is a Japanese
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 ...
series written and illustrated by the
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
duo
Fujiko 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 ...
about a clumsy boy, Mitsuo Suwa, who is chosen to apprentice to a powerful
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
to save the world along with other superheroes. The manga series was serialized in ''
Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, ...
'' on 1967. The first anime series was first produced in black and white in 1967. The second anime series was made in color in 1983 and films were released in 1983, 1984, 1985, 2003 and 2004. Perman is currently being telecasted on Super Hungama channel in India.
Plot
The story follows a boy named Mitsuo Suwa who meets an alien named Superman, later renamed Birdman. The alien is part of a group that maintains peace in the galaxy and recruits Mitsuo to become a Perman. Mitsuo is given three items, a helmet which multiplies the wearer's physical strength and serves as a mask, a cape that allows the wearer to fly and run with great speed, and a badge which enables the wearer to breathe underwater and to communicate with Permans that he later meets. The alien instructs Mitsuo that if a Perman's identity becomes known to others, his brain will be destroyed—which is reduced to being turned into an animal in later chapters. To help keep Mitsuo's secret identity, the alien will give Mitsuo a doppelganger robot called a copy-robot who takes Mitsuo's place when he is Perman.
Characters
Main characters
; / Perman 1
: Mitsuo/Perman is the protagonist of the series. He's 11 and a half-year-old young boy who's chosen as the first Perman by Birdman. Of the five known Perman, he has had the closest calls to having his secret identity revealed. He dislikes studying, being grounded, ghosts, and cockroaches. He is not very good at studying but he can do well if he tries hard. He has a crush on Michiko, a girl from his class. He's a big fan of the idol Sumire Hoshino, who's actually Perman 3/Pergirl. Mitsuo often acts lazy and dumps his work on his copy robot, but works hard when things get serious. As Perman, he is willing to do anything to please others, which sometimes lands him in trouble. At the end of the series, all his achievements as Perman were acknowledged by Birdman and he travels to the planet Bird star for training to become Birdman's successor. He seems to have not been returned to Earth because there is a depiction waiting for return in the era of "Doraemon" which later Hoshino Sumire as an older actress is in. However, there's a manga chapter "Return of Perman" (included in Vol. 2 of Fujiko. F · Fujio Capricorn/Complete works of Fujiko. F. Fujio: Perman) (藤子・F・不二雄大全集第2巻に収録) he returns to Earth only for 2 hours. Mitsuo is voiced by
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
...
in both 1965 and 1983 TV anime.
; / Perman 2
: Booby is a monkey referred to as "Perman 2". Earlier in the manga he lived in a zoo and had to sneak out at night to work (although his mother caught him once and gave him a spanking); later, the authors simply announced that they would retcon his character, making him a pet chimp who lived with an old couple, so that he could work more easily as a superhero. The reason why he is chosen as one of the permans is that, according to Birdman, there should be no discrimination between Earth humans and animals. He is highly intelligent, but because he cannot speak human language, he often uses objects and gestures to get his point across. He acts like a human even though he's a monkey. Booby helps his colleagues with human affairs, although in chapters where he's the main character he works with animals to who he can speak to. Booby is voiced by
Hiroshi Ōtake
was a Japanese actor and voice actor, represented by 81 Produce. He was best known for his roles as Nyarome in ''Mōretsu Atarō'', Daisho in ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'', Boss in ''Mazinger Z'', Pāman 2 (Booby) in ''Pāman'', King Nikochan in ''D ...
in both the 1965 and 1983 anime series.
; / Perman 3 / / Pergirl
: Although Sumire is a girl, she is officially addressed as "Perman 3"; however, her teammates often call her called "Perko". Her secret identity, which she never reveals even to her teammates, is a famous child actress. She feels freer when she is Perko because, as a child actress Sumire, she is always treated as a celebrity everywhere she goes. She has a dual personality; In her superhero guise, she is quite tomboyish, bossy, brave, bold, hot-headed, and headstrong, quarreling with Mitsuo and sometimes with Michiko (for Perman). While as Sumire is very kind and mild. In the original series, she lives in a big mansion along with her parents, while in the Shin-Ee version of the animation, she lives alone in a condominium. Her parents live in New York. A woman who seems to be a manager frequently goes in and out of a condominium room and seems to be taking care of her well. She is not good at household stuff such as cooking and sewing in general. She often calls Mitsuo annoying and stupid but inside her heart, she has a soft spot for him and considers him as her treasure (As shown in "What is Perko's Treasure ?"), indicating she loves him more than anything else in the world and he also reciprocates it somewhere in the depth of his heart. Whenever she is in trouble, she tells about it Mitsuo first indicating that he indeed is very close to her. She later reveals her identity aka Sumire only to him and asks him to marry her when he returns from Bird Planet which he willingly agrees with within the final chapter of the manga series (volume 7). Sumire, as an older actress, also makes significant cameo appearances in two chapters of ''
Doraemon
''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...
