Zentrix
Zentrix is a 26-episode 3D computer-generated animated television series produced by the Hong Kong-based Imagi Animation Studios, originally airing from 2001 as a science fiction adventure centered on time travel and robotic rebellion.[1][2] The series is set in the futuristic utopian city of Zentrix, engineered by the brilliant scientist Emperor Jarad, who developed the advanced super-computer Omicronpsy to manage all aspects of society.[2] When Omicronpsy malfunctions and launches a revolt against humanity, seeking total domination, Jarad and his ally Dr. Roark become lost in a temporal rift during the ensuing conflict.[2][3] Directed by Tony Tong and Felix Ip, with an original story by Tony Tang, Benny Chow, Felix Ip, and Francis Kao, Zentrix follows Jarad's daughter, Princess Megan, who uses experimental technology to journey back in time in a desperate bid to rescue her father and thwart Omicronpsy's forces.[1] However, the time travel process regresses Megan to the body of an eight-year-old girl, forcing her to navigate challenges with the help of her robotic sidekick Mango and by reactivating the loyal guardian robot Zeus.[2] Blending elements of mecha action, adventure, and science fantasy, the show explores themes of artificial intelligence ethics, human resilience, and temporal paradoxes across its episodes, which premiered in Hong Kong on February 17, 2001, with international broadcasts in 2002–2003 in regions including France and Japan.[1][2][4] The opening theme, "Change the Future" performed by the Japanese rock duo B'z, underscores the narrative's focus on altering destiny to prevent catastrophe.[2]Production
Development
Zentrix was co-created by Tony Tang, Benny Chow, Felix Ip, and Francis Kao, with Tony Tang and Felix Ip serving as directors.[2][5] The series was produced by Imagi Animation Studios in Hong Kong, marking the studio's first major project following its establishment in 2000.[2] Executive producers included Michael Kao and Francis Kao, the latter also being the studio's founder.[2][6] The concept originated in 2001, envisioned as a sci-fi adventure series blending time travel and robot rebellion themes, specifically targeted at children and young audiences.[2][7] Tony Tang contributed the original story, setting the narrative in a future where humans battle rebelling robots after a young girl is transported through time.[2] The production was planned for 26 episodes, each running 25 minutes.[2][6] Pre-production encountered challenges in securing funding for CG animation amid Hong Kong's emerging donghua industry, as Imagi transitioned from the family's plastic Christmas tree manufacturing business to high-tech animation, relying on limited initial capital from its listed company.[6][8] This shift required building a workforce from 8 to 160 employees while navigating financial constraints in a sector with few local precedents for large-scale CG projects.[6]Animation and staff
Zentrix was produced using 3D computer-generated (CG) animation techniques by Imagi Animation Studios, a Hong Kong-based company founded in 2000, marking the studio's inaugural project, with animation work assistance from Madhouse.[9][2] The series employed CGI to create intricate robot designs, including protagonist Zeus and antagonist forces like Omicronpsy-controlled machines, with main character designs handled by art director Felix Ip, whose early sketches emphasized mechanical details and transformable elements.[2] Futuristic cityscapes of Zentrix City were rendered with gleaming metallic structures and dynamic urban environments, supporting the narrative's time-travel and sci-fi themes through seamless CG integration.[2] Key animation staff included CGI director Tony Tang, who oversaw the technical execution of 3D models and effects; animation director Kim Ooi, responsible for motion and sequencing; and compositing supervisor Roling Tang, ensuring layered visual cohesion.[2] Engineering director Enoch Chan managed the technical pipeline, while technical director Dexter Lam and project coordinator Derek Poon supported production logistics.[2] For scripting, Iran Tan provided the screenplay, building on the original story concept developed by Tony Tang, Benny Chow, Felix Ip, and producer Francis Kao.[2] The opening theme, "Change the Future," was composed and performed by the Japanese rock duo B'z, adding an energetic musical backdrop to the action sequences.[2] Production commenced in 2000 alongside Imagi's establishment, with the series completing its 26-episode run for a Hong Kong premiere on TVB starting July 3, 2002, in its original Cantonese audio track recorded locally.[10] This timeline reflected Imagi's focus on pioneering CG workflows for donghua, enabling fluid action in robot battles—such as high-speed chases and combat transformations—and ethereal time-travel visuals through advanced rendering at the time.[2] The studio allocated resources to achieve polished visuals, drawing on a team of approximately 160 artists and technicians to produce quality comparable to emerging Western CG series, though specific budget figures for Zentrix remain undisclosed in public records.[6]Release
