is a Japanese
multimedia franchise created by
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
and WiZ in 2003. The franchise began with a manga created by Rin Hirai and illustrated by Makoto Haruno, first serialized in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Monthly Shōnen Jump'' in Japan. The manga was published in English by
Viz Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
in 2005.
[VIZ To Release Legendz and Dr. Slump Manga in 2005]
" '' Anime News Network''. December 16, 2004. Retrieved on March 20, 2014.
The anime, is animated by Studio Gallop, directed by
Akitaro Daichi, and aired on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
from April 2004 to March 2005. A pilot for an English dub of the series was produced for
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...
, but was not picked up.
Plot and setting
The story opens with the discovery of the "Soul Dolls" which contain legendary creatures of incredible power within them. The Dark Wiz company (DWC) wants access to all of them for unknown reasons, but four of the Soul Dolls go missing. The majority of the anime takes place in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, with the
Brooklyn Bridge as a much-featured landmark.
Media
Manga
The Legendz manga was written by Rin Hirai and illustrated by Makoto Haruno. The manga was originally published in
Shueisha
(lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''
Monthly Shonen Jump'' from 2003 – 2005. The series was translated and adapted into English by Viz Media and released in four volumes with the first release in March 2005.
The story is about Ken Kazaki, a boy who attends Ryudo Elementary School. Together with Shiron, his faithful Windragon, fights with other people who like him breed monsters. Ken later participates in the Legendz Carnival.
Anime
The anime was directed by
Akitaro Daichi with character designs by Nagisa Miyazaki. The animation was produced by
Studio Gallop. The sound director was Kazuya Tanaka. The anime opening theme is by
Kyoko. The two ending themes are "Dounimo Tomaranai~Nonstop" by Brenda Vaughn, from episode 1 through 37 and another version performed by
Linda Yamamoto
, Chinese: 山本稲; pinyin: ''shan bendao'') is a Japanese singer and model whose latest hit song was in 1973.
Biography
Yamamoto was born March 4, 1951 in Kitakyushu to a Japanese mother and an American father. Her father was a U.S. service ...
from 38-49. The anime ran on
Fuji TV
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
April 4, 2004 to March 27, 2005.
Home media
Video games
is a
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
game that was produced by
Bandai Co., Ltd. and released on July 29, 2004. The video game includes a unique accessory to "Reborn" the Legendz with a link cable connected to the "Soul Doll".
Using the dedicated adapter, the Legendz can adventure automatically and the player can view these events as flashbacks.
The game also provided growth of the Legendz through sharing with other players.
The video game, is an action game for the
PlayStation 2, originally released on December 16, 2004.
Produced by
Bandai Co., Ltd., it has a CERO rating for "All ages" and supports two player play.
[ The game features more than 60 Legendz that the player uses to battle.
The third Legendz game to be released is , a ]Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
game that was produced by Bandai Co., Ltd. and released on February 17, 2005. The game requires the "Soul Doll" adapter, two versions were sold; one for players who already have the "Legendz: Island of Ordeal" and one which included the Soul Doll adapter. The game included the ability to "rewrite the IC data" to allow the player to create their own Legendz.
Reception
'' The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917'' makes note of the similarities to '' Dragon Drive'' in the introduction of Shu and Shiron. It also notes the similarities to '' Pokémon'' except with dragons and director Daichi's "stylistic similarities" to ''Grrl Power
''Grrl Power'', known in Japan as is an independent film, independent produced original video animation by Akitaro Daichi. The anime short film was released simultaneously in Japan and North America on June 10, 2004. It was licensed by ADV Fil ...
''. The manga review compendium ''Manga: The Complete Guide'' praised the "elaborate universe" and "quirky artwork", but noted that the creatures were "bland".
References
External links
Legendz Anime Site
Legendz manga site
*
{{Gallop (studio)
2003 manga
2004 anime television series debuts
2000s toys
Bandai Namco franchises
Bandai Visual
Comics set in New York City
Gallop (studio)
Dragons in popular culture
Fantasy anime and manga
Fuji TV original programming
Shōnen manga
Shueisha manga
Television shows set in New York City
Toy brands
Viz Media manga