Pili (TV series)

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Some of the Pili merchandise found in Taiwan

Pili (Traditional Chinese: 霹靂) is a glove puppetry show from Taiwan. It is made by Pili International Multimedia. The TV series started in 1985, and it still continues today. It is one of the most popular TV shows in Taiwan. Pili puppet show is performed by many kinds of puppets, some of them are cool, some are intelligent, and some are funny. Unlike traditional puppet shows, Pili puppet show uses state-of-the-art animation to help present its fighting art. The delicate design of the appearance and characteristics of each puppet has made Pili puppet show a well-known entertainment in Taiwan.

In 2000, the Pili movie Legend of the Sacred Stone was released. It was released on DVD in Taiwan and Japan (the Japanese edit significantly shortened).The Japanese release includes some humorously bad optional English subtitles, while the Taiwanese release has no English, so the only imports and bootlegs of the film generally found in North America have been of the Japanese version.

In February 2006, the American company Animation Collective who was known for Kappa Mikey and Speed Racer: The Next Generation created an edited version of Pili on Cartoon Network called Wulin Warriors. Many fans of the original series complained about the poor quality of the scripts and changes made for the American version. One example was the character Ye Hsiao-Chai (Scar in Wulin Warriors), who is a mute in the Taiwanese version of the series, but in the American version he speaks frequently. Many Cartoon Network viewers were hostile to Wulin Warriors because the programming of the series was part of a shift in the channel's focus to include live action programs. Cartoon Network stopped airing Wulin Warriors after only two episodes,all thirteen episodes could be seen on Kids' AOL, but were taken off after a few years.

In 2016, Nitroplus, Good Smile Company, and Taiwanese company PILI launched a website on Friday to announce　サンダーボルトファンタジー：東離劍遊紀（Thunderbolt Fantasy: Tōriken yūki）, a new puppet TV series that will premiere this summer.

Gen Urobuchi (Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero, Psycho-Pass, Aldnoah.Zero) is credited with the show's original work, and is also writing the scripts and serving as chief supervisor. Nitroplus is credited with the character designs, and Good Smile Company is credited as the "modeling adviser." T.M. Revolution will perform the show's theme song. PILI Multimedia Inc., a well-known hand puppet drama production company in Taiwan, will produce the series.

External links

• Pili International Multimedia - English language web site of the series' creators
• Taipei Times - Pili mourns loss of valuable puppets to fire, October 2010