A new season has been announced for 2008 on Spike TV.^[3] Takashi Okazaki said in the new season Afro “loses his way, gets tired of all the killing” and he “wakes up to his destiny, which is to be the world’s number one warrior.”

The anime series features noted American actor Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of the titular character and his sidekick, as well as one of the co-producers, and also features Ron Perlman and Kelly Hu as character voices. Wu-Tang Clan member RZA produced the original hip hop musical score,^[4] which was released on compact disc by Koch Records on January 30, 2007 in both uncut and edited versions. The series was also licensed for North American distribution by Funimation, who released two versions: a SpikeTV version and an unrated directors cut on DVD. Both were released on May 22, 2007. In August 2005, Japan-based game developers Namco announced they would be releasing Afro Samurai related video games.^[5]

The cost of each episode is estimated at one million dollars^[6], which is a record for GONZO.

There are plans to produce a live-action Afro Samurai movie, also starring Samuel L. Jackson as the title character^[7], although production has not yet begun.

A video game adaptation of the series has been announced and will be released on the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.

Plot summary

The TV anime series is set in a “futuristic, yet feudal Japan,” and stars a samurai named Afro for his hair. The story follows Afro as he tries to avenge his father’s murder.^[8] In the world of Afro Samurai, it is said that the one who becomes “Number One” will rule the world, wielding powers akin to a god. Someone becomes Number One by killing the previous Number One and taking his ceremonial headband. However, the only rule in this world is that only the “Number Two” (also designated by a sacred headband) is allowed to fight the “Number One.” The downside of this is that anyone (and typically everyone) can challenge and try to kill the Number Two, to gain the right to move forward and challenge Number One. Afro Samurai’s father was the old Number One, until he was challenged by a gunman, “Justice” (who was then Number Two), who fought him in a duel to become the new Number One. At the time the gunman challenged his father, Afro had only been a child. The gunman severed his father’s head right in front of the young Afro. Now an adult, Afro Samurai is the current Number Two and a master swordsman; he travels the road seeking revenge on Justice, the current Number One. Lengthy flashbacks interspersed throughout the story detail how Afro rose from frightened boy fleeing the death of his father, to master swordsman, and eventually to become the current “Number Two”, while the story in the present deals with the adult Afro making his way to the mountain top keep of the “Number One” to duel Justice, while at the same time the mysterious cult known as the “Empty Seven Clan” sends various agents to kill Afro and take his Number Two headband.^[9]

Story

The protagonist of the story is Alice, who mysteriously enters the world of the witches. Herself an enthusiast of witchcraft she is delighted, however she is not satisfied with the way of the witches, insisting that magic only be used to make people happy. She is marked as a troublemaker when she releases all the sprites the witches have captured for use as the source of magic spells. Later in the series, the witches interact with the world of the wizards as both try to save their worlds from destruction.

The Plot

Although the plot was slightly changed from the original story, the basis of the plot remained like the original story and starts with the lonely poor carpenter Mister Geppetto, whom receives one day a mysterious wooden log from which he carves a marionette which comes to life and becomes the child he never had. Mister Geppetto sends Pinocchio to school but Pinocchio which is mischievous, inquisitive and innocent gets tempted to do irresponsible things and eventually he flees away from his home, undergoes great adventures but eventually he learns the meaning of responsibility, rescues Mister Geppetto from a whale at the end is transformed by the Fairy with Turquoise Hair into a real boy

It premiered as a part of the omnibus show Anime Complex on WOWOW and is distributed in North America by Pioneer Entertainment (now Geneon Entertainment). This series departs the most from the basic manga storyline, and indeed, shares next to no continuity with the previous series. [1]. However, in several volumes of the manga series (and in a collective volume of its own) several episodes of the show had their debut as short comic strips.

Notably, this is one of the few times Kikuko Inoue was not able to do Belldandy’s voice work throughout, as she was on maternity leave for the first thirteen episodes.

Plot Outline

The series basically revolves around the three goddesses and their rat companion Gan-chan’s adventures in their temple home. The goddesses remain constantly in miniaturized form, for apparent freedom of space and in order to properly interact with Gan-chan. Most of the humor in the show is centered on the relationship of the goddesses – particularly Urd and Skuld – with Gan-chan. From episodes 25 and 26 (“Chu Hard“) on, Marller joins the cast and provides additional hilarity with her futile attempts to eliminate the goddesses once and for all.

Most of the original characters from the mainstream series are not featured, although in one episode Keiichi has a small vocal cameo, and the ninja trio created by Marller – Kodama, Hikari and Nozomi – appear as antagonists in the double episode “Rules of the Ninja“.

Although the show is aimed at children between the ages of three to ten, it is popular for men and women of all ages.^{[citation needed]}

Each episode features a mini musical performance, with original songs written and composed by Greg Chun from Hollywood.

Overview

The series focuses on core values established more than 30 years ago by Sanrio such as: happiness, family values, friendship, and educational values.

• Unlike the older series, which were short and cute episodes, this is an educational TV series that targets both the children and their parents.
• The animation works together with real actors in teaching children from age two to six about words, simple math, shapes, colors and foreign languages like Chinese & Japanese.
• The series offers an entertaining way for children to learn about social interaction and behavior while following the adventures of Hello Kitty.
• Hello Kitty establishes a new image, giving children more things to learn from, rather than just being sweet and cute.

