The Bush Baby
Bush Baby, Little Angel of the Grasslands (大草原の小さな天使 ブッシュベイビー, Daisougen no Chiisana Tenshi Busshubeibī), shortened as The Bush Baby, is the title of a 1992 anime series consisting of forty 25-minute episodes. It is based on the novel The Bushbabies (1965) by Canadian author William Stevenson.
| Bush Baby, Little Angel of the Grasslands | |
 Screenshot of the opening logo from The Bush Baby | |
| 大草原の小さな天使 ブッシュベイビー (Daisougen no Chiisana Tenshi Busshubeibī) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, Drama |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Takayoshi Suzuki |
| Produced by | Minoru Wada Takaji Matsudo Yoshihiro Suzuki |
| Written by | Akira Miyazaki |
| Music by | Akira Miyagawa |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Original network | Fuji TV |
| Original run | January 12, 1992 – December 20, 1992 |
| Episodes | 40 |
The series is part of Fuji Television and Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater, which consists of anime television series adaptations of classic children's books. It has also been broadcast internationally on networks such as TVO / Access Alberta (Canada),[1][2] France 3 (France),[2] Antena 3 (Spain), Italia 1 (Italy), Tele 5 / tm3 (Germany),[2] ORF1 (Austria), ABS-CBN / GMA 7 / Quality TeleVision (Philippines), and RTM2 (Malaysia).
The English dub for the series was handled by TVOntario.
Summary
In 1964, a thirteen-year-old British girl named Jackie Rhodes living in Kenya travels the savannah in the area of Mount Kilimanjaro, Kenya, where her father is an Animal Protection / Wildlife Officer. Jackie finds an ill animal called a bushbaby, whereupon she adopts him, calls him Murphy, and nurses him back to health. Murphy, Jackie, her family and their friends go on many adventures involving wild animals, poachers and more. When her father loses his job, the family prepares to return to England where they came from. At Mombasa, right before they are about to leave, Jackie realizes that she has lost the papers for her pet bushbaby, Murphy. She leaves the ship heading for England and it sets sail without her. Luckily, she meets Tenbo, her father's loyal African assistant. Tenbo has been spying on the export warehouse of some poachers and is now being pursued by them. In addition, a manhunt for Tenbo has begun because people think he has kidnapped Jackie. They must cross the dangerous savannah to escape the poachers and police officers chasing them. Along the way, Jackie teaches the now domesticated Murphy to survive in the wild, so that, before she leaves, she can release him in his natural habitat.
Characters
Main Characters
- Jacqueline Rhodes (ジャックリーヌ·ローズ, Jakkurīnu Rōzu)
- Voiced by: Maya Okamoto (Japanese); Pauline Little (English)
- AKA Jackie (ジャッキー, Jakkī), is the main character of the series. She is a 13-year-old British girl who has been fascinated by Africa since childhood. She is energetic, tomboyish and has a strong sense of justice influenced by her father in protecting African wildlife. She often goes on adventures with her pet bushbaby, Murphy. She is good at horseback riding.
- Murphy (マーフィ, Māfi)
- Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori
- A young bushbaby Jackie raises to be her pet. He ran away when his home was disturbed and got injured by a vehicle Arthur was driving. He is brought home and nursed back to health by Jackie. He becomes hyperactive and impish as he grows up. He likes mint candy but easily get intoxicated like a drunk and fall asleep. Jackie takes advantage of this and uses it as bait to calm him down.
- Tenbo (テンボ·ムルンビ, Tenbo Murunbi)
- Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi
- Arthur's assistant in protecting the wildlife sanctuary and Jackie's friend. An ex-soldier from the Royal Africa Rifle troop, and a brave warrior from a Camba tribe. He is good at playing the harmonica but he can't swim.
- Thanks to his good knowledge of nature and animals, the baby Murphy have been saved since baby Murphy did not want to drink anything but the milk of his missing mother. Jackie was in big worries and anyone could help her but Tenbo.
Secondary Characters
- Andrew Rhodes (アンドルー·ローズ, Andorū Rōzu)
- Voiced by: Junichi Kanemaru
- Jackie's older brother. Like his father, he dreams of becoming a wildlife protection officer, but is also interested in becoming a veterinarian after he meets Hanna. He had a pet chameleon named Ben before releasing him out into the wild.
- Arthur Rhodes (アーサー·ローズ, Āsā Rōzu)
- Voiced by: Takaya Hashi
- Jackie and Andrew's father. He is the wildlife protection officer patrolling the sanctuary.
- Penny Rhodes (ペニー·ローズ, Penī Rōzu)
- Voiced by: Kumiko Takizawa (Japanese); Sonja Ball (English)
- Jackie and Andrew's mother. Her hobbies are drawing and painting.
- Hawa (ハワ, Hawa)
- Voiced by: Mami Matsui
- She is a helper working at the Rhodes' household.
- Kate Addleton (ケイト·アドルトン, Keito Adoruton)
- Voiced by: Miyuki Matsushita
- Kate is Jackie's best friend and classmate at school.
- Laisa Addleton (ライサ·アドルトン, Raisa Adoruton)
- Voiced by: Ai Satou
- Kate's mother. She owns and runs the coffee farm.
- Henry Rutherford (ヘンリー·ラザフォード, Henrī Razafōdo)
- Voiced by: Bin Shimada
- Henry is Laisa's younger brother and Kate's uncle. He is an engineer from an airline industry.
- Micky Bill (ミッキー·ビル, Mikkī Biru)
- Voiced by: Youko Matsuoka
- Jackie's classmate at school. A mischievous boy who likes to cause trouble for Jackie and Kate.
