B't X

B't X, pronounced "beat X" (Japanese: ビート・エックス, Hepburn: Bīto Ekkusu) and stylized as B'T X, is a manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was serialized in Shōnen Ace from 1994 to 2000. The series is set in a fictional universe where science has progressed to the creation of mechanical AI creatures known as B'ts. An anime adaptation containing 25 episodes was aired in Japan between April and September 1996, followed by a sequel containing 14 episodes called B't X Neo (ビート・エックス・ネオ, Bīto Ekkusu Neo) which was made between August and November 1997. The anime series strayed off from the manga series in Neo, giving its own conclusion to the show. The anime series was animated by TMS Entertainment; a total number of 39 episodes was produced.

B't X
First tankōbon volume cover, as published by Tokyopop
ビート・エックス
(Bīto Ekkusu)
Genre
Manga
Written byMasami Kurumada
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
MagazineShōnen Ace
DemographicShōnen
Original runOctober 1994January 2000
Volumes16
Light novel
Written bySukehiro Tomita
Illustrated byMasami Kurumada
Published byKadokawa Shoten
ImprintNewtype Novels
Original run20 July 1996 (1996-07-20)28 February 1997 (1997-02-28)
Volumes2
Anime television series
Directed byMamoru Hamatsu
Produced byTadahito Matsumoto
Kenji Mizunuma
Written byMamoru Hamatsu
Music byAkira Senju
StudioTMS Entertainment
Licensed by
  • NA: Anime Midstream
Original networkJNN (TBS, BSN, itv)
English network
Original run 6 April 1996 21 September 1996
Episodes25
Anime television series
B't X Neo
Directed byHajime Kamegaki
Produced byKazuo Yokoyama
Yuji Morioka (eps. 7-14)
Tetsuya Watanabe
Tadahito Matsumoto
Kenji Mizunuma
Written byYoshiyuki Suga
Music byFumitaka Anzai
StudioTMS Entertainment
Licensed by
  • NA: Anime Midstream
Original networkJNN (TBS)
Original run 21 August 1997 20 November 1997
Episodes14

Synopsis

Setting

B't X is set on an alternate Earth, where a faction known as the Machine Empire rules a significant large piece of land known as "The Area" in the Gobi Desert. The Machine Empire invests highly in scientific advancements and schools children from an early age to become striving scientists. Mechanical engineering have culminated in the creation of cyborgs and most recently mechanical beasts, powered by human blood, the Bt. The series mostly takes place in the Machine Empire, but also on Kamui island, where the main characters were born. An island that was created from a crashed meteor and contains a piece of a sun, far underground.

A B't (pronounced "beat") is the ultimate form of mecha designed for fighting - the B stands for Brain, Blood, Bravery and Battler. They have different forms and powers, usually based on mythological creatures. The B't's source of power is a device called BreakHeart, which is fueled by human blood. Once the BreakHeart is inserted into the B't's body, it creates a link between the blood donor and the B't. A B't is also outfitted with the Guard System, which protects its donor from various dangers and environment changes, such as volcanic heat, the crushing pressures beneath the ocean, or even the depths of space. However, the donor must be in physical contact with his or her B't for the system to work for them. Teppei is able to manifest a suit of protective armor called Battle Gear through use of the Messiah Fist. This has the additional benefit of activating the usually dormant wings on X's sides, enabling him to reach even greater degrees of speed and mobility.

Plot

Teppei Takamiya is the caretaker of a farm located in Kamui Island, north of Japan. His older brother, Kotarō Takamiya, leaves to study robotics in Germany and becomes one of the most brilliant scientists in the world. Five years later, the two brothers reunite at a robotics convention in Mechatopia, China, where Kotarō is to announce his latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence. The convention goes awry when Kotarō is captured by the malevolent Machine Empire and taken to "The Area". Teppei manages to hitch a ride on his brother's capturer and reaches the Machine Empire, Teppei is attacked by Metalface, one of the Empire's soldiers. Unable to win, Teppei is thrown, bleeding, in the Empire's junkyard. His blood reaches the trashed body of X, who was once considered one of the strongest B't of the Empire, and the disgruntled B't awakens. Faced with unanswered questions and imminent destruction, X reluctantly saves Teppei, and the pair flee the Area with soldiers of the Empire in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, inside the Area, Kotarō discovers that he has been summoned by another of the Empire's soldiers, Major Aramis, to find a way to stop the ultimate B't - a creation known as Raffaello (ラファエロ) that has begun a terrifying and uncontrollable evolution. Teppei's main goal is to save his brother, but as he and X venture further into the Area and learn more about the Machine Empire they start to fight for the survival of the human race. On the way to the center of the Empire they gain allies that help them prevail over the guardians of the empire. The ultimate B't eventually finalizes its evolution and the Machine Emperor appears. Before the emperor can fuse with Raffaello, Teppei and his allies confront him.

