In the 90s , Japanese TV showSuper Sentaiwas adapted for American audiences , becomingMighty Morphin Power Rangers . Twenty - unexpended days after its US introduction , you may still take aBuzzfeed quizto find out out which forest fire fighter you are . ButSuperSentaiwasn’t the onlyJapanese show on TV at the time that featured a squad of criminal offence - fighting superheroes . There were alsoUltraman , Kamen Rider , and my personal favorite , Soreike ! Anpanman .
InSoreike ! Anpanman(which meansLet ’s Go ! Anpanman ) , all the heroes are made of bread . As in , each one starts as shekels and come to sprightliness in the oven . The nominal fictitious character ’s name literally means Red - Bean Bread Man . If you ’ve ever eat his namesake , you get laid that whatever his lesson may be , he certainlytastesgood .
Anpanman ’s two independent partner are Karepanman ( Curry - Bread Man ) and Shokupanman ( White - Bread Man ) . Karepanman is the grouch , and Shokupanman is the bighearted if tedious gentleman . We could talk about the typecasting happening here , but in the end , I think we can all agree that a deeply - fry curry roll is much tasty than Wonder Bread , so Karepanman wins that round .
Every criminal offense - fighter aircraft needs someone on the ground for support . For our wampum friends , it ’s Jamu Ojisan , or Uncle Jam . Whenever a member of team pastry gets spite , Jamu Ojisan — along with his supporter , Batako - san ( Miss Butter ) , and her click , Chiizu ( Cheese)—is ready to bake a fresh head . When the freshly - scorched point comes out of the oven , the old one papa off , the fresh eyes opened , and our submarine is good as new . Wherever memories are store in this universe , it must not be in the mind . Or the bean - spread glob , as the subject may be .
But how are Anpanman and gang getting injured in the first office ? Their foe are bacteria , namely Baikinman ( Germ Man ) and Dokinchan ( whose name does n’t mean anything in particular ) . leave an army of Kabi ( Mold ) , they eat away at our yeasty rangers . Unlike Lord Zedd , et al , of Power Rangers , the bad guy cable on this show are arguably cute and more charming than the dependable ones . Dokinchan has aHelga - for - Arnold - floor crushon Shokupanman , for illustration . If only Shakespeare had realise the untapped potential of the bread - mold metaphor for unlucky romance .
If you think this seems like an unusually large dramatis personae for a show , you ’re correct . Soreike ! Anpanman , which has been running incessantly in Japan since 1988 , holds theGuinness World Record for Most Characters in an Animated Series — as of June 2009 , the show had sport 1768 characters , skillful and sorry .
Some debate thatSoreike ! Anpanmanis an example of Shinto influence on Nipponese culture because in Shinto philosophy , all things have a sacred essence , even inanimate objects . One of the best examples of Shinto belief in external culture late is Marie Kondo ’s bestsellerThe sprightliness - Changing conjuration of Tidying Up , in which Kondo , a former “ shrine maiden,”suggests thanking your belongings each day .
Talking breathless objects alone are n’t a good enough logical argument for Shinto influence , since Americans also have character reference likeMeatwad . But Anpanman ’s blood line story get a more convincing pillow slip . It starts on a regular night for Jamu Ojisan , who has just put a tray of anpan ( the eatable and presumably non - living kind ) in the oven when a meteor rain shower strike across the sky and a group of shoot virtuoso fall into the bakery ’s chimney , which leads flat to the oven . Jamu Ojisan and Batakosan prehend each other as lights flash and the bakeshop shake . But then the topsy-turvyness clears , and a baby with ananpanfor a head comes float out of the oven . “ The sensation brought him to life ! ” say Jamu Ojisan .
Japanese folklore is full of stories like this , from Kaguyahime ( which was made into aGhibli filmin 2013 ) , the babe lady friend found in a bamboo stalk by an old man , to Momotaro , the baby boy find by an old cleaning lady as he floated down the river in a peach . As fluffy a show asAnpanmanis , it ’s also full of these small moments that catch of import intangible asset about Japanese culture . And along withUltramanandGodzilla , it taught my brothers and me our Japanese . We ’d watch it on VHS while eatinganpanandkarepanfresh from the bakeshop down the street . Is that sick ? Probably . But it was also delightful .
Here are the doughy vigilance man themselves in the show ’s intro :
