[Angelique ~Hikari to Yami no Sacria~]
Original (Game): Angelique
Company: KOEI
Cover Illustrator: 由羅カイリ Yura Kairi
Released: 9/24/1994 KOEI
Catalogue Number: KECH-1060
Price: 3059 yen (with tax), 2913 yen (w/out tax)
Cast:
結城比呂 Yuuki Hiro (マルセル Marcel)
岩田光央 Iwata Mitsuo (ゼフェル Zephel)
速水 奨 Hayami Shou (ジュリアス Julious)
島田 敏 Shimada Bin (クラヴィス Clavis)
堀内賢雄 Horiuchi Kenyuu (オスカー Oscar)
飛田展男 Tobita Nobuo (リュミエール Lumiale)
林 延年/神奈延年 Canna Nobutoshi (ランディ Randy)
関 俊彦 Seki Toshihiko (ルヴァ Luva)
子安武人 Koyasu Takehito (オリヴィエ Olivie)
田中敦子 Tanaka Atsuko (ディア Dia)
白鳥由里 Shiratori Yuri (アンジェリーク Angelique)
勝生真沙子 Katsuki Masako (女王 Queen)
池田秀一 Ikeda Shuichi (カティス Catis)
Summary + Review:
For those who don't know, Angelique is a Girl's romance simulation game developed by KOEI in the 1990s. You can find detailed information at Neo-Romance.net, so I'll skip the 101 intro.
A couple things though:
1. Ken is a RABID Clavis x Julious fan XDDD
2. Ken is DETERMINED to preach Dark x Light to EVERYONE XDDDD
3. Ken does NOT hesitate to make her drama summaries as BL as she can, even though this is supposed to be all-age.
4. Ken is assuming that people who read this has a pretty good idea what Angelique is XDD
So there XDD Beware then, of the incoming madness:
This CD is the first of the Angelique series, and of course the surface of KOEI's money-eating hellhole (I should stop using that term >_>) AND the beginning of the crusade of conquering all the Angelique CDs. If I'm not wrong in one of the seiyuu interviews they DID mention that there's over 100 CDs involved (orz)..........
The early Angelique always had a touch of tragedy. Unlike the Etoile version where everyone are happy-go-lucky, these dramas show the more negative and depressing side of the Guardians, their fate, and the burdens of their duties.
*****
Angelique's soul, before birth, is greeted by the Queen and appointed as the next Queen Candidate. Her infant soul traces the happenings of the Sanctuary in spirit.
Marcel enters the Sanctuary as the next Guardian of Green. He is received by Catis and introduced to the rest of the Guardians. While he is awed by the new environment and the aura of the Guardians' powers, he also realizes that having entered the Sanctuary, there is no way to return to his previous life, friends, and family.
"If I return to the world outside, lots of time would have passed already. Of course, my own family, my friends, would be no longer existant."
"Catis-sama, did the other Guardians also leave behind everything to come to this land?"
A bit on the Guardian seiyuus, this early CD of course portrayed the Guardians rather differently than what we're used to now. Or rather, the seiyuus' interpretation of these characters mature over the years. An obvious example is Olivie, who is still APPARENTLY very feminine in this CD *laughs*. I believe that later on Olivie gradually loses his "homo" way of speaking...as his seiyuu Koyasu Takehito also noted in the Twins Collection interviews that "Olivie is definitely becoming very manly" XDDDDD. But it's still amusing to note the early Olivie who always attaches random -yo endings to highlight his tone and uses "atashi" to call himself XDD.
Shimada Bin was the seiyuu for Clavis at this point. Not exactly impressive and sounding more grumpy than elegant...but that's of course because his successor is Shiozawa-sama XD Actually, I think that Shimada's Clavis is closer to Shiozawa's clavis than Tanaka Hideyuki, who voices Clavis now. That also has to do with the fact that Clavis did indeed change a lot personality-wise from past to present. Julious, on the other hand, had a rather stable voice throughout all these years. The other one who went through a lot of changing is actually Luva, whose voice turned much lighter than what he sounded like in this CD with the progression of time.