Episode List

Story

Led by scientist Tatsuya Randou, the Randou family undertakes a journey around the globe in order to search out ancient ruins to uncover the legend of Quetzalcoatl, which unlocks the key to a fabulous treasure. However, tailing the Randou family is Gopurin, an evil organisation that covets the legendary treasure for itself. The Randou family has the secret weapon of super robot Acrobunch. It becomes a race around the world of who finds the treasure first.

Concept

Acrobanch was an anime pushed out to capitalise on the archeological adventure craze that was occurring in Hollywood at the time. The art for this series was impressive and the combination sequence of Acrobunch still remains exceptional to this day, setting the benchmark for the rest of the 1980s. Five separate vehicles combine to form the super robot Acrobunch. The parts contain 2 motorcycles which form the arm, 2 racecars form the legs, 1 plane form the body.

Synopsis

The story is about Hiromi Oka, a high school girl who struggles to become good at tennis. Hiromi starts playing tennis in her high school, because she is fascinated by an older girl, Reika Ryūzaki, who is the best player in the team and is nicknamed “Ochōfujin” (お蝶夫人, “Ochōfujin”^?), which means “Madame Butterfly“, because of her grace on the tennis court. The team gets a new coach, Jin Munakata, who sees potential in her and trains her to become a great tennis player. Hiromi struggles to overcome her mental weakness.

Later on, she falls in love with another tennis player, Takayuki Tōdō, but Coach Munakata tells her not to get too involved, and that it is better to forget him in order to become a better player. Hiromi suffers over this, and many times she loses her confidence in her playing abilities, but with the support of her coach and her many friends she overcomes her anxiety. By training herself to become a better player, Hiromi grows into a mentally stronger person. Hiromi’s enthusiasm and love for tennis, and the support from people around her, helps her to become one of the best players in the world.

Plot

The series focuses on two major characters, in two different plot arcs, who find themselves caught up in a series of mysteries involving so-called “material fairies” and “material evils”. While they are dealing with these paranormal entities, life continues around them as their friends deal with the ups and downs of life.

The plot centers around two major arcs in the storyline, the first involving Ayumu Aizawa, who is visiting his father in the small town of Tana during the summer; the second concerning Kisa Tanigawa in Yokohama, a year and a half after the events of the first arc.

Summer Arc

The first twelve episodes of the series focus on the day-to-day life of Ayumu Aizawa as he visits his father, a veterinarian, at a small town in the countryside. Ayumu has spent his visit thus far aimlessly biking across the valley, but a chance meeting with a girl named Miku sends him searching for a long-lost friend of his, Wakkun. Upon finding Wakkun, he discovers that the boy has not aged since he and Ayumu played as children. Wakkun is also wearing clothes very similar to the raincoat and galoshes that Ayumu wore habitually as a child. Wakkun introduces Ayumu to his two friends, Dosshiru (Doss) and Shisshin (Sense), mysterious flying objects that alternate between a mechanical form and a sphere of yellow light.

These lights seem to be invisible to most of the people in town, but appear in reflections in people and animals’ eyes. A local reporter, Akira Sukawara, shows up, attracted by reports of kappa and other mysterious events. She follows the animals, notably a cat one of the local boys saw fighting a kappa, to the yellow lights, and grills a reluctant Ayumu for information. Unable to remember the summer he spent in Tana as a child, Ayumu, with the help of Miku and several other people from Tana, tries to understand what happened when he was a child, and the mysterious connection between him, Wakkun, Dosshiru, and Shisshin.

Winter Arc

One and a half years later, Kisa Tanigawa, a depressed high school student, routinely skips class. One evening, wandering aimlessly around the city, she stumbles upon another mysterious mechanical object. Naming it “Bun-chan” or “Ping” in the English dub, after the sound it makes, she takes it home and treats it as a pet. When she tries building a fish out of old scraps of metal, the top fin of the fish does not stay, so Bun-chan (Ping) helps glue it on. Meanwhile, Sukawara reappears, now trying to prove the existence of the mysterious objects that appeared at the Cat Dance in Tana a year and half ago, which she terms “material fairies”, and hears about Bun-chan. Upon witnessing a meeting between Kisa and Ayumu, she calls Bun-chan not a material fairy, but a “material evil”, as its outward appearance does not resemble those of the material fairies spotted in Tana. The material fairies and the material evils, however, seem to be at war with each other. When the three meet, Dosshiru, Shisshin and Bun-chan. Dosshiru and Shisshin start chasing Bun-chan and soon destroy it, leaving Kisa very upset that Bun-chan is gone. After a while the connection of Kisa’s fish’s metal fin starts glowing. One night the fish turns into a sprite form of Bun-chan. Kisa then decides to name it Po-chan.

The city’s population becomes increasingly aware of the situation, as pictures of the material evils, spheres of blue light, circulate among cell-phone users, accompanied by rumors that they bring good luck. Murals appear urging people to think and trust themselves. Eventually, a giant spiral, resembling the metal construction of the material evils, appears in the sky, and the police evacuate a section of the city. Some of the same phenomena are present as in Tana, such as the failure of electronic devices.

The 12-episode series revolves around the AD Police, a special attack squad dedicated to stopping rogue boomers. Boomers are humanoid robots that do menial human tasks, such as cleaning, cashiering, and construction. However, some boomers go berserk, and when they do it’s up to the AD Police to stop them.

A.D. Police: To Protect and Serve is available in North America in a 2-disc special edition DVD from ADV Films. The original series is on DVD from Animeigo.