Kiddy Grade

Kiddy Grade

Éclair (left) and Lumière with LaMuse and Planet Aineias in the background.
キディ・グレイド
(Kidi Gureido)
Genre Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
Light novel
Kiddy Grade Pr. ("Pre-story")
Written by Tomohiko Aoki
Illustrated by Hidefumi Kimura
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic Male
Imprint Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run September 1, 2001 – February 1, 2002
Volumes 2
Anime television series
Directed by Keiji Gotoh
Written by Hidefumi Kimura
Music by Shirō Hamaguchi
Studio Gonzo
Licensed by
Network Fuji Television
English network
Original run October 8, 2002 – March 18, 2003
Episodes 24
Manga
Kiddy Grade Reverse
Written by HIYOHIYO
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Shōnen Ace
Published March 1, 2003
Manga
Kiddy Grade Versus
Written by Hidefumi Kimura
Illustrated by Arikui Fujimaru
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Dragon Jr.
Original run March 1, 2003 – November 1, 2003
Volumes 2
Light novel
Written by Fumihiko Shimo
Illustrated by Hidefumi Kimura
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic Male
Imprint Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run November 1, 2002 – September 1, 2003
Volumes 3
Light novel
Kiddy Grade EX-Partner ("Extra story")
Written by Hidefumi Kimura
Illustrated by Megumi Kadonosono
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Published September 25, 2003
Light novel
Kiddy Grade Secret Affair
Written by Hidefumi Kimura
Illustrated by Megumi Kadonosono
Published by Kadokawa Shoten
Published January 29, 2004
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Ignition-
Directed by Keiji Gotoh
Studio Gonzo
Released April 7, 2007
Runtime 90 minutes
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Maelstrom-
Directed by Keiji Gotoh
Studio Gonzo
Released June 23, 2007
Runtime 90 minutes
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Truth Dawn-
Directed by Keiji Gotoh
Studio Gonzo
Released September 1, 2007
Runtime 90 minutes

Kiddy Grade (キディ・グレイド) is a 24 episode science fiction anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment.

In October 2006 news of a Kiddy Grade sequel was announced, under the working title of Kiddy Grade 2 (キディ・グレイ) (K-G.2), to be animated by asread (Shuffle! anime).[1] On February 26, 2009 it was re-announced[2] under the new title Kiddy Girl-and (キディ・ガーランド Kidi Gārando) along with news of a new manga adaptation, Kiddy Girl-and Pure (キディ・ガーランド ぴゅあ Kidi Gārando Pyua). The sequel is set 50 years after the original series and introduces two new female protagonists, Ascœur (アスクール Asukūru)[3] and Q-feuille (ク・フィーユ Ku Fīyu).[4]

Overview

Story and setting

Kiddy Grade takes place in a future where the human race has expanded and inhabits a multitude of planets in the universe with fantastic technology. Unsurprisingly, crime has grown alongside technology, and thus the Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs (GOTT, German for 'God') is formed as a sort of universal police force. Within this organization, there is a special (and secret) branch known as the ES Force (ES standing for "Encounter of Shadow-work"), consisting of twelve physically young people who possess amazing superpowers. Each ES member operates with another as a team, and the series' focus is a team of two low-level members, Éclair and Lumière. As the series progresses, they start to see the darker side of GOTT and its secrets.

Characters

Most of the central characters in the series are ES members of GOTT "Shadow Unit." The Shadow Unit is a group of superpowered individuals that acts as the elite enforcement division of GOTT and hence, of the Galactic Union. Their powers are ranked by "class," of which three are named in the series: C class is the lowest, S is high, and G is the highest. At the beginning of the series, it is believed that no ES member possesses G class abilities but it is later revealed to be false. ES members are organized in pairs of the same class and each is issued a customized and very advanced spaceship and a guard robot.

The protagonists of the series are Éclair and Lumière, a C class pair of ES agents, who have a long back-story together from before joining GOTT. Their past is gradually revealed throughout the series as they come to realize and accept it. Their spaceship is called La Muse (French: The Muse) and their guard robot is Donnerschlag (German: Thunderclap); both are also part of their back-story. As ES members, Éclair and Lumière report directly to the chief of GOTT, Eclipse, a strict and collected woman whose orders they cannot disobey. Often accompanying them in the early episodes is the Galactic Union auditor Armbrust (German: Crossbow) who appears to have multiple hidden agendas.

Other ES members are: Alv and Dvergr (S class), an arrogant pair who eventually become Éclair and Lumière's antagonists; Tweedledee and Tweedledum (S class), fraternal twins with a complicated relationship towards the protagonists; Viola and Cesario (C class) who are generally on good terms with Éclair and Lumière; Un-ou and A-ou (S class), former mercenaries with a long-standing rivalry with them; and Sinistra and Dextera (S class), a bishōnen pair held in high regard by all their colleagues for their professionalism. Also of note are Mercredi, Eclipse's personal assistant with a hidden agenda, and Chevalier d'Autriche, the Secretary General of GOTT whose past is intertwined with Éclair's.

Media

Anime

Kiddy Grade originally aired on Fuji Television in Japan from October 8, 2002 – March 18, 2003. The series ran for 24 episodes and was produced by Gonzo. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel in both its "syndicated block" and its 24-hour channel. In 2007, the series was re-released as three movies (each 80–90 minutes in length) to specific Japanese theatres.[5][6] The following are the individual titles for each film and their release dates.

  1. Ignition (initial screening April 8, 2007, DVD released July 27, 2007)
  2. Maelstrom (initial screening June 23, 2007, DVD released September 28, 2007)
  3. Truth Dawn (initial screening September 1, 2007, DVD released December 21, 2007)

Crew

Theme songs

  1. "Memories of the Future" (Mirai no Kioku) by Yuka
  1. "Future" by Little Viking

The Kiddy Grade franchise started right in the form of a series of light novels, published by Kadokawa Shoten under the label of Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko from 1 September 2001 to 1 February 2002 and later collected into two volumes (Kiddy Grade Pr1, September 1, 2001 and Kiddy Grade Pr2, February 1, 2002). Following are other light novel dedicated to the characters of the series were published: Kiddy Grade, 3 volumes published from 1 November 2002 to 1 September 2003; Kiddy Grade EX-Partner, single volume published September 25, 2003; and finally Kiddy Grade Secret Affair, single volume published January 29, 2004.

The series also received two mangas. The first, Kiddy Grade Reverse was made by HIYOHIYO and published in the magazine Shonen Ace of Kadokawa Shoten, before being collected in a single volume published on 1 March 2003. The second series, Kiddy Grade Versus was made by Hidefumi Kimura and Arikui Fujimaru and published in the magazine Dragon Jr Kadokawa Shoten, before being collected in two volumes published February 27, 2003 (the first volume) and 1 November 2003 ( the second volume).

Reception

Reviews for Kiddy Grade are often mixed. As the main plot does not become apparent until mid-series (Episode 9), it has been criticized as being too slow, particularly when reviews are based on the first few episodes. Negative comments are also made about excessive fanservice, particularly in the case of Lumière. Despite her actual mental age, she has the appearance of a 10-year-old, and is often shown in a sexualized fashion. Fanservice is an ongoing quality of Kiddy Grade, but does occur less frequently as the series progresses.

Nevertheless, as a series it is usually given credit for high-quality animation and the strengths of the story in the later episodes.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Keiji Gotoh. "Gotoh Keiji Home Page" (in Japanese). pp. Goto Keiji Information. Retrieved October 26, 2006.
  2. ↑ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  3. ↑ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). pp. キディ・ガーランド　データベース. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  4. ↑ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). pp. キディ・ガーランド　データベース. Retrieved July 7, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Anime News Network". Retrieved February 21, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Kiddy Grade Homepage" (in Japanese). Retrieved February 21, 2007.
  7. ↑ Tiu, Diane. "Kiddy Grade". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved March 25, 2011.

Further reading

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