is a Japanese

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

series written and illustrated by

Moto Hagio is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to ''shōjo'' manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of all ...

. It was serialized in three issues of

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of Japanese dictionaries, dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are to ...

's '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine in 1975. The following year, it won the 21st

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier J ...

in the combined and category. The series has inspired a

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, an

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

film, multiple stage plays, and an

audio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

CD. It also inspired a sequel manga series, , serialized in ''Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine from 1976 to 1977. ''They Were Eleven'' was originally licensed in English by

Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

and published in the manga anthology '' Four Shōjo Stories'' in 1996. The series and its sequel have been licensed by Denpa for a new English-language release in 2022. The anime film was originally licensed in English by

Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, hen ...

, but it was discontinued in 2004.

Story

Ten young space cadets are put onto a decommissioned spaceship as their final test. If they pass this test, their lifelong dreams of being valued people in their respective societies will come true. Their orders are to survive as long as they can with what they have. Once they arrive at the ship, they find that their crew has gained an eleventh member—and no one can remember the original lineup well enough to recognize which of them is the newcomer. As the days pass, the eleven cadets must deal with their suspicions of each other as well as the sudden knowledge that the spaceship is in a decaying orbit around a star, which is causing the temperature on the ship to rise. With this rise in temperature, a sickness begins to spread among the crew as they work to stabilize their orbit and determine who among them is the spy.

Media

Manga

''They Were Eleven'' was serialized in the September, October, and November issues of

's '' Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine in 1975. Shogakukan collected the individual chapters, along with three unrelated

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by Hagio, into a single volume published on July 20, 1976. Shogakukan has since reissued ''They Were Eleven'' several times: in 1978, 1986, 1994, 2007, and 2019.

originally licensed the series for an English-language release in North America, published in the now

out-of-print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a boo ...

anthology '' Four Shōjo Stories'' in 1996. In 2021, Denpa re-licensed the series for publication in the third quarter of 2022. ''They Were Eleven'' is also licensed by Ediciones Tomodomo in Spain and by

Japonica Polonica Fantastica Japonica Polonica Fantastica, also known as JPF, is a Polish manga publisher. It is located in Mierzyn near Szczecin, Poland. The founder of JPF is Shin Yasuda. Titles published Manga *'' .hack//Bransoleta Zmierzchu'' *'' 7 Miliardów Igieł'' ...

in Poland.

Sequel

A sequel manga series, titled , was serialized in the December, January, and February issues of ''Bessatsu Shōjo Comic'' magazine in 1976 and 1977. Shogakukan collected the individual chapters into a single volume published on August 20, 1977. Shogakukan has since reissued several times: first in 1978, and later in collected editions of ''They Were Eleven'' published in 1986, 1994, 2007, and 2019. In 2021, Denpa licensed the sequel series for an English-language release in North America and was published in the third quarter of 2022.

Live-action film

A 45-minute

adaptation of the manga was broadcast in Japan on January 2, 1977, as part of the

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

's ''Shōnen Drama Series''. The film's screenplay was written by

Mamoru Sasaki was a Japanese TV and film screenwriter. He was born in Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. He graduated from Meiji University. Script TV programs *some episodes of ''Ultraman'' *some episodes of ''Ultra Seven'' *some episodes of '' Monkey'' Film ...

. It starred Taizō Sayama as Tada and the

Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals and stories adapted from films, novels, manga, and Japa ...

's Haruka Yamashiro as Frol.

Anime film

A 91-minute

film adaptation of the manga was released in Japan on November 1, 1986. It was licensed by

in North America and released on VHS with English subtitles in the early 1990s. It was re-released on VHS with a newly produced English dub in 1996 and on DVD with dual language audio tracks in 2004. Central Park Media discontinued their home video release in 2004. The New York company MYC & Associates liquidated the anime license in 2009.

Cast

* Tadatos Lane (Tada):

Akira Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor. He played several notable roles in Japanese manga and anime television series, including Kenshiro in ''Fist of the North Star'', Ryo Saeba in ''City Hunter'' and Shutaro Mendo in ''Urusei Yatsura''. In mecha anime, ...

(Japanese), Curtis Jones (English) * Frolbericheri Frol (Frol): Michiko Kawai (Japanese),

Wendee Lee Wendee Lee is an American voice actress, writer, and director. Biography Lee studied dance and theater and later became a full-time dancer in her teens. According to her interview on the '' Magic Knight Rayearth'' DVDs, she started doing voices ...

(English) * King Mayan Baceska (His Majesty):

Hideyuki Tanaka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo who is attached to Aoni Production. He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. He is most known for his roles in '' One Piece'' (as Donquixote Doflamingo), '' Dokaben'' (as Tar ...

(Japanese),

Steven Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his most well-known roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop'', Garazeb Orrelios from the animated series ''St ...

(English) * Doricas Soldam IV (Fourth):

Toshio Furukawa is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to fellow voice actor Shino Kakinuma. Career He became famous for his roles in his career as Kagege (''Keroro Gunso''), Kai Shiden ('' Mobile Suit ...

(Japanese),

David Hayter David Hayter is a Canadian-American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He is well known as the English-language voice actor for Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the ''Metal Gear'' video game series. He wrote the film ''X-Men'' and co-wr ...

(English) * Ganigus Gagtos (Ganga):

Tesshō Genda is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Gen ...

(Japanese), Dean Elliot (English) * Amazon Carnias (Amazon):

Hirotaka Suzuoki was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University. His best known roles include '' Mobile Suit Gundam'' ( Bright Noa), '' Captain Tsubasa'' ( Kojirou Hyuga), ''Saint Seiya'' ...

(Japanese), Steven Blum (English) * Vidminer Knume (Knu):

Norio Wakamoto is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with the Sigma Seven talent agency. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University. On adult works, like OVAs or dating si ...

(Japanese),

Joe Romersa Joe Romersa is an American musician, composer, voice actor, and music producer. Romersa started his career career as a drummer, but early on he branched out into sound engineering. As Romersa tells it, "After a tragic early tour I did at age 19 ...

(English) * Colonel Glenn Groff (Mule):

Michihiro Ikemizu is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kanagawa Prefecture and a graduate of Waseda University who works for Aoni Production. Among his other roles, he has performed the characters Hot Springs Emblem (''Urusei Yatsura''), Isao Ohta ...

(Japanese), Henry Malloy (English) * Dolph Tasta (Red nose): Kōzō Shioya (Japanese),

(English) * Toto Ni (Toto):

Tarako , known under the professional name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi.Tarako. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 5, 2010. Her debut role was as a preschooler on ''Urusei Yatsura''. She is currently employed by the talent mana ...

(Japanese),

Dorothy Elias-Fahn Dorothy Elias-Fahn (born March 13 in California), formerly known as Dorothy Melendrez, is an American voice actress. Some of her prominent lead roles include Meryl Stryfe in ''Trigun'', Sayaka Maizono, Chihiro Fujisaki, and Tsumugi Shirogane fr ...

(English) * Chaco Kacka (Chaco):

Tsutomu Kashiwakura is a Japanese voice actor and sound director. He was formerly credited as 柏倉つとむ (''Kashiwakura Tsutomu''). Voice roles * ''Candidate for Goddess'': Ernest Cuore * '' Captain Tsubasa J'': Hikaru Matsuyama * ''Chibi Maruko-chan'': Hama ...

(Japanese), Dean Allen (English)

Staff

* Director:

Satoshi Dezaki is an anime director, producer, and screenwriter. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan North High School, he attended Hosei University. His younger brother was the late anime director Osamu Dezaki. Brief history Dezaki was born in Tokyo, J ...

, * Executive Producer: * Original Story:

* Planning: * Screenplay: Toshiaki Imaizumi, Katsumi Koide * Animation Director: Keizo Shimizu * Character Design: Akio Sugino, Keizo Shimizu * Effects Director: Kenichi Maejima * Mechanical Design: Yōichi Yajima * Art Director: * Cinematography: Nobuo Koyama * Audio Director:

Shigeharu Shiba is an anime audio director and producer. He graduated from Tokyo University of Education and went on to form the Jiyū Theatre Troupe. Shiba then joined Omnibus Promotion, where he worked on anime television series, OVAs, and movies. SeShiba S ...

* Music Director:

Zen Oikawa Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text=:ja:禅, 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a East Asian Buddhism, school of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Ch ...

* Music: Yasuhiko Fukuda ** Theme Song: "Boku no Honesty", * Producer: Minoru Kotoku * Production: Magic Bus,

Kitty Films Kitty Films (キティフィルム ''Kiti Firumu'') was a production company established in 1972 in Japan. History The company was first established in 1972 as Kitty Music Corporation under Hidenori Taga. It was a subsidiary of Polydor and ...

Stage plays

''They Were Eleven'' has been adapted into several stage plays in Japan. The first, performed by the all-male acting troupe , ran from June to July 2004; the second, performed by Axel, ran from December 2008 to January 2009; the third, performed by the all-male acting troupe , ran from February to March 2011; the fourth, performed by Studio Life, ran throughout January 2013; and the fifth, performed by Studio Life, ran from May to June 2019. The sequel manga series has also been adapted into two stage plays in Japan: one performed by Studio Life, which ran from February to April 2013, and another performed by the female

idol Idol or Idols may refer to: Religion and philosophy * Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents * Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...

group Morning Musume '16, which ran throughout June 2016.

Audio drama

adaptation of the manga was produced by the drama CD label E-Star and released in Japan on September 25, 2013. It starred

Atsushi Abe is a Japanese voice actor and narrator represented by Ken Production. Some of his major roles include Toma Kamijo in the '' A Certain Magical Index'' / '' A Certain Scientific Railgun'' series, Kukai Soma in '' Shugo Chara'', Moritaka Mashiro ...

as Tada, Kazutomi Yamamoto as Frol,

Kōsuke Toriumi is a Japanese voice actor affiliated to Arts Vision. Biography He is a member of and . To commemorate twenty years of his debut, a book entitled released on May 16, 2016. He created his YouTube channel on March 19, 2020. Filmography Anime te ...

as King Mayan Baceska, and

Daisuke Kishio is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator from Matsusaka, Mie. He changed his given name from 大輔 to だいすけ on June 1, 2007 with the pronunciation and romanization remaining the same. He joined Aoni Production on April 1, 2014. ...

as Doricas Soldam IV.

Reception

In 1976, ''They Were Eleven'' won the 21st (1975)

in the combined and category.

References

External links

* * * {{Magic Bus 1975 manga 1986 anime films Central Park Media Japanese drama television series Magic Bus (studio) Moto Hagio NHK original programming Science fiction anime and manga Shogakukan franchises Shogakukan manga Shōjo manga Suspense anime and manga Viz Media manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga

Story

Media

Manga

Sequel

Live-action film

Anime film

Cast

Staff

Stage plays

Audio drama

Reception

See also

References

External links