Superbook (1981 TV series)

Superbook (スーパーブック), also known as Animated Parent and Child Theatre (アニメ 親子劇場), is a Japanese Christian anime television series from the early 1980s, initially produced at Tatsunoko Production and TV Tokyo in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States.

The series chronicled the events of the Bible's Old and New Testaments in its 52-episode run. The first 26 episodes aired from October 1, 1981, to March 25, 1982, followed by a second season called Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century (パソコントラベル探偵団) with 26 episodes from April 4 to September 26, 1983. Between both series in the first run was the companion series The Flying House.

Overview
Superbook (Anime Oyako Gekijo), begins at the home of a young boy named Christopher "Chris" Peeper, who discovers the ancient Bible named Superbook that can speak and send him, his friend Joy and his clockwork toy figure named Gizmo the Crusader Robot back in time during the events of the Old and New Testaments. The second series, Superbook II: In Search for Ruffles and Return to the 20th Century (Pasokon Travel Tanteidan), takes place two years after the first series, where Superbook falls onto a computer, giving anybody the ability to see into the past from Christopher's home via the monitor. Ruffles, his poodle, has managed to get lost in time, prompting Gizmo and Christopher's little brother (re-written as his cousin in the English dub), Uriah "Uri" Peeper, to search for Ruffles. While Chris and Joy keep watch and control of the computer from the present, Gizmo and Uri experience the stories from the Old Testament solely.

Cast and characters

 * Christopher "Chris" Peeper (飛鳥翔) (voiced by Masako Sugaya in Japanese, Billie Lou Watt in English): The main hero of the series, who is Professor Peeper's son and Gizmo's former owner.
 * Joy (大和あずさ) (voiced by Katsue Miwa in Japanese, Sonia Owens in English): Chris's next-door neighbor and best friend.
 * Gizmo the Crusading Robot (ぜんまい仕掛け) (voiced by Hiroshi Masuoka in Japanese, Helena van Koert and Billie Lou Watt in English): The name of two characters, depending on the season. In the 1st season, he is Chris's advanced toy figure who can become a real-life robot. In the second season, Gizmo became a real-life sized robot built by Uri's father.
 * Uriah "Uri" Peeper (飛鳥悠) (voiced by Runa Akiyama in Japanese, Helena van Koert in English): Chris's little brother (cousin in the English dub) and Gizmo's current owner.
 * Professor Frederick "Fred" Peeper (あすかはかせ) (voiced by Fumio Matsuoka in Japanese, Ray Owens in English): An archaeologist and Chris's father.
 * Phoebe Peeper (飛鳥さつき) (voiced by Kumiko Takizawa in Japanese, Sonia Owens in English): Chris's mother.
 * Ruffles ( Kikyomu in Japanese): Chris and Uri's pet Yorkshire Terrier.
 * Superbook (タイムブック) (voiced by Koji Totani in Japanese, Ray Owens in English): An ancient Bible that takes Chris, Joy, Gizmo and Uri back to the Old and New Testament eras.

VHS/DVD releases
Superbook Series I and Series II were released on various VHS volumes by Tyndale Entertainment. The entire series was available over 26 VHS Volumes. Superbook was released for the first time on DVD late 2005 to early 2006. The three DVD volumes features 4 episodes each from Series I.