Cyber Girls Akihabara
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- This article is about the manga Cyber Girls Akihabara for the similarly named anime please visit Cyber Team in Akihabara.
| Cyber Girls Akihabara | |
|---|---|
| サイバー ガールス アキハバラ で (Saiba Garuzu Akihabara de) |
|
| Genre | Adventure, Romance, Parody, Science fiction |
| Manga | |
| Author | Da Mangaka |
| Publisher |  Kibon Hana |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | April 2001 – On Hiatus |
Cyber Girls Akihabara (サイバー ガールス アキハバラ で Saiba Garuzu Akihabara de?), also known as CGA, is a manga series created by Da Mangaka. The series was published weekly via Web on the author's webblog appearing from the first time on January 2000 in a mini series called Akihabara Madness which halted all of a sudden on March 2001. The reappearance took place a month later on April 4, 2001 introducing the characters formerly as well as a plot that would extend to its current situation.
Contents |
[edit] Story
The story (as much as the prior and further manga from the author) are divided in 4 different Projects; each divided in numerous missions. The following is a brief of each of them:
[edit] Project 1 : The Cyber Girls from Akihabara
Project 1 starts with a group of 15-year-old sisters entering the highly prestigious Akihabara Otoburo High School.
It's to note that, although all four were 'born' in the same date, their looks are completely different, as well as their personalities and thoughts of life. Readers meet Yoshiko Meka, a perfect reflect of the otaku culture, Yoko Meka, a cute girl who eats sweets, Kazuko Meka, the serious and nerdy sister and Minako Meka, the spoiled and fashion lover who likes dating on boys all year around.
Upon arriving from school to their house in Kyoto, where they live with their grandmother, they discover that it's been tumbled over and their caretaker is gone. The only clue is a little note sent by an unknown person to reach out in the darkest corners of Akihabara. When they got to the targeted place, they are stumbled by a large mechanical being which easily swats the sisters down. Afterwards, they are captured and taken to an underground base where scientist take them under some tests to find out if they were the ones they've been looking for. The test concludes in success and they are quickly taken to the master chief behind all and creator of such note: Dr. Yuudai Chiisai. Upon awakening, the girls are taken to Chiisai's office to "speak of something of great importance" and against their will they are dropped down to a shabby office in which the doctor speaks to the girls about their purpose, not before Yoko discovers that such person is actually a mechanical and oddly cute racoon.
Chiisai tells the Meka sisters that they aren't completely human: they have within mechanical alloys that allow them to execute some abilities and have some powers that have never been seen in any human or machine. Each have a unique status depending on the persona and can be activated only if the person desires to. He invites them to activate their abilities and form a group to protect the Electric District as well as Japan from dangers that are starting to form rapidly in the past years. 3 of the girls accept quickly the offer, Kazuko being the only one rejecting it because she does not desire to turn "completely machine" After reflecting such decision for a week, she realizes that she cannot escape her destiny and sooner or later she might have to use such powers. She arrives in the nick of time later, when the rest of the team is desperately fighting a new horde of robots attacking their school. The girls unite even more and decide to call themselves the Cyber Girls from Akihabara, place where they first activated their powers and bounded to protect the country.
After some missions and some "weapons of mass destruction" sprees, the girls end up easily familiarized with the 'saving the world', making it part of the routine within the attending to class and spare time. However, things get stingy when in a mission, Yoshiko is kidnapped and taken to a dark Headquarter in the outsides of the city. There, she is interrogated by another scientist under the name of Dr. Kurosawa about the Cyber Project and its activation. Unable to tell anything (since she didn't know a thing about it), she is tortured and has her hard disk modified to obey him in all commands. The CGA arrive and quickly dash to the central core of the HQ where they find their sister, only to discover that she is now fighting back against them. Kazuko uses her hacking abilities and formats her disk to stop her for once, even against the will of the hacker. While escaping the HQ, they encounter a dark silhouette which releases thousands of sentients against them. Weak, they are thought done but mysteriously Yoshiko's red orb (a round jewel that's supposed to be a memento from their mother) flashes intensely. This is followed by the owner's reactivation in which she asks the girls to join their weapons in a way similar to the Power Rangers. Soon, they form the 'Cyber Cannon' and with that they shoot a wide ray that hits the central computer, enabling a chain self destruct sequence of all sentients and HQ.
The girls are salvaged by Chiisai hopped in a helicopter and taken home safely.
