Have you ever heard of the Japanese アニメ (cartoon) called 「妖怪人間べム」 (“Monster Man Bemu”)?
It’s basically about three kind 妖怪 (monsters) who want to be human. They learn that they can become human if they protect humans from other evil monsters.
The three kind monsters, 「べム」 (“Bemu”), 「ベラ」 (“Bera”), and 「べロ」 (“Bero”) are frightening-looking monsters but they are able to assume a humanoid form…but even so, they still look like monsters.
And for that reason, they aren’t accepted by most humans. Most people judge them by their physical appearance rather than their character. That is an underlying theme of this series.
This series originally aired on TV in Japan in the late-60’s…before my wife and I were born but we’ve seen re-runs of it.
A well-known line from this show is 「早く人間になりたい！」 (“I want to be a human soon!”)…it can even be heard in the show’s opening theme song.
Here is a YouTube clip of this show’s opening and closing theme songs:
Tokyo Five 
I’ve heard of this show before, the idea and moral of the story is rather nice, don’t judge a person by their appearance but rather by who they are inside.
The translation of the word ‘アニメ’as ‘cartoon’ is something that’s bothered me for many years, as someone who has a degree as a professional animator I find the use of the word ‘cartoon’ to belittle animation in many ways.
Cartoon:
1.
a. A drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption.
b. A drawing representing current public figures or issues symbolically and often satirically: a political cartoon.
2. A preliminary sketch similar in size to the work, such as a fresco, that is to be copied from it.
3. An animated cartoon.
4. A comic strip.
5. A ridiculously oversimplified or stereotypical representation:
I’m not trying to be a smartass my any means, and I fully understand that the word ‘cartoon’ has different connotations to the actual dictionary definition.
I appear to have actually lost my original point now, but the word Anime is short for ‘animation’ and this to me is rather seperated from cartoons, similar in the way that finding nemo is a 3d animated movie, people rarely call it a 3d cartoon.
I’m happy about the new monster post though, eventhough its not Yokai as such, its the same sort of thing, the only similar thing to this (in modern television) is GeGeGe no Kitarou i believe.
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>I’ve heard of this show before
Really? Is it shown in your country?
>The translation of the word ‘アニメ’ (anime) as ‘cartoon’ is something that’s bothered me for many years
I suppose technically “anime” are different from “cartoons”…but, you have to admit, generally speaking they’re the same.
I prefer to speak in “Layman’s Terms” as much as possible.
>as someone who has a degree as a professional animator
Are you qualified as an animator, a game designer and a teacher?
It’s quite impressive!
>I find the use of the word ‘cartoon’ to belittle animation in many ways.
Well, it’s certainly not intended to belittle.
I also translate 「マンガ」 (“manga“) as “comic books” on this blog in an attempt to make it clear as possible for visitors not familiar with Japanese culture (including “pop culture”).
>I’m happy about the new monster post though, eventhough its not Yokai as such
I think these anime characters are “yokai” (Japanese monsters / ghouls)…in fact, the series’ title is “Yokai-ningen Bemu“.
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>Really? Is it shown in your country?
No its not, however I was raised watching a lot of imported Japanese television, so I know the name even though I’ve never seen it before.
>I suppose technically “anime” are different from “cartoons”…but, you have to admit, generally speaking they’re the same.
I suppose, it depends how you look at it, I meant that ‘animation’ isnt quite the same thing as a cartoon, claymation isnt ‘cartoons’ but it is an animation.
The anime cartoon debate doesn’t interest me too much, I’m sure there are a million American ‘Otaku’ who argue about it every waking moment, haha.
>Are you qualified as an animator, a game designer and a teacher?
It’s quite impressive!
I did a 3 year university Bachelors in animation, I’m a 3D artist (my course taught us 3D and 2D animation skills) primarily working on 3D work for videogames, and I’m only an independent game designer, trying to make something successful on my own (I suppose in Japanese the closest word is Doujin, however its not fan games at all, its 100% original).
As for the teaching qualification, I wanted to go to Japan to teach English and It would be easier to find work if I studied, so I took a short TEFL course (it was only a few weeks, fast track, so I wouldn’t go as far to say im fully qualified or anything).
>I think these anime characters are “yokai” (Japanese monsters / ghouls)…in fact, the series’ title is “Yokai-ningen Bemu“.
ah sorry, I meant Yokai in the sense of tradition Japanese Yokai (Kappa, betobetosan, Bakeneko and things like this), or are these also Traditional Yokai?
Eitherway, I liked this post, its quite funny that it came just moments after me mentioning Yokai in a comment, you read my mind.
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>I was raised watching a lot of imported Japanese television
Do you like Japanese TV shows? Which is your favorite?
>I liked this post, its quite funny that it came just moments after me mentioning Yokai in a comment
Yeah, it’s a coincidence that you wrote that comment on another post just before I published this post!
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Even though I don’t understand a single word in this Youtube clip, (LOL… for I don’t speak Japanese), I still dig the “vintage” vibe and look about this cartoon. You can’t beat the way cartoons “used to be made”… without the click of a computer mouse!
I’m guessing the moral of this cartoon series is: don’t judge people, um, or monsters by the way they look. It is a fine message, if my guess is right. 🙂
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>You can’t beat the way cartoons “used to be made”… without the click of a computer mouse!
Yeah. I don’t know about other countries’ cartoons nowadays, but there are still a number of “hand-drawn” cartoons (anime) in Japan even now in this age of computers…such as “Sazae-san” and almost all of the “Ghibli” anime cartoons.
>I’m guessing the moral of this cartoon series is: don’t judge people, um, or monsters by the way they look.
Yes, that’s the basic premise.
It’s, in some ways, similar to the story of “Frankenstein’s Monster”.
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