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Stitch! (スティッチ!, Suticchi!)[c] is a Japanese anime television series. It is a spin-off of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise, serving as the franchise's second television series after Lilo & Stitch: The Series. The anime series aired in Japan from October 2008 to June 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 for its first two seasons, replacing Kauai, Hawaii, then moving to a fictional Okinawan city called New Town for its third season.
| Stitch! | |
 English logo | |
| スティッチ! (Suticchi!) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | [1] |
| Anime television series | |
| Stitch! | |
| Directed by |
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| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Music by | Yoshihisa Suzuki (Japan), Thorsten Laewe (USA, International) |
| Studio | |
| Licensed by | Disney–ABC Domestic Television |
| Original network | |
| English network | |
| Original run | October 8, 2008 – June 26, 2009 |
| Episodes | 26 (including 1 special) |
| Anime television series | |
| Stitch! ~ The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure ~ | |
| Directed by | Masami Hata |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Music by | Yoshihisa Suzuki (Japan), Thorsten Laewe (USA, International) |
| Studio | |
| Original network | |
| Original run | October 13, 2009 – June 29, 2010 |
| Episodes | 30 (31 segments) (including 1 special) |
| Video game | |
| Disney Stitch Jam[a] | |
| Developer | Cattle Call |
| Publisher | Disney Interactive Studios |
| Directed by | Tomoyuki Uno |
| Produced by | Kentaro Hisai |
| Music by | Takayuki Nakamura |
| Genre | Rhythm |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Released | |
| Anime television series | |
| Stitch! ~ Best Friends Forever ~ | |
| Directed by | Tetsuo Yasumi |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Mio Aiuchi |
| Music by | Kōtarō Nakagawa (Japan), Thorsten Laewe (USA, International) |
| Studio | |
| Original network |
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| English network | Disney Channel Asia |
| Original run | July 6, 2010 – June 19, 2011 |
| Episodes | 30 (including 1 special) |
| Video game | |
| Motto! Stitch! DS: Rhythm de Rakugaki Daisakusen ♪[b] | |
| Developer | Cattle Call |
| Publisher | Disney Interactive Studios |
| Music by | Takayuki Nakamura |
| Genre | Rhythm |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Released |
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| Anime television film | |
| Stitch and the Planet of Sand | |
| Studio | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Released | June 16, 2012 |
| Anime television film | |
| Stitch! Perfect Memory | |
| Studio | |
| Original network | Disney Channel |
| Released | August 7, 2015 |
The first arc of the series, which serves as the first season outside Japan, was produced by Madhouse and aired from October 8, 2008, to March 25, 2009, with a post-season special on June 26, 2009, also known as "Stitch Day" in reference to Stitch's experiment number (626). 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 October 13, 2009, to June 29, 2010, with another post-season special on August 8, 2010, completing Madhouse's 56-episode run. 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~), was produced by Shin-Ei Animation and aired on TV Asahi from July 6, 2010,[2] to March 8, 2011, with a post-season special for this season on June 19, 2011. Shin-Ei then produced two more TV specials, known as Stitch! New Specials, that continued from the series. The first special, Stitch and the Planet of Sand (スティッチと砂の惑星, Sutitchi to Suna no Wakusei), aired on June 16, 2012. The second post-series TV special, Stitch! Perfect Memory (スティッチ！パーフェクト・メモリー, Sutitchi! Pāfekuto Memorī),[d] was announced on June 26, 2015, and aired on August 7, 2015. No further specials were produced after Perfect Memory, as Stitch! would be succeeded in the franchise by the Chinese animated series Stitch & Ai in 2017.
Plot
Stitch! (season 1)
Set years after the events of Leroy & Stitch, Stitch has left Lilo after she went to college. He had stolen a space scooter from his creator Dr. Jumba Jookiba and reverted to his destructive programming in Lilo's absence. As Stitch was being chased by Jumba out in space, the two got caught in a wormhole. Jumba crash-lands on an asteroid in one of Saturn's rings, where he reunites with Pleakley, who had been stranded there while out on a mission about two weeks prior to the anime's events.
