The appeal and evaluation of Dr. Slump Arale-chan: A deep look into Akira Toriyama's masterpiece

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan": A timeless masterpiece born from Akira Toriyama's genius sense of humor

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" is an anime based on a comedy manga by Akira Toriyama, and was broadcast from 1981 to 1986. It is a long-running series with 243 episodes in total, and its unique world view and humor continue to be loved by a wide range of people from children to adults. This article will take a closer look at the appeal and background of this work, as well as its influence.

■Overview of the work

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" is a hilarious slapstick comedy set in a peaceful penguin village where humans, pigs, and monsters live together in harmony, featuring the self-proclaimed genius scientist Senbei Norimaki and the android Arale-chan he created. The original was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump by Akira Toriyama, and the anime adaptation faithfully reproduced the worldview of the original while also making it easy for children to understand.

■Broadcast information

Broadcast period: April 8, 1981 to February 19, 1986 Broadcast station: Fuji Television Broadcast time: Every Wednesday from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Number of episodes: 243 episodes Produced by: Fuji Television, Toei (Toei Animation)
Copyright: ©Bird Studio/Shueisha, Fuji Television, Toei Animation

■ Story

One day, Senbei Norimaki, a self-proclaimed genius scientist living in Penguin Village, invents an android called Arale. Arale is a cheerful and powerful robot girl who will attend junior high school as Senbei's little sister. Through Arale's daily life and adventures, various episodes are depicted, including her interactions with the residents of Penguin Village and her confrontation with the evil scientist Dr. Mashirito.

■Explanation

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" is a work that highlights Akira Toriyama's unique sense of humor and character design. The original manga was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" from 1980 to 1984, and its popularity led to it being made into an anime. The anime version has faithfully retained the essence of the original, but has also incorporated various ideas to broaden its audience. In particular, the story and character settings have been adjusted to make it easier for children to understand, and it was a huge hit, recording a peak audience rating of 36.9%.

This work went beyond the boundaries of comedy anime and became a social phenomenon, giving birth to catchphrases such as "ncha" and "bai-cha." The character of Arale is loved by many people and has exerted its influence in various ways, such as through merchandise and collaborations. Furthermore, it contains many elements that could be considered a stepping stone to Akira Toriyama's next work, "Dragon Ball," making it a work that fans cannot miss.

■Cast

・Senbei Norimaki: Kenji Utsumi ・Arale Norimaki: Mami Koyama ・Midori Yamabuki: Mariko Mukai ・Gacchan: Seiko Nakano ・Akane Kimidori: Kazuko Sugiyama ・Taro Soramame: Toshio Furukawa ・Pisuke: Naomi Jinbo ・Obotchaman: Mitsuko Horie

■ Main staff

・Original story: Akira Toriyama (serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump)
・Planning: Keizo Shichijo, Tokizo Tsuchiya ・Production: Matsuji Kishimoto ・Screenplay: Masaki Tsuji, Shunichi Yukimuro, Tomoko Kaneharu and others ・Chief Director: Minoru Okazaki ・Direction: Toyoo Ashida, Hiroki Shibata, Daisuke Nishio and others ・Chief Animation Director: Minoru Maeda ・Chief Designer: Mataji Urata ・Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi

Theme song

OP1 "Waiwai World"
Lyrics: Kashi Asa Music: Kikuchi Shunsuke Arrangement: Takashima Akihiko Tato: Mizumori Ato, Koorogi '73

OP2 "Waiwai March"
Lyrics: Fuyuto Kayoko Composition: Kikuchi Shunsuke Arrangement: Takashima Akihikota: Koyama Mami

ED1 "Are Are Arale-chan"
Lyrics: Fuyuto Kayoko Composition: Kikuchi Shunsuke Arrangement: Takashima Akihikota: Mizumori Ato, Korogi '73

ED2 "Arale-chan Ondo"
Lyrics: Minami Manbe Composition: Shunsuke Kikuchi Arrangement: Mami Takashima Akihikota: Mami Koyama

ED3 "I Found the First Star"
Lyrics: Kashi Asa Composition: Kikuchi Shunsuke Arrangement: Takashima Akihikota: Mizumori Ato

ED4 "The truth to you"
Lyrics: Fuyuto Kayoko Composition: Kikuchi Shunsuke Arrangement: Takashima Akihikota: Horie Mitsuko

■ Main Characters

A self-proclaimed genius scientist who invented the Norimaki Senbei Earare. He has a very simple and perverted personality, and loves his teacher Midori Yamabuki. He seems to make a living from the money he makes selling his inventions.

