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The End here and The Beginning elsewhere

Hello, I'm back after two years, and I could not have picked a worse time to get back into Time Bokan. As everybody knows there's a Tumblr purge going on, and though I haven't posted anything too NSFW I don't see how I'm going to post anything on here anymore. But this is not the end...

It's still a WIP, but I've moved over to Wordpress for all future posts and updates. Starting 2019, I'll be posting on a daily basis again there. There's still the Youtube channel to check out, and possibly a Twitter account in the near future too:

New Wordpress site:

https://timebokan.home.blog/

Youtube Account:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUVm8n4wwp1luhLooZ9MtQ

To all who followed me here, thanks for checking this blog out. And I hope to hear from you again soon....

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Time Bokan Mechas: Yatter-Wan (1977 Yatterman and spin-offs)

Yatter-Wan (Yatta-Can in Italy, called Yatter-Ruff in the English version of the Royal Revival OVAs) is the first and most iconic of the mechas used by the Yatterman. A combination of a dog and a firetruck, he's the go-to mecha in the first half of the series, helping the Yatterman travel to another part of the world in only a few hours.

Yatter-Wan was an unfinished robot designed by toymaker Tokubei Takada, which Gan-chan and Ai-chan decided to work on and finish by themselves. Upon his initial activation, he states that his duty is to protect the world and the people that inhabit it. This prompts the two kids to become the Yatterman and set out to stop the Dorombo gang from causing trouble in their hunt for the Dokuro Stone fragments.

As with many other characters Yatter-Wan's name is based off a pun, with wan being the Japanese onomatopoeia for barking (and from wan-chan, an affectionate term for dogs in Japan), while also sounding like the English pronounciation of the number one. The Italian version instead turns it into a play on the word cane, Italian for dog.

Activated by the turn of a crank, Yatter-Wan blares his siren with one hand and pulls a lever to move himself forward with the other. On the side of his shoulders and his stomach are handles for the Yatterman to hold onto and for Omochama to sit on, and on top of his nose is a bell that’s rung when they’re ready to depart. 

When feeling proud and confident, flags are raised from his cheeks to display his feelings. When dealing with a situation directly, he can fire cannonballs through his nose, and has hoses at the ready in case a fire needs to be put out.

One of Yatter-Wan’s well-known.traits is to happily exclaim his name and stomp his foot during a victory pose, which always knocks Omochama over. Despite that, Yatter-Wan actually had little in terms of characterization, though one episode depicted him as being quite stubborn unless spoken to by Ai-chan

When the Dorombo gang's mecha overpowers him (which they always do), the Yatterman feed him a Mecha-Moto bone (Mecha tonic) that provides Yatter-Wan with a boost of energy, which is mostly converted into surprise mini-mechas that walk onwards from a ladder concealed in his mouth.

Yatter-Wan's often consists of gators, turtles, hippos, ants, mice and skunks. Their appearance usually spelled defeat for the Dorombo gang, though they eventually found ways to combat against them, usually with their own mini-mechas. These occurrences sometimes prompted the Yatterman or Yatter-Wan to take actions into their own hands, or in some cases end with the Dorombo gang defeating themselves due to an oversight or stupidity

However in episode 45, The Secret of the Snow Woman, Koron!, a last ditch missile attack from the Dorombo gang proves to be too much for Yatter-Wan and the Yatter-Mecha is left in critical condition. Luckily, the Yatterman are able to rebuild him as the larger Yatter-King by the next episode.

By the time the events of Royal Revival occur, Yatter-Wan has apparently been upgraded again to Yatter-Wan FZ, a bigger, stronger, more detailed version of the original. Yatter-Wan FZ now has several new features such as built in rockets, an entire orchestra to signal the surprise mini-mechas, and the inability to be seduced by other mechas like the Dorombo gang's Sailor Mun-Mun mecha.

The original Yatter-Wan appears as a boss in the shooters Bokan to Ippatsu! Dorombo! and Bokandesuyo, with Yatter-Wan FZ also being a boss in the latter. He is also an unlockable racer in Bokan GoGoGo, though he doesn't have part in the game's story.

Yatter-Wan also features prominently in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom as the basis for Yatterman-1 / Gan-chan's Supers, running the opponent over, breathing fire on them, or deploying the mini crocodile mechas to attack. In Chun-Li's CGOH ending, he assists her in taking out a Shadaloo base by deploying little explosive Chun-Li mechas.

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To celebrate 60 followers, here's a snippet of an early demo version of what would become Gyakuten! Ippatsuman's theme. While some of the lyrics and melody are the same, it's a bit different from the epic feeling the final song had.

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Marjo’s gang from an earlier version of the original Time Bokan’s intro.

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The Ties to Time Bokan : Ape Escape / Saru Get You (Pipotron Brothers)

Before I get into the "tie" of this post, let me summarize the slightly less obscure Ape Escape / Saru Get Chu video game series. Warning: Lengthy paragraphs and spoilers below...

The general story is that a kid, like Spike to name one, usually goes around capturing monkeys led by Specter, a white monkey wearing a Peak Point Helmet that makes him intelligent and evil. The spin-off game Pumped and Primed introduced the Pipotrons, a darker take on the concept of monkeys "enhanced" by helmets.

These apes were hunted and killed by a mad scientist who proceeded to use them in some sort of lightbulb experiment that revived them as powerful mutants. After Pumped and Primed, the Pipotrons would go on to make several appearances in later games in the series.

You're probably asking me how Ape Escape or the Pipotrons relate to anything Time Bokan at this point. It stems from the second season of the series' second animated adaptation.

Named Saru Get Chu ~On Air~, it aired from 2006 to 2007 with 78 ten minute episodes. It was never officially localized, but most of the first season has been subbed for those that are interested. It made drastic changes to how some of the characters are portrayed and their origins, but none as drastic as the Pipotrons themselves.

Here called the Pipotron Brothers, they are goofy, bumbling schemers who wish to aim "big" through any means possible. When they first appear, they are looking for the elusive Pipo Angel, as they believe that obtaining one gold feather or five silver ones from it will grant them a wish. With groups of Pipo Monkeys under their command, Spike and friends set out to stop whatever mischief they cause.

Their behavior and characterization in the anime is more reminiscent of the Dorombo gang and also that of Muteking's Kurodako Brothers in regards to causing trouble with silly methods. Unlike those groups, the Pipotron Brothers' antics aren't inherently malicious and don't mean to (intentionally) threaten the world.

Pipotron Red is the hot headed leader of the group, and can be impatient and commanding as Doronjo at times and a brilliant inventor and dramatic actor like Boyacky at others. It's through the use of his Banana Mike that he is able to command the Pipo Monkeys to do his bidding, though they hardly grasp his orders.

Pipotron Blue takes after Boyacky and Grocky as the sniveling yes man that obeys his superior regardless of what happens. Though he is supportive of Red and will encourage him and warn him about any flaws, he'll take small glee in seeing Red's antics backfire as long as he's not in the crossfire. He's also the one most often to directly confront Spike and crew, with little results to show for it.

Pipotron Yellow does the least amount of work and the least prominence of the three, but is otherwise different than Tonzura. He's only capable of saying "Pipo" in some fashion, and has a bit of a childlike mentality to him. He does display some eccentric behavior from time to time similar to Yattodetaman's Alan Sukando, such as using a sunflower as deodorant.

The Pipo Angel itself is similar to the Jujaku Phoneix from Yattodetaman in that both are mystical flying beings that disguise themselves as objects and are sought by the bad trios of their respective shows. Though while the Jujaku is determined to judge who is worthy of ruling a kingdom, the Pipo Angel has a far darker purpose.

