Igano Kabamaru
manga
AuthorYū Azuki
PublisherShueisha
MagazineBessatsu Margaret
FirstAugust 1979
LastFebruary 1982
Volumes12
Igano Kabamaru
tv series
DirectorTameo Kohanawa
ProducerMasamichi Fujiwara
Shigeji Tsuiki
Minoru Ohno
Toru Horikoshi
WriterKoichi Kobayashi
Shigeru Yanagawa
Tokio Tsuchiya
Tomomi Tsutsui
MusicToshiyuki Kimori
StudioGroup TAC
Toho
NetworkNippon Television
First20 October 1983
Last29 March 1984
Episodes24
Igano Kabamaru
live film
DirectorNorifumi Suzuki
StudioToei Kyoto Co. Ltd
Released6 August 1983
Runtime96 min.

Igano Kabamaru (伊賀野カバ丸) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Azuki. The eponymous protagonist is a naive young ninja from the Iga province called Kagemaru (absolute shadow), nicknamed Kabamaru (hippo's mouth) for his insatiable appetite. Following the death of his strict grandfather and ninja sensei, Kabamaru moves to Tokyo with one of his grandfather's acquaintances. The plot primarily revolves around Kabamaru's adjustment to urban life after growing up in the mountains, his burgeoning feelings for his guardian's granddaughter, and his involvement in the rivalry between two private schools.

Igano Kabamaru has been adapted into both an anime series and a live-action film.

Plot

Kabamaru was raised by his strict grandfather Saizō Igano (伊賀野才蔵, Igano Saizō), who trained him and another young orphan, Hayate Kirino (霧野疾風, Kirino Hayate) in the ninja arts. When Saizō dies, Kabamaru meets Saizō's old friend Ran Ookubo (大久保蘭, Ōkubo Ran). Following Saizō's request, Ran takes Kabamaru to Tokyo, where he is to stay in her house and attend her private school, Kin'gyoku. Kabamaru takes a liking to Ran's granddaughter Mai Ookubo (大久保麻衣, Ōkubo Mai), Ran's granddaughter, but she finds his coarse manners and endless appetite embarrassing and repulsive.

Kin'gyoku School has been engaged in a bitter rivalry with Ōgyoku School for half a century. Ran and Ōgyoku headmistress Suu Matsuno were romantic rivals for Saizō's love, while Shuu Maejima (前島秀, Maejima Shū), head of the Ōgyoku student council, and Shizune Mejiro (目白沈寝, Mejiro Shizune), a student council member at Kin'gyoku, are scions of feuding wealthy families. Kabamaru becomes an unwitting pawn of the student council members in their various machinations. Complicating matters is Hayate, who has been forced into Suu's employ after running away from Saizō's harsh training.

The rivalry escalates until Hayate kidnaps Mai, triggering an all-out confrontation between the students and staff of both schools and a duel between Hayate and a reluctant Kabamaru. Kabamaru prevails, seemingly causing Hayate to drown. However, Hayate is saved by Saizō, who had faked his death to introduce Kabamaru to the next stage of ninja training and the responsibilities of adulthood. Hayate and Kabamaru, now reconciled, decide to return with Saizō to the mountains to continue their training, but not before Mai reveals her newfound feelings for Kabamaru and they promise to meet again.

Characters

Media

Manga

The Igano Kabamaru manga was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret from August 1979 to February 1982, with total 12 volumes of books released.

Volume list
VolumeOriginal Publication dateJapanese ISBN
1September 1980[1]ISBN 4-08-850514-X[2]
2October 1980[3]ISBN 4-08-850522-0[4]
3November 1980[5]ISBN 4-08-850530-1[6]
4July 1981[7]ISBN 4-08-850593-X[8]
5August 1981[9]ISBN 4-08-850603-0[10]
6April 1982[11]ISBN 4-08-850660-X[12]
7May 1982[13]ISBN 4-08-850666-9[14]
8June 1982[15]ISBN 4-08-850673-1[16]
9February 1984[17]ISBN 4-08-850835-1
10March 1984[18]ISBN 4-08-850840-8
11September 1984[19]ISBN 4-08-850880-7
12October 1984[20]ISBN 4-08-850882-3

In 2015 a new manga sequel of Igano Kabamaru was released, titled "Igano Kabamaru Sorikara" (伊賀野カバ丸★そりから) serialized in "Monthly YOU" magazine.

Anime

The anime series was produced by Group TAC and Toho. The 24 episodes were broadcast in Japan by Nippon Television between October 20, 1983, and March 29, 1984, every Thursday from 19:00 to 19:30.

Despite its low popularity in Japan, it became a cult classic in Greece, mainly due to the humorously low quality of its English-based dubbing.[21]

The anime also gained a devoted audience in the Arabic peninsula, where it was broadcast dubbed in Arabic.

Film

A live action film based on the plot of the manga and the anime was released on August 6, 1983, directed by Norifumi Suzuki. It starred Hikaru Kurosaki as Kabamaru, Kumiko Takeda as Mai, Sanada Hiroyuki as Shizune and Sonny Chiba as Saizō.

The plot centers around a five-part competition between Kabamaru representing Kin'gyoku School, and Hayate representing Ōgyoku School. The five events are falling from a height on a balloon (Kabamaru wins), swimming (Hayate wins), throwing shuriken while horseriding (Kabamaru wins), food eating contest (Hayate wins - Kabamaru is disqualified because he missed an olive) and remaining on the roof of a car driven by a student of the opponent school (Kabamaru wins after being promised 1,000 plates of yakisoba noodles by Shijune).

References

  1. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014975&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  2. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 1 マーガレット・コミックス 514" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  3. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014976&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  4. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 2 マーガレット・コミックス 522" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  5. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014977&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  6. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 3 マーガレット・コミックス 530" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  7. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SP/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014978&Sza_id=F3&Action_id=121"
  8. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 4 マーガレット・コミックス 593" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  9. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014979&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  10. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 5 マーガレット・コミックス 603" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  11. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014980&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  12. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 6 マーガレット・コミックス 660" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  13. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014981&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  14. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 7 マーガレット・コミックス 666" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  15. ^ "www.e-hon.ne.jp/bec/SA/Detail?refShinCode=0100000000000007014982&Action_id=121&Sza_id=F3"
  16. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 8 マーガレット・コミックス 673" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  17. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 1 マーガレット・コミックス 514" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  18. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 10 マーガレット・コミックス 840" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  19. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 11 マーガレット・コミックス 880" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  20. ^ "伊賀野カバ丸 12 マーガレット・コミックス 882" (in Japanese). www.library.pref.osaka.jp. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  21. ^ "Το φαινόμενο Καμπαμαρού στην Ελλάδα, που προηγήθηκε των Pokémon. Η σειρά άνιμε με τους κωμικούς διαλόγους, τις αστείες φωνές και τα τραγελαφικά λάθη στη μετάφραση" (in Greek). Mihani tou Hronou. 2021-05-20. Retrieved 2022-08-13.