is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series written and illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori

Shotaro Ishinomori

was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and tokusatsu, creating several immensely popular long-running series such as Cyborg 009 and Himitsu Sentai Goranger, what would go on to become part of the Super Sentai series, and the Kamen Rider Series...

. The manga was serialized in the Futabasha

Futabasha

is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Higashigokenchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-List of magazines published by Futabasha:*Bravo Ski*Comic Seed!*Futabasha Web Magazine*Manga Action ZERO*Tōji Rō*Getter Robot Saga...

 publication Weekly Manga Action

Weekly Manga Action

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine pushlished on a weekly basis by Futabasha since 7 July 1967.-Currently serialized:Listed alphabetically.*Bar Lemon Heart...

from 1967 to 1970, then returned briefly in 1974. The story concerns Miléne Hoffman (ミレーヌ・ホフマン Mirēnu Hofuman; "Mylene" in the English translation), a female cyborg who works as a secret agent. The Japanese title of the manga was 009ノ1, or "Zero Zero Ku-no-ichi", a pun on kunoichi

Kunoichi

is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...

(female ninja) and a reference to the main character's espionage occupation

00 Agent

In Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the derived films, the 00 Section of MI6 are considered the secret service's elite. A 00 agent holds a licence to kill in the field, at his or her discretion, to complete the mission...

.

The original manga was adapted into a live-action drama for Fuji Television

Fuji Television

is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....

 in 1969 entitled Flower Action 009ノ1. The manga was also adapted into a 12-episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series by Ishimori Entertainment

Ishimori Productions

or is a Japanese production company that develops works created by the late manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. Such works include Cyborg 009, Kikaider, Inazuman, Skull Man, Ganbare!! Robocon, Voicelugger, the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series, and the Kamen Rider Series....

 and first broadcast on TBS

Tokyo Broadcasting System

, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

 TV in Japan in late 2006. The anime has been licensed for a North American release by A.D. Vision

A.D. Vision

A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...

. The first volume was released on June 19, 2007, although it was originally scheduled for release in March 2007. In 2008, the show, along with 30 other ADV titles were relicensed to Funimation Entertainment

Funimation Entertainment

Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...

.

Although it was also created by Ishinomori, and features similar themes, this seinen

Seinen

is a subset of manga that is generally targeted at a 20–30 year old male audience, but the audience can be older with some manga aimed at businessmen well into their 40s. In Japanese, the word Seinen means "young man" or "young men" and is not suggestive of sexual matters...

 manga, despite the "00" name and the cybernetized protagonists, has no relation to his previous work Cyborg 009

Cyborg 009

is a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different magazines, including Monthly Shōnen King, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Big Comic, COM, Shōjo Comic, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Monthly Shōnen Jump and Monthly Comic Nora in Japan...

, a shōnen

Shonen

The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...

 manga (although in the original manga, the cyborgs from Cyborg 009 actually make appearances in some chapters). In the final episode, there are two homages to Gerry Anderson television shows involving the moon, an Eagle Transport from Space: 1999

Space: 1999

Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...

and SHADO Mobile's from UFO

UFO (TV series)

UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...

.

The 9 Number Group

• Mylene Hoffman (009-1)

An agent of the all-female "Nine Number Group", one of the ten groups in the "Zero Zero Organization", a Western Bloc intelligence organization. Almost her entire body has been cybernetized, and various parts of her body are equipped with special functions which are necessary for spy activity. Besides her standard weapon, which is a ray gun, the WA-P009 (commonly called a plasma gun), she also wears earring communicators, boots with a hidden needle gun, and other agent gear. Her most secret pieces of equipment are her 9 mm machine guns integrated into her breasts, which have been made into a part of her body and fire bio-bullets. Various secret equipment has been installed and modifications done, but her physical abilities were high to begin with, and she also has a clear mind. Together, all of this makes her the single most outstanding agent in the Zero Zero Organization. In the episode that takes place at the haunted castle, she tells Loki that her code name is Muse.

• Judy Moore (009-2)
• Vanessa Ibert (009-3)

She has been specially modified with a focus on electronic analysis equipment. Just by "looking" at the target, the camera built into her eye can store the target's data in her brain's memory. She is also capable of downloading the information she has gained into a compact device through the connector on the back of her neck. The character has a motif based on Francoise Arnoul (003) from Cyborg 009.

• Berta Kästner (009-4)

Her four limbs have been modified, and both elbows and both knees can be equipped with tactical units suited for the particular mission. Among the 9 Number agents, she has the most points of cybernetic modification. Her motif is that of Albert Heinrich (004) from Cyborg 009, who was equipped with weapons all over his body.

• Thelma Banderas (009-5)
• Fei Chan (009-6)
• Mia Connery (009-7)

Her entire skeletal structure, as well as all of her muscles and skin, are composed of a special biological tissue, making it possible for her to make a complete transformation into any person: a transformation that goes beyond a simple disguise. It would not be expected from her cute baby-face, but she is a cool agent who never shows any sentiment or emotion during a mission. She has a motif based on G(reat) B(ritain) (007) from Cyborg 009. Her name may be a reference to Sean Connery

Sean Connery

Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...

, who portrayed 007

James Bond

James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...

, much like Great Britain.

• Una Berry (009-8)
• Mio Murashima (009-9) (Her name may be a reference to Joe Shimamura from Cyborg 009.)
• Alyona Theremin (009-10)
• Bella Theremin (009-11)
• Amia Riegl (009-12)
• Number Zero

As commander of the Zero Zero Organization, he is boss of the 9 Number Group. His personal history is wrapped completely in mystery, and no one knows his true identity. His relationship with Mylene can be seen as one of a father figure, but during a mission, their exchanges are always businesslike. On occasion, he has shown emotion when speaking frankly with his subordinates, but he is essentially calm, cool, and collected, allowing him to give his subordinates appropriate orders. He is the brains of the Zero Zero Organization.

The Western Bloc

Western Bloc

The Western Bloc or Capitalist Bloc during the Cold War refers to the powers allied with the United States and NATO against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact...

• Double Gomez

Squad leader of the Western Bloc's Genetic Mutation Disposal Squad. He is a boorish, haughty man who behaves like a starving dog. He is very defensive of his turf, so he harbors an excessive amount of distaste toward "outsiders" from other departments. He also has a strong desire to succeed, and he's the type of character who always orders his subordinates around in a loud voice, trying to get the credit for himself. He calls mutants "monsters", and he has a hatred for them that far exceeds that befitting his job.

• Mars

Code Number: 020. A top agent in the Zero Zero Organization. He is said to be the most quick-tempered in the Zero Zero Organization, and his physical strength is incredible. His appearance resembles Cyborg 002. His code name "Mars" is the name of the god of war and agriculture in Roman mythology.

He strongly resembles Jet Link from Cyborg 009

Cyborg 009

is a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different magazines, including Monthly Shōnen King, Weekly Shōnen Magazine, Shōnen Big Comic, COM, Shōjo Comic, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Monthly Shōnen Jump and Monthly Comic Nora in Japan...

, with a beard and accent.

• Apollo

Code Number: 030. A top agent in the Zero Zero Organization. Like Mars, he does not show extremely good results, but in a mission he always puts himself in a position to support from below and completes his work that way. He is an old comrade of Mars, and they seem to have worked together as a team often. His code name "Apollo" is the name of the god of the sun in Roman mythology. In Greek mythology, he is one of the Twelve Olympians. He is the god of prophecy, shepherding, music, and archery.

• Ironheart

A veteran spy who was once the Zero Zero Organization's top spy, he is also Mylene's mentor. His entire body is made of cybernetic equipment.

The Eastern Bloc

• Lyudmila Schindler

Director of the Intelligence Agency in the Eastern Bloc's S Area. A very proud woman who has sworn her allegiance to the East, and unfailingly accomplishes her various missions. In her private life, she is a lesbian. She is most likely patterned after Rosa Klebb

Rosa Klebb

Colonel Rosa Klebb is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the James Bond film and novel From Russia with Love. She was played by Lotte Lenya in the film version...

, from the film version of From Russia with Love

From Russia with Love (film)

From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...

.

