Mirage of Blaze



Mirage of Blaze is a light novel series written by Mizuna Kuwabara. It was adapted into a thirteen episode anime season in 2002. A three part OVA titled Rebels of the River Edge was released in 2004. The translation of the light novels can be found here

Ougi Takaya is a seventeen year old high school student whose life changes drastically when he is attacked by a man with supernatural powers, a confrontation which awakens the same abilities in him. The man identifies himself as Naoe Nobutsuna and claims Takaya is Lord Kagetora, adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin whom he has sworn to serve. He reveals that the source of their powers stems from the fact that they are Possessors, souls who have been possessing human bodies for over four hundred years.

With Kagetora as their leader, the Possessors have been fighting the Feudal Underworld, an army of vengeful spirits of samurai who fell during the Warring States era. Some of these spirits are also able to possess bodies and do so in order to restart the wars, this time to end them in their favor. Takaya has no memory of this however and and refuess to believe he is Kagetora. As he begins to remember however, he becomes increasingly distraught and begins to draw on Naoe for support, but Naoe is neither the mentor nor the convenient protector Takaya thinks he is.

One of the main themes that make Mirage of Blaze stand out is the complicated relationship of Kagetora and Naoe.

Mirage of Blaze provides examples of:

 * All Take and No Give: Kagetora and Naoe are this trope.
 * Ambiguously Gay: Kagetora,.
 * Anguished Declaration of Love: Naoe to Kagetora.
 * Asia Rune Chant: whenever the Possesors exorcize spirits or summon creatures or guardians.
 * Awful Truth: Naoe.
 * Badass Biker / Biker Babe: Haruie
 * Battle Butler: Naoe
 * Bishonen: Kagetora, Naoe
 * Black and Grey Morality
 * Bodyguard Crush: Naoe.
 * Bottle Fairy: Haruie
 * Boys Love
 * Break the Cutie: Kagetora.
 * Cherry Blossoms
 * Driven to Suicide: Kagetora.
 * Eyes of Gold / Hellish Pupils: Kagetora
 * Gender Bender
 * Haruie.
 * Also Kagetora.
 * Historical Domain Character: Uesugi Kagetora, Naoe Nobutsuna, Haruie Kakizaki, Yasuda Nagahide, Uesugi Kenshin, Houjou Ujiyasu, Houjou Ujimasa, Houjou Ujiteru, Takeda Shingen, Date Masamune, Date Kojirou
 * I Am Who?: Kagetora.
 * I Did What I Had to Do: Naoe is willing to do anything for Kagetora, and has proved it repeatedly.
 * If I Can't Have You: Naoe.
 * Immortality: The Possessors
 * Intimate Healing: Naoe.
 * Jidai Geki: The many flashbacks of the Possessors' past lives.
 * Keigo: Kagetora-sama indeed.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia: Kagetora,.
 * Love Makes You Crazy / Love Makes You Evil: Naoe
 * Manly Tears: Naoe and Kagetora during Naoe's breakdown.
 * May-December Romance: Kagetora and Naoe,.
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: When Naoe.
 * My God, What Have I Done?: Naoe
 * Near-Rape Experience: Naoe and Kagetora.
 * Our Ghosts Are Different: Aside from vengeful spirits, there also exist guardian spirits who are bound to a single place.
 * Our Souls Are Different: The Possessors
 * Parental Abandonment: Kagetora.
 * Power Glows
 * Protective Charm
 * Rape as Backstory: Kagetora
 * Redemption Equals Death: Houjou Ujiteru.
 * Reincarnation Romance: Naoe and Kagetora, and also Haruie.
 * Sarcastic Devotee: Naoe who mocks Kagetora's weakness, Haruie, and Nagahide who's borderline insubordinate.
 * Say My Name
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Nagahide
 * Sexy Mentor: Naoe, in the beginning, subverted.
 * Single-Target Sexuality: Naoe has only ever loved Kagetora.
 * Smoking Is Cool / Smoking Is Glamorous: Naoe, especially in the OVA.
 * Snow Means Love: The end of the OVA.
 * Sparkling Stream of Tears
 * Invisible to Gaydar: Naoe
 * The Chessmaster: Naoe,.
 * The Four Gods
 * Tomato in the Mirror: Kagetora
 * Troubled but Cute: Kagetora
 * True Companions
 * Uncomfortable Elevator Moment: More so for Kagetora than Naoe.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension:
 * Villainous Crossdresser
 * What Beautiful Eyes!: Naoe comments on the brilliance of Kagetora's eyes