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 series by Fujiko A. Fujio 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 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 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. Tarou resembles Sabu from the Perman Series. Tarou is also Kiteretsu's best friend from the Kiteretsu series **Voiced by: Fuyumi Shiraishi ('68), Masako Nozawa ('80) * - Taro's friend, who lives with his sister Utako. **Hrithik (Hindi Version) **Voiced by: Minori Matsushima ('68),

Katsue Miwa is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka affiliated with the studio Aoni Production. She began her career in 1960 and has since starred in a number of voice-over roles for various anime, video games, films, and television commercials. Works Anime ...

('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 Mariko may refer to: Places * Mariko-juku (鞠子宿), a post station along the Tōkaidō * Mariko, Mali * Mariko (crater), an impact crater on Venus People * MC Mariko (Mari Pajalahti, born 1979), Finnish music group Kwan * Bourama Mariko (born ...

('68), Chiyoko Kawashima ('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 ('68), Kaneta Kimotsuki ('80) * - The housekeeper and also a cook. He tends to put "gansu" at the end of every sentence. **Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto ('68), Takuzou Kamiyama ('80) * - Like his Hollywood counterpart, he's big, and not too smart. **Voiced by:

Masao Imanishi Masao (written: 正雄, 正夫, 正生, 正男, 正郎, 雅雄, 雅央, 雅夫, 雅勇, 雅男, 昌雄, 昌夫, 昌男, 昌朗, 昌郎, 昌大, 政雄, 政夫, 政男, 政於, 征夫, 優夫, 聖雄, 利生, 将雄, 将夫 or 眞男) is a masculine ...

('68),

Taro Sagami Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...

→ Shingo Kanemoto ('80) * Taro's father and King of Monsterland. **Voiced by:

Dai Kanai Dai may refer to: Names * Dai (given name), a Welsh or Japanese masculine given name * Dai (surname) (戴), a Chinese surname Places and regimes * Dai Commandery, a commandery of the state of Zhao and in early imperial China * Dai County, in ...

('80) * - Taro's girlfriend. She's super angry. **Voiced by: Eiko Masuyama ('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 ('80) * **Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata ('80) * **Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake→

Shun Yashiro was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tsuyama, Okayama. At the time of his death, he was affiliated with Theater Echo. Throughout his career, Yasario was also known as , , and . Yashiro was best known for his roles in ''Inakappe Taishō'' ...

('80) * - Prince of the demons. **Voiced by: Eiko Yamada ('80) * - Hiroshi's classmate and sorrowfully not girlfriend. **Voiced by: Keiko Han ('80) * - Hiroshi's classmate whose name is similar to a character in Obake no Q-taro. But is otherwise good and forever sad. And Ako's not boyfriend. **Voiced by: Sanji Hase ('80) * - Hiroshi's big classmate. **Voiced by: Kiyonobu Suzuki ('80)

Media

Television drama

A TV drama adaptation was aired on Nippon TV 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.

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 as Kaibutsu-kun * Norito Yashima as

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 was a Japanese comedian and actor. He was a member of the comedy trio Dachō Club. References 1961 births 2022 deaths 2022 suicides Japanese male actors Japanese male comedians Japanese impressionists (entertainers) Japanese televi ...

as Wolfman * Choi Hong-man as Franken * Umika Kawashima as Ichikawa Utako

Live-action film

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