is an

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 ...

series, and the first to be produced by

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, a ...

. The series was first aired on NHK BS-2 and ran for twenty six episodes, from October 24, 2000, till May 1, 2001. Created by Shō Aikawa and directed by

Tetsurō Amino is a Japanese anime director, born on October 10, 1955, in Chiba Prefecture. In 1988, he started using his name in katakana. Works * '' Arashi no Yoru ni: Himitsu no Tomodachi'' * '' Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!'' * ''Bubu Chacha'' * ''DT Eightr ...

, the series' character designer and chief animation director was the late

Hiroshi Ōsaka was a Japanese animator, character designer and illustrator, born in Neyagawa, Osaka Prefecture. He was a graduate of the Kyoto Saga University of Arts. He was the co-founder of Bones Animation Studio. Profile Ōsaka, while studying in the K ...

. The series was subsequently aired by the anime television network

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...

, who also aired it across its English language networks in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

Story

The series is set within the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

of Japan, following a small boy named Hiwou. The townspeople have lived simply, making "Clockwork Dolls" or "karakuri" for festivals. Hiwou's father left the family on a long trip, and their mother has since died. The children live with friends. Their simple life vanishes when the "Wind Gang" appears, destroys the city with their own clockwork dolls, and captures its citizens. Hiwō and his siblings and friends, Shishi, Machi, Tetsu, Mayu, Sai, and baby Jyobu (who are exploring a cave at the time), escape unharmed and embark on a quest to save the town. They take with them Homura, a huge clockwork doll that functions like a giant robot. Along the way, they are forced to use their clockwork dolls as weapons - something they were never supposed to do, according to Hiwō's father. Early in the series, they meet Arashi, a member of the Wind Gang, and Hana and Yuki, two samurai daughters who ended up traveling with the group. Hiwō and his friends encounter a number of historical figures, before these people entered the history books during the Meiji Restoration.

Production

Staff

*Director: Tetsuro Amino *Music: Hiroshi Yamaguchi *Original creator: Shō Aikawa *Character Design: Hajime Jinguji, Hiroshi Osaka *Art director: Nobuto Sakamoto *Mecha design: Junya Ishigaki *Director of Photography: Youichi Ōgami *Color Coordination: Kenji Chiba *Historical Verification: Tetsunori Iwashita *Main Animation Director: Hiroshi Osaka *Sound director: Yasuo Uragami *Animation Production: BONES

Cast

Houko Kuwashima is a Japanese voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi"Kuwashima Houko" ''Seiyuu Database''. 3 January 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2011. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. She is affiliated with ...

as Hiwō *

Kaori Mizuhashi is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Arts Vision. Her major voice roles include Mami Tomoe in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Kuki Shinobu in ''Genshin Impact'', Lava and May in ''Arknights'', Vivio Takamachi in '' Magical Girl Lyri ...

as Machi * Rikako Aikawa as Shishi *

Akiko Yajima is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata. Her best-known role is as the title character Shinnosuke Nohara in the long-running anime series '' Crayon Shin-chan''. She also voices Mipple in the original '' Futari wa Pretty Cure'', ...

as Mayu *

Haruna Ikezawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. Her major roles in anime include: Gō Seiba in ''Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!'', Haruna Hiroko in '' Hamtaro'', Yoshino Shimazu in '' Maria-sama ga Miteru'', Momoka Nishizawa in ''Sgt. Frog''. ...

as Hana *

Omi Minami is a Japanese voice actress, essayist and columnist. She is mostly known for her work in anime and video game roles, with starring roles as Hyatt in ''Excel Saga'', Ruri Hoshino in ''Martian Successor Nadesico'', Majic in '' Orphen'', as well as ...

as Yuki *

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. His notable works include Kakashi Hatake in ''Naruto'' , Kars in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', Toichirou Suzuki in ''Mob Psycho 100'' and Gildarts Clive in ''Fairy Tail''. Biography Since his deb ...

as Ryōma Sakamoto *

Nobuo Tobita is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Ibaraki Prefecture. He is represented by Arts Vision. He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan (''Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam''), Albert Heinrich/004 (''Cyborg 009'' (2001)), and Sueo Maruo (''Chibi ...

as Sai * Shinasichiro Miki as Arashi *

Yoko Teppouzuka Yoko may refer to: People * Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko * Yoko Gushiken (具志堅用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer * Yoko Taro (横尾太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game di ...

as Tetsu *

Yuko Mizutani Yuko may refer to: * Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition * Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band * Yūko, a Japanese female given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Yuko, a Belgian band * Yuko people Yukpa is ...

as Alexander *

Yūji Takada is a Japanese actor and voice actor represented by Ōsawa Office. Takada has featured in numerous anime television series and drama series, and has also appeared as a narrator in numerous productions. In 1998, he made his debut in an anime with ...

as Aka * Masako Ebisu as Narrator *

Chisato Nakajima is a Japanese actress and voice actress affiliated with Aoni Production. Her hobbies include painting, singing, and tennis. She is most known for the roles of Mari-san, Alisa Mackintosh in ''Kinnikuman'' and Percy the Small Engine in the Japanes ...

as Child (ep 2) *

Yukimasa Kishino is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Edogawa, Tokyo, Japan. He is also active in the theatrical entertainment field and is the chairman of his own theatrical group, ''Gekidan Kishino Gumi''. Some of the members of this group include ...

as Gennosuke (ep 6)

Music

Opening theme

''Hiwou no Theme'' by ''

Hiroshi Yamaguchi is a common masculine Japanese given name. It can also be transliterated as Hirosi. Possible writings Hiroshi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *浩, "meaning" *汎 *弘, *宏, *寛, *洋, *博, *博一, *博司, ...

Ending theme

''CROSSROAD'' by '' Kumiko Endō''

References

External links

Official site
* 1999 manga 2000 anime television series debuts Bandai Entertainment anime titles Bones (studio) Kodansha manga NHK original programming Films with screenplays by Shō Aikawa Seinen manga {{Anime-television-series-stub