SUPERBOOK (1981-1982)

Superbook, also known as Animated Parent and Child Theatre (アニメ 親子劇場 Anime Oyako Gekijō?), is an anime television series produced byTatsunoko Productions in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States.

The series chronicled the events of the Bible's Old and New Testaments in its 52 episode run. The first 26 episodes aired from October 1, 1981 to March 29, 1982. The series returned as Superbook II (パソコントラベル探偵団 Pasokon Toraberu Tanteidan?, lit. Personal Computer Travel Detectives) with 26 episodes to air from April 4, 1983 to September 26, 1983. Between both series in the first run was the companion series The Flying House. The Christian Broadcasting Network is currently producing a new Superbook series and has released two episodes.

The original series was broadcast on TV Tokyo, Fuji Television, and on various local stations across Japan, achieving good ratings during its broadcast run. The English version was aired CBN Cable (now ABC Family), and in syndication. It was previously seen on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, but is currently off the schedule.

Currently, Superbook airs on that TBN's network's Smile of a Child digital subchannel-distributed network. It is now also currently airing on the NRB Network (National Religious Broadcasters) and the Gospel Channel in the United Kingdom. The Spanish version can be seen on different Spanish stations like the Chilean TV Station, UCV Televisión at 6am from Monday to Friday. It was also broadcast in the Philippines through GMA Networkand ZOE TV.

A new CGI animation Superbook series is currently in production by the Christian Broadcasting Network.


Plot
The first series (Anime Oyako Gekijo) began at the home of a young boy named Christopher Peeper (Sho Azuka in Japanese) who discovers the magical Bible "Superbook" (Timebook) that speaks and sends him, his friend Joy (Azusa Yamato), and his clockwork toy robot Gizmo (Zenmaijikake) back in time to the early events of the Old Testament. Gizmo can walk and talk, but only for the duration of the adventure (and he still needs to be wound up regularly).

In the first episode, Chris and Joy were cleaning the attic for Chris's father (a somewhat eccentric college professor) when they noticed an old book glowing. The children tried to open the book, but were unable to open it, no matter how hard they pulled. The book promptly opened on its own, shining a blinding light around Chris's bedroom, and started to speak before whisking the children and Gizmo back in time to the Garden of Eden to experience the story of Adam and Eve.

In Superbook II (Pasokon Travel Tanteidan), which took place two years after the first series, the book fell onto a computer keyboard, giving anybody the ability to see into the past from Christopher's home via the monitor. Ruffles, Chris' dog, managed to get lost in time, prompting Gizmo and Chris' cousin Uriah (or "Uri" for short; Hisashi in the original Japanese) to search for her. Chris and Joy kept watch and control of the computer from the present. The older children also had a hard time trying to keep what happened a secret from Chris's parents. Gizmo appears as a functioning robot in the present day rather than a toy in the second series, but still needed to be wound up on a regular basis. Gizmo also had a built in computer keyboard and monitor in his chest in order for Gizmo and Uri to stay in contact with Chris and Joy in the present day as well as transporting to other places in time or returning to the present.

The first series of Superbook featured chiefly stories from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), although a few episodes dealt with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and the finale episode was about the conversion of Paul of Tarsus. The episodes in the first series are chiefly one-shot stories, with no overarching "plot" aside from Chris and Joy learning life lessons from their travels in the Superbook. However, some condensation or editing of stories was necessary in order to fit them into half-hour episodes and make them suitable for young viewers. Also, some additional edits were necessary for the English versions to make the episodes conform to American broadcast standards.

The episodes in Season Two focused solely on Old Testament stories. Season Two covered some stories featured in Season One (for example, the stories of Abraham, Joseph and King David) in more detail, while also covering some stories not included in the first series (i.e. the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah). In Season Two, the overarching plot concern was Uri and Gizmo's quest to find the missing Ruffles. Likewise, The Flying House, which originally aired in Japan between the two Superbook series, was a more in-depth look at the life of Jesus and other events from the Christian Scriptures (New Testament). Additionally, unlike season 1 (and by extension the aforementioned Flying House series), interaction between the modern day characters and the Biblical characters in season 2 is minimal; each episode is mostly a straightforward adaptation of the Biblical stories shown, occurring while Uri and Gizmo are searching for Ruffles.

