Cybersix



Cybersix was an Argentinian comic book that had its rights bought by a Canadian company, who then passed the animation duties off to a Japanese company, and the result was this cartoon. The series lasted from September to November, 1999. A total of 13 episodes in a single season.

By night, Cybersix is a female superhero dressed in leather fighting the creations of her own creator, and putting to rest the bizarre schemes of his son. By day "Adrian", a male high school literature teacher, fending off one of 'his' amorous students and trying to hide her Secret Identity from her best friend and love interest, Lucas. With him, her black panther Sidekick Data 7, and street urchin Julian, Cybersix defends the city of Meridiana while fighting monsters for the sustenance she needs to survive.

With gorgeous animation, a likable and interesting plot and characters, it was Too Good to Last. The show only had 13 episodes, different networks that aired them (i.e. Teletoon in Canada and Fox Kids in America), and was never released on DVD. It only airs in Canada and France (and not regularly, at that), so other viewers will have to depend on the kind souls that Keep Circulating the Tapes on YouTube.

If you were looking for the article about the comics, it can be found here.

This show provides examples of:

 * Action Girl: Cybersix.
 * All There in the Manual: There are certain things that you have to research or read the comic book to understand: where Cybersix got her costume, how she escaped from Von Reichter, and other Backstory things. It also helps if you want to understand exactly what the Cybers are and how Von Reichter created them, as well as the Technos, Fixed Ideas, and other creatures mentioned on the show.
 * Adaptation Distillation: The cartoon to the comic, but justified since there were only thirteen episodes. They removed much of the extraneous Navel Gazing among many other things, which makes this also a fine example of a Pragmatic Adaptation.
 * Adaptation Dye Job: In the original comics Lori is stated to be a blonde, whereas her hair is red in the cartoon.
 * Adorably Precocious Child: Julian.
 * Art Evolution/Progressively Prettier: Lucas is fairly ugly-looking in the first episode. As the series progresses his design changes slightly to be a little more handsome as befitting his role of Love Interest.
 * Artificial Human
 * Attractive Bent Gender: Cybersix as "Adrian" is actually quite good-looking.
 * Badass Abnormal: Cybersix, herself
 * Badass Cape: It can rival Batman's in pure awesome swishiness.
 * Badass Longcoat: Lucas wears this from time to time, and usually is more effective when he does. Yashimoto also dons one.
 * Badass Normal: Lucas would probably count. He can't do too much against the various monsters that attack, but he's still able to tackle a Fixed Idea that he found strangling Cybersix and has helped in various other ways (along with having no qualms about rushing into dangerous situations to help). He can order Data7 around; now that's badass.
 * Don't forget Yashimoto, who's able to keep up with Cybersix's rooftop escapades and hold off two Fixed Ideas (although he really didn't beat them).
 * Big Bad: Von Richter.
 * Big Eater: Lucas. Look at him scarf down that food in the opening!
 * Bratty Half Pint: José is plenty bratty himself, however his tantrums and annoying behaviors are actually done on purpose, for laughs.
 * City of Adventure: Meridiana. Everything seems to happen in Meridiana. In fact, there's only one episode that spends time outside Meridiana. And that was only because the villain of that episode found out that Adrian was Cybersix, and stalked his/her field trip.
 * Sort of justified in that Von Reichter and José know that Cybersix lives in and protects Meridiana and thus continue to send monsters and weapons there to catch or kill her.
 * Not to mention that the comics strongly hint they were there originally, and she purposely hunted them down.
 * Clark Kenting: Cybersix wears no mask, so Adrian brushes his/her hair differently and wears glasses. Not to mention the cross-dressing.
 * Combat Stilettos: Cybersix wears them in her superhero persona. She is often shown using them as weapons, stomping on goons and so on. Justified in the comic in that she stole the costume off a prostitute.
 * Cool Big Sis: While she knows that he can take care of himself during the day, Cybersix doesn't neglect Julian, occasionally visiting him and keeping him safe when needed.
 * Cool Teacher: Lucas. He's Badass enough to intimidate the worst delinquents at his (pretty tough) school, easygoing enough to laugh at himself and joke with the kids, conductor of fun science experiments in the classroom and he genuinely likes his pupils, bonkers though they may be. Interestingly, he's one of the few teachers in the media we see preparing for class, setting up lessons and adhering to health and safety regulations (in the liquid nitrogen/Giant Flying Eye episode).
