MIPCOM: ShoPro’s Zatch Bell! Chimes on Cartoon Network

Following the success of its hit show, MegaMan NT Warrior on Kids’ WB!, ShoPro Ent. has found a U.S. home for another hot Japanese property. Company senior VP and producer John Easum told Animation Magazine Online that Toei Animation’s Zatch Bell! will debut on Cartoon Network in spring 2005.

Aimed at boys 6-14, the popular anime series (52×30) follows the adventures of a young hero named Zatch Bell, who fights evil adversaries to become the benevolent king of all demons on Earth with the help of his human sidekick.

"The series combines certain elements of the Harry Potter series, which is also about a young hero who continues to learn about his magical powers, with an edgy kind of a Pokémon world," says Easum. "Not surprisingly, the show has been one of the top-10 highest-rated programs on FujiTV since it premiered in Japan in 2003."