Kuu Kuu Harajuku

Kuu Kuu Harajuku
Also known as	KooKoo Harajuku[1]
Genre	Comedy Drama
Created by	Gwen Stefani
Based on	Harajuku Lovers brand by Gwen Stefani
Developed by	Steve Aranguren Gillian Carr Madellaine Paxson
Directed by	Gillian Carr
Voices of	Ian Bliss Natalie Bond Jacquie Brennan Lyall Brooks Maggie Chretien Paul Henri Emma Taylor-Isherwood Sally Taylor-Isherwood Daisy Masterman Charlotte Nicdao Danny Smith Amanda Harrison Roslyn Oades Cecelia Ramsdale
Composer(s)	Christopher Elves Mark McDuff
Country of origin	Australia Canada Malaysia United States[2]
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	28 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Cherrie Bottger (network executive producer) Gillian Car Low Huoi Seong Gwen Stefani Frank Taylor (season 1)
Producer(s)	Gillian Carr Shelley Dresden (season 2[1])
Editor(s)	Sean Morrison (season 2)
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Vision Animation Moody Street Productions Red Flags Fly DHX Media
Distributor	DHX Media[3]
Release
Original network	Eleven
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	November 1, 2015 (2015-11-01) – present
External links
Website	kuukuuharajuku.com
Production website	dhxmedia.com/shows/kuu-kuu-harajuku

Kuu Kuu Harajuku (originally titled KooKoo Harajuku^[1]) is an animated children's television series created by Gwen Stefani for Network Ten,^[4] based on her Harajuku Lovers brand. The series debuted on Eleven in Australia on November 1, 2015.^[5]

Plot

Kuu Kuu Harajuku features G and the Harajuku Girls as they live in Harajuku. Together they form HJ5, a band, while their manager books them gigs. However, something always interrupts their gigs.

Characters

Main

• G (voiced by Maggie Chretien) is the leader of HJ5. She is trustworthy and level-headed, though sometimes she has her doubts. She keeps the band together, even through their tough times, and is not afraid of any challenge. Her signature colors are aqua, white and black, and she represents bows.
• Love (voiced by Daisy Masterman) is the genius of HJ5. She is intelligent and creative, though sometimes she takes on too much. She has a knack for science, and often comes up with inventions, though some of them backfire. Her signature color is red, and she represents hearts.
• Angel (voiced by Emma Taylor-Isherwood) is the resident fashionista of HJ5. She is bubbly and cheerful, though sometimes she can be a bit of an airhead. She loves fashions and trends, as well as cheering up others. Her signature colors are yellow and blue, and she represents stars.
• Music (voiced by Sally Taylor-Isherwood) is the active tomboy of HJ5. She is sarcastic and strong-willed, though at times she gets easily annoyed. She is a sassy and fierce force of the band, as well as an exceptional fighter. Her signature color is purple, and she represents musical notes.
• Baby (voiced by Charlotte Nicdao) is the sweetest member of HJ5. She is loving and carefree, though sometimes this gets her in trouble. She adores everything that she thinks is cute, and also loves to give hugs. Her signature color is pink, and she represents cuteness.
• Rudolph "Rudie" Rhodes (voiced by Danny Smith) is the manager of HJ5. He books them gigs, though his bad luck tends to get him and the band in trouble. However, he deeply cares about their safety. He is associated with checkered-themed colors, such as white, black and gray. He is also nephew of Trixie La Trill, the formerly famous hairdresser to the stars.

Recurring

• Chewie is HJ5's pet dog.
• Jimmy is Rudie's nephew and aspiring photographer.
• Twisty T is a music producer and millionaire.
• Mauve Madison is a talk show host and TV personality.
• Colonel Spyke is the captain of the Harajuku Defense Squad.

Villains

• General NoFun is the notorious leader of Nofunland.
• Commander Boring is a high-ranking soldier of General NoFun.
• Madame Shhh is a woman who wants to have peace in her place called BubbleLand.
• Sammy Stars is a music manager and Rudie's rival.
• Say Wah is a girl who wanted to be in HJ5 when she switched her voice to autotune but G refused so she got the girls inside a video game in "Game Over".
• Phillipa Kropp is the judging official of the Ponycorn Cup as well as a multiple time champion. She used her baton as a magic wand that turned the ponycorns evil and attacked their trainers. She reveals her motive: the Ponycorn Cup has become less about the grace and majesty of ponycorns, and more of a fashion competition involving hats in "Phony-Ponies".
• Monotone is a company who wants to make everything all boring and traps any singer that stands in his way. The eye is also a reference to "A Space Odyssey: 2001".
• Miyu Asakura is a girl who hated HJ5 so much, She made a mass-produced product called Yum Yum, a candy that made anyone who eats the item hate the band and want to destroy them all.
• Anti-HJ5 is an evil HJ5 from an alternate dimension that Love is accidentally transported to by one of her inventions. Despite being platinum selling artists they are evil and force people to buy only there music which is actually just tracks full of static and tyrannically prevent people from listening to anything else using the threat of their KittenBots. Love joins forces with Anti-Rudy as he is as morally-ambiguous as his counterpart and had been previously fired by Anti-HJ5. Together Love and Anti-Rudy recruit other Anti-counterparts and convinces them to oppose Anti-HJ5 so they can help her return to her world. Love tricks Anti-HJ5 by pretending to be her counterpart Anti-Love allowing her and her allies to trick Anti-HJ5 and Love returns back to her original dimension leaving her Anti-Universe allies to free their world from Anti-HJ5's tyranny.

Production

Kuu Kuu Harajuku is co-produced by DHX Media in Canada, Vision Animation in Malaysia, Moody Street Productions in Australia, and Red Flags Fly in the United States,^[2] and in association with Film Victoria in Australia in season 1 and Network Ten in season 2. Season 2 of the series was greenlit, and is scheduled to premiere on July 1, 2017 in Australia. Season 3 of the series is currently in pre-production.^[6]

Episodes

Release

Broadcast

Kuu Kuu Harajuku debuted on Eleven in Australia on November 1, 2015,^[5] and later premiered on ABC Me on December 6, 2016.^[7] In the United States, the series premiered on Nickelodeon on October 3.^[8] Later, it was moved to Nick Jr. on February 3, 2017.^[9] The series also aired on Family Channel in Canada on November 1, 2016.^[10]

Home media

Shout! Factory owns the home video rights in North America.^[11]

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated Kuu Kuu Harajuku a 2 out of 5 stars, stating the cartoon "is pretty mindless, and there are better choices for role models for this age group, but it's entertaining nonetheless."^[14]

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Kuu Kuu Harajuku on IMDb
• Kuu Kuu Harajuku at TheTVDB.com
• Kuu Kuu Harajuku on Eleven
• Kuu Kuu Harajuku on Nickelodeon