Zero no Tsukaima (ゼロの使い魔, Zenō no tsukaima) is a Japanese series of novels and its anime adaptations, consisting of four seasons. The author of the original story is Noboru Yamaguchi, the illustrations are Eiji Usatsuka. The novel series consists of twenty-two books, the first 20 volumes written by Noboru Yamaguchi[1], the remaining 2 volumes written by Shimizu Yu[source not specified 1445 days] after Yamaguchi's death from his notes. The last volume was released on February 22, 2017, thus ending the series, Yamaguchi himself promised that volume 22 would be the last. The action takes place in the fantasy world at the Academy of Magic, where the characters are trained in the magical art. The main character: Louise and her henchman from Earth named Saito Hiraga. The plot contains many references to the European history of the XVII-XVIII century and Japanese ideas about magic.
Plot
An ordinary Japanese schoolboy Hiraga Saito one day against his will is thrown into a parallel world in which magic is commonplace, power is in the hands of nobles, and schoolchildren, in addition to mathematics with geometry, learn the basics of alchemy, magic and the call of creatures. As a result of the unsuccessful (at first glance) call of a student of the magical academy Louise, Saito appears in an unfamiliar world for him to become her henchman The first man-acolyte in the history of the school. Only a few people at the Magic Academy realized that Saito was actually the legendary hero Gandalv and a servant of the Void Mage. At first, Saito did not accept Louise, but having learned what she really was, he found a new meaning in his life.
Characters
Main
Louise (full name Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière de Tristein) is the main character, a second-year student at the Magic Academy of Tristein. The character is a reference to a historical figure. Her classmates mock her, as any spell she casts ends in nothing at best (an explosion at worst). For her zero success in magic, for her zero level as a magician (she does not know how to work with any magical element) and for her breast size, she was nicknamed Zero Louise (ゼロのルイズ, Joro no Ruizu). The third daughter of the noble family la Vallière from the northwest of Tristein. She is well aware of all the laws and regulations of the nobility. She is in love with Saito, and at the very end becomes his wife. The character of Louise is one of the "4 Tsundere" along with the main characters of the anime series Toradora!, Shakugan no Shana and Hayate the combat butler, who are also voiced by Rie Kugimiya.
Henchman: Hiraga Saito, Her Majesty's Chevalier, Queen Tristein, Henrietta and the Duc de Ornière. At the beginning of the third season, Gandalv's seal disappears from Saito's hand, and he ceases to be Louise's henchman for a while. He also loses his Gandalv abilities.
Special abilities: Rupture (creating a powerful explosion by combining four elements), Scattering (enchantments capable of breaking through a magical barrier, as well as dispelling a dark spell), World Door/Gate of Worlds (a spell that connects two points of space with portals, later Louise learned to create a passage between the world of Saito and Chalcegynia).
Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya
Saito Hiraga (full name Saito, Chevalier de Hiraga, Duc de Ornière) (平賀才人 Hiraga Saito) is the protagonist from Earth. He was summoned by Louise's spell. At first, he did not understand the local language, but after Louise tried to enchant him with a silence spell, he began to understand those around him (probably a side effect of Louise's spell). It should be noted that this was done only in the anime, in the novel and manga Saito immediately after the call understands the local language. After luisa's incantation, Saito's left hand bore the inscription Gandalv Runic letter gebo.pngRunic letter uruz.pngRunic letter naudiz.pngRunic letter dagaz.pngRunic letter othalan.pngRunic letter laukaz.pngRunic letter fehu.png(the left hand of the god) (spelled in katakana as ガンダールヴ Ganda: ruvu) appeared on Saito's left hand. ), which gives him superpowers to handle any kind of weapon. But after he is accidentally summoned by Typhus, he also becomes Lifdrasil (the heart of the god). The ability lies in the fact that the henchman can enhance the magic of the void magician, in return for spending his life force. He falls in love with Louise, at the very end he becomes her husband.
Special abilities: possession of any kind of weapon, strengthen the magician of the void.
Voiced by: Satoshi Hino
Minor
The Church (full name Kirche August Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst) is a classmate of Louise's. The character is a reference to a historical figure. Her specialty is Fire Magic. Her family has long been feuding with the La Vallière family. Extremely loving, she sets up dates for almost all the guys in school, including Saito (and in part 3 she gets to the teacher-magician of the element of fire - Professor Colbert). Tabitha's best friend.
Henchman: Salamander Flame.
Voiced by: Nanako Inoue
Tabitha is a classmate of Louise's. From the royal family of Gaul. A very quiet girl, Kirche's best friend. He almost always reads a book. Her real name is Charlotte. She is very strong in the magic of the Wind. She is also in love with Saito. One day, against her will, she has to become an enemy of Saito and all her friends.
