Stitch!

Stitch! (スティッチ!, Suticchi!)[lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese anime spin-off of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise. It is the franchise's second television series, after Lilo & Stitch: The Series. The anime series aired in Japan from October 2008 to March 2011, later receiving additional television specials in 2012 and 2015. It features a Japanese girl named Yuna Kamihara, who takes the place of Lilo Pelekai as the best friend of the titular Stitch, and is set on a fictional island in the Ryukyus off the shore of Okinawa called Izayoi instead of Kauai, Hawaii.

Stitch!
English logo of the series.
スティッチ!
(Suticchi!)
GenreScience fiction[1]
Anime television series
Directed byMasami Hata
Produced byYasuteru Iwase
Written byYūko Kakihara
Shōji Yonemura
Music byYoshihisa Suzuki
StudioMadhouse
Licensed byDisney–ABC Domestic Television
Original networkTV Tokyo
Disney Channel Japan
English network
Disney Channel
Disney XD
Disney Channel
Original run October 8, 2008 (2008-10-08) March 25, 2009 (2009-03-25)
Episodes25 (and 1 special)
Anime television series
Stitch! ~ The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure ~
Directed byMasami Hata
Produced byMichiyo Hayashi
Yoshiie Ayugai
Takahiro Kishimoto
Written byAyako Katō
Yūko Kakihara
Music byYoshihisa Suzuki
StudioMadhouse
Original networkTV Asahi
Disney Channel Japan
Original run October 13, 2009 (2009-10-13) June 29, 2010 (2010-06-29)
Episodes29 (and 1 special)
Anime television series
Stitch! ~ Best Friends Forever ~
Directed byTetsuo Yasumi
Produced bySatoshi Kubo
Yoshiie Ayugai
Matsuhisa Tomoharu
Written byMio Aiuchi
Music byKōtarō Nakagawa
StudioShin-Ei Animation
Original networkTV Asahi
Disney Channel Japan
English networkDisney Channel Asia
Original run July 6, 2010 (2010-07-06) July 19, 2011 (2011-07-19)
Episodes29 (and 1 special)
Anime television film
Stitch and the Planet of Sand
StudioShin-Ei Animation
Original networkDisney Channel Japan
ReleasedJune 16, 2012
Anime television film
Stitch! Perfect Memory
StudioShin-Ei Animation
Original networkDisney Channel Japan
ReleasedAugust 7, 2015

The first arc of the series, which serves as the first season outside Japan, was produced by Madhouse and aired from 8 October 2008 to 25 March 2009. A second arc of the original series, called Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~ (スティッチ! ~いたずらエイリアンの大冒険~, Sutitchi! ~Itazura Eirian no Daibōken~) aired in Japan from 13 October 2009 to 29 June 2010, completing Madhouse's 56 original episodes of the show. A 29-episode sequel series from the original two-arc anime, entitled Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~ (スティッチ! ~ずっと最高のトモダチ~, Sutitchi! ~Zutto Saikō no Tomodachi~) aired on TV Asahi from 6 July 2010 to 8 March 2011, with Shin-Ei Animation taking over production.[2] Then, a TV special continuing from the sequel series entitled Stitch and the Planet of Sand (スティッチと砂の惑星, Sutitchi to Suna no Wakusei) aired on 16 June 2012. Following this, three years following the release of Stitch and the Planet of Sand and announced on 26 June 2015, a TV special entitled Stitch! Perfect Memory (スティッチ!パーフェクト・メモリー, Sutitchi! Pāfekuto Memorī) aired on 7 August 2015 as part of a "Stitch! New Specials" series (a line that Stitch and the Planet of Sand started). However, the anime would nonetheless be succeeded in the franchise by the Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai in 2017, effectively ending the anime's run.

Production

In March 2008, Walt Disney Television International Japan started procuring its own animated shows with their first two debuting at Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008, producing Stitch! with Japanese animation studio Madhouse.[3] Seasons one and two of Stitch! were animated by Madhouse, and season three was animated by Shin-Ei Animation.

At the 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair, the pilot for the series was showcased for attendees at the Madhouse booth. Information was also shown around Disney's booth, showing the cast of characters who would appear in the anime. Many of the past characters, such as Jumba Jookiba and Pleakley, appear, as well as five villains: Gantu, Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel, Experiment 625/Reuben, Experiment 627, and (in the third season) a new villain named Delia. In addition, two characters, Experiment 624/Angel, Experiment 221/Sparky and Experiment 010/Felix, also appear in the anime due to their popularity from the American franchise.

Stitch! started on TV Tokyo and following affiliates at 7:00 p.m. on October 8, 2008, and had an hour premiere of the first two episodes. Afterwards, it aired on every Wednesday after at 7:26 p.m. time slot, essentially replacing Bleach.

Where the Hawaiian culture was featured in the original version, the culture of Okinawa Prefecture and the other Ryukyu Islands is featured. For example, Yuna's karate has replaced Lilo's hula.

The Stitch! anime is influenced by children's manga. It was originally aimed in Japan at young kids aged 4 to 14 years. Most of the main characters are young children ranging from 8–12 years old, including Yuna. However, unlike the movies and American series, the anime contains darker and more mature content.

The series is edited and localized for younger English-speaking and Western audiences and a lower TV rating. Every English-speaking country aired the American English dub.

Characters

Main characters

Stitch (スティッチ, Sutitchi)
Experiment 626: an alien from outer space, one day ends up falling to an island located on Earth, called Izayoi Island, off the coast of Okinawa. He discovers "The Spiritual Stone" on Okinawa, with the help of his new friend Yuna, and learns it can grant his wish of becoming the strongest in the universe, provided he does 43 good deeds. Thus, with his Good Deed Counter made by Jumba, he is able to keep track of his good deeds, and keep track of his wish of becoming strongest in the universe. However, he has mischievous tendencies that often make him lose deeds due to his overabundance of such things.
Yuna Kamihara (加美原ユウナ, Kamihara Yūna)
Yuna is a young Japanese girl; a tomboy at that, and is a 10-year-old 4th Grade elementary school student (11-year-old 5th Grade elementary school student in Stitch! Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi, albeit with her move to Okinawa New Town) who lives on a fictional island off the shore of Okinawa in the Ryukyus called Izayoi Island. Her personality is sweet and outgoing, while still tough and feisty all in all. Living on Izayoi Island, she learns and studies karate, having learned it from her grandpa. Her grandpa also did the honor of giving her a special type of starsand, as a good luck charm in her study of karate before he left. Yuna lives a rather normal cherished life with her grandma, Obaa. The other majority of her family are elsewhere, her father is out at work a lot as a marine biologist around Okinawa, and her mother died when she was an infant in a typhoon. Her life remained normal yet happy until one day, after a varied coincidence, she meets a strange creature that came crashlanding from the Turo system of outer space, Experiment 626, or as we know him, Stitch. From then and there when they met, the two became best friends and the duo go on various adventures on Stitch's quest in order to be "good". Yuna though, has a strong sense of justice and an overbearing attitude, which make her a tomboy, and that shows throughout the series. The creators of the anime got Yuna's name from the Japanese name of sea hibiscus out in Okinawa (known in Japanese as Yuna). Yuna's birthday is 25 February. It can be assumed that Yuna's favorite animal is a porpoise or dolphin from a few instances in the series. Yuna isn't good at mathematics, often getting low scores on math tests. Yuna's last name, Kamihara, wasn't unveiled until much later, although previous guesses were Chitama, after the dojo and the forest on Izayoi and Hanako, which was Yuna's previous name and design during development of the anime.
Dr. Jumba Jookiba (ジャンバ博士, Janba Hakase)
Jumba is an "evil genius" scientist, the one who created Stitch and the other 625 experiments made before him. He is assigned by the Galactic Council to watch over Stitch, and lives with Yuna and Obaa. He is more friendly in this series than the original, and has less of a penchant for evil.
Agent Pleakley (プリークリー, Purīkurī)
He is a one-eyed alien working for the Galactic Council and an Earth expert. He is Jumba's best friend, and lives with him along with Yuna, Obaa and Stitch.
Obaa Kamihara (Grandma)
Yuna's grandmother whom Yuna lives with. She is one of the three characters that believes in the existence of yōkai.
Kijimunaa
He is a little yokai, who is Yuna and Stitch's friend. He is kind of a coward, but with the help of his friends, he can find the courage to best whatever he can.

Other characters

Angel (エンジェル, Enjeru)
Experiment 624: A pink female experiment who is Stitch's love interest. Stitch is madly in love with her and she shares the same feeling. Angel travels a lot, but she stops at the island, at times, to visit Stitch and Yuna. It turns out that while Stitch is immune to Angel's song if sung by her, if it is in a different voice it still will turn him evil.
Sparky (スパーキー, Spaakii)
Experiment 221: A yellow male experiment with electrical abilities who is one of Stitch's cousins.
Felix (フィリックス, Firikkusu)
Experiment 010: A green male experiment that cleans up anything, but when he runs out of things to clean, he sucks up things that are old.
Piko (named Penny in the English dub)
A blonde girl, rival to Yuna. Piko/Penny is self-centered, impatient and in some cases, a bit snobby. She often takes great pride to mock and deride Yuna and Stitch in any case, often ending with Yuna and her fighting. There are rare occasions where she and Yuna can get along though. Her father runs the island's pineapple plants and her family runs the highest rated hotels and resorts on Izayoi. There's a habit with Piko/Penny where when she's angered, she'll often end her ranting with a comparison of something akin to pineapples. She is also a black-team karate leader. Piko/Penny may have been idealized after Hawaiian pop song "Pineapple Princess". Piko/Penny dislikes Sae but secretly does believe that she dresses better than her.
Sae (named Sasha in the English dub)
A young girl about Yuna's age who is introduced in the second season. A transfer student from Koube, she joins Yuna's class amidst the second season. She believes in good fashion and beauty, and is girly in spirit, often talking about fashion, love and all. She's also quite ditsy at times. She believes Yuna has a good fashion sense, and becomes good friends with her; as her fashion sense reminded her of her mother, a tropical fashion designer. Her father is a doctor. She not only has a rather brave personality, like Yuna; but she has a sweet and gentle personality too. Kouji (Kenny) has a crush for Sae, unbeknownst to her, and Piko (Penny) secretly dislikes Sae, but believes that Sae dresses better than she does.
Zuruko (named Tigerlily in the English dub)
Yuna's mean, bullying cousin who appears mid-way through Season 2. Although she may seem nice at first look, once you get to know her you'll discover that isn't the case. While she's kind hearted to others she is harsh and cruel to Yuna for unknown reasons, and constantly blackmails her into doing all the chores around the house (Although she later claims that she's only trying to do a role-model for Yuna). But when Yuna and Stitch move off to live with her in season 3, she becomes more friendly with Yuna and treats her nicer, although she still forces her to do most of the house chores.
Takumi (named Hiroman in the English dub)
A boy from Okinawa New Town introduced in the third season. A popular soccer player, and love interest of Reika, he often acts cool and calm. He bears a secret of acting as a maid to his sisters, and even dressing up in bishoujo-styled outfits for his sisters' enjoyment. His name is obviously a play on "hero man". It is hinted that he and Yuna have feelings for each other since Yuna often saves him from trouble; in the episode "Dorkifier", it was shown that Yuna blushed at him.
Reika (named Jessica in the English dub)
Yuna's rival in season 3. She has a crush on Takumi and friends who she bosses around. She, like Piko/Penny from the first two seasons, likes to mock and deride Stitch and Yuna. She also bears a trait of saying rather dull jokes and puns, often met with silent response. She is followed by two girls, Torriko and Makiko.
Lilo Pelekai
A character mentioned in the English dub, she was Stitch's best friend in the past, but one day she left for college. However, her mention in the English dub is only due to Disney intertwining Stitch! with Leroy & Stitch (and the television series preceding it) for the English dub. The Japanese original bears little to no direct mention of Lilo, though they do mention a "bigger Hawaiian girl" in episode 2 similar to the main character in this series. However, episode 23 of season 3 had Lilo visit Okinawa in cahoots to reunite with Stitch, only for a while though. Lilo is now grown up, and has a daughter who looks like her when she was younger, named Ani.

