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Japanese Title:          Banno^ Bunka Nekomusume
Direct Translation:      Almighty Culture Cat Girl
English Title:           Super Cat Girl Nuku Nuku

Creator and original character drafts:      Yu^zo^ Takada [3x3 Eyes]
Animation Director and character designer:  Yu^ji Moriyama.


Cast:

*Atsuko Natsume (Nuku Nuku)
  The heroine, originally a cat at the start of the story but her brain
  is soon placed in the body of a high performance android.  Her nick 
  name Nuku Nuku is an onomotopeia with a meaning similar to "cuddles" 
  [Help! Can anyone confirm this for me?  I have had conflicting inform-
  ation!]  A gentle person/creature but very protective of Ryu^nosuke 
  and Papa-san (Kyu^saku).  She is not overly sure how to act as a human 
  and tends to watch Ryu^nosuke to see how she should react to any new 
  situation.  Bunny hops her mountain bike like you wouldn't believe 
  [one of the advantages of being an android].
 Voice: Megumi Hayashibra [Pai (3x3 Eyes), Ranma-chan, Ai (Video Girl Ai)]

*Kyu^saku Natsume
  Father of Ryu^nosuke and married to Akiko. Was Mishima Heavy Industries'
  top researcher, left with the android he was working when he disagreed 
  with the way it was being developed... took his son as well and now 
  works as a high school teacher by day and mad scientist by night :-)  
  Not exactly the best father in the world [left over KFC as a christmas 
  present ?!?] but a good person at heart.  Nuku Nuku is the daughter he 
  always wanted...
 Voice: Akira Kamiya [Ashram (Lodoss), Roy Folker (Macross), Shutaro 
        Mendo (UY)]

*Ryu^nosuke Natsume
  The son of Akiko and Kyu^saku, and little brother to Nuku Nuku.  A 
  strong [ethically] character for a kid, he is still at Elementary 
  School.  Fairly normal kid with weirdos as parents ;-)
 Voice: <beats me I'm having problems on this one>

*Akiko Natsume
  The head of Mishima Heavy Industries.  A career lady who is a tad un-
  balanced.  Trying hard to get back her son. Very Kodachi at times :-)
 Voice: Saeko Shimazu [Yuri (DP), Kodachi Kunou (Ranma), Shinobu Miyake 
        (UY)]      <An interesting mix of characters to have played!>

*Arisa (Alisa?) and Koy^ko
  Two office ladies for Mishima Heavy Industries who also act directly 
  under Akiko's orders a special service squad.  This pair are a little 
  like the Dirty Pair with Ari-san being the trigger happy one.  They 
  are the prime weapons in Akiko's fight to retrieve Ryu^nosuke.  
 Kyo^ko Voice: Akiko Hiramatsu [Nene Romanova (BGC)] 
 Arisa Voice: Aya Hisakawa [Lisa (BGC8), Yohko Mano (M. Hunter Yohko), 
              Sailor Mercury/Ami Mizuno (Sailor Girl Moon)] 
         <Now there's a dramatic change of character acting :-)>


Animation:

One of the first things you notice with this anime is that they have used
a lot of what I call exzagerated manga-style indicators.  The sweat beads 
in the hair when under stress, fountains of tears etc!  Suites the style 
of story really well.

There are a number of "cheats" like the panning over a still picture but
there enough of the little touches that make this series very enjoyable.
Things like Nuku Nuku's spinning of the pedal and the testing of the brakes
on the mountain bike just before "taking off".  Nuku Nuku's occasional side
glances to Ryu^nosuke to see how she should be reacting.  The neat "dolphin
leap" done by Nuku Nuku in the second episode.


Teasers:

Part One:  Christmas Eve and Kyu^saku is on the run with the uncompleted
android and Ryu^nosuke.  During a roadside break Ryu^nosuke finds the neko 
version of Nuku Nuku in an alley.  He tries to convince his father to let 
him keep her as a Christmas present.  Before this discussion is ended they 
get jumped by Arisa and Koy^ko in Poison-1 a Fan-Plane [Its not a helicopter 
and not a normal plane...]  In the following plane/car chase Nuku Nuku gets
fatally wounded but Kyu^saku has an idea...

Part Two:  Nuku Nuku, Ryu^nosuke and his friend Yoshi-chan [I'm not quite
sure on this name yet] are heading off to stay with Yoshi's uncle near 
the beach.  But can androids float?

Part Three: <to be added when I get my copy :-)>


Release Details:

Three parts on laserdisc and VHS tape.  Episodes are 30 minutes long.  
Laserdisc is CAV single side, CX encoded and in digital stereo.  
Laserdisc also comes with a poster of the picture on the cover.
Released by Star Child / King Video for Y5,800 each [both VHS and LD].

PHASE-OI   VT: KIVA-151  LD: KILA-44  Out now.
PHASE-OII  VT: KIVA-152  LD: KILA-45  Out now.
PHASE-OIII VT: KIVA-153  LD: KILA-46  Out 24th March 1993.

Soundtracks:
SOUND PHASE-OI    CD: KICA-123  Y3,000  Out now.
SOUND PHASE-OII   CD: KICA-129  Y2,500  Out now.
SOUND PHASE-OIII  CD: KICA-140  Y2,500  Out now.

Credits:

Butchered together by Michael Edwards <that's me!>.  Alan Takahashi's 
Anime Pocket Guide provided details of what else the voice actors have 
done.  A very handy tool. <plug, plug>  Stray comments from Iain Sinclair, 
Cynthia Ma and Samuel Liu while watching helped pull some of the details
together.  Release details from the adverts in Newtype.  Additional stuff
from the article in November 1992's Newtype.  All errors are mine and are
to be returned to me at michaele@nsg.com.au!  I'll add synopsis's to this
sometime as well <anyone want to donate some?>.

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