Turns out all of this was the work of usual Ape Escape mastermind Specter. This version of the menacing monkey is specifically the helmet itself,  from another world at that, much like how Dokurobei's true form is the alien Dokuro Stone and his method of talking to others via a robot or projection of him.

Another trait the two have in common is that both manipulate their respective gangs with the promise of a false reward in order to obtain a body, though where Dokurobei was simply wanting restore his original body, Specter wanted to steal his.

The Pipo Angel fiasco was basically testing the Pipotron Brothers to see if they were gullible enough to control, and upon them obtaining five silver feathers he gifted them with a stylish car. Not long after, Specter invited them to participate in a race with the knowledge that they'd goad Spike and friends into coming along and pitting them against his loyal Pipo Monkeys.

All of this was for prepping up the Pipo Angel as a host body for himself. The race track was giant generator that gathered energy from the racers participating, which was then used to power a device containing the Pipo Angel, allowing Specter to assimilate it's body and mind into that of his own, ensuring complete and permanent control over it.

Once Specter returns, he effectively makes the Pipotron Brothers his lackeys and encourages the trio to become big by making an impact globally, again with an ulterior motive. Their following antics are slightly more troublesome, from attempting to collaborate with pop star Yumi/Sayaka to attempting to start a corporation, but not by much.

The true purpose of these endeavors was that the happy Pipo Monkeys that followed the brothers served to charge a giant wave of energy that would turn the entire world's human population into moronic Pipo Monkeys. Once the Pipotron Brothers figure this out, they seek to redeem themselves by helping Spike and friends defeat Specter.

From there on out the Pipotron Brothers become minor reoccurring characters, still hoping to become big while supporting the heroes whenever possible, They even get their own mecha towards the end of the show, but anything more would be better off for a Ape Escape blog.

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The Ties To Time Bokan: Okami (Waka)

Waka, the mysterious eccentric figure that crosses paths with Amaterasu in Okami, has several inspirations, including one related to the Time Bokan series.

Keeping in line with the game's Shinto mythology, his appearance is similar to that of a tengu. But Waka’s design and looks also pay homage to development team Clover’s past work and the staff’s favorite shows growing up, with some of his dialogue and actions invoking Devil May Cry's Dante and Viewtiful Joe.

As admitted by one of the character designers, Waka also takes cues from Tatsunoko characters, specifically from the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman and Yattodetaman. For starters, his hood has a bird motif going on and resembles the wing-like capes that the Gatchaman team sport.

Like Yattodetaman, Waka often introduces himself by playing a flute which can double as a sword, complete with a speech that would feel at home in a Tatsunoko anime. Parts of Waka's theme even sound like Yattodetaman's theme at times, particularly the section that Waka himself plays when showing off.

Interestingly, their personalities are somewhat inverted. Whereas Yattodetaman is really an aloof kid that supposedly summons courage to become his brave alter-ego, Waka knows more than he lets on and his wacky mannerisms masks some of his true feelings.

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The Ties to Time Bokan: Babes in Toyland

I can't believe I’m just now posting this, but Babes in Toyland is probably the codifier for nearly everything mentioned before in these "Ties to Time Bokan" posts, including the series itself and especially Yatterman.

Beginning as an operetta in 1903, the plot for most versions is that in a world based off Mother Goose nursery rhymes, a young person (with or without a sibling) is separated from home due to some form of mistreatment and winds up in Toyland. The main antagonist is usually a crooked man named Barnaby sometimes aided by two lackeys, pirates Gorgonzo and Roderigo.

His goal is to rid himself of the child(ren), in some adaptations his nephew and/or niece, marry a girl against her will, usually named Contrary Mary, and inherit a fortune from one of the two previous actions. It's when the characters have an encounter with the resident Toymaker and an army of toy soldiers that the outcome of the story is determined.

