The Genie Family
| The Genie Family | |
 Screenshot of the series' opening title | |
| ハクション大魔王 (Hakushon Daimaō) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Ippei Kuri |
| Written by | Jinzō Toriumi |
| Studio | Tatsunoko Production |
| Original network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | October 5, 1969 – September 27, 1970 |
| Episodes | 52[1] |
The Genie Family (ハクション大魔王, Hakushon Daimaō) is an anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production.[2] It features the adventures of a family of Genies. It was shown in Europe, North America & Australia under the name Bob in a Bottle, in Latin America under the name Yam Yam y el Genio, and in Arabic speaking countries as El Fatah Borhan.
The series was English-dubbed by Saban with the name "Bob in a Bottle" featuring a brand new theme song, which later hit in Spanish, German, French and Hebrew. The English version did not air in the United States but it did air on YTV on Canada.
Plot
An old bottle has found its way to a modern family. A genie named Hakushon Daimaō (Bob), and his daughter, Akubi (Illana), reside inside the bottle. It is owned by a boy named Kan-chan (Joey). When he finds the bottle, he discovers that whenever anyone sneezes, the genie is brought out and must grant the wish of whoever sneezed. His daughter must do the same for whoever yawned. Getting these wishes granted may not be a good thing though; Bob is extremely clumsy and usually messes up the wishes he tries to grant. Illana is more capable than her father, but she is mischievous and likes to twist the words and meaning of everyone's wishes so that something bad usually comes of it.
Cast
Japanese version
- Hakushon Daimaō - Tōru Ōhira
- Akubi - Takako Sasuga
- Taidaimaō - Ichirō Nagai
- Shakkuri-sensei - Hisako Kyōda
- Kan-chan - Midori Katō
- Papa - Isamu Tanonaka
- Mama - Mitsuko Asō
- Gejigon - Kazuya Tatekabe
- Yuriko-chan - Minori Matsushima
- Burukō - Tarō Sagami
- Sorekara-ojisan - Kinya Aikawa
English version
- Bob - Gary Jewell
- Joey - Sonja Ball
- Mr. Carter - Richard Dumont
- Mrs. Carter/Chauncey - Jane Woods
- Illana - Liz MacRae
- Tilly - A.J. Henderson
- Dora/Miss Green - Kathleen Fee
- Additional Voices - Terrence Scammell, Mark Hellman, Pauline Little, Arthur Holden
Spinoffs
The Hakushon Daimaō franchise made a comeback in the 2000s with two animated spinoff series produced by Tatsunoko and directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa, featuring Hakushon Daimaō's daughter Akubi-chan as the central character.
Yobarete Tobedete! Akubi-chan
Yobarete, Tobidete! Akubi-chan (26 episodes, 2001–2002) features Akubi (now voiced by Asuka Tanii) befriending a shy young girl named Koron Nemuta (voiced by Sakura Nogawa), who has a habit of yawning (thus summoning Akubi forth from her bottle) whenever she is embarrassed.
Akubi Girl
Akubi returned in 2006's Akubi Girl (also 26 episodes), in which Akubi befriends first-grader Ruru-chan and attempts to help grant the girl's wish of becoming close friends with Itoshi-kun, the classmate on whom Ruru has a secret crush.
Other appearances
- A statue of Hakushon Daimaō can be seen in the first episode of the 2008 series of Yatterman.
- Hakushon Daimaō is featured in the Japanese version of the fighting game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes. Due to licensing issues, the character was removed from the Western release and Japanese re-release, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars.[3]
- A brief reference to the series is made in the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers episode, "A Dark Reflection On You" in which clips from the English intro (Bob in a Bottle) are shown on a miniature television. Bulk states that it is his favorite cartoon. It also appeared at the end of the season 2 episode "The Power Stealer", where Skull enjoys watching.
References
- ^ "ハクション大魔王". Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ "Tatsunoko Pro". Tatsunoko Productions. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ "Japanese Version of Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars Also Missing Hakushon Daimao". Andria Sang. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
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