Time Bokan

Story

Dr. Kieta, a wacky but intelligent scientist, invents insect-shaped time machines called 'Time Bokan'. He volunteers as the first passenger, but when the machine returns, he is gone. Inside is only a talking parrot and a large gemstone called the Dynamond, seemingly the most powerful jewel in the world. Dr. Kieta's lab assistant Tanpei organizes a search party to travel through time and find him, while power-hungry others also seek the Dynamond.

The story pits heroes against villains. Typical plots see the heroes travel to a historical era or space, meet famous figures, encounter the villains, and battle with time machines. The villains always lose, either outsmarted by the heroes or through their own ineptitude.

Characters

Tanpei (voiced by Yoshiko Ōta) is Dr. Kieta's 13-year-old lab assistant. He is smart, sporty, warm, pure, courageous, and a genius mechanic. He often spars with Junko, comforting or encouraging her, and has been depicted as having a crush on her. Everyone calls him 'Tanpei-chan'.

Little is given of his family or school background. Junko (voiced by Mari Okamoto and Keiko Yokozawa in eps. 34-36) is Dr. Kieta's 10-year-old granddaughter. She is responsible, gentle, caring, erudite, and resourceful, and misses her grandfather dearly.

She may seem whiny at first but vows to become stronger under Tanpei's influence, and has a crush on him. C-robot (voiced by Reiko Katsura) is a robot sidekick built by Tanpei, childish in appearance and actions. His power source is a winding key on his back. Features include a flamethrower in his nose, extendable limbs, and the ability to shock others.

He briefly eats cream puffs in the second episode. Dr. Kieta (voiced by Ryūji Saikachi) is Junko's grandfather and creator of the time machines. He is not found until the 27th episode, then joins Tanpei's team. Perasuke (voiced by Junpei Takiguchi) is a talking parrot who provides information on Dr. Kieta's location, though his testimonies are random.

He fears his wife Otake. He accidentally triggered the time machine while Dr. Kieta was absent in the present day, and returned with it. He reunites with his wife in the finale. His voice appears in episode previews. Otake-san (voiced by Haru Endou) is Perasuke's wife.

Time Bokan machines

Dr. Kieta created three time machines, each designed after a particular insect in appearance and function. They can travel between dimensions, including fictional and hypothetical ones, such as a dimension based on Grimm's fairytales or one based on Easter Island. Time Mechabuton (Time Bokan I) is a blue machine resembling a Japanese rhinoceros beetle, used most by the heroes.

Its features include a rotary saw/digger as its primary weapon, durable all-terrain tires reaching 200 km/h, wings with jet engines for flight that can also create sandstorms, a defensive missile launcher in the bow, a small red dome on its back that is a manually-piloted scouting airship called the 'Ladybug-Drone' with various gadgets, a small submarine called the 'Strider-Marine' in its belly, and a remote control in Dr. Kieta's watch. Time Dotabattan (Time Bokan II) is a green, locust-shaped machine captured from 'Insect People' in the 27th episode and later modified. Its features include a projectile launcher in the bow, strong mechanical limbs for jumping (replaceable by retractable caterpillar tracks), small rudders for flight, and a worm-shaped scouting unit called the 'Inchworm-Drone' that can perform maintenance and sneak behind villains.

Villains' machines

The villain trio's recurring mecha is the 'Time Skull', a small skull-shaped time machine built by Grocky. To match the Time Bokan in strength, it is often linked to a larger mechanical structure as its head, forming various animal-shaped mechas as large as or larger than the Time Bokan. These are equipped with many concealed gadgets and weapons that can severely damage the heroes' machines. Two running gags occur: after the mechas depart in a large bang, stray parts are always left on the floor (the first episodes used the same pictures of stray parts); and the villains rarely land smoothly, ending in awkward poses or locations.

The most important feature is a deadly device called the 'Highlight of the Week', usually a bomb launched in crazy fashions. Its triggering often backfires on the villains due to a design error or the heroes' foiling, causing the structure to explode spectacularly, leaving only the Time Skull intact and the villains tattered. Grocky is always victimized by his female boss for the failure.

Did You Know?

• The villain trio, known as the 'Time Skeletons', inspired the 'Team Rocket' trio in the Pokémon TV series.
• The character Waluigi is partially inspired by the henchman Grocky, and Wario is partially inspired by Warusa.
• The parrot Perasuke's name is a pun on his species, and his voice is heard in the previews of upcoming episodes before the ending theme.