Powerpuff Girls Z
| Powerpuff Girls Z | |
| File:Powerpuffynessies!.jpg The Powerpuff Girls Z | |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Magical girl |
|---|---|
| Anime | |
| Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z | |
| Directed by | Hiroyuki Kakudou |
| Studio | Cartoon Network, Toei Animation, Aniplex |
| Manga | |
| Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z | |
| Published by | Shueisha |
Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z (出ましたっ！ パワパフ ガールズ Z, Demashita! Pawapafu Gāruzu Zetto, roughly "They're Here! Powerpuff Girls Z") is the name for a Japanese television anime based upon the American animated television series The Powerpuff Girls.
The anime is produced by Cartoon Network, Toei Animation, and Aniplex; with Yoshiya Ayugai and Mark Buhaj of Cartoon Network, Hiromi Seki, Hideo Katsumata producing, Hiroyuki Kakudou directing and Miho Shimogasa (of Sailor Moon fame) doing character design. As production occurs in Japan, Craig McCracken, the original creator of The Powerpuff Girls, is not directly involved in this project.
The series, an anime reimagining of The Powerpuff Girls, debuted in Japan on July 1, 2006, on TV Tokyo, where the Japanese version of the original Powerpuff Girls premiered, as well as its affiliates, replacing Sugar Sugar Rune in its time slot, Saturday at 7:00 a.m. JST. Its final episode aired on June 30, 2007. Its time was replaced by Fight Tension School on July 7, 2007. Since August 1, 2006, it has also aired on AT-X.[1] Since April 1 2007, the program airs on Cartoon Network in Japan.[2] (see also ja:出ましたっ!パワパフガールズZ#放送局)
The initial order was for about 52 episodes at 30 minutes each. No news on another series, OVA, or TV special have been announced. Cartoon Network has said it will be showing the anime worldwide. Starting from 21 January 2008, Taiwan will be the first country to air outside Japan and has already been confirmed that the show will be released in Latin America in 2008. Its Brazilian title will be As Meninas Superpoderosas: Geração Z (The Powerpuff Girls: Generation Z). [3].
The manga of the same name was introduced in the August 2006 issue of Ribon, published in July 3, 2006.
Story
In order to stop sudden climate change, Ken Kitazawa used Chemical Z, a new form of the Professor's original substance Chemical X, to destroy a giant glacier. However, the impact of Chemical Z caused several black and white lights to appear in the Tokyo sky. Three ordinary girls, Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru, were engulfed in white lights and soon became the new defenders of Tokyo City: the Powerpuff Girls Z. However, the numerous black lights caused others to turn to the side of evil. And so, using their ultra super powers, Hyper Blossom (Momoko), Rolling Bubbles (Miyako), and Powered Buttercup (Kaoru) dedicated their lives to defending Tokyo City from the likes of those swayed by the black lights and Him's black powder.
Characters
Powerpuff Girls Z
The Powerpuff Girls Z are the main heroines of the series. They are three thirteen-year-old girls from three different families, unlike the original Powerpuff Girls who were sisters created by Professor Utonium and attended kindergarten. When Chemical Z exploded into multiple black and white lights, Momoko Akatsutsumi, Miyako Gotokuji, and Kaoru Matsubara received white lights when they protected nearby children from it. Under the condition to keep their identity a secret as long as their needs were met, the girls transform into Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup to protect Tokyo City. Momoko, Miyako and Kaoru use a yo-yo, a bubble wand and a hammer as their weapons, respectively. In addition, they all have basic abilities such as enhanced strength, enhanced speed, flight, weapon materialization, and atmosphere resistance. Their costumes also have some special abilities, including the ability to fit anyone of any size and withstand strong physical impact. The girls' battle cry is "The Lovely Fighting Science Legend: Powerpuff Girls Z!"
- Momoko Akatsutsumi (赤堤ももこ, Akatsutsumi Momoko) / Hyper Blossom (ハイパー・ブロッサム, Haipā Burossamu, Seiyū: Emiri Katou). Momoko is the first member of the Powerpuff Girls Z squad and the main character of the series. She transforms using the phrase "Hyper Blossom" and uses a yo-yo. Like the original, she's the self-proclaimed leader of the team. However, she is not as intelligent as the original, is a bit boy-crazy, given to crushes and romantic fantasies, an otaku,and not the bossy as the original counterpart. She is very familiar with the mahou shojo genre, along with some typical anime/super sentai concepts and is regarded as a "hero maniac" in school, especially by Kaoru. Momoko also has a strong appetite for candy and other sweets and spends much of her time snacking. Because of this, most of her attacks are named after types of food, most often sweets. Additionally, she dislikes celery and is afraid of bugs. Although often distracted and has been known to whine, Momoko tries her best to protect Tokyo City, lead the girls, and help her friends regardless of her situation (In one instance, when Momoko is unable to transform, she tries to fight alongside Bubbles and Buttercup wearing a sentai hero mask),also she's very optimist. Often she can be very clever and crafty when needed, usually being the first to come up with a plan to trick or defeat a monster that the girls are having trouble with. She has a younger sister named Kuriko. She is represented by hearts.