• Ivan Godunov

Deputy director of the Intelligence Agency in the Eastern Bloc's S Area. A military man to the core, he's a dangerous ideologist whose only wish is to destroy the world's very balance (which is maintained by the cold war) and spark a global war. He's a cruel and heartless man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

• Doctor Green

Head of the Eastern Bloc's Supernatural Power Research Facility, and known in the East as the foremost researcher into supernatural powers. In the Western Bloc, mutants are objects of hatred and thus disposed of, but in the East, in-depth research is being conducted on them, from the viewpoint that the incredible power lying within mutants might be able to be converted to military use. Dr. Green calls the mutant boys and girls "experimental materials", but it is uncertain what he truly feels inside.

• Freya

A female Eastern Bloc intelligence agent. In order to become a top agent in the East's intelligence department, which is a man's world, she worked even harder than a man, until she was good enough to be sent to the front line. She is strong-minded and confident. She is the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve her goal; if she sees the opportunity, she will not even hesitate to one-up her comrades and take the credit for herself. Her code name "Freya" comes from the name of the goddess of love in Norse mythology.

• Odin

A top agent from the Eastern Bloc. He is quick-tempered, and always uses aggressive methods to accomplish his mission. He is not the smart type, but his stance that his method of taking things through sheer force of will gets definite results appears to be highly valued by the East's intelligence agency. His code name "Odin" refers to the chief god in Norse mythology, the god of wisdom. It is said he will make whatever sacrifice is necessary to gain wisdom.

• Loki

An Eastern Bloc agent who was invited to the haunted castle along with Odin and Freya. He is always calm, cool, and collected, and is never fazed, no matter what happens right in front of him. With his sharp mind and uncommonly good physical abilities, you could call him "the 009-1 of the Eastern Bloc". It is revealed that he is 009-1's younger brother, Paul. "Loki" is the name of a mischief-loving god who is the foster-brother of Odin in Norse mythology.

• Borzov

A courier who tried to transport secret funds to the east by turning it into a pure gold android. His identity had been discovered a long time ago, and he ended up being targeted by Western Bloc agents and the Golden Bat.

Others

• Egg

A highly skilled professional sniper hired by the Eastern Bloc. He is unusually concerned about his killing style, and he never does anything that would ruin it. When he is contracted for a hit, he only works during the day. He uses an old rifle (a Remington 700

Remington 700

The Model 700 series of firearms are bolt-action rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. All are based on the same centerfire bolt action. They often come with a 3, 4 or 5-round internal magazine depending on caliber, some of which have a floor-plate for quick-unloading, and some of which...

) that is already an antique, and he uses only one bullet. He kills only his target, and he always kills with a shot to the head. This is the iron-clad style that he has stuck to for his entire life as a sniper. His skills are top notch, but Mylene makes fun of him because he is so concerned with his style.

• The Phantom

The owner of a haunted castle who calls himself a member of the spy group "Golden Bat". Having gotten a hold of some groundbreaking research data, which could destroy the balance between the Eastern and Western armies, he invites Mylene and the others to a deadly game with the data as the prize.

• Mysterious Woman

A double-agent who faked that she was being stalked and then revealed herself to be an android made of solid gold.

• Mutant Girl

A little girl being hunted because, as a recognized mutant, she is in conflict with the "Genetic Mutation Extermination Law". Her parents used their own bodies as a shield to protect her and died.

• Sam

From the bonus episode "R&B in Volume 3, Sam is a jazz musician who leads a double life. When he meets up with Mylene, the two become "friends". Unfortunately, he's one jazz man who shouldn't be trusted.

Episodes

1. . 2006-10-05.
2. . 2006-10-12.
3. . 2006-10-19.
4. . 2006-10-26.
5. . 2006-11-02.
6. . 2006-11-09.
7. . 2006-11-16.
8. . 2006-11-23.
9. . 2006-11-30.
10. . 2006-12-07.
11. . 2006-12-14.
12. . 2006-12-21.
    • Extra episode. "R&B". DVD-release only (volume 5 of the Japanese DVD release).

External links

• Official Site (TBS)
• Funimation's 009-1 Website