Obatarian
| Obatarian | |
 Cover of the first volume of Obatarian | |
| オバタリアン | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Katsuhiko Hotta |
| Published by | Takeshobo |
| Magazine | Manga Life |
| Original run | 1988 – 1998 |
| Volumes | 13 |
| Anime television film | |
| Directed by | Tetsurō Amino |
| Written by | Shun'ichi Yukimuro, Toshiki Inoue |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Original network | TV Asahi |
| Released | April 3, 1990 |
| Runtime | 70 minutes |
Obatarian (Japanese: オバタリアン) is a yonkoma manga series by Katsuhiko Hotta.[1] It was serialized in Manga Life, Manga Life Original, and Really Happened Pleasant Stories (all published by Takeshobo) from 1988 to 1998, with a total of 13 volumes released by the publisher (with some reprints after 2000).
A one-off anime television special was produced by Sunrise and aired on TV Asahi on April 3, 1990.[2]
The title Obatarian (a portmanteau of おばさん obasan "middle-aged woman" and Battalion from the 1985 zombie comedy film The Return of the Living Dead) became a popular Japanese buzzword in the late 1980s referring to pushy, shameless, or ill-mannered middle-aged women.
The series won the 1989 Bungeishunjū Manga Award.[3]
Etymology
The term originates from the 1986 horror film The Return of the Living Dead (released in Japan as Battalion). It is a portmanteau of "おばさん" (obasan, middle-aged woman) and "バタリアン" (Batarian). "Battalion" implies a large group or swarm, hence the connotation of hordes of obasan.
The manga satirizes ordinary, shameless middle-aged women who behave rudely and impose on others without hesitation, sometimes engaging in behavior bordering on criminal.
Characters
The following characters appear in the anime adaptation:
- Kinuyo Obata (小畑 絹代, Obata Kinuyo)
- Voiced by: Tomie Kataoka
- The protagonist. She has the same appearance as the "Big Buddha perm Obatarian" from the original manga. She is domineering and shameless.
- Yoshio Obata (小畑 良夫, Obata Yoshio)
- Voiced by: Kei Tomiyama
- Kinuyo's husband. A thin, bespectacled salaryman who is completely henpecked.
- Seiko Obata (小畑 聖子, Obata Seiko)
- Voiced by: Yūko Sasaki
- Kinuyo's daughter and a high school student. She often suffers embarrassment due to her mother's behavior.
- Minoru Obata (小畑 ミノル, Obata Minoru)
- Voiced by: Chika Sakamoto
- Kinuyo's son and a elementary school student. He is often troubled by his mother's antics.
- Hiroe (広江)
- Voiced by: Kazuyo Aoki
- Kinuyo's friend. Matches the "hair in a bun Obatarian" from the manga.
- Sayuri (小百合)
- Voiced by: Yoshino Ōtori
- Another of Kinuyo's friends. Matches the "triangular glasses skinny Obatarian."
- Dr. Powers (パワーズ博士)
- Voiced by: Toshiya Ueda
- A scientist who despairs at the future after seeing surviving Obatarians after a nuclear war.
- King Enma (エンマ大王)
- Voiced by: Saburō Kamei
- The ruler of Hell who is overwhelmed by Kinuyo.
- Kunihiko and Michiko
- Newlyweds who move next door and are affected by the Obatarians.
(Additional minor characters include a bank robber, a glasses-wearing young man, teachers, and others who encounter the main cast.)
Anime
Staff
- Planning: Sunrise[2]
- Original work: Katsuhiko Hotta[2]
- Script: Shun'ichi Yukimuro, Toshiki Inoue, Shōji Tōike[2]
- Character design & chief animation director: Yoshinobu Inano[2]
- Art: Tōru Hishiyama[2]
- Director: Tetsurō Amino
- Music: Kōhei Tanaka[2]
- Other staff listed on the official site.
Theme songs
All songs by THE Truehearts (THE真心ブラザーズ):
- "Obatarian no Theme"
- Opening theme
- "Kāchan" (母ちゃん)
- Ending theme
Episode list
| No. | Title | Script | Storyboard | Episode Director | Animation Supervisor | Art |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | "The World Exists for Me! Anything Goes!" | Shun'ichi Yukimuro | Kiyoshi Egami | Hiroshi Aisaka | Jun'ichi Higashi | |
| #2 | "Do I Want to Become an Obatarian?" | Toshiki Inoue | Shin'ichirō Watanabe | Toshihiro Kawamoto | ||
| #3 | "Please Mom, Don't Come to School" | Shun'ichi Yukimuro | Mitsuko Kase | Yoshihiro Yamaguchi | Hiromi Muranaka | Mitsuharu Miyamae |
| #4 | "I Want to Go Far Away – Secret Hot Spring Trip" | Takehiro Kitahara | Shin'ichirō Watanabe | Hideyuki Motohashi | ||
| #5 | "Dreaming Obatarian: Furious Sexual Harassment" | Shōji Tōike | Tetsurō Amino | Hiroyuki Akiyama | Yoshinobu Inano | Tōru Hishiyama |
| #6 | "An Obatarian Dies Twice!!" | Toshiki Inoue | Mitsuko Kase | Kiyoshi Egami | Kazuko Katsui | |
Derivative / Cultural impact
The term spread rapidly after being used in reader letters complaining about middle-aged women's manners. It became a common word for pushy or shameless middle-aged women. Politician Takako Doi embraced the term, and it won the Gold Prize in the 1989 U-CAN New Word and Buzzword Award (with Doi and Hotta as joint recipients).
A Fuji TV special titled We Are the Cheerful Obatarians was broadcast, though unrelated to the manga beyond the title. It was a hidden-camera prank show.
In 1992, Japanese reggae artist Little Boogie Man released a song titled "Obatarian."
Manga
Volumes 1–9 were released without barcodes or ISBNs. Later volumes:
- Volume 10: ISBN 4-88475-725-4
- Volume 11: ISBN 4-88475-820-X
- Volume 12: ISBN 4-8124-5056-X
- Volume 13: ISBN 4-8124-5190-6
References
External links
- Obatarian at Sunrise official website (in Japanese)
- Obatarian (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Obatarian (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