'', telling Nobita about a faraway person whose return she is waiting for (aka Perman/ Mitsuo) who has gone to another planet to perform his duties as Birdman (in volume 19 and 24 of ''Doraemon'') (In another episode, Sumire was visited by Nobita and Shizuka, who used the Almighty Pass to enter her house and spent time chatting with her. However, the gadget's effect wore off at 6pm and a confused Sumire chased them out of her house.) Sumire is voiced by
Yōko Kuri in the 1965 TV anime
and
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 Masuyama w ...
in the 1983 TV anime.
; / Perman 4 / Perboy
: He is the oldest of all the other Permans (18 years). He lives in Osaka and works various part-time jobs for a living. He is very pragmatic and this sometimes pits him against the other Permen. His pragmatic attitude saves the Permen from many of their tribulations. But his sense of responsibility is strong and his mental power is also tough. He often contributes to solving difficult cases by planning out excellent or unusual strategies and excels in the most intelligence and ability among the five Permen (four in the 1983 anime) He is also known for solving arguments between Perman and Perko about what to happen very easily. He is sometimes greedy to other Pāmen but sometimes can help them in whatever problem they have. His dream is to become the owner of a big company and earn a lot of money. Hōzen is voiced by
Yoshihisa Kamo
Yoshihisa is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Yoshihisa can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples:
*義久, "justice, long time"
*義尚, "justice, still"
*吉久, "good luck, l ...
in the first anime television series.
; / Perman 5 /
: Nicknamed Kō-chan, he is the fifth and youngest member of the team. He is a 2-year-old baby, and saw Mitsuo as Perman 1 on one occasion. He was made a Perman to preserve Mitsuo's secret identity. The first anime and manga series had several appearances by Kōichi, but he is nonexistent in the second version of either series. In addition, all but one chapter in the current manga volumes with an appearance by him have been omitted. Kōichi is 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 die ...
in the 1965 TV anime.
; Birdman
: One of the supermen, the guardians of the universe. His name is Superman in the early series, but he has renamed
Birdman in later series to avoid violating the copyright of
DC. He is the one who gave the Permen their abilities. He always rides a UFO disk. He has been to various places to find candidates for the next Birdman from Superstar (Bird star in 1983 anime and later manga volumes), to give a permanent set as an apprentice and test skills. At that time, it seems that he was checking his / her mind beforehand whether they are qualified to become a permanent. Although he can be very strict when it comes to the Perman identity, he can also be calm and make sure that they don’t take decisions in hurry such as quitting being Perman. He can sometimes be very clumsy when it comes to operating his UFO and handling situations in general. He has a variety of superpowers. In addition to Mitsuo who was selected as a candidate in the last round, many of the permits were selected from around the world to go to the planet Bird star (Superstar), so it seems that he was not the only one who came to the earth from Bird star. Birdman is voiced by
Akira Shimada
was the last governor of Okinawa Prefecture before Japan's defeat in 1945. He died during the Battle of Okinawa.
Early years
Born in Suma-ku, Kobe in 1901, Akira Shimada was the first-born son of a physician. He studied in the Department of ...
in the 1965 TV anime.
; Copy-robots
: Androids which are given to Permen from Superman to help keep their secret. Each one transforms into a clone of the person who pushes a button on its nose. The memories of that copy robot can also be transferred to the original person by placing both foreheads against each other. In the first series, the robot had a red nose that remained visible even after the transformation, and they often were deactivated by well-meaning people trying to wipe their noses clean. The duplication procedure also copies whatever clothing or items that are on the activator's person, which landed Mitsuo in trouble on a few occasions for abusing this property. These made a cameo in the ''Doraemon'' series as one of his many gadgets from the 22nd century.
Supporting characters
; / Mitsuko
: Mitsuo's classmate who has a crush on Perman, she often puts together newspaper articles that have been active. Mitsuo admires her unexpectedly. She is beautiful and outstanding in grades, but with a strong temperament character. She treats Mitsuo as just a good friend. In the anime, she talks about future dreams as an "astronaut." She views Pergirl as a rival, and at times clashes with her (with Mitsuo in the middle). She also knows how to play piano and violin very well. Michiko is voiced by
Kyōko Emi
is a very common feminine Japanese given name. Not to be confused with Kiyoko.
