Zentrix

Zentrix is a - TV series directed by Tony Tong and Felix Ip under the Hong Kong based company Imagi Animation Studios. The original story was written by Tony Tang, Benny Chow, Felix Ip and Francis Kao.

Synopsis

The series is set in Zentrix City, a seemingly "perfect" city. Emperor Jarad is a respected scientist who created a super-computer called OmnicronPsy, which manages all of the city's higher and day-to-day functions, controlling a wide variety of machines and robots, allowing humankind to live a seemingly "perfect" life.

However, OmnicronPsy, using its super-intelligence, decides that it would make a better ruler than Jarad, and breaks his coding that stops him from revolting. Discovering this, Jarad and the scientist Dr. Roark plan to head back in time 7 years to stop the revolt from ever happening. To do this they plan to shut down the six Zentrium chips that power OmnicronPsy. First however, Jarad takes precautions and develops two fighting robots - Zeus and Quantum. Zeus is then chosen over Quantum as the protector of his daughter, Princess Megan, should his mission in time fail. Following this, Jarad and Roark head back in time.

Princess Megan notices the disappearance of her father, and upon entering his study, she discovers a message. Megan then tries to get the Time Machine working. At the same time, OmnicronPsy has cracked the code and sends two robot guards to kill her. The find her just as she activates the time machine and open fire - damaging the time machine and altering Megan's body to that of an eight-year old.

Awakening in a junkyard, Megan discovers her protector Zeus hidden inside a tower. Unfortunately, OmnicronPsy's forces manage to activate the time machine, and they head back in time to hunt her down, leading Megan to find the six hidden Zentrium chips. Along the way she makes new friends, including Nick, his adoptive father Dr. Coy, and Nick's foster sister Akina, as well as Zeus's 'brother' Quantum, who is trying to do the right thing in the fight against OmnicronPsy.

Characters

* - The last hope for stopping OmnicronPsy, Princess Megan goes back in time 7 years. Unfortunately, due to an accident with the Time Machine she is reverted to a 8 year old. She journeys with Zeus, Mango and Nick to locate and shut down the six Zentrium chips that power OmnicronPsy.
* - A Micro-saur, and faithful pet to Princess Megan. He was given to her as a baby when she was 7 years old. Megan is the only person capable of understanding Mango. He is bright orange, with orange eyes, green hair and two small wings on his back.
* - A robot created by Emperor Jarad and Dr. Roark to assist Megan through her adventure. Created alongside Quantum, the two are considered brothers. Hidden in the Junkyard, Megan finds him sealed inside a tower. Originally starting in a locked mode with no forms of attack, Zeus eventually enters Complete Mode. He also has a Fighter Mode and a Golden Mode.
* - A junior scientist, Nick is the adopted son of Dr Coy, making Akina his foster sister . He has a pet bird name TZ.
* - Zeus' "brother", a robot also cerated by Emperor Jarad, and Dr. Roark.
* - A super-computer created to provide human kind with a seemingly perfect lifestyle, until it rebels and attempts to take over the world. Megan and her friends are trying to shut OmnicronPsy down by finding all of the Zentrium chips that power it.

Cast

Theme songs

The theme song in Hong Kong was performed by Fiona Sit. In Japan the theme song is called ''"Change the future"'' performed by B'z.

{|class="wikitable"
! width=50% | Chinese Lyrics
! width=50% | English Lyrics
|-
|冒險始於現在　明天都可重來
我信世界會更改

就由我　集合你的愛

時空再大　能獲勝可一都可再



一息間　一種空間　決策得一個

我與過去那個我　在幻境中拔河

時空穿越了多少交錯

可　想法子扭轉結果



*　冒險始於現在　明天都可重來

我信世界會更改

用人性　與惡魔比賽

應付不來　升級腦袋



為今天的禍害　人的心都回來

天地也都感概

就由我　集合你的愛

時空再大　能獲勝都只因為愛＊



這天空　這一分鐘　誰人都經過

欠缺你　這個世界　命運差之銀河

時空消逝最驚險不過

可　結伴去改寫更多



你　錯失的不可再難過

有膽識請跟著我

從歷史之手挽回我　智慧的寶座

REPEAT＊
||


Adventures start now. Tomorrow will return.

