is a 26-episode Japanese

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 ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, which first aired on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

between October 7, 1968 and March 31, 1969, on its 19:30–20:00 timeslot. The series was later remade into a second anime television series, which premiered in April 2006 in Japan on

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...

, featuring a new cast, with a total of 26 episodes also produced. A live-action television drama adaptation premiered on NTV on October 22, 2011. A film was released on December 15, 2012. For the series' 50th anniversary, a third anime television series adaptation titled ''BEM'' was confirmed to be in production. The third series aired from July 14 to October 13, 2019. A new film titled '' BEM: Become Human'', was released on October 2, 2020. It streamed on Funimation's website on October 29, 2020. A spin-off live-action film ''Yokai Ningen Bela'' was released on September 11, 2020.

Plot

The plot of the series revolves around three yokai (supernatural creatures), Bem, Bela and Belo, who arrive at a large coastal city and come across an evil atmosphere, which was brought about by immoral behavior by

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

s and mischief caused by monsters and yokai. They therefore decide to stay in the city, fighting against other monsters and yokai which attack humans, making a few friends along the way. Even though the three yokai are often abused and discriminated against by other human beings due to their appearance, they still strive in protecting the human populace of the city from other monsters, one day hoping to become human beings in return for their good actions.

Characters

; Bem : : Played by: Kazuya Kamenashi : The oldest looking of the trio is the leader and protagonist. He uses a walking stick as a weapon in human form. ; Bela : : Played by: Anne Watanabe : The only female in the group and the most bad-tempered of the trio. She uses a whip as a weapon in human form. ; Belo : : Played by: Fuku Suzuki : The youngest looking and the most naive of the trio. He is the only one that does not use a weapon in human form.

Staff

Original series

*Original Concept: Akira Adachi *Screenplay: Akira Adachi *Directors: Noburo Ishiguro, Tadao Wakabayashi *Art: Shin Morikawa *Production: Daiichi Doga (later incorporated into ADK)

Cast

*Bem:

Kiyoshi Kobayashi was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He was attached to the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He was a graduate of the arts department of Nihon University. He was best known for his role as Daisuke Jigen i ...

*Bela: Hiroko Mori *Belo: Mari Shimizu *Opening Narration: Tatsuya Jo, Issei Futamata (Part 2)

Theme songs

*Opening: (lyrics: Daiichi Doga, composition and arrangement: Seishi Tanaka; performance: Honey Nights) *Ending: (lyrics: Daiichi Doga Bungei-bu, composition and arrangement: Masahiro Uno, performance: Toshiko Yamada, Otowa Yurikago Kai, Gekidan Komadori)

2006 remake

*Original Concept: Asatsu DK *Director: Hiroshi Harada *Series Composition: Junki Takegami *Character Design: Kazuhiko Shibuya *Chief Animation Director: Takeshi Yamazaki *Yokai Design Creator: Naoki Ogiwara *Art Directors: Shō Tensui, Tsutomu Nishikura, Shinji Kawai *Primary Background Artist: Kazue Itō *Color Settings: Miharu Sakai *Director of Photography: Tomofumi Fujita *Editing: Yumiko Nakaba, Hideaki Murai (Okayasu Promotion) *Sound Director: Fusanobu Fujiyama *Sound Supervision: Takanori Ebina *Music: Takehiko Gokita *Animation Production: Studio Comet *Production:

NAS Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

*Producers:

Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

avex entertainment Avex Inc. ( kabushiki gaisha , commonly known as Avex and stylized as avex) is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi ...

, Studio Comet

Cast

*Bem:

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and singer. His notable works include Anthony Brown in '' Candy Candy'', Joe Shimamura in the 1979 iteration of '' Cyborg 009'', Jerid Messa in '' Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'', Kakashi Hatake in ''Naruto ...

*Bela: Kaori Yamagata *Belo: Ai Horanai *Kira Hyuga: Yūna Inamura *Sora Kaido: Naoya Iwahashi *Mitsuki Kisaragi:

Minori Chihara is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer who has had roles in several anime series.Doi, Hitoshi"Chihara Minori" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. She is well known for her voice role as Yuki ...

*Genpaku Hyuga: Masami Iwasaki *Urara Hyuga: Mie Sonozaki *Riku Kaido:

Ryō Naitō is a Japanese voice actor. He is signed with Y.M.O. (specifically the Love Love division that is made for voice acting) management. His given name ''Ryō'' is sometimes mistranslated as ''Rei''. Voice roles Anime * ''Assassination Classroom'' (T ...

*Umi Kaido: Miki Nagasawa *Ryoko Kisaragi: Yuriko Fuchizaki *Yuzo Mikami: Manabu Murashi *Hitoshi Tamugenro: Hirofumi Nojima *Imp:

Mitsuo Iwata is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama.Endo, Akira et al. "Voice Actor Spotlight". (November 2006) ''Newtype USA''. pp. 110-111. He is previously married to voice actress Rikako Aikawa. Mania.com prais ...

*Dana O'Shee: Rokuro Naya *Doppleganger: Hiroyuki Miyasako *Narration:

Mizuho Suzuki was a Japanese actor. He was a drop-out of Kyoto University. He died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96. Filmography Film *'' Yogiri yo Kon'yamo Arigatō'' (1967) *'' Zatoichi the Outlaw'' (1967) *''The Snow Woman'' (1968) *'' The Sands o ...

Theme songs

*Opening: (Performance: Hiroshi Kitadani (Bem =

)) *Ending: (Performance: Minako Yoshida)

2019 anime

*Original Story: ADK Emotions *Director: Yoshinori Odaka *Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka *Original Character Design:

Range Murata is a Japanese illustrator and manga artist, known for his unique style combining dieselpunk and japanese Moe (slang), moé elements. He is best known for his conceptual design work on anime series ''Last Exile'' and ''Blue Submarine No. 6''. He ...

