In Memorian (Cat-Eyed Boy Episodes 7-8)

Between the Halloween release of Cat-Eyed Boy episodes 4, 5, and 6, and this Christmas release of episodes 7 and 8, the anime world lost two major contributors of particular relevance to this show: the author of the original manga, Kazuo Umezz, and the seiyuu who voiced Cat-Eyed Boy himself, Junko Hori; they were 88 and 89, respectively. Umezz Kazuo was best known as a horror mangaka, for works such as The Drifting Classroom and Cat-Eyed Boy, but his works span a far broader range: comedies such as Makoto-chan and science fiction such as My Name Is Shingo. Junko Hori voiced the title roles in the Ninja Hattori-san franchise, Rain Boy, Chinpui, and of course, Cat-Eyed Boy, and appeared in numerous other shows. They will both be missed.

These two episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy don't differ materially from the previous ones, except for the monster of the week. Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. He meets a kind woman or girl who befriends him and offers him comfort, reminding him of his mother. Then, the monster appears. Cat-Eyed Boy must fight and defeat the creature, often at great cost to himself and greater cost to his new-found friend(s).

• Episode 7 - The Nullface's Curse. Cat-Eyed boy saves a young woman named Misako from  a vicious dog. He also unknowingly unleashes a powerful spirit that had been locked in a tomb for centuries. The spirit looks like a stone soldier come to life

but is in fact the Nullface:

• Episode 8 - The Hellant. Cat-Eyed Boy meets Yae, a pilgrim visiting a spirit medium in hopes of talking to her deceased son. He goes along, to see if his mother is dead or alive. Both get what they want, but they must confront the resident spirit, the Hellant:

The credits, so carefully translated, only have room for five or six voice actors. Two are always Junko Hori (Cat-Eyed Boy) and Katsuhiko Ikeda (Narrator). The others in episode 7 are:

• Saiko Egawa (Misako) appeared in Mazinger Z, Reideen the Brave, and under her real name, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today.
• Kyoko Kano (Sumi) appeared in Yatterman.
• Seizo Katou (Nullface) played Jashinsai in Tengai Makyou, Admiral Putyatin in Bakumatsu Spasibo, Ii Naosuke in Hidamari no Ki, Abraham in Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, Norbert in Apfelland Monogatari, Hatsutori Juuzou in Kage, Billy Bones in Shin Takarajima, the old stationmaster in Sotsugyou: Graduation, Nanni Spannu in Tottoi, and Jeigan in Fire Emblem, all Orphan releases. He had many other featured roles in the span of a 50 year career.

In episode 8:

• Saiko Egawa (Yae) - see above
• Michirou Okada (Hellant) appeared in Manxmouse and Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, both Orphan releases. He also played Ru Shako in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, the chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and the narrator in the Transformers movies.
• Aso Miyoko (Medium) played Fune Isano, the main character in Sazae-san, for 45 years, Cologne in the original Ranma 1/2 franchise, Pinako Rockbell in the original Fullmetal Alchemist, Melmo's mother in Fushigi na Melmo, the grandmother in Lucy May of the Southern Rainbow and Maegami-Taro, and Machiko's aunt in Maicching Machiko-sensei. She appeared in Bocchan, Nine, Blue Sonnet, and Yamatarou Comes Back, all Orphan release.
• Toshiko Sawada (Pilgrim A) appeared in Akado Suzunosuke, Appleseed, Akane Sasu Shoujo, Hello WeGo!, Judo Santa, and Zillions. She played Asuza's mother in Laughing Target, an Orphan release.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset the credits, and encoded the show. kokujin-kun helped with translation checking. I did a little actual typesetting. Nemesis and Skr QCed.

I'm glad the team was able to get more Cat-Eyed Boy episodes out this year, both to honor its now departed principals and to keep up the momentum on this long project. You can get these episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net. 

P.S. It's also CP Day, the anniversary of the passing our good friend and teammate, CP. He was a major contributor to many Orphan projects.

Cat-Eyed Boy Returns! (Episodes 4-6)

Orphan brings you more 1970s thrills and chills: episodes four to six of Umezz Kazuo's 1976 horror series Youkaiden Nekome Kozou (Spirit Legend Cat-Eyed Boy, here just Cat-Eyed Boy).

When we last left our lonely but hopeful half-youkai, we had run out of source material. Only three episodes had been released on DVD. Skr and I got so frustrated about stopping that we chipped in to buy the laserdisc box set of Cat-Eyed Boy. These are the first episodes from that treasure trove.

Now, the laserdiscs are far from pristine. In fact, they look terrible - full of film blemishes and not stabilized. And they don't sound great either, with a lot of static on the audio track. But I think (and Skr agrees) that the roughness of the raws suits the material. After all, this is gekimation - hand-manipulated paper cutouts. A first-class video transfer based on remastered sources just brings out the primitiveness of the whole series. The laserdiscs make Cat-Eyed Boy look like a 50-year-old show, which is what it is, or rather, will be in 2026.

With more episodes to work from, the pattern of the show has become clear. At the start of each episode, Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his lonely journey to find his mother. Often chased by ignorant country folk, he is befriended by a youngster or a motherly woman and offered kindness, even love. 

When his newfound friends are threatened by an evil youkai, he waxes wroth and defeats or disperses the villain. The youkai are:

• Episode 4 - the Kodama tree spirit, an ancient oak with a black heart that sucks the life out of its victims.

• Episode 5 - the Tear Witch and the Wailing Man, an ancient malevolent witch who lives on her victims tears, and her son, who eats the victims after they've been wrung dry.
  

• Episode 6 - the Beach Skull, the ghost of a deceased person who haunts the one they loved.
  

After defeating the baddies, Cat-Eyed Boy bids a fond farewells to his friends, if they survived. He then sets out on the next leg of his journey. Cue the preview.

Because of its episodic nature, Cat-Eyed Boy's core cast is just two voice actors:

• Junko Hori (Cat-eyed Boy) is best known as the voice of the protagonists in three Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarou, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui. She also appeared in Wan Wan Chuushingura, Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, Rain Boy, Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, and Makoto-chan, all Orphan releases, as well as Moomin, Akage no Anne, Cinderella Boy, and Unico.
• Katsuhiko Ikeda (narrator) has no other voice-acting credits.

The rest of the voice cast varies from episode to episode. Episode 4:

• Koichi Kitamura (Kodama Tree Spirit) played Paolon, the intelligent spaceship in Hi-Speed Jecy, Professor, the wise old cat, in the Ultra Nyan OVAs, Honda Sadonokami Masanobu in the Sanada 10 special, and Coach Naoko in Nine and its sequels, and he appeared in Hidamari no Ki and Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou. All are Orphan releases.
• Mitsuyo Tobe (Yukio) appeared in Hoka Hora Kazoku, Teppei, and The Rose of Versailles, among others.
• Reiko Kimura (Yukio's Mother) appeared in several episodes of Cat-Eyed Boy, including episode 6, as Yoshie, and 7, as Katsuzo.
• Keiko Yokozawa (Yae) is probably best known for her starring role as Sheeta in Castle in the Sky. She played the title roles in Charlotte (1977), the Dorami-chan properties, and ESPer Mami, as well as leading roles in Plastic Little and Legend of Lemnear. She also played Pandora in Akuma-tou no Prince Mitsume ga Tooru and Yukari in Karuizawa Syndrome, both Orphan releases.

Episode 5:

• Hisako Kyouda (Tear Witch) played the witch in Adachigara and Minuet in Bremen Four, both Orphan releases. She played Taitsukun in Fushigi Yuugi, Magno Vivan in Vandread, Soukei in Inukami!, the father in Shouwa Monogatari, and numerous other roles in a career that has spanned more than 50 years.
• Reiko Katsura (Kasumi) appeared in Sazae-san and narrated Nichijou, in a career that has also spanned more than 50 years.
• Shin Aomori (Wailing Man) played Solomon in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament and Kurokawa in Meisou-ou Border, both Orphan releases. He played Basque Grand in both versions of Full Metal Alchemist and Gonzo in the currently airing Oi! Tonbo. He appeared in Perrine, Oishinbo, Sousei no Aquarion, the Dragon Ball franchise, and numerous other roles in a career that has spanned almost 50 years.

Episode 6:

• Toshihiko Utsumi (Beach Skull) appeared in Raccoon Rascal and Hit and Run.
• Michiro Okada (Rentaro) appeared in Manxmouse and Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, both Orphan releases. He also played Ru Shako in the Armored Trooper Votoms franchise, the chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise, and the narrator in the Transformers movies.
• Kaoru Ozawa (Noriko) appeared in Raccoon Rascal and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset the credits, and encoded the show. kokujin-kun helped with translation checking. I did a little actual typesetting. (Skr thinks the signs should be done as \an8, because of how blurry the raws are, and he may be right.)  Nemesis, Rock_Lee-vk, and Skr QCed.

Cat-Eyed Boy is a long series for the current configuration of Orphan. Skr has a lot on his plate, so I don't know when more episodes will be available. Meanwhile, you can get this release from the usual torrent site or from channels #nibl or #news in irc.rizon.net.  

Cat-Eyed Boy 03

Happy Halloween! Barely in time, Orphan yet again brings you some paper cut-out thrills and chills: the third episode of Umezz Kazuo's 1976 horror series Youkaiden Nekome Kozou (Spirit Legend Cat-Eyed Boy, here just Cat-Eyed Boy).

This is the third (and last) episode released on DVD. (Feel free to buy us the laserdisc box set of Cat-Eyed Boy, if you can find it.) The Cat-Eyed Boy is continuing his search for his mother, but he's in dire straits from hunger. A friendly boy named Tatsuo saves him and takes him to his grandmother's house for food and shelter. However, Tatsuo's family has been cursed by the Rat Snake, a giant, vicious predator:

Cat-Eyed Boy decides to repay Tatsuo's friendship by fighting the evil fiend before continuing his journey to find his mother. What fate awaits him tomorrow? Well, we know the answer to that - more monster fighting - but the narrator apparently does not.

Because the show is almost fifty years old, the voice actors are from a different generation:

• Hori Junko (Cat-Eyed Boy) is best known as the voice of the protagonists in three Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarou, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui. She also appeared in Wan Wan Chuushingura, Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, Rain Boy, Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, and Makoto-chan (all Orphan releases), as well as Moomin, Akage no Anne, Cinderella Boy, and Unico.
• Sugaya Masako (Tatsuo) played Trio in Bremen Four, an Orphan release, and appeared in Attack No. 1, Ace o Nerae, Flanders no Inu, and Tetwuwan Atom.
• Okada Michirou (Rat Snake) appeared in Perrine and The Adventures of the Little Prince.
• Shirakawa Sumiko (Grandmother) appeared in Sazae-san, Flanders no Inu, and Perrine.
  
• Ikeda Katsuhiko (Narrator) has no other anime credits.
  

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset, and encoded the show. His friend, rockleevk, helped with translation checking and QC. I did a fast RC: four hours from receipt of materials to release.

So break out the Halloween candy and strap in for another spooky "gekimation" (graphic novel plus animation) episode. You can get this release from the usual torrent site or from channels #nibl or #news in irc.rizon.net. Without more source material, this would seem to be the end of Orphan's work on the show, but one never knows, do one?

Never Say Never Again (Cat-Eyed Boy 02)

Happy Halloween! Orphan again brings you some thrills and chills with the second episode of Umezz Kazuo's 1976 horror series Youkaiden Nekome Kozou (Spirit Legend Cat-Eyed Boy, here just Cat-Eyed Boy).

"Hold the phone, Joan," I can hear my readers (all eight of you - readership is up this year) say. "The release post for Cat-Eyed Boy 01 said it was a one and done. What gives?" Indeed it did, and what has happened since has taught me a valuable lesson: never say never again.

Cat-Eyed Boy seemed like an orphan in the making for several reasons. First, just three episodes had been released on DVD. The remaining 22 episodes were available only on VHS tapes or laserdiscs, both hard to find. (However, you can buy us the laserdisc box set of Cat-Eyed Boy for a mere 35,200 yen, plus shipping.) Second, Skr, champion of all things Umezz Kazuo, needed a break from fansubbing, and it was impossible to say when, or even if, he would return. So last October, Cat-Eyed Boy seemed like a singleton release, Orphan's first orphan.

Well, Skr is back, baby, and with him the second episode of Cat-Eyed Boy. In this half hour, our lonely, scorned hero interrupts his quest to find his birth mother to save a village from a monster called the Long-Neck:

(Please ignore the fact that the Long-Neck appears to have no neck.) The Long-Neck demands an annual sacrifice of a young maiden to quell his appetites. Because this year's victim, Shizue, resembles his foster mother, Cat-Eyed Boy decides to fight the evil fiend before continuing his journey. Don't look back, Cat-Eyed Boy! A better day will surely come tomorrow. Well, that's what the narrator says, anyway.

Because the show is almost fifty years old, information about the voice actors is scant:

• Hori Junko (Cat-Eyed Boy) is best known as the voice of the protagonists in three Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarou, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui. She also appeared in Wan Wan Chuushingura, Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, Rain Boy, Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, and Makoto-chan (all Orphan releases), as well as Moomin, Akage no Anne, Cinderella Boy, and Unico.
• Kimura Reiko (Shizue) has no other anime credits.
• Masuoka Hiroshi (Ryuzo) is best known for Minami's father in the Touch franchise, Masuo in Sazae-san, Jam Ojisan in the Anpanman franchise, and Cyborg 005 in the early Cyborg 009 properties. He also played Sa Gojou in Tezuka Osamu Story: I am Son Goku and Hirokawa in Meisou-ou Border, and he appeared in Hidamari no Ki, Nine, Tokimeki Tonight, and Bremen 4, all Orphan releases.
• Watanabe Noriko (Sachi) played Naoto in the original Tiger Mask and Sister Jill in the original Cutie Honey.
• Okada Michiro (The Long-Neck) played Shozo in Kuroi Ame ni Utarete, an Orphan release. He played Soundwave in the Transformers franchise and the Chief in the You're Under Arrest franchise.
• Ikeda Katsuhiko (Narrator) has no other anime credits.
  

