The Executioner and Her Way of Life

The Executioner and Her Way of Life (処刑少女の生きる道バージンロード, Shokei Shōjo no Bājin Rōdo, transl. "The Executioner Girl's Virgin Road") is a Japanese yuri light novel series, written by Mato Sato and illustrated by Nilitsu. SB Creative have released seven volumes since July 2019 under their GA Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Ryo Mitsuya has been serialized in Square Enix's seinen manga magazine Young Gangan since June 2020. It has been collected in three tankōbon volumes. Both the light novel and manga are licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff premiered in April 2022.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life
First light novel volume cover
処刑少女の生きる道
(Shokei Shōjo no Bājin Rōdo)
Genre
Light novel
Written byMato Sato
Illustrated byNilitsu
Published bySB Creative
English publisher
ImprintGA Bunko
DemographicMale
Original runJuly 2019 – present
Volumes7
Manga
Written byMato Sato
Illustrated byRyo Mitsuya
Published bySquare Enix
English publisher
Yen Press
MagazineYoung Gangan
DemographicSeinen
Original runJune 5, 2020 – present
Volumes3
Anime television series
Directed byYoshiki Kawasaki
Produced byEgg Firm
SB Creative
Written byShōgo Yasukawa
Music byMichiru
StudioJ.C.Staff
Licensed bySentai Filmworks
Original networkTokyo MX, BS11, AT-X
Original run April 2, 2022 – present
Episodes5

Synopsis

Setting

Long ago, wanderers, who are called as "Lost Ones," came from an alternative world known as "Japan" and were given power named "Pure Concept". They created an advanced civilization with the supernatural force, and the whole world ended up using Japanese as the only language. Nevertheless, the power of "Pure Concept" lost control and brought disaster and calamity to the world. Among those disasters, there are four legendary disasters—Sword of Salt, which turned the whole western continent into salt, which melted in the sea; the Pandemonium, which covers the southern archipelago; the Mechanical Society, which controls the Wild Frontier in the east; and the Starhusk, which carved out the center of the northern continent and set it afloat. Those are called "Human Errors" and still impact the world after thousands of years. Since then, Lost Ones, who still arrive in the world from time to time, are treated as a taboo.

Plot

Menou is an Executioner and is responsible for eliminating Lost Ones. She attempts to kill Akari Tokitō, a Lost One, but fails to do so. Akari has the Pure Concept of Time and is capable of reversing her death after she has been killed. Menou has to find a way to kill her and has no choice but to stay with Akari.

Characters

Menou (メノウ)
Voiced by: Iori Saeki[2]
A young priestess who specializes in hunting down and assassinating Lost Ones before they can become a threat. She is well aware that most of the Lost Ones she kills are innocents who have done nothing wrong, but her training dictates that they cannot be allowed to live as their Pure Concept will inevitably corrupt them. She also has recurring dreams about meeting Akari in Japan, but does not know why. She is forced to act as Akari's escort when she cannot find any conventional means to kill her.
Akari Tokitō (時任 灯里 / アカリ, Tokitō Akari)
Voiced by: Moe Kahara[2]
A high school student who was forcibly summoned to the world by the Kingdom of Grisarika. Her Pure Concept is [Time], allowing her to control time, including instinctively reversing time to revive herself if she is killed. She is rather clumsy and airheaded, but very kind and trusting. Due to a recurring dream she has, she believes she was fated to meet Menou.
Momo (モモ)
Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto[3]
A young priestess and Menou's aide. She assists Menou on anything she needs during a mission, including reconnaissance, providing disguises, and providing support in battles. She has a crush on Menou ever since they were childhood friends, and feels jealousy at how close Akari seems to be getting to Menou.
Ashuna (アーシュナ)
Voiced by: M.A.O[3]
The warrior princess of Grisarika.
Flare (フレア, Furea)
Voiced by: Yūko Kaida[4]
A legendary priestess famed for incredible skill in Magecraft as well as killing many Lost Ones. After saving a young Menou from a Lost One, Flare took her in as her apprentice.
Orwell (オーウェル, Ōweru)
Voiced by: Tamie Kubota[4]
The head of the Church. Orwell acts as Menou's direct superior and orders her to bring Akari to their capital of Garm so Akari can be executed.
Mitsuki (ミツキ)
Voiced by: Yuma Uchida[4]
A high school student who was forcibly summoned to the world by the Kingdom of Grisarika. His Pure Concept is [Null], which allows him to completely destroy any object he wants. He is killed by Menou to prevent him from abusing his newly found power.

