Absolute Duo (Japanese: アブソリュート・デュオ, Hepburn: Abusoryūto Duo) is a Japanese light novel series by Takumi Hiiragiboshi with illustrations by Yū Asaba. Media Factory has published eleven volumes since 2012 under their MF Bunko J imprint. It has received two manga adaptations. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Eight Bit aired between January 4 and March 22, 2015.

Plot

Tor Kokonoe enrolls in Koryo Academy, a high school where its students battle each other with weapons known as Blaze (焔牙/ブレイズ, Bureizu) as training to become future peacekeepers. The students must pass a battle during the qualification ceremony of the freshmen day in order to be enrolled in the academy. Although most students manifest their Blazes as melee weapons, Tor’s ability manifests as a shield, making him an Irregular (イレギュラー, iregyurā). The school uses a special Duo system in which students are assigned partners. Tor is paired with Julie Sigtuna, a silver-haired girl from Scandinavia, and must share a room with her.

Light novels

The first light novel was published on August 24, 2012, by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J imprint. Eleven volumes have been published as of July 2016.

Manga

A manga adaptation with art by Shin’ichirō Nariie started serialization in Media Factory’s seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive from April 27, 2013, and has been collected in a three tankōbon volumes. A second spin-off four-panel comedy manga adaptation titled Absolute Duo Tea Party (アブソリュート・デュオ TEA PARTY) with art by Tor Oiwaka will also be serialized in Monthly Comic Alive magazine with the December 2014 issue to be sold on October 27, 2014. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series in North America.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation by Eight Bit was announced at Media Factory’s 2014 Summer School Festival event. It aired between January 4 and March 22, 2015, on AT-X. It also aired on Tokyo MX, Sun Television, Kyoto Broadcasting System, Television Aichi Broadcasting and Nippon BS Broadcasting at later dates. Crunchyroll began streaming episodes to parts of Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa in the same week, and Funimation has licensed the anime, broadcasting English-dubbed episodes on its online service starting March 16. Following Sony‘s acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.

The opening theme song is “Absolute Soul” by Konomi Suzuki, the first ending theme song is “BelievexBelieve” by Nozomi Yamamoto, the second ending theme song is “Apple Tea no Aji” (アップルティーの味, lit. The Taste of Apple Tea) by Yamamoto and Haruka Yamazaki, and the third ending theme song is “2/2” by Ayaka Imamura and Ayaka Suwa.

Absolute Duo
First light novel volume cover featuring Julie Sigtuna.
アブソリュート・デュオ (Abusoryūto Duo)
Genre	Action, fantasy, harem
Light novel
Written by	Takumi Hiiragiboshi
Illustrated by	Yū Asaba
Published by	Media Factory
Imprint	MF Bunko J
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	August 24, 2012 – present
Volumes	11
Manga
Written by	Takumi Hiiragiboshi
Illustrated by	Shin’ichirō Nariie
Published by	Media Factory
English publisher	NA Seven Seas Entertainment
Magazine	Monthly Comic Alive
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	April 27, 2013 – July 27, 2017
Volumes	4
Manga
Absolute Duo Tea Party
Written by	Takumi Hiiragiboshi
Illustrated by	Toru Oiwaka
Published by	Media Factory
Magazine	Monthly Comic Alive
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	October 27, 2014 – December 27, 2014
Volumes	1
Anime television series
Directed by	Atsushi Nakayama
Produced by	Hidetake Komiya Kazuo Ōnuki Keisuke Kaminaga Makoto Ito Mika Shimizu Uesama
Written by	Takamitsu Kōno
Music by	Atsushi Hirasawa
Studio	Eight Bit
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Crunchyroll
Original network	AT-X, Tokyo MX, Sun TV, KBS, TV Aichi, BS11
Original run	January 4, 2015 – March 22, 2015
Episodes	12 (List of episodes)