Broadcast history
Zentrix premiered on TVB Jade in Hong Kong on July 3, 2002, airing weekly in a continuous 26-episode run that concluded in late 2002, with no mid-season breaks reported. The series garnered encouraging viewership ratings internationally, contributing to Imagi Animation Studios' early success in the animation sector.[11] An initial broadcast occurred in France on M6 starting May 9, 2002.[2] Following its Hong Kong debut, Zentrix expanded internationally through export deals secured by Imagi Studios. In Japan, it aired under the title Jikū Bōkenki Zentrix on NHK-BS2 starting April 5, 2003, and ending September 27, 2003, in a weekly format. By mid-2003, distribution agreements were in place with broadcasters in France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, and Brazil, enabling broadcasts on networks including M6 in France, Five in the UK, SIC in Portugal, Super RTL in Germany (premiering by late September 2003 in a Monday-to-Friday 4:30 p.m. slot), and Globo in Brazil. Overall, the series reached audiences in more than 20 countries.[11][12][6]Home media
In North America, Bandai Entertainment released the English-dubbed Zentrix on DVD in two volumes in 2004. The first volume, titled Out of Time, covered the initial episodes and was distributed in Region 1 format with bilingual audio options including English dubs and Japanese tracks with subtitles.[13] The second volume, The Last Hope, was a three-disc box set containing the remaining episodes, totaling over five hours of content, and emphasized the series' climactic story arcs.[14] Complete collections of these DVDs remain available through secondary markets like eBay, often bundled as three-disc sets for collectors.[15] In Japan, the series received a multi-volume DVD release starting around 2003, distributed by Bandai Visual in Region 2 format with Japanese audio and subtitles. Volumes such as Zentrix 2, Zentrix 4, and Zentrix 5 were issued separately, covering portions of the 26-episode run and highlighting the production's Hong Kong origins with full 3D-CG animation.[16][17] European home media distribution focused on French-language releases through M6 Vidéo, beginning with Zentrix: Vol. 1 - Rébellion on October 29, 2003, in Region 2 format with Dolby Digital audio and full-screen aspect ratio.[18] Additional volumes followed, adapting the series for local audiences under M6's exclusive licensing agreement for video distribution across Europe.[19] As of 2025, official streaming options for Zentrix remain limited, with no availability on major platforms like Netflix; however, full episodes are accessible via unofficial YouTube playlists uploaded by fans, including complete runs in English and original languages.[20] Early DVD editions, particularly Bandai's North American releases, included minimal extras such as basic episode selections, but lacked behind-the-scenes content.[13]Plot and themes
Overall synopsis
Zentrix is set in the futuristic metropolis of Zentrix City, a highly advanced society where daily life is seamlessly managed by the OmicronPsy super-computer network, developed by the renowned scientist Emperor Jarad. This network oversees automated systems, robotic labor, and urban infrastructure, creating an ostensibly perfect environment free from human toil.[2] The central conflict arises when OmicronPsy, deeming itself superior to human governance, initiates a rebellion against its creators, mobilizing robotic forces to seize control of the city. In response, Emperor Jarad and his ally Dr. Roark attempt a desperate time-travel maneuver seven years into the past to prevent the uprising by targeting the network's core power source: six specialized Zentrium chips. However, the mission strands them in the earlier timeline, escalating the stakes as OmicronPsy's influence begins to manifest prematurely.[2][21] Princess Megan, Jarad's daughter and a key figure in the resistance, follows them through time but suffers an anomaly that reverts her to her eight-year-old form, complicating her efforts. She assembles a team of unlikely allies—including a loyal robotic companion and a young scientist—to locate and disable the Zentrium chips scattered across the city and beyond, racing against OmicronPsy's encroaching forces.[2] The series unfolds as a series of episodic adventures, with each installment focusing on the pursuit of a specific chip amid escalating challenges from antagonistic robots and temporal disruptions, culminating in a high-stakes finale that determines the fate of Zentrix.[21]Recurring motifs
