Legendz

Legendz

Cover art from volume 1 of the English release of the manga Legendz
レジェンズ
(Rejenzu)
Genre Fantasy, Action Adventure, Science Fiction
Manga
Written by Rin Hirai
Illustrated by Makoto Haruno
Published by Shueisha
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump
Original run 2003 – 2005
Volumes 4
Anime television series
Legendz: Yomigaeru Ryūō Densetsu
Directed by Akitaro Daichi
Studio Studio Gallop
Network Fuji TV, Animax
Original run April 4, 2004 – March 27, 2005
Episodes 50

Legendz (レジェンズ Rejenzu) is a Media Franchise series created by Bandai and WiZ in 2003. The franchise began with a manga created by Rin Hirai and illustrated by Makoto Haruno, first serialized in Shueisha's Monthly Shōnen Jump in Japan, and the manga is published in English by Viz Media in 2005.[1][2] The manga had to be cut short due to the complete shutdown of Monthly Shōnen Jump. The anime, Legendz: Yomigaeru Ryūō Densetsu (レジェンズ 甦る竜王伝説 Rejenzu Yomigaeru Ryūō Densetsu, Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings) is animated by Studio Gallop, directed by Akitaro Daichi, and aired on Fuji TV from April 4, 2004 to March 27, 2005. A pilot for an English dub of the series was produced for Hasbro,[3] but hasn't yet been picked up.

Plot and setting

The Legendz anime moves away from the Pokémon-esque "gotta catch em all" theme and monster training aspects and deals more with the overall background of the monster characters and their story. The Legendz anime opens with the discovery of the "Soul Dolls" which contain legendary creatures of incredible power within them. The Dark Wiz company (DWC) wants access to all of them for unknown reasons, but four of the Soul Dolls go missing. The majority of the anime takes place in Brooklyn, New York City, with the Brooklyn Bridge as a much-featured landmark.

Media

Manga

The Legendz manga was written by Rin Hirai and illustrated by Makoto Haruno. The manga was originally published in Shueisha's Monthly Shonen Jump from 2003 – 2005. The series was translated and adapted into English by Viz Media and released in four volumes with the first release in March 2005.[4]

The story is about Ken Kazaki, a boy who attends Ryudo Elementary School. Together with Shiron, his faithful Windragon, fights with other people who like him breed monsters. Ken later participates in the Legendz Carnival.

No.TitleJapanese releaseEnglish release
1レジェンズ 1 (Legendz 1)March 4, 2004[5]
ISBN 978-4088735832		March 1, 2005[6]
ISBN 978-1591167723
  • Chapter 001- The Tornado Comes!
  • Chapter 002- Volcano Hacker
  • Chapter 003- Spiritual Inheritor
  • Chapter 004- Eternal Champion
2レジェンズ 2 (Legendz 2)June 4, 2004[7]
ISBN 978-4088736150		May 31, 2005[8]
ISBN 978-1591167730
  • Chapter 005- Pool of Radiance
  • Chapter 006- Burnout!!
  • Chapter 007- Earthquake Trooper
  • Chapter 008- True Crystal
3レジェンズ 3 (Legendz 3)November 4, 2004[9]
ISBN 978-4088736877		November 1, 2005[10]
ISBN 978-1591169949
  • Chapter 009- Spiritual Wind
  • Chapter 010- Saga of the Tornado
  • Chapter 011- Necrom Menace
  • Chapter 012- Crossing Force
  • Chapter 013- Volcano Nemesis
4レジェンズ 4 (Legendz 4)April 4, 2005[11]
ISBN 978-4088737997		February 7, 2006[12]
ISBN 978-1421501499
  • Chapter 014- Last Saga
  • Chapter 015- Overlord
  • Chapter 016- Jabberwock Reborn
  • Chapter 017- True Wind!
  • Chapter 018- LegendZ Become Legends

Anime

The anime was directed by Akitaro Daichi with character designs by Nagisa Miyazaki. The animation was produced by Studio Gallop. The sound director was Kazuya Tanaka. The anime had only one opening theme, "Legendz of The Wind" (風のレジェンズ Kaze no Legendz) by Kyoko. The two ending themes are "Dounimo Tomaranai~Nonstop" by Brenda Vaughn, from episode 1 through 37 and another version performed by Linda Yamamoto from 38-49. The anime ran on Fuji TV and Animax in Japan. The final episode aired on Fuji TV on March 27, 2005.[13]

Cast

Characters Japanese voice cast
Shuu Akemi Okamura
Shiron Kazuhiko Inoue
Mac Masami Suzuki
Meg Megumi Nasu
Dino Omi Minami
BB Yuri Amano
Youko Yuri Amano
Halca Yuriko Fuchizaki
Bigfoot Ayaka Saito

