Kuu Kuu Harajuku

Did You Know?

• The show's music style was based on Gwen Stefani's first two studio albums, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and The Sweet Escape.
• Mattel launched the Kuu Kuu Harajuku merchandise line in Spring 2017.
• Shout! Factory secured North American DVD and Blu-ray rights in February 2017.

Overview

The series centers on a teenage girl named G, based on Gwen Stefani, and her friends Love, Angel, Music, and Baby, who form the band HJ5. Their manager Rudie books gigs that are always interrupted, but the group uses their combined strengths—G's leadership, Love's intelligence, Angel's creativity, Music's bravery, Baby's enthusiasm, and Rudie's determination—to overcome challenges. The villain General NoFun and his minion Commander Bo-Ring try to eliminate entertainment, while other characters include producer Twisty T, fan Say-Wah, soldier Colonel Spyke, and talk show host Mauve Madison.

Characters

G (voiced by Maggie Chretien) is the leader and lead singer of HJ5, known for being trustworthy and level-headed; her signature colors are aqua, white, and black, and she represents bows. Love (voiced by Daisy Masterman) is the smartest member, with an aptitude for science and inventions; her color is red and she represents hearts. Angel (voiced by Emma Taylor-Isherwood) is the fashionista, bubbly and cheerful but sometimes an airhead; her colors are yellow and blue and she represents stars.

Music (voiced by Sally Taylor-Isherwood) is the second-in-command, snarky and tough, and an exceptional fighter and dancer; her color is purple and she represents musical notes. Baby (voiced by Charlotte Nicdao) is the youngest, sweet and lighthearted, loving cute things and hugs; her color is pink and she represents cuteness. Rudie (voiced by Danny Smith) is the band's manager, the only male member, who works hard to book gigs but often causes trouble; he is associated with checkered monochrome colors.

General NoFun is the leader of Nofunland, and Commander Bo-Ring is his chief assistant. Say-Wah is an obsessed fan with an auto-tuned voice.

Production

Kuu Kuu Harajuku was co-produced by Vision Animation in Malaysia, Moody Street Productions in Australia, and Red Flags Fly in the United States, and distributed by DHX Media. It was produced in association with Film Victoria for the first season and Network Ten for the second. Gwen Stefani first proposed a Harajuku Girls television show after her 2004 album Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and she pitched the series at Kidscreen's 2013 Asian Animation Summit. Stefani stated the show's visual ideas came from Harajuku but that it is a make-believe world. In January 2014 she revealed Network Ten had greenlit fifty-two episodes, and the working title was KooKoo Harajuku. Stefani cited her brother Eric Stefani's work on The Simpsons and The Ren & Stimpy Show as an influence. The series was animated using Flash.

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave a mixed review, praising Love and G as positive role models but calling the cartoon pretty mindless. Erica Russell of PopCrush argued the setting is a culturally-empty Westernization of Japan. Rae Alexandra of KQED criticized the portrayal of the Harajuku Girls as racially ambiguous, suggesting it was a way to handle accusations of cultural appropriation. Teresa Jusino of The Mary Sue noted that the characters are all different colors but that Japanese culture was appropriated and then largely erased from the series.