Bootleg (TV serial)

Bootleg was a 2002 miniseries for children, commissioned by the BBC and based on a book of the same name by Alex Shearer. It was made shown as a three-part series in the UK in 2002, was then broadcast in Australia and all over the world.

The novel has been adapted in Japan in the form of manga and 13 episode ONA series under the title Chokorēto Andāguraundo (チョコレート・アンダーグラウンド).

Plot
The film is about a new political party called the "Good for You" (abbreviated as GFY) which comes into power and bans chocolate. Two kids named Smudger Moore and Huntley Hunter want to get their chocolate back. They begin by selling bootleg chocolate, and go on to join an underground resistance organization.

The film climaxes in a huge revolution where people take to the streets. They demand that chocolate is brought back, and the government is overthrown.

The way in which the revolution is triggered, by a group seizing a "terrorist-proof" broadcasting studio to broadcast a message of resistance, has a remarkable resemblance to V's broadcast in the graphic novel V for Vendetta (1982-1988).

Book
Bootleg was first published as a book written by Alex Shearer and is published by Macmillan Children's Books on July 4, 2003.

TV series
The adaptation, commissioned by BBC was made into a three-part series and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom and later in Australia.

It has won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for Best Children's Drama with the screenplay was written by Paul Smith.

The TV series adaptation features British actors Martin Jarvis, Reuben Knepler-Lanzon and Gemma Jones.

Manga
The manga adaptation was done by Japanese manga artist, Aiji Yamakawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōjo monthly manga magazine, Bessatsu Margaret from its 2nd issue and ended on the 15th issue of the magazine in year 2008.

It has only one volume and was released on October 2008.

Anime
The anime adaptation of the manga is written by Kiyoko Yoshimura and animated by Production I.G with original character designs provided by Aiji Yamakawa. Seiyū Fumie Mizusawa and Toshiyuki Toyonaga voices the main characters, Smudger Moore and Huntley Hunter respectively and Japanese singer, Maaya Sakamoto voicing Carol Hunter.

The adaptation's theme song and insert song are sung by Kana Nishino. The theme song's title is Make Up and the insert song is titled as Kirari and is released under SME Records.

Cast

 * Smudger Moore – Fumie Mizusawa
 * Huntley Hunter - Toshiyuki Toyonaga
 * Louise Bubby - Mikako Takahashi
 * Director of Headquarters - Katsuyuki Konishi
 * Ron Moore - Keiji Fujiwara
 * Joe Crawley - Kenjirō Tsuda
 * Carol Hunter - Maaya Sakamoto
 * Kylie Moore - Rie Nakagawa
 * John Blades - Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Source:

Other references

 * Shearer, Alex. Bootleg. Macmillan Children's Books, July 2003.  (ISBN 978-0330415620)