Main characters
The main cast of the series includes:
Christopher "Chris" Peeper (Sho Asuka) - The main hero of the first series, the son of Professor Fred Peeper. Chris is depicted as a somewhat lazy boy who hates school and goes to sometimes ridiculous extremes to get out of doing housework or homework, which often puts him at odds with his father. However, through his adventures in the Superbook, his attitude slowly begins to improve.
Joy (Azusa Yamato) - Christopher's next-door neighbor and best friend. She is more conscientious than Chris when it comes to things like schoolwork. Joy is generally sweet-tempered but has a short fuse and angers easily when Chris teases her. In the first series, it is hinted at several times that she may have feelings for Chris, as she tends to show signs of jealousy whenever Chris looks fondly at a beautiful woman (such as Eve or Rebekah in their respective episodes). Her last name is never mentioned.
Uriah Peeper or "Uri" for short (Yuu Asuka) - Chris's cousin, son of professor Fred Peeper's brother Kenneth "Ken" Peeper. He was not mentioned in the first series (he is not son of Mrs. Peeper's sister, who was said to give birth in the first series). With Gizmo, Uri travels back in time via the now-computerized Superbook to search ancient Israel for the missing Ruffles. His father appears only in the first and the last two episodes of the second series.
Professor Fred Peeper (Professor Asuka) - Christopher's father. An eccentric and absent-minded scientist.
Gizmo (Zenmaijikake) - The name of two characters depending on the season. In Season one, he is an advanced toy robot which needs to be wound up regularly; he grows in size and activates only after being sent back in time. He is also a frequent source of comic relief, as he often tries to protect Chris and Joy from danger or help out in the Biblical stories, but with little or no success (for example, trying to put out a raging fire with his built-in squirt gun). In season two, it is not the same Gizmo, but a life-sized robot built by Uri's father; unlike his toy counterpart, he is always active both in the present as well as biblical time. He is also shown as a more competent protector and companion for Uri. Both Gizmos look exactly alike, only their voices are different.
Ruffles (Kikyomu) - Chris's small Yorkshire Terrier dog. In season one she is a source of comic relief, and often (much to Chris's annoyance) inadvertently exposes some of his harebrained schemes (in one episode, Chris lifted a small barbell one hundred times, and his father and Joy watched in awe until Ruffles demonstrated that she was able to pick up the barbell in her mouth, revealing the barbell to be a mere toy). In season two, she accidentally gets sent back into biblical times in the now-computerized Superbook, and Uri and Gizmo have to find her before Chris' parents learn what has happened.


English cast
Billie Lou Watt (Christopher Peeper, Eve, Gizmo in Season 2)
Hal Studer (Adam, Satan, additional voices)
Helena Van Koert (Gizmo in season 1, Uri in season 2, additional voices)
Peter Fernandez (additional voices)
Ray Owens (Superbook, Narrator, God, Professor Fred Peeper, The Serpent, Joseph)
Sonia Owens (Joy, Mrs. Peeper, Mary)

Japanese cast
Sho Asuka (Chris): Masako Sugaya (first series), Asami Mukaidono (second series)
Azusa Yamato (Joy)/Mrs. Asuka (Mrs. Peepers): Katsue Miwa (first series), Takako Tsutsui (seiyuu for Azusa in second series)
Zenmaijikake (Gizmo): Hiroshi Masuoka
Yuu (Uriah) (2nd series): Runa Akiyama
Prof. Asuka (Prof. Peepers): Fumio Matsuoka
Voice of God: Eiji Maruyama

Anime staff
Producers: Kenji Yoshida, Akira Inoue, Hyota Ezu, Masanori Nakano
Planning: Shigeru Yanagawa
Chief Director: Masakazu Higuchi
Episode Directors: Masakazu Higuchi, Kenjiro Yoshida, Osamu Sekita, Shoichi Yasumura, Kazuo Yamazaki, Ryoji Fujiwara, Norio Yazawa, Kimiharu Oguma, Osamu Inoue, Tomomasa Yamazaki, Yoshizo Tsuda
Screenwriters: Akiyoshi Sakai, Kiichi Takayama, Ryoko Takagi, Naoko Miyake, Saburo Ebinuma, Masakazu Higuchi, Haruya Yamazaki, Takao Koyama, Keiji Kubota
Animation Director: Takashi Hyodou, Yutaka Oka
Art Director: Kazuo Okada
Character Designs: Akiko Shimamoto (lead characters), Masakazu Higuchi and Norio Yazawa

(Biblical characters)
Music: Masahito Maruyama
Production: Tatsunoko Production, TV Tokyo

3D series
The Christian Broadcasting Network lists the following staff for the new series
Executive Producer: Gordon P. Robertson
Co-Executive Producer: Ben Edwards
Producers: Sean Roche, John J. Schafer
Directors: Tom Bancroft, Rob Corley, Bryant Paul Richardson
Transmedia Producer: Gregory Flick
Business Affairs: Amy Mills

Original open
The English and Spanish versions have separate opening theme songs. While the English version has its own ending theme (which is an English version of the original Japanese opening theme, "The Time Book Song" (タイムブックの歌 Taimu Bukku no Uta?), with the same animation sequence as the Japanese opening), the Spanish version repeats the opening theme. The Italian version used the same opening and ending animation sequences as the original Japanese, but as with the Spanish version, the same song (different from the English or Japanese songs, but with the same melody as the Spanish version) was used for both sequences. Some other non-English versions of the series, including the Arabic version, used the English opening and ending.
1984 open

The English dub of Series II used a completely different opening theme song from that of Series I, one that was very 1980s-sounding and heavy on synthesizers to fit the motif of the newly "computerized" Superbook. The ending theme was a largely instrumental (except for the chorus repeating "Superbook!" over and over) version of the opening.


Criticisms
Superbook has been criticized by some Christian conservatives in the United States for "condensing" or "glossing over" the Bible stories it portrayed, and for introduction of modern characters into the stories which might confuse young readers who would be disappointed not to find two modern children and a talking robot in the real Bible.[4][unreliable source?]

