is a 26-episode Japanese

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

, which first aired on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

between October 7, 1968 and March 31, 1969, on its 19:30–20:00 timeslot. The series was later remade into a second anime television series, which premiered in April 2006 in Japan on

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...

, featuring a new cast, with a total of 26 episodes also produced. A live-action television drama adaptation premiered on NTV on October 22, 2011. A film was released on December 15, 2012. For the series' 50th anniversary, a third anime television series adaptation titled ''BEM'' was confirmed to be in production. The third series aired from July 14 to October 13, 2019. A new film titled '' BEM: Become Human'', was released on October 2, 2020. It streamed on Funimation's website on October 29, 2020. A spin-off live-action film ''Yokai Ningen Bela'' was released on September 11, 2020.

Plot

The plot of the series revolves around three yokai (supernatural creatures), Bem, Bela and Belo, who arrive at a large

coastal city Coastal City () is a shopping and office complex in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, China. Located in the central business district of Nanshan, it occupies an entire city block bounded by Binhai, Nanhai, Houhai, Houhaibin and Chuangye Roads. Overvi ...

and come across an evil atmosphere, which was brought about by immoral behavior by

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...

s and mischief caused by monsters and yokai. They therefore decide to stay in the city, fighting against other monsters and yokai which attack humans, making a few friends along the way. Even though the three yokai are often abused and discriminated against by other human beings due to their appearance, they still strive in protecting the human populace of the city from other monsters, one day hoping to become human beings in return for their good actions.

Characters

; Bem : : Played by: Kazuya Kamenashi : The oldest looking of the trio is the leader. He uses a walking stick as a weapon in human form. ; Bela : : Played by:

Anne Watanabe is a Japanese fashion model, actress, and singer. She is the daughter of film actor Ken Watanabe and his first wife Yumiko. In her modeling work, she is known by the mononym Anne.Kuhn, Anthony"For Japanese Women, The Past Is The Latest Fad"/ref> ...

: The only female in the group and the most bad-tempered of the trio. She uses a whip as a weapon in human form. ; Belo : : Played by: Fuku Suzuki : The youngest looking and the most naive of the trio. He is the only one that does not use a weapon in human form.

Staff

Original series

*Original Concept: Akira Adachi *Screenplay: Akira Adachi *Directors: Noburo Ishiguro, Tadao Wakabayashi *Art: Shin Morikawa *Production: Daiichi Doga (later incorporated into ADK)

Cast

*Bem:

Kiyoshi Kobayashi Kiyoshi, (きよし or キヨシ), is a Japanese given name, also spelled Kyoshi. Possible meanings *'' Kyōshi'', a form of Japanese poetry *Kyōshi, a Japanese honorific Possible writings *清, "cleanse" *淳, "pure" *潔, "undefiled" *清志, ...

*Bela: Hiroko Mori *Belo: Mari Shimizu *Opening Narration: Tatsuya Jo,

Issei Futamata is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Misawa, Aomori. He is best known for the roles of Skullomania ('' Street Fighter EX'' and '' Fighting EX Layer''), Yusaku Godai ('' Maison Ikkoku''), Chibi ('' Urusei Yatsura''), Kiyoshi Shusse ('' ...

(Part 2)

Theme songs

*Opening: (lyrics: Daiichi Doga, composition and arrangement: Seishi Tanaka; performance: Honey Nights) *Ending: (lyrics: Daiichi Doga Bungei-bu, composition and arrangement: Masahiro Uno, performance: Toshiko Yamada, Otowa Yurikago Kai, Gekidan Komadori)

2006 remake

*Original Concept: Asatsu DK *Director: Hiroshi Harada *Series Composition: Junki Takegami *Character Design: Kazuhiko Shibuya *Chief Animation Director: Takeshi Yamazaki *Yokai Design Creator: Naoki Ogiwara *Art Directors: Shō Tensui, Tsutomu Nishikura, Shinji Kawai *Primary Background Artist: Kazue Itō *Color Settings: Miharu Sakai *Director of Photography: Tomofumi Fujita *Editing: Yumiko Nakaba, Hideaki Murai (Okayasu Promotion) *Sound Director: Fusanobu Fujiyama *Sound Supervision: Takanori Ebina *Music: Takehiko Gokita *Animation Production:

Studio Comet is an animation studio with its headquarters in Toyotamanaka, Nerima, Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its ...

*Production: NAS *Producers: NAS,

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, ac ...

, avex entertainment,

Cast

*Bem:

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. His notable works include Kakashi Hatake in '' Naruto'' , Kars in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', Toichirou Suzuki in '' Mob Psycho 100'' and Gildarts Clive in ''Fairy Tail''. Biography Since his ...

*Bela: Kaori Yamagata *Belo: Ai Horanai *Kira Hyuga: Yūna Inamura *Sora Kaido: Naoya Iwahashi *Mitsuki Kisaragi:

Minori Chihara is a Japanese voice actress and former singer who has had roles in several anime series.Doi, Hitoshi"Chihara Minori" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. She is well known for her voice role as Yuki Nagato in '' The ...

*Genpaku Hyuga:

Masami Iwasaki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. Most but not all of his roles are minions or ruffians. Biography Filmography Anime * Autolauncher and Bighorn (''Beast Wars II'') * Hardhead (''Beast Wars Neo'') * Birdy ('' Bomberman Jetters'') ...

*Urara Hyuga:

Mie Sonozaki is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is best known for her role as Arle Nadja in '' Puyo Puyo Fever'' and '' Puyo Puyo Tetris''. She is also the official Japanese dubbing roles for Hayley Atwell, Elisha Cuthbe ...

*Riku Kaido: Ryō Naitō *Umi Kaido: Miki Nagasawa *Ryoko Kisaragi: Yuriko Fuchizaki *Yuzo Mikami: Manabu Murashi *Hitoshi Tamugenro: Hirofumi Nojima *Imp: Mitsuo Iwata *Dana O'Shee: Rokuro Naya *Doppleganger: Hiroyuki Miyasako *Narration:

Mizuho Suzuki (born October 23, 1927) is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Manchukuo. He is a drop-out of Kyoto University. Filmography Film *'' Yogiri yo Kon'yamo Arigatō'' (1967) *'' Zatoichi the Outlaw'' (1967) *'' The Snow Woman'' (1968) *'' The San ...

Theme songs

*Opening: (Performance: Hiroshi Kitadani (Bem =

)) *Ending: (Performance: Minako Yoshida)

2019 anime

*Original Story: ADK Emotions *Director: Yoshinori Odaka *Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka *Original Character Design:

Range Murata is a Japanese artist and designer (W artist), known for his unique style combining dieselpunk and Japanese anime elements. He is best known for his conceptual design work on anime series ''Last Exile'' and ''Blue Submarine No. 6''. He began hi ...

*Character Design: Masakazu Sunagawa *Music Composer: Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Michiru *Music Producer: Flying Dog *Animation Production: LandQ Studios *Planning Production: NAS *Project Collaborator: Production I.G *Production: BEM Production Committee

Cast

*Bem:

Katsuyuki Konishi is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Wakayama. He is affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in '' GaoGaiGar''. He is most well known for portraying Kamina in ''Gurren Lagann'', Laxus Dreyar in ''Fairy Tail' ...

*Bela: M.A.O *Belo:

Kensho Ono is a Japanese voice actor, actor and singer. His most well-known characters are Tetsuya Kuroko, the titular protagonist in the anime series '' Kuroko's Basketball'', Giorno Giovanna in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', Slaine Troyard in '' Aldnoah.Z ...

*Mysterious Lady:

Maaya Sakamoto Maaya may refer to: * Maaya (given name), a feminine Japanese given name * ''Maaya'' (1972 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''Maaya'' (2014 film), an Indian Telugu film See also * Maya (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

*Joel Woods:

Kenji Nomura is a Japanese voice actor from Okayama Prefecture affiliated with Aoni Production. Known for playing characters large in size, he has starring roles in anime shows, including Mitsunori Kugayama in '' Genshiken'', Chairman Harabote in '' Kinnikum ...

*Sonia Summers:

Maaya Uchida is a Japanese voice actress and singer who works for I'm Enterprise. She won the Best Rookie Actress Award at the 8th Seiyu Awards. She is best known for her roles such as Rikka Takanashi in ''Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions'', Ranko Kanzaki ...

*Dr. Recycle:

Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Omega Zero in Megaman Zero 3 , Keigo Atobe in ''The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! on ICE'', Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez ...

*Daryl Bryson:

Soma Saito is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with 81 Produce and Sacra Music. Biography Early life Saito was born on April 22, 1991, in Shōwa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. He is the eldest of three siblings, with two younger sisters. He ...

*Roddy Walker:

Koutaro Nishiyama is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He is currently affiliated with 81 Produce. His major roles are Atsushi Kinugawa in '' Cute High Earth Defense Club Love!'', Sakutaro Kirara in '' Jewelpet: Magical Change'' ...

*Helmut Felt:

Daisuke Ono is a Japanese voice actor and singer who won the 4th and 9th Seiyu Awards for best lead actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in ''Black Butler'', Jotaro Kujo in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' and Shukuro Tsukishima in ''Bleach'', as well as ...

Theme songs

*Opening: "Uchū no Kioku" (Performance:

) *Ending: "Iruimi" (Performance: JUNNA)

2020 film

*Original story: ADK Emotions *Director: Hiroshi Ikehata *Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka *Original Character Design: Range Murata *Character Design: Mino Matsumoto *Animation Production: Production I.G

Cast

*Bem: Katsuyuki Konishi *Bela: M.A.O *Belo: Kensho Ono *Burgess: Toshiya Miyata *Manstoll:

Kōichi Yamadera is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and singer 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 t ...

*Emma:

Nana Mizuki is a Japanese voice actress, singer and narrator from Niihama, Ehime. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name, Nana Kondō, in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...

*Draco:

Wataru Takagi is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi), '' After War Gundam X'' (as Garrod Ran), '' Slayers Try ...

*Greta:

Shizuka Itō is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is represented by Ken Production. She won a "Best Actress in Supporting Roles" award at the 10th Seiyu Awards for her roles in ''Prison School'' and ''Sailor Moon Crystal''. She is w ...

Anime

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

has licensed the 2019 series for a simuldub. Due to the Kyoto Animation arson attack on July 18, 2019, Episode 4, which was originally scheduled to air on August 4, 2019, was postponed to August 18, 2019.

Reception

The live-action film grossed US$11.5 million in Japan.

References

External links

Official site of the remakeOfficial site of the TV drama

Animax East Asia's official website for ''Humanoid Monster Bem''
* * * (2006 series) * (2019 series) {{Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Drama 1968 anime television series debuts 1969 Japanese television series endings 2006 Japanese television series endings 2006 anime television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series endings 2019 anime television series debuts Adventure anime and manga Animated horror television series Animax original programming Anime with original screenplays Fantasy anime and manga Fuji TV original programming Funimation Horror anime and manga Japanese horror fiction television series Live-action films based on animated series Nippon TV dramas Supernatural anime and manga TV Tokyo original programming Yōkai in anime and manga Japanese supernatural horror films