The Deer King

The Deer King (Japanese: 鹿の王, Hepburn: Shika no Ō, lit. "King of Deer") is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi. Kadokawa published the original novel in two volumes in September 2014, and then republished it in four reprinted volumes between June and July 2017. A manga adaptation with art by Taro Sekiguchi was serialized online via Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website between July 2021 and March 2022. It was collected in two tankōbon volumes.[1] An anime film adaptation by Production I.G premiered on February 4, 2022.

The Deer King
First novel reprinted volume cover
鹿の王
(Shika no Ō)
GenreFantasy
Novel series
Written byNahoko Uehashi
Published byKadokawa
English publisher
Original runSeptember 2014 – July 2017
Volumes2
4 (reprinted)
Manga
Written byNahoko Uehashi
Illustrated byTaro Sekiguchi
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
  • NA: Yen Press
MagazineYoung Ace Up
DemographicSeinen
Original runJuly 26, 2021 – March 2, 2022
Volumes2
Anime film
Directed byMasashi Ando
Masayuki Miyaji
Written byTaku Kishimoto
Music byHarumi Fuuki
StudioProduction I.G
Licensed by
ReleasedJune 14, 2021 (2021-06-14) (Annecy)
February 4, 2022 (2022-02-04) (Japan)
Runtime114 minutes

Plot

In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa-except for Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.

Characters
Van (ヴァン, Van)
Voiced by: Shinichi Tsutsumi[2] (Japanese); Ray Chase[3] (English)
Hohsalle (ホッサル, Hossaru)
Voiced by: Ryoma Takeuchi[2] (Japanese); Griffin Puatu[3] (English)
Sae (サエ, Sae)
Voiced by: Anne Watanabe[2] (Japanese); Erica Schroeder[3] (English)
Yuna (ユナ, Yuna)
Voiced by: Hisui Kimura[4] (Japanese); Luciana VanDette[3] (English)

Media

Novels

During their Sakura-Con 2023 panel, Yen Press announced that they licensed the novels.[5]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 June 17, 2017[6]978-4-04-105489-5September 19, 2023[7]978-1-97-535233-2
2 June 17, 2017[8]978-4-04-105508-3January 23, 2024[9]978-1-97-535236-3
3 July 25, 2017[10]978-4-04-105509-0——
4 July 25, 2017[11]978-4-04-105510-6——
Ex June 12, 2020[12]978-4-04-109292-7——

Manga

During their Sakura-Con 2023 panel, Yen Press announced that they also licensed the manga.[5]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 September 10, 2021[13]978-4-04-111811-5September 19, 2023[14]978-1-97-536040-5
2 March 10, 2022[15]978-4-04-111812-2January 23, 2024[16]978-1-97-536300-0

Anime film

An anime adaptation was announced on June 21, 2018.[17] It was later announced to be an anime film adaptation produced by Production I.G.[18] The film is directed by Masashi Ando and Masayuki Miyaji, with Ando designing the characters, Taku Kishimoto handling the scripts, and Harumi Fuuki composing the film's music.[19] Closing credits feature the song One Reason by Milet. The movie was originally scheduled to premiere on September 18, 2020, but was delayed to September 10, 2021, due to undisclosed reasons.[20][21][2] The film was delayed again in August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] It premiered on February 4, 2022.[23]

The film had its world premiere in the official feature film competition[24] at Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2021. It has been licensed for release in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and French-speaking Europe by Anime Limited.[25] Selecta Visión acquired the distribution rights for Spain, with a theatrical release date set for June 9, 2022.[26][27] GKIDS acquired the film for release in North America and screened it in both Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub on July 13, 2022.[28][29]

Reception

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume 4.5/5 stars. She wrote, "in the Makokan segments, it reads like a fantasy version of the nonfiction book The Ghost Map, about efforts to discover the root cause of cholera", and concluded, "How all of this will come together isn't clear, but it's going to be a fascinating journey to follow. This is one of those books that you could give to your friend who doesn't care for light novels but reads fantasy, and it's worth picking up."[30]

References
  1. "The Deer King Manga Ends With 2nd Volume". Anime News Network. September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  2. "Production I.G's Shika no Ō Anime Film Reveals Cast, More Staff, Full Title, September 10 Debut in Teaser". Anime News Network. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  3. Mateo, Alex (June 10, 2022). "The Deer King Film Reveals English Dub Trailer, Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  4. "鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅". Animehack. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 8, 2023). "Yen Press Reveals 28 New Licenses Including Bocchi the Rock!, Tokyo Babylon Manga; The Deer King Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  6. 鹿の王 １ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  7. "The Deer King, Vol. 1 (novel)". Yen Press. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  8. 鹿の王 ２ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  9. "The Deer King, Vol. 2 (novel)". Yen Press. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. 鹿の王 ３ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  11. 鹿の王 ４ (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  12. 鹿の王 水底の橋 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  13. 鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅（上） (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  14. "The Deer King, Vol. 1 (manga)". Yen Press. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  15. 鹿の王 ユナと約束の旅（下） (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  16. "The Deer King, Vol. 2 (manga)". Yen Press. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  17. "Shika no Ō Novels by Moribito's Nahoko Uehashi Get Anime". Anime News Network. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  18. "Production I.G Produces Shika no Ō Medical Fantasy Anime as a Film". Anime News Network. March 24, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  19. "Production I.G Reveals Shika no Ō Anime Film's Staff, September 18 Opening". Anime News Network. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  20. "Production I.G's Shika no Ō Anime Film Delayed to 2021". Anime News Network. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  21. "Production I.G's Shika no Ō Anime Film Reveals Cast, More Staff, Full Title, September 10 Debut in Teaser". Anime News Network. March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  22. "The Deer King Film Delayed Again Due to COVID-19". Anime News Network. August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  23. "The Deer King Film's 2nd Trailer Announces Rescheduled February 4 Opening". Anime News Network. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  24. "Festival programme". CITIA, Image & industries créatives. June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  25. "The Deer King – Annecy Festival – Programme 2021". CITIA, Image & industries créatives. June 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021. June 14
  26. Bescós, María (5 March 2022). "The Deer King se estrenará en cines españoles el 29 de abril". HobbyConsolas.
  27. Sánchez-Montáñez, Rebeca (June 6, 2022). "'The Deer King'– estreno en cines 9 de junio". Audiovisual451.
  28. "GKIDS Licenses Production I.G's The Deer King Anime Film". Anime News Network. June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  29. "The Deer King Film Screens in U.S. Theaters in July". Anime News Network. May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  30. Silverman, Rebecca (2023-09-30). "The Fall 2023 Light Novel Guide: The Deer King". Anime News Network.
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