is a Japanese anime television series animated by Sunrise. It aired on Wowow from July 21, 2000 to February 9, 2001 and a manga adaptation by Nozomi Watase was published by Kadokawa. The story takes place in Japan in 1969 and it is about an orphan girl named Marin Asagi who befriends an alien named Melan Blue.
Brigadoon was directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani and the characters were designed by Takahiro Kimura, both of whom worked on The King of Braves GaoGaiGar and Betterman.
The show's setting in Yayoi, Tokyo was based on neighborhoods in which director Yonetani and art director Takashi Nakamura once lived. Color is a recurring theme in the series as well. Most if not all of the episodes have a color in the title, and nearly everyone in the cast is named after a color in one way or another. Likewise, the rainbow is an important image.
Plot
Marin Asagi is a typical junior high school girl with a loving adoptive family. Her life changes drastically when a mysterious mirage is seen in the sky above the entire Earth. The mirage is actually another world called Brigadoon. Soon, alien creatures called Monomakia descend from the formation in the sky and hunt down Marin, but she is saved by another Monomakia named Melan Blue, a flying, sword-wielding, gun-slinging alien who becomes her protector.
Together, Marin and Melan must save the Earth and deal with family crises, school prejudice and the police, and come to an understanding of Marin's past and Melan's unexplained mission, as well as learn to trust each other.
Characters
Main characters
Marin is the heroine of the series, a 13-year-old girl in the seventh grade. She was abandoned as a baby at the door of a tenement house and adopted by the elderly couple Gen and Moto Asagi. She is far-sighted and wears glasses to see properly. At school she is often picked on by her peers, but she tries not to let it bother her. In general, she is a happy, energetic girl with a wild imagination and strong work ethic, earning her own money by delivering newspapers. Her life turns messy when Brigadoon appears in the sky and Monomakia start to attack her. The kanji of her family name translates to "light blue".
Melan was discovered by Marin in an ampoule that was in Nezu Shrine near her house. Originally from Brigadoon, he is a type of Monomakia known as a Gun-Swordsman. He takes on the mission of protecting Marin for reasons he cannot tell her. He is very tall and humanoid in appearance, wears blue armor, and flies with a set of mechanical wings. For combat, he has a sword on his right arm and a laser gun on his left. He uses rice as fuel and can eat up to fifty bowls in one sitting. While he makes an excellent bodyguard, Melan understands little about human beings, but that begins to change as he spends more time among them and bonds with Marin.
Lolo is a green, cat-like creature from Brigadoon who aids Marin and Melan in their adventures. He appears on Earth shortly before Brigadoon becomes visible in the sky and shows Marin where Melan's ampoule is located. At first he only appears to Marin as a sort of eccentric advisor and even leads her to where the ampoules of other helpful Monomakia are hidden. Later, he is revealed to be the chairman of the Life Improvement Committee of Brigadoon's Central Assembly.
Moe is Marin's classmate and best friend. She has a weak constitution, is noticeably pale, and is very shy and quiet. She comes from a wealthy family and her mother does not like her associating with the less fortunate Marin. Despite this, Moe remains Marin's most loyal friend and does everything she can to help her. Her efforts are not always successful and she is often worse off afterward, but she believes they are worthwhile. The kanji of her given name comes from the word "moegi", meaning "light yellowish green".
Nicknamed "Aloma" by Marin, he is a mysterious young boy who seems to know a lot about the Monomakias and Brigadoon. Good-looking and polite, he is usually eating something whenever he appears. When Marin first meets him, she assumes that he is an observer from the future, and his response suggests that this might be true. He also has a tendency to show up wherever a Monomakia is about to strike and appears to know more than he lets on.
Tenement house
Moto is Marin's adoptive grandmother, an energetic widow aged 68 years. She and her late husband Gen found Marin abandoned on the doorstep of the tenement house and decided to keep her. She is a very strong and independent woman who cares about Marin very much and will do anything to protect her. She is also very wise and gives good advice to people.