It should be noted that in the original operetta the Toymaker was a mad scientist and collaborator of Barnaby, who was more sinister in the original operetta. The Toymaker is killed by his own toys with Barnaby dying from drinking poison meant for one of the siblings. Several adaptations have the Toymaker as a benevolent friendly figure that inadvertently causes mischief and Barnaby as a more bumbling baddie, with both characters living through the story.

Barnaby himself is based on the 1842 nursery rhyme "There Was a Crooked Man", the rhyme possibly being the origin of these types of villains in media. His depiction in 1934 starring Laurel and Hardy had the then common cliche of being dressed in black clothing, in contrast to the (presumably) more colourful looking outfits of the other characters. This was carried over to subsequent portrayals of the character.

It's probably the 1961 Disney adaptation that had the most influence. Shortly after Barnaby and his goons Gongorzo and Roderigo are introduced, they perform a song about how bad they are and how they'll go out of their way to achieve their fortune. This version of Barnaby is shown to be impatient and reckless with accomplishing his goal. Notably, when he finds out that his goons failed to get rid of Tom, the hero in this adaptation, he physically lashes out against them in a comedic fashion.

This take on Gongorzo and Roderigo is also likely the foundation for future bad trios. While some versions had them as minor pirates initially hired to deal with our hero(es), here they are Barnaby's sidekicks that pay homage to Laurel and Hardy (and a nod to the 1934 version, which incidentally had a cameo from Mickey Mouse). Gongorzo is the relatively smarter of the two and questions his boss' motives, while Roderigo is a silent, dimwitted yet loyal friend to him that does more of the physical work.

Of course, some of this takes root in the original Time Bokan, with the original evil trio having musical numbers about how bad they are and seeking vast wealth, with Marjo's traits in line with Barnaby's and Grocky and Walsa acting similar to the 1961 versions of Gongorzo and Roderigo in personality (and swapped with appearance, ie. the lanky Roderigo has more in common with the bulky Walsa than Grocky)

The similarities intensify with it's sequel series Yatterman. The titular heroes have a general toy motif going on, from the usage of them as weapons to the bright and colourful looking mechas. And from what little we see of him, Gan-chan's father Tokubei, a toymaker himself, seems to be in line with the good-natured yet clumsy depictions of the Toymaker.

Babes in Toyland features characters based off nursery rhymes and fairy tale characters, which is especially prominent in the 1934 adaptation. The world of Yatterman also has parodies of various fairy tale characters and lands, including actual historical people and places from other time eras!

In addition to what was mentioned above with the previous villains, Boyacky and Tonzura wear clothes with colours similar to 1961 Roderigo and Gongorzo, and like how Barnaby aims to marry the young Contrary Mary, Doronjo eventually seeks the youthful Yatterman-1/Gan-chan, although for comparatively innocent reasons.

Several versions of Babes in Toyland have a climatic scene where an army of toys fight against Barnaby, with toy soldiers playing instruments to sound the charge. Every episode of Yatterman has a climatic battle with toy-like surprise mini-mechas fighting against the Dorombo gang's big mecha. And little robots dressed like soldiers pop out of the Yatter-Mecha to play an instrument to announce their deployment.

The 2008 Yatterman movie, The New Yatter-Mecha Group! Decisive Battle in the Toy Kingdom,  also deserves a mention. The setting is a literal Toyland, some of Tokubei’s inventions are used for evil by the main villain, Pa-Zulu, and the Dorombo gang's role is more directly akin to Barnaby's goons in that they aid Pa-Zulu for power and money and become reluctant when he proves to be too malicious like the 61 versions of the pirates.

If the original Time Bokan is the equivalent Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines, Yatterman can be considered one to Babes in Toyland.

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The first PV for Time Bokan 24, coming this October!  Guess it’s time for me to start getting used to a new evil trio…

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Zenderman Character Biography: Judgement/Trial Machine

The Judgement/Trial Machine (it goes back and forth between the two names throughout the series) is a machine that serves as judge, jury, and exicutioner to the Akudaman at the end of every Zenderman episode and serves as a carry over of the punishment gag from Yatterman. It's never explained who actually designed it, though it's possible Toboke made it.

