- Domo (NHK)
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A stuffed plush Domo.
Domo (どーも くん Dōmo-kun) is the official mascot of Japan's NHK television station, appearing in several 30 second stop-motion interstitial sketches shown as station identification during shows.
Contents
Name
Domo-kun first appeared in short stop-motion sketches in December 1998 to mark the 10th anniversary of NHK's satellite broadcasting. The name "Domo" was acquired during the second episode of his show in which a TV announcer said, "dōmo, konnichiwa" (どうも、こんにちは), which is a greeting meaning something along the lines of, "Well, hello there!", but which can also be interpreted as "Hello, Domo", and thus is a convenient pun (dajare). The kun suffix on "Domo-kun," the name used to describe the character in the Japanese versions, is a Japanese honorific often used with young males.
Development
Tsuneo Gōda directs Domo episodes using stop motion animation. Gōda says that, by using this process, one can "create a work filled with feeling."[1]
Characters
Domo, the main character, is described as "a strange creature that hatched from an egg,"[2] with a large, sawtoothed mouth that is locked wide open. Domo's favorite food is Japanese-style meat and potato stew, and he has a strong dislike for apples, because of an unexplained mystery in his DNA. Domo can only communicate by producing a low-pitched noise which sounds somewhat like his own name, but other characters appear to understand him. Domo is known to pass gas repeatedly when nervous or upset.[2] A Tokyopop press release of the Domo comic book states that "he communicates sotto voce with a verve that only his friends can understand."[3] Clint Bickham, the writer of the Domo comic book, said that to him Domo's expression is "a sort of cheery wonderment. Like when a kid wakes to a room full of presents on Christmas day." While Domo's face has variants, to Bickham most of his expressions have "an underlying sense of fascination."[4]
Domo lives in an underground cave with Mr. Usaji,[2][5] known in Japanese-language versions as Usajii (うさじい), a portmanteau of the words usagi (うさぎ), (rabbit), and jii (じい) (old man, grandpa). Mr. Usaji is a wise old rabbit who has lived in a cave for decades, loves to watch television and drink astringent green tea.[2] Mr. Usaji is not into any "new" materials, and does not own a telephone.[2][5] In terms of fashion, Mr. Usaji focuses on materials instead of shapes. Mr. Usaji's favorite food is carrots, and his least favorite food is "something that is meaningless."[2]
Also in the cave live two bats, a mother named Maya[5] (Shinobu (しのぶ) in the Japanese version) and her child Mario (Morio (もりお) in the Japanese version). Maya suffers from alcoholism; her favorite foods are seasonal while her least favorite food is alcohol. Mario's favorite food is Japanese-style tomato spaghetti, while his least favorite food is shiitake mushrooms.[2][5]
The other main character in the shorts is a weasel girl named Tashanna[2][5] (Tā-chan (たーちゃん) in the Japanese version). Tashanna, 17 years old, is a weasel who aspires to be a fashion stylist or model in Tokyo and is always using technology (televisions, mobile phones, and cameras). In English Tashanna has a "weaselly accent" (いたちなまり itachi namari) (bear in mind weasels in Japan are not associated with underhandedness) and ends her sentences with "y"s. In the Japanese version, she ends her sentences with "chi" (ち).[6] She has not had a boyfriend in ten years and she is seeking a platonic boyfriend.[2][5] She has a passion for bidding in auctions, but she gives up by the end. Tashanna's favorite food is apricot and mint tarts, and her least favorite food is sea urchin.[2] The Japanese name originates from the word "multichannel" (多チャンネル tachanneru) of digital broadcasting.
