Japanese anime television series
Fantastic Children
(
ファンタジックチルドレン
,
Fantajikku Chirudoren
)
is a Japanese
anime
television series
created by
Takashi Nakamura
and produced by
Nippon Animation
. It first aired in
Japan
across
TV Tokyo
between October 4, 2004 and March 28, 2005, totaling 26 episodes. There was an extended ending special released only on DVD.
[
citation needed
]
The series was later translated and dubbed by
Animax
into
English
for broadcast across its English-language networks in
Southeast Asia
and
South Asia
.
[4]
It is licensed in
North America
by
Bandai Entertainment
, who also produced a separate English dub for release in the region.
Plot
[
edit
]
The series opens with the introduction of a group of white-haired children, known as the "Befort Children", named after "Befort", a fictional village in
Belgium
where their existence was first recorded in 1489. This group of enigmatic children has been spotted at different times and places in Europe for over 500 years. Always with the appearance of 11-year-olds, they behave far more mature than they should be, never grow old, and seem to have supernatural power.
Then the story starts to unfold in 2012 by introducing Helga, an introverted 11-year-old orphan who drew pictures of a land with a crescent moon that she believed was her home. Her playmate and only friend in the orphanage, Chitto, wants to help Helga find it. So together they escape from the orphanage and set out on a journey in which they meet Tohma, an energetic boy in his home, Papin Island. There Tohma tries to befriend them but misunderstands Helga and becomes hostile to her. Later he is mesmerized by Helga's bravery in rescuing Chitto from a group of poisonous insects. Tohma, through his desire to help the two runaway orphans, ventures out 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. As they go further they come to realize a truth far more great and entwined with many other mysterious characters.
Characters
[
edit
]
Tohma
(
ト?マ
)
is the series
protagonist
. He is an enthusiastic and energetic young boy who lives with his parents on the shores of Papin Island.
Voiced by:
Junko Minagawa
Helga
(
ヘルガ
,
Heruga
)
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.
Voiced by:
Shiho Kawaragi
Chitto
(
チット
)
is a good-hearted young boy, who is an earnest and steadfast friend to Helga, and her best friend at the orphanage.
Voiced by:
Kei Kobayashi
The
GED Organization
(
ゲド機?
,
Gedo Kikan
)
is led by Gherta Hawksbee. Gherta uses Conrad Rontgen's findings to reconstruct the Autozone, a machine which brings people back from the Zone, the land of the dead, using Orsel, the life force in all living things. Because of the high levels of Orsel required to bring someone back, however, a person can become very unstable and the Orsel can turn into a sort of weapon. Later, the GED is manipulated by Dumas so that he can send Tina's spirit back to her old body, though this plan does not work.
Production
[
edit
]
Staff
[
edit
]
- Executive producer: K?ichi Motohashi
- Original creator, character designs and director:
Takashi Nakamura
- Planning: Takuo Minegeshi, Michio Kat?
- Planning coordination: Shin Unozawa, Kenichi Iyadomi, Shir? Sasaki
- Production manager: Shigeo End?
- Script:
Hideki Mitsui
, Takashi Nakamura
- Art director:
Nizo Yamamoto
[5]
- Art assistance: Osamu Masuyama, Akemi Imano
- Chief animation director: Miyuki Nakamura
- Storyboards: Katsumi Terahigashi,
Hiroshi Fukutomi
, Masaki Sugiyama
- Episode directors: Hiroshi Kaburagi, Kenichi Nishida, Kenichi Shimizu, Yoshimi Tsuda
- Animation directors: K?ichi Maruyama, Tetsur? Aoki, Hitoshi Haga, Yasuko Sakuma, Norihiro Naganuma
- Director of photography: Seiichi Morishita
- Color designs: Mayumi Sat?
- Color designations: Yumi Asano, Makiko Nishidate
- Music:
K?ji Ueno
- Sound director: Hiroyuki Hayase
- Music producer: Y?ko Sakurai (
Victor Entertainment
)
- Music coordination: TV Tokyo Music
- Producer: Kenichi Sat?
- Production:
Hakuhodo DY Media Partners
,
Nippon Animation
, FC Project
Soundtrack
[
edit
]
The series' soundtrack was composed by
K?ji Ueno
. A CD containing a total of 27 tracks was released on March 14, 2006, under the title
Fantastic Children: A Gift from Greecia
. It included both the opening theme of the show, "Voyage" (performed by Inori, lyrics by
Mikio Sakai
, composition by Mayumi Yamazaki, arrangement by Takanori Eguchi), and the ending theme, "Mizu no Madoromi"
(
水のまどろみ
)
(performed by
Origa
, lyrics by Rie Hamada( Japanese version) Origa (Russian version), composition and arrangement by
Kunihiko Ryo
).
[6]
Fantastic Children: A Gift from Greecia
Title
|
---|
1.
| "Voyage (Cello version)"
| 4:18
|
---|
2.
| "Enma"
| 1:13
|
---|
3.
| "The Children of Befort"
| 7:47
|
---|
4.
| "Thoma"
| 1:54
|
---|
5.
| "Wonder"
| 1:20
|
---|
6.
| "Helga"
| 1:20
|
---|
7.
| "Lonely Heart"
| 1:00
|
---|
8.
| "Dumas"
| 1:20
|
---|
9.
| "Gherta"
| 1:39
|
---|
10.
| "Helga's Past Life"
| 2:14
|
---|
11.
| "Empire of Water and Green ? Greecia"
| 1:58
|
---|
12.
| "Soran and Sess"
| 2:25
|
---|
13.
| "Beloved Tina"
| 1:33
|
---|
14.
| "Georca"
| 1:47
|
---|
15.
| "Despair"
| 1:37
|
---|
16.
| "Ultimate Weapon"
| 1:38
|
---|
17.
| "Space-Time Distortion"
| 3:35
|
---|
18.
| "Helga (Cello version)"
| 1:30
|
---|
19.
| "The Children of Befort (Piano solo)"
| 3:08
|
---|
20.
| "Family Bond"
| 1:16
|
---|
21.
| "Dumas's Wrath"
| 1:01
|
---|
22.
| "Battle"
| 1:38
|
---|
23.
| "Our Wonder"
| 1:33
|
---|
24.
| "Yearning"
| 1:30
|
---|
25.
| "The End"
| 2:45
|
---|
26.
| "Opening theme: Voyage (TV version)"
| 1:35
|
---|
27.
| "Ending theme: Mizu no Madoromi [Water's Rest] (TV version)"
| 1:31
|
---|
Total length:
| 56:05
|
---|
Adaptations
[
edit
]
Manga
[
edit
]
Fantastic Children: Tokei Jikake no Tabibito-tachi
(
ファンタジックチルドレン 時計じかけの旅人たち
)
, illustrated by Masakazu Miyano, was serialized in the monthly
Comic Flapper
. It was collected in two
volumes
.
- ISBN
4-8401-0983-4
- ISBN
4-8401-1302-5
Video game
[
edit
]
The
Fantastic Children
video game
was released for the
Game Boy Advance
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.
References
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]
External links
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]
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