Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor

Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor
強殖装甲ガイバー (Kyōshoku Sōkō Gaibā)
Genre	Adventure, Mystery, Science Fiction, Action, Mecha
Anime television series
Directed by	Katsuhito Akiyama
Written by	Junki Takegami
Music by	Hayato Matsuo
Studio	OLM
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Funimation UK Manga Entertainment, ADV Films (formerly)
Network	WOWOW
English network	NA Anime Network UK Propeller TV US Funimation Channel
Original run	August 6, 2005 – February 18, 2006
Episodes	26

Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (強殖装甲ガイバー, Kyōshoku Sōkō Gaibā) is a Japanese anime series based on the long-running manga series, Bio Booster Armor Guyver, written by Yoshiki Takaya, adapting chapters 1-60 (volumes 1-10) of the manga. The production was in association with ADV Films and Kadokawa Shoten. The series first episode aired in Japan on August 6, 2005 and the last episode aired on February 18, 2006.

The series aired in North America on December 20, 2010, on the FUNimation Channel.^[1]

Plot

The Chronos Corporation has secret plans for the world and have biologically engineered employees and soldiers so that they can transform into powerful monsters at will, beings called Zoanoids. A test type Zoanoid, disguised as a normal man, escapes after stealing a bag containing three items Chronos was studying, known as the Guyver units. Chronos soldiers attempt to recover the units from the test-type but he activates a grenade, killing himself and scattering the Guyver units. One of the lost units is discovered by two high school students, Shō Fukamachi and Tetsurō Segawa. Shō accidentally activates the unit and it merges him with biological-armor that increases all his physical abilities and arms him with deadly weaponry. He is now a Guyver, later specifically designated "Guyver I."

Determined to recruit Shō or recover the Guyver armor from him (even if removing it proves fatal), the Chronos Corporation sends Zoanoids after the teenager and his friend Tetsurō. Also at risk is Tetsurō's sister Mizuki, whom Shō loves. The Zoanoid attacks lead to escalating battles that result in Shō learning to be a deadlier warrior while uncovering more of his armor's abilities. Thanks to their influence in politics and new media, the general public is kept unaware of the secret war between the Chronos Corporation and Guyver I. Eventually, Shō meets other Guyver-users and uncovers the secrets behind the origins of the Guyver units, the Zoanoids and the Chronos Corporation.

Characters

Most, if not all, of the characters from the original Guyver manga series appear in the new Guyver anime series. Several characters from the new anime series have undergone a slight change of design from their previous looks from the past animated OVA and manga series (see Guyver (OVA)). For instance, Shō has a different style, brown hair rather than his original black hair. Mizuki now has black hair in the 2005 series instead of her brown hair from the previous series.

Main characters

• Sho Fukamachi (深町 晶, Fukamachi Shō)

Voiced by: Kenji Nojima (Japanese); Chris Patton (English)^[2]

The series protagonist. Age 17. Sho was a second-year student at a Tokyo-area high school when he and his best friend, Tetsuro Segawa, stumbled upon one of the missing G-units. Sho inadvertently activates the unit and merges with the bio-boosted armor. Labeled "Guyver I" by the Cronos Corporation, Sho must fend off the advancing swarms of Zoanoids dispatched by the corporation trying to recover the G-unit, while also protecting those close to him.

• Tetsurō Segawa (瀬川 哲郎, Segawa Tetsurō)

Voiced by: Kōsuke Takeuchi (Japanese); Lowell Bartholomee (English)^[2]

Sho's closest friend. A third-year student attending the same school as Sho. Tetsuro is a science fiction fan and the president of the school's Sci-Fi society club, which gives him some knowledge to make quite a few assumptions about the things involving the Guyver.

• Mizuki Segawa (瀬川 瑞紀, Segawa Mizuki)

Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)

Sho's romantic interest and Tetsuro's younger sister. She is an average high school girl attending the same school as Shō and her brother. Initially infatuated with Agito Makishima, Mizuki develops Shō a lot more, to the point where her affections have completely shifted over to him.

• Agito Makishima (巻島 顎人, Makishima Agito)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Brian Jepson (English)^[2]

Agito is a third-year student at the same high school the others attend. He almost never allows sentiment to stand in his way. He does not even show much expression in his face, but acts quite friendly at school. He finds a Guyver unit and merges with it to become "Guyver III." Agito also seems to have extensive knowledge on the Guyver and its abilities and exhibits them quite well. Agito seems to have his own agenda when it comes to dealing with Chronos. He is an excellent example of an anti-hero.

• Natsuki Taga (Taga Natsuki)

Voiced by: Tomo Adachi (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)

A high school girl that attends the same school as Shō and his friends. She is also a close friend to Shō and the Segawa siblings. She becomes of great help to them later when they are forced into hiding after the apparent deaths of Sho, Agito, and Masaki.

• Richart Guyot (リヒャルト・ギュオー, Riharuto Gyuō)

Voiced by: Kinryu Arimoto (Japanese); Bill Wise (English)^[2]

Guyot is tall, powerfully built man. In the beginning of the series, he acted as the commander of Chronos Japan branch after Agito Makishima's foster father, Genzo Makishima, failed to retrieve the Guyver units. He has an immensely commanding presence.

• Masaki Murakami (村上征樹, Murakami Masaki)

Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese); Andrew Love (English)

Masaki was a freelance journalist captured by Cronos and used as a guinea pig in the Zoalord development program. He is a tall, thin young man with shoulder-length hair, and normally wears sunglasses, even at night. He joins with Shō to fight Cronos, having his own revenge in mind. He does not quite trust Agito at first because of Guyver III's earlier connections with Chronos.

