The Japanese Sonic Anime

In 1996, two volumes of a Sonic the Hedgehog Anime have been released in Japan. They were done by the same team of animators who did the opening and endings of the 'Sonic CD' game, so if you liked that style, you'll definitely love this. Also, Metal Sonic is finally getting into the cartoons too!

The episodes are roughly 30 minutes each. Both are one heck of a trip, and the pace is as fast as Sonic himself. Though Sonic sounds a bit gruff, the voice actors are pretty cool, and the new character, Sera, is a nice addition to the cast.

Click here to get detailed info about the 30 second O.V.A preview and how to download it.



Click here to read the full scripts of both episodes (translated from the original japanese version).



I do own both episodes, but before you try e-mailing me for a copy, please note that I had to convert it to the European 50 Hz PAL TV standard to be able to watch it, so any copies I could make can't be played on American 60 Hz NTSC TV sets.

For info how to get a hold of the Sonic Anime in the US (and maybe in other countries too), please click here instead.



Episode #1: Journy to EggmanLand

Brief summary:

The President of Sonic's world and his daughter Sera are held hostage by arch-villain Dr. Eggman (Robotnik in the U.S. version). When Sonic and Tails come to the rescue, they are confronted with a much greater threat: the generator in EggmanLand is about to overload and destroy the whole planet in the process, and only Sonic and Tails are fast enough to reach it in time and prevent the explosion. But on their journey the two friends have to face a lot of obscacles, the most dangerous one being a gigantic robot called Dark-Eggman. Luckily, Knuckles the Echidna joins them in their adventure.

Will they be able to make it in time?

   Click here for a complete review of part 1.
   Click here to view some way past cool screenshots.




Episode #2: Sonic Vs. Mecha Sonic

Brief summary:

After the shutdown of the Egg-Generator, Eggman releases his latest creation to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog: Metal Sonic, a robot which has the same speed and abilities as the real Sonic - and more. After Sonic has lost his first fight against Metal Sonic and everyone is desperately searching for a way to stop the robot, a new danger arises. Eggman ordered his creation to destroy the Ice Bridges on the North Pole that hold the floating continents of Sonic's world together, which would cause them to drift into space and dissolve.

Will our friends be able to stop Metal Sonic (who proves to actually have more of Sonic inside him than just a copy of his abilities) and save their world from destruction?

   Click here for a complete review of part 2.



All in all, the artwork looks amazing, plus its an O.V.A, so the artists have been given quite an extensive budget. The animation is much cleaner than you could ever expect from a TV show, but the characters on-screen presence is what really makes Sonic so cool. It's like playing the game, but in anime form. After the U.S. Sonic cartoon has been cancelled, this Anime is definitely a good choice.

Sources: cmugg1@gl.umbc.edu (Kiken Enryu) / DieHard Magazine, March 1996


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