The Genie Family

The Genie Family
Screenshot of the series' opening title
ハクション大魔王
(Hakushon Daimaō)
Genre Comedy
Anime television series
Directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa
Produced by Tatsuo Yoshida
Written by Jinzō Toriumi
Studio Tatsunoko Production
Licensed by Saban Entertainment (now Saban Brands, LLC)
Original network Fuji TV
Original run 5 October 1969 – 27 September 1970
Episodes 52[1]

The Genie Family (ハクション大魔王, Hakushon Daimaō) is an anime series by Tatsunoko Production.[2]

Plot

An old bottle has found its way into the household of a modern family, which consists of a boy named Kan and his parents. A genie, Hakushon, and his daughter, Akubi, reside inside it. When Kan finds the bottle, he discovers that a sneeze summons Hakushon and he must grant the wish of whoever sneezed, while a yawn summons Akubi and she must do the same for whoever yawned. Getting wishes granted by either genie may not be a good thing, for Hakushon messes them up due to his own extreme clumsiness, while the more capable Akubi likes to cause mischief by twisting their words and meanings so that something bad happens.

Localization

The series was dubbed in English by Saban Entertainment in 1992 under the name Bob in a Bottle. A reggae-style theme song was composed for this version. Hakushon, Akubi and Kan were renamed "Bob", "Illana" and "Joey" respectively. Later, Bob in a Bottle was aired in Spanish, German, French, Swedish, Danish, and Hebrew. The English version did not air in the United States but it aired on Canada's YTV and Australia's Seven Network in 1992, and New Zealand's TV2 in 1994. The motto for the English version is "Make everyday like paradise" and "You sneeze, I please, that's the way it goes". It was shown in Latin America under the name Yam Yam y el Genio, in Italy under the name "Il Mago Pancione Etcì" and in Arabic speaking countries as El Fatah Borhan.

Cast

Japanese version

English version

Spinoffs

The Hakushon Daimaō franchise made a comeback in the 2000s with two animated spinoff series produced by Tatsunoko and directed by Hiroshi Sasagawa, featuring Akubi as the central character and Hakushon as a supporting character.

Yobarete Tobedete! Akubi-chan

In Yobarete, Tobidete! Akubi-chan (26 episodes, 2001–2002), Akubi (now voiced by Asuka Tanii) befriends a shy young girl named Koron Nemuta (voiced by Sakura Nogawa), who habitually yawns whenever she is embarrassed, thus summoning Akubi forth from the bottle.

Akubi Girl

In 2006's Akubi Girl (also 26 episodes), Akubi befriends a first-grader named Ruru-chan and attempts to grant her wish of becoming close friends with Itoshi-kun, the boy on whom she has a secret crush.

Other appearances

  • A statue of Hakushon Daimaō can be seen in the first episode of the 2008 series of Yatterman.
  • Hakushon Daimaō is featured as a playable character in the Japan-exclusive fighting game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Cross Generation of Heroes in December 2008, though due to licensing issues, he was not featured in the second iteration, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, which was released internationally.[3]
  • A brief reference to the series is made in the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers episode "A Bad Reflection on You" in which clips from the English intro (Bob in a Bottle) are shown on a miniature television. Bulk (portrayed by Paul Schrier) states that it is his favorite cartoon. It also appeared at the end of the season 2 episode "The Power Stealer", where Skull (portrayed by Jason Narvy) enjoys watching.

References

  1. ↑ ハクション大魔王. Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  2. ↑ "Tatsunoko Pro". Tatsunoko Productions. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  3. ↑ "Japanese Version of Tatsunoko VS Capcom Ultimate All-Stars Also Missing Hakushon Daimao". Andria Sang. Archived from the original on 2013-05-18. Retrieved 2009-07-22.
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