Igano Kabamaru

• Type — manga • Author — Yū Azuki • Publisher — Shueisha • Magazine — Bessatsu Margaret • First — August 1979 • Last — February 1982 • Volumes — 12

• Type — tv series • Director — Tameo Kohanawa • Producer — Masamichi Fujiwara Shigeji Tsuiki Minoru Ohno Toru Horikoshi • Writer — Koichi Kobayashi Shigeru Yanagawa Tokio Tsuchiya Tomomi Tsutsui • Music — Toshiyuki Kimori • Studio — Group TAC Toho • Network — Nippon Television • First — 20 October 1983 • Last — 29 March 1984 • Episodes — 24

• Type — live film • Director — Norifumi Suzuki • Studio — Toei Kyoto Co. Ltd • Released — 6 August 1983 • Runtime — 96 min. Igano Kabamaru is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Azuki. The eponymous protagonist is a naive young ninja from the Iga province called Kagemaru (absolute shadow), nicknamed Kabamaru (hippo's mouth) for his insatiable appetite. Following the death of his strict grandfather and ninja sensei, Kabamaru moves to Tokyo with one of his grandfather's acquaintances. The plot primarily revolves around Kabamaru's adjustment to urban life after growing up in the mountains, his burgeoning feelings for his guardian's granddaughter, and his involvement in the rivalry between two private schools. Igano Kabamaru has been adapted into both an anime series and a live-action film.

Kabamaru was raised by his strict grandfather Saizō Igano, who trained him and another young orphan, Hayate Kirino in the ninja arts. When Saizō dies, Kabamaru meets Saizō's old friend Ran Ookubo. Following Saizō's request, Ran takes Kabamaru to Tokyo, where he is to stay in her house and attend her private school, Kin'gyoku. Kabamaru takes a liking to Ran's granddaughter Mai Ookubo, Ran's granddaughter, but she finds his coarse manners and endless appetite embarrassing and repulsive. Kin'gyoku School has been engaged in a bitter rivalry with Ōgyoku School for half a century. Ran and Ōgyoku headmistress Suu Matsuno were romantic rivals for Saizō's love, while Shuu Maejima, head of the Ōgyoku student council, and Shizune Mejiro, a student council member at Kin'gyoku, are scions of feuding wealthy families. Kabamaru becomes an unwitting pawn of the student council members in their various machinations. Complicating matters is Hayate, who has been forced into Suu's employ after running away from Saizō's harsh training. The rivalry escalates until Hayate kidnaps Mai, triggering an all-out confrontation between the students and staff of both schools and a duel between Hayate and a reluctant Kabamaru. Kabamaru prevails, seemingly causing Hayate to drown. However, Hayate is saved by Saizō, who had faked his death to introduce Kabamaru to the next stage of ninja training and the responsibilities of adulthood. Hayate and Kabamaru, now reconciled, decide to return with Saizō to the mountains to continue their training, but not before Mai reveals her newfound feelings for Kabamaru and they promise to meet again.

• Kabamaru Igano: Ryūsei Nakao • Young Kabamaru: Masako Nozawa • Mai Ookubo: Mai Tachihara • Hayate Kirino: Hideyuki Tanaka • Young Hayate: Eiko Yamada • Shizune Mejiro: Akira Kamiya • Saizō Igano: Kenichi Ogata • Young Saizō: Ryūsei Nakao • Ran Ookubo: Eiko Yamada • Suu Matsuno: Masako Nozawa • Vice Principal: Yūsaku Yara • Kaoru Nonogusa: Youko Asagami • Shirakawa: Daisuke Gōri • Shū Maejima: Akio Nojima • Futaba Mejiro: Kenjirō Ishimaru • Kaname Mejiro: Shigeru Chiba

The Igano Kabamaru manga was serialized in Bessatsu Margaret from August 1979 to February 1982, with total 12 volumes of books released. • Volume list • Volume — Original Publication date — Japanese ISBN • 1 — September 1980 • 2 — October 1980 • 3 — November 1980 • 4 — July 1981 • 5 — August 1981 • 6 — April 1982 • 7 — May 1982 • 8 — June 1982 • 9 — February 1984 • 10 — March 1984 • 11 — September 1984 • 12 — October 1984 In 2015 a new manga sequel of Igano Kabamaru was released, titled "Igano Kabamaru Sorikara" (伊賀野カバ丸★そりから) serialized in "Monthly YOU" magazine.

The anime series was produced by Group TAC and Toho. The 24 episodes were broadcast in Japan by Nippon Television between October 20, 1983, and March 29, 1984, every Thursday from 19:00 to 19:30. Despite its low popularity in Japan, it became a cult classic in Greece, mainly due to the humorously low quality of its English-based dubbing. The anime also gained a devoted audience in the Arabic peninsula, where it was broadcast dubbed in Arabic.