Ocha-Ken

Ocha-Ken (お茶犬) [aka Tea Dogs, Tea Puppies] is a anime based on the toy line (of the same name) made by Sega Toys (SEGA's toy division, Japan only).

The series aired on Kids Station on October 6th, 2003 and ended on April 1st, 2004.

The anime has over 26 episodes, all 26 episodes ran for 4 minutes.

Plot
The puppies Ryoku, Hana, Chai, Aru, and friends have small every-day adventures that teach lessons like the importance of listening, fair competition, and sharing, with an emphasis on tea

Characters
Ryoku: Ryoku can usually be found sleeping somewhere, pretty much anywhere and at any time. Ryoku has a very sensitive nose which alerts him when some delicious green tea has been made "just right."

Cafe: Cafe is the brown dog with what looks like dreadlocks made out of coffee beans.

Ron: Ron is a very mysterious little dog. He has the ability to find Ryoku with ease even when no one else knows where he is. Ron can also understand the weather.

Aru: Aru loves adventures. This ambitious little red dog is very influenced by heroes on TV and wants to be a hero himself.

Muha: Energy is something Muha always seems to have. When there is hot weather and everyone is relaxing, Muha is running around having fun.

Hana: Hana is the only female member of the tea dogs. She likes flowers a lot and always seems to be in a good mood.

Chai: Chai is a rather pale looking dog, but that doesn't reflect his personality at all. He is often doing silly things and making a bit of trouble. Chai is very fond of pudding although he can be very picky about what he eats.

Videogames
Even though the anime is over, The Ocha-Ken brand still lived on and even spawned 3 games for the Game Boy Advance (all 3 are in Japan Only)
 * Ochaken no Heya [released on December 19th, 2003]
 * Ochaken Kururin: Honwaka Puzzle De Hottosho? [released on October 28th, 2004]
 * Ochaken no Yumebouken [released on April 28th, 2005]

There's also a Ocha-Ken game for the Nintendo DS in the works, slated for sometime in 2006.

Essential Links

 * Official Ocha-Ken Website
 * Ocha-Ken fansite (includes fansubs of the anime)