Bonobono
Encyclopedia
is a yonkoma
manga
series by Mikio Igarashi
. From March 1986 to March 1987, the series ran in the Takeshobo
manga magazine Tensai Club before the magazine was replaced with Manga Club, where it has been serialized since April 1987. It has also been serialized in Manga Life
since April 1986. It has been adapted into a television anime
series, as well as two anime film
s and two video games.
While the series is considered a yonkoma
manga, most of the "stories" use eight panels. The series follows the main character, a young sea otter
after whom the manga is titled, and his daily adventures with his friends from the nearby forest. Bonobono combines gag comic and philosophical questions, bringing up comparisons to other manga such as Azumanga Daioh
, and to films such as Forrest Gump
.
In 1988, Bonobono won the Kodansha Manga Award
in the General category. An anime film was released in theaters on 1993-11-13, and a television anime series was broadcast on TV Tokyo
from 1995-04-20 through 1996-03-28. One day after the TV series began, a simulation game was released on the 3DO
system. The following June, an adventure game
was released on the PlayStation. Several ehon—or "picture books"—have been released since the manga series was first introduced over 20 years ago.
releases, the first twenty tankōbon volumes have been rereleased in bunkoban format as 10 volumes. Several stand-alone picture books have been released as well.
For the first film, an ekonte—or storyboard
—volume and a set of four film comics have been released.
s for the first Bonobono film., ISBN 4884752546, November 1993, Takeshobo
and DVD
in Japan, including in a "no cut" edition.
Sources:
. Each episode was 15 minutes long, and was paired with an episode of Bit the Cupid to fill out the 30-minute timeslot. The series has been rebrodacast on several different channels and networks, including Animax
and the on-demand internet streaming service GyaO.
The entire TV series was released as two DVD
box sets on April 20, 2007.
. At the beginning of each special, the next special was also introduced, and showed some animation from it. The specials used a lot of animation from the series, and while the content fit the season in which the special was broadcast, the music, scripts, and jokes were changed for each of the specials. The voice actors
from the TV series were used for the specials.
.
Sources:
system by Amuse and Bandai Visual
.
The second games was titled , an adventure game
released by Amuse for the PlayStation system on 1996-06-07.
Sources:
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Mikio Igarashi
Mikio Igarashi
is a Japanese manga artist born 13 January 1955 in the town of Nakaniida , Kami District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, though he currently lives in the city of Sendai. He is most well known for his manga series Bonobono and Ninpen Manmaru...
. From March 1986 to March 1987, the series ran in the Takeshobo
Takeshobo
is a major publisher in Japan.Takeshobo was founded in 1972 by Kyōichirō Noguchi, starting Japan's first Mahjong magazine . Other magazines, such as a magazine dedicated to mahjong-themed manga, as well as a magazine dedicated to yonkoma manga, were published. Furthermore, a mahjong museum was...
manga magazine Tensai Club before the magazine was replaced with Manga Club, where it has been serialized since April 1987. It has also been serialized in Manga Life
Manga Life
is a manga magazine published monthly by Takeshobo in Japan since the November 1984 issue . Its original title was , and the change to Manga Life was made to better compete with Manga Time, a rival magazine published by Houbunsha. Most of the series appearing in the magazine use the yonkoma format...
since April 1986. It has been adapted into a television anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, as well as two anime film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and two video games.
While the series is considered a yonkoma
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
manga, most of the "stories" use eight panels. The series follows the main character, a young sea otter
Sea Otter
The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...
after whom the manga is titled, and his daily adventures with his friends from the nearby forest. Bonobono combines gag comic and philosophical questions, bringing up comparisons to other manga such as Azumanga Daioh
Azumanga Daioh
is a Japanese comedy manga by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized by MediaWorks in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh from 1999 to 2002 and collected in four bound volumes...
, and to films such as Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama romance film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise...
.
In 1988, Bonobono won the Kodansha Manga Award
Kodansha Manga Award
is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in four categories: children's, shōnen, shōjo, and general. The awards began in 1977, initially with categories for shōnen and shōjo. The first award for the...
in the General category. An anime film was released in theaters on 1993-11-13, and a television anime series was broadcast on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
from 1995-04-20 through 1996-03-28. One day after the TV series began, a simulation game was released on the 3DO
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
system. The following June, an adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
was released on the PlayStation. Several ehon—or "picture books"—have been released since the manga series was first introduced over 20 years ago.