Arale Norimaki is a cheerful and powerful humanoid robot invented by Professor Senbei. She usually goes to junior high school as Senbei's little sister. She greets everyone with "ncha".

Midori Yamabuki is Arale's homeroom teacher at Junior High School, and is the beautiful teacher whom Senbei admires. She later marries Senbei and has children with him.

Gacchan is a super baby who eats anything, born from an egg that Arale and her friends brought back when they went to the prehistoric era. He is best friends with Arale, and his two antennae and wings on his back are his charm points.

・Obotchaman
A boy-type robot created by Dr. Mashirito to defeat Arale. He is polite, has a strong sense of justice, and is a sensible person. Although Mashirito told him that Arale was an extremely evil person, he fell in love with Arale at first sight and broke up with Mashirito.

・He is a rival of Dr. Mashirito Senbei and an evil genius scientist who plans to take over the world. He works hard every day on evil research to defeat Arale. He creates an evil robot called Caramelman and challenges Arale, but he always loses.

■Subtitle

The subtitles for all 243 episodes are listed below.

・Episode 1: "Arale's Birth" "Yes! Friends"
Episode 2: "Arale-chan Goes to School" "What?...It's Not There"
Episode 3: "A Great Adventure with the Time Slipper" "What kind of egg is that?!"
Episode 4: "Oh?! Boy or girl?" "Errand Gacchan"
Episode 5: "Bear's Friend!!" "New Invention! The Big and Small Ray Gun"
Episode 6: "The teacher is coming!" "Arale gets kidnapped!"
Episode 7: Attack Arale-chan Episode 8: The Story of Donbe Episode 9: Strawberry Panties Mission Episode 10: Ah, Earth SOS!!
Episode 11: "Teke ​​Teke Children" and "The Scary Policewoman"
Episode 12: "Transforming Pompoko Gun" and "Arale Takes Flight!"
・Episode 13: The Scary Good Boy ・Episode 14: The Hero Suppaman ・Episode 15: "Arale's Errand" and "Wild Land"
Episode 16: "Tomorrow!" "Arale is Akane!?"
・Episode 17/The Night of the Fearful Monsters ・Episode 18/"Fairy Tale Machine" "The Murderous Scaredy Man"
Episode 19: Arale goes back to the old days to swim in the sea Episode 20: Kinoko-chan runs away from home Episode 21: A big adventure on a date in space Episode 22: Sen-chan is surprised Episode 23: "Arale's date with her friends" "Bye-bye, super-power"
・Episode 24: Arale's Big Transformation!!
・Episode 25/Transfer Student from the City ・Episode 26/Arare's Great Plan!!
・Episode 27/Yay! New Friend ・Episode 28/Goodbye Gacchan!!
Episode 29: Cute! Lovely Old Man Trio Episode 30: Exciting and Thrilling! First Love Peesuke Episode 31: Arale Touchable Episode 32: Arale's Lullaby Dream Episode 33: Masterpiece!? Cat Riding Hood Episode 34: Hell's Messenger Chibiru-kun Episode 35: Santa Claus Episode 36: Crazy Devil Girl Episode 37: Arale's Musical Cinderella Episode 38: The Mysterious Monster Doctor?!
・Episode 39: Showdown! Musashi vs. Arale ・Episode 40: Hero Suppaman Part II
・Episode 41: "The Real Machine" and "Motorcycle Gang at Dawn"
・Episode 42 / Parzan, King of the Jungle・Episode 43 / Aya?! Dododo at Penguin Village・Episode 44 / Arale-chan Goes to City Island・Episode 45 / Devil's Transformation Pretend・Episode 46 / From Penguin Village, With Love・Episode 47 / Hoyoyo Homo・Dinosaur Era・Episode 48 / Chibiru-kun's Part-time Job・Episode 49 / Leave it to Akiko-san・Episode 50 / Yay! It's a Date with Copy-kun・Episode 51 / Thank You! Gratitude Contest・Episode 52 / Arale's Hoyoyo Troupe of Phantom Thieves・Episode 53 / Anko and Nonko's Discover・Countryside・Episode 54 / Puspus Puss・Hafuhafu Children's Festival・Episode 55 / Super Driver・Episode 56 / Am I Super Tasty?!
・Episode 57 / Dream of My Home ・Episode 58 / Arale's Phantom Thieves Hoyoyo Gang ・Part II
