Salary Man Kintaro

Salary Man Kintaro (Japanese: サラリーマン金太郎, Hepburn: Sararīman Kintarō) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Motomiya. It was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from 1994 to 2002, with its chapters collected in 30 tankōbon volumes. It was followed by three series; Salary Man Kintaro: Money Wars-hen (2005–2006), Shin Salaryman Kintaro (2009–2011), and Salary Man Kintaro: 50-sai (2015–2016),

Salary Man Kintaro
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Kintaro Yajima
サラリーマン金太郎 (Sarariiman Kintarō)
Manga
Written by	Hiroshi Motomiya
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Manga Planet (digital)
Imprint	Young Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1994 – 2016
Volumes	45
Series titles
Salary Man Kintaro (1994–2002, 30 volumes) Salary Man Kintaro: Money Wars-hen (2005–2006, 4 volumes) Shin Salaryman Kintaro (2009–2011, 7 volumes) Salary Man Kintaro: 50-sai (2015–2016, 4 volumes)
Television drama
Original network	TBS
Original run	January 10, 1999 – March 18, 2004
Episodes	44 (+ 1 special)
Anime television series
Directed by	Tomoharu Katsumata
Produced by	Tetsuo Gensei Hiroshi Shigekawa Tōru Nakano Satoshi Kubo Kisei Takahashi
Written by	Sukehiro Tomita
Music by	Kenichi Kamio
Studio	JCF
Licensed by	NA: Arts Magic
Original network	BS-i
Original run	February 18, 2001 – March 18, 2001
Episodes	20
Television drama
Original network	TV Asahi
Original run	October 10, 2008 – March 12, 2010
Episodes	20
Other
Live-action film (1999)

The manga follows Kintaro Yajima, a former Bōsōzoku leader who, as a promise to his late wife, has become a salaryman.

A live-action film adaptation premiered in 1999. A television drama adaptation aired for four seasons; the first one in 1999, the second in 2000, the third in 2002, and the fourth in 2004. Another drama adaptation aired for two seasons; the first one in 2008 and the second in 2010. A 20-episode anime television series aired in 2001. Two live-action films are set to premiere in 2025.

The manga has had over 35 million copies in circulation.

Characters

Kintaro Yajima (矢島金太郎, Yajima Kintarō)

Voiced by: Taisei Miyamoto [ja]^[1]

Portrayed by: Katsunori Takahashi (1999 film, 1999–2004 drama), Masaru Nagai [ja] (2008–2010 drama), Nobuyuki Suzuki (2025 films)^[2]

A high school dropout and former Bōsōzoku who retired to become a fisherman, but after he saved Morinosuke Yamato he was offered a job at Yamato Construction in the sales department.

Misuzu Yajima (矢島美鈴, Yajima Misuzu)

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka^[1]

Née Suenaga (末永). A high class woman who once had an affair with the late politician Seishirō Kuroda (黒田征四郎, Kuroda Seishirou). She still has strong political and financial connections and later becomes Kintaro's wife.

Ryuta Yajima (矢島竜太, Yajima Ryuta)

The son of Kintaro and his late wife Akemi.

Mimi Suenaga (末永美々, Suenaga Mimi)

The daughter of Misuzu from her affair with Kuroda.

Akemi Yajima (矢島明美, Yajima Akemi)

Kintaro's first wife, a kind blind woman who dies giving birth to Ryuta.

Morinosuke Yamato (大和守之助, Yamato Morinosuke)

One of the many men that Kintaro saves. Chairman of Yamato Construction. He believes in Kintaro all the way.

