Kenran Butohsai
Encyclopedia
is a science-fiction anime series that aired on TV Tokyo
from April 1 to September 23, 2004. Directed by Kunihiro Mori and co-produced by TV Tokyo
, Dentsu
and Bones
. The anime series is licensed by Bandai Entertainment
is a simulation game based on Kenran Butohsai. It was developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
for the PlayStation 2
video game console
.
is covered in one massive ocean, except for the peak of Olympus Mons
, with humans living in drifting city-ships. The Martian economy is based mostly on water, a readily available resource and the planet's main export. A cease fire in the Pan-Galactic war, however, has reduced demand for the export of water, driving the Martian economy into recession.
The ocean-covered environment makes a perfect setting for commercial trade ships and pirates using submarines, who regularly raid the city-ships for supplies. The most renowned and feared of the pirate vessels is the Ship of Aurora, which makes a habit of reselling its booty cheap so that it can be redistributed to the less fortunate folk. The pirates pose such a problem that the Earth government, which controls Mars, dispatches elite units to deal with the threat of piracy. The use of specialized underwater mecha, called Round Bucklers, allows them to seek and engage their talented and very elusive prey. Ironically, one of the elite Round Buckler divers of the Earth Forces is an old friend of Gram, the main protagonist. Thus, the setting for Gram to team up with the crew of the Ship of Aurora is set.
Soon after being fired from his most recent place of work, Gram is offered a job helping a smuggler steal goods from the military warehouses. He refuses, and instead finds himself going to the warehouse district to help a friend. During their escape, the Ship of Aurora attacks the city-ship Adena. While in the process of saving his friend, Gram falls into the ocean. Gram is saved by a Round Buckler that appears, which seems to come for the pendant he wears. Gram would soon find that this pendant is a Mars Aborigine's artifact called the "Mark of the Chiefs." With a link to this mysterious Round Buckler, Gram is led into an association with the crew of the Ship of Aurora.
Just like any pirate ship, the Ship of Aurora is crewed by many different species from a cat to a Naval Witch. The ships AI
, MAKI, is also considered a crewman with its own personality. The submarine is armed with torpedoes, cannons, missiles, grappling hooks and several Round Bucklers. Its two most infamous attacks is the Daybreak, (which basically a ramming technique), and the Elizabeth Cannon, (which is just the Captain screaming at the top of her lungs), causing all those in the immediate vicinity to flee in absolute terror.
designed solely for an underwater environment. RBs can come in two different build designs, but all RBs are unique since they are completely based on the equipment used in the construction process. The size of an RB varies form as roughly larger than basic pressure suit to a small iceberg. Throughout the series other mecha units are shown and used but are given no name and used in a variety of Jobs.
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...
from April 1 to September 23, 2004. Directed by Kunihiro Mori and co-produced by 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...
, Dentsu
Dentsu
is one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Its headquarters are located in the Dentsu Building in the Shiodome district of Minato, Tokyo....
and Bones
Bones (studio)
is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...
. The anime series is licensed by Bandai Entertainment
is a simulation game based on Kenran Butohsai. It was developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
.
Plot
The Mars Daybreak takes place in a future where MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
is covered in one massive ocean, except for the peak of Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons
Olympus Mons is a large volcanic mountain on the planet Mars. At a height of almost , it is one of the tallest mountains in the Solar System, three times as tall as Mount Everest and more than twice the height of Mauna Kea the tallest mountain on Earth. Olympus Mons is the youngest of the large...
, with humans living in drifting city-ships. The Martian economy is based mostly on water, a readily available resource and the planet's main export. A cease fire in the Pan-Galactic war, however, has reduced demand for the export of water, driving the Martian economy into recession.
