Tetsuwan Birdy Decode (Birdy the Mighty: Decode)

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Tetsuwan Birdy (2008), Birdy the Mighty TV

Japanese: 鉄腕バーディー (2008)

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Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 5, 2008 to Sep 27, 2008

Premiered: Summer 2008

Broadcast: Saturdays at 01:00 (JST)

Producers: Aniplex, Shogakukan

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: A-1 Pictures

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Demographic: Seinen

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 7.43¹ (scored by 35,234 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #2191²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2119

Members: 97,045

Favorites: 402

Available At

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Resources

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Synopsis

While pursuing an alien fugitive, Birdy Cephon Altera—a bombastic police officer from the Space Federation—finds herself on Earth. Her target, Geega, has disguised himself as a human and assimilated into the fashion industry, so Birdy follows suit and joins a modeling agency, taking on the identity "Shion Arita." Her position as a rising model has her posing for photo shoots by day and chasing intergalactic criminals by night.

Meanwhile, Tsutomu Senkawa, an average high school student, explores an abandoned building with his friend, and coincidentally, Birdy has tracked down Geega to the same building. Senkawa briefly witnesses the battle before being seized as a hostage by Geega. However, Birdy, oblivious, attacks Geega and accidentally kills Senkawa. Distraught, she quickly decides to save him by integrating his consciousness into her body.

Now, Birdy and Senkawa must not only cohabitate the same body, but also balance Senkawa's high school life, Shion Arita's modeling career, and Birdy's increasingly dangerous job as a Federation officer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Tetsuwan Birdy
Alternative version:	Tetsuwan Birdy
Sequel:	Tetsuwan Birdy Decode: The Cipher

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Altera, Birdy Cephon

Main

Chiba, Saeko
Japanese

Senkawa, Tsutomu

Main

Irino, Miyu
Japanese

Nakasugi, Sayaka

Main

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Tuto

Supporting

Kawada, Shinji
Japanese

Muroto, Keisuke

Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji
Japanese

Gomez, George

Supporting

Ishizuka, Unshou
Japanese

Thetis, Capella

Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori
Japanese

Megius, Paul

Supporting

Aoyama, Yutaka
Japanese

Scherzo

Supporting

Wakamoto, Norio
Japanese

Shyamalan, Satyajit

Supporting

Suzumura, Kenichi
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Izubuchi, Yutaka

Producer

Akane, Kazuki

Director

Aketagawa, Jin

Sound Director

Edit

Opening Theme

"Sora" by Hearts Grow

Edit

Ending Theme

"Let's go together" by Afromania

Reviews

Jan 31, 2009

Archaeon

Recommended

I will freely admit that I'm a fan of the original Birdy the Mighty. I watched the original OVA back in 1997, and I loved the show for it's surrealistic sci-fi premise. When I heard that the show was being remade into a 13 part TV series, it goes without saying that I was looking forward to it.

The original Tetsuwan Birdy manga was created by Yuuki Masami (who is more well known for his Mobile Police Patlabor series), and ran in Shounen Sunday Super magazine. However, Yuuki's work on Kyuukyoku Chojin R (The Ultimate Esper "R"), for the same magazine eventually led to the manga ... being abandoned. The original manga was received rather well though, which led to it's adaptation as a four part OVA.

It wasn't until a few years later that Yuuki went back to the original Tetsuwan Birdy series, and instead of continuing with the series from the time it was abandoned, he decided to do a complete revision of the series from scratch. The new series, Birdy the Mighty II, began serialisation in Weekly Young Sunday magazine in 2003.

The story for both the original OVA and the new series generally follows the same path. Intergalactic police officer Birdy Cephon Altera and her cyborg partner Tute arrive on Earth in pursuit of a wanted alien criminal and, whilst chasing that criminal, she accidentally kills a high school student named Senkawa Tsutomu. However, this is not the end for Tsutomu as the Federation that Birdy works for will provide him with a new body. In the interests of not causing undue alarm to the people around him (and letting him continue with his life), Tsutomu's "soul" is merged with Birdy's body (allowing them to switch between each other), whilst his new body is made.

In all honesty, I preferred the story in the OVA. The new series, whilst being more in depth, also tends to drag its heels with regards to the plot. The OVA had a much tighter story, and the pacing was far better because of the time constraints. The new series, whilst giving more information, is also guilty of not using the extra time in the series to drive the story forward. Indeed, there are to many occasions in the new series that can only be described as "filler" moments (thankfully though, there's no real filler episodes).

The most noticeable thing about this series is the quality of the artwork and the animation. The character designs are very much in keeping with both manga, however the level of detail in the designs is superior than that of the OVA. The backgrounds are often very well done, and the CG sequences are very smooth, especially during the sequences in space. A-1 pictures have done some excellent work animating the show, and nowhere is this more noticeable than in the various action sequences. The various fights and chases are extremely fluid and surprisingly detailed.

Sound is another big plus for this series, and is definitely better than that of the OVA. The sound effects used throughout the show are generally very good, although some of the effects can be a little odd in their usage. The OP is a pretty good J-rock track by Hearts Grow, entitled Sora. I have to admit that I much prefer the track used for the ED though, as it seems more in keeping with the slightly whimsical nature of the show.

Birdy is actually a pretty good character on the whole. During her time on Earth she moonlights as an up-and-coming idol named Arita Shion. The nice part about giving Birdy a "secret identity" is that it allows more of her playful personality to come to the fore.

Tsutomu, on the other hand, is more of a typical high school boy of the type that appear in many anime. The relationship between Birdy and Tsutomu works surprisingly well however, especially during the time they share one body. There is a definite chemistry between the two characters that was never really developed in the OVA, and the conversations between the two are often lively.

The downside though, is that a number of the other characters aren't developed well (or at all in some cases). Some of the more prominent characters (Nakasugi Sayaka and Satyajit Shyamalan for example), could have received a great deal more development than the show provided, especially in the case of Shyamalan.

That said though, this is still a entertaining series. There's enough going on in the show to keep you interested, although the end of the show was rather predictable. I did enjoy the series on the whole, and whilst it may be superior to the OVA in many respects, it doesn't have the same pacing or the tight storyline of the original.

This is a show that action fans may enjoy, but it may also appeal to those who want to see a strong female lead. If you simply want a show that's got action without being too serious, then it may be worth giving this a try.

Given a choice though, I would go for the OVA before watching this.

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Oct 21, 2009

SamFury

Mixed Feelings

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Comments and Constructive Criticism is Welcome
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I was in search for breasts. I know… I know… Ecchi anime doesn’t usually leave a pleasant taste in the mouth, but I’m a man, and I live in the now! No one can tell me that alien crime fighters with swelling bosoms aren’t quality entertainment. So I sat there, legs crossed, pondering what I could watch. I took the necessary steps, asked a few of my friends who lurked in the dank recesses of their mother’s basement, desperate carnal housewives and of course, the internet. To my surprise the vast archives ...

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May 22, 2018

BlokeTokes

Not Recommended

This show is just too convoluted and dull, yet its gravest sin is that it'll be just good enough that you'll watch the whole thing. Its got a neat concept, but played through a mostly-cheesy series of uninspired events - featuring a corny ham-fisted romance and an absolutely cringe-inducing villain (on so many levels). The show doesn't feel very planned-out at all and just does as it pleases most of the time. Everything is so convenient, at times to literally nonsensical degrees that it becomes frustrating. Yet there's some really well choreographed action shots (while not many), some funny lines (here and there), some great ...

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Tetsuwan Birdy Decode

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