Karate Master (空手バカ一代) is a Japanese manga drawn by Jirō Tsunoda and Jōya Kagemaru, with the story written by Ikki Kajiwara. The story was inspired by the life of the real-life karate martial artist Mas Oyama.[1][2]
The manga was published in Weekly Shōnen Magazine between 1971 and 1977, and accumulated in 29 tankōbon volumes.[1] It was adapted into an anime television series from 1973 to 1974, and a live-action film in 1977.
Anime and film adaptations
The anime television series was produced by Tokyo Movie and aired Wednesdays, from 19:30 to 20:00, on NET from October 3, 1973, to September 25, 1974, totaling 47 episodes.[1][3][4]
The manga was first adapted into a live-action film by Toei as Karate Baka Ichidai, which was released on 14 May 1977 (the English release title was Karate for Life).[5] It was directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi and starred Shin'ichi ("Sonny") Chiba.[5] The two-part film, Shin Karate Baka Ichidai: Kakutōsha, which was directed by Takeshi Miyasaka and released in 2003 and 2004 to commemorate the seventeenth anniversary of Kajiwara's death, is often treated as an adaptation of the manga,[5] but its direct source is a book by Hisao Maki, Kajiwara's younger brother.[6]
The anime is now available on Hulu (in the U.S.) under the name Karate Master. Discotek Media has licensed the anime for home video release in North America.[7]
Reception and legacy
The success of the manga and the anime are often credited for producing a "karate boom" in Japan in the early 1970s.[8][9]
Video game artist Keiji Inafune drew inspiration from Karate Master for several character designs in the arcade fighting game Street Fighter (1987).[10]
External links
References
- Karate baka ichidai Dejitaru Daijisen Purasu, Shogakukan, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- Waru Action Manga Artist Joya Kagemaru Passes Away Anime News Network, retrieved 2014-03-23^
- Karate baka ichidai Movie Square, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- TV Anime Karate baka ichidai AllCinema, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- Karate baka ichidai Kinenote, Kinema Junpo, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- Shin Karate Baka Ichidai: Kakutōsha Cinema Topics Online, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- Discotek Adds Hana Yori Dango, 07-Ghost, Beelzebub, Kyousougiga, Getter Robo Armageddon, Z/X Iginition, Karate Master Anime News Network, August 27, 2015, retrieved August 29, 2015^
- Norihiro Hashimoto. 'Karate Saikyō Gensō' Futatabi Number, Bungei Shunju, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- 1969-1987 Kokushin Kaikan no Rekishi, Kokushin Kaikan, retrieved 11 May 2014^
- Rus McLaughlin. IGN Presents the History of Street Fighter IGN, 16 February 2009, retrieved 31 January 2022^