Birdy the Mighty

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Birdy the Mighty
Birdy The Mighty cover2.jpg
DVD release of OVA series
鉄腕バーディー
(Tetsuwan Birdy)
Genre Comedy, SciFi
Manga
Birdy the Mighty (original)
Author Masami Yuki
Publisher Japan Shogakukan
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Shōnen Sunday Super
Original run 1985 – 1988
Volumes 1
Original video animation
Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Studio Japan Madhouse
Licensor United States U.S. Manga Corps
Released July 25, 1996
Runtime 30 minutes
Episodes 4
Manga
Birdy the Mighty (remake)
Author Masami Yuki
Publisher Japan Shogakukan
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Weekly Young Sunday → Big Comic Spirits
Original run 2003 – 2008
Volumes 20
TV anime
Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode
Director Kazuki Akane
Writer Hiroshi Ōnogi
Studio A-1 Pictures
Licensor Japan Aniplex
Canada United States Funimation Entertainment
Network Japan TV Saitama, tvk, KBS, SUN-TV, Tokyo MX, BS11, TBC, TVQ Kyushu, Okinawa TV, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, Chiba TV, Animax, Hokkaido Broadcasting
Original run July 4, 2008 – September 29, 2008
Episodes 13 (List of episodes)
TV anime
Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode Season 2
Director Kazuki Akane
Writer Hiroshi Ōnogi & Seishi Minakami
Studio A-1 Pictures
Licensor Japan Aniplex
Canada United States Funimation Entertainment
Network Japan TV Saitama, tvk, KBS, SUN-TV, Tokyo MX, BS11, TBC, TVQ Kyushu, Okinawa TV, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, Chiba TV, Animax, Hokkaido Broadcasting
Original run January 9, 2009 – May 28, 2009
Episodes 12 (List of episodes)
Manga
Birdy the Mighty Evolution (sequel of remake)
Author Masami Yuki
Publisher Japan Shogakukan
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Weekly Young Sunday
Original run 2008 – ongoing
Volumes 1
Anime and Manga Portal

Birdy the Mighty (鉄腕バーディー Tetsuwan Bādī?) is manga by Masami Yuki, who is best known for producing the long-running series Patlabor. His initial work on the series was quickly abandoned, but it was made into an anime, which was produced and, on the last episode, scripted by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who is known for anime titles such as Vampire Hunter D, and Ninja Scroll. The character designer and animation director for the series was Kumiko Takahashi. In 2003, Masami Yuki began serializing a second, more ambitious Birdy the Mighty manga serialized in Weekly Young Sunday[1].

A new TV anime adaptation, titled Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode (鉄腕バーディー DECODE Tetsuwan Bādī DECODE?), which is being animated by A-1 Pictures and produced by Aniplex, premiered in Japan on TV Saitama and other broadcast networks from July 4, 2008. The series is directed by Kazuki Akane (director of Vision of Escaflowne), written by Hiroshi Ōnogi, with its character designer and overseeing animation director being Ryo Timo.[2] It is also slated to air on the satellite network Animax from July 14, 2008 with another season slated to air on January 2009[3]. The TV series is featuring a different seiyū cast from the original OVA series.[2] At Anime USA 2009, Funimation Entertainment announced that it has acquired the show and will be released in 2010.[4][5]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Birdy Cephon Altera is a Federation agent chasing interplanetary criminals to the planet Earth. While in pursuit of one, she accidentally kills a high school boy named Tsutomu Senkawa. Fortunately for Tsutomu, there is a way to keep him alive, although he ends up merged into Birdy's body and must remain so until the repair of his body is complete.

So Tsutomu is stuck sharing a body with an attractive, strong - if impulsive - space police agent, while trying to keep his family and friends from finding out about Birdy. In the meantime, Birdy continues her investigation. Together, they take on a secretive group of evil aliens planning to perform experiments on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Earth.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main

Protagonists of Birdy the Mighty: Decode TV series. From left to right: Tsutomu Senkawa, Birdy Cephon Altera.
Birdy Cephon Altera
Voiced by: Mitsuishi Kotono (Japanese), Alex McCord (English) (OVA)
Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (TV)
A Federation police officer, she heads to Earth in order to pursue alien criminals after they went to use the planet to seek refuge. During one of her missions, she accidentally kills Tsutomu and has to fuse with him in order to keep him alive.
In the 2008 anime, her false identity on Earth is of rising Japanese idol Shion Arita. She is accompanied by a robot named Tute.

Birdy is an Altairian, a human-like alien, possibly from a planet orbiting the star Altair and more specifically an Ixion Altairian, a bio-engineered supersoldier bred for combat.

