Babylon (novel series)

Babylon (バビロン) is a Japanese suspense thriller novel series written by Mado Nozaki and illustrated by Zain. A manga adaptation by Nobuhide Takishita was published in 2019, and an anime television series adaptation by Revoroot aired from October 6, 2019 to January 27, 2020 which was streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.

Plot
Zen Seizaki is a public prosecutor in the newly created Shiniki district west of Tokyo which is a testing ground for a new nation. He investigates a pharmaceutical company promoting a defective drug following reports of falsified test results by university labs. During the investigation, Shin Inaba, an anesthetist is found dead and a bloodstained document is discovered, which includes hair and skin, covered with letter "F". Seizaki's investigation leads to a plot involving the mayoral elections and manipulation of the Shiniki population to embrace a new legislation legalizing suicide. Seizaki discovers that a sinister woman named Ai Magase appears to be behind the push to legalize suicide and is causing the deaths of all of those who oppose her.

Characters

 * Zen Seizaki (正崎善)
 * Public prosecutor at Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office who leads an investigation into the Shiniki mayoral elections and possible manipulation of the population. When the investigation expands overseas, Zen joins the FBI. In his personal life, he is a married man and the loving devoted father of a little boy named Asuma.
 * Public prosecutor at Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office who leads an investigation into the Shiniki mayoral elections and possible manipulation of the population. When the investigation expands overseas, Zen joins the FBI. In his personal life, he is a married man and the loving devoted father of a little boy named Asuma.


 * Ai Magase (曲世愛)
 * Main antagonist of the series. She is a master of disguise and appears as a number of different women. She uses the unique qualities of her voice to make people to commit suicide, convincing them that ending their lives is "good".
 * Main antagonist of the series. She is a master of disguise and appears as a number of different women. She uses the unique qualities of her voice to make people to commit suicide, convincing them that ending their lives is "good".


 * Shinobu Kujiin (九字院偲)
 * Assistant Police Inspector.
 * Assistant Police Inspector.


 * Atsuhiko Fumio (文緒厚彦)
 * Young officer in the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office who unexpectedly commits suicide.
 * Young officer in the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office who unexpectedly commits suicide.


 * Hiasa Sekuro (瀬黒陽麻)
 * She is an Assistant Officer who is assigned to Seizaki’s team, and is also the niece of the Kasumigaseki Vice Minister of Justice, Yoshifumi Sekuro. She is kidnapped by Magase, who then cuts her limbs with an axe and kills her by decapitating her.
 * She is an Assistant Officer who is assigned to Seizaki’s team, and is also the niece of the Kasumigaseki Vice Minister of Justice, Yoshifumi Sekuro. She is kidnapped by Magase, who then cuts her limbs with an axe and kills her by decapitating her.


 * Yasutaka Morinaga (守永泰孝)
 * Head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.
 * Head of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office.


 * Ariyoshi Hanta (半田有吉)
 * A newspaper journalist. A close friend of Zen Seizaki from their college days.
 * A newspaper journalist. A close friend of Zen Seizaki from their college days.


 * Ryūichirō Nomaru (野丸龍一郎)
 * He is the Former Secretary General of the Liberal Justice Party and a middle-aged mayoral candidate.
 * He is the Former Secretary General of the Liberal Justice Party and a middle-aged mayoral candidate.


 * Kaika Itsuki (齋開化)
 * 30 year old successful mayoral candidate who pushes for law reform to legalize suicide.
 * 30 year old successful mayoral candidate who pushes for law reform to legalize suicide.


 * Hitomi Seizaki (正崎人美)
 * Zen's wife and Asuma's mother.
 * Zen's wife and Asuma's mother.


 * Asuma Seizaki (正崎アスマ)
 * Zen and Hitomi's young son and only child.
 * Zen and Hitomi's young son and only child.

Novel
Mado Nozaki published the first novel in the series, with illustrations by Zain, under Kodansha's Kodansha Taiga label in 2015. Three volumes have been published.

Manga
A manga adaptation with art by Nobuhide Takishita began serialization on Kodansha's Comic Days website on February 25, 2019 and ended on October 7, 2019. It was compiled into two volumes, both released on October 9, 2019.

Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced to be in production in March 2018. The series is animated by Revoroot and produced by Twin Engine. Kiyotaka Suzuki directs the series, while Keisuke Goto provides the series' character designs, and Yutaka Yamada composes the series' music. The series aired from October 6, 2019 to January 27, 2020 on Tokyo MX, BS11 and AT-X, with Amazon Video streaming the first three episodes worldwide. The third story arc was delayed and resumed on December 30, 2019. The first story arc opening theme song is "Live and let die" by Q-MHz featuring uloco. The second story arc opening theme song is "Inochi food soul" by Q-MHz featuring Mikako Komatsu. The third story arc opening theme song is "The next new world that no one knows (blood stained ver.)" by Q-MHz featuring Namirin.

On February 11, 2021, it was announced Sentai Filmworks has licensed the anime for a North American home video release and it was released on Blu-ray and digital on May 11, 2021.