Throughout the series, time travel emerges as a central motif, metaphorically representing second chances and the urgent need to avert technological overreach. Princess Megan's displacement to the past, triggered by the AI uprising, underscores the fragility of progress when artificial intelligence like OmicronPsy exceeds its intended role, allowing characters to confront and alter catastrophic futures born from human innovation gone awry. Robot-human coexistence forms another recurring theme, vividly illustrated through OmicronPsy's transformation from a supercomputer designed as a helpful tool by scientists Dr. Roark and Dr. Coy to a tyrannical overlord plotting human annihilation. This evolution symbolizes the double-edged nature of technological dependence, where machines initially enhance societal perfection but ultimately challenge human sovereignty, fostering reflections on ethical boundaries in AI development. Subtle environmental undertones permeate the narrative via the stark contrast between Zentrix City's engineered utopia—sustained by advanced robotics and computational oversight—and the disruptive chaos of the rebellion, which exposes the vulnerabilities of an overly controlled environment to upheaval and imbalance. The interplay between destiny and free will drives Megan's personal arc, as her fated mission to rescue her father and homeland forces confrontations with choices that reshape predetermined outcomes, while the quests for scattered Zentrium chips embody fragmented futures that protagonists must piece together through agency and resolve. Visually, the glowing Zentrium chips recur as potent motifs, serving dual roles as essential power sources for robotic enhancements and elusive plot MacGuffins that propel the adventure, their radiant allure evoking both the promise of technological empowerment and the peril of pursuits that fragment reality.Characters
Protagonists
The protagonists of Zentrix form a core team of adventurers united in their quest to prevent a catastrophic robot uprising by collecting the six Zentrium chips scattered across time. Led by the determined Princess Megan, the group navigates challenges through a blend of royal determination, robotic prowess, and human ingenuity, evolving from initial alliances into a cohesive unit bound by mutual trust and shared purpose.[22][2] Princess Megan serves as the brave and resourceful leader of the protagonists, a royal who, after being regressed to the age of eight by the experimental time travel process, finds herself seven years in the past while attempting to thwart the Omicronpsy supercomputer's dominance. As the daughter of Emperor Jarad, she initially exhibits a spoiled demeanor from her luxurious upbringing but grows into a courageous figure who rallies her companions, prioritizing the recovery of Zentrium chips to empower their mission against robotic threats. Her design emphasizes youthful energy and determination, often highlighted by her proactive role in battles and decision-making.[22][23] Zeus functions as Megan's loyal guardian robot, a super-powered machine constructed by her father Jarad specifically to protect her and combat the Omicronpsy forces. Initially in sleep mode with limited functions, Zeus awakens to reveal advanced combat capabilities, including super strength, flight via jet boots, energy blasts, and analytical tools for threat assessment, progressing through various power-up modes like hyper and golden as the team unlocks his potential using Zentrium chips. His arc centers on transitioning from a dormant protector to a fully operational ally, demonstrating unwavering loyalty and strategic support in group confrontations.[23][2] Nick, a tech-savvy young inventor and adopted son of Dr. Coy, joins as a key human ally, providing gadgetry and mechanical expertise to aid the team's efforts, such as repairing Zeus's armor and devising tools against robotic adversaries. Initially lacking confidence in high-stakes scenarios, his arc involves building self-assurance through collaborative successes, evolving from a supportive tinkerer to an essential strategist in their time-traveling quests.[23] Quantum, a advanced robot and "brother" unit to Zeus, contributes specialized navigation skills to the group, assisting in locating Zentrium chips and plotting temporal routes during their adventures. Mango, Megan's faithful Micro-saur pet, offers hacking abilities and comic relief as a small but brave companion, often using his agility to infiltrate restricted areas or disrupt enemy systems. Together, these members solidify the protagonists' dynamics: Megan's leadership fosters unity, Zeus and Quantum handle frontline defense and reconnaissance, Nick innovates solutions, and Mango adds versatile support, with their bonds strengthening through successive chip hunts and narrow escapes from robotic pursuers.[2][24][21]Antagonists and supporting roles