Media

Light novels

The Executioner and Her Way of Life is written by Mato Sato and illustrated by Nilitsu. SB Creative have released seven volumes since July 2019 under their GA Bunko imprint. Yen Press licensed the series for English publication.[5]

No. Title Original release date English release date
1Thus, She Is Reborn
Soshite, Kanojo wa Yomigaeru (そして、彼女は甦る)
July 12, 2019[6]
978-4-81-560118-8
(regular edition)

March 18, 2022[7]
978-4-81-561580-2
(anime adaptation special edition)
March 9, 2021[1]
978-1-97-531969-4
2Whiteout
Howaito Auto (ホワイト・アウト)
September 13, 2019[8]
978-4-81-560393-9
July 27, 2021[9]
978-1-97-531971-7
3The Cage of Iron Sand
Tessha no Ori (鉄砂の檻)
February 14, 2020[10]
978-4-81-560481-3
November 16, 2021[11]
978-1-97-533580-9
4Crimson Nightmare
Akai Akumu (赤い悪夢)
August 6, 2020[12]
978-4-81-560713-5
May 3, 2022[13]
978-1-97-533645-5
5Yakusoku no Chi (約束の地)February 10, 2021[14]
978-4-81-560936-8
September 20, 2022[15]
978-1-97-534561-7
6Shio no Hitsugi (塩の柩)August 12, 2021[16]
978-4-81-561140-8
7Lost
Rosuto (ロスト)
April 14, 2022[17]
978-4-81-561399-0

Manga

A manga adaptation with art by Ryo Mitsuya began serialization in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine on June 5, 2020.[18] The manga is also licensed in North America by Yen Press.[19]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 February 9, 2021[20]978-4-75-757098-6September 20, 2022[21]978-1-97-535114-4
2 August 10, 2021[22]978-4-75-757414-4
3 March 25, 2022[23]978-4-75-757838-8
4 June 23, 2022[24]978-4-75-757982-8

Anime

At the "GA Fes 2021" event livestream, it was announced that the series will be receiving an anime television series adaptation.[2] The series is animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Yoshiki Kawasaki, with Shōgo Yasukawa supervising scripts, Keiko Tamaki designing characters, and Michiru composing the series' music. Egg Firm and SB Creative are producing the series. It premiered on April 2, 2022 on Tokyo MX, BS11, and AT-X.[25][26][lower-alpha 1] The opening theme song is "Paper Bouquet" by Mili, while the ending theme song is "Tomoshibi Serenade" (Serenade by Lamplight) by ChouCho.[3] Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series outside of Asia.[27] Medialink licensed the series in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania minus Australia and New Zealand.[28]

