07-Ghost

and for the chapter, see Seven Ghosts (chapter). For the drama CD, see 07-GHOST.

07-Ghost is a fantasy manga written and illustrated by Yuki Amemiya and Yukino Ichihara respectively. It is currently serialized in the monthly shōjo manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Sixteen bound volumes have been released as of May 2013. The manga has been licensed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go!_Comi Go! Comi] for release in North America, but they stopped publishing in October 2009 and Viz Media has since picked up the license for the series. The series has been adapted into several drama CDs and a 25-episode television anime series from Studio Deen, which debuted in April 2009.

As of August 2013, the manga has concluded with the 99th chapter. Whether there will be a continuation of the anime adaptation is currently still unknown.

Development and Pilot chapters
There have been two side chapters that were released as an early idea of the storyline and would later serve as blueprints for the story.

The earliest one is named Seven Ghosts which appears to be a prototype of the first chapter as well as being the source where the personalities of the three Bishops; Castor, Frau, and Labrador, and Teito were derived from as well as several incidents which would later become canon e.g. Teito being a slave. Several of the features in the pilot chapter were removed altogether: Professor Lloyd's appearance in the Church, or changed slightly: Teito's brand on his forehead was later replaced with handcuffs, designs for the senior Military uniforms were also changed, and several incidents would later be added to the story.

The second prototype side chapter is named Begleiter and revolves around the two major antagonists of the series: Ayanami and Hyuuga. The chapter also introduces characters Yukinami and Suzunami, twin brothers who appear as students at the Military academy - the former being Ayanami's begleiter, and also introduces Ayanami's deceased previous begleiter, Yukikaze. In the finished series, the idea of Yukinami and Suzunami's role as students is dropped entirely, but they make an appearance later in the manga as combat slaves from Antwort. Yukikaze's connection with Ayanami remains the same, though his appearance changes.

Story
Teito Klein is a former slave sent to attend the Barsburg Empire's military academy due to his ability to use Zaiphon, the ability to turn life energy into various forms of energy, the ability being rare, and thus highly prized. Teito is an amnesiac and doesn't remember anything of his origins - what he does learn of his past comes from his recurring and often traumatizing dreams. After a year at the academy, Teito takes the graduation exam; it is notoriously difficult, with a pass rate of one in twenty-five. Teito and his best friend, Mikage, pass. That night, in their shared dorm room, they each promise to help the other at any cost.

The next day, Teito is delivering his application to his professor when he hears the strange jingling noise that he hears in his dreams. He stops to listen and realizes that one of the officers, Chief of Staff Ayanami, is the man who killed his father in his dreams. Teito is found eavesdropping and tries to attack him, but is quickly brought down by Hyuuga, one of Ayanami's subordinates, and sent to prison. Mikage comes to help him escape, only to find that Teito has managed to fight past the guards by himself. The two flee the building, but are cornered on a balcony. Teito pretends to hold Mikage hostage, threatening to kill him; and tries to escape when Ayanami sends a Zaiphon attack after him, which Teito manages to partly deflect. A Bishop in the nearby 7th District brings the injured Teito to the church to recuperate.

Characters
The 07 ghost series has an extensive cast of characters. Throughout the series, several new characters have been introduced, including a few filler characters that appear exclusively in the anime.

Style
The overall style for 07 Ghost fits into the fantasy manga genre. Although the plot is serious, there is a lot of comic relief, giving the story a more lighthearted tone. The characters are all complex, varied and entertaining, and the story is extremely emotional. It is often disputed as to whether it is a shōnen or shōjo manga, since it has qualities that appeal to both demographics."Character designs tend towards the bishōnen type. Even within our circle of bishops, there's the naughty rebel, the eyeglass character, and the lolishouta type. Despite the angst filled and mysterious storyline, the manga also includes quite a bit of humor from Teito's and Mikage's horseplay and our three bishops' quirks, and chibis and deformed expressions are used for these scenes."

- Sakura Eries, Mania.com Review

Manga
07 Ghost is currently serialized in the magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum published by Ichijinsha. Ten compilation volumes were released as of August 25, 2010, and the manga was completed as of August 2013. It has been licensed in North America by Go! Comi.

Anime
07-Ghost has been adapted into an anime by Studio DEEN. Directed by Nobuhiro Takamoto, the anime premiered on Chiba TV on April 6, 2009 and season one concluded on September 21, 2009.

Music
The 07 ghost anime series uses two pieces of theme music over the duration of twenty-five episodes. The opening piece is called Aka no Kakera (Red Shard, 赤の破片) and is performed by Yuki Suzuki. The second piece is called Hitomi no Kotae and is performed by Noria, and is used at the ending credits of each episode. Another piece by Noria is also used as an inset song between episodes 20-25 called 'Raggs no Chinkonka' Raggs Requiem.

Drama CDs
The first drama CD, Kamisama ni Todoku Koibumi, was released in 2007. It features many of the same voice actors that will be reprising their roles for the anime. A second drama CD was released in February 2009 entitled "The Day of Retribution". The second drama CD features the same voice cast for the previous CD and the anime, and a bonus track of the cast's comments and a specially drawn cover by the manga artist. In October the same year, another drama CD was released, titled "The Top News Headlines". Another drama CD was released in 2009. Limited edition DVDs have been released since autumn 2009. Thirteen mini-dramas are included in these DVDs.

Reception
The seventh volume of '07 Ghost was ranked 23rd on the Tohan charts between 26 November and 2 December 2008. Sakura Eries from Mania.com comments that the manga contains "supernatural shōnen action title with a complex plot" and "emotional moments between Teito and Mikage" for shōjo readers. The 9th Volume was ranked 13th on Oricon Manga Ranking charts between 23 and 29 November. The 10th Volume debuted at number 10 on Oricon Manga Ranking charts.

The manga had also won a double first prize in the third Zero Sum Comics grand-prix, which means it was chosen for first place by both readers and editors, which is very rare.