C3 is a Japanese light novel franchise about a high-school student who befriends a girl who is the human incarnation of a cursed torture device.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
C3, also known as C Cube or Cube×Cursed×Curious, is a Japanese light novel franchise written by Hazuki Minase and illustrated by Sasorigatame. Its title refers to the series' central combination of a cube-shaped object, curses, and curiosity. The story blends supernatural action, school-life comedy, romance, and darker material concerning the historical violence embodied by cursed artifacts. The narrative follows Haruaki Yachi, an independent high-school student whose archaeologist father is frequently overseas. Haruaki receives an unusually heavy black cube from his father and soon discovers that it can transform into a blue-haired girl named Fear Kubrick. Fear is actually Fear-In-Cube, a cursed tool created as a torture device. Over time, cursed tools acquire human characteristics and emotions, but their histories and abilities remain connected to the destructive purposes for which they were made. Fear wants to be freed from her curse, although doing so is difficult because organizations seek to study, capture, or destroy cursed tools and because her own past threatens to overwhelm her. Haruaki lives in a location described as unusually favorable for removing curses, and he is considered resistant to their effects. He promises to help Fear and is joined by Konoha Muramasa, a sword-shaped cursed tool who has lived with the Yachi household, and Kirika Ueno, a classmate and student council president who is connected to other dangerous cursed objects. Additional characters, including the doll-like cursed tool Kuroe Ningyouhara, expand the series' exploration of whether objects created for cruelty can develop independent identities and moral agency. The franchise began as a light novel series and was later expanded through manga and animation. A manga serialization ran in Dengeki Daioh from February 2011 through January 2013 and was collected by ASCII Media Works in three volumes. A television anime adaptation produced by Silver Link and associated with StarChild broadcast twelve episodes from October 1 through December 17, 2011. An additional original video animation was released on April 25, 2012. The anime was licensed for North American distribution by Funimation in late 2015, with the complete television series and OVA released in March 2016. C3's identity is therefore that of a cross-media Japanese fiction property rather than a corporate or retail brand. Its principal commercial forms are the original novels, manga volumes, television anime, OVA, and related licensed releases. Reception to the anime was mixed: reviewers criticized the perceived familiarity of its premise and the limited development of some characters, while also noting its visual presentation and entertainment value.
History
C3 is a Japanese light novel series created by writer Hazuki Minase and illustrator Sasorigatame. It is also identified by the names C Cube and Cube×Cursed×Curious. The property is built around the idea that objects made to fulfill human cruelty can acquire human form, emotions, and curses of their own. This premise gives the series a framework for combining supernatural conflict with questions about responsibility, identity, and whether an artifact can escape the purpose imposed on it by its creators. The story begins when Haruaki Yachi receives a mysterious, extremely heavy black cube from his archaeologist father, who is abroad. The cube transforms into Fear Kubrick, a girl who explains that she is a cursed tool. In her original form, Fear-In-Cube was a torture device with numerous mechanisms, including an iron maiden and a guillotine. Her history has left her vulnerable to violent impulses, while her curse can drive owners toward abusive and murderous behavior. Fear wants to have the curse removed and prefers her human form, but her past makes her a target for groups interested in researching, controlling, or eliminating cursed tools. Haruaki's home is located in a place associated with positive energy and the gradual removal of curses, and Haruaki himself is unusually resistant to their effects. He therefore offers Fear protection and undertakes to help her. The household and school environment gradually become the setting for encounters with other cursed tools. Konoha Muramasa, a sword in her true form, has a longstanding connection to Haruaki and struggles with the violent tendencies associated with her nature. Kirika Ueno, Haruaki's classmate and student council president, possesses two cursed tools whose powers come with severe physical and psychological costs. Kuroe Ningyouhara, a Japanese-doll-like cursed tool, uses controllable hair and operates a salon while maintaining a more stable relationship with her curse. These characters allow the series to contrast different responses to violent origins: suppression, accommodation, dependence, and attempted recovery. The property expanded beyond its original novel format through a manga serialization in Dengeki Daioh. The manga ran from February 26, 2011, to January 26, 2013, and ASCII Media Works later issued the material in three collected volumes. An anime adaptation was announced in 2011 and produced by Silver Link in association with StarChild, with Shin Oonuma directing and Michiko Yokote supervising series scripts. The television broadcast ran for twelve episodes between October 1 and December 17, 2011. An OVA followed on April 25, 2012. The anime used multiple opening and ending themes during its run. Yukari Tamura performed the opening theme used for the first eight episodes, while Eri Kitamura performed the later opening; the ending themes were likewise divided between songs associated with Eri Kitamura and Yukari Tamura. Funimation acquired the North American license in late 2015 and released the television series and OVA together in March 2016. Critical response to the anime was mixed. Reviews cited an unoriginal premise and underdeveloped characterization, but also described the visuals as effective and the overall viewing experience as entertaining. No reliable financial, ownership, corporate, or current-status information is established by the supplied reference material, so C3 is best documented as a media franchise rather than as a conventional commercial company or retail brand.
- 2016
North American complete release
[1]The complete anime series and OVA are released in North America in March.
- 2015
North American anime license is acquired
[1]Funimation acquires the North American license to the anime in late 2015.
- 2013
Manga concludes in Dengeki Daioh
[1]The manga serialization ends on January 26 and is subsequently collected in three volumes.
- 2012
OVA is released
[1]An original video animation episode is released on April 25.
- 2011
Manga adaptation begins
[1]A manga adaptation begins serialization in Dengeki Daioh on February 26.
- 2011
Anime adaptation is announced
[1]An animated television adaptation is announced through ASCII Media Works' Dengeki AnimeStyle publication.
