Arte (manga)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Print Template:Infobox animanga/Video Template:Infobox animanga/Footer Template:Nihongo is a Japanese manga series by Kei Ohkubo. It has been serialized in Tokuma Shoten's [[seinen manga|Template:Transl manga]] magazine Monthly Comic Zenon since October 2013. It has been collected in twenty Template:Transl volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Comikey. An anime television series adaptation by Seven Arcs aired from April to June 2020.

Plot

In early 16th-century Florence, Italy, Arte is the only daughter of the noble but decadent Spalletti household. Since her childhood, Arte has proved herself as having an unusual talent for painting, but when her father dies, her mother tries to force her to abandon her love for art and find a young nobleman to marry as soon as possible in order to save the Spallettis from ruin.

Arte, however, refuses to give up her dreams, and, going against the beliefs of her time, she starts searching for a master painter to work for, hoping to one day become a master painter herself.

Her strong determination ultimately catches the attention of the young but well-known painter Leo, who finally accepts her as his apprentice. Unfortunately, as time goes on, Arte finds herself falling in love with her mentor, and is forced to make her choice between her personal artistic dream and realistic love.

Characters

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The heiress of the noble Spalletti household of Florence. Since childhood, she had a deep love and talent for painting. To allow his daughter to satisfy her passion, her father provided her with the best teachers, but after his death, her mother forces her to give up her dream of becoming a master painter and get married as soon as possible to save their penniless family. Determined to protect her dreams at all costs, Arte ultimately leaves her house and her noble status behind and goes in search of a master to become an apprentice of, defying all the moral codes of her time.

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A young painter with an unhappy childhood and a past as a beggar, he accepts after many hesitations to take Arte as his apprentice, above all because in her he sees himself when he had decided to pursue his vocation at the expense of his humble origins.

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A young sculptor apprentice, he comes from a relatively wealthy family but was forced to work to help his father, magistrate of the Lordship, put aside the money necessary to pay the dowry of his five sisters. He falls in love with Arte at first sight.

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Rich, beautiful and a pragmatic courtesan, she is the most desired woman in Florence, with an endless crowd of admirers and clients. She takes a liking to Arte from their first meeting, to the point of commissioning her portrait, which then becomes the debut work of the young painter.

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Venetian nobleman and skilled merchant from the noble house Template:Nihongo, he accidentally gets to know Arte after visiting Veronica during a visit to Florence. Bewitched by the talent and decisive character of Arte, he proposes that she go to Venice to become both the family painter and the tutor of his niece.

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The eldest daughter of Malta and Template:Nihongo, a family of noble merchants and among the oldest in Venice. Arte is summoned to Venice to be her etiquette tutor.

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A seamstress and the daughter of a farmer. She has been sewing expertly since she was a child. Previously, she was jealous of the aristocracy of which Arte was a part, but she was impressed by her hard work and learned how to read and write with Arte teaching her.

Media

Manga

Arte is written and illustrated by Kei Ohkubo. It began serialization in Tokuma Shoten's Monthly Comic Zenon magazine on October 25, 2013. As of October 2024, twenty Template:Transl volumes have been published. The manga was formerly licensed in North America by Media Do, but is now licensed by digital manga publisher Comikey.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced by Tokuma Shoten on July 19, 2019. The series was animated by Seven Arcs and directed by Takayuki Hamana, with Reiko Yoshida handling series composition and Chieko Miyakawa designing the characters. Gorō Itō composed the series' music. It aired from April 4 to June 20, 2020, on Tokyo MX, BS Fuji, and ytv. Maaya Sakamoto performed the opening theme song "Clover", while Kiyono Yasuno performed the ending theme song "Hare Moyō".

On April 3, 2020, Funimation announced that they licensed the series for streaming in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Ireland. On October 9, 2020, Funimation announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day.

Reception

Template:Expand section The series received mixed reviews from critics. Caitlin Moore of Anime Feminist, reviewed the first episode, saying she thought the series would be like Snow White with the Red Hair but the series provides her wrong, saying that it has a "heart of steely determination" and said the series won her over when Arte chops off her long braid and is "ready to cut off her own breasts before someone stops her." Moore went onto say she liked Arte's character, seeing the series as "something special" and noted that although the series has a vision for Renaissance-era Italy which is not aligned with historical accuracy, it is enough "grit and texture" to hold her interest. In a three-episode check-in on the same site, Dee gave a different view, saying that she is "totally lukewarm" about the series, arguing that it can be shallow, misses the mark on becoming "a charming, inspiring historical fiction" and criticizing the possible romantic plotline between Arte and her painting teacher, Leo. In contrast, Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews said the series goes a "relatively cheerful" path with its message, with the core theme that Arte wants more control of her life, praised the animation for being "pretty decent" but argued that series could sometimes be a "bit on the nose" when it came to gender, while saying it was "fun to watch."

External links

• Arte Template:Webarchive at Monthly Comic Zenon Template:In lang
• Template:Official website Template:In lang Template:Webarchive
• Template:Ann