The appeal and evaluation of the late-night anime "Tensai Bakabon"

Late Night! Genius Bakabon - A new challenge for modern comedy anime

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

July 11, 2018 - September 26, 2018
From 1:40

■Broadcasting station

Broadcast: TV Tokyo, BS Japan

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

・Original work by Fujio Akatsuka

■ Director

・Director: Toru Hosokawa

■ Production

・Animation production: studio Pierrot+

■Works

©Fujio Akatsuka/Late Night! Genius Bakabon Production Committee

■ Story

In addition to Bakabon's dad and his family, who are well known for saying "This is good!",
From the chief official, Uncle Lelele, to Unagi-inu,
A cast of extremely unique characters does whatever they want in a modern-day setting!

In 2018, 10 years after the death of Fujio Akatsuka, a new frontier for "Bakabon" will finally begin, set in the late night hours!

■Explanation

"Tensai Bakabon," a monumental gag manga and one of Akatsuka Fujio's masterpieces, is being remade 18 years after its predecessor.
An original story by director Toru Hosokawa will be made into a TV anime!

■Cast

・Dad/Furuta Arata・Bakabon/Irino Miyu・Mama/Hidaka Noriko・Hajime/Nonaka Ai・Officer/Morikawa Toshiyuki・Uncle Lelele/Ishida Akira・Unuginu/Sakurai Takahiro

■ Main staff

・Original work: Fujio Akatsuka・Director: Toru Hosokawa・Scriptwriter: Toru Hosokawa・Assistant Director: Tenshi Yamamoto・Character design: Takaaki Wada・Music: Kenichiro Suehiro, Akihiro Manabe・Sound Director: Hiromi Kikuta・Music Production: TV Tokyo Music, Avex Pictures・Animation Production: studio Pierrot+

■ Main Characters

・Unemployed Dad. Of all the characters who are on TV, he's the worst, but...
When my dad says, "This is fine!" I feel good about it.

Bakabon
Even though it's 2018, he usually wears kimonos. He is the eldest son of the Bakabon family.
The nameplate on the house has Bakabon on it, so the house might be in Bakabon's name.

・Everyone thinks, "Why did you marry this dad?" She's beautiful, but
Maybe she's the biggest idiot since she married Dad?!

Hajime is a genius who would not be embarrassed to appear on any show. He is the second son of the Bakabon family.

-A police officer with his eye connected, firing his pistol repeatedly.
From a compliance standpoint, he is someone who should not be allowed to be a police officer.

・Uncle Lelele An old man who cleans the streets, something you rarely see these days.
I would ask, "Are you going out?" but these days I might get reported.

・Eel-dog: Father is a dog, mother is an eel. This creature is even rarer than the ever-dwindling baby eels.

■Subtitle

Episode 1: "It's been a while since it's been made into an anime"
・Episode 2: "Compilation" "My Officer's Mixer"
Episode 3: "I'm going to appear in a movie" "I want a third child"
Episode 4: "Charge! Genius Bakabon" "Personify it"
Episode 5: "Challenging the limits of late night," "A call from TV Tokyo," "An exemplary late night! Genius Bakabon"
Episode 6: "Become a Manga Artist" "Animation is Hard"
Episode 7: "I'm going to give a presentation" "I want to be a popular voice actor"
Episode 8: "I want to succeed" and "The Eel Dog's Memorial Service"
Episode 9: "This is my aptitude test" "Real Genius Bakabon"
・Episode 10: "Genius Hajime"
Episode 11: "Goodbye, everyone"
Episode 12: "This is the real final episode"

■ Related works

The manga "Tensai Bakabon"
TV anime "Tensai Bakabon"

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Period/Episode 1, Episode 3-12 ・"The Wind is Blowing"
Lyrics: TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND
・Composition: TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND
・Arrangement: TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND
・Song: BPO -Bakabon-no Papa Organization- (Arata Furuta, Miyu Irino, Noriko Hidaka, Ai Nonaka, Toshiyuki Morikawa, Akira Ishida, Takahiro Sakurai)

・OP2
・Period/Episode 2・"I'm Bakabon's Dad"
Lyrics: Toru Hosokawa; Composition: Akihiro Manabe; Arrangement: Akihiro Manabe; Singer: Daisuke Hasegawa


・ED1
・Period: Episodes 1-7, 9-12 ・"The Wind is Blowing"
Lyrics: Ketsumeishi Music: Ketsumeishi, Tasuku Maeda
・Arrangement: Tasuku Maeda
・Song: Ketsumeishi

・ED2
・Period/Episode 8・"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence"
・Composition: Ryuichi Sakamoto ・Arrangement: Akihiro Manabe

・IN1
・Period/Episode 4・"Unko Boys Theme Song"
Lyrics: Toru Hosokawa; Composition: Akihiro Manabe; Arrangement: Akihiro Manabe; Singer: Daisuke Hasegawa

・IN2
・Period/Episode 12・"BAN☆BAN☆Party"
Lyrics: Toru Hosokawa; Composition: Akihiro Manabe; Arrangement: Akihiro Manabe; Singer: Honkan (Tomoyuki Morikawa)

Late Night! Genius Bakabon - A new challenge for modern comedy anime

"Late Night! Genius Bakabon" is a TV anime series based on Akatsuka Fujio's classic comedy manga "Tensai Bakabon," which was broadcast in 2018. This work was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Akatsuka Fujio's death, and attempts a new challenge to reach modern audiences in a new setting of late night.