I believe the world will improve.

Let me gather your love.

Even if spacetime is enormous,

victory will come one after one



One fleeting moment, one kind of space

and only one decision.

I am playing tug of war with myself in the past in illusions.

No matter how many mistakes spacetime has passed through,

We can think of solutions to reverse the result.



*Adventures start now. Tomorrow can return.

I believe the world will improve.

With , we compete with devils,

if in vain, then let's improve our brains.



For today's calamities all people's hearts return.

The sky and earth also sigh.

Let me gather your love.

Even if spacetime is enormous,

victory can be obtained because of love



Under this sky, in this minute, everyone lives.

Failing you, there would be a great difference

in the fate of the world.

Although the elapsing of spacetime is thrilling,

We can team up to change more



You should not be sad over what have been lost.

If you have gut, please follow me.

Retrieve me from the hands of history

The throne of wisdom

REPEAT＊
|-

Reaction

Though boasting a great use of CGI and beautiful character designs, Zentrix disappointed many mecha fans. For one, many viewers claim that the characters are one-dimensional. Some even complained about the main character, Megan, who was always called a "great leader" but never showed true leadership skills. Another complaint is that the robots are supposedly alive, but did not demonstrate enough interaction toward the humans. In the last few episodes, it seemed that most characters just came out to help Megan and friends, without really knowing her. Fans say that they are allies of Dr. Coy, but some say it felt unrealistic to risk your life on a mission you don't know about. Despite all the criticism, there are still fans who loved the show.

Awards

* Nominated at the "Best Series for Children of the Year" in the Pulcinella Awards 2002 in Positano, Italy.
* Received the "Gold Camera" award at the 2002 35th US International Film and Video Festival in Los Angeles.

Trivia

* In , a reference to the character Zeus is shown on one of the arcade at the Turtle's lair.

Xiao Xiao

Xiao Xiao is an internet Flash cartoon series by animator Zhu Zhiqiang, featuring men performing fight scenes. Some of the cartoons are interactive and game-like. All cartoons are in the Adobe Flash format, although Xiao Xiao #1 was originally in AVI format. It has now been converted to format.

"''Xiao Xiao''" literally is the Chinese character for "small" repeated twice in ; here this reduplication connotes an affectionate diminutive – an equivalent might be the English expression "itty bitty" or "lil' old". Each Xiao Xiao cartoon is given a Chinese title with the adjective "Xiao Xiao" preceding a descriptive noun phrase. Xiao Xiao #1 was originally titled "Xiao Xiao Zuo Pin", which translates to "A Little Bit of Creative Work". Since then each Xiao Xiao cartoon has had a different noun succeeding "Xiao Xiao" – #4 is titled "Little Sheriff", and #7 is titled "Little Movie".

The term has gradually shifted meaning from the cartoons themselves to the main character, an anonymous black stick-figure – in this context it means something akin to "little fella", appropriate since in most perspectives Xiao Xiao and his fellow stick-people appear tiny and childlike, with disproportionately large heads and small limbs.

Xiao Xiao is placed in various dangerous situations to prove his martial arts prowess, often against other stick figures who appear more or less identical to himself. Usually other stick figures are also black, but can be other colors, and Xiao Xiao's perpetual nemesis is the Boss, a purple stick figure who commands the enemy sticks and appears to be Xiao Xiao's only peer in ability.

Others have seized on Xiao Xiao's popularity to make animations exploiting the easy-to-draw style of stick figures and minimalist backgrounds, often creating cartoons that are sequels or takeoffs of the official Xiao Xiao cartoons, especially Xiao Xiao #3. This practice has been frowned upon by many in the Flash cartooning community.

Episodes

* Xiao Xiao #1 is a simple fight between two stick-figure men, parodying the look of Hong Kong martial arts films by taking the level of violence in the fight to extremes.
* Xiao Xiao #2 adds interactivity; the stick-man faces a series of physical challenges, the outcomes of which depend on the player's timing.
* Xiao Xiao #3 is a kung-fu style fight scene in a simple line-drawn house; Xiao Xiao faces off against a seemingly endless series of stick-man opponents using fast-paced martial arts moves; the simple background, two-dimensional movement, vanishing corpses and regenerating enemies call to mind side-scrolling games. The encounter ends in a final showdown between Xiao Xiao and a purple stick-man labeled "Boss" in a fight that parodies multiple scenes from The Matrix . The visual theme of Xiao Xiao, a plain black stick-man, fighting against a purple stick-man Boss, remains constant throughout the series. This is the best known Xiao Xiao animation, and has been shown on MTV. This Xiao Xiao is one of the more famous and thought of as the one hardest worked on, and is noted to be one of "the original stick fighting flash movies", and sets the bar for the many stick flash movies.
* Xiao Xiao #4 is an interactive first-person shooting game in the style of Virtua Cop, casting the player as Xiao Xiao in the role of a -style sheriff complete with cowboy hat and six-shooter. It ends with another scripted fight scene with the purple Boss .
* Xiao Xiao #5, billed as a "''Battle to the death... and beyond''" returns to the two-dimensional fighting-game-reminiscent side-view style of #3. This time Xiao Xiao and the Boss duel using various conventions from anime and manga, exhibiting supernatural powers such as the use of spells, the ability to pull weapons out of hammerspace and to continue their battle through astral travel after death. It is notable for its comedic ending, where an ambulance shows up in the middle of the fight, taking the two character's dead bodies away. The two look at one another, then both run after the ambulance.
* Xiao Xiao #6 returns to Xiao Xiao #2's style but this time with a bit more of a plot, forcing the player to button-mash Xiao-Xiao through a barroom brawl.
* Xiao Xiao #7 and #8 are the most elaborate of the animations, forsaking the side-view of previous Xiao Xiaos for a fully three-dimensional, cinematic camera view throughout. Once again riffing on films like ''The Matrix'', they depict Xiao Xiao's infiltration of the Boss's mansion and his pursuit after the Boss escapes. #8 ends with a "''To Be Continued''" message and has yet to have a sequel, though given that the ending is a bit of an anticlimax the message may have been ironic.
* Xiao Xiao #9, a departure from the rest of the series, is a fully interactive game in the style of Final Fight and Streets of Rage where Xiao Xiao uses moves. Rather than a plain, pen-and-ink background, the background is this time a full-color, realistic re-creation of a desk ostensibly intended to be Zhu's . As with other Xiao Xiaos and the original beat-em-ups that helped inspire them, Xiao Xiao must fight through a series of stick-thugs before confronting the Boss.
* Xiao Xiao #10 or Xiao Xiao: Mall Brawl appears to have been created by Zhu as an advertisement for the in Hong Kong; it is an altered version of Xiao Xiao #3 wherein the main character/hero is a red stickman and the background has been embellished to make it resemble the inside of a shopping mall. You can also see the original black Xiao Xiao making a cameo appearance for a short while. He is in the background and doesn't fight, but simply rides past on a pair of ice skates. Also, a scene from Xiao Xiao #3 is also playing on the TV during the fight.

Characters

*;Xiao Xiao: Xiao Xiao is the protagonist. He is a martial arts expert, as well as an elite assassin. His skills are unmatched, and the only person who comes close is the Boss.

*;The Boss: The Boss is another martial artist, and appears to be some sort of a gang leader. He is the only one who can give Xiao Xiao a decent fight, and has been beaten by Xiao Xiao on multiple occasions. The Boss usually appears in magenta.

*;The gangs: Various-colored stickfigures who are beat down by Xiao in a matter of seconds.