[edit] Project 2: CGA Revelations
This Project is also referred as CGA Origins
There is stress within the HQ where Chiisai works, he knowing that his long time nemesis had return ever since the creation of the girls. He decides to tell the girls their true origins and story: Chiisai, he being a graduate in the area of genetics, had married a woman named Keiko Kobayashi, she being a graduate of the same school but in the area of mechatronics. Working with a college of hers, their experiment somehow went wrong and attacked them. The college had much of the damage, 'saving' Keiko from harm (or so he thought). Keiko was 6 months pregnant when such events happened and she never referred this to his husband which continued with his life normally. On the date of the birth, Kobayashi died shortly after pronouncing the name of their offspring, this last one dying 10 days later. Unable to face the facts, he took a time out from reality until an idea came up. The idea was creating babies for those who were unable to procreate or had difficulties to do so. For that, he joined forces with Kurosawa so the project could be created. Kurosawa, however, had different plans. The first 10 babies (all female) where merged with mechanical devices and endoskeleton. 3 of 10 perished in the act, 1 of them disappeared, leaving only 6. Chiisai, knowing the purposes he was going towards to, tried to dissolve and vanish the remaining girls, unable to. He shipped them to a secret lab, only to be sabotaged and taken off by Kurosawa. His former body was badly damaged and he had his brain transferred to the only robot available at the time. (which is why he was now stuck as he was now). Only 4 reappeared again, being the CGA
While this story kept their minds thinking, the girls had no time to waste as a new menace was reaching the city's security: Humanoid figures with the shape, figures, and even powers of the own girls. The Dubbed "Cyber Copies", apparently created from the data Kurosawa was able to grasp from his first encounter with them, when on destructive sprees that had as target capturing each girl and take them back to their master's new base. These copies resulted to be dull and imprecise against the originals, these always triumphing against them ("It's like the Pirate's Beam Troopers from Prime 1" Yoshiko says in one of the missions)
In the verge of the winnings, Chiisai is taken hostage and would only be exchanged for the secrets of the Cyber Project. The girls have no other choice than to go, only to be confronted by the latest weapon: Unit 000. They soon discover this is no Copy: the strength and psychical power this one possesses are incredibly high and she's able to withstand any blow by dodging them quickly. Chiisai calls upon them, telling that 000 is nothing more than another Cyber Girl. The CGA are shocked at the news, this being an affirmation from the own Kurosawa. Trying now not to hurt her so much, they fail in defending themselves as well, being at the merge of the dark scientist. As if predicted, in the last moment, the same red orb shines again snapping 000 from her dormant state. The group are later running for their lives to save their chief from a collapsing base. They find him nearby some archives that apparently someone was reading before and snatch him quickly to jump from the highest point of the building, carrying team and 2 unconscious burdens around.
The same female silhouette from the end of Project 1 watches the building collapsing with a smirk, asking Kurosawa if it was time, he negating and placing a hand upon her shoulder.
[edit] Project 3: CGA Reloaded
This Project is the shortest one, only lasting half of what's supposed to. Also known as the 'Joint' Project between Revelations and Revolutions.
It's been some months now and the girls (now 16) are coursing their second year in Otoburo High. Chiisai has been working hard and finally is able to recover human form, being created by some other colleges and him. Yoko doesn't seem happy with this however, she liking "fluffy" things. Also, and to everyone's surprise, he introduces another sister: Keiko Meka, a tomboyish girl who's an excellent cook and a down-to-earth one.
It takes time to adapt to this, they being used to a team of 4, screwing up in odd situations that require simple thinking. Also, the doctor reminds the situation of her: being dormant 16 years without knowing the world was had, so they had to insert her memories of living such time so she would adapt easily to the world. The girls agreed to help her into her adaptation, although they wouldn't deal with the fact that she used to live in "America" and that her country ruled upon them all.
Kurosawa sees the loss of unit 000 and is making a desperate move to get all the 5 units, he sending flocks of Cyber Copies (which now included Keiko's), the first display of building-size Mecha, deadly plans upon the city (including nerve gas) and ransoming upon Japan's Prime Minister.
Keiko, while looking up stores in Ginza, stumbles with an odd Fortune Teller which predicts that not all she has believed might be the true light. While trying to get an answer for that reading, the psychic disappears, leaving great doubts on her mind.
Some missions later, the CGA's headquarters is finally discovered and destroyed by Kurosawa not before fleeing and warning that he would release an Atomic Bomb upon the city if they wouldn't surrender themselves and give the secrets for the project.
Once again, the team go towards the reconstructed HQ trying to stop such vile plan to be executed. However, during the process, Kurosawa's assistant 'captures' Keiko and tells the truth about her real life and that all has been fake. Broken and completely confused from the inside, she battles her sisters again but this time furious of such decision of imposing such lie on her head. Kazuko convinces, after a long battle, that she could understand what she felt but wouldn't wanted her to feel completely empty. Keiko replies that now she does and that it would never go away, but she would join the team again.
