Kiddy Grade
Encyclopedia
is a 24 episode science fiction
anime
series produced in 2002 and created by gímik
and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh
. The series is licensed and distributed in North America
by FUNimation Entertainment
. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel
in both its "syndicated block" and its 24-hour channel. In 2007, the series was re-released as three movies (each 80–90 minutes in length) to specific Japanese theatres. The individual titles for these films are:
In October 2006 news of a Kiddy Grade sequel
was announced, under the working title of (K-G.2), to be animated by asread (Shuffle!
anime). A DVD containing a 7-minute preview of the new series was released on 2007-05-25 but nothing further was heard until, on February 26, 2009 it was re-announced under the new title along with news of a new manga adaptation, . The anime, due to air Autumn 2009, is now being produced by studio Satelight
, based on a story by gímik
, that is set 50 years after the original series and introduces two new female protagonists, and . The manga version, with story by Hidefumi Kimura and art by Yukari Higa
(Shina Dark
), is being serialized in the Comp Ace
magazine, starting from March 26, 2009.
ed individuals that acts as the elite enforcement division of GOTT and hence, of the Galactic Union. Their powers are ranked by "class", of which three are named in the series: C class is the lowest, S is high, and G is the highest. At the beginning of the series, it is believed that no ES member possesses G class abilities but it is later revealed to be false. ES members are organized in pairs of the same class and each is issued a customized and very advanced spaceship
and a guard robot
.
The protagonists of the series are Éclair
and Lumière
, a C class pair of ES agents, who have a long back-story
together from before joining GOTT. Their past is gradually revealed throughout the series as they come to realize and accept it. Their spaceship is called La Muse and their guard robot is Donnerschlag ; both are also part of their back-story. As ES members, Éclair and Lumière report directly to the chief of GOTT, Eclipse, a strict and collected woman whose orders they cannot disobey. Often accompanying them in the early episodes is the Galactic Union audit
or Armbrust who appears to have multiple hidden agendas.
Other ES members are: Alv and Dvergr (S class), an arrogant pair who eventually become Éclair and Lumière's antagonist
s; Tweedledee and Tweedledum (S class), fraternal twins with a complicated relationship towards the protagonists; Viola and Cesario (C class) who are generally on good terms with Éclair and Lumière; Un-ou and A-ou (S class), former mercenaries with a long-standing rivalry with them; and Sinistra and Dextera (S class), a bishōnen
pair held in high regard by all their colleagues for their professionalism. Also of note are Mercredi, Eclipse's personal assistant
with a hidden agenda, and Chevalier d'Autriche, the Secretary General of GOTT whose past is intertwined with Éclair's.
, particularly in the case of Lumière. Despite her actual mental age, she has the appearance of a 10-year old, and is often shown in a sexualized fashion. Fanservice is an ongoing quality of Kiddy Grade, but does occur less frequently as the series progresses.
Nevertheless, as a series it is usually given credit for high-quality animation and the strengths of the story in the later episodes.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
anime
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....
series produced in 2002 and created by gímik
Gímik
gímik is a Japanese animation production group, formed by Keiji Gotoh, Megumi Kadonosono and Hidefumi Kimura.In the past, animators have often formed production groups to produce animations, but increasingly animation groups are assuming a dominant role in the process, and developing works with...
and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh
Keiji Gotoh
is a Japanese anime director, character designer, manga artist, and member of three man production team gímik whose works include Kiddy Grade and Uta Kata.- Television :* Thundercats , In-between animation...
. The series is licensed and distributed 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 FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
in both its "syndicated block" and its 24-hour channel. In 2007, the series was re-released as three movies (each 80–90 minutes in length) to specific Japanese theatres. The individual titles for these films are:
- Ignition (initial screening April 8, 2007, DVD released July 27, 2007)
- Maelstrom (initial screening June 23, 2007, DVD released September 28, 2007), and
- Truth Dawn (initial screening September 1, 2007, DVD released December 21, 2007).
In October 2006 news of a Kiddy Grade sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
was announced, under the working title of (K-G.2), to be animated by asread (Shuffle!
Shuffle!
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Navel. It was originally released as an adult game for Microsoft Windows on January 30, 2004. It was subsequently followed by an all-ages release for the PlayStation 2 and an expanded adult release for Windows...
anime). A DVD containing a 7-minute preview of the new series was released on 2007-05-25 but nothing further was heard until, on February 26, 2009 it was re-announced under the new title along with news of a new manga adaptation, . The anime, due to air Autumn 2009, is now being produced by studio Satelight
Satelight
is a Japanese animation studio.-History:The studio was founded on December 1995, in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, their first project being Bit the Cupid, the world's first fully digitally-animated television series. The name Satelight consists of S for Sapporo, A for Animate, T for Technology and E for...