Possible writings
The final syllable "ko" is typically written with the kanji character for child, 子. It is a common suffix to female names in Japan.
The first s ...
in the first anime television series.
;
: Mitsuo's short-statured classmate often seen with Kaba. He also has a very weak personality. In the second work it is seen that his father owns a restaurant named "Taberna" (タベルナ). Sabu is voiced by
Michiko Nomura
is a Japanese actress and voice actress.
Career
Nomura was previously affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, then Aoni Production and now she is affiliated with Ken Production, an agency founded by the late Kenji Utsumi. ...
in the first anime television series,
Shigeru Chiba in the second anime television series.
;
: Another of Mitsuo's classmates. He is the neighborhood bully. He often picks on Mitsuo, but is a big fan of Perman, often begging him to make him the next member. Together with Sabu, he was tricked by a foreign scientist into stealing Mitsuo's Perman equipment. His father owns a fruit and vegetable shop. At the school, he is a generic captain. At times he does have a friendly and gentle personality. His parents have exactly the same face as him, and his father works not only for fruit and vegetable but also for La ittle League supervisor and trainer. Also, in the second animation film, his father often loses dentures. Kabao is voiced by
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 ...
in the first anime television series.
;
: Another of Mitsuo's classmates who boastfully proud about his wealth. His room is filled with manga comics and remote-controlled toys. In one episode of the 1983 anime, he borrows the Perman set from Mitsuo, only to have them stolen by a dangerous criminal.
;
: He is Mitsuo's dad. Mantarō is often seen as easygoing but will discipline his son responsibly. He is a typical office worker, the position in the company is the section chief. Mantarō is voiced by
Hisashi Katsuta
was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is best known for his voice-over portrayal of Professor Ochanomizu in three anime adaptations of the ''Astro Boy'' franchise, and also voiced Dr. Hoshi in ''Astroganger'' (1972–1973), Professor Tobishim ...
in the first anime television series.
;
: She is Mitsuo's mother and is unnamed in the series. She is a usual housewife and a beautiful mother. She tends not to feel comfortable with the fact that Perman and his teammates often come to their house, and when the criminal who kidnaps Ganko requested a perman set instead of ransom, she gets very angry. Many people around the Perman's often see the perman as a hero of respect, but she often touches with a very strong attitude towards the permen who come to the Suwa residence. She often scolds Mitsuo because of Ganko's complains. Mrs. Suwa is voiced by
Kondō Takako
Kondō, Kondo or Kondou (近藤 "near wisteria") is a surname prominent in Japanese culture, although it also occurs in other countries. Notable people with the surname include:
* , Japanese ballet dancer
* Dorinne K. Kondo, anthropologist
* Kond ...
in the first anime television series.
;
: Ganko is Mitsuo's younger sister who is headstrong and obstinate, although she is more known for tattling on Mitsuo to their mother. She is an elementary school first-grader in the setting of the second TV work. But she is a kindergarten child in the movie version. She often tells Mitsuo that his sloppy behavior is very annoying. In the second TV work, she has a boyfriend named Itimomagejima (イツモマジメ). She also appeared in Doraemon; in the episode "
The Cursing Camera
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
". Ganko is voiced by
Masako Sugaya
(August 21, 1937 – February 25, 2021) was a Japanese voice actress who has worked primarily in anime.
She died on February 25, 2021.
Filmography Anime Television
* ''Perman'' (1967), Ganko
* '' Under Sea Boy Marine'' (1969), Kurikuri
* '' ...
in the first anime television series.
;
: He is Mitsuo's homeroom teacher. A young athlete who is fat and seems to be taking all the subjects. He often scolds Mitsuo for not completing his homework and sleeping in class and ends up giving him a punishment of standing out of the class. The nickname is "Higendaruma." Oyama is voiced by
Masashi Amamori in the first anime television series.
;
: He is another classmate of Mitsuo. As the name implies Sherlock Holmes, he is a kid who loves finding out things and acts like a young detective. He is very smart. He has a doubt that the identity of Perman 1 is Mitsuo. He tries to grab the evidence many times, but ends up failing each time. In the second work, it is revealed that his father is a detective.
;
: She's introduced in the 1983 TV anime. She's a transfer student who came to the class next to Mitsuo. She met his copy-robot and became his friend. She has a good relationship the copy robot since then. Because of this there are often misunderstandings whenever she talks to the actual Mitsuo.
