Spider Riders
Encyclopedia
is a series of science fiction novels first published in December 2004, published by Newmarket Press
written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan
(books 2-3). The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada
and Bee Train
of Japan
. The three novels are titled Spider Riders: Shards of the Oracle, Spider Riders: Reign of the Soul Eater, and Spider Riders: Quest of the Earthen. Spider Riders broadcasts on Teletoon
, This TV
, and Kids' WB!. Koichi Mashimo
co-directed the staff at Bee Train with Takaaki Ishiyama. Writer Yosuke Kuroda adapted the novels. Robert Pincombe and Shelly Hoffman wrote the English version.
There is a prophecy that says a suface-dweller or Earthen, like Hunter, will bring disaster to the Inner World. Sparkle mentions it in the beginning of the TV series. When Princess Sparkle finds out she says, "I wonder if he will bring doom to us...or to them."
To activate these keys, the holder must shout "Oracle's Light!". Two in combination can create more powerful armor and weapons. The wielder must have a sincere desire to protect without arrogance, otherwise the keys will not work. The Oracle Key from Nuuma was called by Corona, using her power, to let Hunter use it without having to hold it. Mantid used two of the Oracle's keys to power himself, plunging the Inner World into darkness and preventing Hunter from using his own keys.
Currently the locations of the four Oracle Keys are known in the English version:
on April 29, 2007. The series was repeated on weekdays and Sunday from June–August 2007, and was not shown for the 2007
-08
season. It is broadcast on Kix sky channel 627 from 12 June. From September 1, 2008, Teletoon is repeating the anime
on weekdays. From November 2008 until September 2011, it is shown on the Cookie Jar Toons
block on This TV
.
's ani.tv website, illustrated by Junji Ohno of Studio 23. The seventh and final volume was published between 2006-11-29 and 2006-12-27. Previous volumes were removed on 2006-11-29.
Starting on December 27, 2006, the manga was republished under Monthly Fang Comic site, when two more chapters of the manga were later released. The web comic was first published in paper form on June 19, 2007, by the Monthly Fang Comic publisher LEED Publishing Co., Ltd.; the online chapters were removed soon after. Currently, the manga is not available.
The web manga has an alternate beginning, where Hunter Steele enters a spider-shaped monument and discovers the manacle floating above a spider web. Hunter wears the manacle when it flies to his hand and falls into Inner World through a gap between web strings. Inside the Inner World, Hunter discovers Shadow after peeking at the bathing Corona and after trying to rescue a cart of caged humans. Each chapter of the web manga ends with the Sparkling Sparkle section, following the adventures of Princess Sparkle and Hortala in 4-square manga format.
In the Boy's Fang manga version, certain scenes are re-edited; for example, Corona is now naked instead of in underwear when Hunter first met her in chapter 1, an illustration is added at the beginning of each chapter, and Sparkling Sparkle segments have been removed.
North America
-enabled cell phones. A third game, Jumping Spider, was released on August 9, 2006. Each game cost 105 yen.
Newmarket Press
Newmarket Publishing and Communications Company, and its publishing arm Newmarket Press, was founded in 1981 by President and Publisher Esther Margolis...
written by Tedd Anasti, Patsy Cameron-Anasti and Stephen D. Sullivan
Stephen D. Sullivan
Stephen D. Sullivan is an American author, artist, editor, publisher, and radio host. Sullivan is well known in the gaming community for his work with TSR, the publishers of Dungeons and Dragons.-Career:...
(books 2-3). The stories became the basis of the animated television series produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Bee Train
Bee Train
, commonly referred simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with Noir, .hack//Sign, and Madlax they have a strong following in the yuri fandom for being involved in series portraying strong female leads with speculatively...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The three novels are titled Spider Riders: Shards of the Oracle, Spider Riders: Reign of the Soul Eater, and Spider Riders: Quest of the Earthen. Spider Riders broadcasts on Teletoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
, This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
, and Kids' WB!. Koichi Mashimo
Koichi Mashimo
is a well-known Japanese anime director and the founder of the animation studio Bee Train. Since the creation of the studio, Mashimo directed or otherwise participated in all its works, for example, as a member of art or sound department...
co-directed the staff at Bee Train with Takaaki Ishiyama. Writer Yosuke Kuroda adapted the novels. Robert Pincombe and Shelly Hoffman wrote the English version.
