Heat Guy J
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is a Japanese
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 ...
television series created and directed by ''
Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's a ...
'' director
Kazuki Akane is a Japanese animation director. Until the early 2000s, he was a staff member of the anime studio Sunrise, where he collaborated with Shoji Kawamori to direct his most famous work, ''The Vision of Escaflowne''. Since that time, he worked extens ...
and animated by
Satelight is a Japanese animation studio. Aside from several stand-alone projects, the studio is well known for producing the '' Aquarion'' and '' Symphogear'' franchises, as well as later installments of the ''Macross'' franchise. The company's Represen ...
. ''Heat Guy J'' was licensed and distributed in the U.S. in 2003 by Pioneer (which subsequently became
Geneon Entertainment (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan. Th ...
). It was re-released by
Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...
in the fall of 2009. The first 13 episodes of the show were also broadcast on the cable channel
MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
. A one volume
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
was created based on the series, and was licensed and distributed by
Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...
. The show was picked up for a UK DVD release by
Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyro ...
starting in March 2006. It was packaged in double DVD sets to make up for the long delayed release of the series.


Plot

''Heat Guy J'' chronicles the adventures of a young Special Services officer named Daisuke Aurora and his android partner known simply as "J". The pair live and work in the fictional, futuristic Metropolis of "Judoh" (Jewde), where the understaffed and underfunded Special Services Division of the Bureau of Urban Safety has its headquarters.


Characters


Special Services

* - Department of Security, Central Headquarters Special Services Employee, age 21 : :: Nicknamed "Dais" (or "Dice"). Cool and laid back, Daisuke is one half of the Special Services Bureau's investigative team. He prefers action to paperwork, but when he's not out on the street fighting crime, he's often seen in various states of in-action. :: Although he never really shows it, Daisuke is quite compassionate and has a strong sense of justice. However, he has deep and painful memories of the vanishing of his mother and his father (a politician) being murdered by an android. The only memento of his father is a bullet pendant he wears around his neck. * (also known as "Heat Guy J") - Special Services Android, 3, Appearance of a 40-year-old Man : :: An android with incredible power, J was created in cooperation between a government facility and a civilian enterprise; androids are illegal in Judoh, but a special exception is made for J, much to the dismay of wary city officials. Despite his hulking size, J can run at enormous speeds and packs a powerful punch. However, after prolonged bouts of action, J must cool himself down by venting a great deal of superheated air from pipes mounted on his shoulders, making a sound like a howling wolf. J is maintained by the Civilian Enterprises Sect technician Antonia Bellucci. It is said that J is modeled after Antonia's father. This is probably why J seems to be so human sometimes, with a noble character and strong beliefs on things like how a man should act. * - Department of Security, Central Headquarters Special Services Auditor/Accountant, age 21 : :: A young auditor and accountant for Special Services, Kyoko is strait-laced and always plays by the rules. This causes her stress when dealing with Daisuke, whom she often scolds. However, she eventually develops feelings towards Daisuke, after letting go of her crush on his brother Shun. * - Government Investigative Office of Department of Security, Central Headquarters General Manager, age 27 : :: Daisuke's older brother and the General Manager of Special Services, Shun prides himself on his rational and logical thinking. Shun's logical nature is usually in conflict with Daisuke's more impulsive personality. This causes a gap between the two brothers, despite the fact that Shun raised Daisuke after their father's death at the hand of an android. Another point of contention between them is Shun's inability to forgive his mother for leaving their family when Shun was 9 and Daisuke 3. Shun is responsible for the partnership of his brother with J. * - Central Headquarters, General Manager's Secretary, age 27 : :: Phia is Shun's head secretary over at the Special Services office. She is very reliable although she seems to take enjoyment in seeing Shun and Daisuke argue.


Friends

* - Sect Employee, age 24 : :: An employee of the civilian enterprise "Sect," (the company responsible for creating J) she is responsible for J's maintenance. She still mourns the death of her father at an early age and was responsible for creating J in his image and personality. She worries and cares a lot for J. Daisuke also harbors a secret crush on Antonia. * - Galea Police Investigation Inspector, age 33 : :: A crime scene investigator who is constantly annoyed with the Special Service Agency, he usually scolds and antagonizes Daisuke when he arrives on the scene. He does, however, help Daisuke on various occasions, and is a valuable ally in many of the Special Services cases. * - Photographer, age 10 : :: To earn money for herself, her mother and her donkey, Parsley, Monica works as a photographer who operates by wagon in the city of Judoh. She wants to preserve the long dead age of photography (which explains why she has so much trouble making a sale). However, she has accumulated a great deal of information on Judoh and its business trends. Her mother, Christina, is an unemployed degenerate drunk, and for the most part sponges off her daughter's meager earnings and sleeps off her hangovers inside the wagon during the day. Monica is a friend of Daisuke and gives him important advice and information whenever he needs it. She is like a little sister to Daisuke, and he made a move to adopt her in episode 9, but Monica's mother refused. * - Guitarist, age 21 : :: Met Daisuke when he was being beaten up by a group of guys attempting to take his money (he threw the first punch when they mentioned his father). Daisuke saved him from getting his butt kicked, but he seemed embarrassed that he had to be rescued like that. So, when Daisuke turned around, Kia was already gone. He apologized later, and the two became instant friends when he played the guitar for Daisuke. Obviously, hates his father, who was the famous Blues Dullea. Turns out, his father was abusive to his mother; and, not only that, he ran off with Kia's half-brother (Ray Dullea) to go play music with him. In spite of this, Kia still really enjoys playing his guitar. He refuses to make a career out of it, on account of it would make him remotely like his father. * Cynthia, Janis, and Vivian : - age 20 : - age 21 : - age 19 :: Three girls who hang out and work on Kabuki Road. The three girls are a source for the latest Judoh news and gossip for Daisuke. They also often try to hit on him, but never succeed. * - Nurse, age unknown : ::A nurse who lives in the city's underground. When Daisuke loses his silver bullet pendant in a sewer drainage during a fight with a mercenary, Rumie buys it from an underground merchant, but gives it back to Daisuke after befriending him.


