April 9, 2018 – February 20, 2023
Ballmastrz: 9009 (ボールマスターズ: 9009) is an adult animated sitcom created by animator and voice actor Christy Karacas. It premiered on April 9, 2018, on Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim and was produced by Titmouse, Inc. and Williams Street. The series stars actress Natasha Lyonne as the voice of Gaz Digzy, an athletic superstar in a dystopian future where humanity is satiated by a violent sport simply known as "The Game". The series is characterized by anime-style iconography, dark humor, and shock value.
In July 2019, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on February 24, 2020. A special titled Ballmastrz: Rubicon aired on February 20, 2023. The special picks up where the last episode leaves off, it was produced by PFFR, and animated by Studio 4°C. The special has a more traditional anime style than the series, and is meant to serve as a fork possibly leading to future seasons. As of October 2023, no new episodes are in development at Adult Swim, though plans may change in the future.
Summary
In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a string of devastating "Rad Wars," a mysterious demigod cyborg named Crayzar creates a roller derby-like sport known as "The Game", in which two teams try to score more points than the other using a ball. During the match, players can be "killed" (in that they are teleported to a holding area to be revived after receiving lethal wounds) to take them out of the match. The series follows Gaz Digzy, the former captain of the best team in the Game, The Boom Boom Boys, who is demoted to playing on the worst team in the Game, The Leptons. Her only way back to the top is to somehow lead these pathetic misfits and 'ultimate losers' to victory.
As the series progresses, The Game is slowly clarified. Initially an ill-explained violent sport between two teams with balls, it developed into a very simple competition where each team attempts to score goals with their respective ball, the goals being a small ball-sized indent on opposing sides of the play area the ball is stuck into. The balls themselves are anthropomorphic and sapient, and their personalities are similar to each team's anime-inspired theme.
The premise is possibly inspired by 1975 film Rollerball, which details a futuristic corporate dystopian society wherein the violent Rollerball game is the main recreational sport of the world.
Also See
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Crowd AdultsY PE142901
- Mark VII Limited Hammer Clang Sound (Heard in the Williams Street logo.)
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, SCREAM - SCREAM: FEMALE, HORROR 03
Image Gallery
- Ballmastrz: 9009/Image Gallery