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Japanese manga series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kekko Kamen (Japanese: けっこう仮面, Hepburn: Kekkō Kamen) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Jump from September 1974 to February 1978, with the chapters collected into five tankōbon volumes by Shueisha.
Kekko Kamen | |
けっこう仮面 (Kekkō Kamen) | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy |
Manga | |
Written by | Go Nagai |
Published by | Shueisha |
Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Jump |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | September 1974 – February 1978 |
Volumes | 5 |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Nobuhiro Kondo (ep 1) Shunichi Tokunaga (ep. 2) Kinji Yoshimoto (eps. 3-4) |
Written by | Masashi Sogo |
Music by | Keiju Ishikawa |
Studio | Studio Signal |
Licensed by | |
Released | August 1, 1991 – March 1, 1992 |
Runtime | 25 minutes (each) |
Episodes | 4 |
Live-action film | |
Directed by | Hikari Hayakawa |
Produced by | Naokatsu Ito Ken Urasaki |
Written by | Hikari Hayakawa |
Studio | Japan Home Video |
Released | March 22, 1991 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Light novel | |
Shosetsu Kekko Kamen | |
Written by | Masashi Sogo |
Illustrated by | Go Nagai |
Published by | Asahi Sonorama |
Imprint | Sonorama Bunko |
Published | May 1991 |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen 2: We'll be back... | |
Directed by | Yutaka Akiyama |
Produced by | Naokatsu Ito |
Written by | Yutaka Akiyama |
Music by | Masaya Abe |
Studio | Japan Home Video |
Released | March 27, 1992 |
Runtime | 80 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen 3 | |
Directed by | Yutaka Akiyama |
Produced by | Naokatsu Ito Toji Kato Gunya Sachimori |
Written by | Yutaka Akiyama |
Music by | Masaya Abe |
Studio | Japan Home Video |
Released | April 23, 1993 |
Runtime | 95 minutes |
Manga | |
Kekko Kamen P | |
Written by | Shigemitsu Harada |
Illustrated by | Seiju Minato |
Published by | Kodansha |
Magazine | Weekly Young Magazine |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | 2003 – 2004 |
Volumes | 2 |
Live-action film | |
Directed by | Takafumi Nagamine |
Produced by | Shin Yoneyama Shigeyuki Fukushima (associate producer) Junichi Matsushita (executive producer) |
Written by | Yuki Okano |
Music by | Mari Shimizu |
Studio | Art Port |
Licensed by | |
Released | February 6, 2004 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen: Mangriffon no Gyakushu | |
Directed by | Takafumi Nagamine |
Produced by | Shin Yoneyama Shigeyuki Fukushima Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Yuki Okano Keiichi Sakano |
Music by | Mari Shimizu |
Studio | Art Port |
Licensed by |
|
Released | July 23, 2004 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Returns | |
Directed by | Takafumi Nagamine |
Produced by | Shin Yoneyama Shigeyuki Fukushima Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Yuki Okano |
Music by | Mari Shimizu |
Studio | Art Port |
Licensed by |
|
Released | October 31, 2004 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Surprise | |
Directed by | Takafumi Nagamine |
Produced by | Shin Yoneyama Shigeyuki Fukushima Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Yuki Okano |
Music by | Mari Shimizu |
Studio | Art Port |
Licensed by |
|
Released | October 31, 2004 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Royale | |
Directed by | Kosuke Suzuki |
Produced by | Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Rui Tsubota |
Music by | Koji Endo |
Studio | Art Port |
Released | May 25, 2007 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Premium | |
Directed by | Kosuke Suzuki |
Produced by | Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Rui Tsubota |
Music by | Koji Endo |
Studio | Art Port |
Released | June 22, 2007 |
Runtime | 75 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Forever | |
Directed by | Kosuke Suzuki |
Produced by | Junichi Matsushita |
Written by | Rui Tsubota |
Music by | Koji Endo |
Studio | Art Port |
Released | July 27, 2007 |
Runtime | 70 minutes |
Live-action film | |
Kekko Kamen Reborn | |
Directed by | Nozomu Kasagi |
Produced by | Tatsuyuki Iizuka Takeyuki Morikaku |
Written by | Kosuke Komatsu |
Studio | AMG Entertainment |
Released | June 2, 2012 |
Runtime | 65 minutes |
It follows the misadventures of a student named Mayumi Takahashi who attends a boarding school called Sparta Academy that is run by sadistic psychopaths. The teachers are constantly looking for ways to torture or humiliate the female students, and from this the teachers derive sexual satisfaction. Takahashi's only protection is from a mysterious nude female superhero—the titular Kekko Kamen. The manga has spawned an original video animation series and numerous live-action films. In North America, the OVAs were released by ADV Films, while several of the films were published by different distributors.
First-year student Mayumi Takahashi attends a junior high school called Sparta Academy (スパルタ学園, Suparuta Gakuen), where the penalty for any student (usually girls) making the slightest mistake is being sexually humiliated by the perverted, corrupt and misogynistic teachers running the school, the principal being a demonic, jester-like villain named "Toenail of Satan". However, before the teachers can take their sexual advances too far, Kekko Kamen steps in and delivers a sound beating to the teachers, and usually performs a finishing attack by jumping into the air and landing crotch-first onto her opponent's face.
Kekko Kamen is a female superhero whose costume consists solely of red boots, gloves, scarf and a mask with long bunny-like ears. Her fighting style is graceful, and her finishing move involves driving the opponent to the ground with a flying headscissors takedown which presses her groin into the victim's face.
Kekko Kamen is a parody of Gekko Kamen. It was originally a joke that Nagai sent to his editor expecting him to reject it. His editor, however, loved the idea and that started Kekko Kamen.[1] Even the name of the main antagonist is a parody: in Gekko Kamen it is Claw of Satan (サタンの爪, Satan no Tsume) while in Kekko Kamen it is Toenail of Satan (サタンの足の爪, Satan no Ashi no Tsume). The theme song for the Kekko Kamen character uses the same lyrics for the theme song to Moonlight Mask, but with changes.
Kekko Kamen was originally serialized in Shueisha's magazine Monthly Shōnen Jump, from September 1974 to February 1978 .[2][3][4][5]
The series has been compiled several times by Shueisha and other publishers.[6] It is also available in ebook format, published by ebookjapan.[7] The manga was published in two volumes in Italy by d/visual, on December 22, 2006 and July 30, 2010.
Vol. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | April 30, 1976 | 978-4088526515 |
2 | January 31, 1977 | 978-4088526522 |
3 | July 31, 1977 | 978-4088526539 |
4 | January 31, 1978 | 978-4088526546 |
5 | July 31, 1978 | 978-4088526553 |
Vol. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | August 15, 1990 | 978-4088583358 |
2 | October 15, 1990 | 978-4088583365 |
3 | December 9, 1990 | 978-4088583372 |
Vol. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | April 25, 1996 | 978-4041978016 |
2 | April 25, 1996 | 978-4041978023 |
3 | April 25, 1996 | 978-4041978030 |
Vol. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | July 4, 2003 | 978-4063347449 |
Vol. | Release date | ISBN |
---|---|---|
1 | April 27, 2004 | 978-4845828067 |
2 | October 21, 2004 | 978-4845828173 |
A four-episode original video animation adaptation of Kekko Kamen was created by Studio Signal and released by Nippon Columbia on two VHS tapes in 1991 and 1992.[8][9] A DVD collection was released on April 21, 2001.[8][10][11] The first two episodes were directed by Nobuhiro Kondo and the second two by Kinji Yoshimoto. The opening theme song is "Kekko Kamen no Uta" (けっこう仮面の歌, Kekkō Kkamen no Uta, "The Song of Kekko Kamen") which Go Nagai wrote for the manga, with composition and arrangement by Keiju Ishikawa, and sung by Emi Shinohara. The ending theme is "Morodashi Heroine Kekko Kamen" (モロダシ・ヒロインけっこう仮面, Morodashi Hiroin Kekkō Kamen, "Naked Heroine Kekko Kamen") written by Hiroshi Koenji, composed and arranged by Keiju Ishikawa, and sung by Emi Shinohara.[8][9][12][13]
The OVA series was released in the United States subtitled in English on two VHS tapes by ADV Films on February 7 and April 4, 1995.[14][15][16][17] A single DVD version was produced on February 15, 2005, which beside the subtitles, also included dubbed English audio.[18] ADV Films has also re-released Kekko Kamen in bundled DVD packages with other anime; Cutey Honey/Kekko Kamen on April 1, 2008, and Puni Puni Poemy/Kekko Kamen on April 21, 2009.[19][20] The OVA was also released in a dubbed version in Italy on VHS by Dynamic Italia in 2000 under the name Kekko Kamen: La maschera libidinosa.[21][22]