Bear Boy (Kogumagorō (こぐまゴロー)), also known as A Little Bear (くまのこ Kuma no ko, literally "A bear cub"), is a Moon Bear and one of Domo's friends from the neighborhood; the timid cub enjoys playing baseball.[2][5]
Hee (Flower One (花一 Hanaichi)) and Haw (Flower Two (花二 Hanaji)) are pixie twins from a flower. Domo is the only individual who can see them.[5]
The Fox Trio consists of Esther (Esuko (エスコ)), Brother Fox (あにきち Aniki-chi), and Fox Boy (Konjirō (コンジロー)). Esther, the youngest member, enjoys producing crocodile tears, plotting schemes, and causing havoc. Brother Fox, the eldest member, dutifully cares for his youngest siblings and feels upset when referred to as "short-legged" (短足 tansoku). Fox Boy, having a quiet demeanor, converses with Domo and Bear Boy and prefers to read.[2][6]
Hungry Bear (はらぺこぐま Harapekoguma), a large and powerful bear, feels too hungry to take advantage of his strength.[2]
The Ghost (Hyūtarou (ヒュ～たろう)) randomly appears and disappears.[2][6]
Domo: The Manga
Tokyopop publishes Domo: The Manga, an original English-language manga series, in the United States and Canada.[7] Clint Bickham created the stories and crafted the dialog; Bickam said that he did "pretty much everything short of drawing it."[4] The stories were drawn by Priscilla Hamby (aka Rem), Lindsay Cibos, Jared Hodges, Sonia Leong, Maximo V. Lorenzo (in the special 7-11 edition only) and Erie Horita.[8][9][10] Bickham decided to use a series of short stories instead of one long story to "recreate the feel of the original series," "so hopefully, reading a story from the manga will feel the same as watching an episode of the show." Bickham said that writing the stories became entertaining when he "got into the Domo mindset." The writer said that Domo's thoughts do not need to be expressed in words as they are "always very simple and innocent." Bickham added that sometimes other characters speak for him. Bickham said that the Domo: the Manga stories "are driven by situations instead of dialogue." To prepare for writing the series, Bickham watched each episode multiple times; Bickham intended to "get a feel for the characters so that the jump from stop-motion to manga would be as seamless as possible." He added that "more than anything, I had to have fun doing it. I don't think you can create a good Domo story without fun."[4]
Deb Aoki of About.com reviewed Domo: The Manga; she rated it as two out of five stars and described it as "disposable entertainment that doesn't warrant more than a single reading."[11]
Domo on the internet and video games
Domo became well known outside of Japan through a mock public service announcement that circulated on the internet depicting Domos chasing a kitten with the words stating "Every time you masturbate... God kills a kitten." An article from ICv2 stated "this phony PSA is quite out of character with Domo's image in Japan."[12]
Domo has 5 video games on the DSiWare on the Nintendo DSi Shop application for the Nintendo DSi. The 5 games are Crash-Course Domo, Hard-Hat Domo, Rock-n-Roll Domo, Pro-Putt Domo and White-Water Domo.[12] On Facebook, Domo is featured in the social game Planet Domo.[13]
References
- ^ "Halloween Costumes." Target Corporation. Accessed September 14, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n English page. Domomode. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
- ^ "TOKYOPOP PRESENTS: YEAR OF THE DOMO." Tokyopop. Retrieved on September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Interview with Domo Writer Clint Bickham." Tokyopop. Retrieved on September 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Who?." Domo Nation. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c Japanese page. Domomode. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
- ^ TOKYOPOP Presents: Domo the Manga." Tokyopop. Retrieved on September 5, 2009.
- ^ Leroy Douresseaux (6 September 2009). "Domo: The Manga". comicbookbin.com. http://www.comicbookbin.com/domothemanga001.html. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ Jared Hodges (8 October 2009). "Quasi Educational: Domo Invaded My Life!". http://quasieducational.blogspot.com/2009/10/domo-invaded-my-life.html. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ "Atomic Books: Atomic Books - Domo GN : Clint Bickham / Erie Horita". atomicbooks.com. http://www.atomicbooks.com/index.php/domo-gn.html. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
- ^ Aoki, Deb. "Domo The Manga." About.com. Retrieved on September 11, 2009.
- ^ a b "Nickelodeon Gets Anime-Mated." ICv2. May 4, 2006. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
- ^ "Planet Domo". Planet Domo application on Facebook. http://facebook.com/planetdomo.
External links
- Official U.S. Domo website
- どーもくんファミリーのご紹介 (Japanese)
- TOKYOPOP's official Domo manga preview (Arcguve)
- Domonation at Veoh
Categories:- Internet memes
- NHK
- Mascots
- Fictional life forms
- 1998 introductions
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