Books
In addition to the original tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
releases, the first twenty tankōbon volumes have been rereleased in bunkoban format as 10 volumes. Several stand-alone picture books have been released as well.
For the first film, an ekonte—or storyboard
Storyboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
—volume and a set of four film comics have been released.
Tankōbon
- Volume 1, ISBN 4884753178, March 1987, Takeshobo
- Volume 2, ISBN 4884753186, December 1987, Takeshobo
- Volume 3, ISBN 4884753194, September 1988, Takeshobo
- Volume 4, ISBN 4884753208, August 1989, Takeshobo
- Volume 5, ISBN 4884754689, September 1990, Takeshobo
- Volume 6, ISBN 4884755162, June 1991, Takeshobo
- Volume 7, ISBN 4884755553, November 1991, Takeshobo
- Volume 8, ISBN 4884756452, May 1993, Takeshobo
- Volume 9, ISBN 4884756703, October 1993, Takeshobo
- Volume 10, ISBN 4884757610, November 1994, Takeshobo
- Volume 11, ISBN 4884758277, August 1995, Takeshobo
- Volume 12, ISBN 4812450012, January 1996, Takeshobo
- Volume 13, ISBN 4812450853, September 1996, Takeshobo
- Volume 14, ISBN 481245123X, March 1997, Takeshobo
- Volume 15, ISBN 4812451663, December 1997, Takeshobo
- Volume 16, ISBN 4812452309, September 1998, Takeshobo
- Volume 17, ISBN 4812452503, August 1999, Takeshobo
- Volume 18, ISBN 4812453305, December 1999, Takeshobo
- Volume 19, ISBN 4812454158, August 2000, Takeshobo
- Volume 20, ISBN 4812454654, January 2001, Takeshobo
- Volume 21, ISBN 4812456665, 2002-05-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 22, ISBN 4812457777, 2003-02-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 23, ISBN 4812458382, 2003-07-26, Takeshobo
- Volume 24, ISBN 4812459044, 2004-01-07, Takeshobo
- Volume 25, ISBN 4812460093, 2005-07-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 26, ISBN 4812460956, 2005-01-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 27, ISBN 4812462738, 2005-10-07, Takeshobo
- Volume 28, ISBN 4812464838, 2006-07-07, Takeshobo
- Volume 29, ISBN 4812465745, 2007-04-07, Takeshobo
- Volume 30, ISBN 4812468005, 2008-03-07, Takeshobo
- Volume 31, ISBN 4812471302, 2009-07-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 32, ISBN 4812471463, 2009-08-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 33, ISBN 4812472149, 2009-12-26, Takeshobo
- Volume 34, ISBN 4812474365, 2010-08-27, Takeshobo
- Volume 35, ISBN 4812476314, 2011-07-27, Takeshobo
Bunkoban
- Volume 1, ISBN 4812409381, July 2002, Takeshobo
- Volume 2, ISBN 481240939X, July 2002, Takeshobo
- Volume 3, ISBN 4812409403, July 2002, Takeshobo
- Volume 4, ISBN 4812409411, July 2002, Takeshobo
- Volume 5, ISBN 481240942X, July 2002, Takeshobo
- Volume 6, ISBN 4812410533, January 2003, Takeshobo
- Volume 7, ISBN 4812410541, January 2003, Takeshobo
- Volume 8, ISBN 481241055X, January 2003, Takeshobo
- Volume 9, ISBN 4812410568, January 2003, Takeshobo
- Volume 10, ISBN 4812410576, January 2003, Takeshobo
Film comics
These books contain scenes from the first Bonobono film laid out in comic book format.- Volume 1, ISBN 4884756835, December 1993, Takeshobo
- Volume 2, ISBN 4884756843, December 1993, Takeshobo
- Volume 3, ISBN 4884756851, January 1994, Takeshobo
- Volume 4, ISBN 488475686X, January 1994, Takeshobo
Storyboards
This book contains the storyboardStoryboard
Storyboards are graphic organizers in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence....
s for the first Bonobono film., ISBN 4884752546, November 1993, Takeshobo
Picture books
Various Bonobono picture books have been released, including the following. Titles are listed chronologically., ISBN 4884750276, December 1987, Takeshobo, ISBN 4884750276, December 1987, Takeshobo, ISBN 4884750330, June 1988, Takeshobo, ISBN 4884750411, May 1989, Takeshobo, ISBN 4812404215, November 1998, Takeshobo, ISBN 4884752538, November 1993, Takeshobo, ISBN 4884752554, December 1993, Takeshobo, ISBN 4812427614, July 2006, Takeshobo1993 film
The first theatrical release, titled Bonobono, opened in theaters on 1993-11-13. The film has since been broadcast on domestic television in Japan, including on broadcast satellite channels such as NHK BS-2. The film has been released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Japan, including in a "no cut" edition.
Staff
- Director: Mikio IgarashiMikio Igarashiis a Japanese manga artist born 13 January 1955 in the town of Nakaniida , Kami District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, though he currently lives in the city of Sendai. He is most well known for his manga series Bonobono and Ninpen Manmaru...
- Screenplay: Mikio Igarashi
- Animation Directors: Yūji Mutō, Tameo Kohanawa
- Producer: Atsushi Tashiro
- Planning: Ippei Takahashi, Masayuki Miyashita, Shin Unosawa, Atsushi Tashiro, Naomasa Tsuruta
- Art Director: Atsushi Ioki
- Music: GontitiGontitiGontiti is a Japanese world music guitar duo formed in 1978 by Masahiko "Gonzalez" Mikami and Masahide "Titi" Matsumura...
- Distribution: Gaga Communications
- Theme Song: Hatsukoi
- Lyrics: Kanata Asamizu
- Composition, Vocals: Yoshiyuki Ōsawa
Cast
- Bonobono: Toshiko FujitaToshiko Fujitais a Japanese seiyū. She currently works at Aoni Production.-Roles:*Bonobono in the first Bonobono film*Cross in Ginga Nagareboshi Gin*Corazón Muto in Allison & Lillia...
- Shimarisu-kun: Sumie BabaSumie Babais a seiyū who was born December 12, 1967, in Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*Shimarisu-kun in Bonobono *Chisa Tsukamoto in Comic Party , Comic Party Revolution *Kirei in Cool Devices...
- Araiguma-kun: Yūsaku YaraYusaku Yarais a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is currently affiliated with Vi-Vo. His real name is ', and his former stage name was .He is best known for his roles in Chibi Maruko-chan as Hiroshi Sakura, Kiteretsu Daihyakka as Kiteretsu's Papa, the 1989 version of Sally, the Witch as Sally's...
- Araiguma-kun's father: Chikao Ōtsuka
- Kuzuri-kun's father: Kazuo KumakuraKazuo Kumakurais a Japanese actor, voice actor, and theatre director. He is currently affiliated with the Theatre Echo agency.-Television animation:*Astro Boy *Kimba the White Lion *Marine Boy *Monster...
- Kuzuri-kun: Sakiko Uran
- Higuma-sanBrown BearThe brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
: Yūko SasakiYuko SasakiYuko Sasaki, born 18 September 1982 in Saitama, is a Japanese cricketer who played for Japan in 2003 in One-day Internationals and List A cricket.-References:... - Kohiguma-kun: Mayumi Kumagai
- Bonobono's father: Mikio Igarashi
- Shō Nee-chan: Mayumi TanakaMayumi Tanakais a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo currently affiliated with Aoni Production.She is best known for the roles of Ryuunosuke Fujinami in Urusei Yatsura, Pazu in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Monkey D. Luffy in One Piece, Krillin, Yajirobe and Uranai Baba in Dragon Ball...
- Dai Nee-chan: Manami Sasaki
- Higuma no Taishō: Tesshō GendaTessho Gendais a Japanese voice actor. He is employed by the talent management firm 81 Produce. When he debuted, he used his real name, . as artist name. Because he had experience with ballet, he was known by the nickname "Pirouette Genda."...
- Sunadorineko-san: Hōchū ŌtsukaHochu Otsuka, also known by the his stage name , is a Japanese voice actor from Okayama Prefecture, affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. He is the official Japanese dub-over artist for: Gary Oldman and Jean-Claude Van Damme....
- Shimarisu-kun's father: Kazuyuki SekiguchiKazuyuki Sekiguchiplays the bass guitar for Southern All Stars. As a solo artist, he has played ukulele; he is a fan of Hawaiian music. For nearly twenty years, Sekiguchi has worked with Akira Sakuma in the Momotaro Dentetsu video game series as a music producer....
- Shimarisu-kun's mother: Yukiko Shibata
- Fennec Kitsune-kunFennecThe fennec fox is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara of North Africa. Its most distinctive feature is unusually large ears. The name "fennec" comes from the Arabic word for fox, and the species name zerda has a Greek origin that refers to its habitat...
: Kanako Tanaka - Fennec Kitsune-kun's father: Takahiro Fujita
Sources:
TV series
The Bonobono anime TV series ran from April 20, 1995 through March 28, 1996 as part of the series on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm on TV TokyoTV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. Each episode was 15 minutes long, and was paired with an episode of Bit the Cupid to fill out the 30-minute timeslot. The series has been rebrodacast on several different channels and networks, including Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
and the on-demand internet streaming service GyaO.
The entire TV series was released as two DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
box sets on April 20, 2007.
TV specials
Following the anime TV series, nine specials were aired on TV TokyoTV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. At the beginning of each special, the next special was also introduced, and showed some animation from it. The specials used a lot of animation from the series, and while the content fit the season in which the special was broadcast, the music, scripts, and jokes were changed for each of the specials. The voice actors
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
from the TV series were used for the specials.
2002 film
was the second theatrical Bonobono movie, released by Amuse Pictures in theaters in Japan on August 10, 2002. It was done completely in 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
.
Staff
- Original Story: Mikio IgarashiMikio Igarashiis a Japanese manga artist born 13 January 1955 in the town of Nakaniida , Kami District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, though he currently lives in the city of Sendai. He is most well known for his manga series Bonobono and Ninpen Manmaru...
- Director: Kōki Kumagai
- Producer : Akihiro ItōAkihiro Itois a Japanese manga artist born in Nagoya, in Aichi Prefecture. He is known for his work on the manga series Geobreeders, serialized in the monthly manga magazine Young King Ours. Ito also worked on a second manga series, Wilderness, which was serialized in Sunday GX. Both titles have been on...
- Screenplay Supervisor: Mikio Igarashi
- Screenplay: Mikio Igarashi, Kōki Kumagai
- Planning: Kiyoshi Tsuji, Akihiro Itō
- Music: GontitiGontitiGontiti is a Japanese world music guitar duo formed in 1978 by Masahiko "Gonzalez" Mikami and Masahide "Titi" Matsumura...
- Storyboards: Mikio Igarashi, Kōki Kumagai
- Executive Producers: Ippei Takahashi, Yasumasa Makimura
Cast
- Bonobono: Yūto Uemura
- Shimarisu-kun: Konami YoshidaKonami Yoshidais a Japanese voice actress.-Anime:*Princess Sheila in Bastard!!*Shimarisu-kun in Bonobono*Azusa Kanzaki in Devil Hunter Yohko*Seiko Taniguchi in Futari wa Pretty Cure*Natsume in Generator Gawl*Hana Hatsuno and others in King of Braves GaoGaiGar...
- Araiguma-kun: Kappei YamaguchiKappei Yamaguchi, better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Fukuoka, affiliated with Gokū and 21st Century Fox.He is best known for the roles of Ranma Saotome , Jackson Neil , Tombo , Yattaro , InuYasha , Ryuichi Sakuma , L , Usopp...
- Bobo-kun: Etsuko KozakuraEtsuko Kozakura, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese voice actress from Mizuho and works at Ohsawa Jimusho. She is married to fellow voice actor Jin Domon.Etsuko also voices Tuffy in the Tom and Jerry series.- Notable voice roles :* Atashinchi - Yuri Ishida...
- Bobo-kun's father: Masashi SugawaraMasashi Sugawarais a Japanese voice actor who voiced Vigoro in Skies of Arcadia and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette.-External links:...
- Bobo-kun's mother: Sumi ShimamotoSumi Shimamoto, real name , is a veteran Japanese voice actress born on December 8, 1954, in Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen School of Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe...
- Kuzuri-kun: Yōko Michihira
- Kuzuri-kun's father: Yūichi NagashimaYuichi Nagashimais a Japanese voice actor and actor from Kōnosu, Saitama. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater Company before attaching himself to Production Baobab...
- Sunadorineko-san: Reo Morimoto
- Araiguma-kun's father: Danshi Tatekawa
Sources:
Games
Two games based on the Bonobono series have been released. The first was , a simulation game released on 1995-04-21 for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
system by Amuse and Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
.
The second games was titled , an adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
released by Amuse for the PlayStation system on 1996-06-07.
Sources: