Dan Doh!! (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese sportsmanga series written by Nobuhiro Sakata [ja] and illustrated by Daichi Banjō. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from March 1995 to June 2000. It was followed by Dan Doh! Xi (serialized from July 2000 to April 2003) and Dan Doh! Next Generation (March to December 2004). Dan Doh!! was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series broadcast on TV Tokyo from April to September 2004.
Plot
Dan Doh!! focuses on a fifth grader named Tadamichi Aoba also nicknamed Dandoh. Dandoh and his two friends are their baseball team's best players, but after an incident with their school principal, they are introduced to the world of golf. Dandoh and his friends are taught by a former professional golfer named Shinjō Mikiyasu, who believes that they can surpass even him. As Dandoh begins to play in tournaments, his friendly spirit, determination, and hard working and competitive attitude brings the best in the players around him and earns him many friends.
Characters
Tadamichi Aoba (青葉弾道, Aoba Tadamichi)
Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi (Japanese); Chio Su Ping (English)
Tadamichi Aoba, also called Dandoh by his friends, was originally a talented baseball player with the ability to hit long-distance home runs. He is introduced to golf by his school's principal. Dandoh quits baseball and decides to play golf instead partly after hearing he could win 30 million yen in a tournament. He believes if he wins the money, his mother would come back after she left him, his older sister, and his father Shigemichi Aoba because of money problems. His nickname comes from an alternate pronunciation of his given name, the Japanese word dandō (弾道, lit.'Trajectory').
Yuka Sunada (砂田優香, Sunada Yūka)
Voiced by: Aya Hirayama (Japanese); Denise Tan Shu Fen (English)
Yuka Sunada is Dandoh's friend who follows him to play golf. She constantly worries about Dandoh, but also gets excited after his accomplishments. Yuka's swinging pivot is firm, which allows her to keep her form when under pressure and even when being harassed during her first tournament game. She has a calm and kind personality. Yuka shows talent in golf like Aoba whom she falls in love with.
Kōhei Ooike (大池弘平, Ooike Kōhei)
Voiced by: Rie Ichita (Japanese); Mark Kaufmann (English)
Kōhei Ooike is Dandoh's friend who follows him to play golf. He also played baseball and could hit further than Dandoh. Along with his strength to hit the ball far, Kōhei excels in putting.
Shinjō Mikiyasu was a Japanese pro golfer who won a tournament over fictional pro golfer Jimmy McGray a year and seven months prior to the beginning of the story. His career came to an end after a car accident, which left him unable to swing a golf club. He envies Dandoh because he has good friends that back him up, thus agrees to teach Dandoh, Yuka, and Kōhei after they show him their determination and patience.
The manga was followed by a sequel titled Dan Doh! Xi, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from July 5, 2000, to April 9, 2003.[b] Shogakukan collected its chapters in fifteen tankōbon volumes, released from December 18, 2000, to May 17, 2003.[12][13]
A third series, Dan Doh! Next Generation (DAN DOH!! ネクストジェネレーション, Dandō Nekusuto Jenerēshon), was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from March 24 to December 1, 2004.[c] Shogakukan collected its chapters in four tankōbon volumes, released from July 16, 2004, to January 18, 2005.[18][19]
Anime
Dan Doh!! was adapted into a 26-episode anime television series which was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 3 to September 25, 2004.[20]
Dan Doh!! was licensed for North American distribution by Bandai Entertainment, which they announced at Anime Expo 2004 when they wanted to establish a strong presence in the sports genre.[21] The English dub was produced by Odex Pte Ltd., a Singapore-based anime licensor company.[1]
Episodes
No.
Title
Original air date
1
"Dandoh's Dream!" Transliteration: "Dandō no Yume!" (Japanese: ダンドーの夢！)
April 3, 2004 (2004-04-03)
2
"The Championship" Transliteration: "Senshuken" (Japanese: 選手権)
"Inside the Light" Transliteration: "Hikari no Naka de" (Japanese: 光の中で)
September 25, 2004 (2004-09-25)
Theme songs
Opening theme
"Going On" by Bullet 77
Ending themes
"Wild Flower: Hana ni Arashi no Tatoe ari" (WILD FLOWER ~花に嵐の喩えあり~) by Bullet 77 (episodes 1–13)
"Believe in Love" by Bullet 77 (episodes 14–25)
"Going On" by Bullet 77 (episode 26)
Notes
^It started in the magazine's 15th issue of 1995 (with cover date March 29),[2] released on March 15 of that same year;[3] it finished in the magazine's 30th issue of 2000 (with cover date July 5),[4] released on June 21 of that same year.[5]
^It started in the magazine's 32nd issue of 2000 (with cover date July 19),[8] released on July 5 of that same year;[9] it finished in the magazine's 19th issue of 2003 (with cover date April 23),[10] released on April 9 of that same year.[11]
^It started in the magazine's 17th issue of 2004 (with cover date April 7),[14] released on March 24 of that same year;[15] it finished in the magazine's first issue of 2005 (with cover date December 15),[16] released on December 1, 2004.[17]
^週刊少年サンデー 1995年 表示号数15. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^週刊少年サンデー 2000年 表示号数30. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^週刊少年サンデー 2000年 表示号数32. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^週刊少年サンデー 2003年 表示号数19. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^週刊少年サンデー 2004年 表示号数17. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
^週刊少年サンデー 2005年 表示号数1. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). National Center for Art Research. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
