Doraemon (1979 TV series)

Doraemon
Logo
ドラえもん
Created byFujiko F. Fujio
Based onDoraemon
by Fujiko F. Fujio
Theme music composerShunsuke Kikuchi
ComposerShunsuke Kikuchi
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons26
No. of episodes1787 and 30 specials
Production
Running time6–23 minutes
Production companiesTV Asahi
Asatsu-DK[a]
Shin-Ei Animation
Original release
NetworkANN (TV Asahi)
ReleaseApril 2, 1979 (1979-04-02) –
March 18, 2005 (2005-03-18)
Related

Doraemon (ドラえもん, Doraemon) is a Japanese anime television series based on Fujiko F. Fujio's manga of the same name and is the successor of the 1973 anime. Produced by Shin-Ei Animation, Asatsu-DK and TV Asahi, Doraemon premiered in Japan on April 2, 1979, and has been dubbed for broadcast in 60 countries worldwide. The series lasted 26 years and had over 1787 episodes and 30 specials, making it the longest of the three animated shows created to date. This Doraemon anime series is sometimes referred to in Asia as the Ōyama Edition (大山版), after Nobuyo Ōyama, the voice actress who voices Doraemon in this series.[1]

Two official English dubs of this anime series have been released, the first of which was called The Adventures of Albert and Sidney, which was produced in Canada by CINAR[2] and aired exclusively in Barbados on CBC TV 8 during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the United States, the series was planned to air on Superstation WTBS, now known as TBS, but would never premiered for unknown reasons. The second dub was made in Singapore and aired on Channel i & Kids Central[3] from 2002 to 2003 in Singapore. Additionally, an unofficial bootleg English dub by Speedy Video was produced and released exclusively in Malaysia on various VCDs.

Premise

The series follows the title character, a cat-like robot from the 22nd century that goes to the present day to deal with an uneducated, naïve, and clumsy 10-year-old elementary school boy named Nobita Nobi and guide him in the proper direction for his future. Nobita's friends include Shizuka Minamoto, his love interest and closest best friend, as well as Takeshi Goda and Suneo Honekawa, who, while sometimes kind, frequently abused and bullied him.

Doraemon, Nobita, Shizuka, Suneo, and Gian as seen in the 1979-2005 series.

Cast and characters

Doraemon (1979-2005) cast
Voice Character Ref(s)
Japanese English
Nobuyo Ōyama A.J. Henderson Doraemon (Albert) [4][5][6]
Noriko Ohara Steven Bednarski Nobita Nobi (Sidney) [7]
Kaneta Kimotsuki Hossan Leong Suneo Honekawa (Ricky) [8][9]
Kazuya Tatekabe Gerald Chew Takeshi "Gian" Goda (Buster) [10][11]
Michiko Nomura Alison Darcy Shizuka Minamoto (Lucy) [12]
Keiko Yokozawa TBA Dorami [13]

Production and broadcasting

Following the finale of the 1973 anime, the rights to the Doraemon manga were lost as Nippon TeleMovie Productions, who produced the 1973 anime, shut down on the same day as the show's series finale. However, Daikichirō Kusube gained the author's trust and secured the rights to Tokyo Movie, a production firm where he was in charge of sales at the time. Later on, in late 1976, the rights were transferred to Shin-Ei Animation as Tokyo Movie parted ways with Kusube which led to the latter becoming Tokyo Movie Shinsha. In late 1977, Kusube requested one out of two of the creators of Doraemon, Hiroshi Fujimoto, for permission to produce another anime based on the manga.

Isao Takahata, whom Kusube had asked to do, prepared a proposal and subsequently submitted it to Fujimoto, who agreed with the plan. Shin-Ei Animation originally began selling the rights to Yomiuri Television, where Juichi Sano produced a full-scale proposal, but the idea failed due to a lack of understanding among the station's upper management. Doraemon first began airing in Japan on TV Asahi on April 2, 1979.[14]

Broadcast time for Doraemon (1979)
Television network Broadcast date and time
Japan
TV Asahi Monday to Saturday, 18:50 - 19:00 JST
Friday, 5:00 - 5:30 JST
Friday, 18:50 - 19:20 JST
Friday 19:00 - 19:30 JST

Casting

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1234April 2, 1979 (1979-04-02)December 31, 1979 (1979-12-31)
2255January 1, 1980 (1980-01-01)December 30, 1980 (1980-12-30)
3151January 5, 1981 (1981-01-05)December 25, 1980 (1980-12-25)
448January 1, 1982 (1982-01-01)December 24, 1982 (1982-12-24)
551January 1, 1983 (1983-01-01)December 30, 1982 (1982-12-30)
650January 1, 1984 (1984-01-01)December 28, 1984 (1984-12-28)
751January 1, 1985 (1985-01-01)December 27, 1985 (1985-12-27)
849January 3, 1986 (1986-01-03)December 26, 1986 (1986-12-26)
959January 2, 1987 (1987-01-02)December 26, 1987 (1987-12-26)

Music

Opening themes

The opening theme used for the weekly Doraemon series airing between 1979 and 2005 was Doraemon no Uta (ドラえもんのうた), which was performed by five different performers over the course of its years:

Performer Starting date Starting episode Ending date Ending episode
1. Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) April 2, 1979 Episode 1 October 2, 1992 episode 1199
2. Satoko Yamano (山野さと子) October 9, 1992 Episode 1200 September 20, 2002 episode 1681
3. Tokyo Purin (東京プリン) October 4, 2002 episode 1682 April 11, 2003 episode 1705
4. Misato Watanabe (渡辺美里) April 18, 2003 episode 1706 April 23, 2004 episode 1752
5. AJI April 30, 2004 episode 1753 March 18, 2005 episode 1787

Two songs were used for a separate weekday Doraemon series which is a part of Fujiko Fujio Theater (藤子不二雄劇場, Fujiko Fujio Gekijoo), the first song being the same as the first song of the weekly series.

