is a shōnen

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

and

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

series by

Fujiko A. Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known ...

named after its

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

. The first series was broadcast on TBS from April 21, 1968 to March 23, 1969. The second series was broadcast on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

from September 2, 1980 to September 28, 1982. A live-action series was broadcast on

Nippon Television JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

and

Yomiuri Television JOIX-DTV (channel 10), branded as , is the Kansai region flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned by the subsidiary of the eponymous Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings, Japan's largest media conglomera ...

from April 17 to June 12, 2010. The 94-episode 1982 iteration was aired around the world, marketed as ''The Monster Kid'', which was the official English title.

Plot

Kaibutsu-kun (Monster Kid) and his companions, Dracula, Wolfman, and Franken, travel from

Monster A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...

Land to the Human Realm, where they encounter and battle several monsters, mainly assassins from the

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

group Demonish. In India, the show was aired in Hindi where MK (Monster Kid) has a friend Hrithik who is not as fearless as MK himself. He calls Franken: Bheja, Dracula: Jojo and Wolfman: Chalbheja.

Cast

* - A little boy who can

metamorph In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited ...

. Tarou resembles Sabu from the

Perman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga artist duo Fujiko Fujio about a clumsy boy, Mitsuo Suwa, who is chosen to apprentice to a powerful superhero to save the world along with other superheroes. The manga series ...

Series. Tarou is also Kiteretsu's best friend from the

Kiteretsu is a Japanese manga series by duo Fujiko Fujio and later Fujiko F. Fujio, which ran in the children's magazine '' Kodomo no Hikari'' from April 1974 to July 1977. The manga was later made into a 331-episode anime television series which ran ...

series **Voiced by:

Fuyumi Shiraishi was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Career Fuyumi was previously affiliated with Aoni Production and after she left Aoni and joined Ken Production founded by the late Kenji Utsumi until the time of her death. Death Shiraishi di ...

('68),

Masako Nozawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Throughout her life, she has been affiliated with Production Baobab, 81 Produce and self-owned Office Nozawa; she is also affiliated with Aoni Production. Her late husband, Masaaki Tsukada, was ...

('80) * - Taro's friend, who lives with his sister Utako. **Hrithik (Hindi Version) **Voiced by:

Minori Matsushima was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator that worked for Aoni Production. She was most known for the roles of Candice White Adley (''Candy Candy''), Hiyoko Isu (''The Song of Tentomushi''), Alexandria Meat (''Kinnikuman''), Sayaka Y ...

('68), Katsue Miwa ('80) * - Hiroshi's older sister. Both are orphans who live in Arama-sō, a two-story Japanese apartment. She takes care of her brother. Caring and super-radiant forever. **Voiced by: Mariko Mukai ('68),

Chiyoko Kawashima is a former Japanese voice actress. She was born in Tokyo, and retired from voice acting in 2001; her final role was that of Maron Kusakabe's mother: Koron Kusakabe in '' Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne''. Filmography *'' Adieu Galaxy Express 999'' as ...

('80) * - He drinks tomato juice instead of human blood, and tends to put "damasu" at the end of every sentence. In the TV drama series, he often puts English phrases in every sentence. **Voiced by:

Hiroshi Ohtake is a common masculine Japanese given name. It can also be transliterated as Hirosi. Possible writings Hiroshi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *浩, "meaning" *汎 *弘, *宏, *寛, *洋, *博, *博一, *博司, ...

('68),

Kaneta Kimotsuki was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was most known for the roles of Takeshi Goda before Suneo Honekawa in Fujiko F. Fujio's Doraemon. Career During his life he had been attached to TBS broadcast theater company and then Aoni Production ...

('80) * - The housekeeper and also a cook. He tends to put "gansu" at the end of every sentence. **Voiced by:

Shingo Kanemoto was a Japanese actor and voice actor originally from Fukuoka Prefecture. On February 24, 1991, he died of intra-axial hematoma at the age of 58. After his death, his ongoing roles went to Takeshi Watabe. Filmography *'' Space Battleship Yamato ...

('68), Takuzou Kamiyama ('80) * - Like his Hollywood counterpart, he's big, and not too smart. **Voiced by: Masao Imanishi ('68), Taro Sagami→

('80) * Taro's father and King of Monsterland. **Voiced by: Dai Kanai ('80) * - Taro's girlfriend. She's super angry. **Voiced by:

Eiko Masuyama is a Japanese actress and narrator. She works for Aoni Production. She is most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine ('' Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi ('' Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama ('' Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masuya ...

('68, '80) * **Voiced by:

Reizō Nomoto was a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. His birth name was . On July 7, 2006, Nomoto vomited blood at home and - after having been transported to the hospital - died. The cause of his death is unknown. He was 75 years of age. Notable voice ...

('80) * **Voiced by:

Shigeru Chiba , known by the stage name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor, talent and sound director from Kikuchi, Kumamoto. He is affiliated with the talent management firm 81 Produce. He is most known for the roles of Yoshihiro Kira from '' JoJo's Bizarre ...

('80) * **Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata ('80) * **Voiced by:

→ Shun Yashiro ('80) * - Prince of the demons. **Voiced by:

Eiko Yamada is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Hisamura worked under her maiden name before her marriage and for a long time afterward, so that name is still often used, even among fans. She is currently affilia ...

('80) * - Hiroshi's classmate and sorrowfully not girlfriend. **Voiced by:

Keiko Han is a Japanese actress, voice actress and western astrologer. She sang the theme songs in productions such as '' Story of the Alps: My Annette'' and '' Kazoku Robinson Hyōryūki Fushigi na Shima no Furōne''. Han is a fortune teller of western ...

('80) * - Hiroshi's classmate whose name is similar to a character in

Obake no Q-taro and are a class of ''yōkai'', preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean ''a thing that changes'', referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as "ghost", but primari ...

. But is otherwise good and forever sad. And Ako's not boyfriend. **Voiced by:

Sanji Hase , better known by the stage name , was a Japanese voice actor and the father of Macross star Arihiro Hase. He died of lung cancer on March 8, 2002, at the age of 66. At the time of his death he was a free agent, but he had been previously represe ...

('80) * - Hiroshi's big classmate. **Voiced by: Kiyonobu Suzuki ('80)

Media

Television drama

A TV drama adaptation was aired on

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

in 2010 with nine episodes. Two drama specials were aired after the initial airing of the drama series in June 2010, where the author of Kaibutsu-kun appears as a guest, and October 2011. There are some differences between the anime and the live action series, especially for the setting and the characters. Neither Hiroshi's classmates in the anime appear in the TV drama series. The new characters are Wolfman's daughter, the landlady of Arama-sō and a policeman. The theme song for the TV drama series is

by Japanese boy band

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 1999 ...

Plot

Kaibutsu-kun is a rambunctious prince of Kaibutsu Land. On the day of succession to the throne, he is ordered to go to the world of humans by the King of Kaibutsu Land for ascetic training. Kaibutsu-kun and his attendants, Dracula, Wolfman, and Franken, travel to the world of humans and encounter several monsters or humans belonging to the demon group led by Demorina who tries to set the prince of demon back on track and take over the world.

Main casts

Satoshi Ohno is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, radio host, artist, dancer, and choreographer. He is the lead vocalist and leader of the boy band Arashi, hence his nickname . Ohno began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese t ...

as Kaibutsu-kun *

Norito Yashima is a Japanese actor, TV personality, narrator, voice actor and presenter. He is currently employed by ComeCome Miniki-Na Theater Company and SIS company. He landed his first hosting job on the Fuji TV series '' Hey! Spring of Trivia'', a show he co ...

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

* Ryuhei Ueshima as

Wolfman In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely o ...

Choi Hong-man Choi Hong-man (Korean language, Korean: 최홍만, Hanja: 崔洪萬; born October 30, 1980), often anglicised to Hongman Choi, is a South Korean kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and former ssireum wrestler. In Asia, he is called "Che Man", "Te ...

as Franken *

Umika Kawashima is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Saitama Prefecture, Japan. She is a former member of the Japanese girl group 9nine. Her solo single "Maji de Koi Suru 5 Byō Mae/Ichigo Iro no Kimochi", on the '' Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai ...

as Ichikawa Utako

Live-action film

A 3D movie titled was released on November 26, 2011, directed by

Yoshihiro Nakamura is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, known for his 2009 film '' Fish Story'', which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival, and ''A Boy and His Samurai'', which won the Audience Award at the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival. Li ...

. It went on to be a commercial success in Japan and earned ($39,766,344).

References

External links

Official 2010 TV series website

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monster Kid 1965 manga 1968 anime television series debuts 1968 Japanese television series debuts 1969 Japanese television series endings 1980 anime television series debuts 1982 anime films 1980 Japanese television series debuts 1982 Japanese television series endings 2010 Japanese television series debuts 2010 Japanese television series endings Animated television series about orphans Japanese children's animated adventure television series Japanese children's animated comedy television series Japanese children's animated fantasy television series Japanese children's animated horror television series Adventure anime and manga Anime series based on manga Comedy anime and manga Fantasy anime and manga Fujiko Fujio A Horror anime and manga Japanese drama television series Manga series Nippon TV dramas Shin-Ei Animation Shōnen manga TV Asahi original programming TBS Television (Japan) original programming Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming Shōnen Gahōsha manga Japanese comedy films Japanese horror films