is a Japanese shōjo

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 ...

written by

Shun'ichi Yukimuro Shun'ichi Yukimuro (雪室俊一 ''Yukimuro Shun'ichi'', born January 11, 1941, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan) is a veteran screenwriter for anime television series. Yukimuro has had a career spanning four decades and written over 3,000 anime tele ...

and drawn by

Shizue Takanashi is a Japanese manga artist known for illustrating the manga series of the girls' anime ''Ojamajo Doremi''. In 1981, she won the Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponso ...

. The series has been adapted as an

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 ...

television series, broadcast in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

from 1981 to 1982 for 66 episodes, and a theatrical movie released in 1982. In 1981, it received the

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially ...

for the shōjo category.

Plot

Spank (voiced by Noriko Tsukase), the main character and regular protagonist, is a dog whose owner went missing on the high seas. While awaiting his return Spank strays at the beach every day. One day he meets Aiko Morimura (voiced by

Mari Okamoto is a Japanese actress and voice actress. Biography Despite being born in Tokyo, Okamoto was actually raised in Hirakata, Osaka, where she also spent her elementary-school years. In 1961, she made her debut for performing arts activities in ...

), a junior high school student, whose father also went missing on a yacht tour ten years ago. Her mother, a designer of hats, left for Paris, leaving Aiko in the care of her uncle, Mr. Fujinami. Abandoned, Aiko believes that her father is still alive and awaits his return. She's recently lost her pet dog, Papi, a good-bye present from her mother, in a car accident, leaving her totally devastated. In the course of the anime, Spank begins to lighten up her gloomy mood as he is a clumsy, merry, big-hearted dog. Whereas, Spank finds his love in the pet cat of Aiko's classmate. However, later, he finds in love with a blue dog named Fan Fan. At the end of the anime, despite Spank ruining everything, all will be forgiven cheerfully and all will really fall in love.

Characters

Regular

* A little white dog with black/brown ears. * A cat that is a rival but occasional friend of Spank. * A 14-year-old girl. She is Spank's reluctant master.

Main

* Aiko and Ryo's friend. * Aiko and Shinako's friend. He enjoys art like his friend Shinako. * Baron's master. * A snobby rich girl. She is the same age as Aiko and her pet is a female cat named Cat. * Oyama - Torakichi's master. * Cat - A female cat that is a snob like her master Serino. Torakichi and Spank have a crush on her. * Fan Fan - A cute little dog. Spank have a crush on her. * Baron - A dog friend of Torakichi and Spank.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohayo! Spank 1979 manga 1981 anime television series debuts 1989 anime television series debuts 1994 anime television series debuts 1982 anime films Comedy anime and manga Fictional dogs Kodansha manga Shōjo manga TV Tokyo original programming TMS Entertainment Winner of Kodansha Manga Award (Shōnen)