Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Yoshio Sawai
, published by Shueisha
, and serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a comedy influenced by Japanese manzai
humor that uses puns, double-talk, breaking of the fourth wall
, non-sexualized cross-dressing, visual gags, and satirical and pop-culture references, which makes its non sequitur humor very specific to Japanese audiences. The manga series lasted from 2001 through 2007, divided into two separate sections with a distinct difference in humor and plotting.
published the manga of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and serialized it in Weekly Shōnen Jump
. The original manga story ended in 2005, and in January, 2006 a sequel manga replaced it in Weekly Shōnen Jump, now entitled Shinsetsu Bobobō-bo Bō-bobo (True Theory : Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo) which has ended in July, 2007.
In North America, the manga is licensed by Viz Media
and was published in a one shot graphic novel
form in October 2005 and is now published monthly in Shōnen Jump. A recent report by Viz at the New York Anime festival reported that graphic novels would be released sometime in 2008, the first (covering volume 11 (the one-shot covers volume 9) yet stated as "Volume 1") having been released on August 5, 2008. When asked about why the previous volumes were not being published at Anime Expo 2008, Viz said it was due to the "content".
After the end of the initial Bo-bobo series, the series rebooted into a second part known as Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo in December, 2005. Picking up one year after the end of the first part, the Maruhage Empire is reformed by former emperor Tsuru Tsurulina III into the Neo-Maruhage Empire, where the Hair Hunts resume and a new generation of powerful Hair Hunt generals are created. Bo-bobo, powering the abilities of his "Fist of the Nosehair" into its Shinsetsu (True Theory) form, rejoins Beauty and the Hajike allies to take on the renewed Maruhage threat. Many of the rebels from the original series, including Don Patch, Jelly Jiggler, Hatenko, Softon and even Hanpen return to assist in the new rebellion. Yet in the midst of this, Heppokkomaru (Gasser) joins the Neo-Maruhage forces, forced to turn to the dark side for his own personal reasons.
and ran for 76 episodes from November 8, 2003 to October 29, 2005 on TV Asahi
. The anime, licensed by Toei Animation, first aired as a sneak peek on Cartoon Network
's Fridays block on September 30, and then aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami
programming block Saturdays at 10/9c. The show returned to the United States on February 17, 2007 at 8:30/7:30c. It has been shown on Jetix UK since April 14, 2007 at 7:00PM, and has been seen on Cartoon Network's broadband service Toonami Jetstream
since November 5. The anime is dubbed by Phuuz Entertainment Inc., the studio that dubbed the second Lupin the 3rd series, the original 1994 Shin Chan dub, and the Viewtiful Joe
anime. The dub was censored at some points in order to receive a lower TV-rating, allowing it to be broadcast to a younger audience demographic.
Despite its limitations, the American dubs of the anime and manga manage to preserve the spirit of the show; the translators and adaptation writers were forced to rewrite several of the jokes due to the differences between the Japanese
and English
languages. At several points in the dub, the American version makes fun of the fact that it is a translation of a Japanese product (for example, when Bo-bobo is filling out an application card in episode two, he botches it because the application is in Japanese and he cannot read it, instead drawing "little doodles" for answers; in the original Japanese version he messes up the application for a completely different reason, and the "little doodles" are his honest answers written in hiragana
). This style of self-referential humor can also be seen in the American version of Kyatto Ninden Teyande (Samurai Pizza Cats
). Additionally, with the exception of the opening credits, all other on-screen Japanese text is intentionally kept in the English dub (most likely as a part of the retaining the show's surreal humor). The series only had 2 volumes on DVD, before Illumitoon Entertainment
fell out of the distribution from a fallout with Westlake Entertainment
, and all further volumes were canceled. It is currently unknown whether or not another company will release the series on DVD.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Yoshio Sawai
Yoshio Sawai
is a Japanese gag manga creator best known for his series Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and sequel Shinsetsu Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo was adapted into a 76 episodes anime series by the Toei Animation studio between 2003 and 2005....
, published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
, and serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo is a comedy influenced by Japanese manzai
Manzai
is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...
humor that uses puns, double-talk, breaking of the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, non-sexualized cross-dressing, visual gags, and satirical and pop-culture references, which makes its non sequitur humor very specific to Japanese audiences. The manga series lasted from 2001 through 2007, divided into two separate sections with a distinct difference in humor and plotting.
