PaRappa The Rapper

PaRappa The Rapper is an anime television series based on the video game series of the same name, originally airing on Fuji TV in 2001, and set to be rebooted by ABS in 2015.

Original series (2001)
The show was originally intended to be targeted towards teenagers and young adults, the main age demographic that was targeted by PaRappa's video game series. The show that resulted, however, was targeted at children under the age of 12.

Premise
The show centres around the adventures of PaRappa, a dog who has a great talent in rapping, and his friends, Sunny, PJ and Katy.

PaRappa appears to have a very close relationship with Sunny Funny, an anthropomorphic sunflower character who gets along well with her friends, PaRappa being one of them. PaRappa, however, does not try to win her heart all the time, but rather bonds to her as a friend. Their relationship soon progresses, and at the end of the series, it becomes apparent that PaRappa and Sunny are more than just friends.

Reception
Despite the show not living up to its original expectations, the anime still had a cult following.

The name "PaRappa The Rapper" seemed to be slightly ironic, as PaRappa is very rarely seen rapping in the show. This may have been due to the sudden shift in its demographic. Rodney Greenblat, who designed the titular PaRappa, said that he had not influenced the plot or show's development in any way. He believed that the show was simply a marketing tool for PaRappa merchandise.

The show ran on Fuji Television (and a number of stations affiliated with the Fuji Network System) for 30 episodes, split across two seasons, through April 2001 to January 2002. Reruns are currently being shown by ABS Television.

Rumors
In late 2014, some media speculators said that a new anime series starring PaRappa The Rapper could be in production, and set for a debut in 2015. These claims were rejected by fans, who believed that the series has ended entirely. Fuji Television stated that "in no way, shape or form are we working on a new PaRappa The Rapper series."

Confirmation
In April 2015, Kabushiki Gaisha ABS officially announced that they were working to produce a new show that would be totally different from the original 2001 series. A promotional website was also launched at parappa.abs.jp.

Premise
Kabushiki Gaisha ABS has stated that the new PaRappa The Rapper series would be closer to the spirit of the original games that started the series. They also stated that the new series would be presented in 3DCG, similar to the style of PaRappa The Rapper 2 for the PlayStation 2. The animation team would be run by numerous companies, but would be lead by Kabushiki Gaisha ABS (PaRappa 's 2015 iteration being their first anime series) and Shin-ei Animation (of Doraemon fame), and would be supervised by Shikoku Television Broadcasting (an ABS Television affiliate in Central Japan, who is starting their production career with this show).

With Dred Foxx, PaRappa's original voice actor in the games, confirmed to star in the new series, it was clear that the show would be in English, unlike other Japanese anime productions.

ABS also stated that the new series would not be driven by story to the same extent as the original; ABS believes that this is why the original series was only on the air for 30 episodes. ABS plans for the series to run much longer than the original, and hopes that it will run into at least 2020. When asked for comment, ABS stated that "we're being very ambitious. We've never made an anime series ourselves before, but with STB and Shin-ei on our side, I think we can do it. As PaRappa himself would say, We Gotta Believe."

The show is set to premiere on the Aso Broadcasting System on the 20th June, 2015.