Rascal the Raccoon
| Rascal the Raccoon | |
 Screenshot of the opening logo of Araiguma Rascal | |
| あらいぐまラスカル (Araiguma Rasukaru) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masaharu Endō Hiroshi Saitō (1-33) Shigeo Koshi (34-52) |
| Produced by | Junzō Nakajima Yoshio Katō |
| Written by | Akira Miyazaki Shōgo Ōta Kasuke Satō |
| Music by | Takeo Watanabe |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Original network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | 2 January 1977 – 25 December 1977 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Rascal the Raccoon (あらいぐまラスカル, Araiguma Rasukaru, literally Raccoon Rascal, with the Japanese word for raccoon meaning "washing bear") is a Japanese anime series by Nippon Animation.[1] It is based on the 1963 autobiographical novel Rascal, A Memoir of a Better Era by Sterling North.
Japanese cast
- Masako Nozawa as Rascal
- Toshihiko Utsumi as Sterling North
- Yoshiko Matsuo as Theodora "Theo" North
- Michiru Haga as Jessica North
- Masato Yamanouchi as Willard North
- Kuniko Kashii as Elisabeth North
- Yūji Shikamata as Oscar Sunderland
- Akio Nojima as Carl
- Eken Mine as Federiko
- Hisako Kyouda as Clarissa
- Ichirô Nagai as Thurman
- Kazuko Sugiyama as Sensei
- Masahiko Murase as Conway
- Masako Nozawa as Greta Sunderland
- Masaya Taki as Slammy
- Miina Tominaga as Alice
- Mikio Terashima as Doctor Michel
- Miyoko Asou as Hacket
- Takako Sasuga as Martha
- Takeshi Kuwabara as Arthur
- Tohru Furuya as Tom
- Toshiya Ueda as Futon
Music
The series uses two pieces of theme music for the opening theme and the ending theme. The opening theme song is called "Rock River e" (ロックリバーヘ, Rokku Ribâ e, lit. "To Rock River"), and the ending theme is "Oide Rascal" (おいでラスカル, Oide Rasukaru, lit. "Rascal Come"), both sung by the Japanese vocalist by Kumiko Oosugi. The opening theme was later used as the main gameplay theme for the 1981 arcade game Frogger. The show's music was composed by Takeo Watanabe, who worked on many anime of the 1970s and 80s.
Impact
In Japan, up to 1,500 raccoons were imported as pets each year after the success of Rascal the Raccoon (1977). In 2004, the descendants of discarded or escaped animals lived in 42 of 47 prefectures[2] and then to all 47 prefectures by 2008.[3] It has been claimed that Rascal was actually more popular than Mickey Mouse in Japan.[4]
Rascal appearances
Rascal was appeared in commercials, games and anime.
- The Adventures of Peter Pan (1989)
- Pokapoka Mori no Rascal (2006, aired in Kids Station)
- Araiguma Rascal Special in Monster Strike game (game and CM)
- Meitantei Rascal (2014, aired in NHK Educational TV)
Video games
- Araiguma Rascal: Raccoon Rascal, puzzle game developed by J-Force and published by Masaya on 25 March 1994 for the Super Famicom.
- Oide Rascal, action game developed and published by SETA Corporation on 25 April 2001 for the Game Boy Color.
References
- ^ "Araiguma rasukaru" (1977) Internet Movie Database (Retrieved 3 October 2009)
- ^ Yoshida, Reiji (2004-09-16). "Raccoons – new foreign menace?". The Japan Times Online. The Japan Times Ltd. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- ^ 山﨑晃司・佐伯緑・竹内正彦・及川ひろみ (2009). "茨城県でのアライグマの生息動向と今後の管理課題について" (PDF). 県自然博物館研究報告. 12: 41–49. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) Template:Ja - ^ Rascal Retrieved February 13, 2017
External links
- Rascal the Raccoon (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Rascal book and anime history site
 | This anime television series–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |