Caligula (Japanese: カリギュラ, Hepburn: Karigyura) is a Japanese anime television series adaptation of the video game The Caligula Effect. It is produced by studio Satelight, and aired from April 8 to June 24, 2018.
Contents
Plot
The narrative centers on Ritsu Shikishima, a high school student who begins to perceive irregularities in his seemingly perfect world, such as hearing a mysterious voice through his phone and noticing inconsistencies in his environment. These anomalies lead him to the revelation that his reality is, in fact, a virtual construct known as Mobius. This artificial realm was created by the sentient virtual idol μ (Mu) with the intention of rescuing humanity from suffering by confining individuals within a fabricated utopia. Determined to return to the real world, Ritsu joins forces with eight other students to form the "Go-Home Club." Together, they confront various challenges and adversaries, including the "Ostinato Musicians," devotees of μ who strive to maintain the illusion of Mobius. As the group delves deeper into the mysteries of their false reality, they confront their own personal traumas and the reasons that led them to seek refuge in Mobius, all while striving to find a way back to their true lives.
Characters
The voice actors for the cast differ slightly from the game.
Ritsu Shikishima (式島 律, Shikishima Ritsu)
Voiced by: Chiharu Sawashiro
The protagonist. In the video game, the protagonist does not have a name and can be either male or female.
μ (ミュウ, Myū)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda
Izuru Minezawa (峯沢 維弦, Minezawa Izuru)
Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara, Tomoaki Maeno
Shougo Satake (佐竹 笙悟, Satake Shōgo)
Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi
Aria (アリア)
Voiced by: Asami Shimoda
Ike-P (イケP)
Voiced by: Soma Saito
Kagi-P (カギP)
Voiced by: Shouta Aoi
Suzuna Kagura (神楽 鈴奈, Kagura Suzuna)
Voiced by: Minami Tanaka
Kotono Kashiwaba (柏葉 琴乃, Kashiwaba Kotono)
Voiced by: Rie Murakawa
Mirei (ミレイ)
Voiced by: Eriko Nakamura
Marie Mizuguchi (水口 茉莉絵, Mizuguchi Marie)
Voiced by: Mai Fuchigami
Naruko Morita (守田 鳴子, Morita Naruko)
Voiced by: Ari Ozawa
Shadow Knife (シャドウナイフ, Shadou Naifu)
Voiced by: Yuma Uchida
Mifue Shinohara (篠原 美笛, Shinohara Mifue)
Voiced by: Rie Takahashi
Shounen Doll (少年ドール, Shōnen Dōru)
Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori
Thorn (ソーン, Sōn)
Voiced by: Yuka Ōtsubo
Sweet-P (スイートP, Suīto-P)
Voiced by: Emi Nitta
Kotarou Tomoe (巴 鼓太郎, Tomoe Kotarō)
Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya
Anime
FuRyu announced during a livestream presentation that The Caligula Effect was to be adapted into a television anime. It premiered in April 2018. The anime is directed by Junichi Wada at Satelight, with Touko Machida handled the series composition, Kenji Tanabe designed the characters based on Oguchi's original design, and Yasuharu Takanashi alongside Funta7, Tsukasa Masuko, Kenji Iwata, and RegaSound composed the music. The opening theme song is "Paradigm Box" by Chiharu Sawashiro and Shunsuke Takeuchi, while the ending theme song is "Hypno" by Minami Tanaka, Rie Murakawa, Ari Ozawa, and Rie Takahashi. The series ran for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the series. The series has been licensed for a North American physical release by Discotek Media.