, based on a story by gímik
Gímik
gímik is a Japanese animation production group, formed by Keiji Gotoh, Megumi Kadonosono and Hidefumi Kimura.In the past, animators have often formed production groups to produce animations, but increasingly animation groups are assuming a dominant role in the process, and developing works with...
, that is set 50 years after the original series and introduces two new female protagonists, and . The manga version, with story by Hidefumi Kimura and art by Yukari Higa
Yukari Higa
is a Japanese manga artist from the Miyagi Prefecture. She has also published doujin under the name .-Manga:* Magical Chronicle Lyrical Nanoha Force* Kiddy Girl-and Pure* Shina Dark* Holy Hearts!* Sekai Seifuku Monogatari- External links :...
(Shina Dark
Shina Dark
is a Japanese fantasy and comedy manga series written by Bunjūrō Nakayama and drawn by Yukari Higa. The manga originally started serialized in ASCII Media Works' seinen manga magazine Dengeki Teioh on January 26, 2006, and ran in that magazine until November 2006 when it went on hiatus until...
), is being serialized in the Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
magazine, starting from March 26, 2009.
Story
The story takes place in a future where the human race has expanded and inhabits a multitude of planets in the universe with fantastic technology. Unsurprisingly, crime has grown alongside technology, and thus the GOTT, Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, is formed as a sort of universal police force. Within this organization, there is a special (and secret) branch known as the ES Force (ES standing for "Encounter of Shadow-work"), consisting of twelve young people that possess amazing superpowers. Each ES member operates with another as a team, and the series' focus is a team of two low-level members, Éclair and Lumière. As the series progresses, they start to see the darker side of GOTT and its secrets.Characters
Most of the central characters in the series are ES members of GOTT "Shadow Unit". The Shadow Unit is a group of superpowerSuperpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...
ed individuals that acts as the elite enforcement division of GOTT and hence, of the Galactic Union. Their powers are ranked by "class", of which three are named in the series: C class is the lowest, S is high, and G is the highest. At the beginning of the series, it is believed that no ES member possesses G class abilities but it is later revealed to be false. ES members are organized in pairs of the same class and each is issued a customized and very advanced spaceship
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
and a guard robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
.
The protagonists of the series are Éclair
Éclair (Kiddy Grade)
Éclair is the main protagonist of the anime series Kiddy Grade.Éclair works for the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, or GOTT for short. While her primary job is to be a receptionist her job also incorporates being sent on missions as an ES member of the so-called "Shadow Unit" in order...
and Lumière
Lumière (Kiddy Grade)
Lumière is the deuteragonist of the 2002 anime series Kiddy Grade.Lumière is a GOTT receptionist and ES member like her partner Éclair. Lumière has little to no physical abilities. She instead makes up for this with her adept, controlled mind, her wit and her ability to control any computer unit...
, a C class pair of ES agents, who have a long back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
together from before joining GOTT. Their past is gradually revealed throughout the series as they come to realize and accept it. Their spaceship is called La Muse and their guard robot is Donnerschlag ; both are also part of their back-story. As ES members, Éclair and Lumière report directly to the chief of GOTT, Eclipse, a strict and collected woman whose orders they cannot disobey. Often accompanying them in the early episodes is the Galactic Union audit
Audit
The general definition of an audit is an evaluation of a person, organization, system, process, enterprise, project or product. The term most commonly refers to audits in accounting, but similar concepts also exist in project management, quality management, and energy conservation.- Accounting...
or Armbrust who appears to have multiple hidden agendas.
Other ES members are: Alv and Dvergr (S class), an arrogant pair who eventually become Éclair and Lumière's antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s; Tweedledee and Tweedledum (S class), fraternal twins with a complicated relationship towards the protagonists; Viola and Cesario (C class) who are generally on good terms with Éclair and Lumière; Un-ou and A-ou (S class), former mercenaries with a long-standing rivalry with them; and Sinistra and Dextera (S class), a bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
pair held in high regard by all their colleagues for their professionalism. Also of note are Mercredi, Eclipse's personal assistant
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
with a hidden agenda, and Chevalier d'Autriche, the Secretary General of GOTT whose past is intertwined with Éclair's.
