History

The history of the Pokémon media franchise spans over a decade from when work began officially on the first game to now, and has roots even older. It started simply enough as a hobby of Satoshi Tajiri, who as a child had a fondness for catching insects and tadpoles near his home in suburban Tokyo. Over time, Tajiri decided to put his idea of catching creatures into practice because it would give children the same thrill as he had.

With the help of Ken Sugimori and other friends, Tajiri formed Game Freak and much later the design studio known as Creatures. In 1975, the precursor to Pokémon was serialized in manga form as Capsule Monsters. However, the manga was unsuccessful and was discontinued. In 1991, Tajiri discovered the Game Boy and the Game Boy Link Cable gave him the image of insects traveling along the wire. After several failed attempts at pitching Capsule Monsters to Nintendo, Tajiri's new friend Shigeru Miyamoto pitched it to the company, and Nintendo began to fund the project, spending six years developing the games that would become a worldwide sensation. The original artwork for the games was drawn by Tajiri's friend, the artist Ken Sugimori. Before the first Pokémon games were released in Japan in 1996, sprites of Pikachu, Mew, Meowth, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle appeared in Game Freak's Game Boy Camera in 1995. Around this time, Nintendo decided to change the name "Capsule Monsters" to "Pocket Monsters."

The first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Green Versions, came to the Nintendo Game Boy system in Japan on February 27th, 1996, which was the fulfillment of Satoshi Tajiri's dream and allowed people of all ages to catch, train and trade 151 creatures and become a Pokémon Master. Due to high sales, Pokémon Red and Green were swiftly followed up with Pokémon Blue, which had improved graphics and sounds. After the games, a Pokémon Trading Card Game was developed by Media Factory with its own set of rules. The first set of cards was released on October 20th, 1996, containing 102 cards, and became very popular. The popularity of the franchise also led to an anime series based on the games, premiering in Japan on April 1st, 1997.


Summary
Main Characters

Main Characters

Ash Ketchum (Satoshi)

He is the main character in the first series, but with the introduction of Pokémon Contests and the female co-star in Advanced Generation, he becomes one of two co-stars. Ash dreams of being the greatest Pokémon Master in the world. Ash's current pokemon that are with him are Pikachu, Staravia, Turtwig, Chimchar, Buizel, and Gliscor. During May's visit to Sinnoh, Ash starts to have a huge crush on May.

Pikachu

Ash's very first Pokémon and best friend. It has always stuck by Ash through thick and thin.




Dawn (Hikari)

New heroine and co-star of the series when Ash comes to Sinnoh, she dreams of being a great coordinator like her mother. She was the first girl that was with Ash temporarily to bond with her starter pokemon before she caught it. Dawn has a habit of saying "no need to worry" constantly, which has the reverse effect on her mother. She is based on the playable character in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

Brock (Takeshi)

Former Pewter Gym leader, he dreams of being the world's best Pokémon breeder, and is Ash's longest lasting human traveling partner, having only been absent from most of Season 2. He also falls in love with most women he sees, mostly Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, and in the Diamond and Pearl generation, his Croagunk would occasionally snap him out of it using Poison Jab and drag him away like Misty and Max did.


Jessie and James (Musashi and Kojiro)

A duo of Team Rocket, they try to capture Pikachu but always lose. They and Meowth have appeared in every episode except the first one. Team Rocket also starts saying a new motto in the Diamond & Pearl series of the anime; the English translation changed along with the Japanese version. Their characters have changed significantly since the beginning of the series, as they are more of a comic relief now instead of the prominent villains they were in the beginning of the series. These characters were created for the show and did not appear in the original games.

Meowth (Nyāsu)

The main Pokémon of Jessie and James. He has the ability to talk and walk like humans and thinks for himself, rather than following orders like other Pokémon. He used to be Giovanni's favorite, but his constant failure caused him to be replaced by the Persian.



Summary
History

Summary

Yagami Light is as perfect a hero as you could imagine--perfect grades, perfect public record, perfect looks--in every facet, his image is squeaky clean. This all ends one fateful day when the Shinigami known as Ryuk drops his Death Note out of the realm of the afterlife, into Light's schoolyard. Light stumbles across it and reads the directions: write the name of the person you want dead in the Death Note--with their image in your mind--and they will die in the manner you have specified in this supernatural journal. Otherwise, if the circumstance is not specified in writing, the victim will, within minutes, suffer a fatal heart attack.

Thinking it a stupid prank initially, Light puts it to the test when saving an innocent woman from being assaulted. To his horror, it works. Could ridding the world of criminals be this easy? Inspired with a new renewed sense of justice, Light indulges himself completely in his newfound power, self-righteously declaring himself the bringer of a new, utopian future-- --one name at a time.

