BEM
Movies
Alternate Titles
Yōkai Ningen Bem
Humanoid Monster Bem
妖怪人間ベム
Synopsis
BEM is a supernatural adventure anime with demons. It follows the story of Sonia, a young female detective who just moved from Upper Town, the center of politics, economics, and culture, to Outside where there is much corruption and crime. Libra City is constructed with a bridge between these two sections highlighting human discrimination. In the Outside, she meets three beings with unsettling, monstrous appearances, but who fight for humanity and have their own feeling and thoughts. Their names are Bem, Bela, and Belo. Their grotesque form will never be accepted by humans. There is also someone looking for them and why they are is unknown, but this person controls Libra City, their port town, from the shadows. What could these beings be and what could this person want of them?
Background
BEM began as a Japanese anime television series with first aired on Fuji TV in October 1986. In April 2006, it was remade into a second anime television series in Japan on Animax. A live-action television drama adaptation premiered on NTV in 2011. For the series’ 50th anniversary a new anime television series adaptation is scheduled to air in July 2019 directed by Yoshinori Odaka, written by Atsuhiro Tomioka, and produced by studio LandQ, with character designs by Masakazu Sanagawa and music by SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS and Michiru. The opening song is “Uchuu no Kioku” by Maaya Sakamoto and the ending song is “Iru Imi” by JUNNA.
Characters
Bem (Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi)
Leader of the Youkai Ningen, Bem believes if he defeats evil to save humans he will become a human one day. His heart is full of justice and he can sense evil aurus no matter where they are in Libra City. He is muscular, intelligent, quiet, and seemingly emotionless and cold but cares for Bela and Belo as his family.
Belo (Voiced by: Kensho Ono)
Belo is genius gamer and has a cool, aloof, sarcastic personality. He likes to spend time in the arcade in Outside and usually wears his headphones to keep a distance from himself and human society. He doesn’t have a special power but shows promise and plays with evil by being fast. He wants to be free of youkai ningen lifestyle.
Bela (Voiced by: M.A.O)
Belo, aka Annabella, is the youngest of the youkai ningen and she tries her hardest to blend into human society, even attending the Upper Side famous school Saint Joseph, but also has a slight bias against humans given their prejudice towards youkai ningen that ends up getting her hurt. She was talkative and expressive but since hanging out with Bem who is quiet and Belo who is sarcastic, she doesn’t talk as much anymore. She is graceful in battle using a whip built into her arm and can control cold air.
Joel Woods (Voiced by: Kenji Nomura)
Joel Woods is an unmotivated 18th district detective.
Mysterious Lady (Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto)
The Mysterious Lady controls the concealed assembly and is after Bem and his family.
Sonia Summers (Voiced by: Maaya Uchida)
Sonia Summers has a high sense of Justice and serious, stubborn personality which resulted in her being demoted from the leader of the 18th Police District in Outside. She drags Joel Woods around with her and doesn’t follow the customs of the Outside even when there and instead does whatever she things is right.
International Streaming
- Funimation
- Hulu
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: ADK Emotions
- Original Character Designer: Range Murata
- Planning: NAS
- Project Cooperation: Production I.G
- Director: Yoshinori Odaka
- Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka
- Character Designer: Masakazu Sunagawa
- Music: SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS, Michiru
- Music Production: Flying Dog
- Animation Production: LandQ Studios