is a Japanese

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by

Noboru Kawasaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for illustrating the series '' Star of the Giants''. He won the 14th Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most ...

and serialized by

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

in ''Shogakukan no Gakushū Zasshi''. The manga series won the 14th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptation was created 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 Production was e ...

Plot

A lively boy named Daizaemon in traditional Japanese clothing comes with various kinds of animals to the capital of Tokyo. He has a funny habit of dancing whenever he hears music. He visits a friend of his late father's to learn judo and makes friends with the young daughter of the judo master Kikuko and the cat Nyanko-

sensei The term "先生", read in Chinese, in Japanese, in Korean, and in Vietnamese, is an honorific used in the Sinosphere. In Japanese, the term literally means "person born before another" or "one who comes before". It is generally used ...

. For a little girl, Kikuko has wonderful judo tricks inherited from her father while Nyanko-sensei is able to perform a difficult trick of triple turn in the air. Both of them are worthy instructors for Daizaemon. Although he shows clownish behavior once in a while, he is always popular among people around and grows stout and shrewd to be a future champion.

Characters

;Daizaemon Kaze :Voiced by:

Masako Nozawa is a Japanese actress. Beginning work as a child actress at the age of three, by the time she became an adult, voice acting had inadvertently become her main occupation. Throughout her career, Nozawa has been affiliated with Production Baobab ...

:Nicknamed "Dai-chan," he comes from

Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...

and is a country boy. He always wears a

hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from Ku (), the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of in the 6th c ...

and plays judo. He moves to Tokyo after the death of his father. He has good intentions but is often naive. ;Nyanko-sensei :Voiced by:

Kinya Aikawa as was a Japanese actor, tarento and voice actor. He was born in Tokyo and died in 2015 of lung cancer. Filmography Acting roles Films * '' Torakku Yarō'' series (1975-1979) * ''The Battle of Port Arthur'' (1980) * '' Edo Porn'' (1981) ...

:A cat with a tiger-like appearance who helps Daizaemon. ;Kikuko Ogaki :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 beautiful girl who Daizaemon falls in love with at first sight. This is Okamoto's debut role at the age of 16. ;Hanako Mori :Voiced by:

Kazuko Sugiyama , known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and Voice acting in Japan, voice actress who was born in Nagoya and works for Aoni Production. In February 2010, she received a "Merit Award" from the 4th Seiyu Awards. Filmography Anime *Hanak ...

:A childhood friend of Daizaemon. ;Yagoro Ogaki :Voiced by:

Tōru Ōhira was a Japanese narrator and voice actor from the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. He was the founder of Ōhira Production and was also attached to 81 Produce. One of his best-known roles was the dub voice of Darth Vader in '' Star Wars'', on the s ...

:Kikuko's father. ;Nishi Ishiboshi :Voiced by:

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'' ...

:Daizaemon's mischievous friend who is from

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. ;"Tori" Maruko Tono :Voiced by: Hiroko Maruyama :One of Daizaemon's classmates. ;Nana Shirayuki-sensei :Voiced by:

Haruko Kitahama is a feminine Japanese given name. Its most common translation is "spring child" (春子, which may also be read as a Korean name Chun-ja), though other kanji provide different meanings. Notable people with the name include: * Princess Haruko (� ...

:The beautiful teacher who tends to the rose garden.

Release

The series was broadcast from October 4, 1970, to September 24, 1972, for 208 15 minute episodes (technically 104). It was rebroadcast in Japan in 2014 and 2015.

References

External links

* 1968 manga 1970 anime television series debuts 1972 Japanese television series endings Anime series based on manga Fictional judoka Fuji Television original programming Judo in anime and manga Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Tatsunoko Production Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga {{Manga-stub