Marcel continues to bump around and interacts with the rest of the Guardians (like when he bumped into Clavis, who was trying to help an injured bird and was quite displeased that Marcel found him being remotely gentle XDDD)
"What are you laughing at? If you continue to loiter around, you'll be late for the luncheon. Besides, Julious will not favor you if you went along with me."
***
Marcel: "Ano...Julious-sama, I heard something weird from Clavis-sama earlier..."
Julious: "from Clavis?"
Marcel: "Y, yes...Clavis-sama said...that if I was close to him, Julious-sama will dislike me..."
Randy: "Marcel!"
Oscar: "You talk too much!"
Julious: "......don't mind it too much, Marcel."
***
There were a lot of conflict and pain in the earlier days, especially in the younger Guardians. The older Guardians are in no better relationship either. After hearing Olivie indicating that Julious is a detestable man, Marcel concludes:
"But, if people aren't good friends to each other, isn't it very tragic?"
Things begin to turn wrong when Zephel disappeared. Marcel is the first to find him, in the middle of preparing to flee the Sanctuary.
"I'm not doing it, I hate this place!"
"Do you know what being Guardians are all about? Obliging to the Queen who reigns the universe, that's at the cost of a lifetime devotion isn't it? Are you really okay with that? It's not for me. It's NOT for me at all!!"
"...won't you come with me? Even if I return home, my friends are already aged and dead...plus, it wouldn't be troublesome to arrange for you to come..."
"Zephel-san..."
"Won't you come with me...?"
Zephel becomes desperate when he is surrounded by Julious and the rest. He begs Marcel to support him, who is torn between duty and friendship. Eventually Marcel returns to the rest of the Guardians, but deeply hurting Zephel by doing so.
"I don't even want to SEE your face! I don't want to BREATH the same air as you guys! What's with the Queen, the Guardians, the Sacria, EVERYTHING SHOULD JUST DISAPPEAR!!!!!"
Zephel bursts in anger and releases a black surge of Sacrea. Both Zephel and Marcel are influenced by this negative surge of power and fell into the crevice of despair that is called the Hell of Nadoraga. The two boys find themselves in a deserted land full of vengeful spirits.
While Zephel and Marcel bravely fight back, The rest of the Guardians also prepare to rescue the two young boys by uniting their Sacrea. However, the Guardians cannot open the path to Nadoraga.
***
Julious: "Why, why can't our Sacrea unite?"
Catis: "...Isn't that because, same as Zephel, we also obtain the black Sacrea? In our minds, we each generate the same negative Sacrea."
Olivie: "Yes...even though I don't want to admit it, I don't like any of you here. Aren't you the same?"
Randy: "...But!! Then we can't save those two!"
***
The situation around Zephel and Marcel has become desperate. However, both of them refused to ditch their partner and flee.
["Please, help!! Please help Zephel!!!]
["If only Marcel can be saved!!"]
Suddenly, a white light surrounds the two boys. Angelique, who has been watching this in her spirit form, releases a golden Sacrea in wish of saving those two. She appears in her golden-haired form and introduces herself as the future reigning Queen.
Marcel and Zephel are safely returned to the Sanctuary, to everyone's relief. Peace returns to the sanctuary. While Zephel and Randy still fight, their relationship seemingly improves. And Marcel has successfully joined the trio of young friends.
Clavis and Julious alone sees Catis off. Without a family to return to, Catis decides to travel around the planets. The two watches Catis walking away in the distance.
Clavis: "There will eventually come one day that we also leave here..."
Julious: "At that time, can we also leave with such a lighthearted attitude?"
Catis: *shouting back* "Hey, I forgot to say. Julious, Clavis---you two, be good friends to each other!"
Julious: *chuckles* "He has stated the obvious."
Clavis: "Let's be companions, for just a little, then."
*****
On a distant planet, a baby is born under expectancy.
"Let's name her, Angelique. It means the one who delivers God's words."