TV-kun (テレビくん, Terebi-kun) is a one-shot manga by Shigeru Mizuki. The story was awarded the 6th Kodansha Children's Manga Award.
About[]
While Mizuki had earlier made his magazine debut in Garo, this would be his debut in a children's magazine. At first he was asked to write a sci-fi story, but Mizuki declined because he felt it wasn't his strongest genre. After the magazine's editing policy changed, he was allowed to write the story he wanted to.[1] It was his first time writing a story specifically for children, so he worked hard to polish up his art style to appeal to the younger readers.[2] That hard work paid off and TV-kun would go on to win the 6th Kodansha Children's Manga Award. Mizuki was actually tied with Yōko Imamura for the prize, but Sanpei Shirato (who was one of the judges) recommended Mizuki for the prize.[3] Following the award, Mizuki received requests from many major publishers,[2] and was soon able to switch completely from rental manga to magazines.
In 2017, a TV-kun statue was added to Shigeru Mizuki Road.
Synopsis[]
Among the children, there is a rumor about a strange boy who comes out of TV sets, but Santa, who lives in poverty and has no TV, could never understand the stories. One day, a boy named Yamada who looks like TV-kun transfers to Santa's class. Everyone in class asks Yamada if he is TV-kun, but he insists that he isn't. Santa becomes curious and follows Yamada home after school to try and learn the secret of TV-kun.
Characters[]
- TV-kun (Yamada) (テレビくん（山田）) - A strange boy who can freely travel in and out of TV sets. While inside the TV he cant eat chocolate and ice cream from commercials and even nap inside the TV. He has a transistor television which he uses to travel to hotels and inns all across the country.
- Santa (三太) - A young boy who has worked as a newspaper boy to support his little brother and sick mother since his father died. He befriends TV-kun and learns his secret.
Trade releases[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "A Half Asleep Lifetime" by Shigeru Mizuki.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "GeGeGe no Nyōbō" by Nunoe Mura.
- ↑ "Garo", September 1994 issue.