Meanwhile, Stitch ends up back on Earth, crash-landing on Izayoi Island, a small island in the Ryukyus. There he meets Yuna, a tomboyish girl who lives with her grandmother, practices karate, and whose marine biologist father is long out at sea working on his job. After some initial friction caused by Stitch causing chaos around the island looking for and eating lots of food and then getting temporarily stranded in a storm, the two befriend each other, and Yuna and her Gramma bring Stitch into their home. The two Izayoi Islanders show Stitch the Chitama Forest, a forest filled with magical yōkai who live there, and the Chitama Spiritual Stone, a large magical stone in the forest that provides the lifeforce of the yōkai and can grant wishes, provided that someone does 43 good deeds to prove themselves worthy of getting their wish granted. Stitch decides that he wants to become the strongest being and ruler of the universe for his wish. Jumba and Pleakley later escape Saturn and rejoin Stitch on Izayoi, and two aliens decide to stay on the island, joining Stitch's new family and helping him get his wish granted, with Jumba creating a "good deed counter" to help Stitch keep track of his progress.
Stitch does good deeds while enjoying his new life with Yuna on Izayoi, with them befriending various yōkai. They befriend Kijimunaa, a little yōkai with long red hair who has a powerful sneeze, after they help him get his home tree back from a bully yōkai, and he becomes a close ally to them. Meanwhile, Stitch's old nemesis and Jumba's former partner-in-crime Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel is at large, living in a laboratory hideout hidden on an asteroid along with Gantu and Experiment 625/Reuben, both of whom were re-hired by Hämsterviel after having been discharged from the United Galactic Federation in the interim between the events of Leroy & Stitch and this series. (In the English dub, Gantu says he was dishonorably discharged for singing karaoke poorly during a holiday party.) Hämsterviel, with Gantu and Reuben's help, spies on Stitch and learns about Stitch's new goal and eventually, by the end of the season, the Spiritual Stone. Hämsterviel goes after Stitch to take ultimate power from the stone himself.
Three of Stitch and Reuben's fellow experiments also appear during this season. Experiment 221/Sparky was somehow captured by Hämsterviel after the events of Leroy, and Hämsterviel uses a mind control helmet to get Sparky to attack Stitch. However, the Spiritual Stone eventually uses its power to destroy the helmet, bringing Sparky back to his previous friendlier self, thus allowing him to resume being one of Stitch's closest "cousins". Sparky is given a new job or "one true place" on the island, using his electrical powers at a local hair salon (this job isn't depicted in the international reversion that the English dub uses). Experiment 010/Felix was inexplicably somewhere out in space until Stitch calls for him in one episode to get out of doing cleaning, which goes well until Felix runs out of filth to clean and begins sucking up old antique things. After Jumba reprograms Felix to prevent him from further cleaning antiques, and Stitch manages to return the antique items to their owners, Felix is given a new "one true place" working for Izayoi's recycling department. Finally, Experiment 624/Angel, who has become an intergalactically popular singer in the time after Leroy, reunites with Stitch after somehow finding out where he now lives. The two resume being a romantic couple, with Angel making visits to the island during breaks on her concert tour to continue her relationship with Stitch.
In the two-part season finale "Stitch vs. Hämsterviel", Hämsterviel manages to mind control Jumba to successfully steal the Spiritual Stone's power and transfer some of it to him, becoming more powerful than Stitch. He then captures Stitch, shrinking him and trapping him in a nigh-indestructible container. However, Yuna rescues Stitch, and the Spiritual Stone temporarily transfers its remaining power to him. Stitch successfully defeats Hämsterviel, returning the Spiritual Stone's power to it, and sends him, Gantu, and Reuben to galactic prison. However, Stitch is returned to his original strength afterward, much to his dismay, as he still needs to do more good deeds to keep the "ultimate power".
Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~ (season 2)
Stitch continues to live his life with Yuna, doing more good deeds for his wish to be granted and meeting more yōkai and other strange beings along the way. Meanwhile, Hämsterviel, Gantu, and Reuben escape from prison at the beginning of the season and return to their hideout, and Hämsterviel plots to re-gain the Spiritual Stone's power.
Three new characters join this season. During the villains' time in prison, Hämsterviel finds a strange, purple, female, insect-like alien with shapeshifting abilities, and sends her to Earth to break Stitch's good deed counter. When Jumba repairs the counter, he and Pleakley find the purple alien and discover that it was brainwashed by Hämsterviel. After undoing the brainwashing and fixing Stitch's counter, the insect becomes the aliens' new pet who Pleakley names "BooGoo", as she is only able to say the words, "Boo goo!" Later on, two more people move onto Izayoi Island; Sasha, a transfer student who becomes Yuna's newest friend, and Tigerlily Sakai, Yuna's beautiful and talented but mean cousin who bullies her and Stitch. Yuna also reunites with her father in a couple episodes. Additionally, more experiments, both originating from Lilo & Stitch: The Series and newly introduced to the franchise, appear from this season onward, with most of them now inexplicably under Hämsterviel's possession. However, the heroes manage to re-tame them.
At the end of this season (and, in turn, Madhouse's run of the series), Stitch finally gains the 43 good deeds after saving the galaxy from a warhead fired by Experiment Zero, an experiment Jumba made before he gave proper numbers to his experiments, by redirecting it into a black hole just as it explodes. Although Stitch seemingly dies in the explosion, he survives thanks to the Spiritual Stone teleporting him back to Earth and to Yuna. As they reunite, he reveals to her that he used his wish to live with her forever, having decided that living with her is better than being the strongest in the universe.
Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~ (season 3) and Stitch! New Specials (post-series specials)
Yuna, Stitch, Tigerlily, Jumba, Pleakley, and BooGoo move to a city called Okinawa New Town, with the former three living together in a small house just outside the city limits. In New Town, Yuna meets her new classmates, and she and Stitch go on various adventures around the city. Hämsterviel, now living on a space station orbiting Earth with Gantu and Reuben, partners with an evil alien woman named Delia, who desires to retrieve a power cell within Stitch called (only in the Japanese version) the "Neo-PowerChip" so she can create a powerful experiment of her own. Hämsterviel sends out Gantu, Reuben, and several of Stitch's "cousins"—who Hämsterviel had brainwashed and "transmutated" beforehand—on various missions to try to attack and capture Stitch so he can be teleported over to Delia. However, Hämsterviel always fails, often resulting in him getting tortured by Delia. Lilo, now an adult with a daughter of her own named Ani, also returns in one episode of this season for a brief reunion and reconciliation with Stitch.
In the final two episodes of the season, Delia manages to steal a new prototype power cell from Jumba and uses it to create her experiment named "Dark End", who then attacks Stitch on Delia's behalf and nearly kills him. Stitch's friends revive him through their love and support of him, overcharging his power cell, and he overpowers and defeats Dark End, saving the world again and sending Hämsterviel, Gantu, and Reuben back to galactic prison along with Delia.
In both of the post-series specials, Stitch and the Planet of Sand and Stitch! Perfect Memory, Stitch and Pleakley go out on missions assigned to them by the United Galactic Federation, finding out Hämsterviel, Gantu, and Reuben are behind more crimes.
Episodes
| Season | Title | Producer | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | |||||
| 1 | Stitch! | Madhouse | 25 + 1 special | October 8, 2008 | June 26, 2009 | TV Tokyo | |
| 2 | Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~ | 29[e] + 1 special | October 13, 2009 | August 8, 2010 | TV Asahi | ||
| 3 | Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~ | Shin-Ei Animation | 29 + 1 special | July 6, 2010 | July 19, 2011 | ||
| Post-series specials | Stitch! New Specials | 2 specials | June 16, 2012 | August 7, 2015 | Disney Channel Japan | ||
Characters
Main characters
- Stitch (スティッチ, Sutitchi)
- Also known as Experiment 626, he is an alien who one day ends up falling to an island located on Earth, called Izayoi Island, off the coast of Okinawa. In the Madhouse run, he discovers the "Spiritual Stone" on Izayoi, with the help of his new friend Yuna, and learns it can grant his wish of "ultimate power" (i.e. 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 the strongest in the universe. However, he has mischievous tendencies that often make him lose deeds due to his overabundance of such things. He eventually gains the 43 good deeds at the end of Stitch! ~The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure~, but decides that living with Yuna is better than having ultimate power and chooses to live with her forever instead. In Stitch! ~Best Friends Forever~, he, Yuna, Jumba, Pleakley, and Zuruko/Tigerlily all move to the city of Okinawa New Town, continuing to live his life with them.
- Yuna Kamihara (上原ユウナ, 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! ~Best Friends Forever~, 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 star and, as a good luck charm in her study of karate before he left. Yuna lives a rather normal cherished life with her grandma. 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 the development of the anime.
- Dr. Jumba Jookiba (ジャンバ博士, Janba Hakase, lit. 'Doctor Jumba')
- 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 Gramma/Obaa. He is more friendly in this series than the original and has less of a penchant for evil.
- 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, Gramma, and Stitch.
- Gramma (おばあ, Obaa)
- Yuna's paternal grandmother whom Yuna lives with during the Madhouse seasons. She is the mother-in-law of Yuna's late mother. She is a very patient elderly woman who is well-regarded for her kind words and wisdom.
- Kijimunaa (キジムナー, Kijimuna)
- 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. He appears only in the Madhouse seasons.
- Tigerlily Sakai / Zuruko Sasuga (さすがつるこ, Sasuga Zuruko)
- Yuna's mean, bullying cousin who appears midway through The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure. Although she may seem nice at first glance, being 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 be a role model for Yuna). But when Yuna and Stitch move off to live with her in Best Friends Forever, she becomes more friendly with Yuna and treats her nicer, although she still forces her to do most of the house chores.
Other characters
- Angel (エンジェル, Enjeru)
- Also known as Experiment 624, she is a pink female experiment who is Stitch's love interest. Stitch is madly in love with her and she shares the same feeling. Having become an intergalactic singing icon, 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, it still will turn him evil if it's sung in a different voice. She is the only recurring experiment apart from Stitch and Reuben to appear in all three seasons, and she also appears in Stitch and the Planet of Sand.
- Sparky (スパーキー, Spaakii)
- Also known as Experiment 221, he is a yellow male experiment with electrical abilities who is one of Stitch's cousins. He only appears in the Madhouse seasons and the third season episode "Stitch's Birthday, Part Two".
- Felix (フィリックス, Firikkusu)
- Also known as Experiment 010, he is a green male experiment that cleans up anything, but when he runs out of things to clean, he sucks up things that are old. He only appears in the Madhouse seasons.
- Penny / Piko (ピコ)
- A blonde girl who is Yuna's rival in the Madhouse seasons. 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 the Hawaiian pop song "Pineapple Princess". Piko/Penny dislikes Sae/Sasha but secretly does believe that she dresses better than her.
- Kenny / Kouji (こうじ, Kōji)
- A brown-haired boy in the Madhouse who is Piko/Penny's older brother. He is a bully who hangs out with his best friends and fellow bullies Marvin (Masa) and Ted (Taka). Despite their bullying nature, all three boys get bossed around by Piko/Penny.
- BooGoo (ブーグー)
- A strange, purple, jellyfish-like alien insect with shapeshifting abilities introduced at the beginning of The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure. She was found by Dr. Hämsterviel at a galactic prison that he, Gantu, and Reuben escape from at the beginning of the season, and he sends her to Izayoi to break Stitch's Good Deed Counter, causing his good deeds to be counted as bad deeds and vice versa. After Jumba disables Hämsterviel's control over her and fixes Stitch's Good Deed Counter, BooGoo becomes Jumba and Pleakley's new pet. She and Stitch do not get along, however; she annoys him and tends to eat his food, which angers him greatly as he loves to eat.
- Sandra "Sasha" / Sae (さえ)
- A young girl about Yuna's age who only appears in The Mischievous Alien's Great Adventure. A transfer student from Kobe, she joins Yuna's class during 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 ditzy 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 on Sae/Sasha, unbeknownst to her, and Piko/Penny secretly dislikes Sae/Sasha but believes that Sae/Sasha dresses better than she does.
- Hiroman / Takumi (タクミ)
- A boy from Okinawa New Town who only appears in Best Friends Forever. A popular soccer player and the love interest of Reika/Jessica, 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 English 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.
- Dolores / Ms. Toyoda (豊田さん, Toyoda-san)
- An intelligent girl from Okinawa New Town who only appears in Best Friends Forever. She is Yuna's classmate and reluctant new friend/acquaintance. She comes across as aloof and prefers her studies over being with others.
- Jessica / Reika (レイカ)
- Yuna's rival in Best Friends Forever. She has a crush on Takumi/Hiroman 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 a silent response. She is followed by two girls, Toriko (トリ子) and Makiko (マキ子), who fake laughing hysterically at her lame jokes.
- Lilo Pelekai
- A character who was Stitch's best friend in the past, but one day she left for college. She was initially mentioned only in the English dub due to Disney intertwining Stitch! with Leroy & Stitch (and the television series preceding it) for said dub. The Japanese original initially 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. She eventually appears in episode 23 of Best Friends Forever, when Lilo visits 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 (ハムスターフィール博士, Hamusutāfīru Hakase, lit. 'Doctor 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 (ガントゥ)
- 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 (ルーベン)
- Also known as 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 making sandwiches all the time. During the series he isn't much of an enemy to Stitch, even coming to visit him sometimes. During "Reuben's Rice Balls", he becomes fond of rice balls and even includes them among his sandwich ingredients.
- Zero (X-000)
- An evil black-furred experiment who looks like a cyborg version of Stitch. He was made before Jumba started numbering experiments. He was made to cause destruction, like Stitch is, but was too violent and uncontrollable for Jumba. He only appears in the season two finale.
- Delia (デリア)
- 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.
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 to 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 (in a second season episode), and (in the third season) a new villain named Delia. In addition, three of Jumba's genetic experiments, Experiment 624/Angel, Experiment 221/Sparky and Experiment 010/Felix, also appear in the anime's first season due to their popularity from the American series, although the latter two would appear less frequently in subsequent seasons while more experiments, both returning from the original series and its finale film, and new experiments made for this show, appear.
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. Afterward, it aired every Wednesday after at 7:26 p.m. time slot, essentially replacing Bleach.
Similar to Hawaiian culture being featured in the original version, the culture of Okinawa Prefecture and the other Ryukyu Islands are featured. For example, Yuna's karate has replaced Lilo's hula.
Stitch! is influenced by children's manga and originally aimed at young Japanese kids aged 4 to 14 years. Most of the main characters are young children ranging from 8 to 12 years old, including Yuna. However, unlike Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Stitch! contains darker and more mature content.
The series was edited and localized for younger international audiences, especially those in the Western world and the Anglosphere, and a lower TV rating. The series's English dub used an American English-speaking cast that differed from the original cast of the previous films and Lilo & Stitch: The Series.
Cast
With the exception of Rocky McMurray reprising his Lilo & Stitch: The Series and Leroy & Stitch role of Clyde in the English dub of the second season episode "Stitchman Meets Bonnie and Clyde",[4] none of the original English voice cast from the Lilo & Stitch films or Lilo & Stitch: The Series reprised their roles for the English dub of this series.
Music
Soundtrack
| Stitch!: Original Soundtrack | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album | ||||
| Released | 28 April 2010 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Label | Walt Disney, Avex | |||
| Lilo & Stitch music chronology | ||||
| ||||
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.[5]
Track list
- "Minamikaze to Taiyō" (南風と太陽, "South Wind & Sun") by Mongol800
- "Rodeo star mate" by The Pillows
- "SMILE" by Kimaguren
- "Ichariba Ohana" (イチャリバオハナ, "If We've Met Before, We're Ohana") by Begin
- "Aoi Arashi" (アオイアラシ, "Blue Storm") by All Japan Goith
- "TOMODACHI" (Friends) by Glean Piece
- "HERO" by Kiyotaka Ishikawa
- "Hitori Janai" (ひとりじゃない, "You Are Not Alone") by Bless4
- "Number One" by LoversSoul
- "Kagen no Tsuki" (下弦の月, "Waning Moon") by Chihiro Kamiya
- "Stitch is Coming" (スティッチ・イズ・カミング, Sutitchi Izu Kamingu) by Bless4
- "Stitch Eisa" (スティッチ・エイサー, Sutitchi Eisaa) by LoversSoul
- "Izayoi Yoi" (イザヨイヨイ, "Izayoi Evening") by Begin featuring Kanako Hatoma
Theme songs
Stitch! (Season 1)
- Opening theme
- 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[6] (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)
International version
| Stitch! (international version) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Thorsten Laewe | |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
The international version features an entirely different score composed by Thorsten Laewe, who released his score on his personal website.[7]
Track list
All music is composed by Thorsten Laewe
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Space Prison" | 0:45 |
| 2. | "SpaceChase" | 1:13 |
| 3. | "Stitch Saves the World" | 2:58 |
| 4. | "Farewell My Friends" | 1:53 |
| 5. | "The Shoguns Showdown" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Going Fishing" | 0:47 |
| 7. | "Stitch Gets Power" | 1:54 |
| 8. | "The Shoguns Past" | 1:03 |
| 9. | "Awaken the Ship" | 0:33 |
| 10. | "Captain Khan" | 0:54 |
| 11. | "The Pirate Battle" | 0:35 |
| 12. | "Bonnie Clyde Steal" | 0:29 |
| 13. | "Chicago Heist" | 1:55 |
| 14. | "My Ohana" | 0:56 |
| 15. | "Stitch Space Attack" | 0:44 |
| 16. | "The Good Deed Counter" | 0:48 |
| 17. | "Dinner Without Plans" | 1:24 |
| 18. | "Main Title Theme Season 3" | 1:00 |
| 19. | "Main Title Theme Season 1 & 2" | 0:30 |
| Total length: | 23:12 | |
Release
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.[8][9]
The first season also aired on Finland's Disney Channel beginning from 7 June 2010, subtitled in Finnish with the 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,[10] leaving the series unfinished in the country. As a result, it has only five episodes aired in the U.S.[10]
Home media
The series received several DVD box set releases in Japan.
| Season # | DVD/Boxset name | Episodes | Released | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Stitch! BOX 1 | 1 - 13 | 5 August 2009 | |
1 |
Stitch! Kessaku Episode Shu / Sukisuki! Angel | 6, 8, 11 | 5 August 2009 | |
1 |
Stitch! BOX 2 | 14 - 26 | 7 October 2009 | |
1 |
Stitch! Kessaku Episode Shu / Hi No Tama Boya Damacchi | 15, 17, 18 | 7 October 2009 | |
2 |
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ BOX 1 | 1 - 15 | 23 June 2010 | |
2 |
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ The Best: Lovely Alien | 2, 14, 15 | 23 June 2010 | |
2 |
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ BOX 2 | 16 - 30 | 20 October 2010 | |
2 |
Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~ The Best: Stitch Goes to Tokyo Disneyland | 3, 9, 26 | 20 October 2010 | |
3 |
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ BOX 1 | 1 - 15 | 17 June 2011 | |
3 |
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ The Best: Stitch goes to New Town | 1, 18, 23 | 17 June 2011 | |
3 |
Stitch! ~Zutto Saiko no Tomodachi~ BOX 2 | 16 - 30 | 20 July 2011 |
Video on-demand