Tsutomu Senkawa
Voiced by: Iwanaga Tetsuya (Japanese), Justin Thompson (English) (OVA)
Voiced by: Miyu Irino (TV)
A high school student who had his mind hosted within Birdy after being killed during her confrontation with an alien criminal. Birdy tries to let him live a normal life until his body is rebuilt.

[edit] Civilians

Natsumi Hayamiya
Voiced by: Yukana (Japanese), Matty O'Shea (English) (OVA)
Voiced by: Kanae Itō(TV)
Tsutomu's female friend and classmate.
Hazumi Senkawa
Voiced by: Maruo Tomoko (Japanese), Debbie Rabbai (English) (OVA)
Tsutomu's older female sibling.
Sayaka Nakasugi
Sayaka had a weak body until she was involved in a car accident. After she healed from the accident her demeanor became more cheerful.

[edit] Aliens

Gomesu/Gomez
Voiced by: Akio Ohtsuka (Japanese), Cory Carthew (English) (OVA)
Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (TV)
An alien criminal who had been in Earth under disguise. He's an Altarian henchman of Christella Revi.
Christella Revi
Voiced by: Mako Hyōdō (Japanese), Mary Alice McGuire (English) (OVA)
A rogue scientist who is the antagonist of the story.

[edit] Manga

The original manga ran in what is now Shōnen Sunday Super, but when Masami Yuki began serializing Kyūkyoku Chōjin R in the pages of Shōnen Sunday it began appearing infrequently, and was eventually abandoned. Only one volume was ever collected[6]. In 2003, after a number of other series for Shōnen Sunday, Masami Yuki moved to Weekly Young Sunday, a seinen magazine, and began drawing a remake version, starting the story from the beginning.

[edit] Media

[edit] DVD

The first DVD for Birdy the Mighty Decode was released on September 24, 2008[7].

[edit] OST

The Birdy the Mighty Decode OST was released on September 24, 2008 in a simultaneous release with the DVD[7].

[edit] Theme Song CDs

[edit] Sora

"Sora"
Single by Hearts Grow
Released September 03, 2008
Format CD
Genre J-Pop
Label Sony Music Entertainment

Sora is the opening theme to the TV animation adaptation titled Tetsuwan Birdy: Decode. It is performed by Hearts Grow[8].

[edit] Track listing

  1. Sora (そら, Sky)
  2. Mirai Sketch (未来スケッチ, Sketch of Future)
  3. Sora - Instrumental (そら)

[edit] Production

Birdy the Mighty Decode was first announced under the name Birdy the Movement[9]. It was then revealed in the Tokyo International Anime Fair that the show would be aired in summer 2008 as Birdy the Mighty Decode[10][11].

A second season of Birdy the Mighty: Decode began to air on January 9, 2009,[3] known as Birdy the Mighty Decode: 02. It concluded in May. There is no indication that there will be further seasons.

A subsequent OVA titled Birdy the Mighty Decode: Cipher features an "unaired episode" that connects the first and second seasons. It is currently planned for DVD release on July 22, 2009. The episode is named Between you and me. The ending says Bye Bye and to be continued. [12]

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ Yuki Masami's website
  2. ^ a b "TV ANIMATION 鉄腕バーディー DECODE". http://www.birdy-tv.com/. Retrieved 2008-07-12. 
  3. ^ a b Birdy the Mighty Decode Gets Second Season in January. Retrieved on August 18, 2008.
  4. ^ "Funimation Announces Three New Titles". 2009-11-21. http://news.toonzone.net/articles/31885/anime-usa-2009-funimation-announces-three-new-titles. 
  5. ^ "Funimation Adds Sekirei, Testuwan Birdy Decode And Decode 02". Anime News Network. 2009-11-22. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-11-22/funimation-adds-sekirei-tetsuwan-birdy-decode-and-decode-02. 
  6. ^ Birdy The Mighty. Retrieved on July 6, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Birdy the Mighty Decode DVD & CD Information. Retrieved on July 13, 2008. (Japanese)
  8. ^ Official Birdy the Mighty Decode Music Page. Retrieved on October 3, 2008. (Japanese)
  9. ^ New Birdy the Mighty Anime. Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
  10. ^ New Birdy's Title Revealed: Birdy the Mighty Decode. Retrieved on July 13, 2008.
  11. ^ TVアニメーション「鉄腕バーディーDECODE」KICK OFFステージ. Retrieved on July 13, 2008. (Japanese)
  12. ^ "Tetsuwan Birdy Decode OVA Announced". Animekon. http://www.animekon.com/news-836-Tetsuwan-Birdy-Decode-OVA-Announced.html. Retrieved 2009-03-09. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_the_Mighty"