Voice cast

Character
Japanese English[2][3]
Teppei Takamiya Nobuyuki Hiyama
Yoshiko Kamei (child)
Eric Vale
Kristen McGuire (child)
Kotaro Takamiya Nozomu Sasaki Josh Grelle
B't X Jin Horikawa Jeremy Inman
Karen Megumi Ogata Morgan Garrett
B't Shadow X Emi Shinohara Marissa Lenti
Aramis Atsuko Yuya Caitlin Glass
Metal Face Kenyu Horiuchi Tyson Rinehart
B't Madonna Misa Watanabe Rachel Robinson
Fou Lafine Kazuya Ichijō J. Michael Tatum
B't J'Taime Asako Dodo Tia Ballard
Hokuto Osamu Sakuta Chris Bevins
B't Max Gara Takashima Clarine Harp
Ron Keiji Fujiwara Ian Sinclair
B't Raido Ryuji Mizuno Marcus Stimac
Karin Chisa Yokoyama Joanna Grelle
Misha Ai Orikasa Alison Viktorin
Nasha Kyōko Hikami Natalie Hoover
Gaku Fujiko Takimoto Amber Lee Connors
Big Rock Amber Lee Connors
Captain Hook Matsuo Matsuo Robert McCollum
B't Groupie Chō Chuck Huber
Camilla Kappei Yamaguchi Meli Grant
B't Mirage Maya Okamoto Melissa Sternenberg
Misslim Jūrōta Kosugi Curtis Arnott
La Lainya Seiko Fujiki Alex Moore
Cyber Whip Alex Moore
Marcello Naoki Tatsuta Justin Briner
Amigo Shinpachi Tsuji Chris Rager
Juggler Issei Futamata Mike McFarland
Zaji Yasunori Matsumoto Nick Landis
Kaos Osamu Kobayashi Bruce Carey
L'Amour Katsuhisa Hōki Jason Marnocha
Balzac Mitsuo Senda Mark Stoddard
Mira Takehito Koyasu Gianni Matragrano
Leon Kōji Ishii Brandon Potter
Rai Shō Hayami R. Bruce Elliott
B't Savannah Tetsuo Kanao Zach Bolton
Maria Noriko Hidaka Alexis Tipton
God of Death Mitsuru Miyamoto Tyler Walker
Aleph Tyler Walker
Bem Hideyuki Umezu Alejandro Saab
Cancer Ricco Fajardo
Crow Kōji Ishii Daman Mills
B't Falcon Kenichi Ono Chris Guerrero
Lena Hiroko Ikuta Jad Saxton
Dr. Nitzin Motomu Kiyokawa Howard Wang
B't Bat Scott Frerichs
Teppei's father Kent Williams
Teppei's mother Marissa Lenti

Media

Manga

B't X by Masami Kurumada was serialized in Shōnen Ace from 1994 to 2000, with the 63 individual chapters published into 16 tankōbon volumes by Kadokawa Shoten.

The manga was released in North America by Tokyopop. When B't X was released in America by Tokyopop, all of the sound effects in the manga were printed in Japanese, just as in the original version and in most other Tokyopop Manga, with the addition of English captions.

Volume list

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
01 March 1995 (1995-03)40471310246 January 2004 (2004-01-06)159182639X
02 July 1995 (1995-07)40471310912 March 2004 (2004-03-02)1591826403
03 November 1995 (1995-11)40471312104 May 2004 (2004-05-04)1591826411
04 March 1996 (1996-03)404713131813 July 2004 (2004-07-13)159182642X
05 June 1996 (1996-06)404713143114 September 2004 (2004-09-14)1591826438
06 October 1996 (1996-10)40471316609 November 2004 (2004-11-09)1591826446
07 April 1997 (1997-04)404713177611 January 2005 (2005-01-11)1595323775
08 August 1997 (1997-08)40471319388 March 2005 (2005-03-08)1595323783
09 November 1997 (1997-11)40471320127 June 2005 (2005-06-07)1595323791
10 March 1998 (1998-03)404713211X10 January 2006 (2006-01-10)1595323805
11 June 1998 (1998-06)404713225X3 July 2006 (2006-07-03)1595323813
12 October 1998 (1998-10)40471323819 January 2007 (2007-01-09)1595323821
13 February 1999 (1999-02)40471326913 July 2007 (2007-07-03)159532383X
14 June 1999 (1999-06)40471328452 January 2008 (2008-01-02)1595323848
15 October 1999 (1999-10)40471330277 July 2008 (2008-07-07)1595323856
16 February 2000 (2000-02)404713326430 November 2010 (2010-11-30)1595323864

The series was also republished by Home-sha, a Shueisha company, in an edition of more than 300-pages per volume.

  • Home-sha (Home-sha manga bunko) (2002)
#Japanese release dateJapanese ISBN
1September 2002 (2002-09)4834272400
2September 2002 (2002-09)4834272419
3October 2002 (2002-10)4834272427
4October 2002 (2002-10)4834272435
5November 2002 (2002-11)4834272443
6November 2002 (2002-11)4834272451
7December 2002 (2002-12)483427246X
8December 2002 (2002-12)4834272478

Anime

An anime adaptation containing 25 episodes aired in Japan between April and September 1996, this series adapts the first six tankōbon volumes of the manga. A second season, titled B't X Neo (ビート・エックス・ネオ, Bīto Ekkusu Neo), consisted of 14 episodes. Neo aired between 21 August and 20 November 1997; this season adapts some chapters of the manga but has a derivative storyline and an alternate ending.

Originally licensed by Texas-based anime licensing company Illumitoon Entertainment and published on DVD via Westlake Entertainment.[4] Two dual-audio DVDs were released by Westlake, covering the first eight episodes, before being cancelled. The first 14 episodes, the only ones to be dubbed, were available on-demand via the Anime Network.[5] The license was eventually transferred to Anime Midstream after Illumitoon went defunct.[6] Anime Midstream announced on 14 August 2016 during their panel at the AnimeFest convention in Dallas, that they would redistribute the whole series with the Japanese language track, subtitles, and an English dub.[7] They released the series on DVD with both English subtitles and a new English dub on 3 August 2018.[8] On 12 April 2019, Anime Midstream announced that they would release the OVA series B't X Neo on DVD in dual audio on 26 April 2019.[3]

