History Anime / Superbook

* DubNameChange: Applies to many of the Western dubs. Sho, Azusa, Zenmaijikake, and Kichomu (the dog) became Christopher, Joy, Gizmo, and Ruffles in English. In the French dub, Sho/Chris is Christian, Azusa/Joy is Aline, and the dog's name is Molly, but Gizmo and Uri retain their English dub names. See also MeaningfulName for some other examples.

** In the German version, Christopher's name is Christian, and Azusa/Joy is known as Maria, or Ri for short, which seems fairly obviously a reference to the Mother of Christ.

* DubNameChange: Applies to many of the Western dubs. Sho, Azusa, Zenmaijikake, and Kichomu (the dog) became Christopher, Joy, Gizmo, and Ruffles in English. See also MeaningfulName for some other examples.

* SiblingRivalry: Fred (Chris' father) and his younger brother (Uri's father).

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983, and produced by Creator/TatsunokoProduction (with animation assistance from Creator/StudioDeen and Creator/{{SHAFT}} among others) for Creator/TVTokyo, although it was aired on affiliates of all of Japan's major television networks (as TV Tokyo was not yet a national network). Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't often thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

In 2011, a computer-animated reboot of the series was produced. The remake is notable for being the first animated series to air on Creator/ABCFamily (who aired the original back when they were known as CBN Cable in the early 80's) since around 2005. Interestingly, the reboot has also begun airing in the nation where it all started - Japan - as of early 2018. Meanwhile, the original series can still be found on the Christian kids' channel Smile Of A Child (but in the wee morning hours - better prepare your DVR![[note]]Only if you live in parts of the US and have AT&T U-Verse TV.[[/note]]).

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983, and produced by Creator/TatsunokoProduction (with animation assistance from Creator/StudioDeen and Creator/{{SHAFT}} among others) for Creator/TVTokyo, although it was aired on affiliates of all of Japan's major television networks (as TV Tokyo was not yet a national network). Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't generally thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

* NoPersonalitiesWereHarmed: In season 5 of the original anime (English dub), Joy is upset because her favorite singer, [[Music/BarryManilow Barry Mannyhigh]], married [[Music/OliviaNewtonJohn Olivia Piggyback]].

* BerserkButton: In one episode, Joy tries on a dress that's too small for her, and Chris makes a crack about her being too fat to fit into the dress. Joy doesn't find this funny and begins angrily chasing him around the house.

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983, and produced by Creator/TatsunokoProduction (with animation assistance from Creator/StudioDeen among others) for Creator/TVTokyo, although it was aired on affiliates of all of Japan's major television networks (as TV Tokyo was not yet a national network). Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't generally thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

* [[BroughtToYouByTheLetterS BroughtToYouByTheLetterU]]: Chris's cousin in the second series wears a shirt with a U on it. In Japanese, it's a bilingual pun, as the character's name is Yuu. It also left the English dubbers little choice but to rename him Uriah, or Uri for short.

* ChristianFiction

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983, and produced by Creator/TatsunokoProduction (with animation assistance from Creator/StudioDeen among others) for Creator/TVTokyo although it was aired on affiliates of all of Japan's major television networks. Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't generally thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

* AdultsAreUseless: In the case of Chris' parents.

* ChestInsignia: The letter U on Uri's shirt. In the Japanese version his name is Yuu, which is pronounced like the English letter U.

In 2011, a computer-animated reboot of the series was produced. The remake is notable for being the first animated series to air on Creator/ABCFamily (who aired the original back when they were known as CBN Cable in the early 80's) since around 2005. Meanwhile, the original series can still be found on the Christian kids' channel Smile Of A Child (but in the wee morning hours - better prepare your DVR![[note]]Only if you live in parts of the US and have AT&T U-Verse TV.[[/note]]).

Compare to ''WesternAnimation/KingdomChums'', which also features time-traveling children witnessing Bible stories and was also animated in Japan (though the chief production staff were American and thus it isn't considered "anime").

