Doraemon

Doraemon (ドラえもん, '' Doraemon''^?) is a manga written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio, pseudonym of Hiroshi Fujimoto. It was published in Japan from December 1969 to April 1996 in various Shogakukan publishing magazines. The series follows the adventures of a blue, cat-like, earless robot named Doraemon, who traveled back in time from the xxii century to take care of a boy named Nobita in his day-to-day life and thus improve his future.

The manga had a total of 1,345 short, medium, and long-term comics in print, of which 821 short stories were selected by Fujimoto himself to be compiled into 45 tankōbon volumes. Three years after the start of the manga serialization, it was adapted into an anime series produced by Nippon TV Dōga and whose 26 episodes were released by Nippon TV between April and September 1973. Two other later and longer-lived adaptations were produced by Shin-Ei Animation and aired on TV Asahi.

The work has also led to the production of annual animated feature films since the 1980s, multiple video games for variety of consoles, as well as the merchandising of other types of merchandise.

Both the Doraemon anime and manga achieved great success inside and outside of Japan. Before the manga's 45th volume was published in 1996, it had already reached 100 million copies sold in Japan. In 2012, the manga recorded 170 million copies sold worldwide. In 1981, Doraemon was awarded the Shōgakukan in the kodomo category, while in 1997 he received the Grand Prize of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2006, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Japan Media Arts Festival, a survey of a sample of eighty thousand people was conducted on the top 10 manga of all time, placing Doraemon in fifth position. In a 2005 ranking published by TV Asahi of the hundred most popular anime, Doraemon ranked ranked five. In March 2008, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan named Doraemon an "anime ambassador" in order to help people in other countries better understand anime and deepen their interest in Japanese culture..

Plot

The story begins with an elementary school student, named Nobita Nobi, resting in his room during the new year. Suddenly, a voice that seems to come from nowhere warns Nobita about two events that will affect him in the next few minutes; the first is to get hung up on a tree and the second is to get toasted, respectively. Nobita takes this prediction with great skepticism until a strange blue being appears from the desk drawer, but Nobita mistakes it for a raccoon dog who reveals himself as the messenger of the future while mentioning that Nobita has a terrible future ahead., he eats Nobita's snacks and leaves the place from where he entered. Moments later, a young man similar in appearance to Nobita appears from the same desk drawer, but Nobita is very confused and still doesn't know the details until the previously mistakenly named raccoon dog returned. Both strangers introduce themselves as Sewashi Nobi and Doraemon, Nobita's great-great-grandson and a cat-shaped robot, respectively, and have traveled back in time from the xxii to talk to Nobita. According to Sewashi, Nobita suffered from a lot of bad luck even after he was an adult and as presumed evidence, Doraemon shows an album with photos of Nobita as an adult. However, Nobita still does not believe what is happening to the point of becoming enraged and driving Sewashi and Doraemon out of his room.

Later, Nobita is called from outside his house by Shizuka Minamoto asking for the return of the hane that fell on the roof while he was playing Hanetsuki with Jaiko Goda. Nobita tries to retrieve the hane, but loses his balance and falls into a tree from which he hangs on a branch, thus fulfilling the first prophecy to Nobita's astonishment. Shizuka then invites him to play Hanetsuki but Jaiko doesn't agree because he knows that he will lose anyway, which angers Nobita and he decides to play with Jaiko but loses and pays the penalty of being painted on his face. Annoyed by the results and Jaiko's comments, Nobita gets angry with her and returns home to wash in the bathroom, but he slips by stepping on a bar of soap that was on the floor and this time falls into the tub full of water.. Later, Nobita is drying himself in his room with a heater, which he associates with being toasty, thus fulfilling the second prophecy. Nobita once again reviews the photo album of his future, but is devastated by the events. Sewashi returns and explains that, due to his high unpaid debts, they continued to affect even his descendants and condemn them to poor living conditions; however, he mentions that he can change his destiny and to make sure it happens, he sends Doraemon to take care of him and help him. Finally, Nobita agrees to receive Doraemon as his friend and mentor. Since then, Doraemon's day-to-day consists of Nobita overcoming his deficiencies and other difficulties, along with the use of the Himitsu Dōgu ; artifacts from the future that are stored in the Yon-jigen Poketto attached to his belly.

Differences between formats

Although Doraemon has a beginning, it does not follow a linear story, it is timeless and lacks a definitive ending. This has also given more freedom to the anime team in producing remakes of previously adapted stories and creating other original stories so as not to always depend on the manga, especially during its early years when the available number of stories and their duration in sheets was very limited. Typically, all conflicts are resolved in one story, and most follow a similar pattern. Due to this and after the introduction of Doraemon, the manga short stories collected in various collections are distributed in a different order than their original publication in Shogakukan magazines and several stories are often excluded from the compilations.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. eg too many while the third attempted ending was published by Shōgaku San'nensei in the March 1974 issue. The first two endings were initially untitled and were also not collected in all 45 tankōbon, while the third ending was originally titled Mirai no Sekai Ekaeru ( みらいの世界へ帰る, 'Mirai no Sekai Ekaeru'^? lit. «Back to the world of the future») , is included in the sixth tankōbon published on December 25, 1974 and ranks as the last comic of said volume, but retitled as Sayōnara, Doraemon (さようなら、ドラえもん, 'Sayōnara, Doraemon'^? lit. "Goodbye, Doraemon"). In the April 1974 issue of Shōgaku Yon'nensei magazine, Kaettekita Doraemon (帰ってきたドラえもん, 'Kaettekita Doraemon'^? lit. «Doraemon is back»), which is later collected in the seventh tankōbon published on May 2, 1975 and is continuation of the events of the last story of the sixth tankōbon. under the titles of Doraemon mirai ekaeru (ドラえもん未来へ帰る, 'Doraemon mirai ekaeru'^? lit. "Doraemon Returns to the Future") and Doraemon gainaku nacchau (ドラえもんがい なくなっちゃう！？, 'Doraemon gainaku nacchau'^? lit. Doraemon is gone!?"), respectively; while the third ending was included in the fifth volume published on January 25, 2010. In an interview published in the June 1993 issue of the YOM magazine belonging to the Iwanami Shoten publishing house, Fujimoto mentioned that he intended to end the series with Sayōnara, Doraemon after almost 5 years of serialization because the series published in school magazines last approximately two years and therefore there was an attempt to end, but the editorial department decided in its continuation.

Regarding the anime series, the adaptations produced by Shin-Ei Animation begin with a different story in each series and having Doraemon fully integrated into the Nobi family home. In the 1979 series, his first story is Yume no machi Nobitarando (ゆめの町 ノビタランド, &## 39;Yume no machi Nobitarando'^? lit., Nobitaland»); while, Benkyō Beya no Tsuribori (勉強べやの釣り堀, 'Benkyō Beya no Tsuribori'^? lit. "Fishing in my room") is the first story of the 2005 series. In the 1973 series produced by Nippon TV Dōga, it was adapted and The beginning of the manga and the second ending were published in the March 1972 issue of Shōgaku Yon'nensei magazine, at the same time that the manga was still in serialization. As for Mirai no Kuni Kara Harubaruto (未来の国からはるばると, 'Mirai no Kuni Kara Harubaruto'^? lit. "All roads to the world of the future") -sixth version of Doraemon's introduction in the manga- from the January 1970 issue of Shōgaku Yon'nensei magazine and later collected as the first story of the first tankōbon published on July 31, 1974, it was adapted twice in the 1979 series and once in the 2005 series. In all cases, their television premieres were long after the start of the respective series of turns. The first adaptation was the third part of a special episode titled Doraemon no Bikkuri zen Hyakka ( ドラえもんのびっくり全百科, 'Doraemon no Bikkuri zen Hyakka'^? lit "Doraemon's Surprise Encyclopedia") released on January 2, 1980; the second adaptation released on December 31, 2002, is a remake of the first version but with differences regarding how it happens Doraemon's predictions and when Nobita meets Shizuka and Jaiko on the street. Finally, the third version corresponding to the 2005 series and released on April 21, 2006, is a flashback that is part of an exclusive anime plot and its differences from the manga are minor.