Speaking in a deep monotone voice, the machine goes over the Akudaman gang's prior course of actions and determines the cause of failure. Unlike Dokurobei's methods of punishment, this machine is designed to single out one member of the Akudaman trio to blame for their failures, although these rulings can be just as unfair at times and all three members occasionally got punished together.

A notable feature of the Judgement / Trial Machine is it's red gavel which it loudly bangs when summoning the evil trio. It also comes equipped with treads and an arsenal of guns and claws. With that said, most of these features are seldom seen and only prominently displayed on the toy of the machine and when it appears in the game Bokandesuyo as a boss.

Nyaravolta was never subjected to any punishment and even controlled some of the torture devices, possibly because he really didn't do anything during the Akudaman gang's escapades. But for the last punishment on the show, Toboke ensured that the cat would get his dues by being shot out of a cannon alongside Muujo so they would both "ascend to the heavens".

In the penultimate episode, the Judgement Machine drops the monotone voice and gets furious when the Akudaman don't show up. This is because they did succeed for a change, having finally found the Elixir of Life and also defeating the Zenderman's Zender-Gorilla.

In the following finale, the conclusion has the Akudaman reduced to babies due to said Elixir and summoned by an increasingly impatient Judgement Machine. When it saw what happened to them, it was so enraged that it blew itself up and sent the infants flying towards a log in the midst of rapids.

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Time Bokan Turnip Has Returned! (Sorta)

Sorry I've been gone for half a year without so much as a notice! I'll just say that 2016 has turned out to be quite the stressful year for me, and that I still need to deal with a couple of things before I'm up for completely resuming any work on this blog. But I'm at least semi-active again, and I got some news all around!

As most you probably know by now, as part of their 55th anniversary, Tatsunoko has announced Time Bokan 24, the newest entry in the Time Bokan series set to premiere in October. Level-5 (Professor Layton, Yo-Kai Watch) has assisted with the design of the new show and it appears to draw a lot of influence from the original Time Bokan series.

According to Newbokan, large scale tie-in media is potentially being planned, possibly including a video game based on this new iteration of Time Bokan (not surprising, seeing how it's Level-5). I'll be covering info about it in later posts, and hopefully find more information and reveal it here first!

In light of this, and the general response I've received on the matter, I've decided that the original Time Bokan, the show that started it all, will be the first to receive a translation! The subbed version will be done first, and though I got most of the material needed for a dub that will have to wait for a bit. I'll go into more detail on what I've got in store for this series over the next few days as well.

Lastly, I've got tons of unused messages that I need to answer, from addressing Zenderman's Judgement/Trial Machine, the lack of Yatterman Night bios, and possibly more information about Hissatsuman! I also have information about Yatter-Wan, new Time Bokan narrator Shigeru Chiba, and hopefully that blasted Babes in Toyland comparison that I wanted done by last Christmas!

The bad news is that my posts will be infrequent compared to daily like before. The earliest I might return full time is possibly when Time Bokan 24 premieres in October, but I can't guarantee that. I am busy studying and also cobbling together resources to make it possible to make a Time Bokan translation or even these posts. I thank you all for the support, and again I apologize for the absence and hope I can continue to deliver as much as I can about the entirety of the Time Bokan franchise to the West and beyond!

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Whats the story behind Ohana in the original 70s Yatterman? I saw an unused Italian version where Ohana seemed to be called Anna, and Boyacky seemed to leave on a train while Anna called out for him. After telling this to Doronjo, and Tonzra, they hit Boyacky. I'm kinda of curious as to what they context to the story was, and why they hit Boyacky after it.

Ohana is an old flame of Boyacky that he gave up (alongside a career as a noodle chef) for a life of crime, usually brought up as part of a sob story to make others pity him and whose face is always obscured. She’s also mentioned by Boyacky’s counterparts in the other Time Bokan series, interpret that how you will. Apparently, she was based on a real life childhood friend of series director Hiroshi Sasagawa.

