Bonobono: A fascinating exploration of the world of healing and profound themes

The appeal and reviews of Bonobono

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

April 20, 1995 - March 28, 1996
April 20, 1995 - March 28, 1996 Every Thursday 19:00-19:30 in the "Anime Can" section

■Broadcasting station

TV Tokyo

■Frequencies

15 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 48

■Original Story

Mikio Igarashi

■ Director

Hitoshi Namba

■ Production

Produced by TV Tokyo, Amuse Produced by Group TAC

■Works

©Igarashi Mikio/Takeshobo, TV Tokyo, B2 Production

■ Story

This is a story that depicts the events that occur between Bonobono and his friends. The story often progresses with Bonobono's questions as the starting point. To resolve Bonobono's questions, the chipmunks and raccoons work together to search for the answers together with Bonobono. They arrive at the answers by listening to advice from various animals on the island, but the answers are often not clear-cut.

■Explanation

An animation based on Mikio Igarashi's manga "Bonobono". It was broadcast together with the anime "Bit the Cupid" as part of the TV Tokyo series "Anime Can", so each episode is 15 minutes long. The anime version tones down the philosophical elements found in the original work, and is made as a comedy anime. It was made into a movie in 1993 and 2002.

■Cast

・Bonobono / Kumiko Watanabe ・Chipmunk / Konami Yoshida ・Raccoon / Keiji Fujiwara

■ Main staff

・Original story by Igarashi Mikio (serialized in Takeshobo's "Monthly Manga Life" and "Monthly Manga Club")
・Planning / Sakurai Hisashi, Tashiro Atsumi・Director / Namba Hitoshi・Series composition / Yasumi Tetsuo・Music / Miyake Ittoku・Sound director / Aketagawa Susumu・Music producer / Matsuzaki Sumio・Music cooperation / TV Tokyo Music・Character design / Hoya Yuka・Chief animation director / Hoya Yuka・Art director / Watanabe Takashi・Director of photography / Yoshida Mitsunobu・Editing / Furukawa Masashi・Color setting / Saito Yuko・Background / Jack・Cinematography / T. Nishimura・Sound recording / Kamibayashi Nobuyoshi・Sound effects / Kurahashi Shizuo・Music selection / Aketagawa Jin・Sound recording assistant / Kosaka Takashi・Recording studio / Aoi Studio・Sound production / Magic Capsule・Title / Katayama Satoru・Negative editing / Matsuo Editing Room・Developing / IMAGICA
・Animation Producer: Kenjiro Kawahito ・Animation Production: Group TAC ・Producers: Keisuke Iwata (TV Tokyo), Katsutoshi Kanesaka ・Production Manager: Yutaka Hirata ・Public Relations Manager: Natsumi Kubo ・Production Cooperation: B2 Production, Takeshobo

・ED1
・"I want to take a shortcut"
Lyrics: Kyoko Suga Music: Etsuko Yamakawa Arrangement: Etsuko Yamakawa Singer: Kyoko Suga (Victor Entertainment)

・ED2
・"LOVE, TWO LOVE"
Lyrics: Kyoko Suga; Composition: Kyoko Suga; Arrangement: Ryo Yonemitsu; Singer: Kyoko Suga (Victor Entertainment)

■ Main Characters

The main character of Bonobono Otter. He is absent-minded, but has a keen eye and questions many things.

Chipmunk-kun is Bonobono's friend, a chipmunk. He has a unique way of speaking and is quite noisy.

・Raccoon-kun is also a friend of Bonobono. He's quick to fight, but at heart he's a caring raccoon.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: Let's play with Bonobono (1995/04/20)
・Episode 2/I want a house too・Episode 3/Decoco fruits are delicious・Episode 4/What is that sound?
・Episode 5 / Copycat Brown Bear・Episode 6 / Farts Poo Poo Poo・Episode 7 / Singer Feneggy・Episode 8 / Chipmunk's Tooth Falls Out・Episode 9 / Crybaby Bose・Episode 10 / What is Fire?
・Episode 11/Chipmunk-kun's sister ・Episode 12/I want a new stone!
Episode 13: Where does the night come from?
・Episode 14 / Dai-nee-chan's clay dumplings ・Episode 15 / Chipmunk who caught a cold ・Episode 16 / What are we scared of?
・Episode 17/My Face Has Stretched・Episode 18/A Raccoon in Love・Episode 19/Rafting the Waterfall is Fun!
・Episode 20: Surprise in the Firefly Forest!
・Episode 21/ Yes! Yes! Haiku Grandpa・Episode 22/ Kind Raccoon・Episode 23/ The Hiccups Won't Stop・Episode 24/ Sorry for Sticking to You・Episode 25/ Raccoon Runs Away・Episode 26/ His Name is Gebu Gebu・Episode 27/ The Sun Mask Appears!
Episode 28: A storm comes to the forest!
Episode 29: Transformation? Bonobono!
Episode 30: Long time no see, little one. Episode 31: Sorry for wetting the bed. Episode 32: Raccoon's birthday. Episode 33: Lost whale. Episode 34: Shooting star's move. Episode 35: Snow is falling!
Episode 36: Splashing into the world of ice!
・Episode 37/The Terror of the Cave ・Episode 38/It's Hypnosis!!
・Episode 39 / The Legend of the Snow Rabbit ・Episode 40 / Bonobono and Chibisuke ・Episode 41 / I Can See Tomorrow ・Episode 42 / The Suspicious Lake ・Episode 43 / Who's the Best!?
・Episode 44 / Bose-kun's Little Adventure ・Episode 45 / Bonobo's Fierce Race ・Episode 46 / Who is the Culprit?
・Episode 47: The Raccoon Who Can't Play ・Episode 48: What if every day was fun? (1996/03/28)