The girls arrive at the place and for the first time, they battle Kurosawa (he hopped on the Mecha which is supposed to trow the bomb). Yoshiko convinces and encourages her rage against him, pointing to be the one who is truly responsible for her lack of past and to not forget her current present as well. This helps destroy the mecha, but the bomb is now set to explode in 10 minutes giving time for a badly damaged doctor to flee the place. Kazuko is unable to hack the bomb's system and is Keiko who takes the lead by disabling the nuclear head with her hands.
At the end, we see the tomboy watching at the sky, searching for a purpose.
[edit] Project 4: CGA Revolutions
Having been defeated 3 times, Kurosawa decides no longer to recover the girls but to execute them, calling them traitors to the project. For that, he accepts the decision of his assistant which quickly goes to do the job. Back in Akihabara, it's the girls Senior year at Otoburo and they are to spend this last year as they can, Keiko already adapted to their odd recurrences, mostly coming from the quirky Yoshiko.
Chiisai informs them later of a series of assassinations that has been growing at top rates, at the point the own mayor of the city wishes to know an explanation. The girls are dispatched to save the day once again, without knowing the real threat they are facing.
Soon, a new student arrives to school by the name of Hiroko Kobayashi, a very shy girl which seldom talks and seems overprotective over something. Yoko is the one who meets her and encourages her to do so with the rest of her sisters, which at first sight didn't look bad and later turned to actually be funny. She is the daughter of the president of an electronic company who sells chips and material for gaming consoles which quickly attracts the attention of Yoshiko, begging her to help her meet the "gods"
Meanwhile, there are new clues upon who is behind all of the killings but that won't give a clear answer: the assassin seems to be using a mix of matter and antimatter, a mix never before seen that discourages the girl a bit. They soon are able to catch up with it, it being fast and quite more powerful than all the girls at the same time. By the way it attack they soon tagged the target as a higher and advanced Cyber Copy although Chiisai has his doubts.
On one class, Yoko invites Hiroko to have a slumber party at their Edo Period house in Kyoto; the other girls also seem happy to do so although Hiroko seems frightful at the thought but is easily persuaded. On that night, she is seen to take a jar of pills, she saying that she has a disease. Oddly enough, the are no reports of assassination in that night.
Further on, Keiko is able to recognize that the target they are looking for is female and that she has seen her before. Upon asking why, she recalls the time when she was revealed that her past was nothing more than inserted memory. This caused a revolt within the group thinking that maybe such thing might not be a copy but a real Cyber Girl. This also awakens fear in Chiisai, thinking that maybe it might be more truthful than ever.
Kurosawa's assistant proclaims that her research has finished and that soon she would strike. He nods smirking and dispatches her to end the job.
At that same date, Hiroko has come again to the Meka's residence to tell them about a dreadful secret she's been hiding all along but is later halted by an epileptic attack. The team thinks is because the lack of medicine and quickly take her to the nearest hospital. There, the unknown sentient strikes again, warning that if the project isn't revealed then all the people in the building would die. Risking their identities, they transform in front of her and battle. Of course, this black armored one is much stronger and leaves them badly hurt. Although she had it win, she wasn't able to give the final blow and fled the place, screaming madly about a "meddling healer". The team recover Hiroko and take her home.
Later on, Chiisai tells them that she might indeed be part of the project and that as she is corrupted, she had to be vanquished. Kazuko disputes and leaves the place, although she also is wondering whether they have a choice.
Hiroko starts missing school, the girls thinking that her disease had worsened and decide to go to her home. There, they find her asleep although Kazuko warns not to come closer to her all of a sudden, feeling a wave of darkness upon her. Behind her, lies a smiling Kurosawa who presenters the girl as their assassin. Keiko exclaims that wouldn't be possible, since she's black armored and haired while the one present was white. At a snap of fingers, the figure shifts to the doctor's ultimate weapon: Unit 006.
006 is vicious in attacking and lacks of any pain whatsoever, so she's difficult to deal with. Also, having fought with her so many times makes her know their movements and take them one by one. They are later driven to the real HQ which was actually under the original they destroyed in which they sustain mayor damage and physical assaults. They are unable to believe that such girl could be the target they've been looking for, however, they recall that might been fake and go towards to finish her. It takes a lot of their effort but unleast they wear her enough to give some blows. This one, however, absorbs them and turn them back to the senders.