In Japan, the entire series and both post-series specials are available on Disney+.[11] It was previously on Disney Deluxe, which was later rebranded as Disney+ in the country but run separately from the main platform. After the Japanese Disney+ merged with the main platform in October 2021,[12] Stitch! was added to the main platform, albeit still restricted to Japan. Disney+ has only the original Japanese version of the series and splits Stitch and the Planet of Sand and Stitch! Perfect Memory into two parts each, each part its own episode; both specials are listed as part of season three. Despite the geo-blocking for non-Japanese subscribers, metadata for languages other than Japanese (such as English) exist on the service, including logos, with episodes titles using either their official dub titles or translations of their Japanese titles; episodes that were shortened and merged with other episodes in the international version also use their combined titles for their respective languages. On 12 August 2022, Disney+ added English-translated subtitles to all episodes, marking the first time that the series' original Japanese production was subbed, although it remains restricted to Japan and Singapore on the service.[13]
In India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand, the series's international version is available on Disney+ Hotstar, with the English dub available in all regions, and Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Indonesian, and Thai dubs available depending on the region.[14]
Notes
- ^ Stitch! DS: Ohana to Rhythm de Daibouken (スティッチ！DS オハナとリズムで大冒険, Stitch! DS: A Great Adventure of Ohana and Rhythm)
- ^ もっと！スティッチ！DS リズムでラクガキ大作戦♪, lit. More! Stitch! DS: Great Mission to Doodle in Rhythm
- ^ 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.
- ^ Alternately titled Stitch! A Perfect Memory in English promotional material.
- ^ 30 segments
References
- ^ "Stitch". TheTVDB. Whip Media Group. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
- ^ "Colorful, Arrietty, Stitch, Evangelion Promos Streamed". Anime News Network. 28 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ Nakata, Hiroko (7 March 2008). "Disney to work with two local animators". The Japan Times Online. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
- ^ "Stitchman Meets Bonnie and Clyde" 裏切られても、トモダチ [Even Betrayed Their Friends]. Stitch! (English dub). Season 2. Episode 24. May 18, 2012. Disney Channel (Australia).
- ^ "ミュージック｜ディズニー｜Disney.jp ｜". disney.co.jp.
- ^ "テレビ朝日｜スティッチ！〜ずっと最高のトモダチ〜". tv-asahi.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ Laewe, Thorsten. "Music | Thor Laewe". thorlaewe.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ ¡Stitch! Tercera Temporada Episodio 1 "Nuevo Hogar" Español Latino. YouTube. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ ¡Stitch! 3x01 Creditos Finales Español Latino. YouTube. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ a b "Stitch! Anime No Longer Listed on Disney XD". Anime News Network. October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
- ^ "Watch Stitch!". Disney+. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ King, Michael (26 October 2021). "Everything You Need to Know About the Relaunch of Disney+ and Star in Japan: Pricing, Plans, Content, Features". The Streamable. Archived from the original on 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ "Who needs a night out when you can have a night in? Marvel Studios' #IAmGroot, a collection of five Original shorts and the finale of #IN_THE_SOOP : Friendcation is now streaming on #DisneyPlusSG 🎬". Disney+ Singapore Facebook. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "Stitch!". Disney+ Hotstar. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
External links
Official Japanese sites
- Disney's Stitch! website on Disney Channel Japan
- Disney's Stitch character page (Hawaii)
- Disney's Stitch character page (Okinawa)
- Official TV Asahi page of Stitch! ~Zutto Saikou no Tomodachi~
- Official TV Asahi page of Stitch! ~Itazura Alien no Daibouken~
- Official TV Tokyo page of Stitch!
International sites
- Official Korean site (archive)
- Official Cantonese site (archive)
Others
- Stitch! series page on Disney+ (Japan and Singapore only)
- Stitch! series page on Disney+ Hotstar (India and Southeast Asia only)
- Stitch! at IMDb
- Stitch! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia (for season 1)
- Stitch!: Itazura Alien no Daibōken (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Stitch!: Zutto Saikō no Tomodachi (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Stitch to Suna no Wakusei at Anime News Network's encyclopedia