is a series of CGI

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

shorts produced by Jinni's Animation Studios and Walt Disney Television International Japan. The designer is Hitoshi Fukuchi. It is animated entirely in 3D with no

cel-shading Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. A cel shader is often used to mimic th ...

of any sort, as would be typical for the medium. The show takes place in the distant future of the 47th millennium, and revolves around the happenings inside a giant manor inhabited by two robots; the

gynoid A gynoid, or fembot, is a feminine humanoid robot. Gynoids appear widely in science fiction film and art. As more realistic humanoid robot design becomes technologically possible, they are also emerging in real-life robot design. Name A gynoid ...

duchess Drossel von Flügel (voiced by Miyuki Kawashō) and her massive cyclopian

arachnoid Arachnoid may refer to: * Relating to arachnids * Arachnoid (astrogeology), a geological structure found only on the planet Venus * Arachnoid (botany), referring to organs with a cobwebby exterior appearance * Arachnoid granulation, small protrus ...

servant, Gedächtnis (

Toru Okawa TORU or Toru may refer to: *TORU, spacecraft system *Toru (given name), Japanese male given name *Toru, Pakistan Toru Mardan Toru is a village and union council in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It has an altitude of 291 m (958 fe ...

). The episodes are usually nonsensical in nature, normally showing the two characters making idle conversation in the midst of a war with

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

ity. A third character, a monkey-like robot named "

Schadenfreude Schadenfreude (; ; 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is a borrowed word from German, with no direct translation ...

", joins them during the course of the series.

Synopsis

The series' main characters, Gedächtnis and Drossel von Flügel, reside in a gigantic manor surrounded by a presumably

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...

-inhabited city, beyond which is a desert that humanity's forces slowly encroach across during the 144-year timeframe in which the series is set (identified onscreen as the "Merkur Era", 48,650–48,794). Gedächtnis is Drossel's servant and guardian, having sworn to her late father to protect her. Drossel treats him very much after the manner of the "spoiled princess" stereotype. A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not ...

in the series is that, at the beginning, Gedächtnis waits for Drossel to arrive and is called by a name Drossel chooses seemingly at random (although some, such as

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza () is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, known as ''sanchismos'', ...

and

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...

, infer an unambiguously subservient status upon him). Gedächtnis then attempts (in a gentle, butler-like fashion) to remind Drossel of his name, upon which she tells him not to interrupt her. Another recurring joke is Drossel claiming that she practices

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

despite her moves obviously being

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century ...

. Drossel was manufactured as having the mind of a 14-year-old girl, with Gedächtnis' being that of a 50-year-old man; neither's age is explicitly stated, although both are known to be at least 2,800 years old–Gedächtnis stated that he entered service with the von Flugel family 2,800 years ago, and that it has been his duty to remain by Drossel's side for all of that time. Both Gedächtnis and Drossel move and speak in markedly unconventional ways, for example: instantly replying to each other at inhumanly fast speeds; freezing in postures until a new one is assumed; replying in seemingly unrelated ways. They remark upon how illogical human speech seems to them and act in what could be said to be an unemotional manner, though they do show emotions at times. The characters occasionally display knowledge of elements that would normally be considered on the other side of the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

–Drossel makes reference to what happened "in the last episode", and at another time points out that she has heard something already in an anime; Gedächtnis stops a laughter track (and indeed, the episode) by punching the screen, causing it to fracture in the accustomed glass-splinter visual code and then to fall sideways to the floor. The series sometimes makes serious points in otherwise complete nonsense–the city in which Tempest Tower is built (shown during the opening title sequence) appears to be stereotypically dystopian in appearance; in the episode "Butterfly", Gedächtnis discusses the nature of rules, and what it is to be 'real' in an almost philosophical fashion, and the last episode features some distinctive "last stand" elements (it is this episode in which Drossel recites her entire name and title and then walks to face the human forces just as the series ends).

Crew

* Series Director: Wataru Arakawa ( Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) * Series Composition: Hidemi Akao, Hitoshi Uehara, Mayumi Kawanishi and Nobumasa Hoshino * Character Design: Hitoshi Fukuchi and Takayuki Yanase * CG Director/Producer: Shigeyuki Watanabe ( Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International

), Hiroki Kawashima * Guest Design: Asato Mifune ( Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International

) and Rie Tanaka * Producers: Shogo Fukuwara, Nobumasa Hoshino ( Jinni's Animation Studios), Hironori Motooka, Animation Production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International

and co-produced by (Produced in association of Disney Channel Japan).

Production

The anime series was created by Jinni's Animation Studios and animation production by Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International

(conjunction of

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

) and produced in association of

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

Sequels

On August 10, 2010, it was announced on the official ''Fireball'' blog that the production for a second series had been green-lit, with director and writer Wataru Arakawa on board. The sequel, titled ''Fireball Charming'', was released in 2011 and is set chronologically before the events of ''Fireball'' (''Fireball'' is set between the years 48650–48734; ''Charming'' begins in 48234, as shown on each episode's title cards). In all seasons save ''Fireball Humorous'', either 8 or 16 years lapse between episodes. Another sequel, ''Fireball Humorous'', was released in 2017. There are no title cards showing the year, but a set of novelty glasses spelling out "40000" appear in episode 3, indicating that it most likely takes place later than that year. The final chapter ''Fireball Gebäude Bäude'' was released in 2020; it is set between 39298 and 39362 in the "Cinnabar Calendar".Disney's Fireball CG Anime Unveils Teaser, Returning Staff, November 8 Debut for 'Final' Series
/ref>

Series overview

Episodes list

''Fireball''

''Fireball Special''

''Fireball Charming''

''Fireball Humorous''

References

External links

Official website

Official website of anime Walt Disney Animation (Japan), Inc. and Walt Disney Television International Japan second television series ''Fireball'', produced in assiciation of Disney Channel Japan
— Alternative link * * ** ** {{DEFAULTSORT:Fireball (anime) 2008 anime television series debuts 2011 anime television series debuts 2017 anime television series debuts 2020 anime television series debuts Disney Channels Worldwide original programming 2008 Japanese television series debuts 2008 Japanese television series endings 2011 Japanese television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series endings Animated television series about robots Disney animated television series Television series set in the future Television series by Disney Disney Media Networks franchises TMS Entertainment Anime series Japanese-language Disney Channel original programming Japanese computer-animated television series