is a Japanese yonkoma manga series written and illustrated by Mikio Igarashi. From March 1986 to March 1987, the series ran in the Takeshobo manga magazine Tensai Club before the magazine was replaced with Manga Club, where it had been serialized from April 1987 to April 2020. It had also been serialized in Manga Life from April 1986 to July 2022. In July 2022, the series moved to Manga Life Original after Manga Life folded. It has been adapted into an anime television series, as well as two anime films and two video games.
While the series is considered a yonkoma manga, most of the "stories" use eight panels. The series follows the main character, a young sea otter after whom the manga is titled, and his daily adventures with his friends from the nearby forest. Bonobono combines gag comic and philosophical questions, bringing up comparisons to other manga such as Azumanga Daioh, and to films such as Forrest Gump.
In 1988, Bonobono won the Kodansha Manga Award in the General category. An anime film was released in theaters on November 13, 1993, and an anime television series was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 20, 1995, through March 28, 1996. One day after the TV series began, a simulation game was released on the 3DO system. The following June, an adventure game was released on the PlayStation. Several ehon—or "picture books"—have been released since the manga series was first introduced over 30 years ago.
Characters Bonobono (ぼのぼの): A mellow sea otter that lives with his father by the ocean near the forest. His mother died in childbirth. He is a bit naïve in the ways of the world, and is curious in general. Never seen without a shellfish in his hand, in case he gets hungry. Shimarisu-kun/Chipmunk (シマリスくん): A young chipmunk who is friends with Bonobono. He has a habit of asking if people are going to bully him (いじめる? Ijimeru?) and is regularly tormented by Araiguma and his older sister Shō. However, he does bring some of it on himself; depending on the day, he can unintentionally or even intentionally say things to rile them up. Like Bonobono, he always carries something with him, in his case a walnut. Araiguma-kun/Raccoon (アライグマくん): A young raccoon who is friends with Bonobono. He has a very short fuse and often plays the tsukkomi for his other two friends. He likes to bully Shimarisu, and often gets into trouble with his father. Sunadori Neko-san/Fishing Cat (スナドリネコさん): An animal who is not native to the Forest, but is the currently named strongest animal there after defeating Higuma no Taishō. Bonobono and friends often ask him questions about certain subjects. In general, he's often portrayed as one of the more sensible residents of the Forest. Bonobono's Father (ぼのぼののおとうさん): The father of Bonobono. He is a somewhat bumbling man who tries to bond with his son in silly ways. He speaks with pauses in between phrases. Likes to go on long journeys. His wife died in childbirth. Araiguma-kun's Father (アライグマくんのおとうさん): The father of Araiguma-kun. A very ornery animal, he gets set off at the slightest annoyance or indiscretion. Takes out his anger constantly on Araiguma-kun. Kuzuri-kun/Wolverine (クズリくん): A young wolverine that walks on all fours. He has a bad habit of pooping all over the forest. Kuzuri-kun's Father (クズリくんのおとうさん): The father of Kuzuri-kun. The closest thing the Forest has to a medicine man, Kuzuri-kun's Father has plenty of plants and herbs in his home that are relevant to the topic at hand. Resourceful, but somewhat eccentric. He is very proud of his son. Fenegi-kun/Fennec Kitsune/Fenny (フェネギくん): A young fennec fox who is friends with Bonobono and company. Self conscious. Shō Nee-chan (しょうねえちゃん): One of Shimarisu-kun's elder sisters. She loves to pick on him and always wins their fights, but has a soft spot for him underneath her bullying nature. Dai Nee-chan (だいねえちゃん): One of Shimarisu-kun's elder sisters. Acts very proper and elegant, but often embellishes information she gets. She desires for Shimarisu-kun to become independent. Anaguma/Badger (アナグマくん): A stoic young badger whose acquaintances are Bonobono and friends. No one can tell what is on his mind, since he does not emote. Higuma no Taishō/Boss Bear (ヒグマの大将): The former strongest of the Forest before being defeated by Sunadori Neko. While he is benevolent and wishes to protect the Forest, he does not wish for Sunadori Neko to be there since he is an outsider. Lives away from his wife and child. Immense in size. Shimacchau Ojisan/The Putaway Man (しまっちゃうおじさん): A tall serval-like animal that seems to exist only in Bonobono's imagination as a bogeyman. If Bonobono does something wrong, Shimacchau Ojisan will hypothetically come and lock him away in a cave.
