Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama
, which was adapted into a 43 episode Japan
ese anime
series, about a princess of the fictional Harmonica Star country. Directed by Mamoru Kanbe
, the anime premiered on TV Tokyo
from 1 April 2001 to 27 January 2002. The series has also been aired by the anime satellite television
network, Animax
, across its respective networks worldwide, including Hong Kong
, Taiwan
, Southeast Asia
, South Asia
, South Korea
and other regions, translating and dubbing the series into English
, under the title Princess Comet, and other languages for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
. She was meant to meet the prince of the Tambourine Star country at a ball, but the prince ran away to Earth instead. As it turned out, Comet is sent to Earth to find him, though she has no idea what he looks like. "He will be known by the twinkling in his eyes" is the only clue she was given to the prince's identity. Once she travels to Earth, Comet falls in love with the people she meets there as well as the planet itself, quickly becoming attached to life on Earth. Meanwhile, Princess Meteor learns of Comet's plans to find the prince and to marry him and she arrive on Earth in search of the prince as well, planning to marry him before Comet gets the chance. Both princesses are sent to Earth along with a companion. Comet's companion is a little puppy with a star at the end of his tail named . Meteor's companion is a round, purple bird named .
Unbeknownst to Comet, her Aunt Spica also lives on Earth and had visited Earth before, deciding to stay there and get married herself. Aunt Spica's pet is , a white rabbit with a tiny heart on her tail. The main plot is Comet's tale about her journey to Earth, the people she meets, and her journey to find the prince.
The series is set in Kamakura, Kanagawa
, Japan
.
Rababou
Princess Meteor
Keisuke Mishima
Shun Imagawa
had made two separate Comet-san TV Dramas. The anime version is based on these two previous live-action dramas
which ran in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan, which was dubbed
into Spanish
and broadcasted within Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and other Spanish-speaking countries, in the 1970s.
Additionally, voice talents from the dramas appear in the anime.
Bundled with the anime version, the TV drama provides various modules of daily life-related scenarios for the audience, especially the fans of the two actresses that played the main character, Comet. Some titles of the two TV Drama episodes have been adopted for the interim music of the anime version of Comet-san, like .
Theme Song
Season 1 Opening- Kimi Ni Smile (lit. A Smile for You)
Season 2 Opening- Miracle Power
Season 1 Ending- Twinkle Star
Season 2 Ending- Hoshi No Parade
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 Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Mitsuteru Yokoyama
was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo. His personal name was originally spelled , with the same pronunciation. His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, Akakage, Babel II, Sally, the Witch, Princess Comet, and adaptations of the Chinese classics Outlaws of the Marsh and...
, which was adapted into a 43 episode 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...
ese 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, about a princess of the fictional Harmonica Star country. Directed by Mamoru Kanbe
Mamoru Kanbe
is a director whose works include Elfen Lied, Demon Prince Enma, and Cardcaptor Sakura.- Filmography :* Ninja Ryukenden * Ninja Toshi Monogatari * Harimogu Harry * Cardcaptor Sakura * Princess Comet...
, the anime premiered 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 1 April 2001 to 27 January 2002. The series has also been aired by the anime satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network, 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...
, across its respective networks worldwide, including Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, 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...
and other regions, translating and dubbing the series into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, under the title Princess Comet, and other languages for broadcast across its English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Plot
The story revolves around Princess Comet, a twelve year old girl who is also the princess of the Harmonica Star country, which is not on EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. She was meant to meet the prince of the Tambourine Star country at a ball, but the prince ran away to Earth instead. As it turned out, Comet is sent to Earth to find him, though she has no idea what he looks like. "He will be known by the twinkling in his eyes" is the only clue she was given to the prince's identity. Once she travels to Earth, Comet falls in love with the people she meets there as well as the planet itself, quickly becoming attached to life on Earth. Meanwhile, Princess Meteor learns of Comet's plans to find the prince and to marry him and she arrive on Earth in search of the prince as well, planning to marry him before Comet gets the chance. Both princesses are sent to Earth along with a companion. Comet's companion is a little puppy with a star at the end of his tail named . Meteor's companion is a round, purple bird named .
Unbeknownst to Comet, her Aunt Spica also lives on Earth and had visited Earth before, deciding to stay there and get married herself. Aunt Spica's pet is , a white rabbit with a tiny heart on her tail. The main plot is Comet's tale about her journey to Earth, the people she meets, and her journey to find the prince.
The series is set in Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, 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...
.
Characters
Princess Comet- Often referred to as "Comet-san", Comet is a bright girl around the age of 12 who is very kind towards everyone. Though she is the princess of the Harmonica Star World, Comet seems to disregard her high rank and would rather play with little stars than fulfilling everyone's expectations by marrying the prince of the Tambourine Star World. After the prince disappeared, Comet was sent to Earth to find him, but in truth, Comet just wants to go to Earth to have adventures just like her mother did when she was younger. On Earth, she lives with the little twins Nene and Tsuyoshi Fujiyoshi, and their parents Sayaka and Keitaro.
- Comet cares deeply for everyone; her gentle nature makes her easy to get along with, and people can't help but like her. She also enjoys helping others whenever they need help and will never stop lending a hand towards her friends. Even as Comet is very mature for her age, she has a lot of lessons to learn in life. Comet also is inexperienced with feelings she's never felt before, which is why it takes her a long time to realize that she is in love with Keisuke. In the end Comet returns the memory stone, which the prince dropped at the day he ran away to Earth, she ends up going back to Earth, where she meets Keisuke in a random place on a ship.
Rababou
- Rababou is a little star world creature forcibly sent by Higenoshita to aid Comet into finding the prince of the Tambourine Star World. He can easily detect twinkles with his tail and can inflate himself to fly, making him very useful for collecting star power. If he isn't exposed to the outside world, he is hiding in Comet's Twinkle Star.
- Even though Rababou appeals to others as a cute little toy, he constantly nags Comet into staying on task, but Comet only believes that he should go out and have some more fun. Rababou may order his princess around a lot, but he truly cares for her as a friend and a princess. Rababou is one of the only people (well, in his case star world creature) that Comet can confide her feelings in. Later, Rababou falls in love with Spica's star world pet, Rabapyon.
Princess Meteor
- Meteor is the princess of the Castanet Star World and went to Earth to find the prince of the Tambourine Star World, but she takes the easy way of acquiring clues by following Comet instead of investigating on her own. Unlike Comet's tranquil demeanor, Meteor is entirely the opposite, especially with her princesslike tantrums. She is loud, selfish, rude, and all-around annoying. She is absolutely a pain if she doesn't get what she wants and gets angry very easily. True, Meteor can be very cruel, but she can be generous. It's a shame that she doesn't show that side very often.
- Meteor sees Comet as a rival and has held a grudge on her ever since Comet accidentally tripped her in the kindergarten ballet dance. She will stop at nothing to bring Comet down and always believes that Comet is plotting something against her. Though Meteor harbors an everlasting hatred for Comet, she often mistakenly helps Comet without realizing it until the end. Around the middle of the anime, Meteo begins to like Imashun.
Keisuke Mishima
- Keisuke is the ship's boy of the sailing boat of Keitaro, Nene and Tsuyoshi's father, and often works outdoors for him. At the same time, Keisuke is usually found on the beach training to be a lifeguard because of his love for the ocean. He believes that no one should hate the ocean, so he decided to dedicate his life into preventing people to blame their pain on the ocean. Whenever Keisuke isn't working with Keitarou, he is either riding his bike or surfing on the waves. He is the first person Comet has met with a twinkle in his eyes.
- Keisuke is stubborn and has a hard time conveying his true feelings, especially to himself. He also hides his weaknesses a lot and easily gets annoyed, but most of the time, he is laid-back and is very wise for his age. Surprisingly, Keisuke is kind to everyone except for Comet (initially), Imashun, and Meteor. Keisuke knows that he is the prince. He loses his memories in the earth, he only remember that he is the prince of Tambourine Star World, but with the help of Cristyle of Memory he could remember everything.
Shun Imagawa
- Shun, more commonly known "Imashun" in the music industry, is a new musical idol rising in fame though he is only around 14 years of age. He used to play his guitar and harmonica for people out on the street until a musical agent named Kuroiwa found him. Unlike other singers, Shun treasures his fans very much and never ignores them. He will play only his songs, and his songs are appealing to people because they are more "honest" than others. Shun may be shy, but he's very straightforward with his feelings.
- Shun is another person Comet has met with a twinkle in his eyes. He falls in love with Comet because he remembered that she was the one who helped take care of him when he was so tired. He often compares Comet to an angel, since she helps people out a lot. On the other hand, Meteor develops a major fangirl crush on Shun, but Shun often overlooks her as a supporting fan or a new stage idol. At first, both Comet and Meteor suspected that he was the prince of the Tambourine Star World, but it turns out that he isn't.
Additional media
Several manga have been created based on the Comet-san series, but have little to do with the anime version. Also, before the anime was created, TBSTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
had made two separate Comet-san TV Dramas. The anime version is based on these two previous live-action dramas
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
which ran in the 1960s and 1970s in Japan, which was dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and broadcasted within Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and other Spanish-speaking countries, in the 1970s.
Additionally, voice talents from the dramas appear in the anime.
Bundled with the anime version, the TV drama provides various modules of daily life-related scenarios for the audience, especially the fans of the two actresses that played the main character, Comet. Some titles of the two TV Drama episodes have been adopted for the interim music of the anime version of Comet-san, like .
Theme Song
Season 1 Opening- Kimi Ni Smile (lit. A Smile for You)
Season 2 Opening- Miracle Power
Season 1 Ending- Twinkle Star
Season 2 Ending- Hoshi No Parade
Cast
- Comet – Aki MaedaAki MaedaAki Maeda is a Japanese actress and singer. She has an older sister named Ai Maeda....
- Rababou – Taeko KawataTaeko Kawatais a Japanese voice actress who was born in Tokyo. She is employed by 81 Produce. Her name is sometimes misromanized as Taeko Kawada.-TV Anime:*Azuki-chan *Cardcaptor Sakura *Casshern Sins...
- Meteor – Chieko HondaChieko Hondais a Japanese voice actor.-Notable voice roles:*After War Gundam X *Akihabara Dennō Gumi *Bosco Adventure *Devil Hunter Yohko *Dragonball *Dragon Century...
- Mook – Naomi NagasawaNaomi Nagasawa, now known as is a Japanese voice actress from Toyonaka, Osaka who was formerly represented by Aoni Production and is presently represented by Ken Production. She was once married to Ryōtarō Okiayu, with whom she had a daughter. They are now divorced...
- Tsuyoshi – Kurumi MamiyaKurumi Mamiyais a Japanese seiyū from Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. She is affiliated with 81 Produce.-Voice roles:*6 Angels *Battle B-Daman *Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san *Dokkiri Doctor...
- Nene – Yuki MatsuokaYuki Matsuokais a voice actress from the Hirano-ku ward of Osaka. She graduated from Otemae Women's University in Nishinomiya. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.- 2001 :*Mo~tto! Ojamajo Doremi *Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san...
- Keisuke Nishima – Mayumi AsanoMayumi Asanois a Japanese voice actress who was formerly part of Production Baobab.-Television animation:*Angel Sanctuary OVA *Angelic Layer *Armored Core: Last Raven *Bleach *Blood+...
- Shun Imagawa/Imashun – Hiroki ShimowadaHiroki Shimowadais a Japanese voice actor and stage actor from Mie Prefecture attached to 81 Produce.-Anime:2000* Boogiepop Phantom as Middle Schooler 2001* Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san as Shun Imagawa/Imashun2002* SaiKano as Nori...
- Rabapyon – Sayaka AokiSayaka Aokiis a female Japanese voice actress and is affiliated with Production Baobab management. She is originally from Akita Prefecture. She sometimes uses for stage performances....