- Miyako Gotokuji (豪徳寺みやこ, Gōtokuji Miyako) / Rolling Bubbles (ローリング・バブルス, Rōringu Baburusu, Seiyū: Nami Miyahara). Miyako is the second member of the Powerpuff Girls Z team. She transforms using the phrase "Rolling Bubbles" and uses a bubble wand as a weapon. In comparison to the original Bubbles, who was known for being the most childish of the girls, Miyako is the ditsiest member of the three, often appearing a bit clueless, and doesn't seem to understand her powers completely, along with a few other things. She is the only member of the girls who, like some villains, end a few sentences with a phrase; hers is desu wa. She is, however, a little more mature than some of the girls in the team and will try to calm any situation, although she too can be angered when provoked. She is also very polite and always uses honorifics at the end of names. She is more concerned with shopping, her appearance and her outfits, and perhaps because of this, she seems to be very popular among her male classmates. While she seems oblivious to the many boys that love her, she already "loves" Takaaki (or Taka-chan as she called him), a boy on whom she maybe has had a crush ever since she was six years old. She retains her hairstyle during the reimagining, but her pigtails are slightly longer, and curl into ringlets. She also uses curlers (3 balls on each pigtail) when going to bed. Miyako/Bubbles remains typified, however, by the original's compassion, gentleness and innocence, as well as her love of animals and her favorite doll, Octi. In episode 34, it is revealed she lives with only her grandmother. Her parents live in Milano. The reason for this is yet left unexplained. She is represented by bubbles.
- Kaoru Matsubara (松原かおる, Matsubara Kaoru) / Powered Buttercup (パワード・バターカップ, Pawādo Batākappu, Seiyū: Machiko Kawana). Kaoru is the third and final member of the Powerpuff Girls Z team. She transforms using the phrase "Powered Buttercup" and uses a Daruma Otoshi hammer. Like the original Buttercup, Kaoru is a tomboy and is the most easily enraged of the three. She is known at school for being the most athletic girl as she plays tennis, practices martial arts, and numerous other activities, and spends a great deal of time watching sports on television. She is especially good at soccer due to her strengthened determination after receiving new soccer cleats from her brothers when she was younger. This may be part of the reason why she has so many fangirls, much to her dismay. She dislikes girls, who she considers very "girly". This includes Momoko and Miyako. This, in addition to the fact that she hates skirts, makes Kaoru the most reluctant of the girls, only joining due to the power it has given her. In later episodes, she begins to care about Momoko and Miyako and is no longer reluctant about joining them in whatever they do, but she often tries to act calm and indifferent. She speaks with a hard and masculine edge and rarely uses honorifics when speaking. Her greatest fear is ghosts. Kaoru lives with her father, who is a professional masked-wrestler, mother and two brothers, one older and one younger. She is represented by stars.
Supporting characters
- Professor Utonium (ユートニウム博士, Yūtoniumu-Hakase, Seiyū: Taiten Kusunoki): This series' version of Professor Utonium. His real name is unknown, aside from his family name Kitazawa (北沢). In this incarnation, he has a son named Ken, who is responsible for all those affected by the Chemical Z lights, especially the Powerpuff Girls Z. Professor Utonium was originally experimenting with the substance Chemical X and strove to find a way to change its chemical properties. Professor Utonium has created several inventions throughout the series; the most important one being his Chemical Z Particle Ray, which allows him to transform those affected by the lights back to normal (although it doesn't prevent recurring transformations nor is it able to work on all black light victims). He seems to be aware of the effect Ken's lack of a mother has had on his son, assuming that it had caused him to be a bully to the girls. However, this does not change his behavior towards Ken. He appears to be a gentle father figure like the original Professor Utonium was in The Powerpuff Girls. He treats the girls like members of his family and is very close to the Mayor and Miss Bellum. While he is very gentle and serious, Professor Utonium may, at times, act a little less mature than he usually does.
In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Professor Utonium fills in for them, donning an exosuit with a laser beam gun and rocket pack, calling himself "Utonium Z" (this is most likely based off of the American cartoon episode "Powerprof" in which he also donned a fighting suit but drove the girls crazy with lame one-liners during battles). He also appears to have a mecha that looks like Utonium Z, which he uses against the Mojo Robo. Although he seems unsuccessful at first, he is able to defeat Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and the Amoeba Boys. His main attack is the Uto Beam. At the end of the episode, Ken, Peach and himself call themselves "Powerpuff Boys Z" as their own self-proclaimed superhero team.
