The Monster Kid
Kaibutsu-kun | |
怪物くん | |
---|---|
Genre | Horror, comedy, fantasy, adventure |
Manga | |
Kaibutsu-kun (1965–1969) | |
Written by | Fujiko Fujio (Written only by Abiko) |
Published by | Shōnen Gahosha |
Magazine | Shōnen Gahō Shōnen King |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | January 1965 – April 1969 |
Volumes | 13 (1965–1969) |
Manga | |
Kaibutsu-kun (1980–1982) | |
Written by | Fujiko Fujio (Written only by Abiko) |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Magazine | CoroCoro Comic etc. |
Original run | March 1980 – November 1982 |
Volumes | 21 (1965–1982) |
Manga | |
Kaibutsu-kun (2021) | |
Written by | Fujiko Fujio A |
Published by | Shogakukan |
Volumes | 8 pages |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Masaaki Osumi Shinnichi Suzuki (animation) |
Studio | Tokyo Movie Studio Zero |
Original network | TBS |
Original run | April 21, 1968 – March 23, 1969 |
Episodes | 50 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Fukutomi |
Music by | Hiroshi Tsutsui |
Studio | Shin-Ei Animation |
Original network | ANN (TV Asahi) |
Original run | September 2, 1980 – September 28, 1982 |
Episodes | 94 |
Anime film | |
Kaibutsu-kun: Invitation to Monster Land [1] | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Fukutomi |
Produced by | Soichi Besshi Tetsuo Kanno Yoshifusa Sanada |
Written by | Fujiko Fujio |
Music by | Asei Kobayashi |
Studio | Shin-Ei Animation |
Released | March 14, 1981 |
Runtime | 75 minutes |
Anime film | |
Kaibutsu-kun: The Demon Sword | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Fukutomi |
Produced by | Soichi Besshi Tetsuo Kanno Yoshifusa Sanada |
Written by | Seiji Matsuoka |
Music by | Hiroshi Tsutsui |
Studio | Shin-Ei Animation |
Released | March 13, 1982 |
Runtime | 52 minutes |
Television drama | |
Studio | Nippon Television |
Original network | NTV |
Original run | April 17, 2010 – June 12, 2010 |
Episodes | 9 |
Live-action film | |
Kaibutsu-kun: The Movie | |
Directed by | Yoshihiro Nakamura |
Released | November 26, 2011 |
The Monster Kid (Japanese: 怪物くん, Hepburn: Kaibutsu-kun, Little Monster) is a shōnen manga and anime series by Fujiko Fujio. The first series was broadcast on TBS from April 21, 1968, to March 23, 1969.[2] The second series was broadcast on TV Asahi from September 2, 1980, to September 28, 1982.[3] A live-action series was broadcast on Nippon Television and Yomiuri Television from April 17 to June 12, 2010.[4] The 94-episode 1982 iteration was aired around the world, marketed as The Monster Kid,[5][6] which was the official English title.[7]
Plot
[edit]Kaibutsu-kun (Monster Kid) and his companions, Dracula, Wolfman, and Franken, travel from Monster Land to the Human Realm, where they encounter and battle several monsters, mainly assassins from the demon group Demonish.
Cast
[edit]- Tarou Kaibutsu (怪物太郎,, Kaibutsu Tarō) - A little boy who can metamorph.
- Voiced by: Fuyumi Shiraishi ('68), Masako Nozawa ('80)
- Hiroshi Ichikawa (市川ヒロシ,, Ichikawa Hiroshi) - Taro's friend, who lives with his sister Utako.
- Voiced by: Minori Matsushima ('68), Katsue Miwa ('80)
- Utako Ichikawa (市川歌子,, Ichikawa Utako) - Hiroshi's older sister. Both are orphans who live in Arama-sō, a two-story Japanese apartment. She takes care of her brother.
- Voiced by: Mariko Mukai ('68), Chiyoko Kawashima ('80)
- Dracula (ドラキュラ, Dorakyura) - He drinks tomato juice instead of human blood, and tends to put "damasu" at the end of every sentence. In the TV drama series, he often puts English phrases in every sentence.
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake ('68), Kaneta Kimotsuki ('80)
- Wolfman (オオカミ男,, Ookami-Otoko) - The housekeeper and cook. He tends to put "gansu" at the end of every sentence.
- Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto ('68), Takuzou Kamiyama ('80)
- Franken (フランケン, Furanken) - He is big, and not especially smart.
- Voiced by: Masao Imanishi ('68), Taro Sagami→ Shingo Kanemoto ('80)
- Kaibutsu Daiō (怪物大王,, King Monster) Taro's father and King of Monsterland.
- Voiced by: Dai Kanai ('80)
- Kaiko-chan (怪子ちゃん) - Taro's girlfriend.
- Voiced by: Eiko Masuyama ('68, '80)
- Doctor Noh (ドクター・ノオ, Dokutā Noo)
- Voiced by: Reizō Nomoto ('80)
- Fishman (半魚人)
- Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba ('80)
- Nonbirasu (ノンビラス)
- Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata ('80)
- Bem (ベム)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake→ Shun Yashiro ('80)
- Demokin (プリンス・デモキン) - Prince of the demons.
- Voiced by: Eiko Yamada ('80)
- Ako (アコ) - Hiroshi's classmate.
- Voiced by: Keiko Han ('80)
- Kizao (キザオ) - Hiroshi's classmate.
- Voiced by: Sanji Hase ('80)
- Banno (番野) - Hiroshi's classmate.
- Voiced by: Kiyonobu Suzuki ('80)
Media
[edit]Television drama
[edit]A TV drama adaptation was aired on Nippon TV in 2010 with nine episodes. Two drama specials were aired after the initial airing of the drama series in June 2010, where the author of Kaibutsu-kun appears as a guest, and October 2011.
There are some differences between the anime and the live action series, especially for the setting and the characters. Neither Hiroshi's classmates in the anime appear in the TV drama series. The new characters are Wolfman's daughter, the landlady of Arama-sō and a policeman. The theme song for the TV drama series is Monster by Japanese boy band Arashi.
Plot
[edit]Kaibutsu-kun is a rambunctious prince of Kaibutsu Land. On the day of succession to the throne, he is ordered to go to the world of humans by the King of Kaibutsu Land for ascetic training. Kaibutsu-kun and his attendants, Dracula, Wolfman, and Franken, travel to the world of humans and encounter several monsters or humans belonging to the demon group led by Demorina who tries to set the prince of demon back on track and take over the world.
Main casts
[edit]- Satoshi Ohno as Kaibutsu-kun
- Norito Yashima as Dracula
- Ryuhei Ueshima as Wolfman
- Choi Hong-man as Franken
- Umika Kawashima as Ichikawa Utako
Live-action film
[edit]A 3D movie titled Kaibutsu-kun: the Movie (映画 怪物くん, Eiga Kaibutsu-kun) was released on November 26, 2011, directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura. It went on to be a commercial success in Japan and earned ¥3.14 billion[8] ($39,766,344).[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Eiga Anime Doraemon Kaibutsukun. tokyo: shogakukan. 1981-04-05. p. 69.
- ^ 怪物くん (1968). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ 怪物くん (1980~1982). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ 怪物くん (2010). allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Monster Kid - POGO.tv Shows". www.pogo.tv. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "Monster Kid on Fri 14, Oct 4:30 PM on Disney XD | burrp!TV Guide". Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
- ^ "Tv asahi Buyer's Catalogue".
- ^ "2012年(平成24年) 興行収入10億円以上番組" (PDF). Retrieved 6 December 2016.
- ^ "Eiga Kaibutsukun". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
External links
[edit]- Official 2010 TV series website (in Japanese)
- Info on the 1980s series (in Japanese)
- The Monster Kid (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Manga series
- 1965 manga
- 1980 manga
- 1968 anime television series debuts
- 1980 anime television series debuts
- Japanese television dramas based on manga
- 1968 Japanese television series debuts
- 1969 Japanese television series endings
- 1982 anime films
- 1982 films
- 1980 Japanese television series debuts
- 1982 Japanese television series endings
- 2010 Japanese television series debuts
- 2010 Japanese television series endings
- Animated television series about orphans
- Japanese children's animated adventure television series
- Japanese children's animated comedy television series
- Japanese children's animated fantasy television series
- Japanese children's animated horror television series
- Adventure anime and manga
- Anime series based on manga
- Comedy anime and manga
- Dracula television shows
- Anime and manga about werewolves
- Comics about monsters
- Comics based on Frankenstein
- Fantasy anime and manga
- Fujiko Fujio A
- Horror anime and manga
- Japanese drama television series
- Nippon Television dramas
- Shin-Ei Animation
- Shōnen manga
- TV Asahi original programming
- TBS Television (Japan) original programming
- Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming
- Shōnen Gahōsha manga
- Japanese comedy films
- Japanese horror films