Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo
Encyclopedia : K : KO : KOC : Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo
|} , nicknamed , is a manga by Osamu Akimoto which is serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. The title literally translates to This Is the Police Station in Front of Kameari Park in Katsushika Ward. In continuous publication since 1976 with over 1400 episodes, Kochikame is the longest-running manga series in history (only Golgo 13 has been around longer, having been made since 1968).
Kochikame takes place in the present day, in and around a neighborhood police station (koban) in the old part of Tokyo, and revolves around the misadventures of a middle-aged cop, Kankichi Ryotsu. The main characters are as follows:
Characters
Kankichi Ryotsu (両津 勘吉 Ryōtsu Kankichi): "Ryo-san" is a thirty-six year old policeman with the personality of a twelve-year old. His laziness when it comes to work is matched only by his zeal and cleverness in hatching money-making schemes, the fruits of which are invariably squandered on toys, gadgets, and cheap entertainment. He is the stereotypical street-smart "shitamachi" type, sporting a crew-cut and stomping about in ratty sandals (even in uniform), and parochial towards the outside world, as he makes his rounds on a creaky old bicycle. At the same time, he is a super-otaku, up on all the latest fads in popular culture and consumer technology. While most of his interests are of the juvenile sort (such as videogames and collectibles), he also indulges in more typically salaryman-type pastimes such as drinking, pachinko, and gambling (especially horse-racing). Despite his undisciplined lifestyle, he possesses superhuman strength and stamina, which he is forced to depend on at times. Ryotsu is a bachelor and seems relatively uninterested in women, yet occasionally attracts the attention of naïve young female acquaintances, though never with any eventual success.
Keiichi Nakagawa (中川 圭一 Nakagawa Kei'ichi) - A young, handsome cop who serves as Ryo's comic foil. While holding down a day job in the police station, Nakagawa is the son of a wealthy industrial magnate, and often has to zip off to board meetings in his exotic sports cars and private helicopters. His policeman's uniform is an expensive yellow pinstripe suit. Though constantly surrounded by beautiful women throughout his duties, Nakagawa appears indifferent, and his tendencies are somewhat ambiguous.
Reiko Katherine Akimoto (秋本･カトリーヌ･麗子 Akimoto Katorīnu Reiko, voiced by Yumi Morio) - A female counterpart to Nakagawa, Reiko's wealth is inherited from European nobility, and she juggles her commitments to the police job with those of high society. Reiko is half French, raised in the U.S., and is fluent in numerous languages. With her flowing blonde hair and stunningly large breasts, Reiko is often courted by the rich and famous, but has never found the right man.
Several secondary characters appear in most episodes:
Daijiro Ohara (大原 大次郎 Ōhara Daijirō), usually called "Bucho" or "Division Head" (部長) - Ryotsu's boss, a typical grizzled middle manager senior cop. Sporting a small trimmed mustache, Bucho is often out of touch or exasperated with his younger staff, but always ready to mete out punishment to Ryo-san for his laziness.
Hayato Honda (本田速人 Honda Hayato) - The station's motorcycle policeman, and Ryotsu's underling, often reluctantly dragged into his schemes. A shy young man who still sports a pompadour from his teenage motorcycle gang days, Honda's father runs a garage specializing in Kawasaki cycles. His brother-in-law Kawasaki rides only Honda cycles.
Rika Saotome (早乙女リカ Saotome Rika) - One of the many young policewomen of the district, and Ryotsu's arch-enemy. Saotome thinks Ryotsu is a disgusting boorish lout, Ryotsu thinks Saotome and her colleagues are pampered weaklings and a waste of the force's budget. Saotome and her fellow bachelorettes live in a luxury dormitory resembling a French chateau.
Ai Asato (麻里愛 Asato Ai) Pet name "Maria" - Reiko’s occasional partner on the force. Like Reiko, Maria is tall, sexy, and buxom. Unlike Reiko, Maria is
Other recurring characters include transvestite cops from other districts, martial-arts masters, and Ryo's various shady business acquaintances
Matoi Giboshi (擬宝珠纏 Giboshi Matoi)－She works in a traffic division. The grandchild of Geparuto. Her birthday is on April 30. She has the ability with which a quarrel is strong in manlike character, and a quarrel also talks down Ryotsu, and a top and MENKO also excel Ryotsu. In girlhood, baseball and their school days were giving the softball. On the other hand, she also has the whole surface that Japanese dance was being taught by the mother from childhood. Although the marriage talk has occurred about 2 times, all serve as Ryotsu to cancellation.
Haya Isowashi (磯鷲早矢 Isowashi Haya)－Works a traffic division. Born as the eldest daughter of the distinguished Bushido house in Kyoto, and is well versed in all Bushido. In addition, the name of "Haya" originates in a kyudo term (reference). Haya is 21 years old. Her birthday is on January 3.
Haru Mido (御堂春 Midō Haru)－It works in the Osaka Prefectural-Police Tsuten-kaku station traffic division. A parents' home is a spitted cutlet store. The thing of Ryotsu calls it "TOKYOMON" and the thing of Nakagawa calls "the direction in Tokyo" (incidentally Tokyo dislike). Moreover, it is unyielding. Height is 145cm and a but splendid adult short in stature. Although height was not meeting the standard of policeman adoption regulation, by consideration of the Tsuten-kaku station chief, it became "policeman apprenticeship of the track record evaluation added to height actual whenever it arrests a criminal one person 1cm", cleared the standard splendidly, and formal adoption was carried out (seemingly, incidentally he is a 4m giant now). The bronze medal has been gained by the shooting game of the Olympic Games (intentionally took the bronze medal). His birthday is on January 1 and he is 20 years old. He has six younger brothers.
