Bosco Adventure - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is an 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....

TV series produced by Nippon Animation

Nippon Animation

is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....

, mainly inspired by a book "Storie del Bosco" of the Italian writer Tony Wolf, and other books of this author. The series was very popular in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and were shown in many European countries (Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

, Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, SFR Yugoslavia, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

), America (Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, ...), and other parts of world like Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

, Djibouti

Djibouti

Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...

, Cameroon

Cameroon

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...

and South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. They were big success in France

France

, Italy

Italy

and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, but not very famous and was not commercialized in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

or USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

since they were never released in English. The Japanese DVDs were released on 25 July 2003.

Plot

The story is about a young elvish princess Apricot (アプリコットひめ) whose mission is to return to her home - Fountain land, occupied by evil forces of a monster called Scorpion (スコーピオン), before the total eclipse of the Sun. If she manages to sit on a throne before the eclipse, she'll release a great power of water that will destroy the occupators. To prevent that from happening, she's been kidnapped by mysterious cloacked man called Hoodman (フードマン), and his, rather clumsy, aides: Jack (ジャック) and Franz (フランツ). Their mission is to keep princess away from her home land until the eclipse. In the first episode, she escapes from the villains by sending a message by her trusty mechanical bird Speak (スピーク). The princess's urgent call for help is accidentally heard by inhabitants of Bosco forest: brave and adventurous Frog (フローク), intelligent and ingenious inventor Tutty (タッティ), and cowardly, but kind and warm-hearted Otter (オッター). They save her from the villains, and the princess becomes a part of Bosco crew. Guys decide to help Apricot finding her way back home, before it's too late. On their way to Fountain land they get into myriad of adventures, where they prove their desire and ability to help and protect those who are in need, and where their own relationships between each other flourish and develop into strong friendship and love.

Main characters

: Voiced by

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...

Yuko Minaguchi

is a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!...

Kind, generous, friendly, mild elvish princess whose mission is to return home to Fountain land before the total eclipse

Total Eclipse

A total eclipse is an eclipse where either the Sun is entirely covered by the Moon, or the Earth's shadow entirely covers the Moon.Total Eclipse may also refer to:-Music:* Total Eclipse , a Goa trance music group...

of the Sun. Her parents were killed by a monster Scorpion that occupied her homeland. Aboard the Bosco ship she is at first respected as a real princess, but being humble and everything but egocentric, she made clear that she doesn't want guys to call her Princess Apricot, but Apri, a short and convenient nick name which they'll start to use in the first episodes until the end. She is the one that encourages friends to help others in trouble, even though it delays her progress. And often, she notices beautiful sceneries such as flowers, meadows, etc. Her character adds a softer and feminine side to the rest of the crew. She is always ready to help with everything aboard Bosco, and regularly helps Frog with every problem. Apricot and Frog's relationship develops in different way then with Tutty and Otter. As the story goes on, romantic elements are combined with strong connection to each other, from the first contact on the deltaplane, to the very end.

: Voiced by Shigeru Nakahara

Shigeru Nakahara

is a veteran seiyū . He works at Vi-Vo .-Notable voice roles:*Another Century's Episode 2 , *Arion *Aura Battler Dunbine *Biker Mice from Mars...

Brave, adventurous, strong, skilled, clever, a young inhabitant of a Bosco forest. Leader of the Bosco crew (even though he denies it). Good friend with Tutty and Otter. Throughout the episodes, he often fights with Tutty because of the opposite opinions and ideas. Apricot is the one who calms them down. Often explores the surrounding area around the ship with binoculars, drives Bosco in dangerous situations, etc. Gains strong feelings for Apricot.

: Voiced by Hiroya Ishimaru

Hiroya Ishimaru

is a Japanese voice actor most famous for performing the role of Kouji Kabuto in the 1972 series Mazinger Z and its sequels. He also gave voice to Tutty from Bosco Adventure and recently voiced Ultraman Taro in Ultraman Story, Ultraman Mebius, and Ultraman Mebius and Ultra Brothers He is also the...

Ingenious, smart, intelligent, Tutty is behind every move of Bosco crew. He is the one who invents all machines: jet-pack, hovercraft, accessorising vehicles, and even the Bosco ship, which was used as a house before the saving of princess. Fights often with Frog. Always fixes something on his table, he even fixed and upgraded Speak so he can communicate with others. Always has the right idea in the right time.

: Voiced by Koichi Yamadera

Koichi Yamadera

is a Japanese voice actor, actor, tarento, narrator, master of ceremonies and impressionist from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school, and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's...

A bit cowardly and shy, but knows how to be very useful in the same time. He is the engineer of the Bosco ship, as he lights the fire and keeps it strong so that Bosco can travel. Spends most of the time in the loft. Hangs out mostly with Tutty, and also helps Frog and Apricot with everything. He's a good cook too.

Minor characters

: Voiced by Hiroko Fukujun

Apricot's mechanical bird, looks a lot like a toucan

Toucan

Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...

, but actually resembles to parrot, because he repeats words spoken to him. Tutty first fixed him, after he was hit by a lighting (Otter found him), to hear Apricot's message, and second time to the point where he could communicate with others. Very close to Apricot. He doesn't appear in episodes 04, 05, 06, 07, 11, 14, 15, 16, 20, 24.

: Voiced by Kôhei Miyauchi

Kohei Miyauchi

' was a veteran Japanese seiyū born in Kagoshima Prefecture. His real name was Takayuki Miyauchi and his nickname was "Miya-chan". On June 2, 1995, Miyauchi died on his hospital bed at the Nihon University Itabashi Hospital from abdominal varices...

A noble man from Fountain land, appears in episodes 13-21, and in 26. He carried the message to the Apricot and informed her more about her quest. He couldn't get on well with the rest of the crew at the beginning (he couldn't understand how they called her Apri instead of Apricot!), but the tensions cooled as the story moved on, and he helped the guys in many ways.

: Voiced by Kôhei Miyauchi

Kohei Miyauchi

Wise owl of the Bosco forest. Appears in the first episode when Otter asks him for help with Speak. Appears later in most of episodes with other characters from forest as a part of "Bosco home", a short sequence of a small instructive story with characters from Bosco forest which was shown at the end of most episodes before the closing titles.

: Voiced by Naoko Watanabe

Funny rabbit from Bosco forest.

: Funny hedgehog

Hedgehog

A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...

from Bosco forest.
: Funny crow from the Bosco forest.
: Voiced by Miki Itou

Female rabbit, also from Bosco forest.

: Voiced by Chieko Honda

Chieko Honda

is a Japanese voice actor.-Notable voice roles:*After War Gundam X *Akihabara Dennō Gumi *Bosco Adventure *Devil Hunter Yohko *Dragonball *Dragon Century...

Racoon from the Bosco forest.

: Ornith, Crow's passion, inhabitant of Bosco forest.
: Appears in 2nd episode, on the Sleepy Giant's mountain.
: Appears in 8th and 9th episode, ruler of Oasis.
: Leon's counselor, appears in episodes 8 and 9.
: Voiced by Hiromi Tsuru

Hiromi Tsuru

is a Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture. She is currently affiliated with Aoni Production.She is most known for the roles of Bulma , Ukyo Kuonji , Dokin-chan , Madoka Ayukawa , Miyuki Kashima , Reiko Mikami and Naomi Hunter is a Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture. She...

Appears in episodes 10 and 11, alone on a mysterious island.

Main characters

: Voiced by Banjo Ginga

Banjo Ginga

, sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese voice actor who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is currently affiliated with Aoni Production...

Cloacked man, dressed in black, mercenary of Scorpion. Leader of big air ship called Scorpion, and the boss of Jack and Franz. Haunts the Bosco ship from episode to episode, what actually keeps the story interesting and dynamic. In the beginning we see him as a fierce, strong and scary leader, but as the story moves on he becomes more euphoric, stressed and devastated, mainly because of his incompetents aides and the intervention of Damia later in the series. By the end, we see him as completely different, rather funny and crazy.

: Voiced by Sanji Hase

Sanji Hase

', born ' on January 2, 1936 in Tokyo, Japan, was a seiyū and the father of Macross star Arihiro Hase. He died of lung cancer on March 8, 2002 at the age of 66...

Cat-like servant of Hoodman, always goes as a team with Franz. Looks fierce, but is clumsy actually. Often uses weapon to attack Bosco ship from Scorpion (bombs, catapults, etc.)

: Voiced by Kenichi Ogata

Dwarf-like servant of Hoodman, resembles to Ender. Drives the Scorpion. Likes to eat a lot.

Minor characters

: Voiced by Rihoko Yoshida

Rihoko Yoshida

is a Japanese voice actress. Among her most noteworthy roles are Megu-chan in Majokko Megu-chan, Monsley in Future Boy Conan, Maria Grace Fleed in UFO Robo Grendizer, Michiru in Getter Robo, Klara in Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Rosalie Lamorliere in The Rose of Versailles, Miwa Uzuki in Steel Jeeg, ...

Perhaps the most impressive character of the series, young, beautiful, angry and dangerous woman. Right hand of Scorpion, possesses a private army. Her first appearance is in episode 15, although she actually appears earlier, in episode 13, but for a short time. She is sent as the replacement for Hoodman, his back up precisely. Makes Bosco's progress harder, but in the same time a lot easier, since she fights also with Hoodman from time to time. Loyal to Scorpion, as he promised her half of the world after she deals with Apricot.

:A bat, messenger of Scorpion. Carries messages from his Master to Hoodman. Often gives him ideas and helps him how to catch the princess. Appears for the first time in episode 5.
: Voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata

Hidekatsu Shibata

is a Japanese voice actor from Asakusa, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He was a classmate of Yasuo Fukuda at Azabu High School. He is married to voice actress Akiko Sekine....

Mysterious monster who gained control of Fountain land. His voice appears for the first time in episode 5. We see him later in episode 13, when Hoodman asks for new ship (same time when we see Damia for the first time), but he's behind a curtain. He appears in the episode 24 in his real shape.

:Big lizard, which was the chief of the tribe that captured Apricot in episode 13. He appears in the episode 14, when Hoodman tries to exchange kidnapped Apricot for Frog - as Oja only wants to eat. Oja agrees, but eventually friends manage to escape the lizard's castle - leaving the lizard chieftain with an empty stomach.

Episodes

#	Episode Name	Original air date

Music

Background music in Bosco Adventure varies from colorful and cheerful, to moody, nostalgic and sentimental, with typical Japanese sounds. It has variety of cues, for every situation and place which crew visits (Sleeping Giant, Oasis, Ocean...) Several cues repeat throughout the episodes, depending on the situation.
Songs that were released on Bonus Disc as a part of DVD are: Tokimeki wa Forever (ときめきはForever, opening song, sung by Noriko Hidaka), Hareta hi nimo ai wo kudasai (はれたひにもあいをください, closing song, also sung by Noriko Hidaka), Kara Kara Makkura (カラカラまっくら, sung by voice actors that gave voice to Hoodman, Jack and Franz) and Bosco Adventure (ボスコアドベンチャー, sung by voice actors that gave voice to Apricot, Frog, Tutty and Otter).

Releases outside Japan

Bulgaria, as "Приключенията на Боско" (Prikliucheniata na Bosko - The adventures of Bosco) showed from end of may/start of June to December 8 in 1991 on BNT (Kanal 1)
Cameroon, Egypt, France, as "Les aventures du Bosco". In Cameroon on Manga in 1992, in Egypt on Egyptian Channel 3 in early 90's, in France on La Cinq in 1990. Note that in Egypt it wasn't dubbed in Arabic, as only the French dub aired on Egyptian Channel 3 in the early 90's, when there was a partnership between the Egyptian networks and the French network.
Canada, as "La Forêt Magique", in the early 90's on TVA, a French-language network based in Montreal, PQ.
Estonia, as "Bosco Seiklused", in 1996.
Hungary, as "A Bosco léghajó kalandjai", shown on TV channel Msat and released on VHS by Tower Video with two episodes/volume.
Israel, as "Havurat Hatzav Hameofef", shown on the Israeli Channel 1.
Italy, as "La principessa dai capelli blu" (approx. Blue-haired princess), transmitted on Italia 1 in 1988.
Poland, as "Przygody Bosco" on Top Canal in 1991, and Polish-dubbed version on TVN
TVN (Poland)
TVN is a major Polish commercial television network. The broadcaster was co-founded by Polish businessmen Mariusz Walter and Jan Wejchert. The network launched on October 3, 1997. TVN belongs to the TVN S.A...

in 1997.
Russia, Latvia, as "Приключения Боско" (Prikljuchenija Bosko). In Russia, only last ten episodes were shown on RTR in 1991. In Latvia, the same Russian-dubbed version was twice aired by KS Video channel in 1993 and 1994 (only episodes 17-25 were shown, with the last one being dropped both times).
South Korea, as "날아라 거북선" on KBS in 1987.
Spain, Mexico, Chile, as "Las aventuras de la nave Bosco"
Thailand, as "บอสโก ป่ามหัศจรรย์" (ฺBosco, the magical forest), shown on 7 Channel in 1991.
Yugoslavia, as "Plava Princeza" (Blue princess), shown on TV Novi Sad in 1991. Overall, sixteen episodes were shown, first twelve and the last four.

Trivia

The illustrator boki.b created the official 22nd anniversary illustration for the international audience.

External links

http://www2m.biglobe.ne.jp/~ZZ-Japan/bosco/bosco_j.html nonofficial site.
http://www.absoluteanime.com/bosco_adventure/index.htm internet profile.
http://www.acadlib.lv/~aivars/e/anime/abricot.htm description of all episodes.
http://www.boscofanwebpage.com fan site

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.