Tiger & Bunny

Tiger & Bunny (タイガー＆バニー, Taigā Ando Banī) is a 2011 Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise under the direction of Keiichi Satou. The screenplay was written by Masafumi Nishida, with original character design by Masakazu Katsura. The series began its broadcast run in Japan on April 3, 2011 on Tokyo MX, followed by rebroadcasts on BS11 and MBS, and ended on September 17, 2011.^[1] Viz Media are also simulcasting the series, streaming on Hulu and Anime News Network.^[2] It is set in a futuristic city where heroes fight crime whilst promoting real life sponsors, focusing on two superheroes, the old-fashioned Kotetsu T. "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi and the rookie hero Barnaby "Bunny" Brooks Jr., as they are forced by their employers to work together.

A one-shot manga drawn by Masakazu Katsura was published in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine on August 4, 2011^[3] and the production of two films based on the series were announced during a special event on November, 2011. The first film, entitled Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning was released on September 22, 2012. The second film, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, was released on February 8, 2014.^[4]

Plot

The series takes place in "NC 1978" in a fictional, re-imagined version of New York City called Stern Bild City, where 45 years before, superpowered individuals known as "NEXT" (an acronym standing for Noted Entities with eXtraordinary Talents) started appearing and some of them became superheroes. Each of the city's most famous superheroes work for a sponsor company and their uniforms also contain advertising for real-life companies. Their heroic activity is broadcast on the popular television show "Hero TV", where they accumulate points for each heroic feat accomplished (arresting criminals or saving civilians, for example) and the best ranked hero of the season is crowned "King of Heroes".

The story mainly focuses on veteran hero Kotetsu T. Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger who is assigned a new partner, a young man named Barnaby Brooks Jr. However, Barnaby and Kotetsu usually have trouble working together as they have conflicting opinions on how a superhero should act while at the same time trying to crack the mystery of the murder of Barnaby's parents. In addition, the appearance of a homicidal vigilante NEXT named "Lunatic" stirs up the public and makes them question the meaning of heroes.

Media

Anime

The anime by Sunrise aired in Japan between April 3, 2011 and September 17, 2011. It was also simulcast with English subtitles on various streaming sites such as Hulu, Viz Media and Anime News Network. The anime has been licensed by Viz Media in North America and Kazé distributed through Manga Entertainment in the United Kingdom. For the first thirteen episodes, the opening theme is "Orion wo Nazoru" (オリオンをなぞる, "Trace of Orion") by Unison Square Garden while the ending theme is "Hoshi no Sumika" (星のすみか, "A Star's Dwelling") by Aobouzu. For episodes fourteen onwards, the opening theme is "Missing Link" by Novels while the ending theme is "Mind Game" by Tamaki.

The series began broadcasting in the United States and Canada on Viz Media's online network, Neon Alley, on October 2, 2012.

Films

The production of two films based on the series was announced during a special event on November 13, 2011. The first film, titled Tiger & Bunny: The Beginning was released in Japan on September 22, 2012, also receiving screenings in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries, and was released on Blu-ray-Disc and DVD on February 22, 2013.^[5][6][7] The first half of the film recaps the first few episodes whilst also introducing a new story. A second film, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising, is an entirely new work which was released on February 8, 2014.^[8] The second movie also takes place about a year after the anime finale, so sometime around the epilogue, with Kotetsu's identity now public, and Tiger & Bunny return to their team dynamic.

Manga

A one-shot manga drawn by Masakazu Katsura was released in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine on August 4, 2011,^[3] followed by a serialized manga series drawn by Hiroshi Ueda which began serialization in Miracle Jump magazine on October 2011.^[9] The manga, along with a 4-Panel Comic Anthology by various artists, has been licensed in North America by Viz Media and was released in 2013.^[10]

Video games

A video game titled Tiger & Bunny On Air Jack! (TIGER&BUNNY オンエアジャック！, Taigā Ando Banī On Ea Jyakku!) was developed by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation Portable for release on September 20, 2012. The game was announced by Sunrise producer Masayuki Ozaki on July 31, 2011.^[11][12] A second game, Tiger & Bunny Heroes Day (TIGER&BUNNY～ヒーローズ デイ～, Taigā Ando Banī ~Hīrōzu Dei~), was released by D3 Publisher for PSP in March 20, 2013.^[13]

Stage play

A stage play titled Tiger & Bunny the Live ran at Tokyo's Zepp Diver City theater from August 24 to September 1, 2012 featuring the voice actors for main characters Kotetsu T. Kaburagi and Barnaby Brooks Jr. reprising their roles. It also featured two new characters, Brian Vai and Babel.^[14]

Live-action film

On October 9, 2015, Sunrise announced at their New York Comic Con panel that a live-action Hollywood film adaptation of Tiger & Bunny is in the works.^[15] The film will be produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer through their production company Imagine Entertainment, along with series producer Masayuki Ozaki from Bandai Namco Pictures and Sanford Climan and Annmarie Bailey through All Nippon Entertainment Works. Imagine's Erica Huggins will oversee the project.

Marketing

In-show advertising

Each of the heroes in the series is sponsored by fictional and non fictional companies. These include large brands such as Pepsi and Bandai, others are Amazon.com.jp, SoftBank, UStream and Domino's Pizza.^[16] None of the company logos are visible in the manga adaptation.

Toys

In September 2011, Bandai's Tamashii Nations division released a series of figures under their S.H. Figuarts line. The first of these was a Wild Tiger action figure.^[17] The figure was an instant success, with most Japanese retailers/dealers being caught off guard and the figure selling out quickly. Next up was the Barnaby Brooks Jr. (aka Bunny) action figure, and figures of Rock Bison and Sky High soon followed. Every release in the line has sold out just as quickly as Wild Tiger did, to the point where they had to produce additional runs to keep up with the demand. All of the figures feature diecast metal parts and sponsor logos printed on the armor, such as Softbank & Amazon.jp.^[18]

Reception

In Anime News Network's Spring 2011 preview guide, Zac Bertschy gave the first episode a 5 out of 5. He states that it set up a great and clever superhero premise with some twists. He also said that the show has "the potential to be the kind of smash hit we haven't seen in a long time".^[19] While Theron Martin gave it a 4.5 out of 5, he credits Sunrise for their excellent hero designs and CGI animation. He also stated that it had the look and feel of an American animated series.^[20]

Tiger & Bunny: The Rising grossed ¥130 million in its opening weekend.^[21]

References

External links

• Official website
• Official stage play website
• Official Tiger & Bunny on Air Jack! website
• MBS official website
• Hulu's Streaming Site
• Tiger & Bunny (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Tiger & Bunny – The Beginning (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Tiger & Bunny – The Rising (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia