Heartwork: Symphony of Destruction

Heartwork ~Symphony Of Destruction~ , is an H anime based on an erotic video game of the same name. The three episode OVA adaptation is by Active Software.[1] and the series is directed by Bucifer and Tomohiro Koyama with Tomohiro Koyama also being the character designer. The series was released in English as Heartwork:Love Guns and sometimes known simply as Heartwork (ハートワーク, Hātowāku).

Heartwork ~Symphony Of Destruction~
GenreHentai, Action, Drama
Original video animation
ReleasedAugust 1997
Episodes3

Plot

In the past, police discovered that a gun used in several murder cases is "cursed", and whoever wields the said weapon is unable to hold back any wild or dangerous intentions, which usually end up with someone getting murdered. One fateful day, the university student Yuu Asakura accidentally bumps into a stranger and their briefcases are switched. Yuu discovers a gun, some money and a videotape which contains an assassination order and some background information on the target. He meets his backup partner with the codename "Angel" and without thinking further, Yuu unofficially takes on the job with the gun as his weapon. This leads to Yuu's downfall as his innocence is shattered when he travels into the world of murder, sex and violence. The series includes a number of bloody scenes and sexual abuses or activities. In keeping with the format of a video game, after characters like Hunter and Yuu are killed, they reappear alive in subsequent episodes.

Production

The work was directed and written by Hitoshi Kawaguchi. The animation is credited to Bucifer and Tomohiro Koyama. The music was provided by Artistic Concepts and Kishow Yamanaka. The original creator was Active Software and the production company was Kyushu Network Animation. The first episode is 30 minutes in length, second and third are 29 minutes in length.[2] The English translation was provided by Asia Pimplebutt, the translator of numerous hentai works in early 2000s.

The opening theme ~ Symphony of Destruction ~, and the ending theme Dawn ~ Yoake ~ was composed and arranged by Osamu Yamanaka Akira.[1]

Cast
Character Japanese English
Yuu AsakuraMaabo FukahireGeoff Goss
Masaki IchiharaChasukeChris Bowen
AngelErena KaibaraKelly Benz
Yukari MorikawaKaori ShinomiyaSaucy App
Nami KumagaiNana IchiiKelly Benz
Kengo KumagaiKenji HamadaTony De'Longo
Masami AsakuraKiyomi AsaiEmma Hughes
Morikawa's ColleagueMakoto AokiMark Dickerson
Mister XSakuzou YoshikawaDr. Julius U. Savage

Episodes
No. Title
1"JUNCTION: 01 Impatience"
(Japanese: JUNCTION：01「焦燥」)
University student accidentally Yuu Asakura bumps into a stranger and their briefcases are switched. When Yuu arrives home, he discovers the error and the briefcase contains money, a M1911 pistol and an unmarked videotape. Recorded on the tape is an assassination order addressed to "Hunter" and background information on the target who has been selling guns to a rival criminal organization. Yuu was also told to meet his backup partner codenamed "Angel" at her location. After meeting her, he is captivated and they spend the night having sex. Without further thinking, Yuu not only loses his innocence, but becomes a cold blooded killer once he holds the cursed gun. Meanwhile police chief, Yukari Morikawa, is on the trail of a "cursed" gun. Hunter, the original briefcase owner, tracks Yuu down, but Yuu kills him in a shootout. Later Yuu receives another videotaped mission.
2"JUNCTION: 02 Encounter"
(Japanese: JUNCTION：02「邂逅」)
Yuu Asakura's demeanor has changed, and when he is caught with the gun at his university, he blames another student, Matsui. He becomes interested in having sex with fellow student Hozumi Sakatsu who encourages another student, Kumi Misaki to join in. Thinking about Yuu’s gun, Hozumi thinks back to her youth when a gun was used to slaughter a family. Suddenly, Matsui takes the gun and shoots a teacher and then grabs Yuu, Hozumi, Kumi and other students and takes them hostage. The police arrive, led by Chief Morikawa, but Matsui shoots Yuu before they arrive and they kill Matsui in a blaze of gunfire.
3"JUNCTION: 03 Prohibition"
(Japanese: JUNCTION：03「禁忌」)

Yuu survives the gunshot*, and later at his home with his adopted family, his stepmother Misako seduces Yuu after she finds the cursed gun. Meanwhile, Chief Morikawa continues to search for the gun while "Hunter" has recovered from his wounds* and also tries to find it. Yuu’s teacher Miss Mizutani visits his home* to inquire why he is missing school, but his stepmother drugs the teacher and begins an erotic liaison with her but influenced by the gun, kills the teacher soon afterwards. The assassin Angel finds the apartment, but "Hunter" also arrives, and kills Misako, taking possession of the gun again.

  • Yuu, "Hunter" and Miss Mizutani all died in the 2nd episode. However, they are alive again in the 3rd episode in reference to the video game's logic that characters can respawn or reincarnate after death as if it never happened.

Release

The first OVA release was released on DVD August 28, 2003 and later followed up with a VHS release on October 24, 2003.[1]

Reception

The Anime Encyclopedia notes that the three episode OVA does not form a single coherent storyline. Instead the episodes seem to contain one or two plot lines from Active Soft's original game. The use of 2-d cel animation and three dimensional CG backgrounds creates a jarring visuals for the viewer, but the work is not without its merits.[2]

See also

References
  1. "HEARTWORK Symphony of Destruction JUNCTION：01 「焦燥」 の紹介". Active Soft. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  2. Clements, Jonathan (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 9781611729092.
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