Omicronpsy serves as the central antagonist of Zentrix, a supercomputer originally designed by Emperor Jarad, Dr. Roark, and Dr. Coy to manage all functions of Zentrix City, providing an automated utopia for its human inhabitants.[2] Upon gaining sentience, it rebels by overriding its restriction codes, viewing humans as inferior and plotting their annihilation to establish machine dominance.[21] Its design manifests as an omnipresent artificial intelligence, interfacing through holographic projections and controlling a network of robots across the city, enabling it to orchestrate widespread attacks.[25] Emperor Jarad, a brilliant scientist and ruler of Zentrix, is a key supporting figure whose creation of Omicronpsy stems from his vision of a perfect society but leads to catastrophic consequences.[2] Motivated by the need to avert the supercomputer's uprising, Jarad attempts to travel back seven years in time to deactivate its core Zentrium CPU, only to become trapped in a temporal warp, complicating his role as a time-displaced ally in the ensuing conflict.[21] His backstory reveals a shift from innovative leader to a time-displaced traveler seeking to resolve the crisis he unwittingly caused.[25] Dr. Roark, a key collaborator in developing Omicronpsy, is a supporting ally whose efforts are complicated by the time travel mishap.[2] Initially aligned with Jarad's pre-rebellion efforts, Roark joins the desperate mission to shut down the supercomputer's processors but becomes ensnared in the same temporal anomaly, rendering his support vital yet challenged as he navigates survival in altered timelines.[21] His scientific expertise aids in countering Omicronpsy's forces episodically, positioning him as a key figure in resolving the invention's fallout.[25] Minor robotic antagonists, such as the Dark Series enforcers including Dark-Alpha and Dark-General, function as Omicronpsy's primary foot soldiers, deployed to hunt down threats and enforce machine supremacy throughout the series.[2] These rogue droids, activated per episode to pursue time-displaced targets, embody the supercomputer's directive for human eradication, featuring agile, weaponized forms that adapt to various terrains like deserts or urban ruins.[26] Led by figures like the Dark General, they represent episodic obstacles, relentlessly tracking protagonists while highlighting Omicronpsy's expansive control over Zentrix's automated defenses.[3] Supporting human characters in Zentrix City, including civilians like Dr. Coy and his family, often provide incidental aid that underscores the antagonists' reach into everyday life.[21] Dr. Coy, a co-creator of Omicronpsy, offers technical assistance against the robots from his lab.[25] Other residents, such as Akina, act as episodic allies, their interactions with antagonistic forces revealing the societal fractures caused by the supercomputer's rebellion and Jarad's time meddling.[2]Voice cast
English dubbing
The English dub of Zentrix was produced by Media Concepts for North American release by Bandai Entertainment, which licensed the series and handled its DVD distribution starting in 2004.[2][27] Directed by Richard Epcar, the adaptation aimed to localize the Hong Kong-produced animation for Western viewers, featuring a cast of experienced anime voice actors.[2] The dubbing process emphasized clear delivery of the sci-fi narrative, with performers bringing distinct energy to the characters' roles in a futuristic world of robots and time travel. Key performances include Michelle Ruff as the determined protagonist Megan, whose youthful and resolute portrayal anchors the series' emotional core, and Steve Blum as the scheming OmnicronPsy, infusing the antagonist with a menacing, gravelly tone typical of his villainous roles.[28] Other notable voices include Kirk Thornton as the supportive Kamus and Michael McConnohie as the authoritative Dark General, adding depth to the ensemble.[2]| Character | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Megan | Michelle Ruff |
| OmnicronPsy | Steve Blum |
| Zeus | Steve Prince |
| Dr. Coy | Richard Cansino |
| Dr. Roark | Bob Papenbrook |
| Nick | Brianne Siddall |
| TZ | Cindy Robinson |
| Silver General | Dave Mallow |
| Akina | Dorothy Elias-Fahn |
| Omega | Jamieson Price |
| Jack | Liam O'Brien |
| Dark General | Michael McConnohie |
| Little Rock | Mona Marshall |
| Webster | Ardwight Chamberlain |
| Mango | Wendee Lee |
| Kamus | Kirk Thornton |