Relationships with other series

Despite the lack of continuity in the Doraemon stories, Fujiko F. Fujio established that his other series such as Perman, Esper Mami, Obake no Q-Tarō, Umeboshi Denka and 21 Emon occur in the same universe, but chronologically at different times. different and most of these appearances between series are by way of cameo or parody. The idol Sumire Hoshino (whose alter ego is Perman 3 or Pako) appears in some Doraemon stories but as an older girl and makes references to her friend Mitsuo Suwa (Perman 1), whom he says goodbye to in the last chapter of Perman's manga when they are both still children. In a story in which Takeshi and Suneo use a Doraemon contraption that simulates an airport runway where Anything flying nearby can land, almost one after the other descend Q-Taro, Tarō Kaibutsu, Umeboshi Sidenka and Esper Asami. In another story where Nobita ran away from home and came to an old hotel that had no customers, an ancestor of 21 Emon apar He appears at the end as the son of the business owner.

Aspects of the series

Dokodemodoa replica at Fujiko F. Fujio Museum

Replica of concrete tubes found in Akichi

Doraemon is set in a fictional neighborhood called Tsukimidai Susukigahara (月見台すすきヶ原 , 'Tsukimidai Susukigahara'^?), which is in the Nerima district, located in the suburbs of Tokyo. The choice of the name was inspired by Fujimidai, the area where Osamu Tezuka, a mangaka who was a point of reference for the creator of Doraemon, lived and worked. There is a large river in the district called Tanagawa (多奈川, 'Tanagawa' ^?). The setting is also influenced by the city of Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, where the author spent his childhood. Despite being part of Tokyo, the surrounding mountains and vacant land are still undeveloped, which is considered a playground for the main characters. Although its universe seems immutable, there are elements that represent, from the author's thought, an environment subject to change and evolution, such as the construction materials placed in Akichi (空き地, 'Akichi'^? lit. "vacant lot"); an open terrain where three concrete tubes stacked in a pyramid lie and which is frequented by the characters. Fujimoto, during the course of Doraemon's publication, also made numerous changes to the places and objects present in the work in order to make the reality represented more current for readers.

Although science fiction is one of the components of the series, this element occurs in very ordinary, everyday settings; Such a theme is coined by Fujimoto as Sukoshi Fushigi (すこし・不思議, 'Sukoshi Fushigi'^? lit. "A little strange", abbreviated as SF ). The Himitsu Dōgu (ひみつ道具, ' Himitsu Dōgu'^? lit. «secret tool») are futuristic gadgets supplied by Doraemon; they serve to help the other characters and are elements of such a constant presence that they have been defined as essential and insignia for the work. Among the most recurrent are the Take Koputā (タケコプター, 'Take Koputā&## 39;^? lit. «Bamboocopter»), a bamboo propeller that placed on the head allows the user to fly; Taimu Mashin (タイムマシン, 'Taimu Mashin' ^? lit. "Time machine"), used by the characters to travel in the time; and Dokodemodoa (どこでもドア, 'Dokodemodoa'^? lit. "Door to anywhere"), which allows the user to access any part of the world just by thinking about it. In general, the Dōgu are characterized by being reliable and easily transportable, as well as by their simple and intuitive use. Fujimoto inserted the Dōgu trying to reflect a tendentially optimistic vision of the relationship between man and nature. technology. By analogy, he tried to represent Nobita as the man who knows technology, trusts it, and carries out numerous experiments to find optimal solutions. Through the Dōgu, the author expressed some of the main desires of contemporary society. In an interview with Fujimoto, when asked about how many Dōgu exist in Doraemon, the number was 1,293; but according to 2004 research by Professor Yasuyuki Yokoyama of Toyama University, the number of Dōgu in Doraemon that appeared during its 1345 stories in the manga it is 1963.

Characters

Cosplayer of Nobita Nobi

Doraemon features a small group of characters, each with their own quirky traits. Though many of the stories are presented from Nobita's point of view, and relatively few are drawn from Doraemon's point of view, in this regard, the author has mentioned that the main character of the story is Doraemon, and Nobita is the attached main character.

• Doraemon (Facilitator, Doraemon^?) —the main protagonist and which gives name to the series—is a cat-shaped robot assembled with century technology xxii and able to feel emotions like any human being. He traveled in time to the present at the request of Sewashi Nobi to take care of his great-grandfather, Nobita Nobi, in order to change the living conditions of the latter and his descendants. Doraemon takes with him Yon-jigen Poketto (أعربية, 'Yon-jigen Poketto'^? lit. “fourth-dimensional pocket”) that has stored all kinds of artillery from the century xxii which are used to help Nobita and the rest of characters. He has a phobia to mice because of an event that occurred time before traveling to the past and for which he lost his ears. Manufactured on September 3, 2112.

• Nobita Nobi ( 『(『), Nobi Nobita^?) He is a primary school student of 11 or 12 years with a kind personality but he is quite naive, lazy and clumsy; very low academic and athletic performance, along with persistent bad luck. Every time he's in trouble, he comes to Doraemon to try to solve them, although he usually ends up in more trouble. She has romantic feelings for her friend Shizuka Minamoto, who is always trying to draw her attention. His birthday is August 7th.

• Shizuka Minamoto (♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫( の なの なの なの なの なの な。), Minamoto Shizuka^?) She is a friend and classmate of Nobita, to whom she is always affectionate and kind. He is a good student and his physical condition are remarkable unlike Nobita, but usually avoids participating in the physical activities in which his friends like baseball interact and chooses to be just an observer. He cares about his appearance and toilet; he is frequently taking baths, an activity he enjoys quite a lot. It is characterized by being very quiet and against conflicts that include violence towards someone more vulnerable, being Nobita most of the time. His birthday is in May, without specific date.

• Takeshi Goda ( cessation 武 武 π 武(うأ だ う う う 我 う う う う う う う 我 う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う 我 う う う う う う 我 う う う う う 我 う う う う う う う 我 う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う 我 う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う う ), Gōda Takeshi^?)nicknamed by the kids in the neighborhood like Gian (أعربية, Jaian^?Li. "Gigante" for his high stature and physical strength, from which he profits to intimidate and attack others who oppose him. It is impulsive, despotic and easily enraged when something bothers you or things don't come out as you want. Often harass Nobita, this being the origin of conflicts in most stories. She has a younger sister named Jaiko, who she loves a lot and always shows her concern. He likes singing and usually does concerts in front of the other kids in the neighborhood, but his performance is very questioned. His birthday is June 15.

• Suneo Honekawa (▪(ねの 。), Honekawa Suneo^?) He is the son of a high-class family, but boasts a lot of everything he gets and lies frequently. His grades at school are irregular and although physically he is the least statured throughout the group, he is the most cunning and calculating. It usually adulates and makes Takeshi's right arm in his duties, but this is just a facade to avoid being another of the victims of the bully. His birthday is in February, without specific date.

Production

Doraemon was originally conceived by Hiroshi Fujimoto after a series of three events. When he was looking for ideas for a new manga, he wished there was a machine that would give him ideas, he stumbled upon his daughter's toy and heard two cats fighting in his neighborhood. To establish the work and the main character, the author used various elements from his previous manga, Obake no Q-Tarō; starring a ghost who lives with a human family, thus repeating the formula. The idea for Doraemon was, therefore, the result of numerous trials and errors that helped find the type of manga that best suited it. At first, the work was not well received as it was overshadowed by more popular gekiga-style manga; later, both due to the evolution of Japanese readership preferences, as well as the increasing popularity of anime on television, appreciation for the manga increased progressively and allowing the prolongation of its serialization for a longer time.

Since the work is primarily aimed at children, Fujimoto chose to depict the characters in a simple graphic style, based on basic geometric shapes such as circles and ellipses. Blue, a characteristic color of the protagonist, was chosen as the main color because children's magazines had a yellow cover and a red headline. The first Doraemon logo used in Shogakukan magazines, it was designed by Ikunobu Akamatsu, who also worked on the logo for Obake no Q-Tarō and is inspired by limbs. of Doraemon.

To emphasize the role of young people, the action takes place in places where children tend to go instead of adults, legitimizing the existence of a society based on their potential and where everyone can live happily. Throughout the series, the characters are not attributed any evolution; According to the author, "when the protagonist of a manga realizes his aspirations, the work to which he belongs immediately ceases to be interesting" and for this reason, he opted for a cyclical and basically infinite structure., in which the protagonist "although it seems to improve, in reality it always remains in the same state".

Publication of the manga was halted by Fujimoto's death in 1996, and with the lack of a definitive conclusion to the work, it has led to the creation of numerous urban legends over time. Ryūichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki, directors of Stand by Me Doraemon, stated that "there is only one initial Doraemon story, while the ending has been rewritten and modified several times." Shōgakukan publisher and Shin-Ei Animation studio intervened by spreading his own official epilogue in which Nobita marries Shizuka and remains forever friends with Doraemon who, having accomplished his mission, returns to the future.

Content of the work

Manga

Written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio, the manga was initially published simultaneously in six monthly children's magazines beginning on December 1, 1969 in the January 1970 issues of Yoiko (よいこ, 'Yoiko'^?), Yōchien (幼稚園, 'Yōchien'^?), Shōgaku Ichinensei (小学一年生, 'Shōgaku Ichinensei& #39;^?), Shōgaku Ninensei (小学二年生, 'Shōgaku Ninensei' ^?), Shōgaku San'nensei (小学三年生, 'Shōgaku San'nensei'^?) and Shōgaku Yon'nensei (小学四年生, 'Shōgaku Yon'nensei' ^?). In April 1973, the manga began serialization in Shōgaku Gonensei (小学五年生, 'Shōgaku Gonensei'^?) and Shōgaku Rokunensei (小学六年生, 'Shōgaku Rokunensei'^?). Since each magazine was aimed at specific ages, Fujimoto produced six different stories each month; this led to the rapid evolution of a definitive drawing style. Also, the content of the series was written with the age difference of the readers in mind. In the lower grades, the dialogue is simple and the use of gadgets is always humorously described; in the intermediate grades, the history and development of Nobita becomes more notable, and in the upper grades, issues such as caring for the environment are addressed. Between December 1976 and March 1983, the manga was published in Terebi-kun (てれびくん, 'Terebi-kun' ^?); while from August 1979, Doraemon began to be serialized in CoroCoro Comic magazine. In January 1980, Daichōhen Doraemon (大長編ドラえもん, 'Daichōhen Doraemon'^?), a parallel series of 17 long stories whose length each is equivalent to an entire tankōbon and which have been the source for its later adaptation into animated films. In 1986, Fujimoto was diagnosed with liver cancer; consequently, the periodicity of the manga was considerably reduced in the following months and led to the decision —by mutual agreement— to dissolve the association in 1987.Fujiko Fujio iation that was formed together with Motoo Abiko in 1951.

From 1974 to 1996 and with variable periodicity, Fujimoto selected the stories on his own to be collected in tankōbon published under the imprint of Tentōmusi Comics (てんとう虫コミックス（てんとうむしコミックス）, 'Tentōmusi Comics'^? ) by Shogakukan. The first tankōbon was published on July 31, 1974, while the forty-fifth and final tankōbon was published on April 26, 1996. The complete 45-volume collection collects 821 stories out of the 1,345 that Fujimoto wrote in total. However, since the number of pages for each story at the time it was published in the magazines is different and does not always match. It fits perfectly in the specified amount of a volume, the remaining pages are used to make corrections or supplement missing panels. Other modifications in this collection include, replacing the original name Heri Tonbo (ヘリトンボ, 'Heri Tonbo'^?) by Take Koputā (タケコプター , 'Take Koputā'^?), typographical errors and inappropriate expressions were changed with each reprint. Many of the story titles that appear in the tankōbon are different from those that appeared in their original publication and were reused in the 1979 anime titles. In the first publication of volume 45 in April 1996, the ending read "Continued in volume 46» (第46巻に続く, "Continued in volume 46" ^?), but due to the death of Fujiko F. Fujio in September of the same year, the publication was canceled. Due to this, it is counted that more than 500 stories were not registered in the 45 tankōbon and only half of these were published in other later collections. As part of the celebrations for the forty-fifth anniversary of the manga's serialization, a distribution in Digital version of all 45 tankōbon was published by Shogakukan on July 15, 2015.

Other builds and releases

Between April 25, 2005 and February 28, 2006, Shogakukan published a five-volume collection under the Tentōmusi Comics imprint under the title Doraemon Plus (ドラえもん プラス, 'Doraemon Plus'^?), which contains 104 stories not recorded in Doraemon's 45 tankōbon. A sixth volume, containing another 18 unpublished stories, was published on January 12, 2014. From July 17, 1999 to September 2, 2006, a six-volume collection was published under the Tentōmusi Comics Special imprint. Titled Doraemon Color Works (ドラえもんカラー作品集, Doraemon Karā Sakuhin-shū ^?); a color version of the manga containing 119 stories not recorded in the original tankōbon. A bilingual edition of the manga in Japanese and English consisting of ten volumes titled "Doraemon: Gadget Cat from the Future", was published by Shogakukan between 2002 and 2005. A color digital version of the manga titled as Doraemon Dejitaru Karāban (ドラえもん デジタルカラー版, 'Doraemon Dejitaru Karāban'^?), was published by Shogakukan on July 15, 2015 with a total of 141 volumes. To date, the most complete collection that collects absolutely all the Doraemon stories is Fujiko •F•Fujio Dai Zenshū (藤子・F・不二雄大全集, 'Fujiko•F•Fujio Dai Zenshū'^?), published from July 24, 2009 to September 25, 2012 with a total of 20 volumes. In commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the manga's serialization, under the Tentōmusi Comics label was published Doraemon Volume 0 (ドラえもん　０巻, 'Doraemon Volume 0'^?) on December 1, 2019, which collects the six different versions of the first meeting between Doraemon and Nobita which were published simultaneously in Yoiko, Yōchien, Shōgaku Ichinensei, Shōgaku Ninensei, Shōgaku San& #39;nensei and Shōgaku Yon'nensei.