For the most part, any mention of Ohana served as little more than a gag. The 90s spin-offs (Royal Revival and Heisei Time Bokan) expanded on it by having Boyacky married to Ohana and having a daughter (Happy) together. Torn between his current lifestyle and a chance to help his old friends during a evil tio race, Boyacky opts to reunite with the Dorombo gang after much drama. Despite only having to leave long enough to do one last caper after the race, Boyacky instead flees to Las Vegas afterwards and returns to the Dorombo gang for more hi-jinks, briefly bumping into his daughter during their social reform phase.

Ohana becomes a major focus of the 2008 Yatterman’s 34th episode, and here it’s played in a more serious fashion. Boyacky receives a letter from Ohana, who assumes he’s gone on to become a great noodle chef and is unaware of his activities in the Dorombo gang. (though the letter being among fanmail for the whole gang might suggest otherwise) This brings back bittersweet memories of his past, and he seriously considers between staying with the Dorombo gang or reuniting with his sweetheart. Obviously Boyacky stays, be he again thinks about going back to Ohana in the last episode.

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I know that the Time Bokan heroes are NPC racers, but I’m not so sure about some of them and the Flower Detective Trio being playable. The only way to know would be to find and play Bokan GoGoGo, but from what gameplay I’ve seen, it’s really not worth the effort.

Is it true that in Bokan Go Go Go, you can unlock Yatter-wan, the Zenderman lion train(forgot its name), & the Flower detective trio as racers, while the other hero cars are unplayable? I remember hearing that somewhat, as well as those cars don't get a story/cutscenes.

I couldn’t say!  I never actually played Bokan Go Go Go!, so what’s actually in the game or if there are any unlockables is unknown to me.  I’d ask @timebokanturnip!

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From what I've seen of the Yatterman movie, you can see the strings tying Boyacky, and Tonzura's noses to their faces. Are their noses part of their costume in the movie universe, or is this part of the movies intentional camp factor?

The fake noses (and belly buttons) are definitely a joke and are intentionally supposed to look bad. Every other character has an elaborate costume or clothes of some sort, even Doronjo, while Boyacky and Tonzura have rather half-baked costumes in comparison. I find it to be one of the best gags of the film, and it helps add to the absurdity of the whole thing.

In-universe, the two seemingly treat their prop body parts like real ones since they sport them at all times regardless of appearance. The one exception is when Boyacky attempts to stage a proposal to Doronjo and gets her heel smack dab in his face instead, resulting in the moment shown above.

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Yatterman Character Biography: Omochama (2009 Live Action Film)

Through the usage of CGI, Omochama appears in the live action theatrical adaptation of Yatterman, behaving more or less identically to how he usually does. Though his role here is smaller compared to other works, he still plays a pivotal part in the story.

He has a more mechanical design compared to prior versions of the little robot. Sections of his metallic dice shaped body stick out when his limbs give way, his eyes are now a grey cog and a smaller blue one that are able to move around, with his inner structure full of cogs and clockwork in nature, and the red cog that serves as his mouth is now somewhat obscured by the frame of his hea.

After the Yatterman return from their battle with the Dorombo gang in Ogypt, Omochama starts analyzing the two Dokuro Stone fragments currently in their possession, and discovers something quite shocking. Just as he is about to reveal the secret of the Dokuro Stone to Gan-chan and Shoko, he vanishes due to the artifact's influence.

Luckily, he was able to leave this important data behind for the Yatterman. The Dokuro Stone makes objects disappear whenever it's fragments glow, and will begin to tear the world apart once fully complete. Yet in that state it can quickly be destroyed and reverse whatever damage it may have caused.

