ビューティフル ジョー (2004)

ビューティフル ジョー is an anime series based on the video game series of the same name. The series loosely adapts the first two titles in the series, ビューティフル ジョー and ビューティフル ジョー2 ブラックフィルムの謎, while introducing several original characters and scenarios. The series, comprising fifty-one episodes, was shown every Saturday on the Japanese television station TV Tokyo from October 2, 2004, until September 24, 2005. The show was licensed by anime distributor Geneon Entertainment, with its first twenty-six episodes airing in the United States on Kids' WB. It was taken off the air when the block was moved to The CW.

Following the games' storyline, movie lover Joe and his girlfriend Silvia enjoy a seemingly normal trip to the movies to see an action flick starring Joe's idol, Captain Blue, when suddenly the leader of the evil Jadow force reaches out of the screen and takes Silvia into the movie. Joe is forced to follow her by Captain Blue's mecha, Six Machine (renamed "Machine Six" in the English anime dub), and meets Captain Blue in the flesh who grants Joe the power to become an action movie hero in his own right called Viewtiful Joe.

ビューティフル ジョー was later licensed for distribution in other parts of the world by MGM Television. The anime debuted in the United Kingdom on Jetix on July 2, 2007. ビューティフル ジョー premiered on Cartoon Network on July 3, 2006, and ran again in the country's RedeTV! in HD on November 27, 2006. It aired in Mexico starting on July 4, 2006. On June 23, 2008, the show began airing on Cartoon Network in other parts of Latin America. In 2009, ビューティフル ジョー became available on Crunchyroll's streaming service for its users outside Asia.

International versions

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