Plot
Eleven-year-old Hunter Steel searches for the legendary inner world by following the instructions in his grandfather's journal. He enters a cave where he finds a mysterious manacle that attaches itself to him. A spider startles Hunter, who falls into a hole to the center of the Earth and into the subterranean world of Arachna. There, he discovers a small group of elite warriors struggling to survive and to save Arachna from the attack of giant insect mutants. The warriors are children, each fighting with the help of their own 10 ft (3 m) battle spiders. They call themselves "Spider Riders". In the English TV series, the ages of the characters were reduced.There is a prophecy that says a suface-dweller or Earthen, like Hunter, will bring disaster to the Inner World. Sparkle mentions it in the beginning of the TV series. When Princess Sparkle finds out she says, "I wonder if he will bring doom to us...or to them."
Oracle Keys
The Oracle Keys are fractions of the Oracle's power. They are cards that can be split in two. The Invectids hope to gain them for Mantid, who wants to use their power to rule Arachna. The Oracle uses much of her strength to protect them. The Spirit Oracle Key passes its power onto Hunter and Shadow, giving them new armor and weapons as well as new abilities.To activate these keys, the holder must shout "Oracle's Light!". Two in combination can create more powerful armor and weapons. The wielder must have a sincere desire to protect without arrogance, otherwise the keys will not work. The Oracle Key from Nuuma was called by Corona, using her power, to let Hunter use it without having to hold it. Mantid used two of the Oracle's keys to power himself, plunging the Inner World into darkness and preventing Hunter from using his own keys.
Currently the locations of the four Oracle Keys are known in the English version:
- Found in the Oracle's shrine in Arachna, the first key is taken by Hunter and Shadow, who retain possession of it throughout the series.
- The second key is brought to Arachna by a page from Nuuma. Hunter and Shadow have it in their possession for most of the series, though it was briefly taken by Aqune and Portia.
- The third key is initially kept in a sanctuary in Nuuma and allows the castle to float in the sky via the Oracle's power. It is taken by Aqune for the Invectids, but ends up in the possession of Hunter and Shadow during the final battle against Mantid.
- The fourth key held by Mantid powers Castle Mantid and sustains Mantid throughout the series until he steals the Oracle's power and abandons it. It ends up in the possession of Hunter and Shadow during the final battle against Mantid.
Broadcast history
The Spider Riders animated series debuted on March 25, 2006 on Canada's Teletoon network. Kids WB! on The CW began airing it during the 2006-2007 season. The last Spider Riders episode was shown in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on April 29, 2007. The series was repeated on weekdays and Sunday from June–August 2007, and was not shown for the 2007
2007 in television
2007 in television may refer to:*2007 in American television*2007 in Australian television*2007 in British television*2007 in Canadian television*2007 in Japanese television...
-08
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
season. It is broadcast on Kix sky channel 627 from 12 June. From September 1, 2008, Teletoon is repeating the 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....
on weekdays. From November 2008 until September 2011, it is shown on the Cookie Jar Toons
Cookie Jar Toons
Cookie Jar Toons is a daily children's programming block on the This TV digital broadcast network. The block is programmed by Toronto based Cookie Jar Entertainment...
block on This TV
This TV
This TV is a United States general entertainment television network, with a large emphasis in its programming on movies....
.
Web manga
On May 31, 2006, the Spider Riders manga premiered at TV TokyoTV 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...
's ani.tv website, illustrated by Junji Ohno of Studio 23. The seventh and final volume was published between 2006-11-29 and 2006-12-27. Previous volumes were removed on 2006-11-29.
Starting on December 27, 2006, the manga was republished under Monthly Fang Comic site, when two more chapters of the manga were later released. The web comic was first published in paper form on June 19, 2007, by the Monthly Fang Comic publisher LEED Publishing Co., Ltd.; the online chapters were removed soon after. Currently, the manga is not available.
The web manga has an alternate beginning, where Hunter Steele enters a spider-shaped monument and discovers the manacle floating above a spider web. Hunter wears the manacle when it flies to his hand and falls into Inner World through a gap between web strings. Inside the Inner World, Hunter discovers Shadow after peeking at the bathing Corona and after trying to rescue a cart of caged humans. Each chapter of the web manga ends with the Sparkling Sparkle section, following the adventures of Princess Sparkle and Hortala in 4-square manga format.
In the Boy's Fang manga version, certain scenes are re-edited; for example, Corona is now naked instead of in underwear when Hunter first met her in chapter 1, an illustration is added at the beginning of each chapter, and Sparkling Sparkle segments have been removed.
Music
Japan- Opening Theme #1: "Alright" (eps. 1-26)
- Opening Theme #2: "Brave Heart" by Saeko ChibaSaeko Chibais a prolific Japanese seiyū and singer, born on August 26, 1977 in Hachinohe, Aomori. She grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and married on her 30th birthday: August 26, 2007. She is contracted to the Space Craft Group...
(eps. 27-52) - Ending Theme #1: "Twilight Time" by MCU (eps. 1-13)
- Ending Theme #2: "Koi no Keshiki" by Tamaru Yamada (eps. 14-26)
- Ending Theme #3: "Towards a Dream" by Takashi KondoTakashi Kondois a Japanese voice actor represented by Vi-vo.-Anime roles:Lead roles are in bold.*Beyblade - Miguel*Bleach - Di Roy Linker, Findor Carias, Narunosuke*Captain Tsubasa - Pepe*Chocotto Sister - Awara in episode 3*Fairy Tail - Hibiki...
and Sanae KobayashiSanae Kobayashiis a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
(eps. 27-52)
North America
- Opening Theme: "Calling All Spider Riders" written by songwriter Jason GleedJason GleedJason Gleed is a musician, songwriter, and producer.-Biography:Originally from Toronto, Canada.He studied briefly at McMaster University, but dropped out and attended York Mills Collegiate Institute before later enrolling at the University of Toronto's science program...
for Grayson Matthews Audio
Japanese cast
- Motoko KumaiMotoko Kumaiis a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. Her most notable roles are Takao Kinomiya on Beyblade and Syaoran Li on Cardcaptor Sakura. From December 21, 2006 until October 2007, Motoko left her voice career due to an illness requiring medical treatment....
- Hunter Steele - Takashi KondoTakashi Kondois a Japanese voice actor represented by Vi-vo.-Anime roles:Lead roles are in bold.*Beyblade - Miguel*Bleach - Di Roy Linker, Findor Carias, Narunosuke*Captain Tsubasa - Pepe*Chocotto Sister - Awara in episode 3*Fairy Tail - Hibiki...
- Shadow - Saeko ChibaSaeko Chibais a prolific Japanese seiyū and singer, born on August 26, 1977 in Hachinohe, Aomori. She grew up in Tokyo, Japan, and married on her 30th birthday: August 26, 2007. She is contracted to the Space Craft Group...
- Corona - Sanae KobayashiSanae Kobayashiis a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
- Venus - Kumiko HigaKumiko Higais a Japanese female seiyū. She is part of 81 Produce. Kumiko is famous for her role in the Megaman series as Lan Hikari.-Anime:Best Student Council as Sachiko Iijima Bokurano as Maki AnoD.Gray-man as Daisya Barry...
- Prince Lumen, Portia - Kenta MiyakeKenta Miyakeis a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with 81 Produce.He is known for his unusually low voice .After the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki in 2006, Kenta took over the role of Giovanni during Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. He has since expanded this role into the new series, Pokemon Best Wishes...
- Ebony, Stags - Kaori ShimizuKaori ShimizuKaori Shimizu is the name of:*Kaori Shimizu , Japanese voice actress*Kaori Shimizu , '80s Japanese idol known for the video game Psycho Soldier...
- Princess Sparkle, Buzzbit - Yuu Asakawa - Hotarla, Beerain
- Takehito KoyasuTakehito Koyasuis a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...