The ocean-covered environment makes a perfect setting for commercial trade ships and pirates using submarines, who regularly raid the city-ships for supplies. The most renowned and feared of the pirate vessels is the Ship of Aurora, which makes a habit of reselling its booty cheap so that it can be redistributed to the less fortunate folk. The pirates pose such a problem that the Earth government, which controls Mars, dispatches elite units to deal with the threat of piracy. The use of specialized underwater mecha, called Round Bucklers, allows them to seek and engage their talented and very elusive prey. Ironically, one of the elite Round Buckler divers of the Earth Forces is an old friend of Gram, the main protagonist. Thus, the setting for Gram to team up with the crew of the Ship of Aurora is set.
Soon after being fired from his most recent place of work, Gram is offered a job helping a smuggler steal goods from the military warehouses. He refuses, and instead finds himself going to the warehouse district to help a friend. During their escape, the Ship of Aurora attacks the city-ship Adena. While in the process of saving his friend, Gram falls into the ocean. Gram is saved by a Round Buckler that appears, which seems to come for the pendant he wears. Gram would soon find that this pendant is a Mars Aborigine's artifact called the "Mark of the Chiefs." With a link to this mysterious Round Buckler, Gram is led into an association with the crew of the Ship of Aurora.
Mars Aboriginies
The first colonists of Mars and only ones to experience Mars as a world not covered in water, the Aborigines were meant to be the first phase colonizers of Mars until the flood that would cover Mars in water. After centuries had passed, Earth, believing that Mars was unpopulated soon allowed another group of colonists to populate Mars. Instead, they found people surviving in such violent environment without advanced technology required to survive. The second migration occurred around 200 years before the time of the series.Characters
- Gram River- Johnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong BoschJohnny Yong Bosch is an American actor, voice actor, martial artist, and musician.He may be best known for portraying Adam Park in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and being the English voice of Ichigo Kurosaki in the hit anime series Bleach, Vash the Stampede in Trigun and Lelouch Lamperouge in Code...
- Vestemona "Vess" Lauren- Melissa FahnMelissa FahnMelissa Fahn is an American voice and stage actress and singer known for her work in anime dubs and other mainstream animated series, as well as her work in Broadway and Los Angeles Theatre.-Biography:...
- Enora Taft- Colleen O'ShaughnesseyColleen O'ShaughnesseyColleen Ann O'Shaughnessey is an American voice actress, perhaps best known for her roles as Sora from the first and second seasons of Digimon , Jazz Fenton in Danny Phantom, Ino Yamanaka and Konohamaru in Naruto.She has also worked in the video game industry where she voiced Genis Sage in...
- Rich- Crispin FreemanCrispin FreemanCrispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
- Chrysalis Milch- Jamieson PriceJamieson PriceJamieson Kent Price is an American voice actor.Price was born in West Palm Beach, Florida. He is most well known for his deep and booming voice and can be heard in numerous anime shows and video games. He is also known as Taylor Henry and James Lyon...
- Niall Poe- Michael McConnohieMichael McConnohieMichael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
- Yagami Arian- Steven BlumSteven BlumSteven Jay Blum is an American voice actor known primarily for his work in anime dubs and video games, using his distinctive deep voice. Among his credits include the voice of Spike Spiegel of the anime series Cowboy Bebop and Mugen of the anime series Samurai Champloo...
- Junior- Yuri LowenthalYuri LowenthalYuri Lowenthal is a voice actor that has voiced several anime and video game characters. He also voiced Kamal for the alternate reality game I Love Bees....
- Elizabeth Liati- Barbara GoodsonBarbara GoodsonBarbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons...
- Bon- Brianne SiddallBrianne SiddallBrianne Siddall is an American voice actress. She is usually cast in the short kid role of a timid young boy. She was also a voice actress during the Power Rangers era who was active in the franchise until it moved to New Zealand in 2003...
- Garma- Catherine BattistoneCatherine BattistoneCatherine Battistone is a voice actress who has provided voices for several anime titles and video games. She is also well-known for having done the voice of Alpha 6 in the 1997 Power Rangers series, Power Rangers: Turbo....