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・"I want to take a shortcut"
Lyrics: Kyoko Suga Music: Etsuko Yamakawa Arrangement: Etsuko Yamakawa Singer: Kyoko Suga (Victor Entertainment)

・ED2
・"LOVE, TWO LOVE"
Lyrics: Kyoko Suga Composition: Kyoko Suga Arrangement: Ryo Yonemitsu Vocals: Kyoko Suga (Victor Entertainment)

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Bonobono" is an anime series that aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 1996, and is based on the manga of the same name by Igarashi Mikio. The series depicts the daily lives of the sea otter Bonobono and his friends, and is loved by a wide range of people from children to adults. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and reviews of the series, as well as the recommended points.

■The appeal of the work

The greatest appeal of "Bonobono" is its unique worldview and the individuality of its characters. Bonobono is a spacey sea otter with a keen eye for observation who questions a variety of things. His questions prompt his friends, Chipmunk-kun and Raccoon-kun, to work together to find the answer, which is heartwarming to watch. In particular, the process of deriving the answer while listening to the advice of the animals on the island often deeply moves viewers.

The anime version also tones down the philosophical elements of the original work and is made as a comedy anime, so children can also enjoy it. Each episode is short at 15 minutes, but the story unfolds well within that time, allowing viewers to enjoy both laughs and emotion. For example, "Episode 1: Let's Play with Bonobono" begins with a scene of Bonobono playing with his friends, depicting the importance of friendship. "Episode 18: Raccoon in Love" depicts Raccoon's feelings of love, making it an episode that resonates with viewers.

■Evaluation

"Bonobono" has been highly praised since it was first broadcast, especially for its unique worldview and the charm of its characters. The anime version has been accepted by a wider audience by sublimating the philosophical elements of the original into a comedy anime. The efforts of the staff, including director Hitoshi Nanba, series composer Tetsuo Yasumi, and composer Ittoku Miyake, are also contributing to the high quality of the work.

The acting of the cast was also highly praised, especially Kumiko Watanabe as Bonobono, Konami Yoshida as Chipmunk-kun, and Keiji Fujiwara as Raccoon-kun, who succeeded in bringing out the individuality of their characters. The ending themes "Shortcut Wants You" and "LOVE, TWO LOVE" were also highly praised for the vocal ability of Kyoko Suga and the quality of the lyrics and composition.

■ Recommendation points

The reasons why we recommend "Bonobono" are as follows:

1. **Enjoyable for both children and adults**: The anime version is made as a gag anime, so children can enjoy it. On the other hand, it also retains the philosophical elements of the original work, so adults can often find it thought-provoking.

2. **Character Personalities**: The characters, including Bonobono, are all very unique and loved by viewers. In particular, Bonobono's absent-minded personality, Chipmunk-kun's unique way of speaking, and Raccoon-kun's caring nature are all very appealing.

3. **Story Development**: Each episode is short, only 15 minutes, but the story unfolds well within that time, and you can enjoy both laughter and emotion. In particular, the process in which Bonobono's friends work together to find the answer to his question often deeply moves the viewers.

4. **The power of the staff**: The quality of the work is enhanced by the efforts of the staff, including director Hitoshi Nanba, series composer Tetsuo Yasumi, and composer Ittoku Miyake. In particular, the music is an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

5. **Cast performances**: Kumiko Watanabe as Bonobono, Konami Yoshida as Chipmunk-kun, and Keiji Fujiwara as Raccoon-kun bring out the individuality of their characters. The ending themes "Shortcut Wants to Take a Turn" and "LOVE, TWO LOVE" are also highly praised for the vocal ability of Kyoko Suga and the quality of the lyrics and composition.

■ Summary

"Bonobono" is a comedy anime that can be enjoyed by both children and adults, but it also retains the philosophical elements of the original work. It has been highly praised for various elements, including the personalities of the characters, the development of the story, the skill of the staff, and the acting of the cast. In particular, the process in which Bonobono's friends work together to find the answer to a question that arises is often deeply moving to viewers. We hope you will give it a watch and experience the unique world view and charm of the characters.