Episode lists
Series I (1981)
NOTE: Japanese titles in Romaji are listed first, followed by a translation of the Japanese title, the official English dub episode title, and, if necessary, a note about the characters and/or events portrayed in the episode.
Adamu to eba monogatari (The story of Adam and Eve) / "How It All Began"
Kain to aberu monogatari (The story of Cain and Abel) / "My Brother's Keeper"
Noa no hakobune monogatari (The story of Noah's ark) / "The Flood"
Idai na chichi no monogatari (The story of the great father) / "The Test" (Abraham and Isaac)
Takoku no hanayome monogatari (The story of the foreign bride) / "Here Comes the Bride" (Isaac and Rebekah)
Futago no kyodai monogatari (The story of the twin brothers) / "Double Trouble" (Jacob and Esau)
Maho no tsue monogatari (The story of the magical stick) / "A Dream Come True" (Joseph)
Ejiputo monogatari (The story of Egypt) / "The Miracle Rod" (Moses and the Exodus)
Fushigi na rappa monogatari (The story of the wondrous bugle) / "Those Amazing Trumpets" (Joshua and the fall of Jericho)
Sanbyakko no tsubo monogatari (The story of the 300 pots) / "Pitchers of Fire" (Gideon)
Kairiki monogatari (The story of Herculean strength) / "Muscleman" (Samson and Delilah)
Uma goya monogatari (The story of the stable) / "The First Christmas"
Iesu no kiseki monogatari (The story of the miracles of Jesus) / "Miracles of Love"
Karappo no haka monogatari (The story of the empty tomb) / "The Best News Yet" (The death and resurrection of Jesus)
Oyakoko monogatari (The story of the faithful child) / "Mother's Day" (Ruth and Naomi)
Akuma no yuwaku monogatari (The story of the devil's temptation) / "The Patience of Job"
Kujira ni nomareta otoko no monogatari (The story of the man swallowed by a whale) / "Big Fish and Little Fish" (Jonah)
Roba kokuo monogatari (The story of the donkey king) / "The First King" (Samuel and Saul)
Dabide monogatari (The story of David) / "The Giant Killer"
Soromon monogatari (The story of King Solomon) / "Superbrain"
Yogensha eriya monogatari (The story of the prophet Elijah) / "A True Prophet"
Hi no sensha monogatari (The story of the fiery tank) / "Flaming Chariots" (Elisha)
Raion no ana monogatari (The story of the lion's den) / "The Lion's Den" (Daniel)
Kagayaku joheki monogatari (The story of the shining castle walls) / "Nehemiah and the Walls of Jerusalem"
Utsukushii ohi no monogatari (The story of the beautiful princess) / "The Beauty Queen" (Esther)
Sekai no hate made monogatari (The story until the ends of the earth) / "The Mighty Convert" (Paul of Tarsus)

Series II (1983)
NOTE: Only the official English dub titles are listed here.
"Where, Oh Where..." - the series premiere in which Ruffles is sucked into the newly "computerized" Superbook.
"Hot Dog"
"The Test Of Obedience"
"Love at First Sight" - the above four episodes are the story of Abraham and Isaac, including the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Father's Pet"
"All About Dreams"
"The Hostage"
"The Family Reunion" - the above four episodes are the story of Joseph.
"A Gift From Heaven"
"The Burning Bush"
"No More Plagues"
"So You Want To Go Back To Egypt!" - the above four episodes are the story of Moses and the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.
"Snakes and a Donkey" - Joshua
"Worth Fighting For" - Othniel
"The Good Left Arm" - Ehud and King Eglon
"Stick In The Mud" - Deborah and Barak
"That's A Promise" - Jephthah's vow
"Just Rewards" - Eli and Samuel
"A Wonderful Gift" - Saul is anointed king of Israel
"The Mighty Little Shepherd"
"The Bigger They Come"
"Faithful and True"
"David the King" - the above four episodes are the story of David, including his fight with Goliath and his friendship with Jonathan.
"In All His Glory" - King Solomon
"The Wicked Queen" - Athaliah and Jehoash
"A Matter Of Time" - King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah

3D series (2009)
The first series will consist of the following episodes
"In The Beginning" - Creation (Released 2010)
"The Perfect Gift" - Abraham and Isaac (Release Date TBD)
"A Quest For Forgiveness" - Jacob and Esau (Release Date TBD)
"Let My People Go" - Exodus (Released 2011)
"Laws of the Land" - The Ten Commandments (Release Date 2012)
"A Giant Adventure" - David and Goliath (Released 2009)
"Roar" - Daniel and the Lions Den (Released 2012)
"The First Christmas" - The Birth of Jesus (Release Date November 2011; Airdate December 26, 2011)
"The Miracles of Jesus" (Release Date TBD)
"Of Palms and Passover" - Palm Sunday (Release Date TBD)
"Mother and Child" - Easter (Release Date TBD)
"The Road to Damascus" - Saul/Paul (Released 2012)
"The Alpha and the Omega" - Revelation (Release Date TBD)