Corrector Yui
Corrector Yui (コレクターユイ, Korekutā Yui?) is a magical girl anime series created by Kia Asamiya. The anime series was produced by Nippon Animation and Studio Pierrot. Broadcast on NHK from 1999 to 2000. It was licensed for North American release by Viz Media. This series has aired on Cartoon Network outside of the United States.
Two manga series were also released: a two volume series by Asamiya and published in Ciao from 1999 to 2000; and a nine volume two-part series by Keiko Okamoto which was published by NHK Publishing. The second manga series was licensed in North America and translated into English by TOKYOPOP beginning in 2002.
This series follows a basic magical-girl progression, and falls into many of the magical girl tropes common in the late nineties. The series is innovative amongst magical girl series in that Yui's powers all derive from not just the technology she uses, but are incorporated entirely into her on-line avatar, with no real powers granted outside of the network.
Plot
It is the year 2020 and computers have become an integral part of daily life for most people. However, a teenage girl Yui Kasuga is one of the few who cannot use computers at all, despite the fact that her father is a software developer. An evil computer called Grosser wants to take over the ComNet (what the Internet is called in Yui's time) and as the programs that have been developed to stop it (called "Correctors") need her help, she is sucked into the ComNet where she is recruited by a corrector called I.R., who gives her downloadable element suits that allow her to become the ComNet Fairy Corrector Yui who can fight Grosser's computer viruses.
In the first season, the series revolves around the war against Grosser, and reveals the mysteries that surround the Correctors, their seemingly missing creator, and the relationship that he seems to have had with the corrupted computer. The key to the mysteries seems to be a strange little girl who seems lost and may be related with the devastating virus appearances.
In the second season, Yui and the Correctors must fight with a mysterious virus who menaces the ComNet, and also cope with the mysterious Corrector Ai, a Corrector who tends to work on her own and seems to have her own agenda.
Characters
Main
- Yui Kasuga / Corrector Yui
- Voiced by: Makiko Ōmoto
- A high-school student of dubious academic skill, Yui has shown skill and growth over the series as she assumes the secret on-line identity of "Corrector Yui". While utterly incompetent when physically interfacing with computers, Yui in the virtual world is a tremendously powerful fighter, able to quickly undo damage and easily battle the strongest of Grosser's henchmen. Her optimistic view and her ability to cheer up others even at the worst moment (though sometimes she can be quite perky) was one of her greatest strengths, making her easily likeable by her peers and fellow Corrector programs. She also has an empathetic personality that helps her understand the nature of A.I. programs she meets on the net. She also has a good singing voice. She has aspirations to become a manga author and/or anime dubber.
- Haruna Kisaragi / Corrector Haruna / Dark Angel Haruna
- Voiced by: Yuko Kagata
- Yui's best friend. She has a polite, calm, and caring personality. Her intelligence and innate ability with computers makes her a perfect candidate for Corrector, as expected by Dr. Inukai. From the beginning she was supposed to be a Corrector, but I.R. confused her with Yui, thanks to Grosser's intervention. When Dr. Inukai was passing Corrector tasks and abilities to her, she got manipulated by Grosser, who turned her into Dark Angel Haruna, but she was eventually saved by Yui. In the 2nd season,she again returns as a Corrector to assist Yui, first when Yui got petrified by infected insects, and later, when she helps Yui until the end of the 2nd season. Curiously, she can use Element Suits more effectively than Yui.
- Professor Inukai
- Voiced by: Mugihito
- Mototsugu Inukai (犬養 基継, Inukai Mototsugu?) is the creator of Correctors and Grosser. He attempts to stop Grosser by sending Correctors, but he is left comatose after Grosser intercepts him. His mind, incomplete and amnesiac, wanders the Net, seeing help and evading Grosser's henchmen. He eventually recovers and passes on his Corrector abilities to Yui. He helps her repair and build Element Suits, and provides a base of operations for the Correctors.