Episode list

No.Title[29][30]Directed by[29]Written by[29]Storyboarded by[29]Original air date[31]
1"The Executioner"
Transcription: "Shokeinin" (Japanese: 処刑人)
Yoshiki KawasakiShōgo YasukawaYoshiki KawasakiApril 2, 2022 (2022-04-02)
Mutou Mitsuki is summoned from Japan to another world by the king of Grisarika Kingdom who measures him for a power called Pure Concept. Mitsuki is surprised when the king summons another, a girl from Japan, while he is thrown out of the castle. He meets a priestess called Menou who explains people from Japan with powers called Lost Ones have been summoned throughout history, so many in fact that Japanese culture took over the world. She also explains that besides the commoners, society is split between the nobility, the Noblesse, and the Church, the Faust. Exploring his power Mitsuki discovers his Pure Concept is highly destructive in nature. Menou kills him instantly, revealing she is an assassin for the church specialising in killing Lost Ones before they can harm the world. She reports to Archbishop Orwell her successful kill and the existence of the second Lost One, the girl summoned after Mitsuki. A flashback shows Menou’s village was destroyed by a Lost One before being assassinated by Flare, the assassin who trained Menou. Menou is assisted by Momo, her aide who is obsessed with her. Soldiers attack, revealing the king wants to use the girls unusually powerful Pure Concept to overthrow the church and rule without their interference. Menoue kills the soldiers then infiltrates the castle where the Japanese girl, Akari Tokito, is being kept.
2"The Lost One"
Transcription: "Mayoibito" (Japanese: 迷い人)
Yoshiaki IwasakiShōgo YasukawaYoshiki KawasakiApril 9, 2022 (2022-04-09)
Akari reveals her Pure Concept is a healing ability before Menou assassinates her. However, upon Akari’s death her power activates, revealing it is actually the Pure Concept of Time and it reverses her body to before her death, reviving her with no idea she just died. Contacting Orwell she reveals Akari’s power makes her immune to assassination. Immensely worried about a Pure Concept that manipulates time Orwell demands Akari be brought to her in Garm in three days for a ceremony that should kill her. Menou finds Akari is absent minded but also a romantic who desires adventure. She convinces her the ceremony will send her back to Japan but Menou is disappointed as she feels meeting Menou was fate. The church arrests King Grisarika for heresy. Momo is not happy Menou has to spend time with a target and insists on secretly travelling with them to Garm. Menou warns Akari not to use her power but almost straight away she uses it to heal a little girls injured hand, forcing Menou to distract nearby royal soldiers so they don’t notice. Akari is impressed at Menou’s powers. Momo notices Grisarika’s warlike daughter Ashuna on the same train to Garm. Menou feels sorry for Akari that she is taking her to her death.
3"Taboo in [Red]"
Transcription: "Kinki no [Aka]" (Japanese: 禁忌の【赤】)
Shigeru UedaShōgo YasukawaShigeru UedaApril 16, 2022 (2022-04-16)
Terrorists seeking Ashuna take over the train. Momo learns the terrorists want to trade Ashuna for their imprisoned leader. Heading to the roof of the train Momo meets Ashuna who, seeing Momo is a priestess, attacks her and deduces that her target Aika must be on the train. The defeated terrorists reveal theirs is a suicide mission as ether crystals they swallowed earlier absorb their bodies and craft an armoured warrior to destroy the train. Momo and Ashuna fall off the train during their fight. The warrior damages the train’s engine, causing it to speed up uncontrollably. Menou, Ashuna and Momo suddenly experience extreme déjà vu and Menou is joined by Akari, who says she was worried. Menou defeats the warrior then punishes Akari for putting herself at risk and making her use more power to fight defensively. Realising she hasn’t enough power left, Menou is forced to borrow power from Akari to stop the train, leaving them exhausted but thrilled. Momo is annoyed when her duel with Ashuna lasts long into the next morning with no end in sight. Menou can’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that the train actually did crash and kill everyone, including herself, meaning Akari must have actually reversed time for the entire world by several minutes and saved everyone.
4"The Ancient Capital Garm"
Transcription: "Koto Garumu" (Japanese: 古都ガルム)
Yoshiyuki NogamiShōgo YasukawaYoshiki KawasakiApril 23, 2022 (2022-04-23)
As Menou and Akari continue their journey to Garm, Menou recalls her childhood after she was rescued by Flare. Having had her soul bleached as the side effect of her village being destroyed, Menou has lost all of her desires and motivations, only feeling compelled to follow Flare wherever she goes. After witnessing Flare killing numerous Lost Ones, Menou decides to become Flare's apprentice despite Flare's warnings that executioners like her are villains. Intrigued by Menou's sudden determination, Flare decides to train Menou to become a perfect copy of her. In the present, Menou and Flare arrive at Garm and Akari asks Menou to take her on a "date" and show her around the city later. At the cathedral, Orwell welcomes the two girls, saying the special chamber will be ready in two days. In the meantime, Menou is tasked with investigating the mysterious disappearances of young girls. Menou assigns Momo, who managed to evade Ashuna, to take care of the investigation so she can keep her promise with Akari to go out on a "date".
5"Goodbye"
Transcription: "Sayonara" (Japanese: さよなら)
Yoshihiro MoriShōgo YasukawaYūichi NiheiApril 30, 2022 (2022-04-30)
Menou and Akari continue to spend time with each other before heading to the special chamber, where Menou prepares to witness Akari's death. Meanwhile, Momo continues to investigate the case of the missing women and follows a lead into the underground sewers. There, she finds Ashuna, who proposes joining together into a temporary alliance to figure out what is going on below Garm. Underneath the palace, the two girls discover a summoning chamber, proving the Noblesse in Garm are involved in summoning. However, Ashuna points out that the Noblesse do not possess the knowledge of summoning, which is exclusive only to the Faust, meaning a high ranking Faust must be collaborating with them. Momo realizes that the only person capable of such a thing is Orwell and sends a warning to Menou before she and Ashuna are attacked by monsters. Menou tries to interrupt the ritual but is cornered by Orwell, who explains that she plans to use the chamber to erase Akari's mind so she can use her Pure Concept to reverse her aging, effectively becoming immortal. Orwell was in fact responsible for the missing women, as she was attempting to use them in failed youth experiments before Akari was summoned. Intending to use Menou as a sacrifice to power the ritual, Orwell summons a monster to attack her.
6"[Regression: Memories, Soul, Spirit]"
Transcription: "[Kaiki: Kioku Tamashii Seishin]" (Japanese: 【回帰:記憶・魂・精神】)
Katsushi SakurabiShōgo YasukawaYoshiki KawasakiMay 7, 2022 (2022-05-07)