・Episode 59 / Exciting Time Stop・Episode 60 / Suppaman's Close Call・Episode 61 / Explore! Mammoth Midori-chan・Episode 62 / Scary! Monster Prince・Episode 63 / Arale's New Butterfly Story・Episode 64 / Babubabu Senbei・Episode 65 / Sparkling Night Sky Drum and Fife Corps・Episode 66 / We're Not Angels・Episode 67 / Love Fairy Tale!! Tricycle Story・Episode 68 / 2013, Combot Mission・Episode 69 / Invaders from Space・Episode 70 / Arale's Arabian Announcer・Episode 71 / Dr. Mashirito's Ambition・Episode 72 / Dr. Mashirito's Ambition Part II
・Episode 73 / Penguin Village Wars ・Episode 74 / Penguin Village Wars Part II
Episode 75: Arale's Lost Item Episode 76: The Tale of the Eight Graves of Penguin Village Episode 77: Suppaman of Justice vs. Senbei of Love Episode 78: A Happy Date in Wonderland Episode 79: Arale's Enthusiasm Episode 80: Penguin Village Grand Prix Episode 81: Penguin Village Grand Prix Part II
・Episode 82/Penguin Village Grand Prix Part III
Episode 83: Penguin Village MysteryEpisode 84: The Big Head ArrivesEpisode 85: The Scary Vegetable ManEpisode 86: The Secret of Arale's BirthEpisode 87: Arale and the Little Match GirlEpisode 88: The Story of the Red ThongEpisode 89: The Tsumugi Family ArrivesEpisode 90: Exciting! School PanicEpisode 91: The Lensmen Who Can SeeEpisode 92: Shooting Stars and Wishing StarsEpisode 93: The Universe Inside FukuhaEpisode 94: The Angel Was Alive!
・Episode 95 / Flying Nikochan・Episode 96 / Date with Ghosts・Episode 97 / Love is a Heart Punch・Episode 98 / Goodbye Tsumisan Family・Episode 99 / Scoop-kun's Awakening・Episode 100 / Needed! Space Detective Story・Episode 101 / The Secret of Mashirito Castle・Episode 102 / Adventure, Adventure, Great Adventure!!
・Episode 103 / The Thief Who Loves Books・Episode 104 / The Hare Hole Arale School Trip・Episode 105 / The Three Suppamen・Episode 106 / The Yellow Carp Streamer of Happiness・Episode 107 / The Transformation Helmet・Episode 108 / Welcome to the Yakuza Shop・Episode 109 / Continue! Our Suppamen・Episode 110 / Chibiru and the Demon Dictionary・Episode 111 / Mushroom's One-Day Teacher・Episode 112 / The Four Angry Outlaws・Episode 113 / Love's Excursion SOS!!
Episode 114 / Arale's Picture DiaryEpisode 115 / The Great Demon of Penguin VillageEpisode 116 / Super BaseballEpisode 117 / Goodbye King NikochanEpisode 118 / Space Showdown! Arale vs. KomattachanEpisode 119 / Running YouthEpisode 120 / The Penguin Village Champion is DecidedEpisode 121 / The Mysterious Beauty Who Disappeared in the MistEpisode 122 / Love Love ContactsEpisode 123 / Yes! The Big Proposal PlanEpisode 124 / Marriage! Marriage!! Professor and TeacherEpisode 125 / Flying Love HoneymoonEpisode 126 / Exciting Newlywed LifeEpisode 127 / Arale in Danger! The Strongest Rival AppearsEpisode 128 / Caught Between Justice and LoveEpisode 129 / Here We Come! Assassin Senbei・Episode 130 / I'm Obotchaman・Episode 131 / Hurry! Telepathy of Love・Episode 132 / Exciting Tonight・Episode 133 / It's the Entrance Test・Episode 134 / Gacchan Gacchan・Episode 135 / Yay! Bolivari Bolivari・Episode 136 / Suppaman's Little Brother Arrives!
・Episode 137/Arrest Me!
・Episode 138/Painful Christmas Day・Episode 139/Sour Mantaro - To Fairyland!
Episode 140: Go Arale! Earth's Greatest Crisis!!
Episode 141: Mashirito's ambition achieved?!
・Episode 142/They've combined!
Episode 143: Senbei-san is dead?!
・Episode 144: Pu-pu! Flying through the sky!!
・Episode 145 / Donbe's Intrusive Love Story ・Episode 146 / Burn! Suppaman ・Episode 147 / You and I on a Journey ・Episode 148 / Gacchan is Great!!
・Episode 149/Answer Special ・Episode 150/Shape Up Midori-san ・Episode 151/Turbo-kun is born!!