Main Characters

Yagami Light

The main character of Death Note, Light is an extremely intelligent but bored 17-year old student. When he finds the Death Note, dropped in the human world by the shinigami Ryuk, he decides to use it to kill all criminals and earns the title Kira. His ultimate goal is to cleanse the world of evil to create a world without criminals and then reign over this new world as its "god."

L
The opposing force of the series, L is the world's top-rated detective and tasked with tracking down and arresting Kira. As such, he is Light's arch-enemy. He often takes drastic strategies to confuse and force the hand of his opponents, and his disheveled appearance disguises his brilliance. He enjoys sugar, and in nearly every scene including him, he is found eating cake or confectionary and drinking highly sweetened tea (since he never appears to gain any weight from this, it is assumed he has a fast metabolism, although he claims the amount of thinking he does uses up enough energy to counteract it). His real name is L Lawliet.

Shinigami
Shinigami, or Death Gods, are demon-like beings who live in the Shinigami realm. Shinigami are functionally immortal, able to extend their lives indefinitely by writing the names of humans in their Death Notes. By writing the name of a human whose fated time of death has not yet come, Shinigami have their lifespan increased by the amount that human would have lived

Summary

It is the 21st century. Robot technology has advanced to an astounding level. Robot workers are common, and can be found performing duties in virtually every occupation around the world, from factory workers, to fireman and even nurses. Doctor Boyton is the Head for the Ministry of Science and also a brilliant professor who is dedicated to his work. For months, Doctor Boyton has been trying to create a new type of robot; A robot with a soul, a robot capable of human emotions. After many failed attempts, his son, Toby, suggests that his father creates a "boy robot". Inspired by his son's idea, Doctor Boyton begins his research with new found enthusiasm. Unfortunately, Doctor Boyton's obsession with his research causes him to miss a lot of time with Toby.

After breaking too many fatherly promises, Toby runs away from home and is tragically killed in a car accident. Doctor Boyton, driven mad by his grief, goes on to secretly complete his robot with a soul in the likeness of his son. But the grieving father soon came to the realization that though his construct might look like his son, it could never be a real boy. After a while the scientist sold the machine to a robot circus. There, Astro was treated as a slave, and abused cruelly and needlessly but then was rescued from this life by Doctor Elefun, who becomes the head of the Ministry of Science after Doctor Boyton is fired. Elefun takes him back to Japan and trated him gently and warmly, becoming his legal guardian. He soon realized that Astro was gifted with superior powers and skills, as well as the ability to experience human emotions. Living with his newly built parents "Mum" , "Dad", and sister Uran built by Doctor Elefun as a family for Astro, and also his dog Jump, Astro lives his life as normal and happily as he can. He goes to school and has made many friends along the way. However having the abilities that he does, it is sometimes hard to stay out of trouble. Especially after he finds out that he has a brother by the name of Atlas, who has a hatred for humans and the way they treat the robots of the world. Using this hatred, Atlas tries to eliminate the human race. Astro, along with Doctor Elefun, are sometimes asked to lend a hand to help where they can.


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Main Characters
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History

Tetsuwan Atom was called as Astroboy outside Japan. The black and white series was created, animated and produced by Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989) through his own company named Mushi Productions. Tezuka, like his father, was a qualified doctor of medicine but was more interested in drawing. Astroboy was a successful comic strip in Japan in the 1950's. It was released in Japan between 1963 and 1966 and was shown on Melbourne TV in April 1966 at 5:30pm Sunday's on channel 0. The TV week described it as "Cartoon adventure series about a youngster in the 21st century." It was the first anime series to be broadcasted outside Japan and became a worldwide hit. It lasted for four seasons with a total of 193 episodes were produced, but only 104 of them were redubbed and shown on TV outside Japan. In 1964, there was a feature-length animated movie called Hero of Space released in Japan. It was an anthology of three episodes; The Robot Spaceship, Last Day on Earth and Earth Defense Squadron. The latter two were a special treat for Japanese fans since the theatrical versions were filmed in color. In 1982 a colored version was released and shown in Melbourne throughout the 1980's. In 1996 it was shown here on cable TV. Many of these episodes are available on video in Pal format through Siren Entertainment and are still enjoyed by young children today.


Summary
Main Characters
Others

Main Characters

Mighty Atom (Tetsuwan Atomu; "Astro Boy")

The robot boy fashioned after Tobio Tenma (Toby Boyton), he possesses the strength of 100,000 horsepower and the heart of gold. He has seven amazing powers: flight, multiple languages, analytical skills, headlight eyes, strength, hidden weapons in his back and the ability to tell what's right and wrong. In addition he has a built-in geiger counter and radio system plus hypersensitive hearing.