- Ken Kitazawa (北沢ケン, Kitazawa Ken, Seiyū: Makiko Ohmoto): A young boy genius, the 8 year-old son of Professor Utonium who is somewhat responsible for turning regular girls into the Powerpuff Girls Z and numerous other characters into villains using Chemical Z. He used it to blast a glacier in order to set the weather back to normal, but the impact resulted in the explosion of several lights, which affected all those who came in contact with it. Despite being younger than the girls, he acts a lot more mature and the education he receives from his father is considered more advanced than what the girls learn in their school, earning his PhD at an early age. Ken, in a later episode, attended school in order to gain social skills and make friends. While he considers grade school life boring, he has made several friends, including Jou (who was originally his rival) and Kuriko (Momoko's little sister). Ken sees the girls as older sisters and has to often put up with them, though he still cares for them deeply. Ken interchanges between calling Professor Utonium Papa and Professor. During a serious situation (such as a monster attack or investigative purposes) he will try to refer to Utonium as "Professor," but in less serious situations (like packing a lunch) he will call him "Papa." Ken often corrects himself, because he usually uses the wrong honorific (eg. "Papa, I mean, Professor").
In Episode 26, it is revealed that Ken's mother works on a space station, therefore making her very busy and unable to be with Ken. Thanks to the girls and Santa Claus (whom he believed did not exist at first based on a 70% possibility), he was able to see her and is now able to communicate with her clearly on the lab's monitor.
In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Ken fills in for them, donning a superhero suit consisting of a black bodysuit, a white cape, white gloves, white boots, a red vest with gold shoulder pads and a yellow "Z" on it, and a blue helmet with the yellow letters "KK" on it, while brandishing a blue polearm with a yellow "U" at the end, and calling himself "Ken Kitazawa Z". Despite having no powers or attacks, he uses traps and other props as weapons when he defends their lab from the Gangreen Gang, ultimately driving them off by tricking them into drinking bottles of hot sauce (thinking they were the containers of Chemical Z.)
Ken's Pre-production art bares a strong resemblance to Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory, even the current incarnation. However, in one of the Special Edition DVD Booklet's, it is explained the designed originated from the Kid Utonium from the Original Series.
- Peach (ピーチ, Pīchi, Seiyū: Tomoko Kaneda): Ken's pet robot dog. Peach was also affected by a white light, gaining the ability to talk, as well as a considerable boost in intelligence. Peach's shout prompts the girls to transform either in person or through a long-distance communication device, although a modification to the girls' compacts allows them to transform on their own. Additionally, Peach can re-summon the girls' powers, even when their powers are drained. Peach is also capable of sniffing out those who are affected by the black lights, white lights, and Him's black particles. The black light monsters/villains that have been sniffed by Peach are stored in his data banks for later reference. This ability, however, is hindered if his target is wearing heavy cosmetics (as was the case with Sedusa). Peach is also capable of sniffing and identifying others more clearly than other dogs, even when someone's appearance has been completely changed. Peach's phrases always end with a bark (or "wan," literally his bark). He is also able to understand cats. It is possible Peach is based after "The Talking Dog" as well as the Powerpuff Hotline. Like many reoccurring characters, he was given his own symbol, a Bone.
In episode 37, when the Powerpuff Girls Z are "grounded" from using their powers for a day when they have to take a test in school, Peach fills in for them, wearing a skintight brown jumpsuit with black trim, and brandishing a nunchaku made of two bones linked together, and calling himself "Peach Z". He assists Ken in dealing with the Gangreen Gang, making short work of them with his nunchaku.
- Mayor Mayer (メイヤー市長, Meiyā Shichō, Seiyū: Tanaka Hideyuki): The Mayor of Tokyo City. His design is distinctly different from his American counterpart, as he is of normal height and has no monocle or top hat. A caveman version of the Mayor that is closer to the original design does make an appearance in episode 51 briefly. While less extreme in comparison to the Mayor of Townsville, the Mayor of Tokyo is very childish and has a very short attention span. He seems to worry quite a lot when the girls are fighting, and wishes that they could cause a little less damage. The Mayor, like many of the characters in the anime, loves sweets. The Mayor also has a younger brother, who is the Principal of the school Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru attend. It was through him that Miss Bellum and the Mayor were able rearrange the classes, so that the girls would be in the same class. However, the Mayor and the Principal, don't always get along, and even the most minor of things will set off an argument, which often time leads to name calling. He also deals with his brother when the girls aren't doing well in class due to them skipping class to save the city.
- Miss Bellum (ミス・ベラム, Misu Beramu, Seiyū: Yoko Kawanami English Voice Actor: Nicole Oliver): Like the original Miss Bellum, her face doesn't appear on screen; however, unlike the original, she is now blonde. Usually, Miss Bellum covers her face with a tablet computer, which has lips imprinted on it. While the Mayor is different from his original counterpart, Miss Bellum still does most of his work for him, and still appears to be the brains of the operation. She also instructs the girls a bit, which she has done several times in the original. Fuzzy Lumpkins has a crush on her; however, she dislikes Fuzzy.