Season 1: B't X (1996)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
01"Miracle! The Revival of B't X!"
"kiseki! fukkatsu no B'T X (bīto ekkusu)" (Japanese: 奇蹟! 復活のB'T X(ビート・エックス))
Mamoru HamatsuSukehiro Tomita6 April 1996 (1996-04-06)
02"Rebirth! The Sun Battler"
"tanjō! taiyō no senshi (batorā)" (Japanese: 誕生! 太陽の戦士(バトラー))
Hitoyuki MatsuiSukehiro Tomita13 April 1996 (1996-04-13)
03"Confrontation! The Machine Empire"
"taiketsu! kikai kōkoku no yabō" (Japanese: 対決! 機械皇国の野望)
Kiyotaka ItaniSukehiro Tomita20 April 1996 (1996-04-20)
04"Appearance! The Legendary Spirit Knight"
"tōjō ! densetsu no shirei shō" (Japanese: 登場! 伝説の四霊将)
Kiyoshi FukumotoYasushi Hirano27 April 1996 (1996-04-27)
05"Departure! Desperate Battle Road"
"shuppatsu (tabidachi)! kesshi no kyūshutsusakusen (batoru rōdo)" (Japanese: 出発(たびだち)! 決死の救出作戦(バトルロード))
Yukio TakahashiYoshiyuki Suga4 May 1996 (1996-05-04)
06"Fear! The Watch Man, Pirate in the Desert!"
"kyōfu! sabaku no pairētsu" (Japanese: 恐怖! 砂漠のパイレーツ)
Atsushi YanoYasushi Hirano11 May 1996 (1996-05-11)
07"Frightening! The Mystery of the Machine Emperor!"
"kyōgaku! kikai kōtei no nazo" (Japanese: 驚愕! 機械皇帝の謎)
Yukio OkazakiYoshiyuki Suga18 May 1996 (1996-05-18)
08"Magnificent! The Dazzling Solder, Camilla!"
"karei! genwaku senshi kamīra" (Japanese: 華麗! 幻惑戦士カミーラ)
Kiyoshi FukumotoYoshiyuki Suga25 May 1996 (1996-05-25)
09"Fear! Evil Flower!"
"kyōi! ebiru furawā" (Japanese: 驚異! エビル・フラワー)
Yoshihiro OdaYoshiyuki Suga1 June 1996 (1996-06-01)
10"Chase! Metal Face Counterattacks!"
"hakugeki! metarufeisu no gyakushū" (Japanese: 迫撃! メタルフェイスの逆襲)
Kiyoshi FukumotoYasushi Hirano8 June 1996 (1996-06-08)
11"Invincible! Spirit General of the East, Ron"
"muteki! higashi no reishō ron" (Japanese: 無敵! 東の霊将ロン)
Kiyotaka ItaniNobuaki Kishima15 June 1996 (1996-06-15)
12"Formidable Enemy! The Warrior, Kaos"
"kyōteki! takeshi shō kaosu" (Japanese: 強敵! 猛将カオス)
Hitoyuki MatsuiYoshiyuki Suga22 June 1996 (1996-06-22)
13"Buddy! The Bond of a Passionate Soul"
"aibō! (badei) atsuki kokoro no kizuna" (Japanese: 相棒!(バディ)熱き心の絆)
Koitaro AozameYoshiyuki Suga29 June 1996 (1996-06-29)
14"Tragic! Maria Who Lives in the Graveyard"
"higeki! hakaba no shōjo maria" (Japanese: 悲劇! 墓場の少女マリア)
Yukio TakahashiRyo Katsuragi6 July 1996 (1996-07-06)
15"Blast! Message to the Reaper"
"sakuretsu! shinigami e no ichigeki" (Japanese: 炸裂! 死神への一撃)
Yoshihiro OdaRyo Katsuragi13 July 1996 (1996-07-13)
16"Revived! The Prism of Aura"
"fukkatsu! goshiki no rinkō" (Japanese: 復活! 五色の燐光)
Kiyoshi FukumotoNobuaki Kishima20 July 1996 (1996-07-20)
17"Appear! Shadow X!"
"shutsugen ! kuroi ekkusu" (Japanese: 出現! 黒いエックス)
Kiyotaka ItaniYoshiyuki Suga27 July 1996 (1996-07-27)
18"The Dark! Fear of the Underhell"
"ankoku! andāheru no kyōfu" (Japanese: 暗黒!アンダーヘルの恐怖)
Atsushi YanoNobuaki Kishima3 August 1996 (1996-08-03)
19"Desperate! X's Death"
"kesshi! ekkusu no saigo" (Japanese: 決死! エックスの最後)
Ryo YasumuraYoshiyuki Suga10 August 1996 (1996-08-10)
20"Life! Break Heart"
"seimei! (inochi) bureiku hāto" (Japanese: 生命!(いのち)ブレイク・ハート)
Yukio TakahashiNobuaki Kishima17 August 1996 (1996-08-17)
21"Reborn! The Neo B't X"
"Shinsei! B'T ekkusu tanjō" (Japanese: 新生! B'Tエックス誕生)
Kiyoshi FukumotoNobuaki Kishima24 August 1996 (1996-08-24)
22"The Worst! The Area's Seven Evil Knights"
"saikyō! eria no shichi mashō" (Japanese: 最凶! エリアの七魔将)
Kiyotaka ItaniSukehiro Tomita31 August 1996 (1996-08-31)
23"Flash of Light! Shining Knuckle"
"senkō! shainingu nakkuru" (Japanese: 閃光! シャイニング・ナックル)
Atsushi YanoNobuaki Kishima7 September 1996 (1996-09-07)
24"Burn! A Piece of the Sun"
"enjō! taiyō no kakera" (Japanese: 炎上! 太陽のかけら)
Hitoyuki MatsuiNobuaki Kishima14 September 1996 (1996-09-14)
25"Overthrow! B'T Raphael"
"datō! B'T rafaero" (Japanese: 打倒! B'Tラファエロ)
Mamoru HamatsuSukehiro Tomita21 September 1996 (1996-09-21)