- Igneous - Kinya KotaniKotani Kinya, also known as KINYA, is a male singer and actor from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. His songs were made into theme songs for the anime Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and various songs for Gravitation.- Career :...
- Magma - Shigeru ChibaShigeru Chibais an actor and voice actor. He has also worked as a sound effects director and music director. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce....
- Brutus, Larva P. Grasshop, Larva P. Grasshop's Wife - Sanae KobayashiSanae Kobayashiis a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
- Aqune - Chikao Ōtsuka - Brade
- Hiroshi YanakaHiroshi Yanakais a Japanese actor and voice actor who is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company.-TV Anime:*Avenger *Baby and Me *Battle Programmer Shirase *Chuka Ichiban...
- Mantid - Toshihiko SekiToshihiko Sekiis a Japanese voice actor and member of 81 Produce. Apart from voice actor work, Seki sometimes does live action drama stage work. He is sometimes mistaken for another voice actor, Tomokazu Seki, sharing the same last name but are unrelated.-Person/Career:...
- Buguese - Megumi ToyoguchiMegumi Toyoguchiis a voice actress, born on January 2, 1978 in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. She is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce.-Trivia:* Toyoguchi is the only seiyū to have the distinction of appearing in every anime in the Saturday 6 p.m...
- Lemin - Wataru HatanoWataru Hatano, is a seiyū who works for 81 Produce.His name is often mistakenly written as 波多野 渉 or 羽田野 渉. At the second annual Seiyū Awards in 2008, Wataru won the Best Male Rookie Award for his roles as Sam Houston in Toward the Terra and Tenshi Yuri in Saint Beast: Kouin Jojishi Tenshitan.-TV animation:*07...
- Insector Captain - Hiroshi TsuchidaHiroshi Tsuchidais a Japanese voice actor and actor affiliated with 81 Produce. Tsuchida is best known for his role as Saizou/NinjaBlue in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger.-TV Anime:*Naruto *Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo *Honey and Clover...
- Insector Captain (ep. 7) - Shigenori Sôya - Insector Captain (ep. 17)
- Takuma Suzuki - Celpido (ep. 10)
- Kiyoyuki YanadaKiyoyuki YanadaKiyoyuki Yanada is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He was a member of 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*After School in the Teacher's Lounge *Baten Kaitos...
- Gold Beetle (ep. 25) - Tetsuya Sakai - Scarab
Additional Seiyu
- Takako HondaTakako Hondais a Japanese voice actress. She is the dubbing voice actress for Halle Berry.-Roles:*Bleach *Cobra the Animation * Cyborg 009 - Child Joe Shimamura *D.Gray-man...
- Lily - Naoko MatsuiNaoko Matsuiis a Japanese voice actress from Hakodate. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. She is also a voice acting instructor....
- Melissa (ep. 5) - Anri Katsu - Grey
- Yuko KobayashiYuko Kobayashiis a Japanese seiyū who was born on February 6, 1961 in Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with 81 Produce and is married to fellow seiyu Mitsuaki Hoshino.-Notable voice roles:*Washu Hakubi in Tenchi Muyo*Shigeru in Pokémon...
- Elma - Nozomu SasakiNozomu Sasakiis a Japanese voice actor. He is a client of the voice actor management firm, 81 Produce. In 1988, he voiced the well known character, Tetsuo Shima, in the movie, Akira, which was adapted from the manga of the same name. He also performed the role of Yusuke Urameshi in the popular anime adaptation...
- Toure - Maya OkamotoMaya Okamotois a Japanese voice actress.-Notable voice roles:*Maya Jingu in Burn Up W and Excess*Mio in Grander Musashi*Reiko Hosokawa in Idol Defense Force Hummingbird*Harumi Nakagawa in Irresponsible Captain Tylor*Diana in Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure...
- Sina (ep. 16) - Sara NakayamaSara Nakayamais a Japanese voice actress who works for Aoni Production. She was previously credited as .-TV anime:*.hack//Legend of the Twilight - Female Heavy Blade*.hack//SIGN - Kao-chin*D.N.Angel - Riku Harada*Gegege no Kitaro - Megumi...