* PinkGirlBlueBoy: Azusa/Joy wears a pink shirt, and Sho/Christopher wears a blue jacket and blue jeans. The show's character designer, Akiko Shimomoto, was apparently fond of this trope as she used it in several other Tatsunoko series.

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983, and produced by Creator/TatsunokoProduction for Creator/TVTokyo although it was aired on affiliates of all of Japan's major television networks. Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't generally thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: The story of Joshua, as told here, portrays Rahab as an innocent woman bullied by the soldiers of Jericho (she was actually a whore), and completely ignores the fact that every living thing in Jericho, apart from her and her family, were slain.

* ChestInsignia: The letter U on Uri's shirt.
** And in the Japanese version his name is Yuu, which is pronounced like the English letter U.

* MeaningfulName: Christopher Peeper - His last name is rooted in peeping, essentially getting a quick look at something.
** "Christopher" means "bearing Christ."
** In the German version his name is actually Christian, and Azusa/Joy is known as Maria, or Ri for short, which seems fairly obviously a reference to the Mother of Christ.

* LiarRevealed: The opening vignette of the "Samson and Delilah" episode features Chris lifting a barbell with the promise that his father will raise his allowance if he makes it to one hundred repetitions. When he makes it to one hundred, his father and Joy are thrilled - until Ruffles, the dog, picks up the barbell in her mouth, revealing it to be a mere toy.

** Somewhat of an inversion happened in the "First Christmas" episode - Gizmo managed to push two soldiers, who were looking to hunt down and kill the baby Jesus at King Herod's order (and threatened Chris when Chris tried to stop them), off a cliff.

* HerCodeNameWasMarySue: Refreshingly averted with Joy/Azusa. She's portrayed similar to Shizuka from ''Manga/Doraemon'' in that although she seems to be somewhat of a goody-goody at first glance, she has her own character flaws, including jealousy and a tendency to lose her temper whenever Chris teases her.

''Super Book,'' or ''Anime Oyako Gekijō'' ("Animated Parent and Child Theater") in the original Japanese, was a Japanese-American tag-team effort to try to show stories from the Old and New Testament of [[Literature/TheBible the Judeo-Christian Bible]] to Japanese children. Released from 1981 to 1983. Originally, it was for Japan only (no one thought anime was marketable in the U.S. back then), but a positive response at a French convention led to an English dub in the United States of America and dubs in many other languages, becoming perhaps (due to its use as an evangelistic tool) one of the most widely distributed Japanese animated series ever, even if it isn't generally thought of as "anime" despite its origins.

Surprisingly, it was good. The creators did their best to keep true to the original stories as best as they could while still keeping it appropriate for kids. The Biblical characters, while often one-shots, were still given good characterization. And, importantly, the producers tried to illustrate the stories that showcased God's love and mercy, rather than focusing exclusively on the judgment and wrath part.

The second series (''Superbook II,'' or ''Pasokon Travel Tanteidan'') took place two years after the first and had Super Book accidentally fall on a computer keyboard. This somehow transferred Super Book's powers to the computer, allowing anyone who wanted to see into the past. Unfortunately, Chris' dog Ruffles accidentally gets lost in time in the process. To find her, Chris' cousin Uriah (Uri for short) and Gizmo (now a fully functioning robot even outside Super Book, with a built-in computer for recall purposes) regularly travel back in time to find her, adding an overarching plot arc to the second series.

* AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Japanese version has an [[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xjtoqi_yyyyyyy-op-ed_music#.UTPr01dv4SY opening and ending theme]] different from the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRSEUKLkJcU English opening.]] For series one, the Japanese opening song was adapted for the English version as the closing. Most other foreign language versions were adapted from the English dub and use either the English language themes or adaptations thereof, an exception being the Italian dub, which has a completely original song (and keeps the Japanese opening and closing animation).