Synopsis.

Setting.

"Fullmetal Alchemist" takes place in the fictional country of. In this world, alchemy is one of the most-practiced sciences; Alchemists who work for the government are known as and are automatically given the rank of Major in the military. Alchemists have the ability, with the help of patterns called Transmutation Circles, to create almost anything they desire. However, when they do so, they must provide something of equal value in accordance with the Law of Equivalent Exchange. The only things Alchemists are forbidden from transmuting are humans and gold. There has never been a successful human transmutation; those who attempt it lose a part of their body and the result is a horrific inhuman mass. Attemptees are confronted by, a pantheistic and semi-cerebral God-like being who tauntingly regulates all alchemy use and whose nigh-featureless appearance is relative to the person to whom Truth is conversing with; it is frequently claimed and believed that Truth is a personal God who punishes the arrogant.  Attemptees of Human Transmutation are also thrown into the, where they receive an overwhelming dose of information, but also allowing them to transmute without a circle. All living things possess their own Gate of Truth, and per the Gaea hypothesis heavenly bodies like planets also have their own Gates of Truth. It is possible to bypass the Law of Equivalent Exchange (to an extent) using a Philosopher's Stone, a red, enigmatic substance. Philosopher's Stones can be used to create Homunculi, artificial humans of proud nature. Homunculi have numerous superhuman abilities unique among each other and look down upon all humanity. With the exception of one, they do not age and can only be killed via the destruction of their Philosopher's Stones.  There are several cities throughout Amestris. The main setting is the capital of, along with other military cities such as the northern city of. Towns featured include, the rural hometown of the Elrics;, a city tricked into following a cult;, a town that specializes in automail manufacturing; and Ishbal, a conservative-religion region that rejects alchemy and was destroyed in the Ishbalan Civil War instigated after a soldier shot an Ishbalan child. Outside of Amestris, there are few named countries, and none are seen in the main story. The main foreign country is Xing. Heavily reminiscent of China, Xing has a complex system of clans and emperors, as opposed to Amestris's government-controlled election of a Führer. It also has its own system of alchemy, called, which is more medical and can be bi-located using kunai; in turn, it is implied that all countries have different forms of alchemy.

Plot.

Edward and Alphonse Elric live in Resembool with their mother Trisha and father Van Hohenheim, the latter having left without a reason. Trisha soon dies from an illness. After finishing their alchemy training under Izumi Curtis, the Elrics attempt to bring their mother back with alchemy. But the transmutation backfires and in law with the equivalent exchange, Edward loses his left leg while Alphonse is dragged into the Gate of Truth. Edward sacrifices his right arm to retrieve Alphonse's soul, binding it to a suit of armor with a blood seal. Edward is invited by Roy Mustang to become a State Alchemist to research a way to restore their bodies, passing his exams while given the title of Fullmetal Alchemist based on his prosthetic automail limbs and use of metal in his alchemy. The Elrics spent the next three years searching for the mythical Philosopher's Stone to achieve their goals.  The Elrics are soon attacked by an Ishbalan serial killer labeled as Scar, who targets State Alchemists for his people's genocide in the Ishbalan civil war. After returning to Resembool to have Edward's limbs repaired by their childhood friend and mechanic, Winry Rockbell, the Elrics meet Dr. Marcoh who provides them with clues to learn that a Philosopher's Stone is created from human souls. After the mysterious Homunculi hinder them by destroying the hidden laboratory, the Elrics head for Dublith to visit Izumi, hoping she might be able to train them in higher forms of alchemy. Mustang's friend Maes Hughes continues the Elrics' research, but is shot dead by the homunculus Envy in disguise for discovering the Homunculi's plan.  Visiting Izumi, the Elrics learn she committed human transmutation on her stillborn child. Alphonse is captured by the homunculus Greed, but is rescued by Amestris' leader King Bradley, revealed to be the homunculus Wrath. When Greed refuses to rejoin his fellow Homunculi, he is consequently melted down by and reabsorbed within the Homunculi's creator, Father.  After meeting the Xingese prince Lin Yao, who is also after a Philosopher's Stone to cement his position as heir to his country's throne, the Elrics return to Central City where they learn of Hughes's murder. However, Lieutenant Maria Ross is framed for Hughes' murder. Mustang fakes Ross's death and smuggles her out of the country with Lin's help. The protagonists encounter the Homunculi repeatedly. Mustang kills Lust; Lin captures Gluttony, who ends up swallowing Lin, Edward, and Envy into his void-like stomach. They successfully escape from Gluttony's stomach after he takes Alphonse to meet Father, who makes Lin the vessel of a new incarnation of Greed, while Mustang tries unsuccessfully to expose Bradley. The Elrics and Mustang are released unharmed as long as they no longer oppose the Homunculi. Meanwhile, Scar forms a small band as he heads north with the Xingese princess May Chang, fired corrupted official Yoki, and kidnapped Dr. Marcoh.  The Elrics reach Fort Briggs under the command of General Olivier Armstrong. They discover a tunnel beneath Briggs made by the homunculus Sloth and learn from Hughes's research that Father created Amestris to amass a large enough population to create a massive Philosopher's Stone so he can use it to achieve godhood by absorbing the being beyond the Gate of Truth on the ‘Promised Day’. Forced to work with Solf Kimblee, a murderous former State Alchemist and willing ally of the Homunculi, the Elrics make their move and split up, joined by a reformed Scar, his group, Kimblee's chimera subordinates, and later Lin/Greed. Hohenheim reveals separately to his sons that he was made an immortal when Father arranged the fall of Cselkcess four centuries ago. Hohenheim had been trying to stop Father from sacrificing the Amestrisans all along.  The Promised Day arrives, with Father preparing to initiate his plan using an eclipse and his desired ‘human sacrifices’ in order to trigger the transmutation. The protagonists, having assembled days prior, battle Father's minions with Kimblee and almost all of the Homunculi dying. However, Father manages to activate the nationwide transmutation circle. Hohenheim and Scar activate countermeasures to save the Amestrians, causing Father to become unstable from housing the absorbed superior being within him without the souls needed to subdue it. The protagonists soon face Father in a final battle to wear down his Philosopher's Stone, but Greed is killed by Father.  Alphonse, whose armor is all but destroyed, sacrifices his soul to restore Edward's right arm. Edward defeats Father, who implodes out of reality while dragged into the Gate of Truth from which he was created. Edward sacrifices his ability to perform alchemy to retrieve a fully restored Alphonse while Lin receives a Philosopher's Stone. Hohenheim takes his leave and visits Trisha's grave where he dies peacefully. The Elrics return home months later, but separate two years later to research alchemy further. Years later in a family photo, Edward and Winry are revealed married and have two children.

Production.

After reading about the concept of the Philosopher's Stone, Arakawa became attracted to the idea of her characters using alchemy in the manga. She started reading books about alchemy, which she found complicated because some books contradict others. Arakawa was attracted more by the philosophical aspects than the practical ones. For the concept, she was inspired by the work of her parents, who had a farm in Hokkaido and worked hard to earn the money to eat.  Arakawa wanted to integrate social problems into the story. Her research involved watching television news programs and talking to refugees, war veterans and former yakuza. Several plot elements, such as Pinako Rockbell caring for the Elric brothers after their mother dies, and the brothers helping people to understand the meaning of family, expand on these themes. When creating the fictional world of "Fullmetal Alchemist", Arakawa was inspired after reading about the Industrial Revolution in Europe; she was amazed by differences in the culture, architecture, and clothes of the era and those of her own culture. She was especially interested in England during this period and incorporated these ideas into the manga.  When the manga began serialization, Arakawa was considering several major plot points, including the ending. She wanted the Elric brothers to recover their bodiesat least partly. As the plot continued, she thought that some characters were maturing and decided to change some scenes. Arakawa said the manga authors Suihō Tagawa and Hiroyuki Eto are her main inspirations for her character designs; she describes her artwork as a mix of both of them. She found that the easiest of the series's characters to draw were Alex Louis Armstrong, and the little animals. Arakawa likes dogs so she included several of them in the story. Arakawa made comedy central to the manga's story because she thinks it is intended for entertainment, and tried to minimize sad scenes.  When around forty manga chapters had been published, Arakawa said that as the series was nearing its end and she would try to increase the pace of the narrative. To avoid making some chapters less entertaining than others, unnecessary details from each of them were removed and a climax was developed. The removal of minor details was also necessary because Arakawa had too few pages in "Monthly Shōnen Gangan" to include all the story content she wanted to add. Some characters' appearances were limited in some chapters. At first, Arakawa thought the series would last twenty-one volumes but the length increased to twenty-seven. Serialization finished after nine years, and Arakawa was satisfied with her work because she had told everything she wanted with the manga.  During the development of the first anime, Arakawa allowed the anime staff to work independently from her, and requested a different ending from that of the manga. She said that she would not like to repeat the same ending in both media, and wanted to make the manga longer so she could develop the characters. When watching the ending of the anime, she was amazed about how different the homunculi creatures were from the manga and enjoyed how the staff speculated about the origins of the villains. Because Arakawa helped the Bones staff in the making of the series, she was kept from focusing on the manga's cover illustrations and had little time to make them.

Themes.

The series explores social problems, including discrimination, scientific advancement, political greed, brotherhood, family, and war. Scar's backstory and his hatred of the state military references the Ainu people, who had their land taken by other people. This includes the consequences of guerrilla warfare and the amount of violent soldiers a military can have. Some of the people who took the Ainus' land were originally Ainu; this irony is referenced in Scar's use of alchemy to kill alchemists even though it was forbidden in his own religion. The Elrics being orphans and adopted by Pinako Rockbell reflects Arakawa's beliefs about the ways society should treat orphans. The characters' dedication to their occupations reference the need to work for food. The series also explores the concept of equivalent exchange; to obtain something new, one must pay with something of equal value. This is applied by alchemists when creating new materials and is also a philosophical belief the Elric brothers follow.  The series has a steampunk setting. The Ishbal region has similarities to the Middle East, with the plot anticipating elements of the Iraq War which later occurred in the real world.

Media.

Manga.

Written and drawn by Hiromu Arakawa, "Fullmetal Alchemist" was serialized in Square Enix's monthly manga magazine "Monthly Shōnen Gangan". Its first installment was published in the magazine's August 2001 issue on July 12, 2001; publication continued until the series concluded on June 11, 2010 with the 108th installment. A side-story to the series was published in the October 2010 issue of "Monthly Shōnen Gangan" on September 11, 2010. In the July 2011 issue of the same magazine, the prototype version of the manga was published. Square Enix compiled the chapters into twenty-seven tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on January 22, 2002, and the last on November 22, 2010. A few chapters have been re-released in Japan in two "Extra number" magazines and "Fullmetal Alchemist, The First Attack", which features the first nine chapters of the manga and other side stories. On July 22, 2011, Square Enix started republishing the series in "kanzenban" format.  Viz Media localized the tankōbon volumes in English in North America between May 3, 2005, and December 20, 2011. On June 7, 2011, Viz started publishing the series in omnibus format, featuring three volumes in one. Yen Press has the rights for the digital release of the volumes in North America since 2014, and on December 12, 2016 has released the series on the ComiXology website. Other English localizations were done by Madman Entertainment for Australasia and Chuang Yi in Singapore. The series has been also localized in Polish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Korean.

Anime series.

"Fullmetal Alchemist" was adapted into two anime series for television: an adaption with a partially original story titled "Fullmetal Alchemist" in 2003–2004, and a retelling more faithful to the manga in 2009–2010 titled "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood".

Theatrical films.

Animation.

Two feature-length anime films were produced; "", a sequel/conclusion to the 2003 series, and "", set during the time period of "Brotherhood".

Live-action.

A live-action film based on the manga was released on November 19, 2017. Fumihiko Sori directed the film. The film stars Ryosuke Yamada as Edward Elric, Tsubasa Honda as Winry Rockbell and Dean Fujioka as Roy Mustang.

Light novels.

Square Enix has published a series of six "Fullmetal Alchemist" Japanese light novels, written by Makoto Inoue. The novels were licensed for an English-language release by Viz Media in North America, with translations by Alexander O. Smith and illustrationsincluding covers and frontispiecesby Arakawa. The novels are spin-offs of the manga series and follow the Elric brothers on their continued quest for the philosopher's stone. The first novel, "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Land of Sand", was animated as the episodes eleven and twelve of the first anime series. The fourth novel contains an extra story about the military called "Roy's Holiday". Novelizations of the PlayStation 2 games "Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel", "", and "" have also been written, the first by Makoto Inoue and the rest by Jun Eishima.

Audio dramas.

There have been two series of "Fullmetal Alchemist" audio dramas. The first volume of the first series,, was released before the anime and tells a similar story to the first novel. The Tringham brothers reprised their anime roles. and are stories based on different manga chapters; their State Military characters are different from those in the anime. The second series of audio dramas, available only with purchases of "Shōnen Gangan", consists two stories in this series, each with two parts. The first,, was included in "Shōnen Gangan" April and May 2004 issues; the second story,, was issued in the November and December 2004 issues.

Video games.

Video games based on "Fullmetal Alchemist" have been released. The storylines of the games often diverge from those of the anime and manga, and feature original characters. Square Enix has released three role-playing games (RPG)—"Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel", "", and "". Bandai has released two RPG titles, and, for the Game Boy Advance and one, "", for the Nintendo DS. In Japan, Bandai released an RPG for the PlayStation Portable on May 20, 2010. Bandai also released a fighting game, "", for the PlayStation 2. Destineer released a game based on the trading card game in North America for the Nintendo DS. Of the seven games made in Japan, "Broken Angel", "Curse of the Crimson Elixir", and "Dual Sympathy" have seen international releases. For the Wii, was released in Japan on August 13, 2009. A direct sequel of the game,, was released on December 10, 2009, for the same console.  Funimation licensed the franchise to create a new series of "Fullmetal Alchemist"-related video games to be published by Destineer Publishing Corporation in the United States. Destineer released its first "Fullmetal Alchemist" game for the Nintendo DS, a translation of Bandai's "Dual Sympathy", on December 15, 2006, and said that they plan to release further titles. On February 19, 2007, Destineer announced the second game in its "Fullmetal Alchemist" series, the "Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game", which was released on October 15, 2007. A third game for the PlayStation Portable titled was released in Japan on October 15, 2009. A European release of the game, published by with Namco Bandai, was announced on March 4, 2010. The massively multiplayer online role-playing game "MapleStory" also received special in-game items based on the anime series.  Arakawa oversaw the story and designed the characters for the RPG games, while Bonesthe studio responsible for the anime seriesproduced several animation sequences. The developers looked at other titlesspecifically Square Enix's action role-playing game "Kingdom Hearts" and other games based on manga series, such as "Dragon Ball", "Naruto" or "One Piece" gamesfor inspiration. The biggest challenge was to make a "full-fledged" game rather than a simple character-based one. Tomoya Asano, the assistant producer for the games, said that development took more than a year, unlike most character-based games.

Art and guidebooks.

The "Fullmetal Alchemist" has received several artbooks. Three artbooks called were released by Square Enix; two of those were released in the US by Viz Media. The first artbook contains illustrations made between May 2001 to April 2003, spanning the first six manga volumes, while the second has illustrations from September 2003 to October 2005, spanning the next six volumes. The last one includes illustrations from the remaining volumes.  The manga also has three guidebooks; each of them contains timelines, guides to the Elric brothers' journey, and "gaiden" chapters that were never released in manga volumes. Only the first guidebook was released by Viz Media, titled "Fullmetal Alchemist Profiles". A guidebook titled, which contains post-manga story information, was released in Japan on July 29, 2011.

Merchandise.

Action figures, busts, and statues from the "Fullmetal Alchemist" anime and manga have been produced by toy companies, including Medicom and Southern Island. Medicom has created high end deluxe vinyl figures of the characters from the anime. These figures are exclusively distributed in the United States and UK by Southern Island. Southern Island released its own action figures of the main characters in 2007, and a 12" statuette was scheduled for release the same year. Southern Island has since gone bankrupt, putting the statuette's release in doubt. A trading card game was first published in 2005 in the United States by Joyride Entertainment. Since then, six expansions have been released. The card game was withdrawn on July 11, 2007. Destineer released a Nintendo DS adaptation of the game on October 15, 2007.

Reception.

Overall, the franchise has received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success.

Manga.

Along with "Yakitate!! Japan", the series won the forty-ninth Shogakukan Manga Award for "shōnen" in 2004. It won the public voting for Eagle Award's "Favourite Manga" in 2010 and 2011. The manga also received the Seiun Award for best science fiction comic in 2011. Arakawa also received the New Artist Prize in the fifteenth Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes for the manga series in 2011.  In a survey from Oricon in 2009, "Fullmetal Alchemist" ranked ninth as the manga that fans wanted to be turned into a live-action film. The series is also popular with amateur writers who produce "dōjinshi" (fan fiction) that borrows characters from the series. In the Japanese market Super Comic City, there have been over 1,100 "dōjinshi" based on "Fullmetal Alchemist", some of which focused on romantic interactions between Edward Elric and Roy Mustang. Anime News Network said the series had the same impact in Comiket 2004 as several female fans were seen there writing "dōjinshi".

Sales.

The series has become one of Square Enix's best-performing properties, along with "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest". With the release of volume 27, the manga sold over 50 million copies in Japan. As of January 10, 2010, every volume of the manga has sold over a million copies each in Japan. Square Enix reported that the series had sold 70.3 million copies worldwide as of April 25, 2018, 16.4 million of those outside Japan. The series is also one of Viz Media's best sellers, appearing in "BookScan's Top 20 Graphic Novels" and the "USA Today Booklist". It was featured in the Diamond Comic Distributors' polls of graphic novels and "The New York Times" Best Seller Manga list. The English release of the manga's first volume was the top-selling graphic novel during 2005.  During 2008, volumes 19 and 20 sold over a million copies, ranking as the 10th and 11th best seller comics in Japan respectively. In the first half of 2009, it ranked as the seventh best-seller in Japan, having sold over 3 million copies. Volume 21 ranked fourth, with more than a million copies sold and volume 22 ranked sixth with a similar number of sold copies. Producer Kouji Taguchi of Square Enix said that Volume 1's initial sales were 150,000 copies; this grew to 1.5 million copies after the first anime aired. Prior to the second anime's premiere, each volume sold about 1.9 million copies, and then it changed to 2.1 million copies.

Critical response.

"Fullmetal Alchemist" has generally been well received by critics. Though the first volumes were thought to be formulaic, critics said that the series grows in complexity as it progresses. Jason Thompson called Arakawa one of the best at creating action scenes and praised the series for having great female characters despite being a boys' manga. He also noted how the story gets dark by including real-world issues such as government corruption, war and genocide. Thompson finished by stating that "Fullmetal Alchemist" "will be remembered as one of the classic shonen manga series of the 2000s." Melissa Harper of Anime News Network praised Arakawa for keeping all of her character designs unique and distinguishable, despite many of them wearing the same basic uniforms. IGN's Hilary Goldstein wrote that the characterization of the protagonist Edward balances between being a "typical clever kid" and a "stubborn kid", allowing him to float between the comical moments and the underlying drama without seeming false. Holly Ellingwood for Active Anime praised the development of the characters in the manga and their beliefs changing during the story, forcing them to mature. Mania Entertainment's Jarred Pine said that the manga can be enjoyed by anybody who has watched the first anime, despite the similarities in the first chapters. Like other reviewers, Pine praised the dark mood of the series and the way it balances the humor and action scenes. Pine also praised the development of characters who have few appearances in the first anime. In a review of volume 14, Sakura Eriesalso of Mania Entertainmentliked the revelations, despite the need to resolve several story arcs. She also praised the development of the homunculi, such as the return of Greed, as well as their fights.

Anime.

"Fullmetal Alchemist".

The first "Fullmetal Alchemist" anime premiered in Japan with a 6.82 percent television viewership rating. In 2005, Japanese television network TV Asahi conducted a "Top 100" online web poll and nationwide survey; "Fullmetal Alchemist" placed first in the online poll and twentieth in the survey. In 2006, TV Asahi conducted another online poll for the top one hundred anime, and "Fullmetal Alchemist" placed first again.  The first "Fullmetal Alchemist" won in several categories in the American Anime Awards, including "Long Series", "Best Cast", "Best DVD Package Design", "Best Anime Theme Song" ("Rewrite," by Asian Kung-Fu Generation), and "Best Actor" (Vic Mignognawho played Edward Elric in the English version). It was also nominated in the category of "Best Anime Feature" for "Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa". The series also won most of the twenty-sixth Annual "Animage" Readers' Polls. The series was the winner in the "Favorite Anime Series", "Favorite Episode" (episode seven), "Favorite Male Character" (Edward Elric), "Favorite Female Character" (Riza Hawkeye), "Favorite Theme Song" ("Melissa", by Porno Graffitti), and "Favorite Voice Actor" (Romi Parkwho played Edward in the Japanese version). In the fifth Tokyo Anime Awards, the series won in the categories "Animation Of The Year" ("Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala"), "Best Original Story" (Hiromu Arakawa) and "Best Music" (Michiru Ōshima). In the About.com 2006 American Awards, "Fullmetal Alchemist" won in the categories "Best New Anime Series" and "Best Animation".  IGN named the first anime the ninety-fifth-best animated series. They said that although it is mostly upbeat with amazing action scenes, it also touches upon the human condition. They described it as "more than a mere anime" and "a powerful weekly drama". The IGN staff featured it in their "10 Cartoon Adaptations We'd Like to See" feature, with comments focused on the characterization in the series. The character designs have been praised; critics said they are different from each other. Samuel Arbogast of Theanime.org said the flashback sequences were annoying. Lori Lancaster of Mania Entertainment called the plot wonderful, and said it is "[a] bit of a tragic coming of age story mixed in with the Odyssey". She wrote, "There is enough action, drama and comedy mixed in to keep most viewers interested. This is one of those anime series that is likely to become a classic."  The series has also received some negative reviews, with Maria Lin of animefringe.com saying that the show's themes "are held hostage by... excessive sentimentality". She criticized the ending, saying that "no character has changed from how they were in the beginning. There have been no revelations. Even as the show tries to show that the Elric brothers are coming into their own as they pursue the stone, they're really not, because they keep on making the same mistakes over and over again without... fundamental change in their ideals. The adage of the soldier and his acceptance of losing his leg is lost on them."  Reviewers praised the soundtrack of the first anime for its variety of musical styles and artists, and the pleasant but not too distracting background music. DVDvisionjapan said the first opening theme and the first ending theme are the best tracks of the series.

"Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood".

The first fourteen episodes of "" received criticism from members of the Anime News Network staff, who said that repeating events from the first anime led to a lack of suspense. Mania Entertainment's Chris Beveridge said that the entertainment in these episodes lay in the differences in the characters' actions from the first series, and original content which focused on the emotional theme of the series. In another review, Beveridge praised the new fight scenes and said the extra drama which made these episodes "solid". Chris Zimmerman from Comic Book Bin said the series "turns around and establishes its own identity" because of the inclusion of new characters and revelations not shown in the first series, increasing its depth. He said the animation was superior to that of the first anime; his comments focused on the characters' expressions and the execution of the fight scenes. Writing for "The Los Angeles Times", Charles Solomon ranked "Brotherhood" the second best anime of 2010 on his "Top 10".  Much praise was given to the climactic episodes for the way action scenes and morals were conveyed; many reviewers found them superior to the conclusion of the first "Fullmetal Alchemist" anime. Critics found the ending satisfying; Mark Thomas of The Fandom Post called it a "virtually perfect ending to an outstanding series".

Light novels.

The first "Fullmetal Alchemist" novel, "The Land of the Sand", was well received by Jarred Pine of Mania Entertainment as a self-contained novelization that remained true to the characterizations of the manga series. He said that while the lack of backstory aims it more towards fans of the franchise than new readers, it was an impressive debut piece for the Viz Fiction line. "Ain't It Cool News" also found the novel to be true to its roots, and said that while it added nothing new, it was compelling enough for followers of the series to enjoy a retelling. The reviewer said it was a "work for young-ish readers that's pretty clear about some darker sides of politics, economics and human nature". Charles Solomon of the "Los Angeles Times" said that the novel has a different focus than the anime series; "The Land of Sand" "created a stronger, sympathetic bond" between the younger brothers than is seen in its two-episode anime counterpart.

The manga was published and localized in English by Viz Media in North America, Madman Entertainment in Australasia, and Chuang Yi in Singapore. Yen Press also has the rights for the digital release of the volumes in North America due to the series being a Square Enix title. It has been adapted into two anime television series, two animated films—all animated by Bones studio—and light novels. Funimation dubbed the television series, films and video games. The series has generated original video animations, video games, supplementary books, a collectible card game, and a variety of action figures and other merchandise. A live action film based on the series was also released in 2017.

, est un manga d'Hiromu Arakawa. Il a été prépublié entre 2001 et 2010 dans le magazine mensuel "Shōnen Gangan" de la société Square Enix et a été compilé en 27 volumes reliés. La version française est publiée par Kurokawa depuis 2005.


Meteorological history.

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) spawned a tropical disturbance with a low-level circulation far to the southeast of Hawaii in the middle of August 2006. Under the influence of a strong westward-moving subtropical ridge to its north, the disturbance tracked nearly due westward, with deep convection in the region increasing and decreasing on a daily basis. It slowly became better organized, and early on August 20 the disturbance developed into Tropical Depression One-C while located about south of Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time, there was no convection associated with the ITCZ within 10° Longitude. With wind shear practically non-existent and sea surface temperatures of around, conditions favored strengthening, and operationally the cyclone was forecast to reach minimal hurricane status within four days before beginning to weaken. The depression attained tropical storm status within six hours of developing. The Central Pacific Hurricane Center designated the system with the name "Ioke", Hawaiian for the name Joyce. Subsequently, Ioke quickly strengthened, and by late on August 20 the storm developed a central dense overcast and the beginnings of an eyewall; early on August 21 the storm intensified into a hurricane, just 24 hours after first developing.  Hurricane Ioke steadily deepened as it continued west-northwestward, with better definition of the eye and deepening of the eyewall convection. Near the International Date Line a frontal trough turned the hurricane to the northwest, and after a period of rapid deepening Ioke attained winds of early on August 22 while located about southeast of Johnston Atoll. After maintaining Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale for about 18 hours, southwesterly wind shear slightly disrupted the inner core of the hurricane, and Ioke quickly weakened to winds of about. Late on August 22, the hurricane passed about south of Johnston Atoll, with the northeastern portion of the eyewall crossing the atoll early on August 23. After turning westward later in the day, wind shear began to decrease, allowing a second period of rapid deepening. By August 24 the hurricane maintained a closed eyewall, and on August 25 Ioke attained Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale while located about west-southwest of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai. After maintaining Category 5 status for about 18 hours, Ioke weakened slightly due to an eyewall replacement cycle. Completing the cycle on August 26, the hurricane restrengthened to Category 5 status. The trough to its west tracked further away from the hurricane, allowing the subtropical ridge to build ahead of the hurricane which turned Ioke to the southwest. The overall environment remained very favorable for sustainment of the powerful cyclone. Strong upper-level cyclones far to its northwest provided outflow channels and light wind shear, with warm water temperatures along its path. With the conditions, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory hurricane model predicted Ioke to reach winds of, with a predicted minimum pressure of. Early on August 27, the pressure dropped to, and shortly thereafter Ioke crossed the International Date Line, becoming a typhoon.  Unofficially referred as a super typhoon by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), Ioke remained at the equivalence of a Category 5 hurricane for about 12 hours after crossing the Date Line. It then began a slight weakening trend on August 28, due to increased inflow from the ridge to its north. On August 29, the cyclone turned to the west and west-northwest while tracking around the periphery of the subtropical ridge, and Ioke again reached the equivalence of Category 5 status. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) assessed Ioke as attaining peak 10‐minute sustained winds of on August 30. Later that day, the typhoon weakened to the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane for the final time, and on August 31 Ioke passed very near Wake Island with winds of about.  By September 1, increased wind shear and drier air caused the eye of Ioke to become cloud-filled and elongated, and by September 2 Ioke was undergoing another eyewall replacement cycle. On September 2, Ioke passed about north of Minami-Tori-shima with winds of about. Gradual weakening continued, and the typhoon steadily shifted its track to the northwest around the subtropical ridge. A deepening trough turned Ioke to the north-northwest and north, and the cyclone weakened to a tropical storm a few hundred miles east of Japan. After accelerating northeastward, the cyclone began losing tropical characteristics, and the JTWC declared Ioke as an extratropical cyclone on September 6. The JMA maintained Ioke as a typhoon until a day later, and maintained Ioke as a tropical cyclone until it was declared extratropical midday on September 6. The extratropical remnants of Ioke were tracked by the JMA until September 7, when it was located near the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The storm deepened as it approached the Aleutians, and re-developed winds of hurricane-force. The storm entered the Bering Sea on September 8, and after turning eastward, crossed the Aleutian Islands and entered the Gulf of Alaska. The extratropical remnants of Ioke dissipated near southeastern Alaska on September 12.

Preparations and impact.

Johnston Atoll.

Late on August 21, about 24 hours prior to its closest approach, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for uninhabited territory of Johnston Island, due to the uncertainty of whether anyone was on the island. A United States Air Force vessel and a 12-person crew were on the island, and after securing their ship the crew took shelter in a hurricane-proof concrete bunker. There were no meteorological observations on the island, but the crew estimated tropical storm force winds lasted for about 27 hours with hurricane-force winds lasting six to eight hours; peak wind gusts were estimated at. The crew sustained no injuries, and their ship received only minor damage. Hurricane Ioke, with a portion of its eye crossing the atoll, left an estimated 15% of the palm trees on the island with their tops blown off, with some ironwood trees blown over; the island bird population was unaffected. The hurricane produced rough surf which washed away a portion of a sea wall and an adjacent road.

Wake Island.

Under the threat of the typhoon for several days, two C-17 Globemaster III airlifters evacuated between 188–200 military personnel from Wake Island to Hawaii, the first full-scale evacuation of the island since Typhoon Sarah in 1967. A buoy just east of the island recorded a pressure of as Ioke crossed directly over it. Before the typhoon passed just north of the island, an anemometer recorded hurricane-force winds with a peak wind gust of before the instrument stopped reporting. Sustained winds were estimated to have reached, with gusts to. The minimum central pressure recorded on the island was 934 mbar at 0906 UTC on August 31. The typhoon was expected to produce a storm surge of and wave heights of along Wake Island, where the highest point is. Additionally, heavy rainfall from the typhoon left buildings flooded, with of standing water found several days after its passage.  The powerful winds of Typhoon Ioke caused extensive damage to the island's power grid, leaving most power lines to buildings and backup generators damaged. The combination of the winds and storm surge flooding damaged 70% of the buildings in the territory, many of which with moderate roof damage. All low-lying areas were described as being covered with sea water or sand, and the territory was left without running water. Communications were downed on the island, with satellite dishes and cables destroyed. Damage to the infrastructure was extensive, though repairable and less than expected. Damage on the island was estimated at $88 million (2006 USD).

Japan and Alaska.

On September 1, the Japan Meteorological Agency ordered the temporary evacuation of its staff on Minami-Tori-shima, under threat of the typhoon. The agency expected high waves and winds on the island. Facilities on the island were damaged, although it was repaired and fully operational within three weeks after the storm.  The extratropical remnant of Ioke produced a storm surge and high surf in excess of along the southwestern coastline of Alaska, which coincided with the astronomical high tide; the combination led to minor flooding along Bristol Bay and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Wind gusts peaked at in Unalaska. The system produced moderate to heavy rainfall across the western portion of Alaska, including daily rainfall records of 1.15 inches (29 mm) at Bethel and 0.67 in (17 mm) at Kotzebue. Rainfall continued into the southeastern portion of the state, contributing to above-normal rainfall totals near Juneau.

Records and aftermath.

Hurricane Ioke became one of only seven hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale in the Central North Pacific Ocean. The others were Patsy in 1959, Emilia, Gilma, and John in 1994, as well as Lane and Walaka in 2018. With an estimated minimum central pressure of 915 mbar (27.019 inHg), the cyclone attained the lowest estimated surface pressure for any hurricane within the basin, surpassing the previous minimum set by Hurricane Gilma in 1994. Ioke maintained at least Category 4 status for 198 consecutive hours, which was the longest continuous time period at that intensity ever observed for any tropical cyclone anywhere on Earth. Additionally, the cyclone remained at the equivalence of a super typhoon for 174 consecutive hours, which was also a record. As a result of its extended duration and intensity, Hurricane/Typhoon Ioke accrued an accumulated cyclone energy index of 82, which set a new worldwide record.  The United States Coast Guard first performed an aerial assessment of damage on Wake Island on September 2, three days after the typhoon struck. The flight indicated an overall damage smaller than expected, and reported a lack of oil spill or hazardous material leak. The U.S. Coast Guard arrived by boat with a team on September 7, with a preliminary damage assessment completed four days later; the team repaired a generator to provide power. The United States Navy's combat stores ship, the USNS San Jose (T-AFS-7), and sixteen members United States Air Force's 36th Contingency Response Group at Andersen AFB, Guam arrived on September 8 and analyzed the stability of the airfield along with assisting in clean-up efforts, and after core tests workers cleared the runway to allow flights onto the territory. On September 13, a group of engineers restored power on the island. About two weeks after the cyclone, several buildings were operational.  The Central Pacific Hurricane Center requested the retirement of the name, and in April 2007, the name "Ioke" was retired, and replaced with Iopa.

Hurricane Ioke, also referred to as Typhoon Ioke, was the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Central Pacific, as well as the fifth-most intense Pacific hurricane on record, tied with 1973's Hurricane Ava. The first storm to form in the Central Pacific in the 2006 Pacific hurricane season, Ioke was a record breaking, long-lived and extremely powerful storm that traversed the Pacific for 17 days, reaching the equivalent of Category 5 status on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale on three different occasions.

L’ouragan "Ioke (aussi, désignation internationale 0612, désignation du centre japonais des cyclones tropicaux 01C et parfois appelé Super Typhon "Ioke) est la première tempête tropicale et le premier ouragan de la saison cyclonique 2006 du bassin central-nord de l’océan Pacifique. En provenance du bassin nord-ouest du Pacifique, c’est également la première tempête tropicale à s’y former depuis 2002.


Taxonomy.

First described in the genus "Cupressus" as "Cupressus nootkatensis" in 1824, it was transferred to "Chamaecyparis" in 1841 on the basis of its foliage being in flattened sprays, as in other "Chamaecyparis", but unlike most (though not all) other "Cupressus" species.  However, this placement does not fit with the morphology and phenology of the cones, which are far more like "Cupressus", like them maturing in two years, not one. Genetic evidence, published by Gadek et al., strongly supported its return to "Cupressus" and exclusion from "Chamaecyparis".  More recently, Farjon "et al." (2002) transferred it to a new genus "Xanthocyparis", together with the newly discovered Vietnamese golden cypress "Xanthocyparis vietnamensis"; this species is remarkably similar to Nootka cypress and the treatment has many arguments in its favour, as while they are not related to "Chamaecyparis", neither do they fit fully in "Cupressus" despite the many similarities.  Little et al., while confirming the above relationship with further evidence, pointed out that an earlier nomenclatural combination in the genus "Callitropsis" existed, as "Callitropsis nootkatensis" (D.Don) Oerst., published in 1864 but overlooked or ignored by other subsequent authors. Little et al. therefore synonymised "Xanthocyparis" with "Callitropsis", the correct name for these species under the ICBN when treated in a distinct genus. The name "Xanthocyparis" has now been proposed for conservation, and the 2011 International Botanical Congress followed that recommendation.  In 2010, Mao et al. performed a more detailed molecular analysis and placed Nootka cypress back in "Cupressus". However, this is disputed, as the tree would compose a monophyletic subgenus. "The argument that it warrants treatment as a monotypic genus is not without merit, in which case the correct name is "Callitropsis nootkatensis.""

Description.

Nootka cypress is native to the west coast of North America, from the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, south to the Klamath Mountains in northernmost California. It is typically occurring on wet sites in mountains, often close to the tree line, but sometimes also at lower altitudes.}|  "Cupressus nootkatensis" is an evergreen tree growing up to tall, commonly with pendulous branches. The foliage is in flat sprays, with dark green, 3–5 mm long scale-leaves. The cones have 4 (occasionally 6) scales, and resemble the cones of Mexican cypress ("Cupressus lusitanica", another "Cupressus" species which can show foliage in flat sprays) fairly closely, except being somewhat smaller, typically 10–14 mm diameter; each scale has a pointed triangular bract about 1.5–2 mm long, again similar to other "Cupressus" and unlike the crescent-shaped, non-pointed bract on the scales of "Chamaecyparis" cones. The Caren Range on the west coast of British Columbia is home to the oldest Nootka cypress specimens in the world, with one specimen found to be 1,834 years old (Gymnosperm Database).  "Cupressus nootkatensis" is one of the parents of the hybrid Leyland cypress; the other parent, Monterey cypress, is also in genus "Cupressus", although in the North American "Hesperocyparis" clade, which has generally been found to be phylogenetically closer to C. nootkatensis than the Old World clade "Cupressus" sensu stricto (e.g., Mao et al. 2010).

Climate-related mortality.

In Alaska, where the tree is primarily referred to as "yellow cedar," extensive research has been conducted into large-scale die-offs of yellow cedar stands. These studies have concluded that the tree has depended upon heavy coastal snowpacks to insulate its shallow roots from cold Arctic winters. The impacts of climate change have resulted in thinner, less-persistent snowpacks, in turn causing increased susceptibility to freeze damage. This mortality has been observed over 7% of the species range, covering approximately 10 degrees of latitude from northern southeast Alaska to southern British Columbia. Substantial future mortality is likely due to warming temperatures and decreasing snowpacks. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is reviewing whether to designate the species as threatened or endangered.

Uses.

Historically.

This species has been considered to be one of the finest timber trees in the world and has been exported to China during the last century. The wood has been used for flooring, interior finish and shipbuilding

Construction.

The various physical properties of the wood make it an attractive material for both general construction and boat building. Due to its slow growth it is hard and, like other cypress woods it is durable; it therefore offers good dimensional stability, and is resistant to weather, insects, and contact with soil. It works easily with hand or machine tools; it turns and carves quite well. It can be fastened with glues, screws, and nails. Nootka cypress's texture, uniform color, and straight grain will take a fine finish. It resists splintering and wears smoothly over time. When fresh cut it has a somewhat unpleasant bitter scent, but when seasoned it has barely any discernible scent, hence its traditional use in face masks.  Due to its expense, it is used mainly for finished carpentry. Typical uses include exterior siding, shingles, decking, exposed beams, glue-laminated beams, paneling, cabinetry, and millwork. In historic preservation it can be used as a substitute for "Thuja plicata" (western red cedar) and "Taxodium distichum" (bald cypress), due to current difficulties in obtaining quality timber of those species due to environmental concern and past over-exploitation, although this applies equally to Nootka cypress.  Other uses for Nootka cypress include saunas, and battery containers due to its resistance to acids. Traditionally, paddles, masks, dishes, and bows were made from the wood.

Landscaping.

The drooping branchlets give the tree a graceful weeping appearance. It makes an attractive specimen tree in parks and open spaces. It can also be used as a tall hedge.  It will grow in USDA plant hardiness zones 5-9, but can be difficult to grow. Best growth is in light or heavy soil, preferably well drained, and in climates with cool summers. It prefers semi-shade to full sun.  Nootka cypress can also be used in bonsai.  The cultivar "C. nootkatensis" 'Pendula' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Firewood.

Nootka cypress has extreme heartwood qualities that make this one of the most desired sources of heat on the west coast. Its wood burns very hot and lasts a long time as embers. A tree can still be used for firewood up to 100 years after its death.

Indigenous societies.

The Nootka cypress is used extensively by the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, along with another cypress, "Thuja plicata" (western red cedar). While western red cedar was preferred for larger projects (houses, canoes), Nootka cypress was used for smaller carvings such as vessels and utensils.  A legend amongst the Nootka peoples of the Hesquiaht First Nation tells of the origins of the Nootka cypress. In the legend, a raven encounters three young women drying salmon on the beach. He asks the women if they are afraid of being alone, if they are afraid of bears, wolves, and other animals. Each women responded "no". But when asked about owls, the women were indeed afraid of owls. Hearing this, the trickster raven hid in the forests, and made the calls of an owl. The terrified women ran up the mountains, but turned into Nootka cypress trees when they were out of breath. According to the Nootka, this is why Nootka cypress grows on the sides of mountains, and also why the bark is silky like a woman's hair, the young trunk is smooth like a woman's body.  In Tlingit culture the story of Natsilane describes how a Nootka cypress was used to carve the world's first killer whale.

Cupressus nootkatensis is a species of trees in the cypress family native to the coastal regions of northwestern North America. This species goes by many common names including: Nootka cypress, yellow cypress, Alaska cypress, Nootka cedar, yellow cedar, Alaska cedar, and Alaska yellow cedar. The specific epithet "nootkatensis" is derived from its discovery by Europeans on the lands of a First Nation of Canada, those lands of the Nuu-chah-nulth people of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, who were formerly referred to as the Nootka.

Le Cyprès de Nootka ou Cyprès de Nutka ou Faux-Cyprès de Nootka, Cupressus nootkatensis, est une espèce d’arbres du genre "Cupressus" de la famille des "Cupressaceae", originaire de l'ouest de l'Amérique du Nord, largement cultivé comme arbre ou arbuste d'ornement.


Premise.

Plot and characters.

The series is set in a universe inhabited solely by anthropomorphic animals of many species and focuses on a trio of campers attending a poorly-run summer camp known as Camp Kidney. The trio consists of Lazlo, the eccentric, optimistic spider monkey; Raj, the timid Indian elephant; and Clam, the quiet albino pygmy rhinoceros, and their multiple surreal misadventures.  Other characters include the selfish, ill-tempered moose Scoutmaster Lumpus and his mild-mannered assistant Slinkman the banana slug, the boys' assortment of fellow campers including the disgruntled, surly platypus Edward, the two unintelligent, dirt-loving dung beetles Chip and Skip, and the klutzy, accident-prone, geeky Guinea pig Samson. There's also a rival summer camp called Acorn Flats, which is attended solely by girls, primarily focusing on Lazlo, Raj, and Clam's respective female counterparts attending that camp; Patsy the adventurous mongoose who has a major crush on Lazlo, Gretchen the short-tempered alligator, Nurse Leslie the pink nurse shark who is a doctor and Nina the bookish, sci-fi-loving giraffe, along with the object of Scoutmaster Lumpus's affections, Miss Doe, the head of Acorn Flats.  Murray said that, as he did in "Rocko's Modern Life", he matched the personalities of characters to various animals.  Some episodes may involve the Bean Scouts' attempts at unveiling the truth behind camp legends or clowning around, infuriating their peers or placing themselves in a variety of odd situations commonly based around traditional or fictionalized, bizarre camp activities.

Setting.

The setting of the show was designed to deliberately bring a nostalgic feeling of childhood summer camps and "evoke a comfortable place to visit". The colors instill the "feeling" of summer camp, rather than basing color schemes on real-life colors; Murray and Sue Mondt, the art director, chose the colors. In "Camp Lazlo", the sky can be yellow, and trees are not always green and brown. For the architecture and objects, books with cabins, camps and Native American artifacts were consulted. Ultimately, Murray wanted to create a place where nature prevails, and the hustle and bustle of real-life is left behind, with no technology to distract from the impressions of camp life. He describes the camp as having a "retro" feel. Murray likes 1950s and early 1960s designs of objects like advertising art, lamps, and old vacation brochures, and he said that the "brushy quality that developed at that time" heavily influenced the setting.

Production.

Development.

After "Rocko's Modern Life" concluded production, series creator Joe Murray kept a notebook of ideas for television shows and books. Murray attributes some of his most fond memories to days at summer camp; Murray said that he attended summer camp every summer for "4 or 5 years in a row" and that he "couldn't really get the scouting thing down". He also described cartoons with pastoral settings, such as the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" series and "Yogi Bear", as having a "calming" effect due to the tree-filled backgrounds. At the time he believed that too many futuristic themes appeared in media and literature, so he wished to create a series that would "get back to nature".  "Camp Lazlo" originated from a camp-related children's book series concept by Murray that, according to him, "outgrew its medium". As Murray developed the concept, he felt that his "lunatic characters wanted to live" and decided that a simple story could not sufficiently house his characters. Murray desired to create a series about a group of children without "high tech stimulus" and "in nature".  Linda Simensky, who had previously worked with Murray on "Rocko", had since moved to Cartoon Network and called Murray to solicit a new series. After an initial hesitation, Murray sent Simensky the idea for a show with a working title of "3 Beans". Simensky "thought it sounded too much like a salad", so Murray changed the name to "Camp Lazlo". When approval was given, Murray decided to produce the show at Cartoon Network Studios and his studio Joe Murray Productions, and brought Mark O'Hare on as co-producer.  According to Murray, the greenlight to produce "Lazlo" had been initially given and later revoked, leaving Murray and Mark O'Hare "pissed" and "depressed". Murray believed that an executive was not "completely sold" by the series, and worked to have the series receive definite approval. Production of "Camp Lazlo" began in 2004 and ended in 2007; November 2007 saw the beginning of the series' final production run. The series would later have writers that would go on to create their own shows, such as Thurop Van Orman, who later created "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" in 2008, and J. G. Quintel, who later created "Regular Show" in 2010.

Writing.

Murray felt that "Camp Lazlo" successfully appealed to younger children because his prior experiences with his own children helped him determine details that children found humorous. Murray said that he resisted the urge inside of him to micromanage the production and instead approved aspects and contributions related to the show. He said that he had "a lot of pre-production time" and therefore details became established before the show aired on television. His main philosophies expressed in the show include the phrase "be who you are" and that one should question authority unless the issue is "a safety issue." Murray said that he avoids sending "messages" to children and that he hoped that his television show did not contain "too many messages."  Murray asked many staff members who participated in creating "Rocko's Modern Life" to return and perform duties for "Camp Lazlo", describing his main tactic to attract the crew as "coercion". Murray wanted the "Rocko's Modern Life" crew as it "knows my sensibilities" and gained ten years of experience. Crew members of "Rocko's Modern Life", such as Robert Scull or Peter Burns, have worked on this show. For season one, Murray hired among others comedy writer Martin Olson, who had collaborated with Murray on some of the most successful stories for "Rocko's Modern Life".

Animation.

Murray said that he likes storybook art and the works of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse; the styles influenced the visual style of "Camp Lazlo". He also describes "great comic book artists" as important to himself and Mark O'Hare. The team created some backgrounds using "Acryl Gouache," a mixture of acrylic paint and gouache. Rough Draft Studios, a South Korean studio, produced the "Camp Lazlo" footage.

Voice acting.

Murray asked Tom Kenny to voice characters because Murray felt that Kenny "adds writing to his roles" and "brings so much." Murray looked for "comedic timing" in his voice actors, and therefore he used many stand-up comics and sketch actors. Carlos Alazraqui, who voiced Rocko from "Rocko's Modern Life", voices Lazlo. Mr. Lawrence, who voiced Filburt, voices Edward and the Loons.

Music.

The opening theme song, "Lazlo Was His Name-O", was based on the children's folk song "Bingo", which was adapted, with new lyrics, by American musician Terry Scott Taylor. The music score for the show was composed by Andy Paley, and features original camp songs, bluegrass and cowboy swing. Joe Murray explained that the team often used "strange instruments" such as washboards, and the musical saw. In addition to Paley's music score, the show also utilized many tracks from the Associated Production Music library.

Reception.

Ray Richmond of "The Hollywood Reporter" posted his review of the series on July 7, 2005. Richmond said that his child enjoyed the show but did not ask to see it again. Richmond said that the show forms "plenty lively and a nice, safe way for a child viewer to spend a half-hour". Richmond said that the show has too much "self-consciously precious" humor; the reviewer said that the trait may not factor for children and described children as "demanding and non-discriminating at the same time."  Ginia Bellafante of "The New York Times" said that if she became "socio-analytical about the Lazlo enterprise," Camp Kidney appears to be a stand-in for "our culture of obsessive parenting."  Kathie Huddleston, a reporter for the "Science Fiction Weekly", created a favorable review of "Camp Lazlo".  "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reviewed the series and gave it an "A."  Joly Herman of "Common Sense Media" posted a review of the show on Go.com. Herman describes the humor used in the "Camp Lazlo" as making it an "unpredictable show for younger viewers." Herman gave the show two stars out of five.

Other media.

Digital releases.

"Camp Lazlo" was released in HD remasters partially on Boomerang's streaming service in 2018, completing the HD release of the show in its entirety in June 2019.

DVD releases.

Prior to "Camp Lazlo"s premiere on Cartoon Network, a Press Kit for the show was given away as a promotional item, containing fact sheets on the show and a DVD with four episodes (2 half-hour episodes): "Gone Fishin' (Sort of) / Beans Are from Mars" and "Parasitic Pal / It's No Picnic". This item is now only available through a second-hand market.  On July 18, 2007, Madman Entertainment of Australia released a set of two DVDs encoded for Region 4 of season one episodes. No further information is available about a Region 1 release or additional seasons.  Two episodes have also appeared on Cartoon Network themed DVDs. "Hello Dolly" appeared on the "Cartoon Network Fridays - Volume 1" DVD, released on September 19, 2006. "Snow Beans", a winter-themed episode of the show, was released on the "Cartoon Network Christmas: Volume Three" DVD on October 3, 2006.  The entire series can now be purchased on digital download.

Video game.

A video game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance called "Camp Lazlo: Leaky Lake Games" was released on November 6, 2006, as a tie-in to the show. The game is published by Crave Entertainment and developed by Collision Studios. The player plays as the three main characters (Lazlo, Clam and Raj) to compete in a series of game challenges and earn merit badges in the Leaky Lake Games event. That will allow them to compete against the Squirrel Scouts in a final tournament. In the game, the player meets characters, such as Scoutmaster Lumpus, Mr. Slinkman, Edward, and many others to receive hints and directions in achieving goals in the game. They trigger some of the mini-games, which are all timed. The game received generally mixed reviews.

McDonald's.

"Camp Lazlo" characters appeared in a 2007 commercial for the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's, which advertised various Cartoon Network characters being included as action figure toys in Happy Meals, including those from "Camp Lazlo". Murray did not want the series to be used in Happy Meals; the only action he could take was refusing to appear in the television commercials. Murray stated on his website that he will not explain his opposition to Happy Meals due to his respect for the effort placed by Cartoon Network "marketing people". Murray stated that his opinions are his alone and do not reflect the opinions of Cartoon Network. He said that he appreciates Cartoon Network's "campaign for unhealthier eating habits for kids". "C" Raggio, a character designer, appeared in the commercials instead.

Camp Lazlo (stylized as CAMP LAZLO!) is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Cartoon Network. It follows Lazlo, an anthropomorphic spider monkey who attends Camp Kidney, a Boy Scout-like summer camp in Pimpleback Mountains. Lazlo resides in the "Jelly Bean" cabin with his fellow Bean Scouts Raj, an Indian elephant, and Clam, a pygmy rhinoceros. Lazlo is often at odds with his pessimistic camp leader Scoutmaster Lumpus, the second-in-command Slinkman, and other campers. Camp Kidney sits just across the lake from Acorn Flats, which is home to the campsite of the all-female Squirrel Scouts. It was one of the first Cartoon Network Studios series produced in a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, despite originally being broadcast in the full screen aspect ratio of 4:3.

Camp Lazlo est une série d'animation américaine créée par Joe Murray, produite par le Cartoon Network Studios, et initialement diffusée entre le et le sur Cartoon Network aux États-Unis. La série relate l'histoire d'un camp d'été de scouts à caractère animal anthropomorphe, un style d'humour et de bêtise relatant l'ancienne série d'animation créée par Joe Murray intitulée "Rocko's Modern Life" (anciennement diffusée sur Nickelodeon), et de références culturelles.


Biography.

