Utau! Dai Ryugujo (うたう！大龍宮城, Utau! Dai Ryūgūjō, Sing! Great Ryugujo) is the 13th series in the Toei Fushigi Comedy Series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It is based on the Japanese fairy tale of Urashima Tarō.
On April 2020, Utau! Dai Ryugujo became one of the 70 shows to stream on the Toei Tokusatsu World Youtube channel.
Plot[]
| “ | Life doesn't happen twice, it happens three times. Princess of Ryugujo, Otohime! | ” |
–Otohime's speech | ||
Taro Urashima, a boy who hates studying, is taken to Princess Otohime after helping a taxi driver (who is actually a turtle). The princess' castle, Ryugujo, has collapsed due to sea pollution from a marine resort development. Otohime asks for Taro's help. Meanwhile, Taro's father is about to be transferred to Fiji for a year. His mother, who always encourages him to study, is also interested in going to Fiji and complains that she and her husband can go, together if they have someone to look after Taro. So Taro, wanting to escape his studies, proposes that Otohime settle down with the Urashima family, as his nanny, and that his parents leave home together. However, to his disappointment, Otohime's parents, King Whale and Queen Coral, also move in with Otohime.
Overview[]
The main feature of this comedy is that it is based on the legend of Urashima Taro and is a kind of musical, which is unusual for a Japanese television drama, the story is encouraged through a series of songs. Jun Hikasa states that producer Takashi Ishihara wanted to make a musical. In this way, Hikasa and lead writer Yoshio Urasawa constructed an absurd and eccentric comedy.
At first, the series would not be called Utau! Dai Ryugujo and would be titled "Otohime Panic" (乙姫パニック Otohime panikku), the script would also be very different. Also, basic aspects like making a musical, did not exist yet. There was a version of the script for the first episode with the title "Otohime Panic" Episode 1: "Dangerous Entertainment Reporter" (乙姫パニック 第1話「危ない芸能リポーター」Otohime panikku dai 1-wa `abunai geinō ripōtā')
Yoshio Urasawa, who wrote all the episodes, spoke frequently in interviews about his attachment to the series, and Takashi Ishihara also made special mention of it on the radio, so it seems to have been a series that the creators were very attached to. The previous show, Fushigi Shoujo Nairu na Thutmose, had an average audience rating of 13.4%, which dropped to 10.1%.
Otohime's Weapons[]
- Tamatebako Flute (玉手箱の笛, Tamatebako no fue): A pink flute. The mouth of the flute is made of a pink shell. It can make a person age or rejuvenate. It can also purify a dirty heart, call down thunder, and perform other magic.
- Bracelet (ブレスレット, Buresuretto): Used on the left hand. It is marked with a shell. If you bring it close to the person, it can guess the creature and diagnose its condition.
- Compact (コンパクト, Konpakuto): Mirror that contains different rings; one of them is always worn by Otohime. The rings are filled with sea minerals and are placed on the fingers of weak fish and crustaceans.
- Cloak (マント, Manto): A cloak worn as formal attire. After Otohime announces her name, the cloak is placed over the opponent to blind him, or it can be beaten to create a strong wind.
- Peaceful Harp (平和なハープ, Heiwana hāpu): A small shell-shaped pink harp that can only be played by Otohime. The tone makes one feel calm and peaceful. Also, like the Tamatebako Flute, it can be used for various magical purposes.
Characters[]
| Princess of Ryugujo | Otohime |
Allies[]
- Taro Urashima (浦島 タロー, Urashima tarō): The firstborn of the Urashima family. A fifth-grade student. He lives with the Otohime family and hates studying. He has a weakness for pretty girls.
- Kiyoshi (キヨシ, Kiyoshi): Taro's friend. A fat boy. His weakness is older, pretty girls, but he has courage, confidence, and a sense of justice in his heart. Besides this, Kiyoshi is quite decent among Taro and the other four.
- Toru (トオル, Tōru): Taro's friend. A boy who wears glasses. His mother is dead and he lives alone with his father, who is an alcoholic, which makes him a little more optimistic about life. Due to his father's influence, he hates drunk people.
- Masahiko (マサヒコ, Masahiko): Taro's friend. A skinny boy. He has a wide variety of friends: a kind nurse, a lady from the school lunchroom, and Grandma from the stationery store.
- Shinko Higashi (東 シンコ, Higashi Shinko): A girl who is friends with Taro. She likes Taro, but gets frustrated when Taro does not want to be around her and no longer wants to be with her. Her sister's name is Higashi Sujiko, she is the second daughter of the Higashi family.
- King Whale (鯨大王, Kujira daiō): Otohime's father. He loves Otohime, he is also a thoughtful person who likes to play with taro and his friends, and with seafood. His brother is a mackerel and his father is a satyr. He has a bad habit of putting the blame on others when things go wrong.
- Queen Coral (珊瑚女王, Sanjo joō): Otohime's mother. She is always playing with the King Whale, but she also does the housework. Like King Whale, she is a caring person, but she is also quite annoying.