 * Surprisingly, Cybersix's "Adrian" persona is not a Cool Teacher. While extremely academic and clearly fond of his subject, he's pretty dry, has little tolerance for antics, and meets Lucas when certain students ambush him for turning down Lori's attentions. No doubt he'd be promoted to Cool Teacher if the students realised what "Adrian" was up to in his free time...
 * Cute Bookworm: Cybersix as Adrian, given that she's acting as a lit teacher.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: Jose.
 * Delinquents: Lori is the head of her own gang.
 * Did They or Didn't They: In "The Bluebirds of Horror", Cybersix spends almost a full 24-hours holed up with Lucas in his apartment. What were they doing that whole time?
 * Do Androids Dream: Explained in the books. Referred to as "resistored dreams" in the first chapter.
 * Dumb Muscle: The Fixed Ideas.
 * Embarrassing Slide: Provides the only bit of background the audience got on Lucas: that he was once an anorexic boxer.
 * Everything Fades: The show used with some odd videogame references that are almost certainly unintentional. When defeated, the Fixed Ideas evaporate, leaving behind a pile of clothes & a "Sustenance" vial (what actually keeps them alive). What makes this weirdly video-game like? The vial they drop is something Cybersix desperately needs to stay alive. It's literally a health powerup for Cybersix.
 * Another variant occurs in the episode Blue Birds of Horror, when Data 7 destroys the Monster of the Week by throwing it into an electrified transmission tower, causing it to literally be burned to ash.
 * Evil Versus Evil: In the final episode, Jose
 * Evilutionary Biologist: Most of (if not all) the Monster of the Week candidates are creatures that Von Reichter created. José seems to be heading along the same path as well.
 * Heartwarming Orphan: Julian, and even Cybersix to an extent.
 * Heel Face Turn: Data 7.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Even when this animated series was notably Lighter and Softer than the original comic, it was still able to get away with several stuff quite...uncommon for a TV-Y7 show.
 * Genius Bruiser: Lucas again. He seems to be not only a biology, but a chemistry teacher as well, a published writer, and some scenes suggest he's trying to replicate Sustenance. He's also a skillful brawler who has no qualms about taking on Fixed Ideas, and winning.
 * Heroic Bystander: Lucas, Lori, and Julian all step into this role in different episodes.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: Terra. And boy is it a Tear Jerker.
 * Also the monster who could turn invisible, . Cybersix herself could count, when she goes to confront Von Reicter in the final episode and is fully prepared to die.
 * Hey Its That Voice: Lori sounds a little like Sarah.
 * Cybersix is Near (as well as Spike, which is a little noticable in her Adrian persona) and Terry Klassen voices Von Reichter the same way he voiced Guldo.
 * Hot for Teacher: Lori, probably for two even!
 * I Am Not Shazam: Sort of. The lead character's name as written on her left arm is 'Cyber 6', and the comic explains that she is the last survivor of a previously-wiped-out 'cyber series' (occasionally referenced in the show). But the title sequence says 'Cybersix', and characters often pronounce it that way, run together as one word.
 * Leitmotif: Everybody in the show. Even one episode characters. The most consistently recurring ones, though, are Cybersix's (which is based on the opening theme), and another for José, both of which are used so consistently and well that they become musical heads-ups as to who is currently in a scene.
 * Lighter and Softer: The animated series is way softer than the original comic which was more violent and had high sexual content.
 * Lightning Bruiser Both Cybersix and Data7. Lucas is pretty agile too for such a big guy.
 * Made of Iron: Lucas, who takes tons of punishment throughout the series, sometimes even more than the heroine herself. We're sure he's totally human, right?
 * Make Me Wanna Shout: One Monster of the Week was a flock of flying goblins that could fire sonic blasts from their mouths.
 * Meaningful Rename: Cyber 29 --> Data 7.
 * Mooks: Called 'Fixed Ideas', they have green skin and red eyes. Mostly employed by José as bodyguards and movers, and to assemble various devices. When Cybersix knocks them out, they disappear and leave a vial of 'Sustenance' (see Everything Fades above).
