Psychic Squad, known in Japan as Zettai Karen Children (Japanese: 絶対可憐チルドレン, Hepburn: Zettai Karen Chirudoren, lit. 'Absolutely Lovely Children'), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takashi Shiina. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from July 2005 to July 2021, with its chapters collected in 63 tankōbon volumes. It is the story about three young problem girls with outstanding psychic powers and a young man with no special powers at all tasked to guide them properly while dealing with all the commotions they cause, including their obvious infatuation with him.
Psychic Squad | |
絶対可憐チルドレン (Zettai Karen Chirudoren) | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by | Takashi Shiina |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Imprint | Shōnen Sunday Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Sunday |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | July 13, 2005 – July 14, 2021 |
Volumes | 63 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Keiichiro Kawaguchi |
Written by | Satoru Nishizono |
Music by | Kōtarō Nakagawa |
Studio | SynergySP |
Licensed by | |
Original network | TV Tokyo |
Original run | April 6, 2008 – March 29, 2009 |
Episodes | 51 + OVA |
Light novel | |
Zettai Karen Children the Novels "B.A.B.E.L. Hōkai" | |
Written by | Gakuto Mikumo |
Illustrated by | Takashi Shiina |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Imprint | Gagaga Bunko |
Demographic | Male |
Published | May 20, 2008 |
Video game | |
Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children | |
Developer | HuneX |
Publisher | Konami |
Genre | Simulation RPG |
Platform | Nintendo DS |
Released | September 4, 2008 |
Spin-off | |
|
A 51-episode anime television series produced by SynergySP was broadcast from April 2008 to March 2009, and had a special original video animation (OVA) released in July 2010. A 12-episode spin-off focused on main antagonist Kyōsuke Hyōbu, titled Unlimited Psychic Squad, and produced by Manglobe, was broadcast from January to March 2013.
By July 2012, the manga had over 6 million copies in circulation. In 2022, Psychic Squad received the 53rd Seiun Award for Best Comic.
Plot
editIn the future, as people with ESP increase in numbers, so does the possible good and evil they can cause to society. The Japanese government establishes of the Base of Backing ESP Laboratory (B.A.B.E.L.) a special esper organization tasked with dealing with situations that can't be resolved by ordinary means, including dealing with espers engaged in criminal activity. Kōichi Minamoto, a 20-year-old prodigy is assigned by B.A.B.E.L. to the task of supervising the most powerful espers in the country, a trio of gifted but mischievous 10-year-old girls known as "The Children": Kaoru Akashi, Shiho Sannomiya, and Aoi Nogami.
As the series progresses, The Children and Minamoto must deal with several enemy organizations, each with conflicted views regarding the role of espers in the world, including "P.A.N.D.R.A.", a cadre of rogue espers determined to wage war against the rest of mankind, the "Black Phantom", a mercenary organization who brainwashes espers into living tools of destruction and the "Normal People", composed solely of non-esper individuals who view espers only as a threat to be vanquished.
Media
editManga
editWritten and illustrated by Takashi Shiina, Zettai Karen Children was developed out of a short story he had written in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Sunday Super in 2003.[3] A four-chapter story was then published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in September 2004.[4][5] Zettai Karen Children was serialized for 16 years in Weekly Shōnen Sunday, from July 13, 2005,[6][a] to July 14, 2021.[9][10][11] Shogakukan collected its 622 individual chapters in sixty-three tankōbon volumes, released from October 18, 2005,[12] to September 17, 2021.[13]
Volumes
editAnime
editA 51-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by SynergySP, started airing on TV Tokyo on April 6, 2008.[75] The anime has six pieces of theme music; two opening themes and four ending themes. The first opening theme is "Over The Future" by Karen Girl's, the first ending theme is "Zettai love×love Sengen!!" (絶対love×love宣言!!) by "The Children starring Aya Hirano, Ryoko Shiraishi and Haruka Tomatsu"; the second ending theme is "Datte Daihonmei" (DATTE大本命), also by Hirano, Shiraishi, and Tomatsu. From episode 27 onwards opening theme has changed to "MY WINGS", once again by Karen Girl's, ending theme changed to "Break+Your+Destiny" by Yuuichi Nakamura, Kishō Taniyama and Kōji Yusa and "Soushunfu" performed by Aya Hirano, Ryoko Shiraishi and Haruka Tomatsu. In episode 46 of the series, the opening theme, "MY WINGS", was sung by Aya Hirano, Ryoko Shiraishi and Haruka Tomatsu while the ending theme was "Zettai love×love Sengen!!", sung by Karen Girl's.
An original video animation (OVA) was announced in December 2009.[2] It was released on July 16, 2010, and includes original material based on the junior high school story arc.[76] The opening theme for the OVA is "Seventh Heaven" by The Children and the ending theme is "Out of Control" by Karen Guy's.[77]
In January 2012, Sentai Filmworks announced that they have licensed the series.[78] Sentai Filmworks released the series on four DVDs in Japanese with English subtitles on May 1, July 17, September 4 and November 6, 2012.[79][80]
Video game
editA video game for the Nintendo DS developed by Konami entitled Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children (絶対可憐チルドレンDS 第4のチルドレン) was released on September 4, 2008.[81]
Kaoru Akashi appears as a fighter character in the fighting game Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen (サンデー VS マガジン 集結! 頂上大決戦) for Sony's PlayStation Portable. Characters Aoi, Shiho, Minamoto, Fujiko and Hyōbu also make appearances as part of special moves or as support. The game was also developed by Konami and released on March 26, 2009.[82]
Reception
editBy July 2012, the manga had over 6 million copies in circulation.[83] Psychic Squad was awarded the 53rd Seiun Award in the Best Comic category in 2022.[84]
Notes
edit- ^ It started in the magazine's 33rd issue of 2005 (cover date July 27),[7] released on July 13 of that same year.[8]
References
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- ^ Loo, Egan (January 5, 2008). "Zettai Karen Children Manga Gets Spring TV Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
11 compiled volumes have been published since the manga began as a one-shot short story in 2003.
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次号 33号 7月13日 (水) 発売!!
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External links
edit- Official manga website at Web Sunday at the Wayback Machine (archived 2010-03-28) (in Japanese)
- Official anime website at TV Tokyo (in Japanese)
- Zettai Karen Children DS: Dai-4 no Children official website at Konami at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-08-31) (in Japanese)
- Psychic Squad (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia