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Title (English) Beyblade
Title (Japanese) Bakuten Shoot Beyblade
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book cover

Fantasy Novel

Notes Explosive Spinning Shot Beyblade
Also 2nd series January 7, 2002-
Classification -
Synopsis Toy- based anime. "Beyblade" is the name of a top/gyro toy that is used in a "fighting game".
Review I just watched the first episode of the new TV Tokyo anime, "Beyblade". No, that's not "Baywatch", but it is pretty much "Toy Watch". Does the World need yet another kid's toy-based anime? Well, the powers-that-be at TV Tokyo seem to think so. "Beyblade" is the name of a top/gyro toy that is used in a "fighting game". Kids who buy the toy get to "customize" the various pieces that make up the top/gyro, which apparently modifies the way that it spins. Then they launch the top/gyro from a hand-held launcher into a bowl-like "arena" where it spins around, hitting the opponent's top/gyro. The top/gyro that gets knocked out of the bowl loses. ( I picked up the rules both from the show, as well as from the ads for the toys. )
That's pretty how the show goes too. Takao is practicing kendo with his grandfather, but he would really rather go play Beyblade with his buddies. Takao's grandfather tries to explain to Takao that if he practices really hard he will can get the spirit of the dragon that rests within the old sword that is in Jii-chan's kendo hall. Takao sees some sort of energy coming off of the dragon emblem on the old sword, but he doesn't care and instead goes out to play.
Takao meets up with his friends to find that a bully has beaten them at Beyblade and taken all their Beyblades. So Takao challenges the bully and then stays up all night to practice a new move and make a longer launcher. Sure enough, Takao's strengthened "ki" ( and lengthened launcher ) gives him the edge and he beats the bully, and thus wins back all the other Beyblades for his friends. The bully tries to break his promise and run off with the Beyblades, but he is stopped by another kid who is the leader of the super Beyblade players. Takao notices that the new kid has a dragon image on his belt, similar to that of the sword in his grandfather's kendo hall, but challenges the new kid anyway, and the episode ends with the two about to face off the next day.
So the show is a lot like "Medoroboto", a little like "Gear Fighter Dendo" and unfortunately, not much like the recently completed "Monkorenito". ( Monkorenito was equally commercial, but at least it was entertainingly satirizing the genre while selling card games. ) The ending theme and animation of "Beyblade" is also quite reminiscent of the ending of the current NHK kids show, "Hiou's Windup Dolls". ( I like the fights that the kids have in "Hiou" with their wooden robot dolls a lot more. ) All-in-all, "Beyblade" has nothing particularly "offensive" about it, but it doesn't have a lot of originality going for it either.
This is a series that could port over to Saturday mornings in North America with no difficulty at all. And it would probably get an audience too. But I won't be in that audience. (Dave Baranyi)
Credits Series dir: Toshifumi Kawase
Episodes 51
Release US:DVD
TV Showing See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.
Date 2001 January 8 - 2001 December 24
Production
Broadcaster TV Tokyo
Animation
References & Help Look up the latest data on this title at:
Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or
Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) ,
or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001).
Help & further information.

 

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