Name Song Title Starting date Starting episode Ending date Ending episode
1. Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) "Doraemon no Uta" (ドラえもんのうた) April 2, 1979 episode 1 September 29, 1979 episode 156
2. Nobuyo Oyama, Koorogi '73 (大山のぶ代, こおろぎ'73) "Boku Doraemon" (ぼくドラえもん) October 1, 1979 episode 157 September 23, 1981 episode 617

Ending themes

The ending themes used for the weekly Doraemon series airing between 1979 and 2005 were:

Song Title Performer Starting date Starting episode Ending date Ending episode
1. "Aoi Sora wa Pocket sa" (青い空はポケットさ) Kumiko Ōsugi (大杉久美子) April 2, 1979 episode 1 September 23, 1981 episode 617
2. "Maru-gao no Uta" (まる顔のうた) Nobuyo Oyama (大山のぶ代) October 1, 1981 episode 618 March 30, 1984 episode 757
3. "Santa Claus wa Doko no Hito" (サンタクロースはどこのひと) Nobuyo Oyama (大山のぶ代) November 18, 1983 episode 738 December 30, 1983 episode 744
4. "Boku-tachi Chikyuu-jin" (ぼくたち地球人) Mitsuko Horie (堀江美都子) April 6, 1984 episode 758 April 8, 1988 episode 971
5. "Aozora-tte Iina" (青空っていいな) Mitsuko Horie (堀江美都子) April 15, 1988 episode 972 October 2, 1992 episode 1199
6. "Ashita mo Tomodachi" (あしたも♥ともだち) Yui Nishiwaki (にしわきゆい) October 9, 1992 episode 1200 April 7, 1995 episode 1346
7. "Boku Doraemon 2112" (ぼくドラえもん2112) Nobuyo Oyama, Koorogi '73 (大山のぶ代、こおろぎ'73) April 14, 1995 episode 1347 September 20, 2002 episode 1681
8. "Mata Aeru Hi Made" (またあえる日まで) Yuzu (ゆず) October 4, 2002 episode 1682 April 11, 2003 episode 1705
9. "Tanpopo no Uta" (タンポポの詩) The Alfee (ジ・アルフィー) April 18, 2003 episode 1706 October 3, 2003 episode 1729
10. "YUME Biyori" (YUME日和) Hitomi Shimatani (島谷ひとみ) October 10, 2003 episode 1730 May 28, 2004 episode 1757
11. "Aa Ii na!" (あぁ いいな!) W (ダブルユー) June 4, 2004 episode 1758 March 18, 2005 episode 1787

Three songs were used for the separate weekday Doraemon series. The start and end dates are not listed here, nor are the episodes they ran for.

Song Title Performer
1. "Doraemon Ekaki-uta" (ドラえもん・えかきうた) Nobuyo Oyama (大山のぶ代)
2. "Doraemon Ondo" (ドラえもん音頭) Nobuyo Oyama, Koorogi '73 (大山のぶ代、こおろぎ'73)
3. "Dorami-chan Ekaki-uta" (ドラミちゃんのえかきうた) Keiko Yokozawa (横沢啓子)

Notes

  1. ^ Previously co-produced with Asatsu until 1999

References

  1. ^ 舊酒新瓶?濃厚也 [Old Wine in New Bottle? It's Rich]. inmediahk.net. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Children & Youth/Series, Specials/Live Action & Animated" (PDF). Television/Radio Age. January 19, 1987. p. A123. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "Kidscentral>AFlist>Index_Page". Archived from the original on 2001-02-21. Retrieved 2001-02-21.
  4. ^ Yeung, Jessie (2024-10-11). "Nobuyo Oyama, voice of beloved 'Doraemon,' dies aged 90". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  5. ^ koikesan (2004-09-28). "ドラえもんのものまね". 藤子不二雄ファンはここにいる (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  6. ^ 高橋洋平. "大山のぶ代さん死去「ドラえもん」テレ朝第1期声優の存命は86歳野村道子「しずかちゃん」1人 - 芸能 : 日刊スポーツ". nikkansports.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  7. ^ "小原乃梨子の声優道 | 先輩から学ぼう! | 声優グランプリweb". 2018-01-26. Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  8. ^ "肝付兼太の声優道 | 先輩から学ぼう! | 声優グランプリweb". 2014-02-01. Archived from the original on 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  9. ^ "Doraemon Anime Voice Actor Kaneta Kimotsuki Passes Away at 80". Anime News Network. 2024-11-03. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  10. ^ "過去の受賞作品 | 日本映画批評家大賞 公式サイト". jmc-award.com. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  11. ^ "「ジャイアンのくせになぜ先に逝っちゃうんだよ」"スネ夫"肝付兼太たてかべ和也さんへ思い【通夜弔辞全文】|News Lounge". japan-newslounge.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  12. ^ "野村道子の声優道 | 先輩から学ぼう! | 声優グランプリweb". 2018-01-26. Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  13. ^ "ドラえもん". 2003-01-04. Archived from the original on 2003-01-04. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  14. ^ "【アニメ今日は何の日?】4月2日は『ドラえもん(1979年−2005年放送版)』の放送開始日! | アニメイトタイムズ". 【アニメ今日は何の日?】4月2日は『ドラえもん(1979年−2005年放送版)』の放送開始日! | アニメイトタイムズ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-04.