Cast
| Character | Seiyū Seiyu Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and... | Voice Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Éclair Éclair (Kiddy Grade) Éclair is the main protagonist of the anime series Kiddy Grade.Éclair works for the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, or GOTT for short. While her primary job is to be a receptionist her job also incorporates being sent on missions as an ES member of the so-called "Shadow Unit" in order... |
Ryōko Nagata Ryoko Nagata is a seiyū who works for Vi-Vo.- Anime :*Azumanga Daioh *Black Blood Brothers *Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~ *Geneshaft... |
Colleen Clinkenbeard Colleen Clinkenbeard Colleen Smith Clinkenbeard is an American voice actress, Line Producer, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, and OkraTron 5000. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and series, most notably, Monkey D... |
| Lumière Lumière (Kiddy Grade) Lumière is the deuteragonist of the 2002 anime series Kiddy Grade.Lumière is a GOTT receptionist and ES member like her partner Éclair. Lumière has little to no physical abilities. She instead makes up for this with her adept, controlled mind, her wit and her ability to control any computer unit... |
Aya Hirano Aya Hirano from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer who has had roles in several anime, visual novels, and TV commercials in Japan. She was contracted to Space Craft Produce, a branch of the Space Craft Group, for her voice acting career, and for her singing career,... |
Monica Rial Monica Rial Monica Jean Rial is an American voice actress, ADR Director, and Script Writer who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000... |
| Eclipse | Doi Mika | Scarlett McAllister |
| Mercredi | Kaori Mizuhashi Kaori Mizuhashi is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Arts Vision. Her debut was in 1998 with the game First Kiss Story.-TV anime:*Ai Yori Aoshi *Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ *Angelic Layer... |
Gwendolyn Lau Gwendolyn Lau Gwendolyn Lau is an American voice actress who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films.-Anime:* Aquarion - Manamana... |
| Armbrust | Gō Aoba | Dameon Clarke Dameon Clarke Dameon J. Clarke is a Canadian-born American actor and voice actor who currently resides in Los Angeles. He has worked on numerous film and television productions as well as many anime and video game properties for FUNimation Entertainment, New Generation Pictures and OkraTron 5000. He is... |
| Alv | Kikuko Inoue Kikuko Inoue is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer. She has been part of the singing groups DoCo and Goddess Family Club, among others, and is the manager of her voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Inoue tends to play the "perfect girlfriend" or "motherly" role in many series, but she has also played... |
Laura Bailey Laura Bailey (voice actress) Laura Dawn Bailey is an American actress, voice actress, Singer, Line Producer and ADR Director. She has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films, television series, as well as video games... |
| Dvergr | Omi Minami Omi Minami is a Japanese voice actor. She is mostly known for her work in anime and video game roles.-Notable anime voice roles:*Tama *Shimajirō Shimano *Euphemia Li Britannia... |
Rebecca Paige |
| Sinistra | Nobuo Tobita Nobuo Tobita is a Japanese seiyū from Mito. He is represented by Arts Vision.He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan , Albert Heinrich/004 , and Sueo Maruo... |
Eric Vale Eric Vale Christopher Eric Johnson better known by his stage name Eric Vale, is an American voice actor, ADR Director, Script, and Head Writer who is affiliated with Funimation Entertainment... |
| Dextera | Hirotaka Suzuoki Hirotaka Suzuoki was a Japanese voice actor and actor from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University.His best known roles include Mobile Suit Gundam , Captain Tsubasa , Saint Seiya , Dragon Ball Z , The Transformers , Ranma ½ , Rurouni Kenshin , Pokémon... |
Vic Mignogna Vic Mignogna Victor Joseph "Vic" Mignogna is an American Anime Award winning voice actor and musician who has done voice work for many anime series, movies, and video games... |
| Cesario | Toshiyuki Morikawa Toshiyuki Morikawa is a prolific Japanese male voice actor from Yokohama, Kanagawa, was affiliated with Arts Vision. Lately, however, he has become the head of that a voice actor company he founded in Apr 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki... |
Justin Cook Justin Cook Justin Ryan Cook is an American Producer, Voice Actor, Line Producer, ADR Director, and Engineer who works for Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000... |