Other characters

• Fumio Fukamachi

Voiced by: Hironori Miyata (Japanese); John Swasey (English)

Shō Fukamachi's Father.

• Genzo Makishima

Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata (Japanese); Brando Austin (English)

Agito Makishima's foster father and ex-Head of Chronos Japan.

• Oswald A. Lisker

Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (Japanese); Jason Douglas (English)

An inspector from Chronos Headquarters. He is "Guyver II."

• Aptom

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (Japanese); Robert Kraft (English)

One of the Chronos "Lost Number Commandos" an elite group of Zoanoids that failed the Zoanoid optimization process. The Lost Numbers are used as expendable guinea pigs for Chronos genetic research. Aptom has the unique ability of mimicry, allowing him to recreate the abilities of other Zoanoids. As the series progresses, he receives an upgrade to his ability allowing him to enhance and combine zoanoids into more powerful hybrid creatures. The penalty (or perhaps benefit) of this process is that it renders him immune to the mental domination of the Chronos leaders.

• Toshiaki Hayami/Bio-Freezer

Voiced by: Takeharu Onishi (Japanese); Illich Guardiola (English)

• Hamilcar Barcas

Voiced by: Saburo Kamei (Japanese); Charles C. Campbell (English)

• Archanfel

Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (Japanese); Gray Haddock (English)

• Sin Rubeo Amniculus

Voiced by: Dai Matsumoto (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)

• Fried'rich von Purg'stall

Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese); Brian Jepson (English)

• Luggnagg de Krumeggnic

Voiced by: Tomohisa Asō (Japanese); Romulus Venicito (English)

• Jabir Ibn Hayyan, Gregole

Voiced by: Yoshinori Sonobe (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)

• Gaster

Voiced by: Yoshinori Sonobe (Japanese); Josh Grelle (English)

• Lǐ Yǎn-Tuí, Derzerb, Enzyme II

Voiced by: Go Shinomiya (Japanese); Rhelik Shadowbriar (English)

• Zerbebuth

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Jim McClellan (English)

• Elegan

Voiced by: Kōichi Tōchika (Japanese); Mark X. Laskowski (English)

• ZX-Tole

Voiced by: Tomoyuki Shimura (Japanese); Adam Dudley (English)

• Test Type

Voiced by: Yoshitaka Hirano (Japanese); John Swasey (English)

• Kawada

Voiced by: Aamir Hydrai

• Kobashi

Voiced by: Blake Shepard

• Misuzawa

Voiced by: Mariela Ortiz

• Dyme

Voiced by: Wendel Calvert

One of the Chronos "Lost Number Commandos" an elite group of Zoanoids that failed the Zoanoid optimization process. Dyme has the unique ability to bond with the surrounding elements, allowing him to control the battlefield during an encounter.

Episodes

Main article: List of Guyver episodes

Staff

Theme songs

• Opening THEME - "Waiting for" - Reiri (Líng-Lì Yáng)
• Ending THEME - "Cotton Candy" - Bonnie Pink

Differences from the past series

The Guyver TV series covers more of the original manga storyline than the 12 episode OVA series, being more loyal to the manga, mainly the first 10 or so volumes (covering everything up to the arrival of Guyver Gigantic). However, there are key differences between the anime variation and original manga series:

• In the manga, Guyver II/Oswald A. Lisker's Control Medal malfunctions during his first and only battle with Guyver I. This gives the hero a chance to kill Lisker by damaging the Control Medal further, causing his armor to consume him. In the anime, Guyver I takes the opportunity to escape when Lisker's Control Medal malfunctions, leaving the man alive for a later confrontation. As he is the only Guyver-user in Chronos' possession, Lisker is kept from fighting up until the final episode of the "Cronos Japan Arc." In the end, Lisker suffers the same grotesque death and then is trapped inside Cronos Japan's HQ when it's destroyed.
• In the manga, Guyver II uses the weapons known as the "Head Beam" and "High Frequency Vibration Sword." In the anime, he also uses the "Mega Smasher" weapon. It's not clear if the Head Beam was used in the OVA.
• In the manga and OVA, Aptom holds Mizuki hostage and cuts off her clothing completely, leaving her naked in front of Shō. In the anime series, Aptom only cut parts of Mizuki's clothing off.
• In the manga, Guyver I/Shō's loses one of his arms during his battle with Enzyme, and the limb later regenerates into a mindless clone. In the anime, the dissolving Guyver I in the Enzyme battle turns into the clone's final form.

Many of these changes were made with the permission and involvement of Yoshiki Takaya.

Subsequent releases

• The Guyver TV series made its North American TV premiere on October 26, 2006 on the Anime Network, airing only the first episode and later, the rest of the series. The first episode was also viewable for free at IGN Entertainment, Inc. for a short period of time.
• The first four episodes were released in North America on November 14, 2006 on DVD.
• Currently all 26 episodes of the television series are available through the Xbox live marketplace, via the Xbox 360.
• It also aired in the UK during the now non-existent Anime Network block on Propeller TV (Sky Digital Channel: 195) from June to November 2007.
• In spite of the fact that ADV helped produce Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor for $746,665.^[3] This was one of over thirty titles that Funimation picked up licenses from Sojitz. According to a representative of Lace, however, ADV Films still had the German and British rights to the anime.^[4] However, Manga Entertainment has re-licensed the series in the UK and the series is currently unlicensed in Germany following ADV's closure.

References

External links

• Kyôshoku sôkô Guyver at the Internet Movie Database
• Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Funimation's Official Guyver Website