, often shortened to , and known in English as ''KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops'', is a Japanese

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

manga series written and illustrated by

Osamu Akimoto is a Japanese manga artist from Katsushika, Tokyo. He is best known for his long-running comedy series '' KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops'', which was continuously published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 40 years from 1976 to 2016. With 1,960 chapt ...

. It takes place in the present day, in and around a neighborhood police station (

kōban A is a small neighborhood police station found in Japan. The term also refers to the smallest organizational unit in a modern Japanese Prefectural police department. Small kōban buildings, staffed by uniformed officers at around 6,000 locatio ...

) in the downtown part of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, and revolves around the misadventures of middle-aged cop Kankichi Ryotsu. It was continuously serialized in ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...

'' for 40 years, from September 1976 to September 2016. Its 1,960 chapters were collected into 201 ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes, making it the manga with the second-highest number of volumes for a single series. The manga has been adapted into an

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 of ...

television series, produced by Studio Gallop and broadcast in Japan by

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 ...

, three theatrical animated films (by

Tatsunoko and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and " sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are ...

and Gallop, respectively), two live-action movies, several stage adaptations, and a live-action television series. In addition, a short anime featuring characters from the series was produced to popularize the

Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

sport of

goalball Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded inside of it into the opponents' goal. The ball is thrown by hand a ...

, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics of 2020 (held in 2021). As of 2016, the manga had over 156.5 million copies in circulation, making it the eighth best-selling manga series in history. In 2005, ''Kochikame'' won the Special Judges Award at the 50th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being given since ...

, as well as the 48th

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Japan Science Fiction Convention. ...

for Best Comic in 2017.

Plot

The ''KochiKame'' plot involves Kankichi "Ryo-san" Ryotsu coming up with a money-making scheme by inventing a new gadget or capitalizing on a fad, achieving great success, calling on Keiichi Nakagawa's help as things turn sour, and finally losing it all as the fad runs out of steam or out of control. While the plots are gag-driven, much of the humor comes from the combination of mundane characters with those that are bizarrely out of place; such as Nakagawa who has wealth and Ai Asato who is a transsexual. What they have in common is everyone's lack of actual police work, most of which is never explained or rationalized in the slightest. (It is explained in ''Jump'' that Ryo-san is one of the best officers at catching criminals.) Nakagawa and Reiko Akimoto have special licenses (such as for wearing personal clothes instead of uniforms to work) from police headquarters because of their skills in linguistics. The plot consistently evolved with the times and most of the main characters do not really age, despite the fact that the series started in the 1970s and is later clearly set in the 2010s. However, some characters do age, like the grandchild of Buchao, who was a baby in the early volumes, but is now close to junior high, which the author has self-mocked in a few "look back" chapters/episodes. ''KochiKame'' has a broad audience, ranging from adolescent boys to middle-aged

salarymen In Japan, a is a salaried worker. In Japanese popular culture, this is embodied by a white-collar worker who shows overriding loyalty and commitment to the corporation where he works. Salarymen are expected to work long hours, to put in addit ...

. Ryo-san's antics appeal to children who can laugh at an old buffoon, and to men fearing that they are becoming old buffoons themselves—and also because it often subtly mocks the latest fads and trends. The stories are generally innocent in content, and what little violence appears is comical, while the occasional risqué subjects are included strictly for laughs rather than to titillate. ''KochiKame''s immense popularity has led to guest appearances in the strip by real-life Japanese celebrities such as

Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of the ...

. For creator Osamu Akimoto, ''KochiKame'' is an homage to the working-class people and districts of old Tokyo, and most chapters open with an elaborate full-page illustration of a Shitamachi (downtown) street scene, typically with old wooden buildings and boys playing in the streets.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by

, ''Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo'' was continuously serialized in the ''shōnen'' manga anthology ''

'' since September 21, 1976. Akimoto debuted the series under the pen name of "Tatsuhiko Yamadome", but changed to using his real name in 1978, when it reached its 100th chapter. Periodically the chapters were collected into ''

'' volumes by publisher

Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...

, the first released on July 9, 1977. The series ended on September 17, 2016, in the 42nd issue of the year, in commemoration of ''KochiKame''s 40th anniversary. Its 200th ''tankōbon'' volume was published on the same day. Shueisha reprinted the issue that included the final chapter on December 31, 2016, marking the first time a ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' issue has ever been reprinted. Akimoto created a new chapter of ''Kochikame'' for the 42nd issue of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' on September 16, 2017. On July 18, 2021, it was announced the manga would receive a 201st volume, which was released on October 4, 2021. From March 2017 to June 2019, Akimoto serialized a sequel in the ''

seinen is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Ma ...

'' magazine ''

Ultra Jump is a Japanese monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Originally, the magazine was a special issue of '' Weekly Young Jump'' which was first issued in 1995. On October 19, 1999, the special issue bec ...

''. Titled , it is set in a ''

sentō is a type of Japanese communal bathhouse where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bathhouses have been quite utilitarian, with a tall barrier separating the sexes within one large room, a minimum of lined-up faucets on both sides ...

'' next to a police station in Shitamachi, Tokyo.

Anime

Since ''KochiKame''s inception in ''Jump'' in 1976, the series was not adapted into anime often, most likely because it would have been more suited for a live-action adaptation. The closest it could get when being adapted into anime was either in the form of commercials for certain products sold in Japan such as toys and snack foods as early as 1980, and a 30-minute animated film produced by

Tatsunoko Production and often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. The studio's name has a double meaning in Japanese: "Tatsu's child" (Tatsu is a nickname for Tatsuo) and "sea dragon", the inspiration for its seahorse logo. Tatsunoko's headquarters are i ...

which was shown alongside an animated adaptation of

Izumi Matsumoto , known by his pen name , was a Japanese manga artist best known for ''Kimagure Orange Road''. His career started in 1982, publishing his comic ''Milk Report'' in the manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. But real success came in 1984, publishi ...

's ''

Kimagure Orange Road is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Izumi Matsumoto. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from 1984 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha. The story follows tee ...

'' (another popular ''

Jump Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

'' manga from 1984) produced by Studio Pierrot at a ''Shonen Jump Anime Festival'' hosted by Shueisha in 1985. It was directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa, who, at the time, was renowned for his directorial work on Tatsunoko's other works such as ''

Speed Racer ''Speed Racer'', also known as , is a Japanese media franchise about Auto racing, automobile racing. ''Mach GoGoGo'' was originally serialized in print in Shueisha's 1966 ''Shōnen Book''. It was released in tankōbon book form by Sun W ...

'' and the ''

Time Bokan is a Japanese anime series first aired on Fuji TV from October 4, 1975 to December 25, 1976 throughout Japan every Saturday at 6:30pm, with a total of 61 30-minute episodes. It was produced by Tatsunoko Productions in partnership with Topcraft ...

'' franchise. It was issued on home video by Shueisha under the ''Jump Video'' imprint as a prize for winners of a contest that took place in several issues of ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' for the magazine's 20th anniversary in 1988. However, to this day only small images of footage from the film can be seen on the internet since the film was not released broadly. An anime television adaptation of ''KochiKame'' finally began airing on

Fuji Television 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 ...

on June 16, 1996. Produced by Studio Gallop, it ran for eight years and 382 episodes before ending on December 19, 2004. Two animated theatrical films were also produced; on December 23, 1999, and on December 20, 2003. On September 18, 2016, an hour-long special by Studio Gallop aired on Fuji TV for the manga's 40th anniversary. features several voice actors reprising their roles from the previous series, as well as director Akira Shigeno. In summer of 2006, a dubbed

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

version of ''KochiKame'' began airing on

Hungama TV Hungama TV is an Indian television channel aimed at children, mainly showcasing Japanese and Indian animated series. It was launched on 26 September 2004. The Hindi word "hungama" means 'ruckus' in English. It is owned by Disney Star. The chann ...

in India, and later on Disney XD India from 2011 to 2013.

Live-action

''KochiKame'' has also had live-action film, a TV drama and stage adaptations. The movie was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, starred Mitsuo Senda as Ryo-san and was released in 1977. A live-action TV series starring

Katori Shingo is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...

as Ryo-san began airing on TBS on August 1, 2009. A second live-action movie, based on this TV series and titled ''KochiKame - The Movie: Save The Kachidiki Bridge!'', opened in Japan on August 6, 2011. Another play adaptation opened in September 2016 for the series' 40th anniversary and, like the others, it was directed, written by and stars Lasar Ishii as Ryo-san, who is also the voice actor for the character in anime adaptations.

Other media

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, the series received a 6-part crossover anthology novel with various characters from other series on September 17, 2016. Titled , the other series are ''

Girls und Panzer , abbreviated as ''GuP'' or ''Garupan'' , is a Japanese anime franchise created by Actas which depicts a competition between girls' high schools practicing tank warfare as a sport. The series was directed by Tsutomu ...

'', ''

Osomatsu-san is a Japanese comedy anime television series by Pierrot, based on Fujio Akatsuka's 1962 manga series, '' Osomatsu-kun''. Celebrating Akatsuka's eightieth birthday, the series follows the sextuplet Matsuno brothers from the original seri ...

'', '' Haruchika'', '' Cheer Boys!!'', ''

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen is a Japanese light novel series written by Yoshinobu Akita. It was adapted into manga, five anime television series (''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen'', ''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen 2: Revenge'', ''Sorcerous Stabber Orphen'' (2020) ...

'' and ''

Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de is a Japanese television drama series based on the mystery novel of the same name by Japanese author Tokuya Higashigawa. It premiered on Fuji TV on October 18, 2011. This drama series was subsequently followed two-hour long special episode, then ...

''. Ryotsu appears playable in the ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' crossover fighting video games ''

Jump Super Stars ''Jump Super Stars'' is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied th ...

'', ''

Jump Ultimate Stars Jumping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jump or Jumping also may refer to: Places * Jump, Kentucky or Jump S ...

'' and '' J-Stars Victory VS''. Other characters from the series appear in a non-playable capacity. ''J-Stars Victory VS.''s North American and European release (as ''J-Stars Victory VS.+'') marks the first official release of ''Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo'' material in English-speaking territories. In addition, various toys and collectibles have been created, including some items that first appeared in the manga as creations of Ryo-san.

Real-life ''KochiKame''

Kameari Koen is an actual park in Tokyo's

Katsushika is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 444,356, and a population density of 12,770 people per km². The total area is 34.80 ...

ward. The police station is fictional, but it is modeled after a real one located on the north side of Kameari railway station. The manga has brought considerable fame to the neighborhood, and it draws sightseers from all over Japan to a (usually vacant) station in a nondescript residential neighborhood. There is only a vacant lot where the police station is actually supposed to be located. In February 2006, two life-size bronze statues of Ryo-san were erected at the north and south gates of Kameari Station. There is currently a trail of 14 statues in the area.

30th anniversary

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of ''Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo''s serialization, several special events were held. Separate one-shots of the series were published in thirteen different Shueisha magazines between August and October 2006.

Reception

As of 2016, ''Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo'' had sold over 156.5million ''

'' copies; making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. With 200 volumes, the series held the Guinness World Record for "Most volumes published for a single manga series" from September 2016 to July 2021. In November 2014, readers of ''

Da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on h ...

'' magazine voted ''Kochikame'' number 7 on a list of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''s greatest manga series of all time. ''Kochikame'' won the Special Judges Award at the 50th

s in 2005. Akimoto received the Special Prize at the 21st Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for the manga in 2017. ''Kochikame'' was awarded the 48th

for the Best Comic in 2017. In 2005,

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 Comp ...

named the anime number 36 on its list of the Top 100 Anime. Mike Toole of '' Anime News Network'' included ''Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo the Movie'' at number 56 on The Other 100 Best Anime Movies of All Time, a list of "lesser-known, lesser-loved classics." He called it "''Kochikame'' at its best, a zippy combination of daffy comedy and solid action set pieces," with one of the funniest false endings ever.

Notes

References

External links

Official websiteTBS ''KochiKame'' website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae Hashutsujo 1976 manga 1996 anime television series debuts 1999 anime films 2003 anime films Anime series based on manga Comedy anime and manga Fuji TV original programming Gallop (studio) Japanese animated films Japanese television dramas based on manga Live-action films based on manga Manga adapted into films Police in anime and manga Shōnen manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga TBS Television (Japan) dramas World record holders