Country of origin China Running time 22 mins Original release 2001 – 2001 Final episode date 2001 Number of episodes 52 | No. of episodes 52 Original network CCTV First episode date 2001 Network China Central Television | |
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Genres Animated cartoon, Animated series Similar Go Player, Century Sonny, Strange Tales of Liao Zhai, The Blue Mouse and the Big F, Da Han Tian Zi | ||
Music Up (Chinese: 我为歌狂), also known as Crazy for the Song, is the first Chinese animation idol TV series in China. It was distributed by Shanghai Animation Film Studio and produced by Welkin-Animation.
Contents
Background
This is the first animation production from China with an emphasis on the life of singers, bands and pop stars. It is the first high budget domestic Chinese animation. Production investment is estimated to be 18 million RMB (about US $2.3 million). In 2001 66% of its profits came from selling merchandise related to the series.
Story
Four young teenage boys share a common vision and passion for music. They come together overlapping their own personalities and ideas. In the process, they encounter a lot of difficulties as any youth might have. The story is unfolded as the band grows up. Academic, personal conflicts, family, friendship and emotional problems are all intertwined. With the help of teachers, students, and friends they try to achieve their dreams.
Merchandise
The TV series was not as successful as expected, but the associated merchandise of books, cards, CDs were extremely popular among teenagers in China. The book series sold 350,000 copies in Shanghai alone. A video game was released in 2002 by UbiSoft China titled "Music Up - Summer Rainbow".