Omochama is rescued later on when the Yatterman pull him and the Dorombo gang out of a vortex opened by the Dokuro Stone, and thanks to his advice they are able to destroy the Dokuro Stone and reverse the damage it has done to the world.

This version of Omochama appears (somewhat off-model) in the second special of the 2008 Yatterman series, where that show's Omochama asks him if he's seen Kyoko Fukuda, thought to be in possession of a Dokuro Ring.

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hey im trying to remember the names of this trio of anime villains where two of em look like wario and waluigi and their leader is a lady that loves french fries; i know ur good at knowing this kind of obscure stuff and wondered if you can help me out

Those are the villains of Time Bokan! Team Rocket and similar screw-up, robot-building villain teams are pretty much a direct homage to them, though that routine also goes back farther to Anpanman’s nemesis, Baikinman.

I’ve only seen little tiny bits and pieces of the Time Bokan franchise, but it’s interesting because almost every incarnation of it going back to the 70′s is a total re-imagining with a different continuity and all the characters have different names and designs, even though certain things stay exactly the same.I think this is roughly chronological, roughly:

(^this version was the most famous and reused in newer reboots)

One time there was also a kitty!

I’ve only seen like four episodes across two series but yes these assholes are always as lovable as they look. They sing little songs while they build giant robot piranhas and shit! They get blown into the sky every episode! They’re shitty to each other but deep down they really care! They seem like the real reason Time Bokan is remembered fondly in Japan.

The “protagonists” aren’t too forgettable though either. I mean, there’s no way you can forget heroic giant mecha this fucking ludicrous:

I swear to god in one series the good guy robot was just a cat in a pink dress with a parasol that flew around in a standing position like Mary Poppins but I can’t find that now. Did I hallucinate it??

I think in one of these series the three goofball villains are actually cops and the two protags are Lupin-like master thieves, too? I really don’t know as much about Time Bokan as I’d like.

Sadly I dunno if the latest spinoff series is watchable or not, and not just because it’s a darker and more serious reboot where nobody looks like Waluigi at all.

With the role of the usual sexy villainess now going to a little kid I am already skeeved and reluctant to give it much of a chance, which is a shame because it has an awesome premise where those goodie-good heroes with the giant baby-toy robot accidentally spawned a tyrannical, cult-like empire. This kid is the descendant of the original villain (whom she idolizes but might not grasp that she was evil?) and now the central protagonist fighting to free the human race.

That is such a cool concept. Does anyone know any other series where the heroes and villains completely switch roles like that later on?

And even with a more realistic art style they still have fundamentally absurd robot concepts.

I heard it wasn’t too pervy but that was some time ago and I’ve been betrayed by anime pretty hardcore over the years.

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The Voices of Time Bokan: Chiaki Takahashi

Chiaki Takahashi is the current voice of Omochama starting from the 2008 Yatterman anime, koron! Other prominent characters that she voiced include Neeton and about half of the gag robots in the 2008 series, and Lord Oda in Yoru no Yaterman / Yatterman Night.

Though Takahashi had done voice acting and dubbing as early as 1997, her career really began to flourish during 2005. Around the same time, she became part of the short lived musical group Aice5, and still performs from time to time as a solo singer as well as a gravure idol.

Chiaki Takahashi, alongside Noriko Ohara, Doronjo’s usual VA, for a promotional shot with the main cast of the 2008 Yatterman show.

Her characters in the Yatterman series are a bit more absurd compared to her roles in other television series and video games. Examples are Majenkon'nu / Arfoire and Magic the Hard / CFW Magic in Hyperdimension Neptunia, Azusa Miura and Reiko Takahashi (the latter in likeness only) from the iDOLM@STER series, Litchi Faye-Ling in Blazblue, and Nanami Kanroji from the School Days VNs and anime.

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The back of the 2008 Yatterman soundtrack booklet, featuring the mugs of the Dorombo gang and an assortment of their iconic gag robots. I had issues scanning this one, so I tried to polish it up with mild success.