- Achilles Polandwood- Erik Davies
- Ester- Kate HigginsKate HigginsCatherine Davis "Kate" Higgins is an American voice actress, singer, and jazz pianist. She was born in Charlottesville, Virginia grew up in Auburn, Alabama, and currently lives in Los Angeles. She is best known as the English voice of Sakura Haruno on the hit anime series Naruto, Talho Yūki from...
- Kuberness- Lex LangLex LangWalter Alexis "Lex" Lang is a two-time Emmy Award–winning American voice actor, producer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder of The Love Planet Foundation, a non-profit organization which creates educational materials for children on the importance of recycling, world water awareness, and the...
- Sala Sesa- Megan HollingsheadMegan HollingsheadMegan T.D. Hollingshead is an American theatre and voice actress. She also sometimes goes by the name of Karen Thompson...
- Poipoider- Michael McConnohieMichael McConnohieMichael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
- MAKI- Peggy O'NealPeggy O'NealPeggy O'Neal is a voice actress who is also known as Peggy O'Neil and Peggie O'Neal.-Anime roles:* Battle B-Daman - Liena Vincent* Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion - Dorothea Ernst, Ayame Futaba...
- Megumi Higashihara- Stephanie ShehStephanie ShehStephanie Ru-Phan Sheh is a Chinese-American voice actress, a writer, and a story editor who has worked for Geneon Entertainment, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Media Blasters, NYAV Post, FUNimation Entertainment, and Viz Media...
Ship of Aurora
One of the most notorious pirate ships on Mars, where the mere mention of the name and/or just the sight of the Auroras' crewman puts fear in pirates and Earth Force service men alike. Other pirates would run away from encounters with the Ship of Aurora. In the series this is first shown during episode seven when the Black Whirlpool proclaimed that service shuttle form the Ship of Aurora is in the Whirlpool's personal berth. The captain soon reverses his proclamation once he notice Milch, torpedo room officer in also being a formidable crewman of the Aurora, leaves the berth to the shuttle.Just like any pirate ship, the Ship of Aurora is crewed by many different species from a cat to a Naval Witch. The ships AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
, MAKI, is also considered a crewman with its own personality. The submarine is armed with torpedoes, cannons, missiles, grappling hooks and several Round Bucklers. Its two most infamous attacks is the Daybreak, (which basically a ramming technique), and the Elizabeth Cannon, (which is just the Captain screaming at the top of her lungs), causing all those in the immediate vicinity to flee in absolute terror.
City-Ships
City-Ships are literally floating cities that drift in Mars huge ocean. The city ships have been around since Mars was colonized for a second time and some are over a hundred years old.Round Bucklers
These are mechaMecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
designed solely for an underwater environment. RBs can come in two different build designs, but all RBs are unique since they are completely based on the equipment used in the construction process. The size of an RB varies form as roughly larger than basic pressure suit to a small iceberg. Throughout the series other mecha units are shown and used but are given no name and used in a variety of Jobs.
Cordless
A "Cordless" Round Buckler means that the pilot himself is contained within the unit itself, this most commonly used by pirates since the Earth Forces view Cordless designs as archaic. Throughout the series there are only five Cordless Round Bucklers. Some details of how an RB is built is shown when the captain of The Ship of Aurora orders a crew member's RB sim pod to be scrapped and then be used in the construction of another Round Buckler.Corded
Round Bucklers controlled externally (known as "corded") come in pairs, usually commanded by most simply a pressure suit to a Seahorse, a control unit used by the Earth forces. Cables are attached to the RBs which are usually smaller, faster, capable of extreme maneuvers since there is no actual pilot within the RB itself compared to cordless; yet through the series whenever cordless and cord RBs are in combat a cordless RB is victorious, this may merely be because of the relative skill of most cordless pilots. Though technically attached to control unit most cables have a beacon at the end of the cable that allows the RBs to move beyond the cables maximum length, usually several nautical miles further before the pilot is unable to control the RBExternal links
- Kenran Butousai Official Anime Site (Japanese)
- TV Tokyo's Daybreak Website (Japanese)