At the point where it was all hopeless, Yoshiko is able to design a plan to en cage her and launch a one single blow with the Cyber Cannon. It takes much effort and skill to pull the plan to function, losing some energy and blood in the process, but they manage to launch the full powered cannon to her. For their surprise, the Cannon Fails and it's returned with full power as well.
In the floor, the leader wonders for a solution while the enemy walks towards them ready to finish the job, but suddenly stops again in a similar way to Hiro's epileptic attack. Soon, the colors shifts and Hiroko comes back. She explains that the other one they were fighting was called Sadako and that she and her were sisters. Sadako, while still in the cybering process, was too weak to continue living, so Hiroko offered a space on her body. The result is the two sisters living in the same being. She asks them to retry the cannon in order to bring them the peace they've always wanted.
The team thinks about this decision, but soon learn they don't have much time, as Sadako is trying to regain control. Without much choice, the girls launch a second attack from the cannon, while 006 launches a counter that fills the place with a bright light.
As the last page says "After the blast, both teams were not to be seen..."
[edit] Characters
The following are the Characters depicted until Cyber Girls Revolutions
- Yoshiko Meka (メカ吉子) - Main Character of the Series. She's an avid Anime and Manga fan and a Videogame maniac. She often cosplays when battling to release some of her sister's stress. Her Unit number is 001, being her the Blue Gunner or Leader (for Keiko's nerves). Her main weapons are Akira, a multi-upgrade-long-range laser beam which can be powered or upgraded with her missile launcher dubbed as Yoshimitsu. In the Arcade center she usually attends, she is called Miss Aran due to her favoritism to her and even love.
- Yoko Meka (メカ陽子) - The cute girl of the manga. Loves to collect and make plushies which can be seen on the internet sold on pages like E-bay. Her unit number is 002, called the Orange Acrobat. Her weapon is the Trackball: a polymorphic ball that can open up and scoop up an amount of things. The amount of things that can be placed on it, however, are unknown, as it once absorbed a truck in one mission only to hurl it back at Minako later.
- Kazuko Meka (メカ佳寿子) - The serious yet sentimental (and quite know-it-all) sister. She is very reserved and only speaks when necessary. She tends to dodge questions about herself. Unit number is 003 and she's the Green Hacker. Although she possesses no weapon, she uses her psychic abilities to make primarily shields.
- Minako Meka (メカ美南子) - The uptown and mature girl. She hates to be bothered with simplistic and childish things and loves to go "boy fishing". Her unit number is 004. The Red Bomber suits her personality well as she tends to be explosive as her bombs. She has the abilities to create tools or crafts from scratch.
- Keiko Meka (メカ圭子) - With no past but a bright future, Keiko hopes that she will be able to reach something in life. She is the cooker of the group and quite a tomboy, preferring to skate with his friends that attending to malls or follow up Yoshiko on her odd "killing sprees". She is the first unit, dubbed 000. As the Purple Fighter, she has an incredible strength, capable of lifting, breaking and smash almost anything. Also, to support her, is her weapon: a multi-upgrade whip.
- Hiroko Kobayashi/Meka (メカ寛子) - The shy girl from the late series. It is few what's known about her but that she is Unit 005, dubbed the white Healer. Powers and abilities are still unknown
- Sadako Meka (メカ貞子) - The antagonist of the Revolution's block. She is cold and likes to kill her enemies as slow and painful as she can. She's the last of the surviving units, being unit 006 called the Black Chaos (or dubbed Black Psycho by the girls). She manages no weapons but attacks with hordes of Anti-matter and Matter beams
[edit] Other Important Characters
- Dr. Yuudai Chiisai (小さい 雄大) - Creator of the Cyber Girls upon losing both wife and child. He now coaches the team on missions and sometimes participates on their odd actions
- Chika Meka(メカ 治下)- Grandmother and caretaker of the Girls. She was Keiko Kobayashi's mother
- Dr. Kurosawa(黒沢-博士)- Co-creator of the Cyber Girls. He is pursuing the girls in order to activate the Cyber Project which oddly, neither Chiisai or Kurosawa know much about.
- Reiko Matsumoto(松本 礼子) - Yoshiko's best friend from school and team up in cosplaying and odd behavior. Her greatest dream is to help the girls on a mission.... and to be stabbed by Sephirot's sword...
- Kenta Takuoh(卓夫 ケンタ) - An clerk from the Akihabara Gaming Center which is habituated by Yoshiko. He seems to have a crush on the Blue Leader although he doesn't admit it.
- Daisuke Shinzou(心臓 大助) - Kazuko's boyfriend when she was 12. He died while saving her from a car about to hit her.
