| The Deer King | |
 First novel reprinted volume cover | |
| 鹿の王 (Shika no Ō) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Novel series | |
| Written by | Nahoko Uehashi |
| Illustrated by | HACCAN |
| Published by | Kadokawa |
| English publisher | |
| Original run | September 25, 2014 –March 27, 2019 |
| Volumes | 2 (first edition) 4 + 1 extra (second edition) |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nahoko Uehashi |
| Illustrated by | Taro Sekiguchi |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| English publisher |
|
| Magazine | Young Ace Up |
| Original run | July 26, 2021 –March 2, 2022 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Anime film | |
| Directed by | Masashi Ando Masayuki Miyaji |
| Written by | Taku Kishimoto |
| Music by | Harumi Fuuki |
| Studio | Production I.G |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | June 14, 2021 (2021-06-14) (Annecy) February 4, 2022 (2022-02-04) (Japan) |
| Runtime | 114 minutes |
 Anime and manga portal | |
The Deer King (Japanese:鹿の王,Hepburn:Shika no Ō;lit. "King of Deer") is a Japanesefantasy novel series written byNahoko Uehashi.Kadokawa published the original novel in two volumes in September 2014, and then republished it in four reprinted volumes between June and July 2017. Amanga adaptation with art by Taro Sekiguchi was serialized online viaKadokawa Shoten'sYoung Ace Up website between July 2021 and March 2022. It was collected in twotankōbon volumes.[1] Ananime film adaptation produced byProduction I.G premiered on February 4, 2022.
In the years following a vicious war, the Empire of Zol now controls the land and citizens of rival Aquafa-except for Aquafa's Fire Horse Territory, where wild dogs that once carried the deadly Black Wolf Fever continue to roam free. When a pack of dogs race through a Zol-controlled mine, Van, an enslaved former soldier, and a young girl named Yuna are both bitten, but manage to escape as the sole survivors of the attack. Finally free, Van and Yuna seek out a simple, peaceful existence in the countryside. But as the deadly disease once again runs rampant, they find themselves at the crossroads of a struggle much larger than any one nation.
During theirSakura-Con 2023 panel,Yen Press announced that they licensed the novels.[5]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 17, 2017[6] | 978-4-04-105489-5 | September 19, 2023[7] | 978-1-97-535233-2 |
| 2 | June 17, 2017[8] | 978-4-04-105508-3 | January 23, 2024[9] | 978-1-97-535236-3 |
| 3 | July 25, 2017[10] | 978-4-04-105509-0 | — | — |
| 4 | July 25, 2017[11] | 978-4-04-105510-6 | — | — |
| Ex | June 12, 2020[12] | 978-4-04-109292-7 | — | — |
During their Sakura-Con 2023 panel, Yen Press announced that they also licensed the manga.[5]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 2021[13] | 978-4-04-111811-5 | September 19, 2023[14] | 978-1-97-536040-5 |
| 2 | March 10, 2022[15] | 978-4-04-111812-2 | January 23, 2024[16] | 978-1-97-536300-0 |
Ananime adaptation was announced on June 21, 2018.[17] It was later announced to be an animefilm adaptation produced byProduction I.G.[18] The film is directed byMasashi Ando andMasayuki Miyaji, with Ando designing the characters,Taku Kishimoto handling the scripts, and Harumi Fuuki composing the film's music.[19]Closing credits feature the songOne Reason byMilet. The movie was originally scheduled to premiere on September 18, 2020, but was delayed to September 10, 2021, due to undisclosed reasons.[20][21][2] The film was delayed again in August 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[22] It premiered on February 4, 2022.[23]
The film had its world premiere in the official feature film competition[24] atAnnecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2021. It has been licensed for release in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and French-speaking Europe byAnime Limited.[25] Selecta Visión acquired the distribution rights for Spain, with a theatrical release date set for June 9, 2022.[26][27]GKIDS acquired the film for release in North America and screened it in both Japanese with English subtitles and an English dub on July 13, 2022.[28][29]
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume 4.5/5 stars. She wrote, "in the Makokan segments, it reads like a fantasy version of the nonfiction bookThe Ghost Map, about efforts to discover the root cause ofcholera", and concluded, "How all of this will come together isn't clear, but it's going to be a fascinating journey to follow. This is one of those books that you could give to your friend who doesn't care for light novels but reads fantasy, and it's worth picking up."[30]
June 14