Villains

Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel
A villain who was a college buddy of Jumba. Much like the rest of the franchise, he bears a want to defeat Stitch. Hämsterviel also wishes to steal Stitch's Good Deed Counter in order to gain ultimate power.
Gantu
He works under Dr. Hämsterviel, to steal Stitch's Good Deed Counter. According to the English dub, Gantu was dishonorably discharged from his Galactic Federation job due to bad karaoke singing. He bears an over-obsession to a television drama called "Red Rose Maiden", or "The Young and the Stupid" in the English dub. He has a huge crush on the main character of the drama, Princess Michigo.
Reuben
Experiment 625: He has all of the same powers as Stitch and works alongside Gantu, but he is lazy and eats sandwiches. Dr. Hämsterviel claims he doesn't do much besides make sandwiches all the time. During the series he isn't much of an enemy to Stitch, even coming to visiting him sometimes. During "Reuben's Rice Balls", he becomes fond of Japanese rice balls, and even includes them among his sandwich ingredients.
Delia
An evil alien woman in a partnership with Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel to get the Neo-PowerChip that is inside of Stitch. Delia altered a majority of the experiments, which had caused them to become physically stronger and evil, and Angel, who is rescued by Stitch. Delia usually calls Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel the wrong name such as Hamu Sama or Hämusta Sama and then, when Hämsterviel's plans go wrong, she eventually punishes him based on whatever scheme he used.
Dark End
An experiment made by Delia who is designed to be much stronger than Stitch and his cousins. He is not among Stitch's cousins, as neither Jumba nor Hämsterviel made him.
Cyber
Experiment 000: He is an evil experiment who looks like a cyborg version of Stitch.

Episode list

SeasonTitleProducerEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1Stitch!Madhouse25 + 1 specialOctober 8, 2008 (2008-10-08)June 26, 2009 (2009-06-26)TV Tokyo
2Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~29 + 1 specialOctober 13, 2009 (2009-10-13)August 8, 2010 (2010-08-08)TV Asahi
3Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~Shin-Ei Animation29 + 1 specialJuly 6, 2010 (2010-07-06)July 19, 2011 (2011-07-19)
Post-series specialsStitch! New Specials2 specialsJune 16, 2012 (2012-06-16)August 7, 2015 (2015-08-07)Disney Channel Japan

Cast

The original English voice cast from the Lilo & Stitch films and Lilo & Stitch: The Series did not reprise their roles for this anime.

Character Voice Actor (Japanese) Voice Actor (English)
StitchKōichi YamaderaBenjamin Diskin
Yuna KamiharaMotoko KumaiEden Riegel
Dr. Jumba JookibaShōzō IizukaJess Winfield
Agent PleakleyYūji MitsuyaTed Biaselli
Dr. Jacques von HämstervielHiroshi YanakaKirk Thornton
GantuUnshou IshizukaKeith Silverstein
ReubenKōji OchiaiDave Wittenberg
DeliaRomi ParkMary Elizabeth McGlynn
GrandmaHisako KyōdaGwendoline Yeo
KijimunaaKappei YamaguchiColleen O'Shaughnessey
Mr. Kamihara (Yuna's father)Kōichi YamaderaJeff Nimoy
TaroTomoe HanbaStephanie Sheh
TedHitomi HaseLaura Bailey
MarvinYuki IshiiKari Wahlgren
Mr. HondaSōryū KonnoDave Wittenberg
SuzukiKanji SuzumoriKirk Thornton
PennyMiyako ItoMeghan Strange
AngelMadoka TakedaKate Higgins
KennyYuka NishigakiDerek Stephen Prince
JJYuri KonnoLaura Bailey
TonboYūki KajiDave Wittenberg
SparkyWataru TakagiSteven Jay Blum
FelixYasuhiro MamiyaSteven Jay Blum
Ms. KawasakiRyōko NagataKari Wahlgren
TachichuTaiten KusunokiSteven Jay Blum
627Takahiro YoshinoBenjamin Diskin
CyberMasao KomayaBenjamin Diskin
PiloloMakoto NaruseBrian Beacock
NosyJunichi EndoRoger Craig Smith
BooGooHitomi HaseSteven Jay Blum
SashaFumiko OrikasaMelissa Fahn
TigerlilyRica MatsumotoLaura Bailey
HiromanHiroaki MiuraSam Riegel
JessicaYoko HikasaKate Higgins
DoloresYumiko KobayashiColleen O'Shaughnessey
TorikoMai KatagariAli Hillis
MakikoKomatsuna SakatoLaura Bailey
Lilo PelekaiSumire Morohoshi (young Lilo)
Tomoe Hanba (adult Lilo)
Melissa Fahn (young Lilo)
Gwendoline Yeo (adult Lilo)
AniSumire MorohoshiMelissa Fahn

Home media

Season #DVD/Boxset nameEpisodesReleasedRef
1
Stitch! BOX 11 - 135 August 2009
1
Stitch! Kessaku Episode Shu / Sukisuki! Angel6, 8, 115 August 2009
1
Stitch! BOX 214 - 267 October 2009
1
Stitch! Kessaku Episode Shu / Hi No Tama Boya Damacchi15, 17, 187 October 2009
2
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ BOX 11 - 1523 June 2010
2
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ The Best: Lovely Alien2, 14, 1523 June 2010
2
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ BOX 216 - 3020 October 2010
2
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ The Best: Stitch Goes to Tokyo Disneyland3, 9, 2620 October 2010
3
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ BOX 11 - 1517 June 2011
3
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ The Best: Stitch goes to New Town1, 18, 2317 June 2011
3
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ BOX 216 - 3020 July 2011

Soundtrack

Stitch!: Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album
Released28 April 2010
GenreSoundtrack
LabelWalt Disney, Avex
Lilo & Stitch music chronology
Lilo & Stitch Hawaiian Album
(2006)
Stitch!: Original Soundtrack
(2010)

Stitch!: Original Soundtrack (スティッチ!オリジナル・サウンドトラック, Sutitchi! Orijinaru Saundotorakku) is a collection of opening, insert, and ending songs based on Stitch!. It was released on April 28, 2010.

Track list:[4]

  1. "Minamikaze to Taiyō" (南風と太陽, "South Wind & Sun") by Mongol800
  2. "Rodeo star mate" by The Pillows
  3. "SMILE" by Kimaguren
  4. "Ichariba Ohana" (イチャリバオハナ, "If We've Met Before, We're Ohana") by Begin
  5. "Aoi Arashi" (アオイアラシ, "Blue Storm") by All Japan Goith
  6. "TOMODACHI" (Friends) by Glean Piece
  7. "HERO" by Kiyotaka Ishikawa
  8. "Hitori Janai" (ひとりじゃない, "You Are Not Alone") by Bless4
  9. "Number One" by LoversSoul
  10. "Kagen no Tsuki" (下弦の月, "Waning Moon") by Chihiro Kamiya
  11. "Stitch is Coming" (スティッチ・イズ・カミング, Sutitchi Izu Kamingu) by Bless4
  12. "Stitch Eisa" (スティッチ・エイサー, Sutitchi Eisaa) by LoversSoul
  13. "Izayoi Yoi" (イザヨイヨイ, "Izayoi Evening") by Begin featuring Kanako Hatoma