| Viola | Ai Tokunaga Ai Tokunaga is a Japanese voice actor. As of August, 2006, Tokunaga is employed by Arts Vision.-Notable Voice Roles:* Canvas 2 - Kana Hagino* Heat Guy J - Vivian* Kiddy Grade - Viola* Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette - Hugues* Magical Play - Padudu* Pita-Ten - Miku... |
Alison Retzlof Alison Retzlof Alison Ruth Retzloff Viktorin is an American actress and voice actress who works for anime series at Funimation Entertainment and OkraTron 5000... |
| Tweedledee | Natsuko Kuwatani Natsuko Kuwatani is a Japanese voice actress who currently works for I'm Enterprise as of March 1, 2008.- 2001 :* Rabbit in Kokoro Library* Karen in Sister Princess* Kirala Mitsuboshi in Najica Blitz Tactics- 2002 :* Tweedledee in Kiddy Grade... |
Clarine Harp Clarine Harp Clarine Harp is an American voice actress, Blu-ray and DVD Producer, and production assistant who works for FUNimation Entertainment.... |
| Tweedledum | Jun Fukuyama Jun Fukuyama is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass... |
Antimere Robinson |
| Un-oh | Akira Ishida Akira Ishida Akira Ishida is a prolific male seiyū born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.He was a part of Mausu Promotion from 1988 until March 2009... |
Pugs |
| A-oh | Tetsu Inada Tetsu Inada ' is a seiyū who works for Aoni Production.-TV:*Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales *Bakugan Battle Brawlers *Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia *Bamboo Blade... |
Steve Sanders |
| Bonita | Mami Kosuge Mami Kosuge is a Japanese voice actress who works for Arts Vision.-Notable voice roles:*Black Blood Brothers as Kelly Wong*D.N.Angel as Yuki Suzaki*Grenadier - The Senshi of Smiles as Touka Kurenai*Kiddy Grade as Bonita Gerard*Kimi ga Nozomu Eien as Motoko Kouzuki... |
Meredith McCoy Meredith McCoy Meredith McCoy Mauldin is an American actress, singer, and voice actress who has worked for Funimation Entertainment. Meredith has done national commercials for Radio Shack, AT&T, 7-Eleven, and Chevrolet. Her father Jaan McCoy is a longtime radio personality in the Dallas/Forth Worth area... |
| Liquiy | Ikue Kimura Ikue Kimura is a Japanese voice actress best known for her voice role as Kyoko Tokiwa in Full Metal Panic!. Other roles include Liquiy in Kiddy Grade.Ikue Kimura also did the theme song for Tokyopop's Anime "Samurai Girl: Real Bout High School"... |
Elise Baughman Elise Baughman Elise Paige Baughman is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for doing voice work in dubbing Japanese anime for Funimation Entertainment, New Generation Pictures, and OkraTron 5000.-Anime:... |
| Chevalier D'Autriche | Norio Wakamoto Norio Wakamoto is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University... |
Christopher Sabat Christopher Sabat Christopher Robin Sabat is an American voice actor, ADR Director, and Line Producer. He has provided voices for a number of English language versions of Japanese anime films and television series, as well as video games... |
| Caprice | Naoko Takano | Melissa Elise |
Theme songs
- Opening
- by Yuka
- Ending
- "Future" by Little Viking
Crew
- Keiji GotohKeiji Gotohis a Japanese anime director, character designer, manga artist, and member of three man production team gímik whose works include Kiddy Grade and Uta Kata.- Television :* Thundercats , In-between animation...
- Director - Hidefumi KimuraHidefumi Kimurais a Japanese artist, writer and animator. He is a member of gímik, along with Keiji Gotoh and Megumi Kadonosono, and is responsible for composing the scenarios and writing most of the episodic screenplays for their anime, and for writing some of the related manga and light novels.- Television...
- Scenario - Megumi KadonosonoMegumi Kadonosonois a Japanese animator, animation director and character designer from Osaka, Japan.-Anime credits:*Aquarian Age: Sign for Evolution: Animation *Clannad movie: Character Design*D.N.Angel: Animation director...
- Character design - Shirō HamaguchiShiro Hamaguchiis a Japanese anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises One Piece and Oh My Goddess! and arranging/orchestrating music in the Final Fantasy series...
- Composer
Reception
Reviews for Kiddy Grade are often mixed. As the main plot does not become apparent until mid-series (Episode 9), it has been criticized as being too slow, particularly when reviews are based on the first few episodes. Negative comments are also made about excessive fanserviceFan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
, particularly in the case of Lumière. Despite her actual mental age, she has the appearance of a 10-year old, and is often shown in a sexualized fashion. Fanservice is an ongoing quality of Kiddy Grade, but does occur less frequently as the series progresses.
Nevertheless, as a series it is usually given credit for high-quality animation and the strengths of the story in the later episodes.