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Kochikame's New 1-Hour Anime Special Previewed in Video
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
Fuji TV began streaming a video on Saturday to preview the Kochikame television anime special that will air on the network on September 18 at 9:00 a.m. (Note: the linked video is region-locked to Japan.) The video reveals the special's full title as "Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo THE FINAL: Ryōtsu Kankichi Saigo no Hi" (Kochikame THE FINAL: Kankichi Ryōtsu's Last Day).
The hour-long special is commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the serialization of Osamu Akimoto's original manga. The special's guest cast features voice actors who have voiced lead roles in anime adaptations of Weekly Shonen Jump manga, including:
- Junko Takeuchi (Naruto's titular character) as Sabrina
- Akira Kamiya (Kinnikuman's titular character) as Kidnapper leader
- Takeshi Kusao (Slam Dunk's Sakuragi Hanamichi) as Kidnapper
- Ryōtarō Okiayu (Toriko's titular character) as Kidnapper
- Masakazu Morita (Bleach's Ichigo Kurosaki) as Kidnapper
The anime special's story centers on Sabrina, a princess of the Attakaino Kingdom who looks exactly like Lemon Giboshi. She is kidnapped when she visits Japan, and Ryōtsu rescues her and shows her around Shitamachi before more trouble breaks out.
The cast of LaSalle Ishii, Yumi Morio, Mitsuru Miyamoto, and Haruki Sayama are reprising their roles from the 1996-2004 television anime as Kankichi Ryotsu, Reiko Akimoto, Keiichi Nakagawa, and Daijiro Ohara, respectively.
Akira Shigeno is once again directing the anime at Studio Gallop. Takashi Yamada is penning the script, Makoto Seino from Fuji TV is credited for planning, and Tomoko Takahashi from ADK is credited as producer.
Akimoto's Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo ("Kochikame") police comedy manga centers on the crazy adventures of middle-aged policeman Kankichi Ryōtsu. Akimoto debuted Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo in 1976, and it has become Weekly Shonen Jump's longest-running manga series.
Akimoto announced on Saturday that he will end the manga on September 17 after a 40-year serialization, with the manga's 200th and final volume shipping on the same day as the Weekly Shonen Jump issue containing the final chapter. The manga has more than 150 million copies in print.
Thanks to Dennis R. for the embedded video.