- Team P5 (or PPPPP) - An odd and wannabe team of Cyber Copies which where able to get their own will. Their battle's with the Cyber Girls tend to be more funny than serious and normally ending up in laughter. In the Revolution's Project, they sacrificed themselves by setting in front of one of Sadako's blows. It's unknown whether they survived or not.
- Dean James(デアン ジャメス) - A foreign traveler from America that helped Keiko while his visit, finding her in awkward situations. He and her have been e-mailing each other ever since.
[edit] K3 System
Around the Reloaded Project, it is mentioned the K3 system which is the way the scientist describe the AI of the team. It stands for "3 times kokoro" (kokoro can either mean mind,soul or heart) and it's divided in the obvious 3 parts. Each girl have the system within, however, they tend to be mostly approached to one.
For once Minako, which is a 1 user , tends to be more logical and materialistic. Yoko, a 2 user, balances the cuteness with some of her "philosophical times" (although these tend to be more odd than ever). Lastly, Kazuko is a 3 user who is supposed to be more sentimental (she tends to be very departed from the team until the end of Revolutions).
The only one that seems not ruled by any of them is the own leader, who is a mystery even to the own Creators (both Chiisai and Kurosawa).
[edit] Cyber Team or Cyber Girls?
There has been a discussion whether the Cyber Girls are a dōjinshi of the Cyber Team being that the names at first sight are the same . However, there is a marked difference between both: In the Cyber Girls, the plot is settled on 2005 towards 2008 while the Cyber Team starts in 2010, 2 years later. The Cyber Team merge with their Patapies to form Divas while the Cyber Girls are already mechanical and only recall their armors for shielding and disguise features. Also, while both are located in the same city, they fight for different reasons and against different enemies. One point to note as well is that the girls have 15 when they start and the team are ranging from 12.
[edit] Dōujishi
[edit] The return of Akihabara Maddness?
There were plans of making a re-edition of the original mini comic which launched the girls into stardom. The series will be re-published after the remodeling of the web page concludes.
[edit] Cyber Girls - Dimensions
Making a plot in the hole left after CGA Revolutions, Da Mangaka is currently in the making of a Crossover Dōujishi featuring characters from The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. Originally called "The Legend of Zelda - The Metroid's Shadow", the series is created via forum chatting on Gaia Online. The plot is settled on the many ways the Zebesians must get used to the Hylian field and viceversa, as well the introduction of more original characters and some unthinkable plot which goes from Nemesis forming allies and one of the girls falling in love with a Space Pirate Commando.
Away from this dōujishi, there are other "filler" ones which makes a crossover of the girls with other characters.
[edit] Hidden Puns and Facts
- Very often, Yoshiko cosplays characters from King of Fighters, being Mai or Athena the ones mostly used.
- The names of the girls where picked from a book while the author was learning Japanese.
- Also, Yoshi in Japanese also means "Lucky". This have been made a pun several times in which Yoshiko cosplays another main character from Da Mangaka's well known Girlsfromspace saga. In this one, she takes the form of Gs Lucky
- Sadako's appearance and some details where based on Ringu's Sadako
- Akihabara is a well known Otaku zone
- Kyoto (city where the Meka sisters' house is) is the central base where Nintendo of Japan lies
- Kazuko talks about a "Master" which had thought her much of her psychic abilities and how to expand them. From the features she describes, it seems to refer to another of the Gs saga's character: Miyamoto. This seals the "Kibon Portal Cycle" making all of the author's work linked in some way.
- Yoko's Trackball is used sometimes in the same fashion as seen on Katamari Damacy.
- The Cyber Gir's birth date is celebrated on April 4th, same date they where launched as series which oddly matches the launch date of the Cyber Team.
- The two last titles are spoofs of The Matrix trilogy. However, there are no relation what so ever (except maybe that it's about machines).
- Otoburo, upon placing it backwards, one can read "Robot"
- Yoshiko's addiction to Metroid games might not be so accidental: Upon taking the 'k' on her name it changes it to Yoshio, which is the director from the very first game. This might suggest that Yoko's own name might be involved, as if one places an 'i' at the end of her name one reads Yokoi, creator of the francise and many toys (that is actually one of the Acrobat hobbies and 'weapons' as well). The other girl's, however, seem to not show the same behavior.
[edit] Cyber Girls Rebirth
The title of the probable next and last Project of the series in which seems to be after the "Revolutions" series. It is unknown completely the plot, but a last notice on the bulletin board before Da Mangaka's web blog shut down referred to the Cyber Project true meanings.