Books In addition to the original tankōbon releases, the first twenty tankōbon volumes have been rereleased in bunkoban format as 15 volumes. Several stand-alone picture books have been released as well.
For the first film, an ekonte—or storyboard—volume and a set of four film comics have been released.
Manga
Tankōbon Takeshobo released all the volumes of manga listed below. Volume 1, , March 1987 Volume 2, , December 1987 Volume 3, , September 1988 Volume 4, , August 1989 Volume 5, , September 1990 Volume 6, , June 1991 Volume 7, , November 1991 Volume 8, , May 1993 Volume 9, , October 1993 Volume 10, , November 1994 Volume 11, , August 1995 Volume 12, , January 1996 Volume 13, , September 1996 Volume 14, , March 1997 Volume 15, , December 1997 Volume 16, , September 1998 Volume 17, , August 1999 Volume 18, , December 1999 Volume 19, , August 2000 Volume 20, , January 2001 Volume 21, , May 2002 Volume 22, , February 2003 Volume 23, , July 2003 Volume 24, , January 2004 Volume 25, , July 2005 Volume 26, , January 2005 Volume 27, , October 2005 Volume 28, , July 2006 Volume 29, , April 2007 Volume 30, , March 2008 Volume 31, , July 2009 Volume 32, , August 2009 Volume 33, , December 2009 Volume 34, , August 2010 Volume 35, , July 2011 Volume 36, , May 2012 Volume 37, , July 2013 Volume 38, , February 2014 Volume 39, , July 2014 Volume 40, , June 2015 Volume 41, , March 2016 Volume 42, , March 2017 Volume 43, . March 2018 Volume 44, . March 2019 Volume 45, . March 2020 Volume 46, . March 2021 Volume 47, . March 2022 Volume 48, . July 2023 Volume 49, . September 2024 Volume 50, . July 2026
Bunkoban Takeshobo released all the volumes of manga listed below. Volume 1, , July 2002 Volume 2, , July 2002 Volume 3, , July 2002 Volume 4, , July 2002 Volume 5, , July 2002 Volume 6, , January 2003 Volume 7, , January 2003 Volume 8, , January 2003 Volume 9, , January 2003 Volume 10, , January 2003 Volume 11, , January 2015 Volume 12, , March 2015 Volume 13, , May 2015 Volume 14, , July 2015 Volume 15, , March 2016
Film comics These books contain scenes from the first Bonobono film laid out in comic book format. All were released by Takeshobo. Volume 1, , December 1993 Volume 2, , December 1993 Volume 3, , January 1994 Volume 4, , January 1994
Storyboards This book contains the storyboards for the first Bonobono film. , , November 1993, Takeshobo
Picture books Various Bonobono picture books have been released, including the following. Titles are listed chronologically. , , December 1987, Takeshobo , , December 1987, Takeshobo , , June 1988, Takeshobo , , May 1989, Takeshobo , , November 1998, Takeshobo , , November 1993, Takeshobo , , December 1993, Takeshobo , , July 2006, Takeshobo
Anime
1993 film The first theatrical release, titled Bonobono, opened in theaters on 1993-11-13. The film has since been broadcast on domestic television in Japan, including on broadcast satellite channels such as NHK BS-2. The film has been released on VHS and DVD in Japan, including in a "no cut" edition.
Staff Director: Mikio Igarashi Screenplay: Mikio Igarashi Animation directors: Yūji Mutō, Tameo Kohanawa Producer: Atsushi Tashiro Planning: Ippei Takahashi, Masayuki Miyashita, Shin Unosawa, Atsushi Tashiro, Naomasa Tsuruta Art director: Atsushi Ioki Music: Gontiti Distribution: Gaga Communications Theme song: Hatsukoi Lyrics: Kanata Asamizu Composition, Vocals: Yoshiyuki Ōsawa
Cast Bonobono: Toshiko Fujita Shimarisu-kun: Sumie Baba Araiguma-kun: Yūsaku Yara Araiguma-kun's father: Chikao Ōtsuka Kuzuri-kun's father: Kazuo Kumakura Kuzuri-kun: Sakiko Uran Higuma-san: Yūko Sasaki Kohiguma-kun: Mayumi Kumagai Bonobono's father: Mikio Igarashi Shō Nee-chan: Mayumi Tanaka Dai Nee-chan: Manami Sasaki Higuma no Taishō: Tesshō Genda Sunadorineko-san: Hōchū Ōtsuka Shimarisu-kun's father: Kazuyuki Sekiguchi Shimarisu-kun's mother: Yukiko Shibata Fennec Kitsune-kun: Kanako Tanaka Fennec Kitsune-kun's father: Takahiro Fujita
Sources:
1995 TV series The Bonobono anime television series ran from April 20, 1995, through March 28, 1996 as part of the series on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm on TV Tokyo. Each episode was 15 minutes long, and was paired with an episode of Bit the Cupid to fill out the 30-minute timeslot. The series has been rebroadcast on several different channels and networks, including Animax and the on-demand internet streaming service GyaO.
