‘HI HI’ TIMES
J-Pop Queens Puffy AmiYumi Rock Themselves Into Animation

Move over, Olsen twins--- there’s a new female team supreme hitting the airwaves, and this time the Cartoon Network’s got ‘em!

Anybody who’s a fan of anime knows the hit j-pop duo Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura, better known as Puffy AmiYumi. Since they formed in 1995 they’ve conquered Japanese television and music charts, invaded the American music market and made their mark in animation with the deliriously catchy “Teen Titans” theme. Now, they’re getting a show of their own with “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi”!

The Cartoon Network has announced this new December launch as a hip j-pop show for kids, featuring the adventures of Ami and Yumi as they rock out around the world, deal with the antics of their crazy manager, Kaz, or just chill in Tokyo. “The characters will have some of our traits but they won’t be ‘copies’ of us in real life,” says Ami. “The animated Ami and Yumi have their own ‘world’ to have fun in.” In the show, Ami will be the upbeat and cheerful one; while Yumi is the ultra-cool hard rocker with a cynical attitude.

While ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi” isn’t the group’s first foray into the world of television—Ami and Yumi hosted a variety show “Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Puffy” in Japan—their American TV break came when, according to Yumi, Cartoon Network Senior VP of Development Sam Register, “saw some of our videos on cable and heard an NPR radio special on us and contacted us.” The rest was cartoon history.

Each episode will feature three 7-minute cartoons, with live-action segments of the real Puffy AmiYumi at the beginning and end. Every cartoon will also include a Puffy AmiYumi music video.

Ami and Yumi are confident about the show’s American appeal; according to Yumi, folks will tune in for “the music, its quirky point of view, and because it’s not like anything you have ever seen before!”

-- Caitlin Moriarity

 

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