Legal dispute

In June 2004, Zhu filed a lawsuit against for plagiarizing his cartoon stickmen in their commercials. Nike representatives denied the accusations, claiming that the stickman figure lacks originality, and is public domain. Zhu eventually won the lawsuit, and Nike was ordered to pay $36,000 to the cartoonist. However, on June 15 2006, the Beijing High People’s Court overturned the lower court's verdict. The high court rejected the December ’04 ruling that found Nike had “copied his ‘Little Match Man’ illustration in one of its worldwide ad campaigns.” Judge Liu Hui ruled that the head of Nike’s “stickman wasn’t attached to the body, which was different from Zhu’s design and that the strokes used to draw the Nike figure’s arms and legs were different from Zhu’s also.” Zhu will now have to pay court fees of more than US $5,000 to Nike.

Wanderings of Sanmao

Wanderings of San Mao is a Chinese animation TV series in China based on the famous manhua character . The series was invested, produced and broadcasted by . It is also known as ''"Story of San Mao's Vagrant Life"'' or ''"New Adventures of San Mao"''.

Background

The main character of the animation, , has been around since the 1930s among comic books in China. The character recently celebrated its 70th birthday in 2005, and this series is one of the many tributes to the longevity of San Mao. Other productions have taken place in the past including movies, stage plays, soap opera series and puppet films. This series is different from the 1984 cartoon of the same name.

Story

San Mao was a very poor orphan. He was wandering in Shanghai where people dreamed of riches in the 1930s. Sanmao, together with his baldheaded friend Xiao Laizi received grain unexpectedly from the entrepreneur Wu Zifu. Later he fell into a coma mysteriously, and the reporter Hou Yiwen would try to investigate the relationship between Wu Zifu and San Mao.

Tortoise Hanba's Stories

Tortoise Hanba's Stories is a large scale - Chinese animation TV series in China. It is also referred to as "The Story of Hanbagui" or "Hanbagui".

Background

The show was produced by "Shenzhen Toonring Animation" in Shenzhen with an estimated final budget of 30 million RMB . It has completed 52 episodes by the 2nd half of 2006, and is projecting 500 episodes over the next few years.

Story

The first 52 episodes called “Falling on the Earth” tells how “Hanbagui”, the turtle, comes across the teenagers “Abu”, “Annie”, “Siaomei” on earth and makes friends with them. He goes looking for his lost fellows “Baobaoxiong”, “Tiejiaxiaozi”, “Baizhangtia", “Baijingling”, “Qixingpiao”. It is a comedy.

The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa

The Olympic Adventures of Fuwa is a Chinese animation portraying the 2008 Summer Olympics mascots, known as the Fuwa. The series began running on August 8, 2007. Prior to the television release, Kaku TV distributed copies of the series to foreign embassies and cities.

The series, produced by Kaku TV and China Beijing TV Station, aired on China Beijing TV Station and over 100 other Chinese television channels.

Creators from Mainland China and Hong Kong collaborated to produce the series.

The Asian Animation Comics Contest awarded the series "Best Production" in September 2007.

The Dreaming Girl

The Dreaming Girl is a from China. It is produced by "Beijing Golden Pinasters Animation Company" in Beijing with the collaboration of .

Background

The production was acknowledged as an official project as early as 2001. The show is known for its heavy emphasis on high-level detailed environment.

Story

The story is about a 13 year old school girl and her friends in an ever-expanding story dealing with contemporary teenage problems of growing up. Fantasy and dreams add elements of surrealism.

The Blue Mouse and the Big Faced Cat

The Blue Mouse and the Big Faced Cat is a from mainland China. The first part was produced in 1995 and the second in 2000.

Background

It was voted one of China's top 10 domestic animations in 2006.

Story

Blue Mouse is clever, helpful, while Big-faced Cat is greedy, lazy, and charmingly naive. Along with two beetles, Jin Doudou and Lu Fanfang, this dynamic duo has many adventures.