Kiddy Grade

Kiddy Grade
Éclair (left) and Lumière with LaMuse and Planet Aineias in the background.
キディ・グレイド (Kidi Gureido)
Genre	Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction
Light novel
Kiddy Grade Pr. ("Pre-story")
Written by	Tomohiko Aoki
Illustrated by	Hidefumi Kimura
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run	1 September 2001 – 1 February 2002
Volumes	2
TV anime
Directed by	Keiji Gotoh
Studio	Gonzo
Licensed by	FUNimation Entertainment
Network	Fuji Television
English network	FUNimation Channel & CoLours TV Animax
Original run	8 October 2002 – 18 March 2003
Episodes	24
Manga
Kiddy Grade Reverse
Written by	HIYOHIYO
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Shōnen Ace
Published	1 March 2003
Manga
Kiddy Grade Versus
Written by	Kimura Hidefumi
Illustrated by	Arikui Fujimaru
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Dragon Jr.
Original run	1 March 2003 – 1 November 2003
Volumes	2
Light novel
Written by	Fumihiko Shimo
Illustrated by	Hidefumi Kimura
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko
Original run	1 November 2002 – 1 September 2003
Volumes	3
Light novel
Kiddy Grade EX-Partner ("Extra story")
Written by	Kimura Hidefumi
Illustrated by	Megumi Kadonosono
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Published	September 25, 2003
Light novel
Kiddy Grade Secret Affair
Written by	Kimura Hidefumi
Illustrated by	Megumi Kadonosono
Published by	Kadokawa Shoten
Published	January 29, 2004
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Ignition-
Directed by	Keiji Gotoh
Studio	Gonzo
Released	April 7, 2007
Runtime	90 minutes
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Maelstrom-
Directed by	Keiji Gotoh
Studio	Gonzo
Released	June 23, 2007
Runtime	90 minutes
Anime film
Kiddy Grade -Truth Dawn-
Directed by	Keiji Gotoh
Studio	Gonzo
Released	September 1, 2007
Runtime	90 minutes
Anime and Manga Portal

Kiddy Grade (キディ・グレイド^?) is a 24 episode science fiction anime series produced in 2002 and created by gímik and Gonzo Digimation and directed by Keiji Gotoh. The series is licensed and distributed in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. The series currently airs on the FUNimation Channel in both its "syndicated block" and its 24-hour channel. In 2007, the series was re-released as three movies (each 80–90 minutes in length) to specific Japanese theatres.^[1][2] The individual titles for these films are:

• Ignition (initial screening April 8, 2007, DVD released July 27, 2007)
• Maelstrom (initial screening June 23, 2007, DVD released September 28, 2007), and
• Truth Dawn (initial screening September 1, 2007, DVD released December 21, 2007).

In October 2006 news of a Kiddy Grade sequel was announced, under the working title of Kiddy Grade 2 (キディ・グレイ^?) (K-G.2), to be animated by asread (Shuffle! anime).^[3] A DVD containing a 7-minute preview of the new series was released on 2007-05-25 but nothing further was heard until, on February 26, 2009 it was re-announced^[4] under the new title Kiddy Girl-and (キディ・ガーランド, Kidi Gārando^?) along with news of a new manga adaptation, Kiddy Girl-and Pure (キディ・ガーランド ぴゅあ, Kidi Gārando Pyua^?). The anime, due to air Autumn 2009,^[5] is now being produced by studio Satelight, based on a story by gímik, that is set 50 years after the original series and introduces two new female protagonists, Ascœur (アスクール, Asukūru^?)^[6] and Q-feuille (ク・フィーユ, Ku Fīyu^?).^[7] The manga version, with story by Hidefumi Kimura and art by Yukari Higa (Shina Dark), is being serialized in the Comp Ace magazine, starting from March 26, 2009.^[8]

Story

The story takes place in a future where the human race has expanded and inhabits a multitude of planets in the universe with fantastic technology. Unsurprisingly, crime has grown alongside technology, and thus the GOTT, Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs, is formed as a sort of universal police force. Within this organization, there is a special (and secret) branch known as the ES Force (ES standing for "Encounter of Shadow-work"), consisting of twelve young people that possess amazing superpowers. Each ES member operates with another as a team, and the series' focus is a team of two low-level members, Éclair and Lumière. As the series progresses, they start to see the darker side of GOTT and its secrets.

Setting

Characters

Main article: List of Kiddy Grade characters

Most of the central characters in the series are ES members of GOTT "Shadow Unit". The Shadow Unit is a group of superpowered individuals that acts as the elite enforcement division of GOTT and hence, of the Galactic Union. Their powers are ranked by "class", of which three are named in the series: C class is the lowest, S is high, and G is the highest. At the beginning of the series, it is believed that no ES member possesses G class abilities but it is later revealed to be false. ES members are organized in pairs of the same class and each is issued a customized and very advanced spaceship and a guard robot.