# | Title | Original release date | English release date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Here I Am: The Messenger of Love and Justice!!" Transliteration: "Ai to Seigi no Shisha Sanjō!!" (Japanese: 愛と正義の使者参上!!) | August 1, 1991 | 7 February 1995 |
2 | "Crash!! Kekko Kamen vs Muscular Monster" Transliteration: "Kekitotsu!! Kekkō Kamen vs Kinniku Monster" (Japanese: 激突!!けっこう仮面VS筋肉モンスター) | August 1, 1991 | 7 February 1995 |
3 | "Mystery! The Legend of the Evil Android!!" Transliteration: "Kaiki! Akuma no Jinzōningen Densetsu!!" (Japanese: 怪奇!悪魔の人造人間伝説!!) | March 1, 1992 | 4 April 1995 |
4 | "Crisis! Kekko Kamen Only Lives Twice!!" Transliteration: "Kiki Ippatsu! Kekkō Kamen wa Nido Shinu!!" (Japanese: 危機一発!けっこう仮面は二度死ぬ!!) | March 1, 1992 | 4 April 1995 |
There have been eleven live-action films based on Kekko Kamen. Go Nagai has been intricately involved in the production of the films. The first three movies and the three from 2006 were released in direct-to-video format, while films four through seven and eleven were theatrically released in Japan. The 2012 film was released theatrically in limited locations before being released on DVD after more than a month. The first four theatrical films were released on DVD in North American by Media Blasters' Tokyo Shock label beginning in 2005.[23]
Kekko Kamen P (けっこう仮面P, Kekkō Kamen P) is a manga series written by Shigemitsu Harada and illustrated by Seiju Minato and published in Weekly Young Magazine from 2003 to 2004. The chapters were collected into two tankōbon volumes by Kodansha on May 6 and July 6, 2004. It is a sequel to the original series, where several years have passed since the events depicted in the first manga. Momoka Nogami discovers the legend of the original Kekko Kamen and decides to emulate her actions donning a similar costume, adding a peach motif, and so she becomes Kekko Kamen Peach. Other Kekko also appear, Kekko Kamen Lemon and Kekko Kamen Melon, and even a male version called Kekko Kamen Banana.
A special story called "The Excellent - Kekko Kamen Gaiden" (THE エクセレント ~けっこう仮面外伝~), written by Shinobu Inokuma with co-operation from Nagai, was published in Business Jump in June 2011. It takes place many years after the original manga where a new Kekko Kamen, whose secret identity is a new teacher in a new school owned by the remaining factions of the Toenail of Satan, protects young female students from the evil members of the organisation unfortunately one of them catches her. She is held prisoner until the original Kekko Kamen rescues her and they both defeat him, with the original telling her successor that some of the remains of the Toenail of Satan may have spread all over the world and that she will keep on fighting alone but she was proud of her successor that if she's gone she and her successors after her will always protect the young female women from evil by using her namesake.[24][25]
A one-shot crossover featuring Go Nagai's Kekko Kamen and Mazinger Z characters was written by Takeshi Okano and published in Grand Jump on January 16, 2013.[26]
Stig Høgset of Them Anime Reviews gave the Kekko Kamen OVAs two out of five stars, called the art passable, and clarified that while the jokes are smutty, they never get offensive.[27]
Reviewing for Anime News Network, Theron Martin wrote "Kekko Kamen is great (if nonsensical) fun as long as you're an adult who can appreciate oodles of fan service and raunchy, sometimes utterly tasteless, humor." He cited the humor as a highlight, but felt the production values were mediocre.[28]
Martin gave a much more negative review of the live action Kekko Kamen: Mask of Kekkou (also known as Kekko Kamen New), saying it came off as "exploitive and cruel rather than the campy, whimsical work it should have been." He called the writing amateurish and the acting even worse.[29]
Angel Blade is a hentai parody OVA of Kekko Kamen produced in the Vanilla Series.
American heavy metal musician Rob Zombie used clips of the Kekko Kamen OVA during the 2010 Mayhem Festival and 2022 Freaks on Parade tours during the song "Never Gonna Stop (The Red Red Kroovy)".
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