Cybersix

**Created by:** | Chu Takara
Carlos Meglia
 **Main Cast:** | Cybersix
Lucas Amato
Julian
 **Country of origin:** | Canada

***Cybersix*** is an animated television series, a co-production between Canada and Japan. The series made its debut in Canada and Argentina on September 6, 1999. The series was originally voiced in English and was subsequently dubbed for Spanish, French, Japanese, Malaysian, Polish, South American, and Thai viewers. It was received positively, having won "Best Animated Production" and "Best Overall Sound of an Animated Production" at the Leo Awards in Vancouver, British Columbia on May 6, 2000. And again on April 28, 2001, *Cybersix* had won "Special Mention for the Best Science Fiction Program" at the Pulcinella Awards in Italy for that years awards. However, despite its toning down of the adult themes of the comics, the series was criticized for being too violent, and was heavily edited by the channel Fox Kids in the US.

The series was produced by Network of Animation (NOA) and animated overseas by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment) in collaboration with Telecom Animation Film. The series was produced by Koji Takeuchi, Toshihiko Masuda, and Herve Bedard; directed by Keiichiro Furuya, Keiko Oyamada, Nobuo Tomizawa, Mayumi Masaji, Atsuko Tanaka, Hiroyuki Aoyama, Toshihiko Masuda, and Kazuhide Tomonaga; and written by Andrew D. Hammell, Catherine Donahue Girczyc, Barry Whittaker, Judy Valyi, Jono Howard, Terry Klassen, and Michael Van Lane. The English voice cast includes Cathy Weseluck as Cybersix, Michael Dobson as Lucas Amato, Terry Klassen as Von Reichter, Alex Doduck as José, Jaynse Jaud as Lori Anderson, and additional voices by Brian Drummond and Chantal Strand. The series' original music was composed by Robbi Finkel, who also composed the Opening and Ending Theme songs, lyrics written by Robert Olivier and sung by jazz vocalist Coral Egan.

The animated series was based off of the Argentinian comic book series, *Cybersix*, created by comic artist Carlos Meglia and comic writer Carlos Trillo. It was first published in May of 1992 in an Italian magazine, and was later translated into Spanish and French, however, it was never officially translated into English.

## Overview

One sleepless night, as Lucas Amato, a biology teacher at Meridiana High School, was walking down the streets, he witnesses a big man vanish into the air. Lucas finds a capsule containing glowing green liquid where the man has disappeared, and takes it home. The next night in Lucas's apartment, a beauty appears through the window. Her name is "Cybersix". She persistently urges Lucas to return her the green liquid called "sustenance", and warns him that he will be in danger if he keeps it. But before she could finish her warning, a strange big man breaks into the apartment.

## Plot

The evil and cruel Dr. Von Reichter, a member of the SS and the Nazi party, is an expert in genetic engineering. He initially began his work in concentration camps during World War II, implanting cybernetic organs in the bodies of dead prisoners in an attempt to bring them back to life to serve in the Führer's army. However, the Allied forces intervened to defeat the Nazis, so he fled to South America, where he once again continued his sinister experiments.

From one of his experiments emerged the Cyber Series – artificial humanoids possessing superhuman strength and agility. But something was amiss: The 5000 original Cybers, engineered to be the perfect servants, mimicked human emotions too closely, displaying free will of their own. When they began disobeying their creator, Von Reichter ordered all of the Cyber Series to be destroyed. By this time, Cyber-29 had already died in a playtime accident when he fell from a tree (a cliff in the animated series), but Von Reichter managed to transfer the dead child's brain into the body of a panther to be reborn as Data-7. Cyber-6 was the only true Cyber to survive the massacre, escaping with the help of a black slave who hid her away in a fishing village. When the slave was later interrogated and killed by Von Reichter, Cybersix escaped once again and made her way to the fictitious city of Meridiana, where she adopted the identity of a boy killed in a car wreck, Adrian Seidelman, and now battles her evil creator and his minions.

Like all of Von Reichter's creations, Cybersix depends on a mysterious life-giving fluid called "Sustenance". When her supply ran out, she was forced to prowl the city, hunting other creatures of Von Reichter's creation, such as Frankenstein's-monster-like "Fixed Ideas" or the more human-like "Technos", to murder them and take their Sustenance to survive. Almost by accident, she became a hero by defending the people of her city from Von Reichter's malevolent plans, often carried out by his cloned "son" José Reichter. Along the way, she meets the resurrected Data 7, as well as a young boy named Julian, and falls in love with biology teacher/reporter Lucas Amato, while her male alter-ego, Adrian, became the object of affection of one of "his" students.

## Characters

**Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman** *(Cathy Weseluck)* — By day she disguises herself as Adrian Seidelman, a literature teacher at Meridiana High School. By night she leaps on the rooftops of the city fighting the monsters Von Reichter sends to destroy her.

**Lucas Amato** *(Michael Dobson)* — A biology teacher at Meridiana High School. He is good friends with Adrian Seidelman, a fellow teacher, and is initially unaware of his double life as Cybersix. After discovering her true identity, Lucas comes to love Cybersix as much more than a friend as the series progresses. He is always there to help her whenever she comes to see him at his apartment.

**Julian** *(Andrew Francis)* — A young street kid and possibly orphan. He is forced to pick pocket against his will until Cybersix promises to take him somewhere safer. He tries to help Cybersix during her fights, but is often rescued by her instead.

**Data 7** — Cyber 29 was part of the Cyber Series created by Dr. Von Reichter and the once thought deceased brother of Cybersix. However, Von Reichter saved his brain for a later use in his Data series. Cyber 29's brain was placed in the body of a black panther and he was renamed Data 7. Data 7's mission was to find and kill Cybersix. While he was on his mission his memories came back to him and remembered that Cybersix was not his enemy but his sister. So, Data 7 rebelled against Von Reichter and joined Cybersix to stop him.

**Dr. Von Reichter** *(Terry Klassen)* — A former member of the SS and the Nazi party, he is an expert in genetic engineering. He initially began his work in concentration camps during World War II, implanting cybernetic organs in the bodies of dead prisoners in an attempt to bring them back to life to serve in the Fuhrer's army. He fled to South America after the Nazis fell, where he once again continued his sinister experiments. The doctor dreams of replacing all of humanity with creatures created by him who would all hail him as leader.

**José Reichter** *(Alex Doduk)* — The clone and "son" of Von Reichter, created to succeed him in case of death, and is usually the one to carry out Von Reichter's plans, though they almost never work. Despite his child-like appearance (and behaviour), José is chronologically an adult, but his father engineered him to have eternal youth to prevent him from growing up to be a potential threat.

## Cast

* Cathy Weseluck as Cybersix/Adrian Seidelman
* Michael Dobson as Lucas Amato
* Terry Klassen as Dr. Von Reichter
* Andrew Francis as Julian
* Alex Doduk as José Reichter
* Janyse Jaud as Lori Anderson
* Brian Drummond as Yashimoto
* L. Harvey Gold as Terra

## Extra

* The series aired thirteen episodes. Each individual ones had a production budget of $360,000 USD. The series was cancelled after the first season, due to conflicts between production studios.
* The series was released in English on DVD in North America by Discotek Media on 26 August 2014. The box set features commentary by *Cathy Weseluck* and *Brady Hartel* on Episodes 1 and Eepisode 13, liner notes on Episode 4 and Episode 11, textless opening and ending animations, as well as the television pilot.

## Season 1

1. *Mysterious Shadow* *(premiered September 6, 1999)*

Mysterious figures run around the city of Meridiana.
2. *Data-7 & Julian* *(premiered September 12, 1999)*

Cybersix meets a new friend named Julian, and reunites with her brother, Data-7.
3. *Terra* *(premiered September 18, 1999)*

Doctor Von Reicther creates a new monster for Jose to test out, named Terra.
4. *Yashimoto, Private Eye* *(premiered September 19, 1999)*

Jose forced the detective Yashimoto to seek out Cybersix.
5. *Lori is Missing* *(premiered September 25, 1999)*

Jose kidnaps Lori Anderson.
6. *Blue Birds of Horror* *(premiered September 26, 1999)*

Jose's new experiment causes the birds of the city to behave violently.
7. *Brainwashed* *(premiered October 2, 1999)*

Jose brainwashes Meridiana's best detectives into searching for Cybersix.
8. *Gone With the Wings* *(premiered October 3, 1999)*

Von Reichter's new creatures terrorizes the city of Meridiana.
9. *The Eye* *(premiered October 10, 1999)*

Von Reichter sends his son a new experiment to test out, called the Eye, which soon falls out of his control.
10. *Full Moon Fascination* *(premiered October 2, 1999)*

Von Reichter sends out a new creation to destroy Cybersix.
11. *The Greatest Show in Meridiana* *(premiered October 16, 1999)*

Jose uses the circus to trap Cybersix.
12. *Daylight Devil* *(premiered October 17, 1999)*

Von Reichter creates another new experiment to destroy Cybersix, named Grizelda.
13. *The Final Confrontation* *(premiered October 23, 1999)*

Von Reichter plans to destroy the entire city of Meridiana using the Isle of Doom.