Enemies

* - Current leader, or "Vampire", of the Company Vita Crime Syndicate, age 19 : :: Clair inherited his title of Vampire, head of the crime syndicate Company Vita, after his father, Lorenzo Leonelli, died at the beginning of the series. He lives in his father's shadow and constantly flashes back to instances of both physical and emotional abuse. Being compared to his father is his biggest weakness as well as the easiest way to anger him. Due to his father's abuse, he is also unpredictable and emotionally unstable. He struggles to retain the loyalty of the other crime leaders in the city, who fear his dangerous personality. He causes much trouble for Daisuke and J though he is by no means the pair's only problem. * - Clair's bodyguard, age 27 : ::Giobanni is Clair's constant companion and his most consistent guard. He protects Clair against everything and, in episode 17, tells Clair that he is what really matters to all his personal guards. * - Advisor to the Leonelli family, age 63 :: :: An important adviser who has worked for the Leonelli family for generations. His loyalty towards the family is unwavering, and he constantly worries about Clair. * - Clair's Bodyguard, age 25 : :: The second close bodyguard of Clair's, and tends to be a ladies man. He makes comments on Kyoko, and women in general. He is often seen handling a pair of casino dice he considers 'lucky'. * - Clair's Bodyguard, age 21 : :: The third close bodyguard of Clair's, and is in charge of the technical aspect of things. He is an expert programmer and a very good spy. He is quiet most of the time though he quotes percentages and probabilities. * - age 41 : ::A former politician who is a member of Company Vita. * :


Other

* - Dry Goods store owner, age 72 : :: The former boss of a crime syndicate, Shogun has grown old and now lives a simple life as a Dry Goods store owner. However, he still keeps tabs on the Underground and often passes on his knowledge to Daisuke. * - Mercenary, age unknown : ::A mysterious and silent refugee who is searching for his missing sister Usagi, or Bunny. For punishment of a crime committed in his past, he was transformed into a "beast-human" hybrid - criminals who have committed a crime so grave as to warrant life in prison have beast heads grafted onto their bodies in order to both make them regret their sin for the rest of their lives and ensure that escaped hybrids can easily be tracked down. Boma disguises his wolf-like features with a holographic device. He accepts one job for Clair Leonelli - to destroy J. However, he ends up refusing the job. He is a skilled swordsman, wielding a monomolecular blade, and makes a deadly enemy (and later, a powerful ally) for Daisuke and J.


Manga

Coinciding with the anime series in 2002, a manga version of ''Heat Guy J'' was released. It was eventually distributed in the U.S. by
Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...
in 2005. It was written and drawn by Chiaki Ogishima. While the main characters and general setup were similar to the anime, the manga has its own unique storyline and supporting characters. There is only one volume in the series, and it includes several pages of bonus material related to the show.


Theme songs

Opening * "Face" by Try Force :: Lyrics, music, and arrangement by Try Force Ending * by
Wyse WYSE (970 AM) is a radio station located in Canton, North Carolina, that simulcasts WISE's sports format from Asheville, North Carolina. Owned by the Asheville Radio Group subsidiary of Saga Communications, the station is licensed by the Fed ...
(eps. 1-13) :: Lyrics and music by Takuma :: Arrangement by Wyse * by
Saeko Chiba is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer. She grew up in Tokyo and married on her birthday in 2007. She is contracted to the Space Craft Produce. Biography Chiba took up ballet at a young age with ambitions of becoming pa ...
(eps. 14-25) :: Lyrics, music, and arrangement by
Yuki Kajiura Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Y ...


Episodes


References


External links


Official English Heat Guy J Website (FUNimation)
*
Bandai Channel Heat Guy J Website (Japanese)

TBS Heat Guy J Website (Japanese)
* {{Kazuki Akane 2002 anime television series debuts 2003 manga Androids in television Anime with original screenplays Bandai Visual Crime in anime and manga Cyberpunk anime and manga Funimation Geneon USA Kodansha manga Satelight Science fiction anime and manga Seinen manga TBS Television (Japan) original programming Tokyopop titles