The entire TV series was released as two DVD box sets on April 20, 2007.
Staff Planning: Takashi Sakurai, Atsushi Tashiro Director: Hitoshi Nanba Series Director: Tetsuo Yasumi Character Design: Yūka Hotani Chief Animation Director: Yūka Hotani Writers: Tetsuo Yasumi, Yasuhiro Komatsuzaki, Satoru Nishizono, Shōji Yonemura, Kazuhiko Gōdo, Chinatsu Hōjō Episode Directors: Kiyotaka Ōhata, Takashi Ikebata, Shinichi Watanabe, Takashi Yamazaki, Daiji Suzuki, Kiyoshi Fukumoto, Kiyoko Sayama, Tetsuya Watanabe, Takashi Asami, Kazunari Kume, others Music: Kazunori Miyake Audio Director: Susumu Aketagawa Music Producer: Sumio Matsuzaki Art Director: Kō Watanabe Editor: Masashi Furukawa Director of Photography: Mitsunobu Yoshida Producers: Keisuke Iwata (TV Tokyo), Masatoshi Kanesaka Animation Producer: Kenjirō Kawato Animation Production: Group Tac Production: TV Tokyo, Amuse, Inc.
Theme songs
Lyrics, Vocals: Kyōko Suga Composition, Arrangement: Etsuko Yamakawa Ending theme for episodes 1–23 and 48 Love, Two Love Lyrics, Composition, Vocals: Kyōko Suga Arrangement: Ryō Yonemitsu Ending theme for episodes 24–47
Cast Bonobono: Kumiko Watanabe Shimarisu-kun: Konami Yoshida Araiguma-kun: Keiji Fujiwara Sunadorineko-san: Jūrōta Kosugi Araiguma-kun's father: Hideyuki Umezu Araiguma-kun's mother: Keiko Han Bonobono's father: Takashi Nagasako Dai Nee-chan: Miki Narahashi Shō Nee-chan: Mayumi Tanaka Shimarisu-kun's father: Chafurin Shimarisu-kun's mother: Konami Yoshida Kuzuri-kun: Sakiko Uran Tamago no Kimi-kun: Sakiko Uran Kuzuri-kun's father: Sakiko Uran Fennec Kitsune-kun: Michiyo Yanagisawa Fennec Kitsune-kun's father: Keaton Yamada Bōzu-kun: Midori Nakazawa Beaver-san: Masahiro Anzai Bōzu-kun's mother: Rin Mizuhara Kohiguma-kun: Aya Ishizu Kokujira-kun: Aya Ishizu Higuma no Taishō: Kiyoyuki Yanada Higuma-san: Junko Hagimori Hae: Kōji Tobe Shimatchū Oji-san, others: Nobuo Tobita Yama-Ō, others: Yūji Ueda Ki no Obake: Chie Satō Min Min: Akiko Yajima Nan Nan: Kōji Yusa Ōsanshōuo-san: Toshiya Ueda Kaeru-kun: Toshiya Ueda Kokujira-kun's mother: Mari Mashiba Nagareboshi-kun: Hiromi Ishikawa Rabi Nii-chan: Nobuyuki Hiyama Chirabi-chan: Kae Araki Chibisuke to Okera-kun: Fujiko Takimoto Kashira to Gonzo: Kōji Ishii
Sources:
TV specials Following the anime television series, nine specials were aired on TV Tokyo. At the beginning of each special, the next special was also introduced and showed some animation from it. The specials used a lot of animation from the series, and while the content fit the season in which the special was broadcast, the music, scripts, and jokes were changed for each of the specials. The voice actors from the TV series were used for the specials.
Oshōgatsu Da yo: Bonobono no World (January 2, 1997) Kodomo no Hi Da yo: Bonobono no World (May 5, 1997)