 * Mythology Gag: The helmet José wears to pilot his Drill Tank in episode 5 is the same one that he dons at one point in the comic -- only in the comic he wore it while pursuing Cybersix in the guise of a toddler riding a tricycle.
 * Nice Hat: Cybersix's hat is fantastic.
 * Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Cybersix/Adrian is a genetically-engineered crime-fighting cross-dressing lit teacher.
 * No Ontological Inertia: In one episode, Lucas is infected by a werewolf monster and turns into one himself. When Cybersix destroys the monster, Lucas's scars immediately heal and the infection disappears.
 * Semi-justified in that one of the ways to cure werewolf-ism was to kill the original werewolf. Doesn't explain the scars though.
 * Also semi-justified in that the episode implied that those infected by the original werewolf only transformed through her will of it rather than simply transforming every full moon.
 * Older Than They Look: We are never given his age, but José is insistent that he is not a child and even shows interest in Lori in one episode. (In the comic, he is a genetic copy of von Richter, with a more or less adult mind in a child's body.)
 * Panthera Awesome: Data 7. Just look at the picture!
 * Parental Abandonment: Let's see, Julian is an orphan, Yashimoto acts as both Ikiko's brother and guardian, and Cybersix and Data 7 have some... issues with their "dad."
 * Phlebotinum Dependence: All of Von Reichter's creations are dependent on the enigmatic Sustenance to survive, including Cybersix herself. Having no direct supply, she's forced to feed on Sustenance contained in the very creatures that Von Reichter sends after her.
 * Pro Human Transhuman: Cybersix was created to be a Nazi style Ubermensch, but steadfastly defends humanity against Von Richter.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Lucas and Adrian, to their students.
 * Ridiculously Human Robots: Cybersix, for one.
 * Running Gag: For all the scenes that start with Lucas eating at a restaurant, he never finishes a single meal. It's a shame, too, because the food always looks absolutely delicious.
 * Scenery Porn: While the whole show is beautifully animated, one scene features a breathtaking waterfall as the backdrop.
 * Self Made Orphan:
 * Smug Snake: José.
 * Stock Footage: Lucas is always watching the same soccer game.
 * Sweet Polly Oliver: Inverted in that her non-fighting identity is the male one.
 * Tall Dark and Bishoujo: Cybersix, most definitely.
 * Technicolor Science: Sustenance, the fuel that Cybersix and Von Reichter's other creations run on is glowing neon green.
 * The Big Guy: Lucas, amusingly enough for a show's main Love Interest. He's big enough and strong enough to be able to go toe-to-toe with Fixed Ideas and actually hurt them, though he never wins any fights with them, and he's shown to be capable of taking a lot of punishment.
 * The Cowl
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Generally averted. Data 7 destroys a giant humanoid bird by throwing it into an electrified transmission tower, Yashimoto poisons a giant squid-like monster with toxic gas grenades and then Cybersix crushes it under a giant folding bridge, Cybersix and Data 7 expose the flying goblins to sunlight, and Cybersix and Data 7 eventually kill the werewolf monster that infected Lucas.
 * And in order for Cybersix to gain Sustenence she needs to kill Von Reichter's creations, with Fixed Ideas being the easiest prey.
 * Those Wacky Nazis: Specifically said in the comic, but only subtext in the show, Von Reicter was a Nazi. Jose's constantly doing the trademark Nazi goose-walk in the show, too.
 * Timm Style: It is based off a comic book.
 * Truly Single Parent: Von Reichter and José.
 * Two Person Love Triangle: Cybersix/Adrian and Lucas
 * Ugly Guy Hot Wife Cybersix is rather attractive as both a man and a woman. Lucas is a blonde shaven gorilla. He does get better as the series goes on though.
 * YMMV on that. He's obviously not intended to be extremely attractive the way Cyber Six is, but some would argue he's not too far on the opposite end. It could also be argued that what makes Lucas truly attractive is his personality and nobility.
 * The Vamp: Elaine in Full Moon Fascination.
 * Whole Plot Reference: "Bluebirds of Horror" is pretty much Cybersix meets The Birds.
 * World of Badass

Episodes of this series provide examples of:

 * Circus of Fear: The Greatest Show in Meridiana
 * Oculothorax: The Eye
 * Private Detective: Yashimoto, Private Eye
 * Feathered Fiend: Blue Birds Of Horror (complete with homages bordering on gratuitous to the The Birds)
 * Why Don't You Just Shoot Him: Play straight through most of the series, but in "The Greatest Show in Meridiana", when faced with a giant computer that controls robotic monsters, Lucas simply