, known in the United States as ''Robby the Rascal'', is a 39-episode
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 created by
Ken Ishikawa
was a Japanese manga artist. He is renowned as the co-creator (with Go Nagai) of the ''Getter Robo'' anime series, as well as four of their subsequent manga continuations. According to Nagai, he considered Ishikawa his greatest friend and all ...
and produced by
Knack animation studio. The series aired on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...
in Japan from October 1982 to June 1983. The series featured contributions from
Tetsuro Amino as a storyboard artist and
Masayuki Kojima
is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director, best known for directing the acclaimed anime series ''Monster'' and ''Made in Abyss''. He was born on March 11, 1961 in Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
Career
Kojima first got his start in the ...
as an episode director.
A feature-length English-dubbed version comprising several episodes edited together into a movie, titled ''Robby the Rascal'', was produced by
Jim Terry
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''J ...
's (''
Force Five
''Force Five'' is an American adaptation of five different anime television series. In the United States, this series was primarily shown only in New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, though it did make brief appearances in other markets, s ...
'') Kidpix Productions and released on home video in the United States in 1985. (The same American distributors had previously adapted the same animation studio's 1979–1980 TV series ''
Manga Sarutobi Sasuke
is a 24-episode anime series about the young Sarutobi Sasuke, a legendary ninja. It was first aired from October 9, 1979, to April 29, 1980, on Tokyo 12 Channel (now TV Tokyo), and was later dubbed in several languages. The whole 24-episode ru ...
'', which used much of the same production team, into a similar feature-length work titled ''Ninja the Wonder Boy''.) However, the English version deleted much of the risque humor that, while not uncommon in children's animation in Japan, would be considered unacceptable by American standards, with the policewoman Sachiko (Sgt. Sally) being the usual target of the
fan service-oriented humor. The TV series also aired in its entirety in Italy under the title ''Robottino'' ("''Little robot''"), and some episodes are also available in Spanish as ''Robotete'' or ''Robotín''.
Story
Apparently inspired largely by
Akira Toriyama's popular ''
Dr. Slump
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was serialized in Shueisha's anthology magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1980 to 1984, with the chapters collected into 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes. The series fol ...
'', ''Robby the Rascal'' is the story of Robby (Robotchi), a fun-loving, mischievous robot with a TV set in his stomach. Robby lives in a peaceful village with various other robots, all created by the eccentric and lecherous Dr. Art Deco, who has a major crush on local policewoman Sgt. Sally (Sachiko). Although he is an android and (usually inadvertently) causes much mischief, Robby has a warm, kind heart and is always willing to help out a friend in need. With his human girlfriend Tiffany (Kurumi Yukino), he gets into a variety of wacky adventures.
However, a rich, spoiled inventor named Horace (Highbrow) will stop at nothing to get Robby for his own. Much of the plot of the English feature-length dub of the anime involves Horace's attempts to threaten the peace in Robby's village, with the help of his female assistants, Tracy and Yvette. For example, in one story arc, Horace uses an illusion-causing ray gun to spoil Robby and Tiffany's spring picnic and then manages to capture the little robot and force him to compete in a high-stakes game of
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
. In another, he follows Robby, Dr. Deco and their friends to Europe, where he and Robby square off in a medieval-style joust. And in the final story arc, Horace and his minions compete against Robby and Tiffany in a global race in which the first prize is $10 million, which Dr. Deco hopes to use to start an amusement park.
Music
The Japanese opening and ending themes to the ''Cybot Robotchi'' TV series were performed by
Yukari Sato. The Italian dubbed version of the TV series kept all of the original music, including the Japanese theme songs, and also retained most of the original character names (except for Robotchi who became "Robottino"). However, for the English version, the original music was replaced by a new soundtrack by
Bullets, including several original songs.
Staff
Japanese Version
Source(s)
* Created by: Ken Ishikawa, Toyohiro Ando
* Chief director:
Kazuyuki Okasako
Kazuyuki is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Kazuyuki Akasaka (born 1989), Japanese baseball player
*Kazuyuki Atsuzawa (born 1972), Japanese retired baseball player
*, Japanese screenwriter
*Kazuyuki Fujita ...
* Assistant director:
Hiroyuki Kamii
is a common masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Hiroki can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: extensive, good fortune, spacious.
, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
It is written in hir ...
(eps. 1-21)
* Storyboard/Episode directors: Kazuyuki Okasako, Hiroyuki Kamii,
Hiroshi Yoshida
was a 20th-century Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the shin-hanga style, and is noted especially for his excellent landscape prints. Yoshida travelled widely, and was particularly known ...
