Alien Nine
Encyclopedia
is a 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...

 series by Hitoshi Tomizawa
Hitoshi Tomizawa
' is a Japanese manga artist. Alien 9 is his best known work; his manga tend to be short, with sci-fi stories involving children and insects. His art was fairly standard shōnen manga style for his first series, but starting with Alien 9 it became very distinctive, but with very large eyes and...

, which was later adapted into an 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....

 OVA series by J.C.Staff
J.C.STAFF
, is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986. Their first release was the three episode OVA Sengoku Kidan Yōtōden, in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Majutsu no...

. The manga was serialized in Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...

's Young Champion magazine, spanning 3-volumes. In 2003, Tomizawa released a 1-volume sequel to the series called Alien 9 Emulators. Alien Nine is characterized by its superflat
Superflat
Superflat is a postmodern art movement, founded by the artist Takashi Murakami, which is influenced by manga and anime. It is also the name of a 2001 art exhibition, curated by Murakami, that toured West Hollywood, Minneapolis and Seattle....

 art style as well as its psychedelic
Psychedelic art
Psychedelic art is any kind of visual artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences induced by drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. The word "psychedelic" "mind manifesting". By that definition all artistic efforts to depict the inner world of the psyche may be considered "psychedelic"...

 shifts in setting
Setting (fiction)
In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...

 and plot and moderate to extreme graphic violence
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...

 despite the young main characters, Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...

-like monster designs, and initial appearances of a slice-of-life-esque series.

The English adaptation of the series was first licensed by Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...

, and has played on Comcast's Anime Selects. Central Park Media released the title under their "US Manga Corps" line, on a single DVD, and later re-released the DVD in a box set with all three manga volumes, which was also licensed by Central Park Media under their "CPM Manga" line. Central Park Media filed for bankruptcy in 2009, and the DVDs and manga volumes have since been out of print.

Story

Yuri Otani, a rather melancholic 12-year-old, has just arrived in sixth grade and has (begrudgingly) joined the "Alien Party", a team whose primary objective is to capture any otherworldly aliens that may appear on campus. To make matters even worse for Yuri, the only way that capturing the aliens can be made possible is to adjoin with a "Borg", a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...

 life-form whose sole purpose is to protect their host, incapacitate, and ultimately capture other aliens, using anything available to their arsenal (which includes, but is not limited to: Borgs, inline roller blades
Inline skates
In-line skates are a type of roller skate used for inline skating. Unlike quad skates, which have two front and two rear wheels, inline skates have two, three, four, or five wheels arranged in a single line...

, knee pads, and lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...

 sticks.) Yuri is not alone in her tribulations, for she has two other Alien Party member friends - Kasumi and Kumi.

Characters

A quiet girl, who was voted by her 6th-grade classmates to be their representative on the Alien Party. Yuri is very reluctant to merge with her Borg. She is easily frightened and there is hardly anything that won't make her cry, being scared or happy.


The most independent member of the Alien Party, and a 6th-grade student. She has been a member of the Student Council for years and has assisted her widowed mother in her writing activities as well as an above average number of chores for a student her age. In the manga, she is attacked by an alien and is revived by fusing with an alien from the Drill "Clan".


A talented sixth-grade student, who is talented in piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...

, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

, robotics competitions and roller skating. She is the most enthusiastic member of the Alien Party. Kasumi has a brother, whom she greatly loved and who was sent to a private school abroad. In the manga, after being absorbed by a Yellow Knife alien, she becomes part Yellow Knife herself, though hinted at in the anime.


The teacher and counsellor in charge of the Alien Party.


A sixth-grade student and Yuri's good friend and classmate.


A symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...

 lifeform, whose sole purpose is to protect their host, incapacitate, and ultimately capture other aliens, using anything available to their arsenal. Borgs feed on the waste of their hosts. It would appear that when one is attached long enough to the Borg, they gain its abilities, as seen with some characters' hair despite the fact they aren't wearing one.

Cast

Character Japanese English
Yuri Otani Juri Ihata Christina Rodriguez
Kumi Kawamura Kaori Shimizu
Kaori Shimizu
Kaori Shimizu is the name of:*Kaori Shimizu , Japanese voice actress*Kaori Shimizu , '80s Japanese idol known for the video game Psycho Soldier...

 
Debora Rabbai
Debora Rabbai
Debora Rabbai is an American voice actress who is also credited as Debbie Rabbai and Angora Deb.- Anime Roles :* Agent Aika - Aika Sumeragi* Alien 9 - Kumi Kawamura* Ayane's High Kick - Ayane Mitsui...

Kasumi Tōmine Noriko Shitaya
Noriko Shitaya
is a Japanese voice actress who works for 81 Produce.-Anime television:2000* Hamtaro, Sumire-chan, Tsutomu-kun2001* Parappa the Rapper Gallery * Alien Nine , Kasumi Tōmine2002* Mirage of Blaze...

 
Jessica Calvello
Jessica Calvello
Jessica Lynn Calvello is an American voice actress primarily known for her anime voiceover work, particularly with ADV Films and later 4Kids Entertainment....

Megumi Hisakawa Aya Hisakawa
Aya Hisakawa
is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer born in Kaizuka, Osaka. In addition to releasing various solo CDs, she is well known for her anime voice roles, and has also done some work in video games. She is best known for her role of Sailor Mercury of the Sailor Moon fame and also Cerberus from...

 
Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor
Veronica Taylor is an American voice actress. Taylor is best known for her dubbing work in English-language anime adaptations, in particular for voicing Ash Ketchum in the English dub of the Japanese anime, Pokémon....

Miyu Tamaki Manami Nakayama  Rachael Lillis
Rachael Lillis
Rachael Lillis is an American actress and voice actress. She studied acting in Boston and New York City and has appeared in various theater and independent films....

Kumi's Borg Ryūsei Nakao
Ryusei Nakao
, known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor from Tōkyō Metropolis, Japan. He is attached to 81 Produce. He has also worked under the name of ....

 
Jimmy Zoppi
Jimmy Zoppi
Jimmy Zoppi , sometimes credited as Billy Beach and James Carter Cathcart, is an American bassist, vocalist, and voice-over artist. He has been playing with bands since high school and has been a bassist and vocalist of the Carter Cathcart Band since 1981. Zoppi's first voiceover part was O.G...

Yuri's Borg Ryūsei Nakao
Ryusei Nakao
, known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor from Tōkyō Metropolis, Japan. He is attached to 81 Produce. He has also worked under the name of ....

 
Joshua Popenoe
Kasumi's Borg Ryūsei Nakao
Ryusei Nakao
, known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor, singer, and voice actor from Tōkyō Metropolis, Japan. He is attached to 81 Produce. He has also worked under the name of ....

 
Tristan Goddard
Yuri's Mom Yuko Kato Lynna Dunham
Hiroshi Iwanami Yuko Sanpei
Yuko Sanpei
is a female Japanese voice actress currently affiliated with Production Baobab.-TV Anime:2000:*Daa! Daa! Daa! '2001:*Ojarumaru 2002:...

 
Michael Sinterniklaas
Michael Sinterniklaas
Michael Tremain Sinterniklaas is a Dutch American actor, voice actor, ADR Director and script writer who has worked for Viz Media, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, 4Kids Entertainment, and Tripwire Productions...

Yellow Knife 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...

 
Michael Alston Baley
Principal Rei Sakuma
Rei Sakuma
is a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. She is best known in Japan for her voice work in the long running children's series Soreike! Anpanman; her most famous role in the English-speaking world, however, is probably as the Chinese Amazon Shampoo in Ranma ½.-Notable voice roles:*Akabon...

 
Suzy Savoy

Anime

The first half of the series (through the middle of Volume 2) was later adapted into an anime OVA series, which was released across four volumes by Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...

 from 2001 to 2002, containing one episode each. Animated by J.C.Staff
J.C.STAFF
, is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986. Their first release was the three episode OVA Sengoku Kidan Yōtōden, in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Majutsu no...

 and produced by Genco, the first volume of the series was directed by Jirō Fujimoto, while volumes 2-4 were directed by Yasuhiro Irie
Yasuhiro Irie
is a Japanese animator, character designer and anime director.-Biography:Beginning his career at Sunrise, he has worked as an animation director and animator on several productions, and made his debut as a director with volumes 2 to 4 of Alien 9 and the 2004 television series Kurau Phantom Memory...

, who also handled the entire series' character designs, and was written by Sadayuki Murai. A special TV broadcast was aired prior to the series' DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 release on AT-X
AT-X (company)
is a Japanese anime television network owned by . AT-X, Inc. was founded on June 26, 2000 as a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Medianet, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of TV Tokyo. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo. AT-X network broadcasts anime via satellite and cable since December 24, 1997.AT-X is...

.

It has been broadcast by the anime television network Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...

 across its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 and its English-language networks in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

 (where it was previously also aired by its sister network AXN
AXN
AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America...

) and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...

. The anime was licensed and released 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 Central Park Media
Central Park Media
Central Park Media was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York, that was active in the distribution of East Asian cinema, television series, anime, manga and manhwa titles in North America prior to its bankruptcy in 2009...

, with the series being aired across the region on Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...

's Select On Demand service. As the OVA series ends halfway through the story, the DVD was made available in America in an "Ultimate Edition", which included all three original volumes of the collected translated manga.

Tarō Maki (President of Genco and executive producer of the anime OVA adaptation) has stated in an interview that due to the abruptness of the anime OVA ending, he stated that will raise funds to continue the series. However, this has not happened for almost a decade and is considered to be in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...

 and is most likely cancelled. That does not, however, rule out the possibility of a reboot to cover all three of the manga volumes plus the sequel, Alien Nine Emulators.

Because of its rarity and cheap price, it has somewhat become a cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...

 amongst fans and collectors alike.

Staff

  • Series composition: Sadayuki Murai
  • Character design: Yasuhiro Irie
    Yasuhiro Irie
    is a Japanese animator, character designer and anime director.-Biography:Beginning his career at Sunrise, he has worked as an animation director and animator on several productions, and made his debut as a director with volumes 2 to 4 of Alien 9 and the 2004 television series Kurau Phantom Memory...

  • Creature design: Kazunori Iwakura
  • Art director: Jun'ichi Higashi
  • Sound director: Yoshikazu Iwanami
  • Music: Kuniaki Haishima
  • Photography director: Masaru Takase
  • Directors: Jirō Fujimoto (Vol.1), Yasuhiro Irie (Vol.2 - Vol.4)
  • Animation production: J.C.Staff
    J.C.STAFF
    , is a Japanese animation studio founded in January 1986. Their first release was the three episode OVA Sengoku Kidan Yōtōden, in 1987. They have produced several well-known anime series, such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Shakugan no Shana, Toaru Majutsu no...

  • Production: Alien 9 Production Committee (Bandai Visual
    Bandai Visual
    , is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...

    , TV Tokyo Media Net, Nippon Columbia
    Columbia Music Entertainment
    is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. The company changed its name to Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd. in 1946. It used the Nippon Columbia name until...

    , AT-X, GENCO)


External links

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