The protagonists of the series are Éclair and Lumière, a C class pair of ES agents, who have a long back-story together from before joining GOTT. Their past is gradually revealed throughout the series as they come to realize and accept it. Their spaceship is called La Muse (French: The Muse) and their guard robot is Donnerschlag (German: Thunderclap); both are also part of their back-story. As ES members, Éclair and Lumière report directly to the chief of GOTT, Eclipse, a strict and collected woman whose orders they cannot disobey. Often accompanying them in the early episodes is the Galactic Union auditor Armbrust (German: Crossbow) who appears to have multiple hidden agendas.

Other ES members are: Alv and Dvergr (S class), an arrogant pair who eventually become Éclair and Lumière's antagonists; Tweedledee and Tweedledum (S class), fraternal twins with a complicated relationship towards the protagonists; Viola and Cesario (C class) who are generally on good terms with Éclair and Lumière; Un-ou and A-ou (S class), former mercenaries with a long-standing rivalry with them; and Sinistra and Dextera (S class), a bishōnen pair held in high regard by all their colleagues for their professionalism. Also of note are Mercredi, Eclipse's personal assistant with a hidden agenda, and Chevalier d'Autriche, the Secretary General of GOTT whose past is intertwined with Éclair's.

Media

Anime

Main article: List of Kiddy Grade episodes

Print media

Cast

Character	Seiyū	Voice Actor
Éclair	Ryōko Nagata	Colleen Clinkenbeard
Lumière	Aya Hirano	Monica Rial
Eclipse	Doi Mika	Scarlett McAllister
Mercredi	Kaori Mizuhashi	Gwendolyn Lau
Armbrust	Gō Aoba	Dameon Clarke
Alv	Kikuko Inoue	Laura Bailey
Dvergr	Omi Minami	Rebecca Paige
Sinistra	Nobuo Tobita	Eric Vale
Dextera	Hirotaka Suzuoki	Vic Mignogna
Cesario	Toshiyuki Morikawa	Justin Cook
Viola	Ai Tokunaga	Alison Retzlof
Tweedledee	Natsuko Kuwatani	Clarine Harp
Tweedledum	Jun Fukuyama	Antimere Robinson
Un-oh	Akira Ishida	Pugs
A-oh	Tetsu Inada	Steve Sanders
Bonita	Mami Kosuge	Meredith McCoy
Liquiy	Ikue Kimura	Elise Baughman
Chevalier D'Autriche	Norio Wakamoto	Christopher Sabat
Caprice	Naoko Takano	Melissa Elise

Theme songs

• Opening

1. "Memories of the Future" (Mirai no Kioku) by Yuka

• Ending

1. "Future" by Little Viking

Crew

• Keiji Gotoh - Director
• Hidefumi Kimura - Scenario
• Megumi Kadonosono - Character design
• Shirō Hamaguchi - Composer

Reception

Reviews for Kiddy Grade are often mixed. As the main plot does not become apparent until mid-series (Episode 9), it has been criticized as being too slow, particularly when reviews are based on the first few episodes. Negative comments are also made about excessive fanservice, particularly in the case of Lumière. Despite her actual mental age, she has the appearance of a 10-year old, and is often shown in a sexualized fashion. Fanservice is an ongoing quality of Kiddy Grade, but does occur less frequently as the series progresses.

Nevertheless, as a series it is usually given credit for high-quality animation and the strengths of the story in the later episodes.^[9]

References

1. ^ "Anime News Network". http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-02-12/kiddy-grade-digest-movies. Retrieved 2007-02-21. 
2. ^ "Kiddy Grade Homepage" (in Japanese). http://www.kiddygrade.com/movie/. Retrieved 2007-02-21. 
3. ^ Keiji Gotoh. "Gotoh Keiji Home Page" (in Japanese). pp. Goto Keiji Information. http://goto.cute.or.jp/. Retrieved 2006-10-26. 
4. ^ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). http://www.kiddygrade.com. Retrieved 2009-02-26. 
5. ^ Compace October 2009: pp. 16 
6. ^ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). pp. キディ・ガーランド　データベース. http://www.kiddygrade.com/. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
7. ^ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). pp. キディ・ガーランド　データベース. http://www.kiddygrade.com/. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
8. ^ "キディ・ガーランド -WORKS ON WEB-" (in Japanese). pp. キディ・ガーランド インフォメーション. http://www.kiddygrade.com/. Retrieved 2009-03-03. 
9. ^ Tiu, Diane. "Kiddy Grade". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=637. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 

Further reading

• Dong, Bamboo (5 Mar 2004). "Kiddy Grade DVD 1: Peacekeeper + Artbox w/ballcap Limited Edition". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/kiddy-grade/dvd-1.  Query Wayback Bibalex Wayback WebCite Wikiwix.
• Coulter, Bryce (14 Dec 2007). "Kiddy Grade Box Set". Mania. http://www.mania.com/kiddy-grade-box-set_article_78422.html.  Query Wayback Bibalex Wayback WebCite Wikiwix.
• Johnston, Chris (Dec 2004). "Kiddy Grade Volume 8". Newtype USA 3 (12): p. 178. ISSN 1541-4817. 

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official FUNimation KIDDY GRADE website
• Kiddy Grade (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia