Kappa Mikey

• 1. The American Actor In Tokyo

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  A young man named Mikey Simon stands on a film set in Japan. He wears a thick-line, pop-graphic costume that looks nothing like his co-stars. His face is drawn with bold black outlines and flat colors. The other actors around him have large eyes and exaggerated features typical of Japanese animation. They shout lines about saving the world while wearing colorful costumes. This scene plays out inside the fictional show LilyMu. Mikey tries to act serious but often fails because his drawing style does not match theirs. He sweats profusely when he cannot keep up with their dramatic poses. The camera cuts between his stiff movements and the fluid action of the anime cast. A purple creature named Guano watches from the sidelines. He only says one word repeatedly during these scenes.

• 2. Clichés And Sandwiches

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  Gonard enters the room with blue hair and purple skin. He declares his intent to destroy everything in sight. Yet off-camera, this same character eats sandwiches with great enthusiasm. He is actually a sweet-natured young man who loves food more than conquest. Mitsuki storms onto the set as a bad girl archetype. She yells at everyone until she remembers her crush on Mikey. Her voice cracks when she speaks to him directly. Another actress named Lily sits in the corner looking temperamental. She was the original star before Mikey arrived. She complains loudly about every line change. Ozu paces behind the monitors as the producer. He shouts orders at the crew whenever things go wrong. Yes Man nods frantically at every command given by his boss. These interactions drive the plot forward while filming continues in the background.

• 3. Development From Toy Company To Network

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  Larry Schwarz conceived the series in 2000 while working at Rumpus Toys. The company was located in New York City. In September 2001, Rumpus partnered with Sunbow Entertainment to develop the project further. By May 2002, Noggin had picked up the show for its teen block called The N. Animation World Network reported that Noggin signed a co-development deal. The studio retained copyright and distribution rights throughout the process. Later, The N shifted focus toward live-action shows for young adults. This forced Kappa Mikey to move to Nicktoons Network instead. The series became the first half-hour show to premiere exclusively on that channel. Production began in 2002 and animation started in the summer of 2005. The final episode wrapped in September 2007. A total of 52 episodes were produced over two seasons.

• 4. Flash And Maya Contrast

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  Animators used Adobe Flash software to create most scenes. Some moments required CGI rendered in Maya instead. One group handled the anime characters while another worked on American styles. Vehicles like the Gonard balloon appeared in Maya before being exported into Flash. The Karaoke Genie Machine also received this treatment. Backgrounds were modeled in Maya then textured in Photoshop. Clouds and details were added manually by artists. Some backgrounds resembled actual locations found in Tokyo. Anime-style characters performed large comedic face faults during action sequences. Their bodies sometimes shrank or grew larger than normal proportions. These effects allowed animators more control than standard Flash shows provided. Mikey could not perform these same tricks due to his drawing style. He remained static while others moved wildly around him. The contrast between styles created a deliberate visual joke throughout every episode.

• 5. Recording In Manhattan Studios

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  Voice talents recorded dialogue at NYAV Post in Manhattan. Michael Sinterniklaas owned the facility where most audio was produced. He voiced the main character Mikey Simon himself. Sean Schemmel played the role of Gonard. Carrie Keranen provided the voice for Mitsuki. Kether Donohue spoke as Lily. Gary Mack voiced Guano and Stephen Moverly played Ozu. Jesse Adams became Yes Man. All actors were local New York talent. John Angier composed the instrumental score for the series. He also wrote lyrics for songs like Living With Mikey. The Recycling Song appeared in multiple episodes. Songs from The Karaoke Episode remain available as downloadable albums on iTunes. Sergei Aniskov directed all 52 episodes without exception. Executive producers oversaw every phase of production but only Schwarz had writing credits on two specific episodes.

• 6. Shelved Volumes And Digital Availability

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  A DVD containing three first season episodes released on the 18th of September 2007 under Starz Home Entertainment. It included bonus material such as an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares. A second volume was advertised on the Animation Collective site in 2008. That announcement disappeared before any release date could be confirmed. No further updates have been made regarding its status since then. As of 2009, this release remains shelved indefinitely. Season one episodes 1 through 13 appeared on Australian DVDs by Anchor Bay Entertainment on the 12th of March 2008. Full seasons were once available for download from iTunes before removal. Dancing Sushi served as a spin-off featuring four sushi characters named Salmon, Larry, Roro, and Meep. This short series ran from October 2007 to December 2007 without dialogue. Individuals involved in Kappa Mikey voiced the sushis instead.