■ Background and significance of the work

"Tensai Bakabon" is a comedy manga by Fujio Akatsuka that began serialization in 1967 and has won many fans with its unique humor and appealing characters. In particular, the father's catchphrase "This is fine!" became so popular that it could be called a social phenomenon. The work was first made into an anime in 1975 and has been made into an anime several times since then, but "Late Night! Tensai Bakabon" is the most recent of these, and it attempts new interpretations and expressions for modern audiences.

The late-night broadcast time slot targets a wider range of viewers than just the usual family demographic. Therefore, the content and expression of the gags incorporate a more adult perspective. Through this work, director Toru Hosokawa aimed to create new gags that reflect modern society and culture while inheriting the spirit of Fujio Akatsuka's original work.

■ Story and episodes

The story of "Late Night! Genius Bakabon" revolves around the everyday gags of the Bakabon family and the unique characters around them. Each episode is an independent short story, depicting a different theme or situation. For example, the first episode, "It's been a long time since it's been made into an anime," begins with the Bakabon family celebrating that they have been made into an anime, but various gags continue to unfold.

Particularly memorable episodes include episode 2, "Recap" and "The Officer's Group Date." In this episode, the officer is set to attend a group date, and his actions, which ignore his duties as a police officer, make viewers laugh. Also, episode 4, "Pay! Genius Bakabon" and "Personify It," featured gags that incorporated the current trends of social games and anthropomorphization, giving viewers a fresh surprise.

■Charm of the characters

The characters in "Late Night! Genius Bakabon" are drawn to be familiar to modern viewers while retaining the charm of the original. In particular, the performance of Furuta Arata, who plays the father, left a strong impression on viewers with his modern take on the original phrase "This is fine!". In addition, Irino Miyu, who plays Bakabon, and Hidaka Noriko, who plays the mother, entertained viewers with performances that made the most of the individuality of their respective characters.

Toshiyuki Morikawa as the head official, Akira Ishida as Uncle Rerere, and Takahiro Sakurai as Unagiinu also brought out the best in their characters, providing laughs to the audience. The character of Unagiinu in particular was unique in that his father is a dog and his mother is an eel, giving viewers a fresh surprise.

■Production staff's commitment

The production staff of "Late Night! Genius Bakabon" made various efforts to create new gags for modern audiences while inheriting the spirit of the original work. Director Toru Hosokawa, who also wrote the script, drew the gags in each episode with great attention to detail. Character designer Takaaki Wada also arranged the characters from the original work in a modern style, providing designs that would be familiar to viewers.

Music was also an important element, and was composed by Kenichiro Suehiro and Akihiro Manabe, who enhanced the atmosphere of each episode. In particular, the opening theme "Kaze wa Fuiteiru" (The Wind is Blowing) was written, composed, and arranged by TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND and sung by BPO -Bakabon-no Papa Organization-, leaving a strong impression on viewers. The ending theme "Kaze wa Fuiteiru" (The Wind is Blowing) was written, composed, and arranged by Ketsumeishi, providing a relaxing mood to viewers.

■ Viewer reactions and ratings

"Late Night! Genius Bakabon" has been popular with many viewers since it was first broadcast, and has become a hot topic on social media. In particular, fans of the original work praised the acting of the father, who uses the phrase "This is fine!" in a modern style, and the freshness of the gags in each episode. Also, viewers who were experiencing "Genius Bakabon" for the first time praised the individuality of the characters and the fun of the gags, gaining new fans.

Anime critics praised "Late Night! Genius Bakabon" for its attempt to create new gags for modern audiences while inheriting the spirit of Fujio Akatsuka's original work. In particular, the gags that incorporate an adult perspective, taking advantage of the late-night broadcast time slot, and the episodes that reflect modern society and culture were highly praised. The production staff's attention to detail and the appeal of the characters were also highly praised, and the show received high praise overall.

■ Related works and recommendations

For viewers who enjoyed "Late Night! Genius Bakabon," we also recommend the original manga "Tensai Bakabon" and the past anime series "Tensai Bakabon." In particular, the original manga allows you to fully enjoy Fujio Akatsuka's unique humor and the charm of the characters. Also, the past anime series allows you to enjoy the gags and character acting that were drawn for viewers of each era.

In addition to "Late Night! Genius Bakabon," we also recommend the anime series "Himitsu no Akko-chan" and "Osomatsu-kun," which are based on Fujio Akatsuka's works. These works also allow you to fully enjoy Fujio Akatsuka's unique humor and the charm of his characters. In particular, "Osomatsu-kun" was remade in 2015, creating new gags for modern audiences.

Conclusion

"Late Night! Genius Bakabon" is a TV anime series based on Fujio Akatsuka's classic comedy manga "Tensai Bakabon" that was broadcast in 2018. This work was produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Fujio Akatsuka's death, and is an attempt to challenge modern audiences in a new setting of late night. In particular, various elements such as the attention to detail of director Toru Hosokawa and the production staff, the appeal of the characters, and the reactions and evaluations of viewers were highly praised and the series was highly acclaimed. For viewers who enjoyed "Late Night! Genius Bakabon", we also recommend the original manga, past anime series, and anime series based on Fujio Akatsuka's works. These works also allow you to fully experience Fujio Akatsuka's unique humor and the appeal of his characters.