- Miyoshi Kameyama (亀山 海吉, Kameyama Miyoshi): A Taxi Driver, His true identity is a sea turtle. Kameyama is the guardian of the Otohime family. He is mute and only speaks through song, but the people of Ryugujo can understand what he says.
- Hiroshi Urashima (浦島 ヒロシ, Urashima Hiroshi): Taro's father. He is leading the development of the resort and is revealed to be directly responsible for the development that resulted in the collapse of Ryugujo. On the orders of Naomi, his wife's mother and president, he was sent to Fiji in the first episode.
- Keiko Urashima (浦島 ケーコ, Urashima kēko): Taro's mother and Naomi Udagawa's daughter. She is very indulgent with herself, forcing her son to study hard while not doing housework. She is determined to go with her husband on his overseas mission, and is happy when she meets Otohime.
- Naomi Udagawa (宇田川 直美, Udagawa Naomi): The chairwoman of a prestigious trading company, and Taro's grandmother. She appears in episode 18. She loves her daughter Keiko, loves housework, and is a very good cook. She also apologizes to King Whale and Queen Coral in the final episode for her behavior and reconciles with them. In the opening, she is credited as "Taro's Grandmother."
- Masao Higashi (東 正夫, Higashi Masao): The girl's father Shinko and the chef at Azuma Sushi restaurant.
- UFO: Unidentified flying object in love with Otohime. When in human form, he wears a full body gold outfit with a UFO on his head. He obsessively pursues Otohime, because he wants to have a child by her.
Cast[]
- Otohime - Hiroko Nakayama
- Taro Urashima - Shuhei Ohno
- Kiyoshi - Ryuta Suginai
- Toru - Daisuke Kikuchi
- Masahiko - Fujita Go
- Shinko Higashi - Megumi Wakamatsu
- King Whale - Ed Yamaguchi
- Queen Coral - Tina Grace
- Miyoshi Kameyama - Saito Akira
- Masao Higashi - Nakazawa Aoki
- Hiroshi Urashima - Katsumi Kiba
- Keiko Urashima - Yamaguchi Shiori
- Naomi Utagawa - Sanjo Miki
- UFO - Kaoru Fukiyuki
- Narrator - Masaki Okabe[1]
Episodes[]
- Turtle (カメ, Kame)
- Octopus (タコ, Tako)
- Squid (イカ, Ika)
- Mackere (サバ, Saba)
- Horse Mackerel (アジ, Aji)
- Sea Urchin (ウニ, Uni)
- Blowfish (フグ, Fugu)
- Shark (サメ, Same)
- Yellowtail (ブリ, Buri)
- Oyster (カキ, Kaki)
- Stingray (エイ, Ei)
- Mantis Shrimp (シャコ, Shako)
- Tuna (マグロ, Maguro)
- Jellyfish (クラゲ, Kurage)
- Halfbeak (サヨリ, Sayori)
- Skipjack (カツオ, Katsuo)
- Pacific Saury (サンマ, Sanma)
- Clamshell (アサリ, Asari)
- Flounder (ヒラメ, Hirame)
- Abalone (アワビ, Awabi)
- Sardine (イワシ, Iwashi)
- Sea Cucumber (ナマコ, Namako)
- Moray Eel (ウツボ, Utsubo)
- Scorpion Fish (カサゴ, Kasago)
- Starfish (ヒトデ, Hitode)
- Sunfish (マンボウ, Manbō)
- Spiny Lobster (イセエビ, Isēbi)
- Hermit Crab (ヤドカリ, Yadokari)
- Fat Greenling (アイナメ, Ainame)
- Flying Fish (トビウオ, Tobiuo)
- Filefish (カワハギ, Kawahagi)
- Clam (ハマグリ, Hamaguri)
- Amberjack (ヒラマサ, Hiramasa)
- Red Clam (アカガイ, Akagai)
- White Croaker (イシモチ, Ishimochi)
- Cutlass (タチウオ, Tachiuo)
- Barnacles (フジツボ, Fuji tsubo)
- Scallop (ホタテガイ, Hotategai)
- Remora (コバンザメ, Kobanzame)
- Black Surfperch (ウミタナゴ, Umitanago)
- Firefly Squid (ホタルイカ, Hotaruika)
- Mudskipper (ムツゴロウ, Mutsugorō)
- King Crab (タラバガニ, Tarabagani)
- Damselfish (スズメダイ, Suzumedai)
- Coelacanth (シーラカンス, Shīrakansu)
- Walleye (スケトウダラ, Suketōdara)
- Plankton (プランクトン, Purankuton)
- Sea Anemone (イソギンチャク, Isoginchaku)
- Seahorse (タツノオトシゴ, Tatsunōtoshigo)
- Oarfish (リュウグウノツカイ, Ryūgūnotsukai)
Ryugujo in Super Sentai Series[]
Uchu Sentai Kyuranger
[]
Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger
[]
Notes[]
- Utau! Dai Ryugujo was available on Toei's official Tokusatsu Youtube Channel from 26th June to 25th December 2017.
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia Japan