See also

Notes

  1. Tokyo MX lists the series premiere at 24:30 on April 1, 2022, which is effectively 12:30 a.m. JST on April 2.

References

  1. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  2. Sherman, Jennifer (January 31, 2021). "The Executioner and Her Way of Life Novels Get TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. Loo, Egan (January 4, 2022). "The Executioner and Her Way of Life Anime Unveils More Cast, Staff, Song Artists, Spring Debut in English-Subtitled Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  4. Loo, Egan (March 20, 2022). "The Executioner and Her Way of Life Anime Casts Yūma Uchida, Yuko Kaida, Tamie Kubota". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
  5. Hazra, Adriana (September 5, 2020). "Yen Press to Release Date A Live, Do You Like the Nerdy Nurse?, 7 More Manga/Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  6. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード) ―そして、彼女は甦る― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815601186.
  7. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード) ―そして、彼女は甦る― アニメ化記念限定小冊子付き特装版 (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815615802.
  8. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)2 ―ホワイト・アウト― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815603936.
  9. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 2". Yen Press. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)3 ―鉄砂の檻― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815604819.
  11. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 3". Yen Press. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  12. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)4 ―赤い悪夢― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815607133.
  13. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 4". Yen Press. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  14. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)5 ―約束の地― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815609365.
  15. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 5". Yen Press. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  16. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)6 ―塩の柩― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815611408.
  17. 処刑少女の生きる道(バージンロード)7 ―ロスト― (in Japanese). SB Creative. ASIN 4815613990.
  18. 「ダンまち」以来のGA文庫大賞・大賞受賞作「処刑少女の生きる道」マンガ版開幕 (in Japanese). Natalie. June 5, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  19. Mateo, Alex (March 25, 2022). "Yen Press Licenses The Executioner and Her Way of Life Manga, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, Belle Novels". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  20. 処刑少女の生きる道―そして、彼女は甦る―(1) (in Japanese). Square Enix. ASIN 4757570988.
  21. "The Executioner and Her Way of Life, Vol. 1 (manga)". Yen Press. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  22. 処刑少女の生きる道(2) (in Japanese). Square Enix. ASIN 4757574142.
  23. 処刑少女の生きる道(3) (in Japanese). Square Enix. ASIN 4757578385.
  24. 処刑少女の生きる道(4) (in Japanese). Square Enix. ISBN 978-4-75-757982-8.
  25. Loo, Egan (July 15, 2021). "The Executioner and Her Way of Life Anime Unveils Main Staff, 2022 Debut". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  26. Loo, Egan (February 25, 2022). "The Executioner and Her Way of Life Anime's 4 Character Videos Announce April 1 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  27. "Sentai Snaps Up "The Executioner and Her Way of Life"". Sentai Filmworks. March 10, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  28. "✨Medialink April Line-Up Simulcast on Ani-One✨ 🪓《The Executioner and her way of Life》is arriving on Ani-One ULTRA!". Facebook. March 29, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  29. "Sutōrī -Shokei Shōjo Purojekuto Pōtaru Saito-" STORY -処刑少女プロジェクトポータルサイト- [Story -The Executioner Project Portal Site-]. virgin-road.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  30. "Stream The Executioner and Her Way of Life on HIDIVE". HIDIVE. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  31. "On'ea -Shokei Shōjo Purojekuto Pōtaru Saito-" ON AIR -処刑少女プロジェクトポータルサイト- [On Air -The Executioner Project Portal Site-]. virgin-road.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
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