Christie studied art history at Harvard University, where he was briefly assistant conductor of the Harvard Glee Club. From 1966, he began studies at Yale University in music, where he was a student of harpsichordist Ralph Kirkpatrick. He was opposed to the Vietnam War, and served in a reserve officers course to avoid the draft. He subsequently taught at Dartmouth College, but after his Dartmouth post was not renewed, Christie moved to France in 1970. He was one of a number of young men who left the United States at this time because of disagreement with the Vietnam War, and in order to avoid the draft. In France, he became known for his interpretations of Baroque music, particularly French Baroque music, working with René Jacobs and others. He also performed contemporary music alongside baroque music with the Ensemble Five Centuries.  Christie took French citizenship in 1995. He was appointed Grand Croix de la Légion d'honneur in 2014 and he is an Officier in the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He was elected a member of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts on November 12, 2008, in the "Unattached members" section ("Membres libres"), at the seat formerly held by Marcel Marceau, Seat #1. The elaborate gardens Christie designed for his house in Thiré were designated as a monument historique in 2006. He has also received the Georges Pompidou Prize (2005) as well as the Liliane Bettencourt Choral Singing Prize, which was awarded by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 2004. In 2002 he was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal.

Les Arts Florissants.

In 1979, Christie founded Les Arts Florissants, named after the opera of the same name by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, which was to be its first fully staged production. Major recognition came in 1986 with the production of Lully's "Atys" at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Christie has also presented and recorded many unknown works by Marc-Antoine Charpentier (most of them were world premiere), Médée H 491, David and Jonathas H 490, Le Malade imaginaire H 495, La Descente d'Orphée aux enfers H 488, Les Plaisirs de Versailles H 480, Actéon H 481, but also André Campra, Henry Desmarest, Michel-Richard Delalande, François Couperin, Claudio Monteverdi and Jean-Philippe Rameau.

Teaching.

Christie was a professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1982 to 1995, and maintains an active role in pedagogy by participating in master classes and academies. In 2002, he founded "Le Jardin des Voix", a biennial academy for young singers in Caen. Since 2007, he has had an affiliation with the Juilliard School, providing master classes in historical performance practice.

Repertoire.

Christie has widened his group's core French repertoire, performing Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He has been guest conductor at the Glyndebourne Festival, and productions for Zurich Opera and the Opéra de Lyon. He has also conducted period-instrument performances with more modern ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic.

William Lincoln Christie (born December 19, 1944) is an American-born French conductor and harpsichordist. He is a specialist in baroque repertoire and is the founder of the ensemble Les Arts Florissants.

William Lincoln Christie, né le à Buffalo (État de New York), est un claveciniste et chef d'orchestre franco-américain, fondateur de l'ensemble Les Arts Florissants.


Background.

Host selection process.

Dolphin Stadium won the bid to host Super Bowl XLI on September 17, 2003 after a campaign against Phoenix, Tampa, New York City, and Washington, D.C.. With this game, the Miami metropolitan area tied New Orleans, Louisiana as the city to host the most Super Bowls (9).  This was the fourth Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium, which has also been known as "Joe Robbie Stadium" and "Pro Player Stadium". The venue previously hosted Super Bowls XXIII (broadcast on NBC), XXIX (on ABC), and XXXIII (on FOX). Super Bowls II, III, V, X, and XIII were also in Miami, but held at

Teams.

Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts' first trip to the Super Bowl in 36 years set a record for longest time between appearances by a team. Their return was the culmination of a nine-year-long building process. In 1998, they drafted quarterback Peyton Manning to lead the team. Over the next four seasons, Manning, along with other stars such as receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James, turned the Colts into one of the best offensive teams in the NFL, but the team struggled to find consistency on defense and always ended up with either a losing season or elimination from the playoffs in the first round. In 2002, Indianapolis fired head coach Jim Mora and replaced him with Tony Dungy. Dungy had developed one of the best defenses in the NFL while coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it was

Chicago Bears.

Chicago finished the season with an NFC best 13–3 record and advanced to the second Super Bowl in franchise history. They defeated the Seattle Seahawks 27-24 in the divisional round of the playoffs, and the New Orleans Saints 39-14 in the NFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl XLI. The team excelled on defense, ranking third in fewest points allowed (255) and second in fewest points allowed per drive. They also ranked second in scoring (427 points), although only tenth in points per offensive drive thanks to a league leading 65 points

Regular season statistical comparison.

The chart below provides a comparison of regular season statistics in key categories (overall rank amongst 32 teams in parentheses).

Playoffs.

Although the Colts' rushing defense looked extremely weak during the season, it ended up being a key factor on their road to the Super Bowl. First, Indianapolis defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 23–8, holding Chiefs running back Larry Johnson (who rushed for 1,789 yards during the season) to just 32 yards on 13 carries. Then, they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 15–6, winning on a playoff record-tying five field goals by Vinatieri and holding running back Jamal Lewis (who rushed for 1,132 yards during the season) to just 53 yards.  Then the Colts faced their arch-rival New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. New England jumped to an early 21–3 lead, but Indianapolis stormed back in the second half, outscoring the Patriots 32–13 with an additional field goal late in the first half. With 2:22 left in the game, the Colts had the ball on their own 20-yard line trailing 34–31. On the first four plays of the drive, Manning completed three passes, moving the ball 69 yards to the Patriots 11-yard line in just 24 seconds. Three plays later, Addai scored a 3-yard touchdown run

Super Bowl pre-game practices and notes.

The Indianapolis Colts held pre-game practices for Super Bowl XLI at the Miami Dolphins Training Facility on the campus of Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. The Colts' "Team and Family" hotel was the Marriott Harbor Beach. At the 2007 Indianapolis 500 pre-race ceremonies on May 27, 2007, eventual Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning stated to ABC Sports commentator Brent Musburger the day before the game that two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Hélio Castroneves gave a pep talk to the Colts team.  The Chicago Bears held pre-game practices for Super Bowl XLI at the Miami Hurricanes Football Facility, on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral

Broadcasting.

United States.

The game was televised in the United States by CBS in high-definition with play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and color commentator Phil Simms. This was the first Super Bowl announced by Nantz. Additionally, the game had Steve Tasker (Bears sideline) and Solomon Wilcots (Colts sideline) reporting on the sidelines and Lesley Visser (Bears sideline) and Sam Ryan (Colts sideline) in the stands.  This was the first Super Bowl aired on CBS since the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake incident three years earlier, in Super Bowl XXXVIII; and the first since the Viacom/CBS split at the end of 2005. Extensive pre-game coverage, hosted by "The NFL Today" team of James Brown, Shannon Sharpe, Boomer Esiason and Dan Marino, whose name graces the address of the game site (2269 Dan Marino Boulevard), began at noon (US

Commercials.

Advertising rates were reported as being slightly higher than in the year before, with CBS confirming a price of $2.6 million for some 30-second spots, compared with $2.5 million during Super Bowl XL. However, CNN reported that after discounts, the average price is likely closer to $1.8 to $2 million. Familiar advertisers in recent years such as Anheuser-Busch, CareerBuilder, General Motors and Coca-Cola bought multiple advertising spots, and other popular advertisers like Go Daddy and Emerald Nuts had commercials this year.  The only major hype related to commercials in the months leading up to Super Bowl XLI involved various

International.

The Super Bowl was broadcast live in Canada on CBS (which is available in Canada) as well as Global TV and NTV which both took the main CBS commentary, and on the French cable channel RDS. In the United

Entertainment.

Pre-game ceremonies.

Before the game, Cirque du Soleil, Romero Britto and Little Louie Vega performed as the pre-game act, and Billy Joel sang the National Anthem, accompanying himself on piano. He also performed at Super Bowl XXIII, which was played at the same venue. Joel became the second person to sing the National Anthem twice for a Super Bowl; Aaron Neville sang the national anthem before Super Bowl XXIV,

Halftime show.

American singer and musician Prince performed in the halftime show. The setlist for Prince's performance was a short rendition of "We Will Rock You" by Queen; Prince's hit songs "Let's Go Crazy" and "Baby I'm a Star"; covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary", Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", and Foo Fighters' "Best of You"; and finally his signature song "Purple Rain" in the downpour. The 12-minute performance featured Prince accompanied by two dancers he called "The Twinz" (Maya and Nandy McClean) and the Florida A&M University marching band, the Marching 100. Prince had rehearsed with the drum line for a week before the performance. The performance was on a large, central stage which was shaped like Prince's logo, and was outlined with lights. He played before 74,512 fans at Dolphin Stadium, who had been given flashlights to point at the stage during the performance of "Purple Rain". The event was

Post-game ceremonies.

Former Colts and Dolphins head coach Don Shula presented the

Game summary.

First quarter.

The Bears won the coin toss and elected to receive. For the first time in Super Bowl history, the game was played in the rain, which was continuous throughout the game.  The rain did not hinder Bears' return man Devin Hester, who ran back the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to give Chicago the then earliest lead in Super Bowl history, after only 14 seconds. The Colts avoided kicking to Hester for the rest of the game, allowing him only one punt return, and choosing to squib kick whenever Hester was in the deep kickoff return position.  On Indianapolis' first drive of the game, defensive back Chris Harris intercepted a deep, third-down pass from quarterback Peyton Manning and returned it 6 yards to the Bears' 35-yard line. However, Chicago could not gain a first down on their ensuing possession and they were forced to punt.

Second quarter.

Following a Chicago punt, Indianapolis drove 47 yards and scored with Vinatieri's 29-yard field goal to make the score 14–9. Chicago was forced to punt again on their next drive, and return man Terrence Wilkins returned the ball 12 yards to his own 42-yard line. Manning started out the drive with a 22-yard completion to Marvin Harrison. His next pass went to tight end Dallas Clark for 17 yards. Two more completions moved the ball to the Bears'

Third quarter.

Wilkins returned the second half kickoff 26 yards to the Colts's 38-yard line. On the ensuing possession, Addai rushed five times for 25 yards and caught four passes for 19 yards as the Colts drove 56 yards in 13 plays and scored with a 29-yard field goal from Vinatieri, increasing their lead to 19–14. On the Bears' next drive, Jones started out with a 14-yard run, and then Muhammad caught a 9-yard pass, bringing up second down and one on the Colts' 45-yard line. But on the next play, Grossman was sacked for an 11-yard loss

Fourth quarter.

After an Indianapolis 7-play drive ended in a punt, Chicago started on their own 20-yard line with 13:38 left in the game. But four plays later, Colts defensive back Kelvin Hayden intercepted a pass intended for Muhammad and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown.  From that point on, the Colts took over the game. Four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Colts defensive

Statistical overview.

This was the third Super Bowl to have two players rush for more than 100 yards as Dominic Rhodes had 113 for the Colts and Thomas Jones had 112 for the Bears. Tony Dungy is the third man to win the Super Bowl as a head coach as well as a player, following Tom Flores and Mike Ditka.  For the Colts, Rhodes rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, while also catching an 8-yard reception. Addai rushed for 77 yards and caught 10 passes for 66 yards. Wilkins returned four kickoffs for 89 yards and 3 punts for 42 yards. Adam Vinatieri became the first kicker ever to play in five Super Bowls and the first to win four Super Bowl rings. Vinatieri's three field goals and two extra points gave him 49 points for the entire 2006 post-season, an NFL record. The Colts' win was the

Final statistics.

Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XLI, Super Bowl XLI Play Finder Ind, Super Bowl XLI Play Finder Chi

Individual statistics.

Completions/attempts Carries Long

Controversies prohibiting fan parties and presentations.

Prohibiting tailgating.

The NFL upset many fans by banning the traditional practice of tailgating at Super Bowl XLI. Originally, spokesmen for Dolphin Stadium announced

Prohibiting church display.

The NFL upset a large number of fans by threatening churches with lawsuits if they had Super Bowl parties. National Football League assistant counsel Rachel L. Margolies sent a letter to the Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis, ordering the church to cancel its party and remove the trademarked Super Bowl name from its website. She said that the church could not use the words "Super Bowl" as it violates trademark law, could not charge admission as that violates copyright law, could not use its projection screen (only one television could be used and it could not be over 55 inches), and could not "promote a message" in connection with the game. Regarding the last point, the Fall Creek Baptist church planned to also show an extra video to highlight the Christian testimonies of Colts coach Tony Dungy and Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith. "While this may be a noble message", Rachel

Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2006 season. The Colts defeated the Bears by the score of 29–17. The game was played on February 4, 2007 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Le Super Bowl est la quarante-et-unième finale annuelle de la ligue nationale de football américain. Il détermine ainsi le vainqueur de la saison 2006.


Early life and college career.

After graduating from Chicago's Westinghouse High School, Johnson, a sharpshooting 6'7" forward/guard, attended the University of Illinois, majoring in history, before being selected by the Kansas City Kings in the 1981 NBA draft. Among Fighting Illini fans he is probably best remembered for his game-winning shot against Michigan State University (MSU). At the time, MSU, which was led by future all-time NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, was undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation, but Illinois was also undefeated at 14–0. The victory gave Illinois a 15–0 record and the #2 ranking nationally (Illinois subsequently faded during regular season play, but MSU went on to become eventual National Champions).  Johnson was elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.

Playing career.

NBA.

Johnson would play for the Kings, the Phoenix Suns, the Seattle SuperSonics, the Charlotte Hornets, the Indiana Pacers, the Houston Rockets, and Greek team Olympiacos (1994–1995) before retiring from basketball in 1999. Although his 19,202 points over 1,199 NBA games was the 22nd-highest total in NBA history at the time of his retirement, Johnson was never selected to play in the All-Star game nor ever chosen for an All-NBA team. In fact, the "awards highlight" of his career occurred in 1989, when he received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award as a member of the Suns. Johnson's career point total of 19,202 is also higher than all but 30 inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Europe.

He also played for one year in the Greek League, with the European powerhouse Olympiacos in the 1994–95 season. He became a cult favorite with the fans for his phenomenal shooting from outside the 3-point line. One game in particular established his enduring legend for the fans, when he scored four 3-pointers in the final minutes of the low-scoring and tense semi-final of the 1995 FIBA Champions' Cup (EuroLeague) against arch-rivals Panathinaikos. Olympiacos won that game 58–52, but lost the final to Real Madrid. In 18 games played, Johnson averaged 21.9 points and 4.6 rebounds, in 35.1 minutes per game in the EuroLeague.  Johnson did, however, taste success in the Greek League, where he was instrumental in Olympiacos' 3–2 series win over Panathinaikos, in the Greek playoff finals of 1995. The fifth and vital game of that series ended in one of the lowest-scoring games ever, as Olympiacos scraped a 45–44 victory in a match that exhiliarated fans. In 25 games with Olympiacos, Johnson totaled averages of 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in the 1994–95 season.

Return to NBA.

After his season overseas, he then returned to the NBA and started the 1995–96 season with the Indiana Pacers. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets on February 20, 1997 where he was quickly released. However, he signed with the Houston Rockets for the remainder of the season to where he returned for the following two seasons. Along with his Sixth Man of the Year Award, he is also remembered for hitting the game-winning three-pointer as time expired in a 95–92 Rockets win over the Utah Jazz in game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Finals. Johnson would play an additional season for the Rockets and then 3 games the following season before finally retiring as a player.

Post-NBA career.

After his playing career was over, Johnson turned to broadcasting, serving as a color commentator for Arizona State, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, and currently the Phoenix Suns. Johnson is also an accomplished motivational speaker, and he has recently released an instructional DVD called "Eddie Johnson's Jumpshot and Offensive Skills". Johnson is also a regular article contributor to the website Hoopshype.com and also enjoys debating his ideas, opinions, and thoughts with his readers.

Mistaken identity.

In 2006, Eddie (Arnet) Johnson was mistaken in multiple media reports for former NBA player Edward (Lee) "Fast Eddie" Johnson (a guard, two-time NBA All-Star, one-time All-Defensive Second Team player, and four years older than Eddie A. Johnson) when the latter was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor and burglary on August 8 (Eddie L. Johnson would eventually be sentenced to life imprisonment for the crime). While this was not the first time that Eddie L. Johnson had been arrested (by estimates, Johnson has been arrested 100 times), the heinousness of the crime, combined with the fact that it happened during the NBA offseason when Eddie A. Johnson would not normally be on TV, generated major controversy after other outlets failed to read the initial Associated Press story (which detailed correctly "Fast Eddie's" career and background) and put up the wrong Eddie Johnson's picture. Johnson called that day the "worst...of his life" and expressed concern that the case of mistaken identity might permanently sully his reputation. Johnson expressed to Jay Mariotti of the "Chicago Sun-Times" that he was considering legal action against the news outlets that used his picture or did not fact-check his identity against that of Edward Lee "Fast Eddie" Johnson.

Edward Arnet Johnson (born May 1, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a year in the Greek Basket League midway through his career. With nearly 1,200 games in the NBA, he scored the second-most career points among players who never played in an NBA All-Star Game, behind Jamal Crawford. As of the 2018–19 season, he is ranked 52nd in all-time points scored, and ranked fifth-most in points scored by an eligible player not in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. he is the co-host of "NBA Today", which airs weekdays on Sirius XM NBA Radio and also is the play-by-play TV analyst for the Phoenix Suns on Fox Sports Arizona.

Edward Arnet Johnson, dit Eddie Johnson, né le à Chicago (Illinois), est un ancien joueur de basket-ball américain, sélectionné au second tour de la draft 1981 par les Kansas City Kings. Au cours des 17 saisons qu’il a passées en NBA, Eddie Johnson a connu six franchises différentes, s’illustrant principalement sous le maillot des Kings et des Phoenix Suns. Lauréat du trophée du meilleur de la ligue en 1989, Johnson a disputé un total de 1199 rencontres de saison régulière de NBA. Il a également évolué en Europe lors de la saison 1994-95 sous les couleurs de club grec de l'Olympiakos Le Pirée, avec lequel il a remporté un championnat grec et a disputé une finale de coupe des champions.