Episode 152: My Dad is an Alien?!
・Episode 153 / The Fearsome Oni-Gokko・Episode 154 / Going Straight! Turbo-kun・Episode 155 / Showdown! Japan-US Baseball Tournament・Episode 156 / Japan-US Baseball Tournament Part II
・Episode 157/This is a dream!!
・Episode 158 / The Restaurant of My Dreams・Episode 159 / Sorry for the Midnight・Episode 160 / The Scary Fly Man・Episode 161 / Naughty! King Enma・Episode 162 / Fake Christmas・Episode 163 / Who's the Best in the World!!
Episode 164: I did it! I did it! I'm the best in the world!
・Episode 165 / Uncle Torahachi's Buncho ・Episode 166 / Gacchan's True Identity!!
Episode 167: God is very angry!!
・Episode 168/Good luck, Raccoon!
Episode 169: A Long-awaited Great Invention!!
・Episode 170: Oharu's Great Yokai War!
・Episode 171/Dodonpa's Revenge!
Episode 172: Kyahaha and Ghost IslandEpisode 173: Suppaman's Big Reporter MissionEpisode 174: The Mysterious Flying ObjectEpisode 175: Running Around in YouthEpisode 176: Running Around in Youth: Final ChapterEpisode 177: Long-Awaited NikochanEpisode 178: Pisuke's Great Adventure of LoveEpisode 179: The Unintentional High School SeniorEpisode 180: Arale's Car SearchEpisode 181: Racing! Motorcycle BoyEpisode 182: Love Betting on the Asphalt!
・Episode 183 / I am the No. 1 Policeman ・Episode 184 / Arale vs. Charmy Yamada ・Episode 185 / Goodbye!! Arale-san ・Episode 186 / The Star Has Arrived!!
・Episode 187 / See it! Superhuman Suppaman・Episode 188 / The Legend of the Dote Pumpkin・Episode 189 / Oh! My Kinko-chan・Episode 190 / I Did It! Quiz for 1 Million Yen・Episode 191 / Penguin Village Serial Murders・Episode 192 / Dream Penguin Village Grand Prix・Episode 193 / Run! Fly! Assault!!
・Episode 194 / Decision! The New Mayor of Penguin Village・Episode 195 / Confirm Love in the Future・Episode 196 / Once Again 10 Years Later・Episode 197 / Arale's Super Pianist・Episode 198 / Secret Information Station・Episode 199 / Secret Information Station Final Chapter・Episode 200 / Long Time No See! Akiko Returns・Episode 201 / Arale's Japanese Folktales・Episode 202 / Everyone is Friends・Episode 203 / First Love Secret Command・Episode 204 / Crazy Love Panic・Episode 205 / Happy Cat Ears・Episode 206 / Crash! Aray Comet・Episode 207 / Fearful Lady Pretends to Be a Lady・Episode 208 / Komatta-chan Strikes Back・Episode 209 / Arale! Please Marry Me! Episode 210 / Senbei Senbei Episode 211 / Fight!! Kinenman Episode 212 / Cupid Robo Makes Up Episode 213 / Doctor Brain Hoyoyo Operation Episode 214 / Thank You! Suppaman Episode 215 / Silent Love Episode 216 / The Mayor is Coming!
・Episode 217 / Suppaman's Lullaby・Episode 218 / Miracle Grilled Fish Meal・Episode 219 / Invitation to Another Dimension・Episode 220 / The Day the Thunder Strikes・Episode 221 / Spartan Wars・Episode 222 / Go for it! Pro-Wrestler・Episode 223 / Taiyo-san Runs Away!?
・Episode 224/Tokimeki Tea Room ・Episode 225/Do you want a cat?
・Episode 226 / The Fearsome Dream Machine ・Episode 227 / Arale vs. the Bullies on City Island ・Episode 228 / Toy Chacha ・Episode 229 / Arale's Airport '85
・Episode 230/Arale's Substitute Strategy ・Episode 231/Yay! Fairy Tale Land!!
・Episode 232 / Mr. Norimaki's Quiet Day ・Episode 233 / Revealed!! The Secret of the Earth ・Episode 234 / Hoyoyo!! The Earth is torn apart ・Episode 235 / Important Announcement!!
・Episode 236: The Terrifying Black Santa!!
Episode 237: It's the Audition!! Everyone Gathers! Episode 238: Clash!! The Main Title Match Episode 239: Flying Girlfriend Episode 240: Goodbye Arale-chan: The Disappearing Penguin Village Episode 241: Goodbye Arale-chan: Arale's Unknown Lover Episode 242: Goodbye Arale-chan: Fear! An Exciting Bargain Sale Episode 243: Goodbye Arale-chan: Bye! See you!!

