He is one of the few to consistently see through Queen Nakia's plots and has been known to manipulate Urhi to benefit his counterschemes. His loyalty to Kail and Yuri often seems rooted in a greater loyalty to the Hittite nation on the whole.
Generals
Rusafa - leader of the Hittite archers, he is highly loyal to Yuri and Kail. Free-spirited and easygoing, he nevertheless falls under Nakia's control at one point. His name is often mistransliterated as "Lucifer" due to the ambiguity of the katakana used in the original Japanese.
Kash - leader of the Hittite chariots, and a guard of Prince Kail. He falls in love with Ursula not long after she comes to live in the palace. Late in the series, he wears a braided lock of her hair around his head.
Mettannamuwa - leader of the Hittite infantry, he does not play much of a role in palace politics, as he is considerably older and spends most of his time out in the field.
Egyptians
Ramses - a military officer from a lower-ranking noble family, he initially encounters Yuri while on patrol near the Egyptian-Hittite border awaiting Zannanza's caravan. He is intrigued by Yuri's ingenuity in preventing a war between Egypt and the Hittites following Zannanza's assassination and requests to be assigned to Hattusas as a military liaison. He later becomes Ramses I, first Pharaoh of the Egyptian 19th Dynasty, and decides to have Yuri become his queen after his frustration with Kail's apparent refusal to marry her. Ramses and Kail fight to a draw, and Ramses accepts defeat, asking Kail and Yuri to bear a child to marry to the next generation of Egyptian royalty. In the manga, he is easily distinguished by his heterochromatic eyes and tanned skin.
In actual history, Ramses was known as Paramesse prior to succeeding Horemheb (the historical pharaoh of this period).
Nepheruto - sister of Ramses, who seems to have feelings for Rusafa.
Nefertiti - famous queen of Egypt, once a princess of Mitanni, and the blood sister of Mattiwaza, with whom she had an affair when they were younger. She was sold to Egypt to solidify the legitimacy of the Mitanni kingdom, and was married to Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). On the death of Tutankhamen, she orders her daughter to send a message to the Hittites to send a son to become the next Pharaoh of Egypt.
Animals
Aslan - Yuri's black stallion, whom only Yuri can ride or control.
Shimushekku - Yuri's hawk, kept in a wicker basket when not out.
Characters from Yuri’s Time
Yuri's family - in modern-day Japan, Yuri has a mother, father, and two sisters, Eimi and Marie. Very little is shown of them beyond the initial pages of the manga, but it is assumed they are a normal Japanese family.
Satoshi Himuro - Satoshi is a classmate and longtime friend of Yuri. Towards the beginning of the story, Satoshi and Yuri had just officially become a couple: the story opens with their first kiss. While they were out on a date, Yuri was grabbed by the queen by way of a snow puddle. Yuri misses Satoshi for the first few months in Anatolia, but his memory fades gradually with time.
Others
Zuwa - the leader of the fierce Kashuga (Kaska) tribe, he works for Queen Nakia. Larger than the average man, he is also very sadistic, collecting the skins of his human victims much like a hunter would collect the skins of animals, and crafting his attire from them. After killing Tito, he meets his end, outmaneuvered and outsmarted by Yuri, who shatters his outsized copper sword and the mud bricks beneath his feet with an iron blade.
Talos - the headman of the Hatti people, keeper of the secret of ironmaking, and father to Hadi, Ryui, Shala, and Tito. He is one of the first to see the true potential in Yuri ("proving" her claim as Ishtar by asking her to pick a blade from his armory), and quietly supports her from behind the scenes throughout the course of the series.
Prince Mattiwaza - crown prince of the Mitanni kingdom, son of King Tushratta, and younger brother of Nefertiti. Called the "Prince of Darkness" for his ruthless demeanor and behavior at war, he launches a campaign against the Hittites and kidnaps Yuri in an attempt to demoralize them. This strategy fails, as the Mitanni people rally around Yuri when she tends to the injured and sick in the capital. Mattiwaza himself is eventually won over by Yuri's charm. When Mitanni is completely overrun, and the king murdered by his own soldiers, Mattiwaza abdicates the throne and departs with his head concubine Nadia. Though Mattiwaza and Nefertiti were siblings, they had an affair when younger. The jewel Mattiwaza wears is a memento of his love for his sister, and this memento is passed on to Yuri, who wears it around her neck for the rest of the series.
Nadia - head concubine of Prince Mattiwaza, and younger sister of Queen Nakia. She initially plans to trick Mattiwaza into killing Yuri, but only because she was afraid of being replaced. Though long suspected of being a spy for Queen Nakia or her birth kingdom of Babylonia, she has no intention of being a pawn of Nakia or Urhi, as she is genuinely in love with Mattiwaza, defending him with her life. Her selfless act redeems Mattiwaza, and they leave to find a new life together.
Ursula - initially used as a pawn by Queen Nakia, she is introduced as a false Ishtar in a town ravaged by "the seven day fever". When unveiled by Prince Kail and subsequently forgiven, she joins Yuri's retinue as a handmaid. She falls in love with Kash, and they become betrothed, but she ultimately sacrifices her life for Yuri.
Guzel - daughter of the chairman of the Hittite senate, who claims her son is Prince Kail's while under the control of Queen Nakia. Previously the leading candidate to become Kail's queen, and still a close friend to Kail.
Alexandra - a princess of a village, who appears to give herself to Ishtar as a concubine, not realizing Ishtar is female. She becomes one of Yuri's servants, and the love interest for Juda.
Manga Summaries
External links
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=3438
http://www.kalama.com/~slrlynx/AS/Home.html/
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Palace/7419/de:Anatolia Story it:Anatolia Story ja:天は赤い河のほとり