Uran/Zoran
Astro's cybernetic sister, a superhuman android with a naive, tomboyish personality. Constructed by Dr Elefun as a "gift" for Astro, Uran is an extremely mischievous little girl who constantly lands her older brother in trouble. While lacking Astro's weaponry and propulsion systems, she in extremely powerful (50,000 horsepower) and regularly accompanies him on various missions (or attempts to). Like Astro, she is fully capable of experiencing human emotions - though being somewhat less 'mature,' she sometimes expresses them by being naughty or disobedient. Uran first appeared in Episode 25 (The Strange Birthday Present) under the name Astrogirl; in the manga she has always been known as Uran (although in the 2000 anime series she was renamed Zoran). In the 2003 anime & Naoki Urasawa's Pluto Uran has the ability to communicate with animals.

Dr. Umatarō Tenma (Dr. Aster Boyton)
Father of Toby and the former head of the Ministry of Science. Ever since his son killed in a car accident, he decided to build a robot boy who looks like his son. But when he discovered that Astro Boy couldn't grow, he sold his son to the circus.

Professor Ochanomizu (Dr. Packerdermus J. Elefun)
The present head of the Institute of Science after Doctor Boyton is fired and a fearless campaigner for robotic rights. Kind, patient and good-natured, he serves as a mentor for both Astro and Uran. Somewhat eccentric by nature, he tends to be excitable when faced by a scientific mystery, particularly when his opinions are questioned by his scientific colleagues. He first appeared in Episode 1: Birth of Astro Boy, where he rescued Astro from Caccitore's circus and takes him back to Japan. Elefun takes care of Astro until he is able to construct a family for him.

Police Inspector Tawashi (Inspector Gumshoe)
Head of the Tokyo Police Department with an innate distrust of androids and robots which lead to him of having a long-standing feud with both Dr Elephun and Mr Pompous, and frequently engages in volatile arguments with them. While arrogant, cantankerous and downright rude, he eventually comes to respect Astro's courage and abilities, even calling for his assistance in particularly difficult cases.

Police Inspector Nakamura (Chief McClaw)The chief of the police and the Gumshoe's loyal assistant. Played mainly for comic relief, he was normally portrayed as fat, dim-witted and gullible; a stereotype "clueless flatfoot" of the period. Nonetheless, he instantly recognised Astro's good side and frequently stood up for Astro Boy against his bullying partner.

Shunsaku Ban (Albert Duncan)Originally introduced as a private investigator in the first American dub, Albert played several roles in the Japanese strip series, including school teacher and martial arts expert. Like Dr. Elephun, Albert serves as a surrogate father for Astro and Uran, providing guidance and advice when necessary. While gruff and comically short-tempered, he harbours a deep admiration for Astro, seeing him as the son he never had, and even stands up to the formidable Inspector Gumshoe in the boy's defence. In both the original comic strip and the second 1980's Japanese series, he was Astro's school teacher (in Naoki Urasawa's Pluto he has apparently been promoted to principal), and his nickname was Mr Mustachio or Daddy Walrus. In the 2003 remake, he is notably absent from Astro's school, working full time as a private eye and is also the uncle of Ochanomizu's assistant, Yuko Kisaragi.

Mama and Papa
Astro Boy's robotic parents who were built by Doctor Elefun as a family for Astro. They don't have names, they are simply called "Mama" and "Papa". Mama is depicted as an idealized 1960s housewife. Sweet, kind and nurturing. She is entirely trusting of her son's impeccable nature, knows he would never deliberately lie or harm another being. In contrast, Papa is portrayed as something of a well-meaning blowhard, often jumping to conclusions and losing his temper over minor incidents. In the Sankei Newspaper Astroboy manga series it is revealed that Mama was modified to resemble Dr. Tenma's wife who had died of a heart condition shortly after Astro was sold to the circus.

Cobalt (Jetto/Atlas)
Astro Boy's cybernetic brother and arch-enemy. His origins differ in the continuities of the manga & anime versions. In the manga he is an inferior copy of Astro created as a replacement by Prof. Ochanomizu. In the anime version he was a defective prototype of Astro built by Dr. Tenma, then sealed within the ministry of science archives & later released. Jetto has abilities comparable to his brother's, but lacks Astro's intelligence and common sense. Clumsy, accident-prone and gullible, he is a constant source of trouble for Astro's family. Despite these problems, Jetto is often shown to be extremely kind hearted and loyal. In addition to the abilities that were copied from Astro, he also shares a kind of telepathic link with his brother that gives him the ability to sense when Astro is in danger & home in his location. He originally died a heroic death at the conclusion of the Midoro Swamp story arc in the Shonen Magazine serial version of the manga, but Tezuka later changed his mind & rewrote the ending for the paperback version so that he survived. In the manga, his name is Cobalt.


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