Human Crossing
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
manga
written by Masao Yajima and illustrated by Kenshi Hirokane
. The manga is about a series of unrelated stories of people's life and their lessons in life. Human Crossing received the 1985 Shogakukan Manga Award
for seinen
/general's manga.
Shogakukan
published Human Crossing in 27 bound volumes
between October 1, 1981 and March 1, 1991. The series was republished into 19 bound volumes
between November 17, 1994 and June 15, 1996.
in 2003 by OB Planning. Directed by Akira Kumeichi and Kazunari Kumi, it was broadcast on TV Tokyo
between April 5, 2003 and June 28, 2003. It was licensed by Geneon
in 2004. Each episode is a separate story of little relevance to each other. The anime is released in France by Kaze, and in Taiwan by Muse Communication.
The anime uses two pieces of theme song
. "REVENGE ~Asu e no Chigai~" by Nana Katase
is the opening theme, while "Believing" by Aki Asahina is the ending theme.
Geneon
released a set of four DVDs for Human Crossing. They released the first DVD, Human Crossing - The 25th Hour on February 8, 2005, the second DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 2: The Cicadas of Winter on April 26, 2005, the third DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 3: Message in White on June 28, 2005, and the fourth and final DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 4: Instructor's Rain on August 30, 2005.
On March 13, 2007, Geneon
released Human Crossing: Complete Brick Pack, which contains all 4 DVDs of the anime.
released a soundtrack CD on Human Crossing anime's ending theme called, Human Scramble - Believing, on June 4, 2003. The CD uses Bobby Caldwell
, Marsga Randcliffe and Debra Shane lyrics. It was sung by Aki Asahina. On July 16, 2003, Hiboom released a soundtrack CD for Human Scramble, containing the opening and ending themes of the anime. On January 7, 2005, Universal Music released a CD for Human Scramble, which was sung by Shinji Tanimura
. On March 11, 2009, Universal Music created a SHM-CD version of Shinji Tanimura
's 10-part album, which includes "Ningen Kosaten - Human Scramble".
's Theron Martin criticizes the “The 25th Hour” episode, "which comes off as preachy, improbable, and forced" but he also commends the “Direction" episode for its "poignancy and emotional appeal" at the end. Anime News Network
's Carlo Santos criticizes the second DVD of Human Crossing because of its animation, labeling it "stiff" and "choppy". Mania.com's Jennifer Rocks comments on the "stand-alone" nature of each episode more saying that it might be more rewarding if the anime is "viewed as a cultural study, rather than as pure entertainment". DVD Talk
's Don Houston commends the anime on its "background detail" and writes that many of the episodes have a "universal appeal".
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
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...
written by Masao Yajima and illustrated by Kenshi Hirokane
Kenshi Hirokane
is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from Waseda University with a degree in law, then worked for Matsushita Electric for four years, before making his manga debut in 1974 with Kaze Kaoru....
. The manga is about a series of unrelated stories of people's life and their lessons in life. Human Crossing received the 1985 Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
for 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...
/general's manga.
Manga
Shogakukan
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, manga, non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.Shogakukan founded Shueisha which founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan...
published Human Crossing in 27 bound volumes
Tankobon
, 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...
between October 1, 1981 and March 1, 1991. The series was republished into 19 bound volumes
Tankobon
, 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...
between November 17, 1994 and June 15, 1996.
Anime
The series was adapted into a 13-episode animeAnime
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....
in 2003 by OB Planning. Directed by Akira Kumeichi and Kazunari Kumi, it was broadcast on 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 April 5, 2003 and June 28, 2003. It was licensed by Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
in 2004. Each episode is a separate story of little relevance to each other. The anime is released in France by Kaze, and in Taiwan by Muse Communication.
The anime uses two pieces of theme song
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. "REVENGE ~Asu e no Chigai~" by Nana Katase
Nana Katase
is a Japanese actress.Katase portrayed Kiyomi Takada in Death Note: The Last Name. She also released a number of albums. "Fantasy" was one of her songs and it was in the third intro of Hikaru no Go. It was part of the "Galaxy, Telepathy, and Fantasy" album and after "Necessary" was made as her single...
is the opening theme, while "Believing" by Aki Asahina is the ending theme.
Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
released a set of four DVDs for Human Crossing. They released the first DVD, Human Crossing - The 25th Hour on February 8, 2005, the second DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 2: The Cicadas of Winter on April 26, 2005, the third DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 3: Message in White on June 28, 2005, and the fourth and final DVD, Human Crossing, Vol. 4: Instructor's Rain on August 30, 2005.
On March 13, 2007, Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
released Human Crossing: Complete Brick Pack, which contains all 4 DVDs of the anime.
Episode listing
| # | Title | Original air date |
|---|
Albums
Avex traxAvex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
released a soundtrack CD on Human Crossing anime's ending theme called, Human Scramble - Believing, on June 4, 2003. The CD uses Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell
Bobby Caldwell is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who, despite a prolific musical output over his 30-year career, is still best known for his 1978 hit single "What You Won't Do for Love". While he has always maintained a devoted fan base in the United States, a legendary...
, Marsga Randcliffe and Debra Shane lyrics. It was sung by Aki Asahina. On July 16, 2003, Hiboom released a soundtrack CD for Human Scramble, containing the opening and ending themes of the anime. On January 7, 2005, Universal Music released a CD for Human Scramble, which was sung by Shinji Tanimura
Shinji Tanimura
is a Japanese singer and songwriter.- Biography :In 1971, Tanimura set up the musical group, Alice, along with Takao Horiuchi, and in 1972 produced his first extended play musical album. Two years later, they produced their first album from the musical group...
. On March 11, 2009, Universal Music created a SHM-CD version of Shinji Tanimura
Shinji Tanimura
is a Japanese singer and songwriter.- Biography :In 1971, Tanimura set up the musical group, Alice, along with Takao Horiuchi, and in 1972 produced his first extended play musical album. Two years later, they produced their first album from the musical group...
's 10-part album, which includes "Ningen Kosaten - Human Scramble".
Reception
Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Theron Martin criticizes the “The 25th Hour” episode, "which comes off as preachy, improbable, and forced" but he also commends the “Direction" episode for its "poignancy and emotional appeal" at the end. Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
's Carlo Santos criticizes the second DVD of Human Crossing because of its animation, labeling it "stiff" and "choppy". Mania.com's Jennifer Rocks comments on the "stand-alone" nature of each episode more saying that it might be more rewarding if the anime is "viewed as a cultural study, rather than as pure entertainment". DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
's Don Houston commends the anime on its "background detail" and writes that many of the episodes have a "universal appeal".