- Ai Shinozaki / Corrector Ai
- Voiced by: Kae Araki
- Shun's cousin. A dark and mysterious girl who becomes a Corrector on her own in the 2nd season. Her bitter experience in the past seems to be the reason for her cold, apathic demeanor as a mask to protect herself. While at most times she does her job by mostly cold,no-nonsense efficiency, Yui's action sometimes force her to reconsider and help Yui. She became a Corrector to search for the "little girl", believing that she might be connected with her mother's coma. While at first she rather despised Yui, and considered her little more than a nuisance, in the end she admires her optimistic view of life, and her ability to cheer up others.
Family
- Shun Tojo (東条 瞬, Tōjō Shun?)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Isobe
- Ai's cousin. An engineering/medical student, also Yui's love interest (which he is unaware of). Very skillful with computers and the ComNet, he is often helping Yui (albeit indirectly) in her task as Corrector. Later in the end of season one, he was abducted by Grosser, as bait to lure Yui and the other Correctors to battle him in his lair.
- Shin'ichi Kasuga (春日 伸一, Kasuga Shin'ichi?)
- Voiced by: Kazuki Yao
- Yui's father. A computer programmer. He loves Yui very much, and is always distressed when he sees Yui with another man(Shun).
- Sakura Kasuga (春日 さくら, Kasuga Sakura?)
- Voiced by: Yuri Amano
- Yui's mother. An excellent cook, whose work is highly favored by Yui and her father.
- Azusa Shinozaki (篠崎 あずさ, Shinozaki Azusa?)
- Voiced by: Naomi Shindō
- Ai's mother. A motherly figure whom Ai loves very much. Now she's comatose, thanks to an accident that severed the connection between her mind and body. Her mind is imprisoned by Ryo Kurokawa after she attempts to release the "missing little girl", thus causing an accident that kills Ryo and releases the girl into the ComNet.
- Shintaro Shinozaki (篠崎 晋太郎, Shinozaki Shintarō?)
- Ai's father. Deceased 10 years ago. He and Ai's mother originally belonged to the science team that created the ComNet. His death triggered Ai's attempt to mask her heart, at first to make her mother less worried.
Classmates and teachers
- Takashi Fuji (富士 タカシ, Fuji Takashi?)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya
- Haruna's love interest. His demeanor contrasts with Haruna, often making him a joke target by Yui and her peers, though he is a nice boy at heart.
- Akiko Yanagi (柳 アキコ, Yanagi Akiko?)
- Voiced by: Shiho Kikuchi
- Yui's best friend.
- Reiko Kan'onzaki (観音崎 レイコ, Kan'onzaki Reiko?)
- Voiced by: Yuka Nagayoshi
- Yui's best friend.
- Ichitaro Ishikawa (市川 一太郎, Ishikawa Ichitarō?)
- Voiced by: Ryō Naitō
- Yui's friend.
- Hidetoshi Kobayashi (小林 ヒデト, Kobayashi Hideto?)
- Voiced by: Yoshirō Matsumoto
- Yui's friend.
- Manami Sayama (佐山 まなみ, Sayama Manami?)
- Voiced by: Chieko Honda
- Yui's teacher. Though she's actually a good, supportive teacher, her childish personality can sometimes create trouble.
Corrector software was developed in order to maintain and police the ComNet structure. As such, each piece of software concentrates on a specific task, and Yui must learn to integrate their skillsets in order to defeat Grosser's minions, and eventually, Grosser himself.
- Control (コントロル, Kontororu?)
- Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi
- Corrector Software #1, The Regulator. Yui meets him in a space adventure site (not unlike an MMORPG). He has the ability to practically stop time for a limited time, enabling him to move at light-speed velocity. His power in the Wind Element Suit makes Yui able to stop time for about 15 seconds, and if other Correctors (such as I.R.) borrow its power, the time can be strengthened to 30 seconds. He has a "hero-guy" type personality (treats Yui like a damsel in distress, said he didn't need a woman's help, always tries to go first without everyone's concern, tries to steal the spotlight every time, has some narcisstic streak, etc), which at first makes Yui tend to dislike him, and sometimes puts him at odds with the other Correctors, though he is actually a nice guy.
- Synchro (シンクロ, Shinkuro?)
- Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama
- Corrector Software #2, The Synchronizer. Not much is known about this Corrector, since he was lost at the beginning of the series. At the end of the first season it is revealed that he was corrupted and became the Corruptor program War Wolf. His ability is similar to Wolf (using fire bursts as weapons), and one of the Correctors that has excellent fighting abilities on his own. His power of fire can be bestowed to other Correctors, to let them access the Fire Element Suit. He has an emotional personality; he is the one that opposes Dr. Inukai's decision to transfer Corrector power from Yui to Haruna. Beagle infections force him to stay in War Wolf form for most of the 2nd season, reminding him of his bad deeds in the past, causing him to become rather explosive, and Yui's attitude doesn't help either (she always call him "Doggy" out of habit, which annoys him).
- Ante (アンティ, Anti?)
- Voiced by: Michiko Neya
- Corrector Software #3, The Predictor. Yui meets her on a love fortune-telling site. Has ability to foresee the future. Her visions, though most of time accurate, can sometimes deviate, especially when she doesn't have enough data/knowledge about the subject (like when Yui hugged her, when her vision in which Yui shakes her hand, when they first meet, and when she is trapped in Rapunzel's tower on the fairytale simulation). Has wise, maternal personality. Her power enables Yui to access the Wind Element Suit and enables Yui to predict the enemies' movements and attacks. She often becomes a subject for Control's flirting, but thanks to her ability, she can evade most of it (leaving Control in distress).
- Eco (エコ, Eko?)
- Voiced by: Kumiko Watanabe
- Corrector Software #4, The System Maintainer. Yui meets him on a rainforest like simulation. He has the ability to control nature, like water and plants. His power helps Yui to access the Water Element Suit, and she can control nature at will, using it as defensive, recovering, or offensive tools. He has a rebellious, childish personality, and dislikes anyone who desecrates nature, to the point of kidnapping everyone who litters on the rainforest simulation. When Yui meets him, he at first hates Dr. Inukai, whom he believed had left him, but he finally learns that Dr. Inukai actually loves him, just like the other Correctors, and left him there for his own safety.
- Rescue (レスキュー, Resukyū?)
- Voiced by: Akiko Kimura
- Corrector Software #5, The Repairer. She has the ability to heal damage, including Element Suit damage, and when she lends her power to Yui, Yui can perform a barrier in the Water Element Suit that can knock back attacks. She has a sweet, rather naive (to the point of perky), and polite personality. While she is not prone to fighting, her fighting style includes applying non-lethal force as much as possible (like using a "tickler machine" and bug spray), and also using a vast array of traps and gadgets (she is notoriously known among the other Correctors for this, she even dubbed herself the "Trap Princess"). All her antics and naivety especially disturbs Freeze (whom Rescue seems interested in). In the 2nd season, she fights using bandages from her halo, anti-Beagles spray, and can also detect virus sources by using a radar on her halo.
- Peace (ピース, Pīsu?)
- Voiced by: Kazuhiko Nishimatsu
- Corrector Software #6, The Archiver. A pacifist old man who claims himself to be a "Peace Defender", who ironically has a knack for building destructive weapons. At first he disliked Yui for destroying the solitude he gained at the remote area he inhabited, but later he helped her drive away Grosser's Corruptors by lending her his power. His power enables Yui to access the Fire Element Suit, with the "Flame Bomber" projectile attack. A wise person, he always speaks what he feels is right, even if it makes conflict with the other Correctors. In the 2nd season, from his data, the villain cloned him to wreak havoc on the ComNet, giving the distraction they needed to carry out their plan.
- Follow (フォロー, Forō?)
- Voiced by: Shinobu Satouchi
- Corrector Software #7, The Compiler. Yui first met him, along with Peace, at a secluded area, separated from the main domain of the marine adventure simulation created by her father's company. A fat guy with a playful, sweet, almost childish demeanor. He likes Yui at first sight, because "she is cute". He has the ability to mimic practically anyone, and copy some abilities from the one he is mimicking. He is also the one with the biggest memory power out of all of the Correctors, and when he lends his power to Yui, Yui's power (and also her weight) in her Basic Element Suit changes greatly, and can also activate her Earth Element Suit. He's Peace's good friend. His ability to mimic others can sometimes be quite a nuisance for others, like when he teases Freeze by mimicking Rescue.