Genzō Ōshima (大島源造, Genzou Ooshima)

Yūsaku Kurokawa (黒川優作, Kurokawa Yūsaku)

Ryūzō Igō (伊郷龍蔵, Igō Ryūzō)

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hiroshi Motomiya, Salary Man Kintaro was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from 1994 to 2002.^[3] Shueisha collected its chapters in 30 tankōbon volumes, released from December 8, 1994,^[4] to March 19, 2002.^[5]

In April 2005, the series started appearing as an online comic,^[6] and a sequel, titled Salary Man Kintaro: Money Wars-hen (サラリーマン金太郎 マネーウォーズ編), was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from November 11, 2005, to August 10, 2006.^{[lower-alpha 1]} Shueisha collected its chapters in four tankōbon volumes, released from April 19 to December 19, 2006.^[10]

A third series, titled Shin Salaryman Kintaro (新サラリーマン金太郎), started in Weekly Young Jump on January 15, 2009;^[11] an additional series, titled Shin Salary Man Kintaro Junfudō (新サラリーマン金太郎 順不同, "New Salary Man Kintaro in no Particular Order"), started on April 1, 2010.^[12] Shueisha collected its chapters in seven tankōbon volumes, released from August 19, 2009,^[13] to March 18, 2011.^[14]

A fourth series, titled Salary Man Kintaro: 50-sai (サラリーマン金太郎 五十歳), was serialized in Weekly Young Jump from April 16, 2015,^[15] to February 10, 2016.^[16] Shueisha collected its chapters in four tankōbon volumes, released from July 17, 2015,^[17] to April 19, 2016.^[18]

The manga was digitally available in English on the NTT Solmare's ComicFriends Facebook app in 2012;^[19] the service closed in that same year.^[20] Manga Planet added the series to its digital service on August 3, 2020.^[21]

Live-action

Films

Main article: Salaryman Kintaro (film)

A live-action film adaptation premiered on November 13, 1999.^[22]

In September 2024, it was announced that two live-action films, directed by Ten Shimoyama [ja], with scripts by Sinichi Tanaka [ja], and starring Nobuyuki Suzuki as Kintaro Yajima, are set to premiere in Japan; the first film, Salaryman Kintaro Akatsuki-hen (サラリーマン金太郎【魁】編, "Salaryman Kintaro Dawn") is set to premiere on January 10, 2025, and Salaryman Kintaro Sakigake-hen (サラリーマン金太郎【魁】編, "Salaryman Kintaro Vanguard") is set to premiere on February 7 of the same year.^[23][2]

Drama

A television drama adaptation, starring Katsunori Takahashi as Kintaro Yajima, was broadcast on TBS. The first season was broadcast for 11 episodes from January 10 to March 21, 1999.^[24][25] A second 12-episode season was broadcast from April 9 to July 2, 2000.^[26][27] A third 11-episode season was broadcast from January 6 to March 17, 2002.^[28] A fourth 10-episode season was broadcast from January 15 to March 18, 2004.^[29][30]

Another drama series, starring Masaru Nagai [ja] as Kintaro,^[31] was broadcast on TV Asahi. The first season was broadcast for 10 episodes from October 10 to December 12, 2008.^[32] A second 10-episode season was broadcasr from January 8 to March 12, 2010.^[33][34]

Anime

A 20-episode anime television series adaptation, animated by JCF, was broadcast on BS-i from February 18 to March 18, 2001. The opening theme, "Jikū: Toki no Sora" (時空～ときのそら～, "A Space of Time"), was performed by Yumi Matsuzawa, while the ending theme, "Heaven: Boku no Naka no Tengoku" (Heaven～僕の中の天国～, "We're in Heaven") was performed by Norishige Takahashi.^[1]

In North America, the series was licensed by Arts Magic.^[35] It was released on five DVDs from May 31, 2005,^[36] to March 28, 2006.^[37]

Reception

The manga has had over 35 million copies in circulation.^[38]

Notes

1. It was serialized in the magazine from its 49th issue of 2005 to the combined 37th–38th issue of 2006,^[7] released on November 11, 2005,^[8] and August 10, 2006,^[9] respectively.