- Mina (ep. 16) - Takuma Suzuki - Nuuma Page
- Ryusuke Oobayashi - Mariner
- Masumi AsanoMasumi Asanois a Japanese voice actress from Noshiro, Akita who works for Aoni Production. She is also known by her nickname, Masumin.- Notable voice roles :Anime* Saga in A Little Snow Fairy Sugar...
- Paradise Woman - Hidetoshi Nakamura - Quint
- Yuka Takakura - Lady Noia Lya
English Cast
- Julie LemieuxJulie Lemieux-Character voices:Julie Lemieux has provided the voice for characters such as Sammy Tsukino and Young Sapphire in Sailor Moon, Darien Shields in Sailor Moon R the Movie: Promise of the Rose, and Peruru in Sailor Moon Supers the Movie: Black Dream Hole. She has also played Funshine Bear Care Bears:...
- Hunter Steele, Queen Illuma, Spirit Oracle - Joseph MotikiJoseph MotikiJoseph "Joe" Frederick Motiki is a Canadian television host and performer.Motiki was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and graduated in 1995 from the Radio & Television Arts program at Ryerson University. While an undergraduate at Ryerson, Motiki beat out 350 hopefuls to become the host of What,...
- Shadow - Stacey DePassStacey DePassStacey DePass is a Canadian voice actress that lives in Toronto with her husband and fellow actor Jeremy Harris. She has starred in various animated television series.-Career:...
- Corona - Caroly Larson - Venus
- Cameron AnsellCameron AnsellCameron Ansell is a Canadian voice actor, best known for voicing Arthur in the television series of the same name, Cheng in Skyland, and Prince Lumen in Spider Riders. He is currently voicing Franklin....
- Prince Lumen - Melanie Tonello - Princess Sparkle
- Grace Fulliton - Hotarla
- Tim Hamaguchi - Igneous
- Lyon Smith - Magma
- Darren FrostDarren FrostDarren Frost is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He frequently performs at Yuk-Yuks comedy clubs, and he competed in the 2007 Seattle International Comedy Competition....
- Brutus - Alyson CourtAlyson CourtAlyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the 1985 children's film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, and played summer camper Dawn in the animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation the following year...
- Aqune - Ron PardoRon PardoRon Pardo is a Canadian actor, voice artist and impressionist, known for playing a wide variety of characters on the television show History Bites.-Life and Career:...
- Narrator - Lawrence BayneLawrence BayneLawrence Bayne is a Canadian actor, born November 11, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has appeared in various movies and television series, both live action and animated, and also sings/writes with his band The Lawrence Bayne Issue....
- Mantid - Jack LangedijkJack LangedijkJack Langedijk is a Canadian theatre director and actor.Langedijk received an acting education at Concordia University in Montreal and Sheridan College in Ontario. After graduation, he established a theatre company of his own and directed many plays, often by Shakespeare.Apart from his work at the...
- Buguese - Carman Melville - Larva P. Grasshop
- Ellen Ray Snow - Beerain
- Dan PetronijevicDan PetronijevicDaniel Petronijevic is a Canadian actor, who performed the role Thad Guerwitcz on ESPN's football series Playmakers and is also the voice actor of Geoff in Total Drama Island, Total Drama Action, and Total Drama World Tour, a role which he had to sing for, and even got an entire solo song. He...
- Slate - Megan FahlenbockMegan FahlenbockMegan Fahlenbock is a Canadian actress. She was born on June 30, 1971. Primarily known as a voice actress, she has also had a few film roles.-Career:One of her television roles is 6teen as Jen Masterson...
- Lady Noia Lya
Web games
Tribal Nova produced the tie-in online game based on the show, available on the official site.Phone games
On July 29, 2006, the Anime X site published Spider Catcher and Oracle Daifugo, downloadable phone games based on the show for the FOMAFoma
Foma may refer to:* FOMA , a Japanese mobile telecommunications service* Sergei Fomenko, nicknamed "Foma", Ukrainian musician...
-enabled cell phones. A third game, Jumping Spider, was released on August 9, 2006. Each game cost 105 yen.
External links
- Official Spider Riders website
- Spider Riders at Bee Train
- Spider Riders at TV Tokyo