- Hanna Kaufmann (ハンナ·カウフマン, Hanna Kaufuman)
- Voiced by: Youko Sasaki
- She is the veterinarian who inspires Andrew to want to be one.
- Professor Crankshaw (クランクショウ博士, Kurankushou-hakushi)
- Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata
- He is an archaeologist living in Kenya for more than 30 years. He travels all around Africa to find and excavate ruins of lost civilizations. He flies around these sites using his airplane, which he nicknamed Mother Goose.
- Sally
- Voiced by: Sonja Ball
- Micky's little sister.
- Dan Moore
- Repairman that was helping poachers for money. He has a change of heart after Jackie finds the poachers' hideout.
- Lt. Robert Ireland
- A friend of Jackie's father, originally Tenbo's commanding officer in the Royal Africa Rifle troop.
- Safina
- A young girl close to Jackie's age from the Maasai tribe.
Villains
- Michael and John
- A duo of poachers.
List of episodes
| # | Episode Title | Original Air Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | (草原で拾った赤ちゃん) | January 12, 1992 | ||
| 02 | (死なないでマーフィ) | January 19, 1992 | ||
| 03 | "Shikakeya Rōzu" (しかけやローズ) | January 26, 1992 | ||
| 04 | "Search for the Nursing Bottle" (哺乳ビンをさがせ) | February 2, 1992 | ||
| 05 | (傷ついた象) | February 16, 1992 | ||
| 06 | (マーフィの病気) | February 19, 1992 | ||
| 07 | "Hanna, the Female Veterinarian" (女性獣医ハンナ) | February 23, 1992 | ||
| 08 | "The Professor's Plane" "Hakase no Hikouki" (博士の飛行機) | March 1, 1992 | ||
| 09 | (真夜中のお散歩) | March 8, 1992 | ||
| 10 | (修理屋ダン·ムーア) | March 15, 1992 | ||
| 11 | (探偵団結成!) | March 22, 1992 | ||
| 12 | (ハッカアメと密猟者) | April 19, 1992 | ||
| 13 | "Detective Group plus 1" (探偵団プラス1) | April 26, 1992 | ||
| 14 | (ヒヒの襲撃) | May 3, 1992 | ||
| 15 | "The Mysterious Baobab Tree" (ふしぎな木バオバブ) | May 10, 1992 | ||
| 16 | (秘密のほらあな) | May 17, 1992 | ||
| 17 | (密猟団現わる) | May 24, 1992 | ||
| 18 | (チョッキ騒動) | May 31, 1992 | ||
| 19 | (運命のはじまり) | June 7, 1992 | ||
| 20 | (霧のキリマンジャロ) | June 14, 1992 | ||
| 21 | "Goodbye, Kate" "Sayounara Keito" (さようならケイト) | June 21, 1992 | ||
| 22 | "The Permit is Gone" (無くなった許可証) | June 28, 1992 | ||
| 23 | (波止場の大事件) | July 12, 1992 | ||
| 24 | "Alone in Africa" "Afurika Hitori Bocchi" (アフリカひとりぼっち) | August 8, 1992 | ||
| 25 | "An Arrest Warrant for Tenbo!?" "Tenbo ni Taihojou!?" (テンボに逮捕状!?) | August 16, 1992 | ||
| 26 | "Murphy's Misfortune" "Māfi no Sainan" (マーフィの災難) | August 23, 1992 | ||
| 27 | (追う人、追われる人) | August 30, 1992 | ||
| 28 | (密林の象たち) | September 6, 1992 | ||
| 29 | (野生を取りもどせ!!) | September 13, 1992 | ||
| 30 | "Law of the Savannah" "Sabanna no Okite" (サバンナのおきて) | September 20, 1992 | ||
| 31 | "Poisoned Arrow and Harmonica" "Dokuya to Hāmonika" (毒矢とハーモニカ) | September 27, 1992 | ||
| 32 | "Yasashii Senshi Tenbo" (やさしい戦士·テンボ) | October 25, 1992 | ||
| 33 | "Run Towards the Flames!" (炎に向かって走れ!) | November 1, 1992 | ||
| 34 | "Cabin of the Masai Tribe" (マサイ族の小屋) | November 8, 1992 | ||
| 35 | "Jackie Collapses!!" "Jakkī Taoreru!!" (ジャッキー倒れる!!) | November 15, 1992 | ||
| 36 | (豹と二人の戦士) | November 22, 1992 | ||
| 37 | "Memories on a Rainy Day" (雨の日の思い出) | November 29, 1992 | ||
| 38 | (列車が流される!?) | December 6, 1992 | ||
| 39 | (駈けぬけろマーフィ) | December 13, 1992 | ||
| 40 | "Goodbye, Murphy" "Māfi no Sayounara" (マーフィのさようなら) | December 20, 1992 | ||
Music
Opening Theme
- "APOLLO": Eps. 01 - 22
- Lyrics and composition by: Shinji Tanimura
- Arrangement by: Yasuo Sakou
- Song by: Yasuhide Sawa
- "A Smile as Prologue" (微笑みでプロローグ, Hohoemi de Purorōgu): Eps. 23 - 40
- Lyrics by: Neko Oikawa
- Composition by: Masayuki Kishi
- Arrangement by: Kazuo Shinoda
- Song by: Satoko Yamano
Ending Theme
- "I'll Turn into a Bird" (鳥になる, Tori ni Naru)
- Lyrics and composition by: Shinji Tanimura
- Arrangement by: Yasuo Sakou
- Song by: Maya Okamoto
References
- List of CRTC Canadian Program Recognition Numbers, CRTC, retrieved 10 October 2016
- 1992: Bushbaby, Animanga, archived from the original on 7 February 2013, retrieved 10 October 2016CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
External links
- The Bush Baby (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- The Bush Baby on IMDb