Outside Japan, the Doraemon manga circulated in various Asian countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia between the 1970s and 1980s, but its publications were illegal until its distribution in those countries was formalized. since the 1990s. In Spain, the manga was published by Planeta DeAgostini as "Doraemon, the cosmic cat" from April 1994 to May 1997 and covers some select stories from those published in the first five original tankōbon. a Color». In Vietnam, several stories were unofficially published in Vietnamese by Kim Dong in 1992 under the name "Đôrêmon - Chú mèo thông minh" (Doraemon the Intelligent Cat). In 1996, the manga was officially published in Vietnam. In the United States, Fujiko F Fujio Pro in collaboration with e-book publisher Voyager Japan and translation company AltJapan Co., Ltd., they produced an English translated version of the manga in full color (the same one that was published in Japan with 141 volumes in 2015) through the Amazon Kindle platform and published by Shogakukan from November 22, 2013 to March 3, 2016 with a total of 200 volumes. This version is characterized by having Americanization, replacing the original names of most of the characters and other Japanese elements with other names and terms typical of the American idiosyncrasy.

Anime

1973 Series

Doraemon had a first anime adaptation produced by Nippon TV Dōga, directed by Mitsuo Kaminashi, and premiered on Sundays at 7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in the Kantō region on Nippon TV from April 1 to April 30. September 1973 with a total of 26 episodes made up of 52 short story segments. In this adaptation, Doraemon was initially voiced by Kōsei Tomita between episodes 1-13 and later by Masako Nozawa between episodes 14-26.

In its last weeks of release, the financial problems of the studio —which had no capital relationship with the television station beyond just sharing a name— ended in the dissolution of the company and the location of master tapes was involved in various speculations and affirmations. Masami Jun, the head of production on the series, created a website in 2004 where he shared images and information about the project, while agreeing to answer questions and give interviews on the subject.

After 1973, the series was broadcast on television stations in different prefectures; its last broadcast was in Toyama Prefecture on Toyama TV from July 24, 1979 until a cease and desist order by Shogakukan, its broadcast was interrupted on August 3 of the same year. According to a former Shogakukan manager, when the series was broadcast in Toyama Prefecture, Fujiko F. Fujio expressed discomfort about the series, claiming that it is not faithful to its work and requesting that it be stopped. However, in the book Shichōritsu 15-pāsento o hoshō shimasu! (視聴率15％を保証します!, 'Shichōritsu 15-pāsento o hoshō shimasu!'^? lit. «We guarantee an audience of 15%! ») published by Shogakukan in 2014 and written by former TV Asahi organizer Hiroshi Takahashi, is mentions that TV Asahi executives asked Shogakukan to stop broadcasting the version produced by Nippon TV Dōga, arguing that there was a risk that children would "get confused". A person involved in ShoPro mentioned that the exposure of the version of Nippon TV Dōga, "hinders" the current image of Doraemon and that "there is no need to have another one because the TV Asahi version is the only one". As a consequence of Shogakukan's restriction, the availability of this series and its license is null, resulting in the lack of information and its commercial distribution by the rights holder.

1979 Series

A second anime adaptation was made by Shin-Ei Animation, produced by Asatsu-DK and aired on TV Asahi from April 2, 1979 to March 18, 2005 with a total of 1047 episodes and 30 specials composed. by 1,787 segments of short and long stories. From its premiere in April 1979 until September 23, 1981, it was broadcast in approximately six-minute segments from Monday to Saturday between 6:50 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. During this period, the series had no director. From October 2, 1981, Doraemon changed its time slot to Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. until October 9, 1987; it became a 30-minute weekly series, and the length of the segments increased to 11 minutes. From the beginning of this period until January 1, 1984, the series was directed by Motohira Ryo. Tsutomu Shibayama assumes the direction from the stories released on January 6, 1984 to March 18, 2005. The series again changes its schedule to air on Fridays from 6:50 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. from October 23, 1987 to March 31, 1989. On April 14, 1989, the series returns to the 7:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. slot: 30, this time maintaining a stable schedule until March 11, 2005. In this version, Doraemon is played by Nobuyo Ōyama in all episodes, specials, and movies produced during the 26-year run of this series.

The series has been distributed outside of Japan since 1982, with Hong Kong, Taiwan and Italy being the first countries to broadcast it. In Spain, the 1979 series has been managed by Luk Internacional since 1993 and is broadcast almost uninterruptedly on local television since then, passing through various open and pay channels until reaching Boing in 2011. In Latin America, licensed by Rose Entertainment in 1999, it is broadcast in each country since 2000, passing through local channels such as Etc TV, Chilevisión (Chile), Ecuavisa, Teleamazonas (Ecuador), Caracol Televisión, CityTV (Colombia), Canal 5, Unicable (Mexico), Magic Kids and El nueve (Argentina). In 1985, Turner Broadcasting System had acquired a license for 50 episodes for broadcast in the United States; however, the transmission never occurred.

2005 Series

A third anime adaptation is being made by Shin-Ei Animation, produced by Asatsu-DK and premiered on TV Asahi from Friday, April 15, 2005 at 7:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. October 2019, the series changed its schedule to Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. episodes premiered from July 28, 2017 to March 9, 2018. Hirofumi Ogura is currently directing since the episode premiered on April 4, 2020. Doraemon is played by Wasabi Mizuta in this series.

In Spain, the 2005 series is managed by Luk Internacional and has been broadcast on local television since 2009, passing through some open and pay channels until it reached Boing in 2012. In Latin America, licensed by Rose Entertainment in 2014, it is broadcast in each country as of 2015, going through local channels such as Ecuavisa, Teleamazonas (Ecuador), Etc TV (Chile), Azteca 7 (Mexico) and CityTV (Colombia). In 2014, Fujiko Pro, TV Asahi and Shin-Ei Animation produced an Americanized version of the 2005 series in compliance with censorship standards in the United States, where Disney acquired rights for the 26-episode broadcast that began in the summer of the same year on the Disney channel. XD.

Movies

In March 1980, Toho distributed the first in a series of annual animated feature films produced by Shin-Ei Animation, mostly adaptations of the Daichōhen Doraemon manga series. twenty-five films were based on the 1979 series, while the rest are related to the 2005 series. The films corresponding to the 1979 series were mostly directed by Tsutomu Shibayama and written by Fujiko F. Fujio until 1996; after the author's death, Nobuaki Kishima was the screenwriter for the remaining films. Unlike TV anime, the films are more action-adventure oriented; the characters, in addition to having changed personalities, explore a variety of settings and their themes are often inspired by Japanese folklore, literary works, history, the environment, and technology. The franchise has currently featured 40 anime-inspired films and 2 CGI films.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the Doraemon anime is made up of a series of openings and endings that appear sporadically, as well as compilations of the themes that serve as the background to the story. In the 1973 series, the soundtrack was composed by Nobuyoshi Koshibe. For the subsequent 1979 series, Shunsuke Kikuchi composed the soundtrack for all episodes and most of the films produced during that period. With the production of a third adaptation since 2005, the soundtrack for the episodes and movies is composed by Kan Sawada.

