Dokaben (ドカベン?) is a baseball manga by Shinji Mizushima, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from April 24, 1972 to March 27, 1981. It was later made into an anime by the same name. It was immensely popular in Japan during its original release, and in sports manga of all time it likely ranks second only to Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue.
A dokaben is a kind of bento box which the protagonist, Taro Yamada, likes to eat.
Outline[]
Dokaben is centered on Taro Yamada and his teammates Iwaki, Tonoma, and Satonaka and was focused mainly on their activity as a high school baseball team. At first, it focused on Yamada, Iwaki, and Sachiko and was set in Takaoka Middle School. But in Volume 8 the team is transferred to Meikun High School for their baseball skills.
The story of Dokaben continues in Dai Koushien, Dokaben Pro Baseball Story, and Dokaben SuperStars Story.
Characters[]
Meikun High School baseball team[]
Yamada generation[]
- Taro Yamada (山田太郎, Yamada Tarō?)
- Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka
- Position: Catcher
- Masami Iwaki (岩鬼正美, Iwaki Masami?)
- Voiced by: Tessho Genda
- Position: Third Baseman
- Kazuto Tonoma (殿馬一人, Tonoma Kazuto?)
- Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki
- Position: Second Baseman
- Satoru Satonaka (里中智, Satonaka Satoru?)
- Voiced by: Akira Kamiya
- Position: Pitcher
- Santaro Hohoemi (微笑三太郎, Hohoemi Santarō?)
- Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara
- Position: Catcher, Left fielder
Senior / Younger student[]
- Sho Doigaki (土井垣将, Doigaki Shō?)
- Voiced by: Katsuji Mori
- Position: Catcher, First Baseman
- Tetsuji Yamaoka (山岡鉄司, Yamaoka Tetsuji?)
- Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
- Position: Center fielder
- Mitsuo Kita (北満男, Kita Mitsuo?)
- Voiced by: Kazuomi Ikeda
- Position: Right fielder
- Koichi Ishige (石毛幸一, Ishige Kōichi?)
- Voiced by: Bungo Nakano
- Position: Shortstop
- Keiichi Nagisa (渚圭一, Nagisa Keiichi?)
- Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa
- Position: Pitcher
- Tomoaki Takashiro (高代智秋, Takashiro Tomoaki?)
- Voiced by: Yu Mizushima
- Position: Shortstop, Second Baseman
Manager[]
- Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川家康, Tokugawa Ieyasu?)
- Voiced by: Reizou Nomoto
- Manager of Meikun High School baseball team
Yamada family[]
- Sachiko Yamada (山田サチ子, Yamada Sachiko?)
- Voiced by: Minori Matsushima
- Taro's 9-year-old little sister
- Ji-chan (じっちゃん?)
- Voiced by: Minoru Yada
- Taro's grandfather
- "Ji-chan" means gran-pa in english
Rivals[]
Kanagawa[]
- Mamoru Shiranui (不知火守, Shiranui Mamoru?)
- Voiced by: Osamu Ichikawa
- Daigoro Unryu (雲竜大五郎, Unryū Daigorō?)
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake
- Gosuke Domon (土門剛介, Domon Gōsuke?)
- Voiced by: Mugihito
- Goro Tanitsu (谷津吾郎, Tanitsu Gorō?)
- Voiced by: Yoku Shioya
- Gonza Nankai (南海権左, Nankai Gonza?)
- Voiced by: Setsuo Wakui
- Shinji Kobayashi (小林真司, Kobayashi Shinji?)
- Voiced by: Makio Inoue
Kantō[]
- Gosuke Gama (賀間剛介, Gama Gōsuke?)
- Voiced by: Takeshi Kuwabara
- Hayato Kagemaru (影丸隼人, Kagemaru Hayato?)
- Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama → Michihiro Ikemizu (ep. 82)
- Jiro Kinoshita (木下次郎, Kinoshita Jirō?)
- Voiced by: Haruya Kato
- Chuji Kunisada (国定忠治, Kunisada Chūji?)
- Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa
- Fumio Ataru (中二美夫, Ataru Fumio?)
- Voiced by: Ryoichi Tanaka → Takashi Tanaka
Whole Japan[]
- Sankichi Sakata (坂田三吉, Sakata Sankichi?)
- Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara
- Kojiro Inukai (犬飼小次郎, Inukai Kojirō?)
- Voiced by: Masato Ibu
- Takezo Inukai (犬飼武蔵, Inukai Takezō?)
- Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto
- Tsutomu Ogata (緒方勉, Ogata Tsutomu?)
- Voiced by: Rokuro Naya
- Ryo Inugami (犬神了, Inugami Ryō?)
- Voiced by: Shun Yashiro
- Kazuma Musashibo (武蔵坊数馬, Musashibō Kazuma?)
- Voiced by: Osamu Saka
- Hikaru Yoshitsune (義経光, Yoshitsune Hikaru?)
- Voiced by: Rokuro Naya
Others[]
- Natsuko Natsukawa (夏川夏子, Natsukawa Natsuko?)
- Voiced by: Yuko Maruyama
- Iwaki's girlfriend
- Toshiko Kobayashi (小林稔子, Kobayashi Toshiko?)
- Voiced by: Mami Koyama
- Shinji Kobayashi's little sister
Cultural references[]
- In the "Simpsons Comics internationale" in issue #132, the Japanese supplement (Too crazy, Juvenile Prankster, BARTOMU! (serialized in "Laughing Laughing everyone is laughing")) opens as a parody of Dokaben, with Bartomu playing for the "Yokohama Li'l Ninjas," and an art style heavily based on Dokaben's highly recognised style of art.
Art style[]
The art style of Dokaben is very rubbery and motional, with surprisingly dynamic use of speed lines, with a heavy use of black and very straightforward body construction. The motion and Dynamics are highly retained even in reprints. In his book Reinventing Comics, Scott McCloud mentions it as the example of the sports genre, drawing high recognition to the style.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Dokaben (manga)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dai Koshien (manga)". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
External links[]
- Dokaben (6852) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Dai Koushien (6855) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Dokaben Professional Baseball (6853) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Dokaben Superstars (6854) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
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