Fantastic Children
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese animated
television series created by Takashi Nakamura
and produced by Nippon Animation
. It first aired on Japan
across TV Tokyo
between October 4, 2004 and March 28, 2005, totaling 26 episodes, and also received its satellite television
premiere on the CS
television network Animax
.
The series was later translated and dubbed by Animax into English
for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia
and South Asia
. It is licensed in North America
by Bandai Entertainment, who also produced a separate English dub for release in the region.
where their existence was first recorded in 1489. In the year 2012, the energetic Tohma meets the introverted Helga on the shores of Papin Island. The two venture on a quest that will eventually cross paths with the mission of the Befort Children, who have spent centuries wandering Europe
in search of a person named Tina.
. He is an enthusiastic and energetic young boy who lives with his parents on the shores of Papin Island.
is a quiet and introverted young girl, whom Tohma helps save from an oppressive orphanage. She is in search of a place which is the source of her paintings.
is a good-hearted young boy, who is an earnest and steadfast friend to Helga, and her best friend at the orphanage.
The is led by Gherta Hawksbee. Gherta uses Conrad Röntgen's findings to reconstruct the Autozone, which brings people back from the dead. Later the GED is manipulated by Dumas so that he can send Tina's spirit back to her old body, though this plan doesn't work.
Enma is the Japanese name for Yama, the ruler of the underworld in Hinduism
. It is not made clear if Enma is a single entity or not, however it can appear as a large number of dark cylindrical forms. Agi describes Enma as the God of the Universe that seeks to maintain balance, and restore it when it is lost. The main role, as presented by the series, of the Enma while maintaining the universe balance is to keep each soul where it belongs, preventing them from either going to different zones or remaining alive when it shouldn't. Since the Befort Children are in violation with the universe balance, Enma constantly attacks the Befort Children. Enma uses illusions to coax the children into returning to their original everyday lives.
Orsel is the life force in all living things. Grecian scientists, and eventually the GED organization, utilize Orsel to bring people back from the Zone, the land of the dead. Because they have to use such high levels of Orsel to bring someone back, a person can become very unstable. If the person can not control its emotions, Orsel can turn into a of weapon. Orsel is measured
in Stilbs.
The Autozone is the machine Grecian scientists use to bring someone back from the Zone. It can also send someone through the Zone and bring them back out of it. The GED, through Gherta Hawksbee, gets a hold of this technology to create their own Autozone, but it ends up having dangerous side-effects.
.
on May 19, 2005 by Bandai
. Developed by Inti Creates
, the game follows Tohma through his adventures from Papen Island with Helga, Chitto and the Befort Children.
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....
television series created by Takashi Nakamura
Takashi Nakamura
, is an accomplished Japanese animator and anime director. It was his work on Ōgon Senshi Gold Lightan that helped inspire fellow animator Koji Morimoto.His 2001 film A Tree of Palme was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival....
and produced by Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
. It first aired on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
across TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
between October 4, 2004 and March 28, 2005, totaling 26 episodes, and also received its satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
premiere on the CS
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
television network Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
.
The series was later translated and dubbed by Animax into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. It is licensed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by Bandai Entertainment, who also produced a separate English dub for release in the region.
Plot
The series opens with the introduction of a group of white-haired children, known as the "Befort Children", named after a fictional village in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
where their existence was first recorded in 1489. In the year 2012, the energetic Tohma meets the introverted Helga on the shores of Papin Island. The two venture on a quest that will eventually cross paths with the mission of the Befort Children, who have spent centuries wandering Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in search of a person named Tina.
Characters
is the series protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. He is an enthusiastic and energetic young boy who lives with his parents on the shores of Papin Island.
is a quiet and introverted young girl, whom Tohma helps save from an oppressive orphanage. She is in search of a place which is the source of her paintings.
is a good-hearted young boy, who is an earnest and steadfast friend to Helga, and her best friend at the orphanage.
The is led by Gherta Hawksbee. Gherta uses Conrad Röntgen's findings to reconstruct the Autozone, which brings people back from the dead. Later the GED is manipulated by Dumas so that he can send Tina's spirit back to her old body, though this plan doesn't work.
Terminology
is the Befort Children's home planet. Much of Greecia is made up of water, and most things on that planet are also powered by it.Enma is the Japanese name for Yama, the ruler of the underworld in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. It is not made clear if Enma is a single entity or not, however it can appear as a large number of dark cylindrical forms. Agi describes Enma as the God of the Universe that seeks to maintain balance, and restore it when it is lost. The main role, as presented by the series, of the Enma while maintaining the universe balance is to keep each soul where it belongs, preventing them from either going to different zones or remaining alive when it shouldn't. Since the Befort Children are in violation with the universe balance, Enma constantly attacks the Befort Children. Enma uses illusions to coax the children into returning to their original everyday lives.