,
Osamu Inoe
is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Osamu can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*治 "reign"
*修 "discipline"
*理 "logic"
*収 "obtain"
*紀 "chronicle"
*統 "rule"
The name can also be written in hir ...
,
Tetsuro Amino,
Masayuki Kojima
is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director, best known for directing the acclaimed anime series ''Monster'' and ''Made in Abyss''. He was born on March 11, 1961 in Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
Career
Kojima first got his start in the ...
* Script:
Ayuko Anzai,
Hideki Sonoda,
Susumu Yoshida
Susumu is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Susumu Akagi (born 1972) Japanese voice actor
* Susumu Aoyagi (青柳 進, born 1968), Japanese baseball player
*Susumu Chiba (born 1970), Japanese voice actor
*, J ...
,
Toyohiro Ando,
Yoshiyuki Suga
Yoshiyuki is both a masculine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname.
Possible writings
Yoshiyuki can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples:
*義幸, "justice, happiness"
*義之, "justice ...
* Character design:
Dynamic Planning
is a licensing company owned by manga artist Go Nagai. It was established in 1974 as a sister company of Dynamic Productions.
Dynamic Planning is credited in all of Go Nagai's animated works since 1974 as the "planner" and/or "producer".
...
* Animation directors:
Hiromi Nakamura Hiromi may refer to:
*Hiromi, Ehime, city in Shikoku, Japan
*Hiromi (given name), unisex Japanese given name (including a list of persons with the name)
*Hiromi (comedian), Japanese comedian
*Hiromi (model), Japanese fashion model
* Meitetsu Hiromi ...
,
Noboru Akiyama,
Takao Suzuki
is a professional tennis player and a former Japanese No. 1.
Tennis career
Suzuki reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 102 in 1998 and has earned nearly three quarters of a million dollars in prize winnings on the ATP Tour. He ...
,
Kinuko Izumi
Kinuko (written: 絹子) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese volleyball player
* Kinuko Y. Craft (born 1940), Japanese-born American painter and illustrator
*, Japanese painter
{{given name
Japan ...
* Art director:
Masayoshi Banno
Masayoshi is a masculine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Masayoshi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
*, "correct, justice, righteous; wherefore, a reason"
*, "correct, justice, righteous; righteousness, justice, ...
* Director of photography:
Yosuke Moriguchi
* Music:
Jun Irie
* Producers: Hyota Ezu (TV Tokyo), Hiroshi Toida
* Theme Songs: OP- ''Cybot Robotchi'' (lyrics by Yukari Sato, composition by
Tetsuro Oda, arrangement by Jun Irie), ED- ''Wai! Wai! Wai!'' (lyrics by Yukari Sato, composition and arrangement by Jun Irie)
* Theme song performance:
Yukari Sato
* Voice Cast:
Natsumi Sakuma
is a feminine Japanese given name which is occasionally used as a surname.
Possible writings
Natsumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
;as a given name
*夏美, "summer, beauty"
*夏実, "summer, truth"
*夏未, "sum ...
(Robotchi),
Hiroshi Masuoka (Dr. Deko),
Aya Mizoguchi (Sylvie),
Yoko Kawanami (Kurumi),
Masako Miura
is a Japanese voice actress employed by the talent management firm Arts Vision.
Anime
TV
*'' Pāman'' (1983) (Michiko Sawada, Girl)
Unknown date
*'' Aishite Knight'' (Kaoru)
*''Chibi Maruko-chan'' (Yumiko, Kazuko Sasayama, Toshiko Tsuchihashi ...
(Uzura),
Nobuo Tomita
Nobuo (written: , , , , , in hiragana or in katakana) is a masculine, Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese basketball player
*Nobuo Fujita (1911–1997), Warrant Flying Officer of the Imperial Japanese Navy
*, J ...
(Bob),
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 ...
(Sachiko)
* Production: Knack Co., Ltd. / TV Tokyo
English Version
; Opening credits
* Executive Producer: Joseph Adelman
* Original Music by
Bullets
* Written by Collins Walker
* Produced and Directed by Jim Terry
; Closing credits
* The End/A Jim Terry Production
* Edited by Collins Walker
* Assistant Editor: James Terry Jr.
* Production Assistant: John Terry
* Cast of Characters: Ed Victor, Sandra Allyson, Reed Harmon, Tae McMullen, Scott Schwimer, Brenda Colbreth
* ©MCMLXXXV Kidpix – Knack Kikaku, Inc.
References
External links
*
''Cybot Robotchi'' at allcinema
''Robby the Rascal'' at the Internet Movie Database{{in lang, it at CartoniOnline
Information and scansof Japanese ''Cybot Robotchi'' toys
1982 anime television series debuts
Comedy anime and manga
Knack Productions
TV Tokyo original programming