Once again, Skr was the driving force behind this release. He translated, timed, edited, typeset, and encoded the show. His friends, sotoo and rockleevk, helped with translation checking and QC. Nemesis and I also QCed.

So break out the candy or the popcorn and strap in for another spooky "gekimation" (graphic novel plus animation) episode. You can get this release from the usual torrent site or from channels #nibl or #news in irc.rizon.net.

Will there be more Cat-Eyed Boy? I've learned my lesson, so no absolute statements from me, and no promises, either. But we'll always have Halloween...

Cat-Eyed Boy (Youkaiden Nekome Kozou) 01

Just in time for Halloween, Orphan presents the first episode of Umezz Kazuo's 1976 horror series Youkaiden Nekome Kozou (Spirit Legend Cat-Eyed Boy, here just Cat-Eyed Boy). Because of Makoto-chan, I always thought of Umezz Kazuo as a comedy writer, but in fact, he is best known for his horror manga and is sometimes called "the Stephen King of Japan." He wrote The Drifting Classroom, a horror masterpiece, as well as the Kowai Hon (Scary Book) series. On Baka-Updates, more than 50 of his titles are listed as horror.

Cat-Eyed Boy is a spooky tale of demons, spirits, and monsters based on Umezz' manga Nekome Kozou (Cat-Eyed Boy), which is available in English. According to Baka-Updates, Cat-Eyed Boy acts like a Trickster figure, saving the innocent and helping the wicked receive the punishment that fate metes out. The stories are mostly tales of revenge and retribution for the evil acts people do. The TV series adds a quest plot, as Cat-Eyed Boy searches for his long-lost real mother.

The first episode sets out background of the story. Cat-Eyed Boy is the son of Nekomata, a cat demon, and a human mother. Half-demon, half-human, he is shunned by both worlds. He is raised by a foster mother, Miya, who has to beg for food, and he becomes a mischievous nuisance to the village he lives in. When a demon called Nadare-Maneki (the Landslide Summoner) attacks, Cat-Eyed Boy must try to save himself and his foster mother from its relentless attacks.

Cat-Eyed Boy is unusual in several respects. First, it is not really animated. Instead, it is done in "gekimation" (graphic novel plus animation), in which special effects are added to full-length paper cutouts. This gives the show a unique and rather static look. Second, it is Orphan's first one-and-done. That is, we're not going on with the series. (Orphan has created an orphan series; wah...) The underlying reason is lack of raws. Three episodes were included as specials in the live-action Cat-Eyed Boy box set; a few more are on YouTube; and that's it.

With only one episode to work with, I don't have much information on the voice actors:

• Hori Junko (Cat-Eyed Boy) is best known as the voice of the protagonists in three Fujiko Fujio works, Obake no Q-tarou, Ninja Hattori-kun, and Chinpui. She also appeared in Wan Wan Chuushingura, Taiyou no Ouji: Horus no Daibouken, Rain Boy, Time Slip Ichimannen Prime Rose, and Makoto-chan, all Orphan releases), as well as Moomin, Akage no Anne, Cinderella Boy, and Unico.
• Masuoka Hiroshi (traveling priest) is best known for playing Fugata Masuo in Sazae-san (for more than 20 years) and Jam Ojii-san in the Soreike! Anpanman franchise. He appeared in Hidamari no Ki, the Hiatari Ryouko movie, King Fang, Nine, Perrine Monogatari, and Tezuka Osamu Monogatari: I am Son Gokuu, all Orphan releases.
• Yada Kouji (Nadare-Maneki, the Landslide Summoner) played Dr. Gero in the Dragon Ball franchise. He appeared in all the GeGeGe no Kitarou iterations through 2007, Haguregumo, Nine, and the Sangokushi movies. The last two are Orphan releases.

The director, Tsuchiya Keinosuke, helmed Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair and Wandering Girl Nell, which have been fansubbed by OldCastle and South Wind Subs.

Cat-Eyed Boy is a labor of love by Skr, who is a fan of all things Umezz Kazuo. He translated, timed, edited, and encoded the show. His friend sotoo did a translation check. Uchuu and I did QC. The encode is very large, because the underlying film stock is not in great shape; Skr needed a very high bit rate to capture all the defects. 😉

So buckle up, boys and girls, for classic Japanese horror from 45 (!) years ago. You can find Cat-Eyed Boy on the usual torrent site or download it from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.