Numerous collections of the themes of the anime and related films have been marketed. On September 22, 2004, Nippon Columbia released a selection of tracks from the anime films of the 1979 series titled Eiga Doraemon 25 shūnen - Doraemon Eiga Shudaika hen (映画ドラえもん25周年 ドラえもん 映画主題歌篇, 'Eiga Doraemon 25 shūnen - Doraemon Eiga Shudaika hen' span>; a reissue of this album, which also includes some songs from post-2005 movies, was released on April 1, 2015 under the title Eiga Doraemon shudaika taizenshū (映画ドラえもん主題歌大全集, 'Eiga Doraemon shudaika taizenshū'^? lit. "Complete collection of Doraemon movie themes"). The songs belonging to the 1979 and 2005 series were compiled by the same record company in the album Terebi anime 30 shūnen kinen - Doraemon terebi shudaika taizenshū (テレビアニメ30周年記念 ドラえもんテレビ主題歌全集, 'Terebi anime 30 shūnen kinen - Doraemon terebi shudaika taizenshū'^? lit. «Celebration of the 30th anniversary of the television anime - Complete Collection of Doraemon TV Theme Songs») released on December 25, 2009, and later on June 22, 2011 in the Doraemon Twin Best (ドラえもん ツイン★ベスト, 'Doraemon Twin Best'^?). A single titled Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon (夢をかなえてドラえもん, 'Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon& #39;^?), comprising only the opening and ending themes from the 2005 anime series, was released by Nippon Columbia on July 4, 2007.

Casts and dubbing

1973 Series

Voices

Character	Voice actor (Japan)
Doraemon	Kosei Tōmita (1973, one-half)
	Masako Nozawa (1973, 2nd half)
Nobita Nobi	Yoshiko
Shizuka Minamoto	Masako Ebisu
Takeshi Goda	Kaneta Kimotsuki
Suneo Honekawa	Shun Yashiro
Mrs. Nobi	Noriko Ohara
Mr. Nobi	Ichirō Murakoshi
Master	Osamu Katō (1973, half)
	Masashi Amenomori (1973, 2nd half)
Mrs. Minamoto	Yukari Fukui
Mrs. Honekawa	Kazue Takahashi
Sewashi Nobi	Keiko Yamamoto

Recording studio

Recording studio (Japan)
Banmachi Sutaijo

1979 series and movies

Voices

Character	Voice actor (Japan)	Voice actor (Mexico, first cast) (work subsequently redouble, except feature film from 1980)	Voice actor (Mexico, second cast)	Voice actor (Spain, Barcelona distribution) (work redouble by the Basques, except first films and songs of opening and closing)	Voice actor (Spain, division of Vizcaya)
Doraemon	Nobuyo ⋅yama (1979-2005)	Héctor Lee (1981-1982)	Ricardo Tejedo (1999-2002)	Ana Orra (TV series: 1993-2000)	Stybaliz Lizárraga (2001-2008)
			Irwin Daayán (2002-2011)	Eduard Itchart (films: 2001-2003)
Nobita Nobi	Noriko Ohara (1979-2005)	Araceli de León (1981-1982)	Laura Torres (1999)	Assumpta Navascués (TV series: 1993-2000/films: 2001-2003)	Nuria Marín Picó (2001-2008)
			Araceli de León (1999)
	Hiroko Maruyama (1979, temporary substitute)		Ariadna Rivas (1999-2002)
			Rommy Mendoza (2002-2011)
Shizuka Minamoto	Michiko Nomura (1979-2005)	Patricia Acevedo (1981-1982)	Cristina Hernández (1999-2011)	Laura del Bas (TV series: 1993-2000)	Sonia Torrecilla (2001-2003/2006-2008)
			Vanessa Garcel (2000, temporary substitute)	Olga Supervía (films: 2001-2003)	Fátima Casado (2004-2005)
					Eba Ojanguren (2006, temporary replacement)
Takeshi Goda	Kazuya Tatekabe (1979-2005)	Alfonso Obregón (1981-1982)	Luis Daniel Ramírez (1999-2011)	Nacho de Porrata (TV series: 1993-2000/films: 2001-2003)	Alberto Escobal García (2001-2008)
					Juan Martín Goirizelaia (2007, temporary substitute)
Suneo Honekawa	Kaneta Kimotsuki (1979-2005)	Ariadna Rivas (1981-1982)	Irwin Daayán (1999-2011)	Noemí Bayarri (TV series: 1993-2000/films: 2001-2003)	Antón Palomar (2001-2008)
	Naoki Tatsuta (1985, temporary substitute)				Jaime de Diego (2006, temporary substitute)
Hidetoshi Dekisugi	Sumiko Shirakawa (1980-2005)	?	Bruno Coronel (2000-2011)	?	Pilar Ferrero (2001-2008)
					Ana Begoña Eguileor (largometraje de 2001: 2006)
Jaiko Goda	Yoshiko ⋅ta (1979)	?	Johanna Cartas (1999-2011)	?	Maite Mulet (2001-2002)
					Pilar Ferrero (2002-2004)
	Kazuyo Aoki (1980-2005)				Fátima Casado (2001-2003)
					Ana Guadalupe Hernández (2004-2005)
					Alazne Erdozia (2006-2008)
Dorami	Keiko Yokozawa (1980-2005)	?	María Fernanda Morales (2002-2011)	Julia Chalmeta (TV series: 1993-2000)	Maite Mulet (2001-2002)
					Fátima Casado (2002-2004)
					Ana Guadalupe Hernández (2004-2005)
					Sonia Torrecilla (2005-2006)
					Ana Begoña Eguileor (2006-2007)
					Rosa Romay (2007-2008)
Mrs. Nobi	Sachiko Chijimatsu (1979-2005)	?	Magda Giner (1999-2002)	Mayte Supervía (TV series: 1993-2000/films: 2001-2003)	Pilar Ferrero (2001-2008)
			Rebeca Manríquez (2002-2005)		Ana Begoña Eguileor (largometraje de 2001: 2006)
			Yolanda Vidal (2008-2011)
Mr. Nobi	Masayuki Katō (1979-1992)	?	Alfonso Ramírez (1999-2002)	Javier Amilibia (TV series: 1993-2000/films: 2002-2003)	Héctor Garay (2001-2003)
	Yōsuke Naka (1992-2005)		Carlos del Campo (2002-2011)		Victor Prieto (2003-2008)
Master	Ritsuo Sawa (1979)	?	Enrique Cervantes (1999-2002)	Fernando González (TV series: 1993-2000)	José María Regalado (2001-2002)
	Osamu Katō (1980)			Tasio Alonso (largometraje de 1993: 2002)
	Kazuhiko Inoue (1980-1981)		Jorge Ornelas (2002-2011)	Francisco Alborch (largometraje de 2000: 2003)	Victor Prieto (2002-2008)
	Ryōichi Tanaka (1981-2005)
Mrs. Minamoto	Keiko Yokozawa (1979-1981)	?	Belinda Martínez (1999-2002)	(TV series: 1993-2000)	Fátima Casado (2001-2003)
					Ana Guadalupe Hernández (2004-2005)
	Masako Matsubara (1981-2005)		Rommy Mendoza (2002-2011)	Marta Estrada (largometraje de 1991: 2001)	Eba Ojanguren (2005, temporary replacement)
					Sonia Torrecilla (2006-2008)
Mrs. Gōda	Kazuyo Aoki (1979-2005)	?	Sara Souza (1999-2005)	?	Pilar Ferrero (2001-present)
			Jahel Morga (2005-2011)
Mrs. Honekawa	Yoshino ⋅tori (1979-1991)	?	Anabel Méndez (1999-2011)	?	Fátima Casado (2001-2003)
					Ana Guadalupe Hernández (2004-2005)
	Mari Yokō (1991-2005)				Eba Ojanguren (2005, temporary replacement)
					Sonia Torrecilla (2006-2008)
Sewashi Nobi	Yoshiko ⋅ta (1979-2005)	?	Laura Torres (1999)	?	Fátima Casado (2001-2005)
			Isabel Martiñón (1999-2002)		Mikel Gandía (2002, temporary substitute)
			Abraham Vega (2002-2011)		Juan Martín Goirizelaia (2006-2008)
Mr. Kaminari	Takashi Tanaka (1981)	?	Gabriel Cobayassi (1999-2011)	?	Miguel Ortiz (2001-2008)
	Reizō Nomoto (1981)
	Shingo Kanemoto (1985-1990)
	Takeshi Watabe (1991-2005)
Sunekichi Honekawa	Issei Futamata (1984-2005)	?	Uraz Huerta (1999-2011)	?	Anselmo Herrero (2001-2007)
					Juan Martín Goirizelaia (2007-2008)

