Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark (partially lost anime series based on role-playing game series; 2002-2003)
Official TV TOKYO poster for the series.
Status: Partially Lost
Megami Tensei is a beloved Japanese franchise that has spawned over several video games and various notable spin-offs that range most notably on the role-playing genre with very notable franchises titles such as the Devil Summoner substory and the very popular spin-off Persona franchise. The franchise has received a massive cult following around the world which finds itself a critically and commercially successful franchise in other countries. Other than its games maintaining a high status in Japan, it has also received various adaptations in its manga, playing cards, and anime line.
One of Megami Tensei's spin-off games entitled Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children (also notably called DemiKids) was first released on the GameBoy Color back in the year 2000 and has spawned multiple video game sequels in the following years, one of which is entitled Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark (also notably called as DemiKids: Light Version & Dark Version) that was released in 2002.
Aside from the video games, the spin-off series also received two anime series adaptations that only aired exclusively in Japan. One of which is loosely based around the original DemiKids video game, spanning 50 episodes, and the other one was its sequel based loosely around the DemiKids: Light & Dark video game[1][2], spanning 52 episodes, which few episodes from the sequel series are entirely lost.[3]
Background
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark, was an anime series based on the video game of the same name that aired from October 5th, 2002, up until September 27th, 2003[4][5][6], and aired at around 9:00-9:30 a.m. on the TV TOKYO channel in Japan[4][7] and spans around 52 episodes[4][2]. The series was animated by two studios, studio Actas[2], who animated the first 26 episodes of the series[2], and studio Comet[2], who animated episodes 27-52[2]. In addition, the series was also directed by two directors, director Tetsuya Kobayashi for the first half at studio Actas[2], and director Shin Misawa for the second half of the series at studio Comet[2].
A synopsis for the series, that came from AnimeNewsNetwork[2], goes as follows:
The year is 200X. Jin, Akira and Lena are three childhood friends who like mysterious things. One day in the library, along with the mysterious transfer student Ami, they find the "Akuma Compendium". They chanted an incantation in the book and, to their surprise, devils appeared. Ami then told Jin and Akira that they are the Devil Children that will decide the fate of the world. She hands them their Devil Risers. The group then pass through the "Door of Time" to the land of Valhalla where they fight an evil ruler known as Imperius who plans on conquering all of the world. The Nakama of Jin is Rand, a Sol Lion, and Akira's is Gale, a Hylon[2].
Availability
The series never received a home media release after it ended. In addition, the anime series that came before, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children/DemiKids, also never received a home media release. Both series were considered lost, with footage and episodes from both series being hard to find and are scarce. Episodes from both series were being uploaded years prior as years go by, some likely being deleted and some still surviving as of 2022.
After years of it being considered lost, fortunately, on September 22nd, 2020, Internet Archive user PeacØck uploaded all 50 episodes of the prequel series on the Internet Archive.
Two years later, on March 17th, 2022, user MKCAM uploaded episodes 1-8, and episodes 21-52 of the sequel series on the Internet Archive, albeit was split into parts. The description for the Internet Archive upload stated that episodes 9-20 were lost and were not available on the Internet Archive upload[3]. With 35 out of 52 episodes of the series available, only 12 episodes from the series appear to be missing.
All Missing Episodes
| # | Episode Title | Air Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Female Kaito Randa | Nov 30th, 2002 | Lost |
| 10 | Maybe the third | Dec 7th, 2002 | Lost |
| 11 | Revive! The bond between father and son | Dec 14th, 2002 | Lost |
| 12 | Village of Flor | Dec 21st, 2002 | Lost |
| 13 | Shun and the Liberation Army | Dec 28th, 2002 | Lost |
| 14 | Randa again! | Jan 4th, 2003 | Lost |
| 15 | Ami's Secret | Jan 11th, 2003 | Lost |
| 16 | Skuld, Goddess of Time | Jan 18th, 2003 | Lost |
| 17 | Isn't it!? | Jan 25th, 2003 | Lost |
| 18 | Reunion With Shun | Feb 1st, 2003 | Lost |
| 19 | Biflon trap | Feb 8th, 2003 | Lost |
| 20 | Hurry! For Friends | Feb 15th, 2003 | Lost |
Gallery
External Links
Links
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children Wikipedia page.
- aniDB page for Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark anime series.
- MegamiTensei FANDOM Page for the series.
Available Episodes
- Link for all found episodes of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark (episodes 1-8; 21-52)
- Link for all episodes of the prequel series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children
References
- ↑ MAL Page for Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark anime series. Retrieved 19 Feb '23
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 ANN Page for Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Light & Dark anime series. Retrieved 19 Feb '23
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Archive.org upload of all found episodes of the series, that notes episodes 9-20 as lost. Archived 17 Mar '22
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Schedule and episode listing for the series. Retrieved 19 Feb '23
- ↑ Nasinc info on the series. Retrieved 19 Feb '23
- ↑ AT-X information on the series.
- ↑ AllCinema page on the series.