Orsel is the life force in all living things. Grecian scientists, and eventually the GED organization, utilize Orsel to bring people back from the Zone, the land of the dead. Because they have to use such high levels of Orsel to bring someone back, a person can become very unstable. If the person can not control its emotions, Orsel can turn into a of weapon. Orsel is measured
Power (physics)
In physics, power is the rate at which energy is transferred, used, or transformed. For example, the rate at which a light bulb transforms electrical energy into heat and light is measured in watts—the more wattage, the more power, or equivalently the more electrical energy is used per unit...
in Stilbs.
The Autozone is the machine Grecian scientists use to bring someone back from the Zone. It can also send someone through the Zone and bring them back out of it. The GED, through Gherta Hawksbee, gets a hold of this technology to create their own Autozone, but it ends up having dangerous side-effects.
Staff
- Executive producer: Kōichi Motohashi
- Original creator, character designs and director: Takashi NakamuraTakashi Nakamura, is an accomplished Japanese animator and anime director. It was his work on Ōgon Senshi Gold Lightan that helped inspire fellow animator Koji Morimoto.His 2001 film A Tree of Palme was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival....
- Planning: Takuo Minegeshi, Michio Katō
- Planning coordination: Shin Unozawa, Kenichi Iyadomi, Shirō Sasaki
- Production manager: Shigeo Endō
- Script: Hideki MitsuiHideki Mitsuiis a Japanese screenwriter. He has composed the script and series composition for numerous anime series.-TV anime:*1987: Tsuide ni Tonchinkan ; debut series*1989: Mado King Granzort *1989: Gaki Deka...
, Takashi Nakamura - Art director: Nizo Yamamoto
- Art assistance: Osamu Masuyama, Akemi Imano
- Chief animation director: Miyuki Nakamura
- Storyboards: Katsumi Terahigashi, Hiroshi FukutomiHiroshi Fukutomiis an anime director born July 25, 1950 in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After leaving Tokyo Designer Gakuin in the middle of his studies, he joined A Production...
, Masaki Sugiyama - Episode directors: Hiroshi Kaburagi, Kenichi Nishida, Kenichi Shimizu, Yoshimi Tsuda
- Animation directors: Kōichi Maruyama, Tetsurō Aoki, Hitoshi Haga, Yasuko Sakuma, Norihiro Naganuma
- Director of photography: Seiichi Morishita
- Color designs: Mayumi Satō
- Color designations: Yumi Asano, Makiko Nishidate
- Music: Kōji UenoKoji Uenois an award-winning Japanese composer, musician, arranger and keyboardist. He is noted for his unique style of music.He graduated from Nihon University's department of music at its faculty of art, and in 1978, began his career in music with his first music ensemble, 8&1/2, after which he worked...
- Sound director: Hiroyuki Hayase
- Music producer: Yūko Sakurai (Victor EntertainmentVictor Entertainmentis a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
) - Music coordination: TV Tokyo Music
- Producer: Kenichi Satō
- Production: Hakuhodo DY Media PartnersHakuhodois Japan's second largest advertising agency, with gross sales of approximately 700 hundred million yen. It has its headquarters at Akasaka Biz Tower in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo....
, Nippon AnimationNippon Animationis a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
, FC Project
Theme music
- Opening theme: Voyage (performed by: Inori, lyrics: Mikio SakaiMikio Sakaiis a Japanese singer-songwriter. His real name is . He made his debut with the single .He has composed, written and performed numerous songs for several anime, including Fantastic Children, Tsubasa Chronicle, the Gorō Taniguchi-directed Sunrise productions, Planetes, s-CRY-ed, Code Geass, as well...
, composition: Mayumi Yamazaki, arrangement: Takanori Eguchi) - Ending theme: (performed by: OrigaOrigaOriga is a Russian singer who works mostly in Japan....
, lyrics: Rie Hamada, composition and arrangement: Kunihiko RyoKunihiko RyoKunihiko Ryo is a Korean composer, arranger, producer and pianist.He arranged the music for one of the closing themes of Dennou Keisatsu Cybercop and ending theme of Fantastic Children, and co-produced the album Continue the Revolution.He composed the music for the anime series Tegami Bachi.-Early...
)
Manga
, illustrated by Masakazu Miyano, was serialized in the monthly Comic Flapper. It was collected in two volumesTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
.
- ISBN 4840109834
- ISBN 4840113025
Video game
The Fantastic Children video game was released for the Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
on May 19, 2005 by Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
. Developed by Inti Creates
Inti Creates
is a Japanese video game development company formed by ex-Capcom staff in May 1996, best known for the creation of the Mega Man Zero series and Mega Man ZX series...
, the game follows Tohma through his adventures from Papen Island with Helga, Chitto and the Befort Children.
External links
- Fantastic Children Official Japanese site
- Fantastic Children Official game site