The Monster Kid

Did You Know?

• In the live-action drama, Count Dracula often puts English phrases in every sentence.
• The demon group in the story is called Demonish.

Cast

Tarou Kaibutsu, a little boy who can metamorph, was voiced by Fuyumi Shiraishi in the 1968 series and by Masako Nozawa in the 1980 series. Hiroshi Ichikawa, Taro's friend who lives with his sister Utako, was voiced by Minori Matsushima in 1968 and by Katsue Miwa in 1980. Utako Ichikawa, Hiroshi's older sister and caretaker, was voiced by Mariko Mukai in 1968 and by Chiyoko Kawashima in 1980. Count Dracula, a vampire who drinks tomato juice and ends sentences with "damasu", was voiced by Hiroshi Ohtake in 1968 and by Kaneta Kimotsuki in 1980. Frankenstein's Monster, large and not especially smart, was voiced by Masao Imanishi in 1968 and by Taro Sagami or Shingo Kanemoto in 1980. Kaibutsu Daiō, Taro's father and King of Monsterland, was voiced by Dai Kanai in 1980. Kaiko-chan, Taro's girlfriend, was voiced by Eiko Masuyama in both series. Other 1980 cast members include Reizō Nomoto as Doctor Noh, Shigeru Chiba as Fishman, Ken'ichi Ogata as Nonbirasu, Hiroshi Ohtake or Shun Yashiro as Bem, Eiko Yamada as Demokin, Keiko Han as Ako, Sanji Hase as Kizao, and Kiyonobu Suzuki as Banno.

Media

A live-action TV drama adaptation aired on Nippon TV in 2010 with nine episodes. Two drama specials followed in June 2010 and October 2011, with the author of Kaibutsu-kun appearing as a guest in the first special. The drama series differs from the anime in setting and characters; Hiroshi's classmates do not appear, and new characters include Wolfman's daughter, the landlady of Arama-sō, and a policeman. The theme song is "Monster" by the Japanese boy band Arashi. The plot follows Kaibutsu-kun, a rambunctious prince of Kaibutsu Land, who is ordered by the King to undergo ascetic training in the human world on his succession day. He travels with Dracula, Wolfman, and Franken, encountering monsters and humans from the demon group led by Demorina. Satoshi Ohno played Kaibutsu-kun, Norito Yashima played Dracula, Ryuhei Ueshima played Wolfman, Choi Hong-man played Franken, and Umika Kawashima played Ichikawa Utako. A 3D movie titled Kaibutsu-kun: the Movie, directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, was released on November 26, 2011, and earned $39,766,344.