Recording studios

Recording studio (Japan)	Recording studio (Mexico, first cast)	Recording studio (Mexico, second cast)	Recording studio (Spain, Barcelona distribution)	Recording studio (Spain, division of Vizcaya)
Apu Meguro Studio	SISSA	Sonomex (1999-2002)	VSI-Sonygraf (1993-2000)	Mar Digital (2001-2005)
		Candiani Studies (2002-2011)	Sonoblok (2001/2002)	Domusic TV (2006-2008)
			SIC (2002/2003)

2005 series and movies

Voices

Character	Voice actor (Japan)	Voice actor (Mexico)	Voice actor (Spain)
Doraemon	Wasabi Mizuta (2005-present)	Irwin Daayán (2014-2015)	Stybaliz Lizárraga (2009-present)
Nobita Nobi	Megumi Ohara (2005-present)	Laura Torres (2014-2015)	Nuria Marín Picó (2009-present)
Shizuka Minamoto	Yumi Kakazu (2005-present)	Cristina Hernández (2014-2015)	Sonia Torrecilla (2009-present)
Takeshi Goda	Subaru Kimura (2005-present)	Luis Daniel Ramírez (2014-2015)	Alberto Escobal García (2009-present)
Suneo Honekawa	Tomokazu Seki (2005-present)	Irwin Daayán (2014-2015)	Antón Palomar (2009-present)
Hidetoshi Dekisugi	Shihoko Hagino (2005-present)	Miguel Angel Leal (2014-2015)	Pilar Ferrero (2009-present)
Jaiko Goda	Vanilla Yamazaki (2005-present)	Rebeca Gómez (2014-2015)	Alazne Erdozia (2009-present)
	Fushigi Yamada (2012-2013, temporary replacement)
Dorami	Chiaki Fujimoto (2006-present)	Lupita Leal (2014-2015)	Rosa Romay (2009-present)
Mrs. Nobi	Kotono Mitsuishi (2005-present)	Adriana Casas (2014-2015)	Pilar Ferrero (2009-present)
Mr. Nobi	Yasunori Matsumoto (2005-present)	Agustín López (2014-2015)	Victor Prieto (2009-present)
Master	Wataru Takagi (2005-present)	Jorge Ornelas (2002-2011/2014-2015)	Victor Prieto (2009-present)
Mrs. Minamoto	Ai Orikasa (2005-present)	Isabel Romo (2014-2015)	Sonia Torrecilla (2009-present)
Mrs. Gōda	Miyako Takeuchi (2005-present)	Ruth Toscano (2014-2015)	Pilar Ferrero (2009-present)
Mrs. Honekawa	Minami Takayama (2005-present)	Isabel Romo (2014-2015)	Sonia Torrecilla (2009-2014)
			Eba Ojanguren (2014-2016)
			Fátima Casado (2016-present)
Sewashi Nobi	Sachi Matsumoto (2005-present)	Laura Torres (2014-2015)	Juan Martín Goirizelaia (2009-present)
			Fátima Casado (3D feature 2014: 2014)
Mr. Kaminari	Katsuhisa Hōki (2005-present)	Armando Coria (2014-2015)	Miguel Ortiz (2009/2013-2020)
			Mikel Gandía (2009-2012/2020-presente)
			Victor Prieto (2012-2013)
			Juan Carlos Gutiérrez (2020)
Sunekichi Honekawa	Takumi Yamazaki (2005-present)	Ricardo Bautista (2014-2015)	Juan Martín Goirizelaia (2009-present)

Recording studios

Recording studio (Japan)	Recording studio (Mexico)	Recording studio (Spain)
Apu Meguro Studio	Art Sound Mexico	Domusic TV (2009)
		FX-Media (2009-present)

Opening and closing themes

1973 Series

Opening Theme

Item	Interprete (Japan)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
Doraemon	Harumi Naito	1 April 1973	30 September 1973

Ending Theme

Item	Interprete (Japan)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
Doraemon Rumba	Harumi Naito	1 April 1973	30 September 1973

1979 Series

In Japan, the 1979 series used to air in two formats:

• In a 10-minute block, which was issued from Monday to Saturday from 2 April 1979 to 26 September 1981. This did not have a closing theme.
• In a 30-minute block, which was issued on Sundays from 8 April 1979 to 27 September 1981 and subsequently on Fridays from 2 October 1981 to 18 March 2005.

Opening Themes (10 minute block)

#	Item	Interprete (Japan)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
1	Doraemon no Uta	Kumiko ⋅sugi	2 April 1979	29 September 1979
2	Boku Doraemon	Nobuyo Oyama Koorogi '73	1 October 1979	26 September 1981

Opening Themes (30 Minute Block)

#	Item	Interprete (Japan)	(Spain)	(Hispanoamérica)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
1	Doraemon no Uta	Kumiko ⋅sugi	Ana Orra	Maggie Vera	8 April 1979	2 October 1992
2		Satoko Yamano		Not folded in Hispanic America	9 October 1992	20 September 2002
3		Tokyo Purin	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	4 October 2002	11 April 2003
4		Misato Watanabe	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	18 April 2003	23 April 2004
5		AJI	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	30 April 2004	11 March 2005

Closing Themes

#	Item	Interprete (Japan)	(Spain)	(Hispanoamérica)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
1	Aoi Sora wa Poketto sa	Kumiko ⋅sugi	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	8 April 1979	27 September 1981
2	Maru-gao no Uta	Nobuyo Oyama	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	2 October 1981	30 March 1984
3	Santa Claus wa Doko no Hito	Nobuyo Oyama	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	18 November 1983	23 December 1983
4	Boku-tachi Chikyuu-jin	Mitsuko Horie	Ana Orra	Maggie Vera	6 April 1984	8 April 1988
5	Aozora-tte Iina	Mitsuko Horie	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	15 April 1988	2 October 1992
6	Ashita mo Tomodachi	Yui Nishiwaki	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	9 October 1992	7 April 1995
7	Boku Doraemon 2112	Nobuyo Oyama Koorogi '73	Stupid Lizárraga (The year 2112: the birth of Doraemon) (2004)	Not folded in Hispanic America	14 April 1995	20 September 2002
8	Mata Aeru Hi Made	Yuzu	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	4 October 2002	11 April 2003
9	Tanpopo no Uta	The Alfee	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	18 April 2003	3 October 2003
10	YUME Biyori	Hitomi Shimatanu	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	10 October 2003	28 May 2004
11	Aa Ii na!	W (Double You)	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	4 June 2004	18 March 2005