Season 2: B't X Neo (1997)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal air date
2601"The Four Knights vs. The Evil Knights"
"reishō vs mashō" (Japanese: 霊将VS魔将)
21 August 1997 (1997-08-21)
2702"The Land of Love and Hate"
"ai to nikushimi no chi!" (Japanese: 愛と憎しみの地!)
28 August 1997 (1997-08-28)
2803"Burning Red Flame!"
"guren no honō" (Japanese: 紅蓮の炎)
4 September 1997 (1997-09-04)
2904"Miracles of the Blood"
"buraddo no kiseki!" (Japanese: ブラッドの奇跡!)
11 September 1997 (1997-09-11)
3005"Fear of the Illusions"
"mugen no kyōfu!" (Japanese: 夢幻の恐怖!)
18 September 1997 (1997-09-18)
3106"A Streak of Light"
"ichijō no hikari!" (Japanese: 一条の光!)
25 September 1997 (1997-09-25)
3207"Mehr Licht (More light)"
"mēru rihito! (motto hikari o)" (Japanese: メール リヒト!(もっと光を))
2 October 1997 (1997-10-02)
3308"Confessions of a Mask"
"kamen no kokuhaku!" (Japanese: 仮面の告白!)
9 October 1997 (1997-10-09)
3409"Blood Bonds"
"chi no kizuna" (Japanese: 血の絆)
16 October 1997 (1997-10-16)
3510"The Lair of the Beast"
"akuma no hōkō" (Japanese: 悪魔の咆哮)
23 October 1997 (1997-10-23)
3611"Search for a Lost Era!"
"ushinawareta kako o motome te!" (Japanese: 失われた過去を求めて!)
30 October 1997 (1997-10-30)
3712"One for All"
(Japanese: ONE FOR ALL!)
6 November 1997 (1997-11-06)
3813"Memories of the Future!"
"mirai no kioku!" (Japanese: 未来の記憶!)
13 November 1997 (1997-11-13)
3914"A Piece of the Sun!"
(Japanese: A PIECE OF THE SUN!)
20 November 1997 (1997-11-20)

Other media

A B't X themed Pachinko game was released in 2013, with newly recorded music and animation done by TMS.[9][10]

Two toy-lines were produced by Takara in conjunction with the broadcast of the series. The first series consisted of 5 models of four of the main B'ts, and where marketed with the term "Solid Scan". Each Bt had removable armor and an accompanying figure to ride them. A wield-able "Messiah Fist" was also produced with sound-effects and light-up features. The second toyline was produced as action figures and included 14 B'ts with an accompanying smaller figure. 8 non-articulated figures were also released of several main characters under the term "Donor".

Reception

Chris Beveridge of Mania.com reviewed the first DVD volume of the anime series by Illumitoon Entertainment and gave the volume a "C" grade citing that "due to age there isn't a lot to expect" in regards to both audio and visual quality. Beveridge continued to praise the story but also said that it was sometimes confusing. Ilumitoon's decision to use their dubbed script as subtitles for the Japanese audio was heavily criticized as they did not match up.[5]

References

  1. Loo, Egan (14 August 2008). "Saint Seiya's Kurumada to end Ring ni Kakero 2 Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  2. "B't X TV Anime's English Dub Cast, Trailer Unveiled". Anime News Network. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. Mateo, Alex (12 April 2019). "Anime Midstream Licenses B't X Neo OVA Series, Reveals English Dub Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  4. "ILLUMITOON LICENSES THIRD ANIME". Icv2.com. 18 September 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  5. Beveridge, Chris (24 May 2007). "Beat BtX Vol. #01". Mania. Demand Media. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008.
  6. "Anime Midstream Acquires 'B't X' Anime License". The Fandom Post. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  7. "Anime Midstream Licenses B't X TV Anime Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  8. "B't X DVD". www.rightstufanime.com. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  9. "New B'tX music being recorded". Kurumadapro.com. 3 May 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  10. "Official Bt'X Pachinko website". Pachinkovista.com. 16 April 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2016.

Further reading

  • Gifford, Kevin (March 2007). "B't X Volume 1". Newtype USA. Vol. 6, no. 3. p. 149. ISSN 1541-4817.
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