Yami to Bōshi to Hon no Tabibito


Yami to Bōshi to Hon no Tabibito, also known as Yamibō/Yamibou for short, is a Japanese adult visual novel published in December 2002 by Root. A 13-episode anime series produced by Studio Deen aired between October and December 2003. Although the characters and their relationships remain basically the same in the game and anime, the storyline is quite different.

Plot

Game

The game begins with a girl who is taken to a strange, magical realm by a dragon. She apparently was taken to the library where all past, present, and future realities are kept within the books. The player is a young man who has come from one of these books as well, but has forgotten his way back home. The player is commissioned to find the missing girl by the denizens of the library, and starts his search by entering different books.

Anime

The story follows the travels of Hazuki Azuma, a tall, brooding high-school girl, as she searches for her adopted older sister and love interest, Hatsumi, in many different "book worlds". After the disappearance of her sister, a talking parakeet nicknamed Ken-chan introduces Hazuki to Lilith, the caretaker of the Great Library. Each book in the library contains a different world, and the guardian of the library takes on the title Yami.

Characters

;Hazuki Azuma
;Hatsumi Azuma
;Lilith
;Ken
;Arya
;Kogechibi
;Gargantua
;Ritsuko
;Milka
;Fujihime
;Meirin
;Lala
;Tamamonomae
;Seiren
;Yōko Sumeragi
;Princess Mariel

Adaptations

Manga

There is a one-book manga adaptation, Yami to Bōshi to Hon no Tabibito ~Romance, illustrated by Aya Sakurai. It is a compressed version of the game's events, following the storyline that leads to a romantic relationship between the nameless main character and Lilith.

Anime

A 13-episode anime television series adaptation was produced by the animation studio Studio Deen and directed by Yūji Yamaguchi. The anime aired in Japan between October 2 and December 25, 2003 on MBS. The anime's opening theme is "Hitomi no Naka no Meikyū" by Aiko Kayō and the ending theme is "Eien no Inori o Sasagete" by Sanae Kobayashi. The anime was licensed for release in North America by Anime Works. It will be broadcast on Toku beginning on July 19, 2016.

Episodes

Video game

A spin-off game exists known as Yami to Bōshi to Hon no Tabibito Typing Travellers was released in 2004, it intended to teach typing skills. It was based on the anime and even uses screencaps from it.