2005 Series

Opening Themes

#	Item	Interprete (Japan)	(Spain)	(Hispanoamérica)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
1	Doraemon no Uta (Instrumental theme)	12 Girls Band	N/A	N/A	15 April 2005	21 October 2005
2	Hagushichao	Rimi Natsukawa	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	28 October 2005	20 April 2007
3	Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon	Mao Himawari Kids	Nuria Marin Picó	Annie Rojas	11 May 2007	September 6, 2019
			Lourdes Fabrés (Doraemon and Nobita Holmes in the mysterious Museum of the Future)
4	Himawari no Yakusoku	Motohiro Hata	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	1 August 2014	29 August 2014
5	Yume wo Kanaete Doraemon	Wasabi Mizuta Megumi Ohara Yumi Kakazu Subaru Kimura Tomokazu Seki	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	17 October 2014	28 November 2014
6	Doraemon no Uta 40th	Wasabi Mizuta Megumi Ohara Yumi Kakazu Subaru Kimura Tomokazu Seki	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	April 5, 2019	April 19, 2019
7	Doraemon	Gen Hoshino	Not folded in Spain	Not folded in Hispanic America	October 5, 2019	Present

Closing Themes

#	Item	Interprete (Japan)	First issue (Japan)	Last issue (Japan)
1	Odore Dore Dora Doraemon Ondo	Wasabi Mizuta	5 August 2005	August 23, 2019
2	Doraemon Ekaki-uta	Wasabi Mizuta	23 April 2010	6 July 2018
3	F Gumi A I U E O	Yumiko Kobayashi	9 September 2011	5 July 2013
4	Ikiteru Ikiteku	Masaharu Fukuyama	3 February 2012	31 December 2012
5	Mirai no Museum	Perfume	11 January 2013	3 May 2013
6	Hikari no Shigunaru	Kis-My-Ft2	17 January 2014	2 May 2014
7	Untaka Dance	Hiroshi Tanahashi Togi Makabe Yoshio Kojima Eva Tsuchidama	30 October 2015	6 May 2016
8	Sorae	Masayoshi Yamazaki	26 February 2016	22 April 2016
9	Boku no Kokoro or Tsukutte yo	Seiji Kameda	3 March 2018	April 28, 2018
10	THE GIFT	Dai Hirai	22 February 2019	8 March 2019
11	Boku Doraemon 40th	Wasabi Mizuta	10 May 2019	31 May 2019
12	Birthday	Mr. Children	11 January 2020	3 October 2020
13	Rainbow	Masaki Suda	17 October 2020	31 December 2020
14	Universe	Official HIGE DANdism	9 January 2021	Present

Video Games

Numerous video games based on the series are distributed exclusively in Japan, in various genres and for different consoles ranging from Emerson's Arcadia 2001. In 1983, Bandai produced Dokodemo Dorayaki Doraemon (どこでもドラヤキドラえもん, 'Dokodemo Dorayaki Doraemon'^?), an arcade game inspired by Pac-Man. A game of the same name for the NES platform, it was developed by Hudson Soft, and with more than 1,150,000 cartridges sold, it became the tenth best-selling video game in Japan in 1986. Doraemon Nobita no Bokujō Monogatari (ドラえもん のび太の牧場物語, 'Doraemon Nobita no Bokujō Monogatari' ^? lit. "Doraemon, the Story of Nobita's Ranch") Released for Nintendo Switch and Windows in 2019, it was the first Doraemon game distributed in America and Europe under the title "Doraemon Story of Seasons".

Complementary books

There are several books and companion manga dealing with the Doraemon universe, all published by Shogakukan. «Doraemon Encyclopedia» (ドラえもん百科 （ドラえもんひゃっか）, Doraemon Hyakka^?, lit. "Doraemon Encyclopedia") is a spin-off manga series written and illustrated by Yōji Katakura—Fujiko F. Fujio's assistant—and serialized in CoroCoro Comic from the May 1977 issue to the May 1977 issue. April 1981. This work explains in more detail various aspects of the series that were later approved and used by Fujimoto himself in his work. It was compiled into two volumes published under the Tentōmusi Comics imprint on November 25, 1979 and September 25, 1980, respectively; although, eight comics were excluded from the compilation. This work should not be confused with the special chapter. of the same title that was part of the sixth tankōbon published on December 25, 1974 and that describes some of the Himitsu Dōgu used in the series. "Saishin Doraemon Himitsu Hyakka" (最新ドラえもんひみつ百科（ さいしんドラえもんひみつひゃっか）, '«Saishin Doraemon Himitsu Hyakka»'^? lit. «The last secret encyclopedia of Doraemon») is a derivative manga written and illustrated by Mitani Yukihiro and serialized in CoroCoro Comic between April 1996 and May 1999. In addition to being a renewal of concepts from the previous manga, the content addresses the ecology of Doraemon, the Daichōhen Doraemon series, the secrets of the main characters and the Himitsu Dōgu by category. It was collected in two volumes published in March 1998 and June 1999, respectively.

A third encyclopedic manga titled «Ketteiban Doraemon Dai Jiten» (決定版 ドラえもん 大事典, & #39;«Ketteiban Doraemon Dai Jiten»'^? lit. "The Definitive Doraemon Encyclopedia"), written and illustrated by Yusuke Isoho, was published in a single volume on July 10, 2001. Another encyclopedic manga but dedicated exclusively to Doraemon's gadgets, written and illustrated by Michiaki Tanaka, was collected in two volumes published on March 31, 2009 and March 13, 2013 under the title "Doraemon Himitsu Dōgu Hyakka" (ドラえもんまんがひみつ道具百科, '«Doraemon Himitsu Dōgu Hyakka»'^? lit. "Doraemon's Encyclopedia of Secret Tools"). On December 5, 1997, "Do Ra Karte Doraemon-tsū no Hon" was published (ド・ラ・カルト　ドラえもん通の本, '«Do Ra Karte Doraemon-tsū no Hon»'^? lit. «Do-ra-cult, the knowledgeable book of Doraemon») written by the Doraemon Room, which details all kinds of information about the series during its 26 years of serialization. In July 2006, "Doraemon Fukayomi Gaido" (ドラえもん深読みガイド, '«Doraemon Fukayomi Gaido»'^? lit. "Doraemon Deep Reading Guide"), a comic-themed guide that examines the manga and includes more previously unpublished information. A new guide on a similar theme but titled as "Doraemon Kōshiki Chōsa Fairu" (ドラえもん公式調査ファイル, '«Doraemon Kōshiki Chōsa Fairu»'^? lit. «Doraemon Official Research File»), was published under the Tentōmusi Comics imprint on December 12, 2018.

Musical

Butaiban Doraemon: Nobita to Animaru Puranetto プラネット, &# 39;Butaiban Doraemon: Nobita to Animaru Puranetto'^? lit. « Doraemon, the Musical: Nobita and the Planet of Animals») was a musical inspired by the 1990 film of the same name and was performed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space from September 4 to 14, 2008. director and screenwriter is Shoji Kokami; the character Nobita is played by Makoto Sakamoto, while Reiko Suho plays Shizuka; the roles of Gian and Suneo were assigned to Tomohiro Waki and Kensaku Kobayashi, respectively. Doraemon's voice was provided by Wasabi Mizuta.

