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is an anime and manga series based on the video game of the same name.
The anime first premiered in Japan on October 7, 2006, two months before the game's Japanese release. The manga was serialized in ''CoroCoro Comic'' in September 2006. The anime was licensed by Viz Media and first premiered in English on the online streaming video service Toonami Jetstream on July 23, 2007. On August 25, the series made its television premiere on Cartoon Network with a 2-hour special.
''Mega Man Star Force'' follows the adventures of Geo Stelar and his FM partner Omega-Xis, a duo capable of merging together through "Electromagnetic Wave Change" to combat the invading FM Planet's forces.

Contents

History

Production

Plot

Cast

Episode list

References

External links

History

Airing October 7, 2006 on TV Tokyo, the ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' anime filled the timeslot previously held by ''Rockman EXE Beast+'', the series's predecessor. Each of its episodes are approximately ten minutes in length as the program also shares the thirty-minute segment ''Oha Coliseum'' with the ''Saru Getchu'' anime series.
On April 17, 2007, VIZ Media announced that they acquired the rights for an English anime release titled ''Mega Man Star Force''.^[1] The press release mentioned that 13 episodes were to be released at lengths of 20 minutes each. During the E3 2007 video-game convention, IGN revealed in their hands-on impressions of the ''Star Force'' video game that the English anime would premiere on Toonami Jetstream on July 23, 2007.^[2] The show made its television debut on Cartoon Network on August 25 edited as a 2-hour faux-movie presentation comprised of Japanese episodes 1 thru 9 and heavily slimmed-down versions of episodes 12, 15, and 16. Currently, it is unknown when the series will air in normal episodic format on television, but subsequent episode airings online reveal that the unusual edits are exclusive to the television premiere.
The ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' manga began running in ''CoroCoro Comic'' September 2006. The first volume was released March 28, 2007^[3], and the second volume is due out October 2007.^[4] Contrary to popular belief, Ryo Takamisaki (author of the ''Rockman EXE'' manga) did not produce this manga, but instead, it was picked up by Itagaki Masaya. The manga is a more comical and exaggerated work, similar to the ''Rockman Zero'' manga. There are presently no plans for an English adaptation.

Production

''Mega Man Star Force's animation is overseen by XEBEC, with musical arrangements by Naoki Maeda.^[5] Character designs (which have in some cases deviated from Capcom's original concepts) are handled by Mitsuru Ishihara and Shingo Adachi (who is also one of three of the series' art directors, the other two directors being Masayuki Nomoto and Akira Takahashi). The three directors usually work independently of each other on any given episode. Shogakukan manages computer-generated imagery.
The title sequence of the anime features the song "Heart Wave," sung by Misato Fukuen as Sonia Strumm, and several characters appearing in the opening are colored incorrectly. The introduction is usually followed by a brief summary of the basic premises of the series.
A background identical to that used for Cross Fusion sequences is employed in the anime's Electromagnetic Wave Change scenes. Easter eggs referencing other series within the ''Mega Man''/''Rockman'' franchise are also inserted into the program on occasion. Examples include a broadcast of a girl wearing Roll Caskett's clothes from ''Mega Man Legends'', as well as a boy in Shepar's class wearing Lan Hikari's clothes from ''Mega Man Battle Network'' sans headband.^[6][7]
With the premiere of the English version, it was revealed that two Japanese version episodes are combined to create one English version episode to fill a 30-minute time slot. Furthermore, in order to fill more time, a few minutes of footage from various episodes are added at the start of episodes, usually narrated by a particular member of the cast, acting as a recap of previous episodes and slight foreshadowing of upcoming events.
Unlike the English version of the series' predecessor, ''Rockman EXE'', the dub for ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' currently features a considerably more accurate translation with far less cut footage and censorship. And while many names and terms are changed, they mostly coincide with the changes first made by Capcom of America for the English versions of the video games. Even the introduction sequence is left completely unchanged. However, all of the original background music is removed—including the introduction song "Heart Wave"—and American-created scores performed by Thorsten Laewe are put in place of the original music.

Plot

Two pages from the first volume of the manga.

The year is 220X. Technology has advanced rapidly since the age of the internet, leading to the creation of new and more efficient modes of transportation, as well as the construction of futuristic cities, all linked together by three satellites orbiting the Earth—Pegasus, Leo, and Dragon. The satellites accomplish this by maintaining a network of EM waves around the planet's atmosphere, thereby powering the invisible EM Wave World. The human population carries portable devices called Transers to interface with the EM Wave World and other electronic devices. Problems caused by criminals and EM Wave Viruses manipulating the EM Wave World are commonly dealt with by the Satella Police.
A proud warrior of the FM Planet, Omega-Xis, betrays his kind and escapes to Earth where he makes contact with Geo Stelar. Like his fellow extraterrestrials called FM-ians, Omega-Xis is capable of initiating a process known as "Electromagnetic Wave Change," which transforms ordinary humans of the same frequency as themselves into "EM Wave Humans," allowing them to freely operate in the EM Wave World. The time that one remains in this state is limited by an FM-ian's energy level.
Omega-Xis holds the key to accessing the weapon Andromeda. As such, many FM-ians pursue him with the intent of retrieving the key in their goal to destroy the Earth.
In the manga, the plot so far revolves around the Wave Coliseum, a Wave Battle tournament that various radio wave humans participate in. The grand prize is the "Star Force," a power that Geo is told can help him find his father.

Cast

Main articles: List of Mega Man Star Force characters

Episode list

Main articles: List of Mega Man Star Force episodes

References

1. VIZ Media Presents Exciting Properties at 2007 MIPTV
2. E3 2007: Mega Man Star Force Hands-On
3. Amazon Japan Product Information (Volume 1)
4. Amazon Japan Product Information (Volume 2)
5. ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' Staff & Cast XEBEC
6. ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' Episode 11, 2006.
7. ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' Episode 13, 2007.

External links

★ Shogakukan's ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' anime page

★ TV Tokyo's ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' anime page

★ XEBEC's ''Ryūsei no Rockman'' anime page