*Character Design: Masakazu Sunagawa *Music Composer: Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Michiru *Music Producer: Flying Dog *Animation Production: LandQ Studios *Planning Production:

*Project Collaborator: Production I.G *Production: BEM Production Committee

Cast

*Bem:

Katsuyuki Konishi is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama, Japan. He is affiliated with Ken Production. His debut role was Volfogg/Big Volfogg in '' GaoGaiGar''. He is most well known for portraying Kamina in '' Gurren Lagann'', Laxus Dreyar in '' Fairy Tail'' ...

/Gabe Kunda *Bela: M.A.O/ Dani Chambers *Belo: Kensho Ono/

Aaron Dismuke Aaron Mitchell Dismuke (born October 13, 1992) is an American voice actor, ADR director and script writer. He is known for his role as Alphonse Elric in the English dub of the first ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' television series, whom he voiced wh ...

*Mysterious Lady:

Maaya Sakamoto is a Japanese actress and singer. She made her debut as a Voice acting in Japan, voice actress in 1992 as the voice of Chifuru in the anime ''Little Twins'', and became known as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in ''The Vision of Escaflowne''. Other ...

Colleen Clinkenbeard Colleen Smith Clinkenbeard (born April 13, 1980) is an American voice acting, voice actress, Dubbing, ADR director, line producer, and screenwriter, writer. One of her major starts was as the English voice provider for Rachel Moore (Case Closed) ...

*Joel Woods: Kenji Nomura/

Jason Douglas Jason Douglas (born February 14, 1973) is an American film, television and voice actor, known for portraying Tobin on AMC's '' The Walking Dead'', voicing Beerus in the anime film '' Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods ''and the series '' Dragon B ...

*Sonia Summers:

Maaya Uchida is a Japanese actress and singer who works for I'm Enterprise. She won the Best Rookie Actress Award at the 8th Seiyu Awards. She is best known for her roles such as Fischl in ''Genshin Impact'', Rikka Takanashi in ''Love, Chunibyo & Other De ...

/ Felecia Angelle *Dr. Recycle: Junichi Suwabe/

Daman Mills Daman Mills is an American voice actor known for his work in anime and video game dubs. He served as an understudy for fellow voice actor Christopher Ayres for the role of Frieza in the '' Dragon Ball Super'' anime until he assumed the role co ...

*Daryl Bryson: Soma Saito/ Dallas Reid *Roddy Walker: Koutaro Nishiyama/Stephen Fu *Helmut Felt:

Daisuke Ono is a Japanese voice actor and singer who won the 4th and 9th Seiyu Awards for best lead actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in '' Black Butler'', Jotaro Kujo in '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' and Shukuro Tsukishima in ''Bleach'', as well a ...

/Christopher Wehkamp *Julia Bush: Sayaka Oohara/Jamie Marchi

Theme songs

*Opening: "Uchū no Kioku" (Performance:

) *Ending: "Iruimi" (Performance:

JUNNA Junna Sakai (境純菜 ''Sakai Junna,'' born November 2, 2000), better known by her stage name JUNNA (じゅんな), is a Japanese singer managed by Cube Inc. and signed to FlyingDog. Career JUNNA made her singing career debut as the singing ...

)

2020 film

*Original story: ADK Emotions *Director: Hiroshi Ikehata *Series Composition: Atsuhiro Tomioka *Original Character Design: Range Murata *Character Design: Mino Matsumoto *Animation Production: Production I.G

Cast

*Bem: Katsuyuki Konishi/Gabe Kunda *Bela: M.A.O/ Dani Chambers *Belo: Kensho Ono/

*Burgess: Toshiya Miyata/Ryan Colt Levy *Manstoll:

Kōichi Yamadera is a Japanese actor, narrator and singer from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Acto ...

/ Jason Liebrecht *Emma:

Nana Mizuki , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress, singer, and narrator. She is represented by the agency StarCrew. Mizuki was trained as an enka singer, releasing one single under her birth name in 1993 and made her debut as a voic ...

Bryn Apprill Bryn Catherine Apprill (born January 29, 1996)Birthday love tweets: * * * is an American voice actress. Her voice acting career began when she was a high school student in 2013, and since then, she has been providing voices for a number o ...

*Draco:

Wataru Takagi is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Bellamy), ''Bleach'' (as Ganju Shiba), ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi) ...

/Michael Schwalbe *Greta:

Shizuka Itō is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is represented by Ken Production. She won a "Best Actress in Supporting Roles" award at the 10th Seiyu Awards for her roles in '' Prison School'' and '' Sailor Moon Crystal''. She ...

/ Elizabeth Maxwell

Anime

Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...

has licensed the 2019 series for a simuldub. Due to the Kyoto Animation arson attack on July 18, 2019, Episode 4, which was originally scheduled to air on August 4, 2019, was postponed to August 18, 2019.

Reception

The live-action film grossed US$11.5 million in Japan.

References

External links

Official site of the remakeOfficial site of the TV drama

Animax East Asia's official website for ''Humanoid Monster Bem''
* * * (2006 series) * (2019 series) {{Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix Best Drama 1968 anime television series debuts 1969 Japanese television series endings 2006 Japanese television series endings 2006 anime television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series debuts 2011 Japanese television series endings 2019 anime television series debuts Adventure anime and manga Animax original programming Anime with original screenplays Fantasy anime and manga Fuji Television original programming Funimation Horror anime and manga Comics about monsters Japanese animated horror television series Japanese horror fiction television series Live-action films based on animated series Nippon Television dramas Supernatural anime and manga TV Tokyo original programming Yōkai in anime and manga Japanese supernatural horror films