The musical was later revived at the Sunshine Theater in Tokyo from March 26 to April 2, 2017; it was later reprized in other prefectures in Japan, including Fukuoka, Osaka, Miyagi, and Aichi. The script and direction remain by Shoji Kokami, while roles such as Nobita and Shizuka were transferred to Yuuchi Ogoe and Hina Higuchi respectively; Gian and Suneo were voiced by Koki Azuma and Shō Jinnai. Voice actress Wasabi Mizuta continued to voice the character of Doraemon.

Reception

Foreign of the Museum dedicated to Fujiko F. Fujio

Doraemon is considered one of the most popular manga of all time and a Japanese national symbol. The media exposure of the series in homes made it part of daily life for the entire baby boomer generation. Due to its longevity, it continues to appeal to a new generation of children, children of adults who had grown up with the same stories. This success is reflected in the series' sales. In 1996, after the release of the forty-fourth tankōbon, the manga had reached 100 million copies sold in Japan. As of 2012, the manga recorded 170 million copies sold worldwide. Like the manga, the series anime have received a favorable reception; specifically, the 1979 and 2005 series consistently rank on the lists of the most watched anime series by Japanese audiences. The 1979 series achieved a 31.2% viewership share, one of the highest ratings ever achieved by Japanese audiences. an anime since 1977. In particular, the drawing style used for the characters has been appreciated and capable of arousing tenderness in the public; this has contributed significantly to the spread of kawaii characters in Japanese culture. On the other hand, the films reached the total of 100 million tickets sold in 2013, making it the largest Japanese film franchise in terms of audience, a record that it was previously held by Godzilla.

The work has also been enormously successful in other countries, so much so that it is cited as one of the most emblematic cases of Japanese soft power. Previously, and often accompanied by pirated publications, various publishers and distributors have marketed the series in China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, and other countries in the Asian region. 40 million copies were sold in Vietnam alone, a figure that was unique in the country's comics market. At the Book Publishing Conference In 1993, the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture reported that "the publication of Doraemon is a shocking event to cleanse the cultural taste of children, both young and old". Doraemon also appeared at many cultural events, the Doraemon character is also the Ambassador of Japan's Culture in Vietnam. Fujiko F. Fujio received the "Culture Fighter Award" from the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture in 1996. Although the series was also exported to the West, its popularity is less and limited to the anime series only; this is due to the opinion of the ruling class that perceives the series as a product aimed exclusively at children, culture shock, and the subjective and strict guidelines on content in manga publication and anime broadcast on television. However, in South American countries such as Ecuador and Colombia, Doraemon was tuned in its first months of transmission.

Doraemon has won several awards and recognitions. The manga has been awarded twice by the Japan Cartoonists Association, receiving the Award of Excellence in 1973 and the Ministry of Education Award in 1994. In 1981, the Doraemon manga received the Shōgakukan Prize in the kodomo category, while in 1997 he received the "Grand Prize" of the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2006, according to a survey of a sample of eighty thousand people on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Japan Media Arts Festival, Doraemon is present in the fifth position among the best 10 manga of all time. In a survey carried out by TV Asahi in 2005 and related to the most popular animated series of by the public, Doraemon ranked fifth; while, in the ranking of the following year, according to the opinions of various Japanese celebrities, anime has ranked third. In a poll conducted by Oricon in 2007, Doraemon ranked as the second manga character most powerful of all time. A survey conducted in 2010 by the University of Tokyo, the Doraemon anime - along with the Dragon Ball franchise - was chosen as the most suitable product to express the concept of Cool Japan in the world Also, in another 2013 survey conducted by Neo Marketing on series recommended to the public outside of Japan, Doraemon reached the first position, obtaining 42.6% of the preferences. In a survey conducted in 1993, many Japanese wage earners stated want to use the Dokodemodoa to avoid commuting to their jobs during rush hour.

A Boeing 767 of Japan Airlines decorated with Doraemon

Doraemon was received positively by critics. Among the most praised elements is the optimism that permeates the work and the strong presence of fantastic and science fiction elements that tend to represent a world in which man and technology can coexist in balance. In this regard, critic Mark Schilling mentioned that "for children who lead extremely monotonous lives, Doraemon represents an air of freedom and the reflection of a more fun and friendly world where all dreams, even the silliest ones, can come true." According to writer Massimo Nicora, Doraemon "can be interpreted as a kind of pamphlet that ironically criticizes the omnipotence of science that tries to solve every problem with its artifacts", alluding to the fact that Doraemon's Dōgu usually end up doing more damage than anything else. However, Nicora commented that the work represents "the metaphor of children's imagination, which always manages to find the most extravagant and original solutions in a continuous game of transforming reality." Elisabetta Scala del Moige, criticized the laziness and null development of Nobita who "never learns from his mistakes"; although he highlighted other aspects of the series such as "the criticism of bullying, Nobita's kindness and Shizuka's pragmatic figure". Essayist Mio Bryce commented that "the story manages to create a stable and relaxing environment, well balanced between reality of everyday life and fantastic factors, represented by Doraemon's calming presence and his pocket." According to Leo Ching, Doraemon's success in Asia is due to the fact that the series has reflected common values of the continent such as imagination and sense of responsibility". Also, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the work, the editorial staff of the Asahi Shinbun newspaper stated: "It is safe to say that the manga series 'Doraemon' It has already become a contemporary classic. The messages we can extract from it are rich and broad."

In Japan, the series and its main character have become a cultural icon. Several critics have compared its popularity to that of Mickey Mouse or Snoopy in the West. In Chibi Maruko-chan, a series set in the decade from 1970 and semi-autobiographical by Momoko Sakura, references were made to Doraemon showing it as a manga series that was followed by the protagonist Maruko Sakura. During the intermission of a special broadcast on TV Asahi on August 16, 1996, Doraemon's two main characters are parodied by Crayon Shin-chan's Shinnosuke Nohara; series that shares a time slot with Doraemon on the same television station and also produced by the Shin-Ei Animation studio. On April 22, 2002, Time Asia magazine ranked him among the twenty-two most important Asian personalities, calling him "the cutest hero on the continent". On March 19, 2008, in an official ceremony, Minister Masahiko Kōmura named the character an "anime ambassador" with the aim of promoting Japanese culture and the animation industry. On September 3, 2011 in Kawasaki City, the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum (藤子・F・不二雄 博物館, Fujiko F. Fujio Hakubutsukan ^?), focused on the author and his works. In the same city, on 3 September 2012, an act was held with on the occasion of the centenary before Doraemon's birth, where the character also received honorary citizenship. On September 10, 2014, the Nihon Bungeisha magazine Comic Heaven published the manga Nozoemon "> (のぞえもん, Nozoemon^?), written and illustrated by Fujisaki Hikari which consists of an ecchi parody of the Doraemon characters; its serialization was later canceled by the publisher in the August 8, 2015 issue, alleging that "the content is inappropriate". The character Doraemon was part of the presentation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games during the closing ceremony of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games held on August 21. of that year. Between September 2016 and March 2017, a Japan Airlines Boeing 767-300 decorated with the image of Doraemon, covered the air route between Tokyo (Narita) and Shanghai (Pudong). In 2018, the director Mexican Guillermo del Toro, declared that Doraemon was one of the series that inspired him in the creation of the series 3Below: Tales of Arcadia. Likewise, the filmmaker on more than one occasion expressed his appreciation for the Fujiko F. Fujio series, which he considers "the best children's series ever created".