Remon Giboshi (擬宝珠檸檬 Giboshi Remon)－The younger sister of Matoi. Kindergartener. She has a way of speaking and likes historical plays, such as "～Ja" and "～Janou" Mito Komon, shogi, Ojarumaru, etc. Her taste is excellent, so that is nicknamed "the tongue of God", and she will be judged to a maker's mental condition. She is unyielding like her elder sister's Matoi. It is appropriate for the elder sister in contact with a younger sister's mandarin orange. She is 4 years old. Her birthday is on December 11.
Volvo Saigo (ボルボ西郷 Borubo Saigō) Policeman who works for new Katsushika station. It has the experience of wandering in the battlefield in the world as a mercenary before. All arms are always acquired probably because of Though there is a habit of firing indiscriminately when the danger of the body is felt It settled down considerably now though there was a habit of firing indiscriminately when the danger of the body was felt when having appeared. Life in the man society was long and immunity to the woman is weak (By bleeding at the nose at once) probably because of. The bee is not good of great. The lineage of the parents' family in Kyushu is a ninja. The birthday is December 31. Height 182cm and 95kg in weight. The blood type is A type.
Tatsunosuke Sakonji (左近寺竜之介 Sakonji Tatsunosuke) Policeman who works for new Katsushika station. It has an excellent skill for all combative sports (especially, judo). Moreover, it waits in the love game recently also though it was a combative sports game player. Recently, it got a girlfriend through the chat. The birthday is December 31. Height 182cm and 95kg in weight. The blood type is A type. The chest is 180cm, and the waist is 78cm. The hobby is a TV game and collects the figure.
Gomesu Tonda (屯田五目須 Tonda Gomesu) Head in new Katsushika station. The class is a police inspector. It renamed it in the name onomancy because of "Tsurukichi Kamemori(亀森鶴吉 Kamemori Thurukichi)" before. Shibamata living. Children are three people, and there are six grandchildren. The estimated age is 58 years old. The birthday is July 7.
Huang Liang Zhu Zhen Dao Yu Yan Dao Bu Duan Heng Bao Ying Guo Yin Liuan Hua Ming Mei San Hua Zhong Wu Zhen Panda Peng Gui Mu Yu Ling Chang Long You Chang Kuang Qi Ba Zhuan Qi Tai Duo Zhen Zhen （晃両猪禎断道語言道歩断横報応果因柳暗花明昧三華中舞振盤大朋圭睦郁玲昌龍酉暢匡起八転七台多鎮珍 Kōryan Chotei Dandō Gogon Dōho Dan'ō Hōō Gain Ryūan Kameimai Zanka Chūmai Buruban'ō Hōkei Bokuiku Reishō Ryūyū Chōkyōki Hattenshi Chidai Ōchinchin） Famous Chinese archeologist. Her voice is mysterious and pretty.
Yōichi Terai, voice by Shōzō Hayashiya (9th)
Plot
The typical Kochikame plot involves Ryo-san coming up with a money-making scheme by inventing a new gadget or capitalizing on a fad, achieving great success, calling on Nakagawa's help as thing turn sour, and finally losing it all as the fad runs out of steam or out of control. While the plots are gag-driven, much of the humor comes from the juxtaposition of mundane characters with the bizarrely incongruous (Nakagawa's wealth, Maria's sex, everyone's lack of actual police work), most of which is never explained or rationalized in the slightest.
Kochikame has a broad audience, ranging from adolescent boys to middle-aged salarymen. Much like Homer Simpson, Ryo-san’s antics appeal to children who can laugh at an old buffoon and to men fearing that they are becoming old buffoons themselves. The stories are generally innocent in content, and what little violence appears is comical, while the occasional risqué subjects are included strictly for laughs rather than to titillate. In another parallel to the Simpsons, Kochikame’s immense popularity has lead to guest appearances in the strip by Japanese celebrities such as Tetsuya Komuro.
For creator Osamu Akimoto, Kochikame is an ongoing homage to the working-class people and districts of old Tokyo, and most episodes open with an elaborate full-page illustration of a shitamachi street scene, typically with old wooden buildings and boys playing in the streets.
Adaptations and alternate media
The manga has spawned an animated television series, two animated movies, a live-action movie, and several stage adaptations. In addition, various toys and collectibles have been created, including some items that first appeared in the manga as creations of Ryo-san.The real-life Kochikame
Kameari Koen is an actual park in Tokyo's Katsushika ward; the police box is fictional but modeled after a real one located on the north side of Kameari railway station. The manga has brought considerable fame to the neighborhood, and draws sightseers from all over Japan to a (usually vacant) police box in a nondescript residential neighborhood. There is only a vacant lot where the police station is actually supposed to be located.In February 2006, a life-size bronze statue of Ryo-san was erected in front of Kameari station.
External links
- [Japanese Kochikame website]
- [Shueisha Kochikame website]
- [Fuji TV Kochikame website]
- [Kochikame Movie website]
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