Submission 4,374

About

Jewelpet is a Japanese media franchise and toy line created in 2008 as a joint venture between Sanrio and Sega Toys, produced by the third character designer of Hello Kitty, Yuko Yamaguchi and illustrated by the character designer of Cinnamoroll, Miyuki Okumura. Despite their animes have aired in some countries (such as Italy and Portugal), they became a popular subject of fan art in artist communities such as DeviantArt and Tumblr.

History

The anime series began first with the first series in 2009, which mainly focuses on Rinko Kougyoku as the main heroine. As soon as its official ending in 2010, several sequels came out. All 7 anime series were different to each other, focusing on specific human characters as well as the main Jewelpet mascot, Ruby. The stories on all story arcs are completely different but sometimes makes certain references from each season. The anime series never aired in America, with some fans claiming that was to avoid accusations of plagiarism with other similar franchises.

Row 1, Left: Jewelpet -- The anime debut of the franchise.
Row 1, Center: Jewelpet Twinkle☆ -- The 2nd anime series of the franchise. The series revolves around the new main heroine, Akari Sakura, that became new Ruby's partner and decided to enter the Jewel Star Grand Prix to become the next "Jewel Star", where the prize for being awarded the title of "Jewel Star" is being granted three wishes.
Row 1, Right: Jewelpet Sunshine -- The 3rd anime series of the franchise. This series focuses on Ruby and Kanon Mizushiro, two roommates who hate each other, during a semester at Sunshine Academy. They are part of the outcast class, the Plum Class, who have many hilarious adventures, and tests as they strive to graduate. This series is known for its slapstick humor and it's considered as a parody anime.
Row 2, Left: Jewelpet Kira☆Deco! -- The 4th anime series of the franchise. This series is known for making parody of Japanese superhero series, Super Sentai.
Row 2, Center: Jewelpet Happiness -- The 5th anime series of the franchise. The series focuses on the main heroine Chiari Tsukikage and her friends on managing the Jewelpet Café. One day at the magical world of Jewel Land, Jewelina entrusted Ruby the magical Jewel Box with a mission to make friends and collect Magic Gems. At the same time, she needs to attend the Jewel Academy to do so and open a shop called the Jewelpet Café.
Row 2, Center: Lady Jewelpet -- The 6th anime series of the franchise. The series focuses on Momona, a regular middle-school girl who is transported to Jewel Land in the day of her cousin's wedding. There, Ruby reveals to her that she has been selected to become the next Lady Jewel candidate to become the queen of Jewel Land. So Momona had no choice but accept to become the candidate for the next Jewel Land's queen.
Row 3, Center: Jewelpet: Magical Change -- The 7th and the most recent anime series of the franchise. The series follows the adventures of Ruby and her long-best human friend Airi Kirara as they embark on a quest to spread the magical wonders to the humans around the world. This focuses on the concept of Human Moe anthropomorphism to the Jewelpet characters, which plays an essential point to the anime's storyline.

Spread

The characters attracted the attention of Steven Universe fans, mainly due to its character similarities with the gems. Exemple of this was a recreation of a scene from a Steven Universe episode made by DeviantArt user, Harmony--Bunny^[1], in which Ruby and Saphire are replaced by their Jewelpet counterparts.

Another DeviantArt user, Crystal-Sushi^[2] ^[3], made a fan art, in which depicts Saphire, Ruby, Peridot and Lapis Lazuli from Steven Universe wearing Jewelpet-themed pajamas, each one resembling their Jewelpet counterpart.