■ Related works

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" has been produced not only as a TV series, but also as a movie version. The list is shown below.

Theatrical production "Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hello! Mysterious Island"
"Dr. SLUMP"
"Dr. Slump Arale-chan's Great Race Around the World"
"Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo! The Treasure of Nanaba Castle"
"Dr. Slump Arale-chan Hoyoyo! Dream City Mechapolis"
"Dr. Slump Arale-chan Ncha!! Penguin Village is Sunny After Sunny"
"Dr. Slump Arale-chan Ncha!! With Love from Penguin Village"
"Dr. Slump: Hoyoyo! Taken by the Shark I Saved"
"Dr. Slump Ncha!! Exciting Heart's Summer Vacation"

There is also a TV series called "Dr. Slump," which is a sequel to the original work and allows viewers to enjoy the worldview of Akira Toriyama in the same way.

■The appeal of the work

The greatest appeal of "Dr. Slump Arale-chan" is its unique sense of humor and the individuality of its characters. The individuality of each character, such as Arale-chan's greeting "ncha," Senbei's perverted personality, and Dr. Mashirito's villainous presence, enrich the story. Another big attraction is that the fictional world of Penguin Village allows you to enjoy unrealistic humor and adventure.

Furthermore, this work was accepted by a wide range of people, from children to adults. Children sympathized with Arale's energy and adventurous spirit, while adults enjoyed Toriyama's humorous sense and social satire. In particular, it contained elements of parody and metafiction, which were rare for anime at the time, and was designed to keep viewers interested.

■ Impact on society

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" became a major social phenomenon when it was first broadcast. Not only did it reach a peak audience rating of 36.9%, but it also gave birth to catchy phrases such as "ncha" (a Japanese word for "cha") and "bai-cha" (a Japanese word for "bye"), and led to a flurry of product development and collaborations. The Arale-chan character was loved by many people, sparking a huge boom among children.

Furthermore, this work contains many elements that could be considered preludes to Akira Toriyama's next work, Dragon Ball, making it a work that fans cannot miss. In particular, Senbei's character setting and the taste for gags are carried over to the early episodes of Dragon Ball, making this a crucial work for gaining a deeper understanding of Akira Toriyama's worldview.

■Reasons for recommendation

"Dr. Slump Arale-chan" is a monumental comedy anime, and a work that fully demonstrates Akira Toriyama's talent. The story and characters, which can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, and its unique worldview, will never tire of the viewer. In particular, the elements of social satire and parody from that time are still fresh even today, and are sure to make you laugh.

In addition to the anime, you can also enjoy the original manga and the movie version of this work. Furthermore, it is important as a stepping stone to enjoying other works by Akira Toriyama, so it is a must-see work for fans. Please step into the world of Penguin Village and enjoy Arale's adventure.