Plot
In the year 3001.5, the entire world is under the tyrannical rule of the Maruhage Empire, and their ruler, Tsuru Tsurulina IV (Bald the 4th). His Hair Hunt troop captures innocent bystanders' hair, leaving the people bald and their villages in ruins. Standing against this evil regime is the heroic, but bizarre, rebel, Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo, who fights the Hair Hunt Troop with his powerful Hanage Shinken (Fist of the Nose Hair). His team consists of the normal teen girl Beauty, the smelly teen warrior Heppokomaru (Gasser) and the Hajike leader Don Patch (Poppa Rocks). Bo-bobo is on an exciting, gag-filled quest to deliver his own hairy brand of justice to evildoers everywhere.Manga
ShueishaShueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
published the manga of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo and serialized it in Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
. The original manga story ended in 2005, and in January, 2006 a sequel manga replaced it in Weekly Shōnen Jump, now entitled Shinsetsu Bobobō-bo Bō-bobo (True Theory : Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo) which has ended in July, 2007.
In North America, the manga is licensed by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
and was published in a one shot graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
form in October 2005 and is now published monthly in Shōnen Jump. A recent report by Viz at the New York Anime festival reported that graphic novels would be released sometime in 2008, the first (covering volume 11 (the one-shot covers volume 9) yet stated as "Volume 1") having been released on August 5, 2008. When asked about why the previous volumes were not being published at Anime Expo 2008, Viz said it was due to the "content".
Anime
The anime was directed by Hiroki Shibata, produced by Toei AnimationToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
and ran for 76 episodes from November 8, 2003 to October 29, 2005 on TV Asahi
TV Asahi
, also known as EX and , is a Japanese television network headquartered in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The company writes its name in lower-case letters, tv asahi, in its logo and public-image materials. The company also owns All-Nippon News Network....
. The anime, licensed by Toei Animation, first aired as a sneak peek on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Fridays block on September 30, and then aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami
Toonami
Toonami was a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, mostly showing American cartoons and Japanese anime, originating in the United States on March 17, 1997 and ended on September 20, 2008.The...
programming block Saturdays at 10/9c. The show returned to the United States on February 17, 2007 at 8:30/7:30c. It has been shown on Jetix UK since April 14, 2007 at 7:00PM, and has been seen on Cartoon Network's broadband service Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream
Toonami Jetstream was an ad-supported online broadband service and a remake of Toonami's previous video streaming service Toonami Reactor provided by Cartoon Network and Viz Media....
since November 5. The anime is dubbed by Phuuz Entertainment Inc., the studio that dubbed the second Lupin the 3rd series, the original 1994 Shin Chan dub, and the Viewtiful Joe
Viewtiful Joe (anime)
is a Japanese anime series based on the video game series of the same name.The series follows a similar plot of the games, but there are many differences. The series, comprising fifty-one episodes, was shown every Saturday on the Japanese television station TV Tokyo from October 2, 2004 until...
anime. The dub was censored at some points in order to receive a lower TV-rating, allowing it to be broadcast to a younger audience demographic.
Despite its limitations, the American dubs of the anime and manga manage to preserve the spirit of the show; the translators and adaptation writers were forced to rewrite several of the jokes due to the differences between the Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
languages. At several points in the dub, the American version makes fun of the fact that it is a translation of a Japanese product (for example, when Bo-bobo is filling out an application card in episode two, he botches it because the application is in Japanese and he cannot read it, instead drawing "little doodles" for answers; in the original Japanese version he messes up the application for a completely different reason, and the "little doodles" are his honest answers written in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
). This style of self-referential humor can also be seen in the American version of Kyatto Ninden Teyande (Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats, known as in Japan, is an anime series produced by Tatsunoko Productions and Sotsu Agency. The series was aired from February 1, 1990 to February 12, 1991, totaling up to 54 episodes...
). Additionally, with the exception of the opening credits, all other on-screen Japanese text is intentionally kept in the English dub (most likely as a part of the retaining the show's surreal humor). The series only had 2 volumes on DVD, before Illumitoon Entertainment
Illumitoon Entertainment
Illumitoon Entertainment is a company based in Fort Worth, Texas that has announced plans to "[deliver] customized, quality entertainment to the North American markets." Specifically, the company plans to produce animation, especially anime, both for television broadcast and home video...
fell out of the distribution from a fallout with Westlake Entertainment
Westlake Entertainment
Westlake Entertainment Incorporated is a fully integrated, independent entertainment distribution company. Primarily engaged in licensing and distributing feature films and television programs, Westlake specializes in bringing new release content to retail....
, and all further volumes were canceled. It is currently unknown whether or not another company will release the series on DVD.