- 2011
Television anime premieres
[1]The twelve-episode television adaptation begins broadcasting on October 1.
Products and positioning
A Japanese supernatural light novel franchise combining school-life storytelling, action, romantic comedy, and horror themes centered on cursed artifacts that take human form.
Light novels
C3 light novel series
The original C3 property is a Japanese light novel series written by Hazuki Minase and illustrated by Sasorigatame. It follows Haruaki Yachi and Fear Kubrick, a cursed torture device who can take human form, as they confront cursed-tool incidents and organizations interested in supernatural artifacts.
Manga · 2011
C3 manga
The manga adaptation serialized in Dengeki Daioh from February 2011 to January 2013. ASCII Media Works collected the chapters into three bound volumes, providing a print adaptation of the novel series' characters and cursed-tool conflicts.
Television anime · 2011
C3 television anime
Produced by Silver Link with StarChild, the television anime was directed by Shin Oonuma and had Michiko Yokote as script supervisor. Twelve episodes aired in Japan from October 1 to December 17, 2011.
Original video animation · 2012
C3 OVA
An additional original video animation episode connected to the television series was released on April 25, 2012.
Controversies
2022
C3 Limited fined over workplace safety failings
C3 Limited was ordered to pay a $90,000 fine and $20,000 in costs after safety failings connected with an excavator falling overboard from a logging ship in 2018. The company had pleaded guilty to breaching its duties under workplace safety law.
2022
C3 fined after excavator fell from a ship
A New Zealand court ordered stevedoring company C3 Limited to pay fines and restitution after an excavator fell into the water during loading operations. C3 pleaded guilty to violations of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was sentenced on February 4.
Brand decisions
2015
Expansion into North American distributionStrategyBackground
The completed Japanese anime property was made available for overseas licensing several years after its domestic broadcast.
Action taken
Funimation acquired the North American license for the television series and OVA.
Aftermath
The complete series and OVA were released in North America in March 2016.
2011
Launch of the C3 television adaptationProduct launchBackground
The light novel property was expanded into an animated television production after an announcement in an ASCII Media Works anime publication.
Action taken
Silver Link and StarChild produced a twelve-episode television series directed by Shin Oonuma, with the broadcast beginning on October 1, 2011.
Aftermath
The adaptation was followed by an OVA in 2012 and later received a North American license from Funimation.
Recent events
Reported
C3 fined after excavator fell from a ship[3]
A New Zealand court ordered stevedoring company C3 Limited to pay fines and restitution after an excavator fell into the water during loading operations. C3 pleaded guilty to violations of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was sentenced on February 4.
Reported
C3 Limited fined over workplace safety failings[2]
C3 Limited was ordered to pay a $90,000 fine and $20,000 in costs after safety failings connected with an excavator falling overboard from a logging ship in 2018. The company had pleaded guilty to breaching its duties under workplace safety law.
Reported
C3 and Coco announce delivery partnership[4]
C3 announced a partnership with Coco to deliver C3 virtual restaurant brands from digital kitchens in Los Angeles using Coco delivery robots. The article says expansion to additional Los Angeles neighborhoods and several major U.S. cities is planned.
C3 and WK Holding form Saudi Arabia joint venture[5]
C3 and Saudi investment firm WK Holding announced a $100 million joint venture to expand C3 into Saudi Arabia. C3 holds a 49 percent stake and WK Holding a controlling 51 percent stake.
Reported
C3 forms $100 million joint venture to expand into Saudi Arabia[6]
C3 is expanding into Saudi Arabia through a joint venture valued at $100 million with investment group WK Holding. C3 plans to open 500 locations in the region over five years.
Reported
C³ partners with Kitopi for Gulf expansion[7]
C³ announced a partnership with Kitopi to license C³ digital restaurant brands for Kitopi kitchens, beginning in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. The announcement describes the international expansion as planned.
Reported
C3 and Soom Soom Fresh form a joint venture[8]
C3 announced a joint venture with Soom Soom Fresh to expand the restaurant brand across the United States through C3's digital kitchens and upcoming food halls.
Reported
C3 and Kenect announce ghost-kitchen partnership[9]
C3 announced a partnership with Kenect to integrate C3 ghost kitchens into Kenect apartment communities. The kitchens were planned to launch at Kenect properties in Nashville and Phoenix in summer 2021, with expansion planned across future Kenect properties.
Reported
C3 announces plans for EllaMia restaurant concept[10]
C3 announced plans to convert 22 Specialty’s Café and Bakery locations acquired in an asset sale into EllaMia, a new brick-and-mortar restaurant concept.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
C3 leadership succession following Marv Wall’s retirement[11]
C3 vice president and co-owner Marv Wall retired, and controller Joe Rossmeissl assumed Wall’s financial leadership responsibilities and many of his other duties.
Sources11 sources
- 1C3 (novel series)en.wikipedia.org
- 2C3 Limited fined over workplace safety failingssunlive.co.nz
- 3C3 fined after excavator fell from a shipmaritime-executive.com
- 4C3与Coco宣布配送合作nrn.com
- 5C3与WK Holding成立沙特阿拉伯合资企业cairoscene.com
- 6C3成立1亿美元合资企业以拓展沙特阿拉伯市场therealdeal.com
- 7C³与Kitopi合作拓展海湾市场prnewswire.com
- 8C3与Soom Soom Fresh成立合资企业prnewswire.com
- 9C3与Kenect宣布幽灵厨房合作prnewswire.com
- 10C3宣布推出EllaMia餐饮概念的计划nrn.com
- 11Marv Wall退休后C3管理职责交接bedtimesmagazine.com
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