Powerpuff Girls Z
Encyclopedia
Powerpuff Girls Z, known in Japan as or PPGZ for short, is a magical girl
anime
series based on the American
animated television series The Powerpuff Girls
. The anime is co-produced by Cartoon Network Japan
and Aniplex
and was animated by Toei Animation
, featuring character design by Miho Shimogasa (of Sailor Moon
fame). As production occurred in Japan
, Craig McCracken
, the original creator of The Powerpuff Girls, was not directly involved with the project.
The 52-episode series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo
between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007. It also aired on AT-X
and on Cartoon Network
in Japan. An English-dubbed version produced by Ocean Group
aired by Cartoon Network Philippines on their Boomerang channel in 2008, though has not yet been released in North America, except for Mexico
(and Latin America
as well) where it airs on Cartoon Network. A manga
of the same name ran in Shueisha
's Ribon
magazine between July 2006 and June 2007.
disaster
, Professor Utonium's son, Ken Kitazawa, uses Chemical Z, a new form of the Professor's original substance, Chemical X, to destroy a giant glacier
. However, the impact of Chemical Z causes several black and white rays of light to appear in the skies above New Townsville. Three ordinary girls, Momoko (Blossom), Miyako (Bubbles), and Kaoru (Buttercup), are engulfed in white lights and become Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup, respectively. However, the numerous black lights cause others to turn to the side of evil, so the Powerpuff Girls Z must use their ultra super powers to protect New Townsville from villains such as Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins and Him.
, the main characters are unrelated 13-year-old girls who are given the ability to transform into the Powerpuff Girls Z.
/
/
/
and Cartoon Network Japan
and animated by Toei Animation
, aired on TV Tokyo
between August 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. An English-language version produced by Ocean Productions was later broadcast in the Philippines on Boomerang, though has yet to be aired in North America or the United Kingdom.
to the anime
series Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
. It was released by Sony
and Aniplex
on June 27, 2007 in Japan
only.
This includes TV size versions of most of the series theme songs, the series score by composers Taichi Master and Hiroshi Nakamura presented in the form of a party mix, and character songs by PPGZ's seiyu
s. The album's booklet features concept art for all the characters.
Tracks 1-6 are TV sized versions of the opening and ending themes of the anime. Tracks 7-25 are a continuous party mix of the show's music composed by Taichi Master and Hiroshi Nakamura. Tracks 26-29 are character songs
performed by the seiyū of the main characters.
's Ribon
magazine between July 2006 and June 2007.
A video game entitled Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z: The Game
for the Nintendo DS
by Namco
was launched on June 12, 2007. It has board-game style gameplay similar to Mario Party
and features Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup competing with Mojo Jojo to get to the centre of the board, competing in minigames along the way.
Magical girl
belong to a sub-genre of Japanese fantasy anime and manga. Magical girl stories feature young girls with superhuman abilities, forced to fight evil and to protect the Earth. They often possess a secret identity, although the name can just refer to young girls who follow a plotline involving magic...
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 based on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
animated television series The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
. The anime is co-produced by Cartoon Network Japan
Cartoon Network (Japan)
Cartoon Network is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that mostly airs children's animated television series. Cartoon Network in Japan broadcasts original series from Cartoon Network in the U.S., as well as several Japanese animated media and other non-Japanese programs...
and Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
and was animated by Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
, featuring character design by Miho Shimogasa (of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
fame). As production occurred in 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...
, Craig McCracken
Craig McCracken
Craig McCracken is an American animator and creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.-Biography:...
, the original creator of The Powerpuff Girls, was not directly involved with the project.
The 52-episode series aired in Japan 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 July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007. It also aired 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...
and on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
in Japan. An English-dubbed version produced by Ocean Group
The Ocean Group
Ocean Productions Inc. is a voice-recording production company located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There services include localizing foreign animation into English, as well as translation, script writing, original music scores, sound FX and video production.Their most prolific clients...
aired by Cartoon Network Philippines on their Boomerang channel in 2008, though has not yet been released in North America, except for Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
as well) where it airs on Cartoon Network. 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...
of the same name ran in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
magazine between July 2006 and June 2007.
Plot
The series takes place in New Townsville (Tokyo City in Japanese). In order to stop an ecologicalEcology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
disaster
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment...
, Professor Utonium's son, Ken Kitazawa, uses Chemical Z, a new form of the Professor's original substance, Chemical X, to destroy a giant glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
. However, the impact of Chemical Z causes several black and white rays of light to appear in the skies above New Townsville. Three ordinary girls, Momoko (Blossom), Miyako (Bubbles), and Kaoru (Buttercup), are engulfed in white lights and become Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup, respectively. However, the numerous black lights cause others to turn to the side of evil, so the Powerpuff Girls Z must use their ultra super powers to protect New Townsville from villains such as Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins and Him.
Characters
Unlike the original Powerpuff Girls, in which the main girls are sisters created by Professor Utonium who attend kindergartenKindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
, the main characters are unrelated 13-year-old girls who are given the ability to transform into the Powerpuff Girls Z.
/
- The self proclaimed leader of the PPGZ, Blossom is a hyperactive girl with a fascination with sweets and an eye for cute boys. When transformed, she battles using a yoyo, naming her signature moves after various sweets.
/
- The gentle member of the PPGZ, Bubbles lives with her grandmother. Similar to her PPG counterpart, she has the ability to talk to animals (not just squirrels). When transformed, she uses a large bubble wand which allows her to blow massive bubbles for both offensive and rescue purposes.
/
- The strongest member of the PPGZ, Buttercup is a tomboy who loves sports but hates anything girly, especially wearing skirts. She lives with her family. Her father is a masked wrestler. When transformed, she wields a giant hammer which smashes anything in its path and can produce powerful shockwaves.
Anime
The anime series, produced by AniplexAniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
and Cartoon Network Japan
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
and animated by Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
, aired 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 August 1, 2006 and June 30, 2007. An English-language version produced by Ocean Productions was later broadcast in the Philippines on Boomerang, though has yet to be aired in North America or the United Kingdom.
Music
Powerpuff Girls Z: Original Soundtrack is the licenced soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to 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....
series Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z
Powerpuff Girls Z, known in Japan as or PPGZ for short, is a magical girl anime series based on the American animated television series The Powerpuff Girls. The anime is co-produced by Cartoon Network Japan and Aniplex and was animated by Toei Animation, featuring character design by Miho Shimogasa...
. It was released by Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
on June 27, 2007 in 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...
only.
This includes TV size versions of most of the series theme songs, the series score by composers Taichi Master and Hiroshi Nakamura presented in the form of a party mix, and character songs by PPGZ's seiyu
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...
s. The album's booklet features concept art for all the characters.
Tracks 1-6 are TV sized versions of the opening and ending themes of the anime. Tracks 7-25 are a continuous party mix of the show's music composed by Taichi Master and Hiroshi Nakamura. Tracks 26-29 are character songs
Image song
An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...
performed by the seiyū of the main characters.
- by Nana KitadeNana KitadeNana Kitade , is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She has had success as a solo artist, model, actress, fashion designer, and the lead singer of the Germany based noise pop band, "Loveless"....
- 1:32 - by Liu Yi Fei - 1:28
- "LOOK" by HALCALIHalcali, is a Japanese pop and new-school inspired hip-hop duo consisting of members Halca and Yucali from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan...
- 1:31 - by Hoi Festa - 1:31
- by Wiz-US - 1:34
- by Hearts GrowHearts GrowHearts Grow was a Japanese band from Motobu, Okinawa. Their first single Grow!! was released independently on 19 April 2006. Hearts Grow made their major label debut on 18 October 2006, with the release of their first single Road. Their second single was released in Japan on 6 December 2006...
- 1:33 - "Intro" - 0:19
- "A Day in the Lab" - 2:44
- "Monster Panic x Girlz Dispatch" - 3:07
- "Girlz Dispatch x Monster Threat" - 5:10
- "Powered Buttercup" - 0:34
- "Rolling Bubbles" - 0:33
- "Hyper Blossom" - 0:32
- "PPGZ" - 0:42
- "Versus" - 2:51
- "Mojo Jojo" - 1:32
- "Wafoo" - 1:21
- "Back in the Lab" - 2:39
- "Love and Peace" - 4:03
- "Juvenile Misdemeanor" - 5:35
- "The Scheme" - 2:28
- "Princess Fuzzy-Funk's Rowdy Fever" - 5:18
- "The Rise of Him" - 5:56
- "Victory Lap" - 1:43
- "Epilogue" - 1:24
- by Emiri KatōEmiri Katois a female Japanese voice actress working for 81 Produce.-Anime:*Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka *Angel Beats! *Arc Rise Fantasia *Ad Lib Anime Kenkusho is a female Japanese voice actress working for 81 Produce.-Anime:*Akane-Iro ni Somaru Saka (Karen Ayanokouji)*Angel Beats! (Sekine)*Arc Rise Fantasia...
- 2:03 - "Flow" by Nami MiyaharaNami Miyahara, is a Japanese voice actress employed by Kekke Corporation and recording artist.- Early life :When Miyahara was in junior high, she and her family moved to Austria, where she attended an international school and learned English.- Musical career :...
- 3:35 - "It's Mighty!" by Machiko Kawana - 2:08
- "Touch me!" by Emiri Katō, Nami Miyahara and Machiko Kawana - 2:25
Manga
A manga adaptation, illustrated by Shiho Komiyuno, was published in ShueishaShueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
magazine between July 2006 and June 2007.
Video game
Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z: The Game
is a video game for the Nintendo DS handheld. It was released by Namco Bandai Games under the Bandai label on June 14, 2007 in Japan only. It is a boardgame styled game....
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
was launched on June 12, 2007. It has board-game style gameplay similar to Mario Party
Mario Party
is a party video game for the Nintendo 64 game console, developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on December 14, 1998, in North America on February 8, 1999, and in Europe on March 9, 1999...
and features Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup competing with Mojo Jojo to get to the centre of the board, competing in minigames along the way.
External links
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z official site of Cartoon Network (Japan)Cartoon Network (Japan)Cartoon Network is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that mostly airs children's animated television series. Cartoon Network in Japan broadcasts original series from Cartoon Network in the U.S., as well as several Japanese animated media and other non-Japanese programs...
- Powerpuff Girls Z Cartoon Network (Philippines)
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at TV TokyoTV Tokyois 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...
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at Toei AnimationToei AnimationToei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at AniplexAniplex, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
- Soundtrack release information at Aniplex
- Taichi Master official website
- Game de Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at BandaiBandaiis a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...