:
Antagonists
; / The man of the thousand masks
: A gentleman thief who is an expert in disguise and jailbreak, and one of Perman's most cunning opponents. He is skilled in escaping because of his love of the thrill of breaking out of prison, and a chapter in the early manga demonstrates that he can't stand the ease of escaping from minimum security. In his first appearance, he was ruthless enough to try to kill Mitsuo, however, he later helped Perman capture the man behind a rash of purse snatchings because the thief had robbed the owner of his favorite
ramen
is a Japanese dish, Japanese noodle dish. It consists of served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including , nori (dried seaweed), menma (bamboo shoots), and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese ...
restaurant. He is a lover of fine art, which Pāyan uses to his advantage in a museum heist.
; (a.k.a. )
: The Japanese 'bad-man league', the guild which organizes thieves and burglars in Japan. Despite their schemes to destroy Perman, they are always defeated.
:;
:: The leader of the ZenGyadoRen.
:;
:: An evil genius who is the science adviser of ZenGyadoRen and offers them many unusual technologies. As with Haruzō and Ganko, his name can be read in a different way; in his case, it sounds similar to "mad scientist".
Media
Manga
The manga was written by Fujiko F. Fujio and published in 1967. It was published by the Japanese company,
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
, and serialized in
Weekly Shōnen Sunday
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published in Japan by Shogakukan since March 1959. Contrary to its title, ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' issues are released on Wednesdays. ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' has sold over 1.8billion copies since 1986, ...
. It has 8
tankōbon
is the Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
and 214 pages.
Anime
Two anime television series based on the manga were produced. The first television series, consisting of 54 two-part episodes, was produced by
Tokyo Movie
, formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946.
TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as ''Lupin the Third'', ...
with music composed by Hiroshi Tsutsui. It was broadcast on
TBS from April 2, 1967, to April 14, 1968.
Certain episodes are lost and some episodes have lost their audio. This version was dubbed into
Mexican Spanish
Mexican Spanish ( es, español mexicano) is the variety of Dialect, dialects and Sociolect, sociolects of the Spanish language spoken in Mexican territory. Mexico has the largest number of Spanish speakers, with more than twice as many as in a ...
, and it is unknown if the dub has any of the lost episodes.
The second anime television series was produced by
Shin-Ei Animation
is a Japanese animation studio owned by TV Asahi and founded in Tokyo in 1965 as A-Production by Daikichirō Kusube, who was previously an animator for Toei Animation. Shin-Ei is known for being the animation studio behind two of the anime tele ...
under the direction
Hiroshi Sasagawa
is a Japanese creator of several anime and manga series. His name is romanized in some sources as ''Hiroshi Sasakawa''.
Career
Born in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, he is well known as one of creators of ''Time Bokan'' series (with ...
and Sadayoshi Tominaga with Akihiko Takashima composing the music. The series was first broadcast every Monday through Saturday 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 April 4, 1983, to March 30, 1985. Starting on April 2, 1985, the series switched to a weekly broadcast and concluded on July 2, 1987, for a total of 526 episodes.
Episode list
1983
1985
Specials
Crossover
Doraemon (2005): Night of the Giant Raccoon Dog
On Fujiko F Fujio's 80th birthday, an hour-long special aired on TV Asahi on September 13, 2013. In this special, Nobita turns to Perman's help when Doraemon turns into a giant raccoon and destroys the whole town.
Doraemon and Perman's Close Call
From 2011 to October 2, 2012, it was screened at the F Theater in the Fujiko F Fujio Museum facility. Doraemon and Nobita enter the TV program "Perman" with Doraemon's secret tool. The first terrestrial broadcast was broadcast on December 31, 2016, under the title of "Doraemon & Perman Close Call !?" in "Omisoka! Doraemon 1 Hour Special !!". The cast on the "Perman" side followed the second work.
References
External links
*
*
{{Shin-Ei Animation
1967 anime television series debuts
1967 manga
1983 anime films
1983 anime television series debuts
1983 manga
1984 anime films
1985 anime films
2003 anime films
Japanese animated films
2004 anime films
Japanese children's animated action television series
Japanese children's animated adventure television series
Japanese children's animated science fiction television series
Japanese children's animated superhero television series
Children's manga
CoroCoro Comic
Fujiko F Fujio
Shin-Ei Animation
Shogakukan manga
Shogakukan franchises
Nintendo Entertainment System games
Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
Japan-exclusive video games
Shōnen manga
TMS Entertainment
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
TV Asahi original programming
Child superheroes
Superhero teams