Henchman: An ancient epic dragon Sylph who can take the form of a girl named Irukuku.
Voiced by: Yuka Inokuchi
Gish (full name Gich de Grammont) is a classmate of Louise's. Although he courtes Montmorency, in fact, Gish considers himself an irresistible playboy and does not stop at one girl. He always carries with him a stick made in the form of an artificial rose. He adores his henchman.
Henchman: Verdandi's giant mole.
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai
Siesta is a maid at the academy. She is in love with Saito. In every possible way he tries to recapture Saito from Louise and fall in love with him.
Voiced by: Yui Horie
Montmorency (full name Montmorency Marguerite la Fairie de Montmorency) is a classmate of Louise's. Like most of Tristein's nobles, she is very arrogant. She is in love with Gish De Gramont. Saito calls it simply Monmon.
Henchman: Robin the frog.
Voiced by: Mikakako Takahashi
Tifania (full name Tifania Westwood) is a half-elf girl who saved Saito's life. He has not entirely clear feelings for him, a cross between gratitude, affection and love. Allows friends to call her Tifa. Before meeting Saito, he lives alone in the forest (in the novel he lives in an orphanage in Albion), and a little later he also comes to study at the Magic Academy. Of royal descent, Cousin of Henrietta. Beautiful and kind, and therefore others are usually delighted with her. A solid breast size also has a lot to do with this. Has some knowledge about the void mages and their henchmen. In the fourth season, it is revealed that her Magic of Oblivion is a gift of emptiness, and that Tifania herself is one of the four magicians of the Void. And soon it turns out that Saito is also her henchman. Cousin of Princess Henrietta.
Henchman: Saito.
Voiced by: Mamiko Noto
Henrietta is princess of Tristein. Adored by the people. Childhood friend of Louise. She is also in love with Saito.
Henchman: None.
Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi
Osman is the director of the Tristein Magic Academy. Main weaknesses: likes to smoke and peep.
Henchman: Motsonir mouse.
Voiced by: Takeshi Aono
Agnes is a knight of Princess Tristein. A strong woman who has a good command of the sword. She is looking for the man who saved her life, but at the same time left her an orphan. When possible, Saito trains sword wielding.
Jean Colbert is a teacher at the Magic Academy of Tristein. A fire mage. Interested in things from another world. Runic name: Fire Serpent. He dies at the end of the second season. However, as shown in the third, his death was staged by Tabasa.
Henchman: None.
Voiced by: Takouama Suzuki
Shefield is the girlfriend of the reigning king of Gaul. Very strong in magic, constantly hunting for Saito and Louise. He can summon his henchmen and manage them.
Chevreuse is a teacher at the Tristein Magic Academy. Runic name: Alumina.
Voiced by: Noriko Suzuki
Longheville is Osman's secretary, who often falls victim to Osman's obscene jokes. She also often loses her temper because of his antics (for example, when he sends his henchman to find out the color of her underwear). Later it turns out that she is the famous thief Fouquet "Smear".
Historical basis
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Most names are based on literary and historical characters:
Louise - Louise Françoise de la Bohm le Blanc de la Vallière, the first favorite of King Louis XIV, lady-in-waiting of the wife of Her brother Louis. The real Louise was not an impeccable beauty and was a little limp, but she was very sweet and gentle. The feelings that Louis had for her could be called true love. From 1661 to 1667, she bore the king four children and received the ducal title. After that, the king began to cool to her, and in 1675 Louise was forced to go to a Carmelite monastery. She became the heroine of Dumas's novel Vicomte de Bragelon, or Ten Years Later.
Montmorency is an old noble French family, known since the X century. It is found in leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace and Alexander Dumas's (father) The Count of Monte Cristo.
Guish – Guich de Grammont is Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche. French lieutenant general and courtier. In the history of France, he is as famous for his romantic adventures as he is for his military exploits. Possessing a very beautiful appearance, pleasant and refined manners, agile and witty, Gramon enjoyed great success among the frivolous ladies at the court of Louis XIV. He became one of the characters in Roger Bussy-Rabutin's The Love Story of the Gauls (under the name Trimale), as well as one of the characters in the last two parts of Alexandre Dumas's Musketeer trilogy: Twenty Years Later and Vicomte de Bragelon.
Kirche Zerbst - Augusta Frederica Van Anhalrt Zerbst - we know as Princess Fike or Catherine II the Great, Russian Empress (1762-1796), really German by birth. She paradoxically combined high intelligence, education, statesmanship and a commitment to "free love" (there are parallels with the character of the anime). It is worth noting that the "debauchery" of Catherine was not such a scandalous phenomenon against the background of the general licentiousness of the morals of the XVIII century. "Kirche" is a given name and is translated from German as "church".
Tabitha - One of the converts to Christianity in Joppa (now the city of Jaffa). The Lord resurrected her through the prayer of the holy Apostle Peter (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9, 36-42). It is mentioned in Dumas's novel White and Blue (one of the chapters details her story).
Chevreuse – Duchess Marie de Rogan-Montbazon de Chevreuse, a famous French schemer (1600–1679). Her life is a continuous chain of intrigues; her name is implicated in almost all the major political events of this time in France. It is present in all Dumas novels about D'Artagnan.
Longueville - Anna Genevieve de Bourbon Condé, Duchess of Longueville, daughter of Henry II of Bourbon, sister of the Grand Condé and Prince de Conti, one of the leaders of the Fronde, a friend of La Rochefoucauld. Fronde lost, and she spent her life in exile doing charity work. It is found in Dumas's novel Twenty Years Later.
Colbert – Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a famous French statesman. Under Louis XIV he was appointed intendant of finance. In this position, Colbert discovered a number of abuses of the Chief Intendant Fouquet and became in 1661 his de facto, though not nominal, successor; only eight years later did he become Minister of State. He was very modest: he worked up to fifteen hours a day, did not pay attention to the court world and the opinions of the world, walked to the king, etc. Found in Dumas's novels "Ten Years Later" and "Twenty Years Later".
Fouquet – Nicolas Fouquet, a famous French statesman. In 1650, Fouquet bought himself the post of chief prosecutor at the Paris Parliament. Mazarin made Fouquet superintendent of finance in 1653. Fouquet's administration was marked by the bringing of finances into complete disarray and the systematic plundering of the state treasury. Colbert drew the king's attention to the fact that Fouquet regularly forged reports sent to the king. Louis had his own reasons for Fouquet's discontent, but there was no reason to arrest him: the attorney general could only be tried with the permission of Parliament. And Fouquet's fault was that he strenuously sought the favor of a certain Madame de la Vallière. Some historians believe that Fouquet was the "Iron Mask" that Dumas mentions in the novel Vicomte de Bragelon.
Kathy is Milady's Handmaiden from Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers.
Scarron – Paul Scarron, a seventeenth-century French writer and poet who specialized in parodies and satires of the "feminine" literature and mores of his time. Dumas devoted an entire chapter to Scarron in the novel Twenty Years Later, depicting the meeting of the legendary musketeers with "little Abbot Scarron".
Turenne – Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Marshal of France, contemporary of Scarron, died for the king and the fatherland. One of the characters in Dumas's novel Forty-Five.
Cromwell is the leader of the English Revolution, Oliver Cromwell. One of the heroes of Dumas's novel "Twenty Years Later".
Geography
Halkeginia map.jpg
Chalcegynia The continent on which the story takes place.
Tristein(1) A small kingdom in the western part of Halkehynia.
La Rochelle Is a city in the mountains. The real La Rochelle is a city in western France, known for its siege in the seventeenth century, described in Dumas's novel The Three Musketeers.
Germany(2) The largest kingdom in Chalcegynia. It is located northeast of Tristein.
Gaul(3) A kingdom southeast of Tristein.
Romalia(4) A religious state south of Gaul.
Albion(5) Flying Island.
All states are a reference to the real ones. The location of Tristein resembles the Benelux, Gaul - France, Romalia - Italy, Albion - Great Britain.
Magic: Basic Concepts
In theory, all the magicians of Chalcegynia are nobles, and all the nobles are magicians. But there are exceptions: for example, a non-magician can get nobility for special merits (Saito) or a magician can lose nobility (Longville). In order to conjure, the magician must use a wand or staff. Some sticks are unique and do not look like a stick, for example, Gish has a stick in the form of an artificial rose.
Historical background to this magical system
The Five Elements is a classic Japanese system known as godai. According to it, magic is based on five elements: Ti (earth), Sui (water), Ka (fire), Fuu (wind) and Kuu (emptiness). The concept was borrowed from the Hindus by the Chinese, along the way undergoing a strong influence of Buddhism. In the Indian system, the strongest of the elements is the Akash (ether). In the year, "ether" is replaced by "emptiness" or "non-existence".
In Western culture during the Renaissance by Paracelsus, four basic elements were associated with elemental beings. Ondines and dwarves from German mythology became the elementals of water and earth. Paracelsus appointed a salamander and a sylph (sylph) as elementals of fire and air (wind).