References

1. サラリーマン金太郎. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
2. Pineda, Rafael (September 26, 2024). "Hiroshi Motomiya's Salaryman Kintaro Manga Classic Gets 2 New Live-Action Films". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
3. 本宮ひろ志×高橋克典の特別対談が公開、『サラリーマン金太郎』シリーズ全巻無料配信も (in Japanese). ITmedia Inc. July 11, 2014. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
4. サラリーマン金太郎 1. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on July 16, 2002. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
5. サラリーマン金太郎 30. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 13, 2003. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
6. Loo, Egan (November 16, 2009). "Manga-Based Salaryman Kintaro TV Drama Gets Sequel". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
7. サラリーマン金太郎. Kotobank (in Japanese). Digitalio. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
8. バックナンバー 2005年 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on February 2, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
9. バックナンバー 2006年 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on August 16, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
10. サラリーマン金太郎（マネーウォーズ編）. s-book.com (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
11. バックナンバー 2009年 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
12. サラリーマン金太郎、新シリーズは学生時代の金太郎. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 1, 2010. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
13. 新サラリーマン金太郎 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
14. 新サラリーマン金太郎 7 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
15. 「サラリーマン金太郎」YJに帰還、50歳迎える金太郎が電力会社で大暴れ. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 16, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
16. バックナンバー 2011年 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
17. 金ちゃんが今度は電力会社に入社、「サラリーマン金太郎 五十歳」1巻. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 17, 2015. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
18. 【4月19日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 19, 2016. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
19. Grace, Kimberly (February 20, 2012). "NTT Solmare Launches ComicFriends Social Manga Service". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
20. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (November 21, 2012). "NTT Solmare's ComicFriends Online Manga Service Shuts Down". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
21. Mateo, Alex (July 29, 2020). "Manga Planet Licenses Salary Man Kintaro, Charge!! Men's School, Peacock King, More Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
22. 映画サラリーマン金太郎 (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
23. 「サラリーマン金太郎」前後編で新作映画化！令和版の金太郎役は鈴木伸之. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 27, 2024. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
24. サラリーマン金太郎 第1回：1999.01.10 (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on January 28, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
25. サラリーマン金太郎 第11回：1999.03.21 (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
26. サラリーマン金太郎２ 第１話 ■ 2000年4月9日（日）初回90分スペシャル！ (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on December 23, 2003. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
27. サラリーマン金太郎２ 最終話 ■ 2000年7月2日（日） (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on December 21, 2003. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
28. サラリーマン金太郎３. TV Drama Database (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
29. Fight 1 2004.1.15 放送 (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
30. Fight 10 2004.3.18 放送 (in Japanese). TBS. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
31. Loo, Egan (August 6, 2008). "Salaryman Kintaro Manga to Get New TV Drama Series". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
32. サラリーマン金太郎（サラリーマン金太郎(1)）. TV Drama Database (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
33. 永井大は広末との関係語らず、所属事務所「本人たちに任せています」. Oricon News (in Japanese). January 4, 2010. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
34. サラリーマン金太郎２ ： 最終回視聴率は１１％、「左目探偵ＥＹＥ」は１０．７％. Mantan Web (in Japanese). March 15, 2010. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
35. Macdonald, Christopher (March 8, 2005). "Salary Man Kintaro Licensed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
36. Dong, Bamboo (February 20, 2006). "Yugo the Olympian – Shelf Life". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
37. "Salaryman Kintaro – Part 5". ArtsMagicDVD.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
38. サラリーマン金太郎 5 金太郎、不正を暴く。編 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.

External links

• Salaryman Kintaro at TBS Drama Archive at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-10-09) (in Japanese)
• Salaryman Kintaro season 2 at TBS at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-01-07) (in Japanese)
• Salaryman Kintaro season 3 at TBS at the Wayback Machine (archived 2010-01-13) (in Japanese)
• Salaryman Kintaro season 4 at TBS at the Wayback Machine (archived 2012-01-26) (in Japanese)
• Salary Man Kintaro (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Salaryman Kintaro at IMDb