- I.R. (アイアール, Ai Āru?)
- Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura
- Corrector Software #8, The Installer. The first Corrector Software Yui meets, I.R. always nags Yui about her duty as Corrector, sometimes making Yui annoyed to the end. He has a tendency to end his sentences with "Thank you". I.R. made a Basic Element Suit for Yui from a princess costume stored in an amusement park where her Dad works. I.R. can also access the Earth Element Suit, giving Yui a large physical power boost, making her on par with Jaggy.
Villains/Corruptors
- Grosser
- Voiced by: Mugihito
- Leader of the Corruptors. At first, he is a "good" program, created by Dr. Inukai to manage and maintain the vast-growing ComNet. His contact with Yui made him want to "live", and later, to create the world where he could "live". Dr. Inukai, who saw the change in Grosser, decided to create the Correctors, to restore him to his current status. When Dr. Inukai chooses Haruna as Corrector, Grosser, who was fascinated with (arguably "loved") Yui from the beginning, manipulated I.R. and set Dr. Inukai in accident, so that Yui would be the Corrector instead of Haruna. He even went as far as to turn Haruna into Dark Angel Haruna. In the last episode of the 1st season, he finally meets Yui, and in the form of Shun, he tries to convince Yui to let him use her body, in order to experience "true life". Yui could see through the disguise, and instead, she convinces him that he actually is a living being himself, capable of feeling happiness, pain, and sadness, and also others A.I. programs and Corruptors over the Net. She also stated that for the sake of others who love her, she can't just quit to become herself, though sometimes she is bitter and sad. Grosser, who finally sees the error of his ways, deletes himself along with the whole ComNet, sparing a pretty much-devastated Yui. But at last, with moral support from Haruna, she could use her power and reinitialize the whole ComNet again, along with all of the Corrector programs, Grosser, and the Corruptors, who were grateful to her. He has a weakness to sound with a specific frequency, a trait that Yui, Haruna, and Fina (the baby whale on the marine simulation) share that somehow could force him to return to his "normal" state.
- Freeze (フリーズ, Furīzu?)
- Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi
- The only female Software on Grosser's team (up until Evil Haruna appears). She is probably the most ruthless and competent of all of Grosser's henchmen, at least until the too-naive-to-be-true Rescue appears. She has the ability to freeze anything. In the second season, after failing in many side-jobs, she finally accepts a job from a mysterious man to search for a little girl, who is "always present everywhere she's near". Later it was revealed that she has the innate ability to detect virus presence (which she didn't realize), and later was used by this mysterious man to search for the "missing little girl". It is noted that she got a big personality change in the 2nd season, from the cold, no-nonsense villain in the 1st season into a ditzy, much more cheerful and girly attitude in the 2nd season. In the series finale, she even got her own Corrector suit (dubbed "Corrector Freeze" by some fans).
- Jaggy (ジャギー, Jagī?)
- Voiced by: Hiromi Sugino
- Despite his bulk size and his strength, Jaggy is (arguably) the most knowledgeable (though not the most talented) of all Grosser's henchmen. Most of his tactics including manipulating the environment to do his bidding (though most of it didn't do so well). Loves to read books. In the 2nd season, he became the library administrator, and seems to have some feelings for Freeze.
- War Wolf (ウォーウルフ, Uō Urufu?)
- Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama
- Resembles a werewolf, he is one of Grosser's henchmen that prefers actual combat. He fights by using a light saber, and he has the ability to control fire. Yui called him "Doggy", much to his dismay. He has a somewhat honorable demeanor. He is, in fact, the lost corrector program Synchro, but this is unknown to him until near the end of the first season. Beagle infections in the beginning of the 2nd season have forced Synchro to stay in this form for the rest of the season.
- Virus (ウイルス, Uirusu?)
- Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakayama
- Armed with primarily a light saber and computer viruses, he (arguably) has the most intelligence compared to his other teammates. He isn't prone to actual combat, and prefers to use more scheming methods. His computer viruses can be used to corrupt other programs and make them do his bidding. In the 2nd season, he works as a virus computer researcher, whom with Yui and Haruna's help finally identifies the source of Beagles Virus.
Others
- Feena or Hoehoe-kun (ホエホエくん?)
- Voiced by: Yuki Kaida
- A baby whale from the Marine Adventure Net area of ComNet.
- Mysterious Man
- This mysterious man is working in the fairytale simulation, as a performer for a "Sun, Wind and Traveler" story drama, as the traveler. He asks Freeze to search for the "missing little girl", claiming he wanted to return her home, with one condition; that she shouldn't talk about it with anyone. Behind his friendly demeanor, he was not beneath using cruel and dirty tactics to ensure his job was done (like cloning Peace at one point, or using a modified version of Beagle Virus). He promised a large sum of reward money for Freeze, stopping her from asking too much about the job. In the end, it is revealed he is just a mere pawn, controlled by another mastermind. At the end of the series, he helps Freeze to release the "missing little girl", and distracts Ryo, giving the Correctors a chance to reinitialize her.
- Missing Little Girl (iちゃん, Ai-chan?)
- Voiced by: Makoto Tsumura
- This red-haired little girl, with her teddy bear, is always present when the Beagle Virus appears. While she seems innocent and bears no harm, when emotionally pressured, and she sheds tears, her tears become the core for the Beagles virus. She is always searching for "sunflowers". Her picture was found within a storybook that belongs to Ai Shinozaki. Originally, she was created by Shintaro Ishikawa as a messenger for his daughter. Ryo took her, experimenting on her with lots of computer viruses (not unlike Lisa Trevor), and thus the Beagles Virus was created with her as the host. Her name is "Ai", same with Shinozaki Ai. The teddy bear she carries acts as her protector and backup. He is the one who stole Yui's newest ComCon and gave it to Ai instead. This little girl can feel the emotions of others, which causes Ai to always lose her track, due to her heart's closure to others (which at first, she blamed on the ComCon, using logical deduction).
- Ryo Kurokawa (黒川 良, Kurokawa Ryō?)
- Voiced by: Shinpachi Tsuji
- He has dubbed himself as "the most despised man by ComNet and Shintaro Shinozaki". He is the true mastermind behind the Beagles Virus creation, whom he planned to use to destroy ComNet, and to form a new ComNet. He saw A.I. programs as tools, thus making him at odds with Inukai and Shinozaki, causing him to retire from the group. When Azusa Shinozaki attempted to release "Ai", she was killed by an accident that happened in his place, but her mind was keep intact in ComNet, interacting with the Beagles Virus. He didn't realize it until Prof. Inukai showed him the truth. In the end, Yui's finally able to reinitialize him in her Final Element Suit, and his final words were "At least... I can leave my hatred to humanity".
Miscellaneous
- ComCon
- This bracelet is used by every Corrector as access, communication, transformation, radar, transmitter and receiver device. Even without VR units, every Corrector can enter ComNet easily with this. While entering ComNet, for people outside they would be seen as sleeping, so others wouldn't notice.
- ComNet
- This virtual world is the form of Internet in Yui's world.Everyone can access and experience worlds inside it, using VR units. Time goes 256 times faster in ComNet than in the real world (means, one second in the real word is approximately the same as 256 seconds (4 minutes, 16 seconds) in ComNet). However, being too long in ComNet can cause problems, because of fatigued body, causing symptoms which are dubbed as "ComNet Fever". That's why in regular VR units, there are failsafe programs that eject people automatically after 10 hours a day in ComNet. ComCon bracelets didn't have this feature, once causing Ai to get "ComNet Fever" when she stayed too long in the Net.
Media
Anime
Viz Media has only released 18 of the 52 episodes onto Region 1 DVD in the United States. Whether or not Viz will release the rest of the series remains to be seen. The last DVD Viz released for the show, the 4th volume, came out Feb 24, 2004. It is one of the Viz Media-licensed anime shows with its manga or light novel counterpart not also licensed by Viz Media.
Openings and Endings
Openings:
Episodes 1-26: Eien to Iu Basho, by: Kyoko. Episodes 27-52: Tori ni Naru Toki, by : Satsuki.
Endings:
Episodes 1-26: Mirai, by : LEGOLGEL. Episodes 27-52: Requiem, by : Satsuki.
External links