Home media

Volume Episodes Original Release
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 1 1-2 October 22, 2004[14]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 2 3-6 November 26, 2004[15]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 3 7-10 December 23, 2004 [16]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 4 11-14 January 28, 2005 [17]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 5 15-18 February 24, 2005[18]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 6 19-22 March 25, 2005[19]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 7 23-26 April 22, 2005[20]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 8 27-30 May 27, 2005 [21]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 9 31-34 June 24, 2005 [22]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 10 35-38July 22, 2005 [23]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 11 39-42 August 26, 2005 [24]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 12 43-46 September 23, 2005 [25]
Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings 13 47-50 October 28, 2005 [26]

Video games

レジェンズ甦る試練の島 (Legendz: Island of Ordeal) is a Game Boy Advance game that was produced by Bandai Co., Ltd. and released on July 29, 2004.[27] The video game includes a unique accessory to "Reborn" the Legendz with a link cable connected to the "Soul Doll".[28] Using the dedicated adapter, the Legendz can adventure automatically and the player can view these events as flashbacks.[28] The game also provided growth of the Legendz through sharing with other players.[28]

The video game, レジェンズ 激闘!サーガバトル (Legends fierce fight! Saga Battle) is an action game for the PlayStation 2, originally released on December 16, 2004.[29] Produced by Bandai Co., Ltd., it has a CERO rating for "All ages" and supports two player play.[29] The game features more than 60 Legendz that the player uses to battle.

The third Legendz game to be released is レジェンズ サイン オブ ネクロムLegendz:Sign of Nekuromu, a Game Boy Advance game that was produced by Bandai Co., Ltd. and released on February 17, 2005.[30] The game requires the "Soul Doll" adapter, two versions were sold; one for players who already have the "Legendz: Island of Ordeal" and one which included the Soul Doll adapter.[30] The game included the ability to "rewrite the IC data" to allow the player to create their own Legendz.[30]

Reception

The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 makes note of the similarities to Dragon Drive in the introduction of Shu and Shion. It also notes the similarities to Pokémon except with dragons and director Daichi's "stylistic similarities" to Grrl Power.[31] The manga review compendium Manga: The Complete Guide praised the "elaborate universe" and "quirky artwork", but noted that the creatures were "bland".[32]

References

  1. ↑ "Viz Officially Announces Dr. Slump and Legendz." Anime News Network. December 16, 2004. Retrieved on March 20, 2014.
  2. ↑ "VIZ To Release Legendz and Dr. Slump Manga in 2005." Anime News Network. December 16, 2004. Retrieved on March 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ "JamesMastroianni." Retrieved on January 30th, 2015.
  4. ↑ "VIZ To Release Legendz and Dr. Slump Manga in 2005". Anime News Network. 14 December 2004. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  5. ↑ "レジェンズ 1 (ジャンプコミックス) (コミック) (Legends 1 (Jump Comics))". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "Legendz, Vol. 1". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "レジェンズ 2 (ジャンプコミックス) (コミック) (Legends 2 (Jump Comics)". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Legendz, Vol. 2". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "レジェンズ 3 (ジャンプコミックス) (コミック) (Legends 3 (Jump Comics)". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Legendz, Vol. 3". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. ↑ "レジェンズ 4 (ジャンプコミックス) (コミック) (Legends 4 (Jump Comics)". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  12. ↑ "Legendz, Vol. 4". Amazon. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  13. ↑ "レジェンズ　～甦る竜王伝説～". Fuji TV. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 1)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  15. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 2)". Bandai Visual. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  16. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 3)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  17. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 4)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 5)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 6)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  20. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 7)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  21. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 8)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  22. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 9)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  23. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 10)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  24. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 11)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  25. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 12)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  26. ↑ "レジェンズ　甦る竜王伝説 (Legendz: Tale of the Dragon King Volume 13)". Bandai Visual. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  27. ↑ "レジェンズ甦る試練の島 (Legendz: Island of Ordeal". Bandai. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  28. 1 2 3 "レジェンズ甦る試練の島". Nintendo. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  29. 1 2 "レジェンズ 激闘!サーガバトル (Legends fierce fight! Saga Battle)". jp.playstation.com. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  30. 1 2 3 "レジェンズ サイン オブ ネクロム". Nintendo. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  31. ↑ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. Stone Bridge Press. p. 362. ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5.
  32. ↑ Manga: The Complete Guide. Random House Publishing Group. 3 July 2012. pp. 657–658. ISBN 9780345539441.
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