Osomatsu-kun

Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) is a manga series by Fujio Akatsuka which ran in Shōnen Sunday from 1962 to 1969. It has been adapted into two different anime series of the same name, the first in 1966, produced by Studio Zero, and the second in 1988, produced by Pierrot and aired across Japan on Fuji Television and the anime satellite television network, Animax.

This series helped establish Akatsuka's reputation as a gag comic artist, long before his other popular manga, Tensai Bakabon. Osomatsu-kun has appeared in numerous special issues of Shōnen Sunday. Akatsuka has also included several manga adaptations of routines from Charlie Chaplin movies in the series.

In 1964, Akatsuka won the 10th Shogakukan Manga Award for Osomatsu-kun.

Characters

 * The Sextuplets
 * The trouble-making main characters of the series. Their family name is Matsuno (松野) and their parents are Matsuzō and Matsuyo (listed below). They are 10 years old and in the 5th grade. Their birthday is May 24. The six of them get along well, particularly Osomatsu and Choromatsu, but there are many occasions where Osomatsu and Choromatsu (or just Osomatsu) will get in a fight with the rest. In the 1988 anime and halfway through the original manga, their spotlight is stolen by Iyami and Chibita and they are essentially demoted to supporting characters.


 * Osomatsu (おそ松)
 * The oldest and leader of the sextuplets, as well as the best fighter in the group. His blood type is A and he hates bell peppers. In the 1993 one-shot story "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up", he has become a typical salaryman and is unmarried. His name comes from osomatsu (お粗末), which means lame or ill-prepared in Japanese.


 * Karamatsu (カラ松)
 * The second oldest. He is neat and tidy and yet fickle. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has married a green grocer's daughter. His name comes karamatsu (唐松), the Japanese word for larch.


 * Choromatsu (チョロ松)
 * The third oldest. He is the clever one of the group but also very selfish. He and Osomatsu usually cause mischief together. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has become a police officer.


 * Ichimatsu (一松)
 * He his referred to as Ichi (one) but is the fourth son. He is very honest and very strong. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has become a company president after marry his predecessor's daughter. His name comes from Ichimatsumoyō (市松模様), the Japanese word for check pattern.


 * Jūshimatsu (十四松)
 * The fifth son. He is very kind, but that is also his biggest weakness. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has become a doctor. His name comes from jūshimatsu (十姉妹), the Japanese word for society finch.


 * Todomatsu (トド松)
 * The sixth and youngest son. He is very carefree and dislikes baths. His catchphrase is Todo no tsumari (とどのつまり). In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he runs a fish market. His name comes from todomatsu (椴松), another name for the momi fir of Japan.


 * Iyami (イヤミ)
 * Iyami is a very flashy and mischievous man who claims to be from France. His most notable features are his 3 large buckteeth, his thin moustache, and his Beatles-style haircut. He refers to himself in the first person as Me (ミー) and other people as Chimi (チミ) and usually ends his sentences with ~zansu (〜ザンス). His trademark pose of flexing his arms and legs and shouting Sheeeh! (シェー) became a popular trend all over Japan. He was modeled after Japanese vaudevillian Tony Tani. He is usually single and is unpopular with women. His occupation and role in the series often changes. In his first appearance he was a doctor. He has also been a teacher at Osomatsu's school, a co-worker of Matsuzō's, and even a police detective pursuing Chibita, but he is almost always actually a con artist or beggar. Early on in the 1988 anime he is officially a salesman, but this is eventually discarded and he begins to appear as corrupt doctors and other such things. It is often hinted that not only is he not actually from France, but also that he probably has never even been there. Such hints include trying to eat the shells of escargot and being corrected about French facts by students who have been to France. Iyami has become the character most associated with the series, even moreso than the sextuplets (much like Papa in Akatsuka's other hit series Tensai Bakabon). The opening to the 1988 anime series focused more on him than the sextuplets, and the ending credits featured the sextuplets and Dayōn performing his "Sheeeh" pose. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up", Iyami works as a bartender at the bar Osomatsu usually goes to, having gone to America to learn the trade. His name comes from iyami (嫌味), which means gaudy or disagreeable.


 * Chibita (チビ太)
 * The rival of the sextuplets. Although he is very short he is the same age as them. His most notable features are his big round eyes and the one strand of hair atop his bald head. His favorite food is oden. He is a very cheeky character who likes to laugh at people with his trademark laugh Kekeh (ケケッ). He loves to bully and humiliate the sextuplets (although they bully him back) and is terribly stubborn. However, he also has a childlike side to him and loves animals and flowers. His parents are never seen or mentioned and he lives with several cats and frogs. There are many times when he appears as Iyami's assistant or subordinate, but he will also often be against Iyami. In his first appearance he was a very obedient child with strict parents, but soon became the bratty character he is now. In the 1988 anime he is portrayed as an edokko. Like Iyami, Chibita eventually stole the spotlight from the sextuplets and has become one of Akatsuka's most widely recognized characters. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has become a clerk and is now 150 cm tall and has a full head of hair.


 * Matsuzō (松造)
 * Father of the sextuplets, usually referred to as Tou-san (とうさん).


 * Matsuyo (松代)
 * Mother of the sextuplets, usually referred to as Kaa-san (かあさん).


 * Hatabō (ハタ坊)
 * A young boy with a umbrella-shaped hairstyle and a tiny Hinomaru flag on his head. The flag has actually pierced his skin and become stuck in his skull. Despite this, he is a rather normal child. He tends to end his sentences with ~dajō (〜だジョー). His family includes his parents and older sister, all of whom have the same hairstyle and a flag on their head. His behavior and escapades are modeled after Buster Keaton. Although stories rarely focus on him he often plays a major supporting role, usually as Chibita's minion, Dekapan or Dayon's assistant, or one of Iyami's victims. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he has become a popular comedian. His name means Flag Boy.


 * Dekapan (デカパン)
 * A heavey-set man who only ever wears a large pair of striped pants, which he hides various things in. He is going bald and has a Chaplin-like moustache. He is very soft-natured and also loves animals. He keeps several dogs and cats as pets, all of whom he refers to as Bouya (坊や). He speak with an imitation Tōhoku dialect, ends his sentences with ~dasu (〜だス), and often says Hoe-hoe (ホエホエ). Unlike Iyami or Chibita, he is never the main focus of a story, most likely because his good nature clashes with the rest of the more mischievous cast. He tends to play wealthy men, company presidents, scientists, or doctors. He is also often portrayed as a paternal figure for the sextuplets, Totoko, and Hatabō. In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he is pretty much the same character. His name is short for Dekai Pantsu (でかいパンツ).


 * Dayōn (ダヨーン)
 * A gluttonous man with neatly parted hair, drooping eyes, a little bit of stubble, and an unusually large mouth. Despite his gluttony he isn't fat, and he usually wears a suit and geta sandals. He tends to pop up out of nowhere and likes to play dumb. Like Dekapan he never plays a main role, but often plays a supporting role, such as a sheriff. He ends his sentences with ~dayōn (〜だよーん). In "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" he appears as one of Hatabō's fans.


 * Totoko (トト子)
 * The heroine of the series. She is a young girl whom the sextuplets are in love with.


 * Nyarome, Beshi, and Kemunpasu
 * Originally from Mōretsu Atarō, they only appear in the 1988 anime.


 * Omawari-san and Rerere no Oji-san
 * Originally from Tensai Bakabon, they only appear in the 1988 anime.

Drama
On December 16, 1985, a live-action TV special entitled Osomatsu-kun, Iyami, Chibita no Itamae Ippon Shōbu (おそ松くん イヤミ・チビ太の板前一本勝負) was aired as part of Fuji Television's Monday Dramaland. The theme song was performed by Tatsuro Yamashita.

Story
Osomatsu, the sextuplets, Iyami, and Chibita are cooks at the Matsuno family's restaurant. When it is announced that the top food critique in Japan is coming, Iyami and Chibita begin a battle to be the best chef.

Cast

 * Osomatsu: Yōsuke Nakajima
 * Iyami: George Tokoro
 * Chibita: Chiaki Watanabe
 * Matsuzō: Chū Arai
 * Todoko: Kyōko Takami
 * Dayōn: Naoto Takenaka
 * Dekapan: Junji Inagawa
 * Honkan-san: Masashi Tashiro
 * Totoko: Yumiko Morishita
 * Guest appearance by Fujio Akatsuka

Cast

 * Osomatsu: Midori Katō
 * Choromatsu: Keiko Yamamoto
 * Ichimatsu/Todomatsu: Haruko Kitahama
 * Jūshimatsu: Mie Azuma
 * Karamatsu: Emiko Suzuki
 * Totoko: Fuyumi Shiraishi
 * Kā-san: Mitsuko Asō→Takako Kondō
 * Tō-san: Jōji Yanami→Taimei Suzuki
 * Iyami: Kyōji Kobayashi
 * Chibita: Kazue Tagami→Yōko Mizugaki→Kazuko Sawada
 * Hatabō: Takako Sasuga
 * Dekapan: Takuzō Kamiyama→Setsuo Wakui
 * Dayōn: Hiroshi Ōtake

Theme songs

 * Note: Instrumental versions of the opening themes were used as ending themes.


 * 1. Osomatsu-kun no Uta (おそ松くんのうた)
 * Lyrics: Fujio Akatsuka
 * Composition: Urato Watanabe
 * Sung by: Matsuyo, Sextuplets, Iyami, Chibita


 * 2. Osomatsu-kun no Uta 2 (おそ松くんのうた2)
 * Lyrics: Fujio Akatsuka
 * Composition: Keitarō Miho
 * Sung by: Makoto Fujita

Cast

 * Osomatsu: You Inoue
 * Iyami: Kaneta Kimotsuki
 * Chibita: Mayumi Tanaka
 * Choromatsu: Rica Matsumoto
 * Todomatsu: Megumi Hayashibara
 * Karamatsu/Hatabō: Mari Mashiba
 * Jūshimatsu/Totoko: Naoko Matsui
 * Ichimatsu/Kaa-san: Mari Yokoo
 * Dekapan: Tōru Ōhira
 * Dayōn/Kemunbasu: Takuzō Kamiyama
 * Tō-san/Beshi: Tetsuo Mizutori (Kenichi Ogata episodes 85-88))
 * Omawari-san/Nyarome/Rerere no Ojisan: Shigeru Chiba

Theme songs

 * Opening : Seichō Osomatsu Setsu (正調 おそ松節)
 * Lyrics: Yasushi Akimoto
 * Composition: Akira Mitake
 * Arrangement: Kōji Ryūzaki
 * Sung by: Takashi Hosokawa


 * Ending : Osomatsu-kun Ondō (おそ松くん音頭)
 * Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori
 * Composition: Daigiburō Nakayama
 * Arrangement: Kōji Ryūzaki
 * Sung by: Takashi Hosokawa