is Japanese manga series by

Noboru Kawasaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is most famous for illustrating the series ''Star of the Giants''. He won the 14th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1969 for ''Animal 1'' and '' Inakappe Taishō'' as well as the eighth Kodansha Children's Manga Award for ...

and serialized by

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 H ...

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

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga awards, and is sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga and features candidates from a number of publishers. It is the oldest manga award in Japan, being given since ...

. An

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 ...

adaptation was created by Tatsunoko Productions. Daizaemon makes a cameo in episode 68 of '' The Song of Tentomushi'', which is also by Kawasaki.

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 Sensei, Seonsaeng, Tiên sinh or Xiansheng, corresponding to Chinese characters , is an East Asian honorific term shared in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese; it is literally translated as "person born before another" or "one who c ...

. 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 :Nicknamed "Dai-chan," he comes from Aomori and is a country boy. He always wears a

hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from (), 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 centu ...

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 Kin'ya or Kinya (written: 欣也, 欣哉, 欽也 or キンヤ in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese fencer *, Japanese actor and voice actor *, Japanese actor *, Japanese singer and acto ...

: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 c ...

: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 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 *Hanako Mori in '' Inakappe ...

: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 series' ...

:Kikuko's father. ;Nishi Ishiboshi :Voiced by: Shun Yashiro :Daizaemon's mischievous friend who is from

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

. ;"Tori" Maruko Tono :Voiced by: Yuko Maruyama :One of Daizaemon's classmates. ;Nana Shirayuki-sensei :Voiced by: Haruko Kitahama :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 TV original programming Judo in anime and manga Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Tatsunoko Production Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga {{Anime-television-series-stub