Theme songs

Stitch! (Season 1)

Opening theme
  • "Ichariba Ohana" (イチャリバオハナ, "If We've Met Before, We're Ohana") by Begin
Ending themes
  • "Izayoi Yoi" (イザヨイヨイ, "Izayoi Evening") by Begin w/ Kanako Hatoma (ep 1 - 13)
  • "Stitch is Coming" by Bless4 (ep 14 - 26)
Insert themes
  • "Hitori Janai" (ひとりじゃない, "You Are Not Alone") by Bless4

Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~ (Season 2)

Opening theme
  • "SMILE" by Kimaguren (ep 1 - 10)
  • "Rodeo star mate" by The Pillows (ep 11 - 19)
  • "Minami Kaze to Taiyou" (南風と太陽, "South Wind & Sun") by Mongol800[5] (ep 20 - 29)
Ending theme
  • "Stitch Eisa" (スティッチ・エイサー, Sutitchi Eisaa) by LoversSoul
Insert Song
  • "Waning Moon" by Chihiro Kamiya
  • "Number One" by LoversSoul
  • "Tomodachi" by Gleam Piece
  • "Aoi Arashi" by All Japan Goith
  • "Hero" by Ishikawa Kiyotaka

Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~ (Season 3)

Opening theme
  • "Minna no Yume" (みんなのゆめ, "Everybody's Dream") by Mariko Kojima featuring Chihiro Ozawa
Ending theme
  • "Minna Stitch Tomodachi!" (みんなスティッチともだち!, "Everyone Stitch The Friends!") by SYUHEI (Disney Channel Japan Only)

Broadcast

The series airs on Seven Network, 7mate, 7Two, and Disney Channel in Australia, on Disney Channel in Singapore and India, on Toon Disney in Italy, on TV3 and TV2 in Malaysia, on TV5 in the Philippines, on RTÉ Two in Ireland, and on Disney Cinemagic in the United Kingdom.

The first season began airing in English on the Australian Disney Channel on 4 December 2009, and later on Disney Channel Asia 19 December 2009. The first season premièred on Disney Channel Latin America on 2 May 2010, in the American Spanish dub. The second season aired on Disney Channel Latin America on 6 June 2011. The third season aired on Disney Channel Latin America on 20 August 2012.[6][7]

The first season also aired on Finland's Disney Channel 7 June 2010, subtitled in Finnish with English dub. The anime has also aired in other Scandinavian countries on The Disney Channel, on Disney Cinemagic in the UK, and on Toon Disney in Italy. The Dutch version aired on Disney XD Netherlands and Disney Channel Netherlands as well as on the Disney Channel in Belgium. On October 24, 2011, the series began airing on Disney XD in the United States, but was removed from the schedule five days later for unknown reasons,[8] leaving the series unfinished in the country. As a result, it has only five episodes aired in the U.S.[8]

Notes

  1. Alternately titled Yuna & Stitch for the German dub, and colloquially referred to as the "Stitch! anime" to avoid confusion with Stitch! The Movie and the title character.

References

  1. "Stitch". TheTVDB. Whip Media Group. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  2. "Colorful, Arrietty, Stitch, Evangelion Promos Streamed". Anime News Network.
  3. Nakata, Hiroko (7 March 2008). "Disney to work with two local animators". The Japan Times Online. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  4. "ミュージック|ディズニー|Disney.jp |". disney.co.jp.
  5. "テレビ朝日|スティッチ!〜ずっと最高のトモダチ〜". tv-asahi.co.jp.
  6. ¡Stitch! Tercera Temporada Episodio 1 "Nuevo Hogar" Español Latino. YouTube. 20 August 2012.
  7. ¡Stitch! 3x01 Creditos Finales Español Latino. YouTube. 20 August 2012.
  8. "Stitch! Anime No Longer Listed on Disney XD". Anime News Network. October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2016.

Official Japanese sites

International sites

Others

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