In Episode 51, a pre-historic version of Miss Bellum is shown as the inventor of fire after being hit by a way-ward Chemical Z Light particle that scattered across Earth's timeline.
At one point in pre-production, Miss Bellum had facial features.
- Miss Keane (キーン先生, Kīn-sensei, Seiyū: Tomoko Akiya): Another "returning" supporting character, Ms. Keane first appears in episode 3. She is very pretty and loved by her male students, although the female students don't like her as much, especially Himeko. Miss Keane, like the original, is kind and incredibly patient. She is talented in many ways, which she used to counter Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru's excuses; this includes knowledge on medicine for non-existent medical conditions, such as dislocation of the stomach, and is able to speak mole and English. She is also unfazed by the destruction Mojo causes and speaks to him as if he were a normal human being. In fact, in episode 33 when Mojo asks her out on a date, she gladly accepts and even enjoys the date (though she still treats him as a monkey, as in ordering a "monkey ticket" for him at a movie house while getting an adult ticket for herself). At the end of that episode, though, it is also revealed that Miss Keane has a mole-man boyfriend named Uneo, who appears in an earth-tunneling vehicle that emerges from the ground to pick her up.
Family members
Kuriko Akatsutsumi Momoko Akatsutsumi's 8-year-old sister, Kuriko seems to be just as hyper and addicted to the sentai/hero genre as her older sister. She is very independent and likes to pretend she is a heroine. She seems to admire the Powerpuff Girls Z and wishes to be a heroine just like them (she tried to defeat Mojo's robot with a broom.) She likes Bubbles and Buttercup, but she doesn't really like Blossom (who is actually the alter-ego of Momoko.) She appears to be quite interested in Ken, especially when she realizes that he knows her sister. Similarly, Ken seems interested in her because of her resemblance to Momoko.
Kiyoko Gotokuji Miyako's grandmother, generally referred to as Obachan, who Miyako lives with in a large traditional style house. She is gentle sounding and usually gets distracted by nostalgic things, but she can also be strict when it comes to manners. You also never see her eyes ever open, as they are always closed to portray a happy feeling. She is a traditional Japanese woman.
Tokio Matsubara Kaoru's father, a professional wrestler and loving family man who is never seen without his mask. He left for Mexico when Kaoru was young, and studied the art of the Luchador after experiencing a losing streak that could have cost him his career. His teacher was severely injured in what is implied to be his final match. Kaoru's father was given his teacher's mask, which in true lucha spirit, he never removes (except when taking a shower). Since then, Kaoru has forgotten what her father's face looks like. There is no photograph in their family album that shows what his real face looks like either, mirroring Miss Bellum's running gag. After he wins the match against Panda Mask, Kaoru finally got to see her dad's face for the first time since before he left for Mexico.
Mitsu Matsubara She is the mom of Dai, Kaoru and Shou Matsubara. She is a very good cook and is exceptionally gentle in contrast to her husband and kids. She also likes to smile a lot.
Dai Matsubara He is the older brother of Kaoru and Shou. We don't see him much but all we know is he is rough and tumble.
Shou Matsubara He is the younger brother of Kaoru and Dai Matsubara. He is also rough and tumble.
Hachizou and Kakiko Akatsutsumi They are the parents of Momoko and Kuriko Akatsutsumi. The mom gives the girls candy all the time and also buys them anime dvds to cheer them up. We haven't seen much of them but of what we can see they are very friendly, nice and caring.
Minor allies
- Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls (大江戸ちゃきちゃき娘, Ōedo Chakichaki Musume, lit. "Genuine Great Edoite Girls" or "Leading Girls of the Great Edo"): Three girls who protected Edo from Him, as revealed in episode 30 (Edo eventually became Tokyo City; see History of Tokyo.) A long time ago in Edo, when Him was terrorizing its citizens, a man named Kennai Hiraga, who is modeled after Hiraga Gennai, created the special substance "Kennainum He," the original Chemical Z, and poured it on three girls: Momo, Omiya, and Okou. The substance changed their appearance, giving them new hairstyles (now similar to their present day counterparts) and kimonos (the bottom portion is shorter than normal, resembling mini skirts, the colors match the Powerpuff Girls Z, and their sashes are black with the symbols of the Powerpuff Girls Z), as well as their own powers and weapons. The three were given the name Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls and their purpose was to stop Him from causing more damage to Edo. The three faced and successfully defeated Him, whose weakness to the cold became his undoing. Together with Kennai Hiraga, they were able to drain Him's powers and seal his body in a coffin. The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls can be seen as the heroines who preceded the present day Powerpuff Girls Z and may in fact be their ancestors. Because of his defeat, Him has a deep hatred towards the Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls and directs that hatred towards the Powerpuff Girls Z for their resemblance to them. Similarly to the Steamypuff Girls from the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon, they both stopped a great villain from a previous era.
- Momo (もも, Momo, Seiyū: Emiri Katou): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Blossom and possible ancestor of Momoko. Her personality is a little different from Momoko's as she appears to act as the voice of reason (she tries to stop an argument between Omiya and Okou about who should say the most in their intro). Her hair is brown and her pony tail is shorter. Her weapon is a coin tied to a red thread and is used similarly to Blossom's Yo-yo. Her main attack is: "Special Move! Mitarashi Dango Attack".
- Omiya (おみや, Omiya, Seiyū: Nami Miyahara): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Bubbles and possible ancestor of Miyako. Her personality is similar to Miyako's as she acts polite, enjoys her new kimono, and is very cheerful and innocent. Her hair style is similar to Miyako's except that her pig tails are replaced with buns, and she wears a flower on her bangs (where the blue hair clip usually is when Miyako transforms into Bubbles). Her weapon is a fan which allows her to blow gusts of wind at her opponent. Her main attack is: "Windy Fan".
- Okou (おこう, Okō, Seiyū: Machiko Kawana): The Oh-Edo Chaki-Chaki Girls' version of Buttercup and possible ancestor of Kaoru. Her personality appears to be somewhat similar to Kaoru's as she argues with Omiya and, like Kaoru, enjoys the new power she received. Her bangs are similar to Kaoru's, but her hair is more tidy and, in comparison to the other girls, changes the least when she transforms. Her weapon is a mallet that is powerful enough to nearly deform Him on contact. Her main attack is: "Special Move! Daruma Otoshi".
- Powerpuff Boys Z: Only appeared in episode 37. This team consists of Ken, Professor Utonium and Peach. It was formed because the girls had to take a test, and the school principal didn't want them to transform during the exam. Ken, Professor Utonium and Peach's alter-egos are Ken Kitazawa Z, Utonium Z and Peach Z respectively. They fought the Gangreen Gang, Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo and the Amoeba Boys. They won, but it was only luck. Ken Kitazawa Z has no main attacks and he uses gadgets like a chewing gum, a bowling ball and a broomstick to fight. Utomium Z, inspired by PowerProf from the original series, is the most powerful member of the team. He uses his cyber suit to fly and fires lasers from his gloves (Similar to Iron Man)and his forehead. His main attack is the "Uto Beam." Peach Z fights with a nunchaku made of bones. While he has no main attacks, Peach Z is roughly a combination of Bruce Lee and Yoda from Star Wars: Episode II in fighting style.
- Dy.Na.Mo Z: First shown in the second opening and makes first appearance in episode 50. Originally thought to be a fighting mech by the PPGZ, the Professor actually tells them that it's a time machine used to collect the white light to be used to seal Him. Dy.Na.Mo Z is able to combine from the three minimechs that look like the heads of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (they never gave a name to these minimechs). Dy.Na.Mo Z is able to transform into a Bubbles and Buttercup Mode as well, each with their own ability. Dy.Na.Mo Z's main ability is "Time Warp" for all three modes. Blossom is the standard mech able to travel at supersonic speeds. It is the most articulate of the three modes, able to move and even sit like her human counterpart. When in Blossom Mode, Blossom is in control using a split 2 handle bar similar to those used in airplanes. When the PPGZ were about to be attacked by Mojo's mech, the white light gave life to Dy.Na.Mo Z and was able to fight Mojo's mech all by itself, punching away at him. But then Him's black particles shorted out the white light and Dy.Na.Mo Z isn't able to move on its own. While in Bubbles Mode, it is able to travel on the ground like a tank and has clamps for hands, capable of moving very heavy objects. When in Bubbles Mode, Bubbles is in control using a steering wheel. And in Buttercup Mode, it has a drill for the right hand and a hammer for her left. Buttercup is control this time using 2 lever switches similar in design to the many mechs found in anime series such as Gundam. Professor, Ken, and Peach are able to keep in contact with Dy.Na.Mo Z, even in different time eras, by using a Sync Helmet.
Dy.Na.Mo Z is not without her glitches. While time traveling, the girls have no control as to where the time portal will open up in the target era. This proves problematic, as they tend to crash into objects or appear in inconvenient locations like underwater. A short circuit in the time engine (caused by Him as a way to stall for time) can reprogram Dy.Na.Mo Z to travel to alternate universes.
Villains and monsters
Most of the villains of Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z were normal, everyday humans/animals/organisms/objects, until the explosion of the chemical Z ray and the effect of the black lights (or Him's black particles,) transformed them into "Monsters." The black light is drawn to people, animals, organisms or inanimate objects that were dominated by negative emotions and not only affects the appearance of its victims and grants them powers, but it magnifies their desires and removes their moral inhibitions. In the more recent episodes, Him (Kare) can also inflict darkness in the same way as the black lights with a black demon powder, creating monsters in the process. Whenever these villains cause trouble, the Powerpuff Girls Z must apprehend them and, for the most part, turn them over to Professor to be restored to their normal form with the Chemical Z Ray. At other times, when the trouble surrounding the darkness is vanquished, the black spores will usually go away on their own.
Episode list
| Episode | Title | Official English Transltion† | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ガールズ、参上！ | Here Come the Girlz! | July 1, 2006 |
| ガールズ、誕生！ | Here Are the Girlz! | ||
| 2 | ほんわかバブルス | Bubbly Bubbles | July 8, 2006 |
| 3 | ガールズ、結集！ | Girlz Come Together! | July 15, 2006 |
| 4 | ガールズ、家族の絆！ | Girlz and Family Bonding! | July 22, 2006 |
| 5 | モジョの復讐だモジョ！ | Mojo's Revenge! | July 29, 2006 |
| 展望タワー・クラッシュ！ | Observation Tower Crash! | ||
| 6 | ファジー・ラムキンス！ | Fuzzy Lumpkins! | August 5, 2006 |
| 姫子なプリンセス！ | Princess Himeko! | ||
| 7 | かなえ！ももこの恋 | Momoko's Love | August 12, 2006 |
| 極悪トリオ！？アメーバボーイズ | Evil Trio!? Amoeba Boys! | ||
| 8 | 魅惑の女！セデューサ | Seductive Sedusa! | August 19, 2006 |
| 9 | コーチかおるの特訓サッカー！ | Coach Kaoru's Spartan Soccer! | August 26, 2006 |
| 恋するファジー！ | Fuzzy in Love! | ||
| 10 | カリスマ美容師モンスター！ | Charismatic Beautician Monster! | September 2, 2006 |
| 11 | 宇宙までプリンセス！ | Princess Goes Outer Space! | September 9, 2006 |
| ケーキ泥棒を追え！ | Chase The Cake-thief! | ||
| 12 | 初恋のシャボン玉 | Bubble of First Love | September 16, 2006 |
| 13 | モジョに弟子入り！アメーバーボーイズ | Amoeba Boys Learn from Mojo! | September 23, 2006 |
| カメラモンスターの逆襲！ | Revenge of the Camera Monster! | ||
| 14 | ギャングリーンギャング！ | Gangreen Gang! | September 30, 2006 |
| 15 | 狙われたファッションショー！ | The Targeted Fashion Show! | October 7, 2006 |
| 男！ラーメンモンスター！ | Man of Honor! Ramen Monster! | ||
| 16 | 哀れ！プリンセスの秘密 | Woe! Secrets of the Princess! | October 14, 2006 |
| 17 | シャッターチャンスを逃すな！ | Don’t Miss the Photo-Op! | October 21, 2006 |
| 兄弟愛！電波モンスター | Brotherly Love! Electric Wave Monster | ||
| 18 | モンスター・タッグバトル | Monster Tag Team Battle | October 28, 2006 |
| 19 | 哀しきピアノレッスン！ | Lamenting Piano Lesson! | November 4, 2006 |
| 最強！キーン先生 | All Mighty! Ms. Keane | ||
| 20 | ラウデイラフボーイズ！ | Rowdyruff Boys! | November 11, 2006 |
| 21 | プヨプヨアヒルのモンスター！ | Rubber Duckie Monster! | November 18, 2006 |
| 嫌われ野菜の大脱出！ | Escape of the Hated Veggies! | ||
| 22 | 最凶最悪のカレ！ | Him, the Ultimate Evil! | November 25, 2006 |
| 23 | 歌舞伎モンスター、恋の道！ | Love Tale of the Kabuki Monster! | December 2, 2006 |
| 昆虫王は誰だ！ | Who is the King of Insects! | ||
| 24 | ケンの友達探し | Ken's Search for New Buddies | December 9, 2006 |
| 25 | イタズラ文房具！ | Prankster Stationery! | December 16, 2006 |
| 花・はな・ハナ！ | Roses, Noses, & Hannah! | ||
| 26 | サンタさんを守れ！ | Save Santa! | December 23, 2006 |
| 27 | 握って食べて！寿司モンスター！ | Make'em & Eat'em! Sushi Monster! | January 6, 2007 |
| ピーチとサファイア！ | Peach and Sapphire! | ||
| 28 | レディース・タッグバトル！ | Ladies Tag Team Battle | January 13, 2007 |
| 29 | 歯医者さんへ行こう！ | Let's Go to the Dentist! | January 20, 2007 |
| サタデー・パワパフ・フィーバー！ | Saturday Powerpuff Fever! | ||
| 30 | ガールズとカレ！ | Girlz and Him! | January 27, 2007 |
| 31 | フン太のコロガシ魂 | Funta's Rolling Spirit | February 3, 2007 |
| セデューサの恋は駆け引き！？ | Sedusa's Love Game! | ||
| 32 | ももこに首ったけ！ | Hooked on Momoko! | February 10, 2007 |
| 33 | ももこの家出とナポリタン！ | Momoko's Leaving Home! | February 17, 2007 |
| キーンの同情、モジョの愛情！ | Keane's Pity, Mojo's Piety! | ||
| 34 | お化けが住む家！？ | The House Where Ghosts Live!? | February 24, 2007 |
| 35 | オレたちゃ雑草じゃない！ | We're Not Just Weeds! | March 3, 2007 |
| モンスター、憐れみの令！ | Compassion Law for Monsters! | ||
| 36 | ガールズ、解散！？ | Girlz Break Up!? | March 10, 2007 |
| 37 | 飛び出すマンガのモンスター！ | Manga Monsters Jump to Life! | March 17, 2007 |
| ガールズ、休業！ | Girlz' Leave of Absence! | ||
| 38 | ふたりはトリマキーズ！ | We Are the Torimakees! (Supporters) | March 24, 2007 |
| 39 | 小さなケンの大きなお願い！ | Little Ken's Big Wish! | March 31, 2007 |
| ガールズ、飛行禁止令！ | Girlz in Quarantine! | ||
| 40 | ガールズとテレビとプレゼント！？ | Girlz, TV, and a Big Present!? | April 7, 2007 |
| 41 | 出ましたっ! シロガネーZ | Demashita! Shirogane Z | April 14, 2007 |
| ガールズ、転身！ | Girlz Interchange! | ||
| 42 | パワパフ・ラウディ・ボーイズ！ | Powerpuff Rowdy Boys! | April 21, 2007 |
| 43 | さらわれた博士たちを救え！ | Rescue the Kidnapped Scientists! | April 28, 2007 |
| ウソつきももこの災難！ | Liar Momoko's Disaster! | ||
| 44 | かおるは上腕二頭筋がお好き！ | Kaoru Loves Biceps! | May 5, 2007 |
| 45 | ももことカエル王子様 | Momoko and the Frog Prince | May 12, 2007 |
| セデューサが消える日！？ | The Day Sedusa Disappears!? | ||
| 46 | 絶体絶命！ガールズvsカレ！ | Danger! Girls vs. Him! | May 19, 2007 |
| 47 | 旅は道ずれ、モジョとキーン！ | Mojo and Keane's Romantic Journey! | May 26, 2007 |
| いきなり登場！ パワパフキッズ！ | Here Come the Powerpuff Kids! | ||
| 48 | シャボン・フリーダムの奇跡 | The Miracle of Bubble Freedom | June 2, 2007 |
| 49 | 一撃必殺！？ラブラブビーム！ | All or Nothing!? Love-Love Beam | June 9, 2007 |
| モジョのナースな一日！ | Mojo's Day at the Hospital! | ||
| 50 | 打倒ガールズ協同組合！ | PPGZ Knock-Out Union! | June 16, 2007 |
| 51 | ガールズ、時空を超えて！ | Girlz, Beyond Time and Space! | June 23, 2007 |
| 52 | ガールズ、最後の戦い！ | The Girlz' Final Battle! | June 30, 2007 |
†All official English translations come from the Collector's Edition DVD series
Theme songs
- Openings
- "Kibō no Kakera" (希望のカケラ "Pieces of Hope") by Nana Kitade (eps. 1-26)
- "Jigu THE Appā" (ジグ THE アッパー "Jig THE Upper") by Hoi Festa (eps. 27-52)
- Endings
- "Mayonaka no Doa" (真夜中のドア "Door of Midnight") by Liu Yi Fei (eps. 1-13)
- "LOOK" by HALCALI (eps. 14-26)
- "Tōri Ame" (通り雨 "Rain that Passes by") by Wiz-US (eps. 27-39)
- "Himawari" (ひまわり "Sunflower") by Hearts Grow (eps. 40-52)
Video game
A video game entitled Game de Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z for the Nintendo DS by Namco was launched on June 14, 2007.[citation needed] It has board-game style gameplay similar to that of Mario Party and features Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup competing with Mojo to get to the centre of the board, competing in minigames along the way.
Soundtrack
The Powerpuff Girls Z: Original Soundtrack was released in Japanese stores on June 27, 2007. The CD contains TV sized versions of the show's opening and ending themes (although the song, Jig THE Upper, is the version that was featured on the single released by Hoi Festa and not the one used in the actual show,) a party mix of the show's music produced by TAICHI MASTER, and character songs sung by Emiri Katou, Nami Miyahara and Machiko Kawana. The supplied booklet also contains pre-production artwork, including a variety of concept designs for the Powerpuff Girls Z and other series characters.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- None of the voices from the Japanese dub of the original Powerpuff Girls returned to reprise their roles for Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z, with one exception. In Episode 41, Kazuki Kosakai, the voice of the original narrator in the Japanese dub of the original, guest-stars as the narrator. His voice is heard at the end of first part of the episode.
- Until the premiere, voice actor Ryusei Nakao was thought to be the narrator, but he was just narrating the promo. However, he would later receive the role of Him (Kare).
- Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru gained super powers from an accident involving Ken. Originally in The Powerpuff Girls, there was an experiment to create the "perfect little girl" with "sugar, spice, and everything nice". Chemical X was accidentally added to the mix, which is what gave the girls their superpowers. It could be argued that the daifuku that fell into the Chemical X and caused the change to Chemical Z is the "sugar and spice and everything nice" that created the Powerpuff Girls Z.
- In the solo transformations scenes in episodes 1 through 13, Miyako gets her gloves before she was supposed to get them, loses them, and gets them back again when she was supposed to. Momoko loses her belt and gets it back but it was never supposed to be gone. This happened because the animators mixed scenes made especially for the solo transformation with the group transformation scenes without editing them. There are some other mistakes with Blossom and Buttercup too as in missing the buttons on their transformation belt, the "P" on their vest and their ring appearing and disappearing, and other minor mistakes. Episode 14 was the first episode to have an updated group transformation sequence with most errors fixed and newer backgrounds. In episode 15, only Blossom and Bubbles's solo transformation sequences were shown with almost no errors while in episode 16 had Buttercup's solo transformation with updated fixes on some errors, though some are still noticeble: like buttons on the belt not shown.
- In the original promo for Powerpuff Girls Z, the girls appeared to be older with slightly different outfits. Also, Ken Kitazawa was supposedly the Professor for the series; he is about the same height as his current incarnation, but wore glasses and had a completely different appearance. In the current incarnation, the girls became younger and Ken Kitazawa became Professor Utonium's son instead. It should be noted that Peach was visibly absent in the first incarnation and that the girls used their weapons to initiate the transformation instead. There were also smaller versions of the girls, who looked similar to both the Powerpuff GIrls Z and the original Powerpuff Girls. It is unknown whether or not they'll be in the current incarnation, but they still appear in the episode titles.
- The 2nd opening references many anime and the original Powerpuff Girls, including the costumes from the episode Super Zeroes (Blossom as Liberty Belle, Bubbles as Harmony Bunny, and Buttercup as Mange), Utonium's Cybersuit from PowerProf (which also makes an appearance in Episode 37), the Powerpuff Dynamo from Uh Oh Dynamo and Live and Let Dynamo (debuts in Episode 50), the girls flying by in silhouette, and Buttercup's ability to roll her tongue from the episode "Nuthin' Special". Also the 3 jets they fly resembles the Getter Robo series in terms of combining and the 3 robot forms with Blossom as Getter 1, Buttercup as Getter 2 and Bubbles as Getter 3.
- In episode 20, Momoko says that the Mojo Robo Mojo is using looks very familiar. She is referring to the March 2005 pilot episode in which Mojo fought the girls in a centipede-like robot. This is because the Mojo Robo in episode 20 is made of the remains of past robots.
- Many of the giant robots Mojo uses throughout the series have features which resemble various robots from the Mazinger Z series.
- The girl's robot, Dy.Na.Mo Z pays homage to Go Nagai's Getta Robo series.
- At the end of episode 9, the woman Fuzzy mistakens for Miss Bellum is the Yuki-onna, a well-known ghost of Japanese folktales.
- On Toei Animation's Japanese PPGZ site, Miss Bellum can be seen in the character section showing her face but not possessing any facial features.
- In episode 51, the original PPG make a quick cameo fighting a giant blowfish, originally from the episode "Uh Oh Dynamo".
- Pre-production art found in the OST reveal that the Powerpuff Girls were going to be more articulated versions of their American counterparts, most noticeable a version of the original design with fingers. Over the course of pre-production, the girls went under several design changed before setting on the final design that appears in the show. They even had a different set of weapons at one point in their design (Bubbles is seen with a jump rope, Buttercup with a pair of clubs, and Blossom with hula hoops). Of the three, Blossom had the least amount of change. Buttercup, on the other hand, had massive changes between design stages before she arriving at her tomboy design. The only design problem with Bubbles was figuring out how to draw her ponytails.
- Since the anime was first revealed around April 1 at the Tokyo International Anime Fair 2005, it was believed by many to be an April Fool's joke which started at the animation news web site Toon Zone.[citation needed]
See also
Official links
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at TV Tokyo
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at Toei Animation
- Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at Aniplex
- Game de Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z at Bandai
Unofficial links
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