Saber Marionette J (セイバーマリオネットJ Seibā Marionetto Jei) is a Japanese anime TV series adaptation produced by Studio Junio based on Satoru Akahori's novel series of the same name, which aired on TV Tokyo from October 1, 1996, to March 25, 1997. The show was localized in North America by Ocean Productions and into six other languages by various companies.
Staff[]
Cast[]
Episodes[]
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Differences from the Novels[]
Localization[]
Saber Marionette J was reproduced into seven languages through a joint cooperation of different companies. Bandai Entertainment announced on October 12, 2000 that it would be publishing the series on DVD, itself dubbed into English by Ocean Productions. Bandai went on to announce that the series would be released in a chronological fashion, succeeded by Saber Marionette J to X. Scheduled for release in February 2001, in addition to the standard Japanese and English dubs, Bandai announced around August 7, 2000 that the DVD releases would also contain Spanish; dubbed by Alebrije Entertainment, broadcast by Animax Latin America and Locomotion where it was also known by the name Chica Marioneta J. Anime House, a company situated in Cologne, released the series in German; while Beez, the European off-shot of Bandai Visual, handled distribution in France.
Reception[]
Saber Marionette J was met with mostly positive reception. THEM Anime Reviews gave the series a 5 out of 5 stars, calling it "Top-notch animation, involving story and memorable characters make this one of the greats. If there was a flaw to be found here, it was too small to notice." Industry aggregator Mania.com editor Chris Beveridge rated each of the three North American releases a B, averaging a predictable story, an overall solid release, but that "Saber Marionette J was decent if unexceptional in total."
On Anime News Network, the show retains a median "Good" rating, averaging a 7 out of 10; the first VHS was also given a B+. Less favorable reviews criticized the cliche plot, character voices and less than crisp artwork. On Latin America the show turned a cult classic because of its airing on Locomotion and later Animax Latin America.