Yatterman
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| Yatterman | |
|---|---|
| ヤッターマン (Yattaaman) |
|
| Genre | Comedy Mecha |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Hiroshi Sasagawa |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Productions |
| Network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | January 1, 1977 – January 27, 1979 |
| Episodes | 108[1] |
| TV anime: Yatterman Remake | |
| Network | YTV |
| Original run | January 14, 2008 – 2009 |
| Episodes | 70 |
Yatterman (ヤッターマン Yattāman?) is an anime series first aired from January 1, 1977 to January 27, 1979 totalling 108 episodes. It is the second show in the Time Bokan series by Tatsunoko Productions. It was preceded by Time Bokan and followed by Zenderman. A remake of Yatterman is currently airing on NTV and Yomiuri TV from January 2008, with the voices of the Dorombo gang from the original returning to reprise their roles. A live-action movie is also in production (see below).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Like the original of the series, this show also concentrates on a time/space pursuit between the heroes and the villains who are each after their own goals. Once again, the villains have terrible accidents in each episode.
[edit] Story
A mysterious gem called the Dokuro Stone (ドクロストーン Dokurosutōn?)) is said to be able to reveal the location of the largest vein of gold in the world. This legend has entranced many people who want to get their hands on fame, power and wealth, including the trio of villains in this show: the "Dorombo (ドロンボー Doronbō?) Gang". However, their hunt for the Skull Stone is not as easy as they imagined, mainly due to the faulty information they receive from their leader; and most of all, due to a righteous duo of pursuers called the "Yatterman".(sic)
[edit] Cast
[edit] Heroes
- Gan-chan (ガンちゃん?): (Voiced by Yoshiko Ohta, Hiroyuki Yoshino (2008)) Full name Gan Takada, the 13-year-old son of a famous toy designer who passes away before completing the machine of his dreams: the "Yatter-Wan", a dog-shaped all-terrain rescue robot. It is up to Gan, who is actually a genius at mechanics, to fulfill his dream. He forms a fighting team with his girlfriend Ai, and names himself "Yatterman No. 1". His weapon of choice is a kendama which he uses as a flail and grappling hook.
- Ai-chan (アイちゃん?): (Voiced by Mari Okamoto, Shizuka Itō (2008)) Ai Kaminari is Gan's girlfriend and the only daughter of a shopkeeper who sells electrical appliances. She is a loyal follower of Gan and helps foil the Dorombo Gang's plans. She is often seen constructing and modifying machines with Gan. She is "Yatterman [sic] No. 2", and uses a telescoping baton which is able to emit electric currents to shock opponents.
- Omotchama (オモッチャマ Omocchama?): (Voiced by Reiko Katsura, Chiaki Takahashi (2008)) A robot built by Gan, it serves as the mascot of the Takada toy shop run by Gan's father. It is shaped like a large dice, and is known for its catchphrase "-da-koron" at the end of every sentence. Her voice introduces the next episode just before the end credits.
[edit] Villains
- Doronjo (ドロンジョ Doronjo?): (Voiced by Noriko Ohara) - An attractive blonde who leads Boyacky and Tonzler in their attempts to locate the Skull Stone, and bosses them around constantly. She is known for her vanity, her intelligence and leadership, just like her counterpart, Marjo, from Time Bokan. She and her two henchmen all follow the orders of Dokurobei, their ever-mysterious leader.
- Boyacky (ボヤッキー Boyakki?): (Voiced by Jōji Yanami) - A tall skinny man with a large nose and a moustache, just like his counterpart Grocky in Time Bokan.
- Tonzler (トンズラー Tonzuraa?): (Voiced by Kazuya Tatekabe) - A short, squat man with a severe overbite and facial stubble, just like his counterpart Walther in Time Bokan.
- Dokurobei (ドクロベエ Dokurobē?): (Voiced by Junpei Takiguchi) - The rarely seen boss of the Dorombo Gang. He gives orders regarding the location of the Skull Stone to his subordinates in unusual ways (such as through a talking hamburger or the image of a red skull on a TV screen), despite the constant inaccuracy of this information each time. He is a Hanshin Tigers fan.
[edit] Other characters
- Narrator: Kei Tomiyama, Kōichi Yamadera (2008)
[edit] The Machines
- Yatter-Bark (ヤッターワン Yattā-Wan?) (Voiced by Masaru Ikeda, Kōichi Yamadera (2008))
- This dog-shaped robot was designed by Gan's father as a prototype rescue robot, but was never constructed. It is finally completed by Gan in the first episode and is immediately put into action against the Dorombo gang. It is fitted with a siren and a bell like other rescue vehicles, and also a joystick (all of these are operated by the robot itself) which control the various other features of the robot. Unlike the "time bokan" series of time machines in the original show, it does not provide a cockpit for the crew--the robot is clever enough to obey the words of the Yatterman duo, who simply hang on to its sides.
- The robot itself does not pack much of a punch in terms of combat strength. In fact, it is often temporarily defeated each time by the villains' mecha in later episodes. One element, though, remains the key feature to the heroes' turning point: a bone-shaped power pack, known as "Mecha-Tonic" as Gan has named it, is usually fed to the dog robot on its very point of total defeat, allowing a sudden outburst of strength to ward off a deadly blow from the enemy mecha. It will then proudly announce (with the aid of three tiny dog-shaped robots popping out of its chest and do a drum roll) and perform its special attack--a large group of miniature robots, usually taking the shapes of animals and tools, that comes out of its mouth. Then these mini-robots will attack the Dorombo's mecha by taking it apart piece by piece with their concealed gadgetries and weapons, causing the enemy's mecha to explode spectacularly, leaving just pieces of scrap metals, and a very dirty, tattered villain trio behind.
- Yatter-King (ヤッターキング Yattā-Kingu?): (Voiced by Masaru Ikeda)
- Yatter-Panda (ヤッターパンダ Yattā-Panda?) & Little Panda (コパンダ Ko-Panda?): (Voiced by Masaru Ikeda & Kumiko Takizawa)
- Yatter-Yokozuna (ヤッターよこづな Yattā-Yokozuna?): (Voiced by Kenichi Ogata) A sumo mecha.
[edit] 2008 remake
- See also: List of Yatterman Remake episodes.
In January 2008, almost 31 years after the beginning of the original series, a remake has started airing on Yomiuri TV. It's basically a retelling of the original story updated to fit the tastes of a more modern public. Albeit the "Dorombo (ドロンボー Doronbō?) Gang" has stayed the same (However unlike the Old version, Doronjo started to have feelings since episode 11), the main characters and the plot was tweaked a little bit. Since the first episode, the Dokuro Stone (ドクロストーン Dokurosutōn?)) was replaced with the "Dokuro Rings", able to grant every wishes to the being able to collect them. Ganchan, still a young genius, is now a slacker, easily distracted (he is shown being able to rebuild Yatterwan almost effortlessly, but preferring to play with the toys in the shop and slacking off), and a foil for the the more serious, reliable and responsible Ai-chan. Ai-chan itself is now mellowed in a cuter, childlike personality, at least in her flirtatious relationship with Ganchan: in this reloading of the myth, Yatterwan was meant as a birthday gift for her, to ease her desire to go driving with her boyfriend (being underage they couldn't get a driver's licence). As a gift for Ai-chan, and displaying some degree of preference for her instead of his creator, Yatterwan (still a sentient mecha) appears now more incline to follow every whim and order of her mistress instead of the ones given by Ganchan himself. Aside from this quirk, Yatterwan is still the same, acting in battle as his former incarnation. The plot has stayed largely the same, sporting an episodical structure in which the Doronbo Gang plots a scam, that usually backfires in a spectacular way; they're engaged by Dokurobee to get the Dokuro Ring hidden elsewhere with a new mecha of their own making, they're stopped by Yatterwan, with the surplus energy given by the "Mecha Food" supplied by Ai-chan, and they're left tattered and in rags to be punished by Dokurobee himself.
[edit] Live-action movie
On April 10th, 2007, Nikkatsu Corporation had agreed the production of two live-action movies based on two popular 1970's anime series: Yatterman and Ninja Science Team Gatchaman.
Filming for the film has began on March 27, 2008[2], while release is scheduled for spring 2009. It is directed by Takashi Miike, who will display his ability at light-hearted action films in such films as Zebraman, a family oriented superhero movie. Along with Ichi Miike has directed several other anime to live film adaptions. Character and mechanical designs will be handled by Katsuya Terada who has worked on Blood: The Last Vampire and the live-action Cutie Honey series. The filming will continue until the end of May 2008.[2]
There is a website promoting the movie, Yatterman Movie.com, but it currently only has a placeholder image using Flash to display it. More will most likely be loaded to it as new information is released.[3]
Unlike the anime series, film's original love story happens. With Gan-chan3 in the center, Ai-chan, Doronjo, and Shoko will have a "love square battle". While Shoko will work with Ai-chan and Gan-chan3, she starts to like him.[4]
[edit] Casting
Sho Sakurai of the J-pop group Arashi will be playing Gan-chan3,[5][2], Japanese actress Saki Fukuda will be playing Ai-chan,[6][2] Kyoko Fukada will be playing the Dorombo Gang leader, Doronjo,[7][8] with Kendo Kobayashi playing Tonzura,[8] and Katsuhisa Namase rounding out the trio as, Boyakki[8]. On May 10, 2008, it was announced Anri Okamoto will play the original film-only character, Shoko. [4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Yatterman (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia Accessed on 2007-08-12.
- ^ a b c d 世界を驚かせてやる！嵐・櫻井が映画「ヤッターマン」に自信 (Japanese). Sankei Sports (2008-03-27). Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ "Yatterman, Gatchaman Live-Action Movies Green-Lit". Anime News Network (2007-04-10). Retrieved on 2007-08-12.
- ^ a b 岡本杏理、「ヤッターマン」オリジナルキャラ、翔子役に (Japanese). Sankei Sports (2008-05-10). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ 09年春「ヤッターマン」実写で映画化！主演に嵐・櫻井翔 (Japanese). Sankei News. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ 念願の特撮に大喜び!福田沙紀、ヤッターマン2号に抜擢 (Japanese). Sankai Sports. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ 深キョンがドロンジョ役に挑戦 (Japanese). The Asahi Shinbun Company. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
- ^ a b c ヤッターマンに強敵出現！3悪役に深キョン・生瀬・ケンコバ (Japanese). Sankei Sports. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
3. Japanese News Online [Yatterman Movie]
[edit] External links
- Official Yatterman Movie Page (Japanese)
- Internet Movie Database page for Yatterman (English)
- Yatterman Fan Page (English)
- Yatterman Europe Fan Page
