Baruuba’s Adventures: Creatures

The creatures of Baruuba’s Adventures 

The Main Creatures

The Lions (獅子ライオン)

Lions are some of Baruuba’s most worthy opponents. Many individuals in captivity had been seen in circuses, but they’re not suitable for them anyway. Lions often have messy prides, where their sigmas topple each other every time they’ll enter them. 

Joni (ジョニ) - Joni is a newfound lioness ally of Barumba in his adventures. She is the estranged daughter of Kassim. 

Kassim (カシム) - The half blind golden lion whom Barumba finally has befriended after years of being left off by his father Bwonga, who himself was a disaster to fellow lions. 

Bwonga (ブウォンガ) - Kassim’s somewhat overweight, late grey brown dad, who was a piece of shit even to his fellow lions. His real name, however, is Wanga (ワンガ).

Aren (アレン) - Kassim’s grandfather and Shaba’s rather traumatised red brown father. 

Shaba (シャバ) - Shaba was the cream coloured daughter of Aren, who stayed with fellow members of her pride by becoming a mother to Kassim. She died with dignity.

The Chimpanzees (チンパンジー)

Amongst the animals, Chimpanzees are the hardest to befriend. 

Shula (シュラ) - A chimp named Shula babysat Barumba when he was a toddler and found another child whose parents were kidnapped away into a false kingdom’s temple. She lost her own friend, who was a frail youngster, to the machinations of his own gangster grandpa, who in turn kicked off his middle aged mother. In turn, Michi was already on the verge of her own menopause anyway. 

Michi (ミチ) - Michi is the daughter of a gangster, who also happens to be a dead chimp’s menopausal mother. 

Scully (スカリー) - Scully was a tomboyish chimpanzee, who grew old, lost her own favourite mate, and then had to sacrifice herself to stop more cruelty. 

The Forest Elephants (マルミミゾウ) 

Forest elephants are seen in Semuliki and other national parks. 

The Leopards (ヒョウ) 

Leopards have seldom tried to eat human babies in times of hunger. 

Prua (プルア) - Prua is the somewhat frail but speedy daughter of two relatively distant cousins, who is a pale grey leopard.

The Olive Baboons (オリーブヒヒバブーン) 

Olive Baboons have wrecked the house where Baruuba’s parents were kidnapped from. Given translation conventions, they are imagined as if they’re speaking in regional Sydneysider accents. 

The Bush Elephants (ブッシュゾウ) 

A herd of Bush Elephants led by a big old cow are some of Barumba’s closest allies. 

The Mountain Gorillas (山ゴリラ)

Like the Kikombas, Mountain Gorillas just want to be left alone. 

The Minor Creatures

The Speckle Throated Otters (スペックルノドカワウソ) 

The Black and White Casqued Hornbills (黒と白のカスクサイチョウ) 

The Dartmouth’s Thicket Rats (ダートマスのフレイネズミ)

The Uganda Pied Hornbills (ウガンダサイチョウ) 

The Semuliki Red Tailed Guenons (セムリキアカオグエノン)

The Little Congo Collared Fruit Bats (小さなコンゴ首輪コウモリ) 

The Black Casqued Hornbills (クロカスクサイチョウ) 

The Red Necked Spur Fowl Quails (アカクビスイレン)

The Congo Pottos (コンゴポット) 

The Palm Nut Vultures (ヤシノキハゲワシ) 

The Striped Weasels (縞模様のイタチ) 

The Ripon Barbels (リポンバーベル)

Ripon Barbels tend to live in big lakes surrounding the savanna. 

The Crowned Hornbills (カンムリサイチョウ) 

The Hammerkops (シュモクドリ) 

The Charming Thicket Rats (奇麗ヤブネズミ) 

The Semutundu Catfishes (セムトゥンドゥナマズ)

The Gambian Sun Squirrels (ガンビアマレーリス)

The Striped Polecats (シマケナガイタチ) 

The Great Lakes Elephant Fishes (五大湖ゾウの魚)

Also known as Great Lakes Bottlenose Elephant Fishes (五大湖ハンドウズゾウの魚), these hangry fishes live in the African Great Lakes. 

The Common Rousette Bats (一般ルーセットコウモリ) 

The Bush Pigs (ブッシュピッグ) (ブッシュブタ) 

Bush Pigs, also known as Bush Boars (ブッシュイノシシ), live in both the savanna and cloud forest. An old female was the creature who first found Barumba in the wild. 

Barun Barun (バルンバルン) - A senile female bush pig who first found Barumba in the cloudforest. It was she who warned the fellow jungle animals about the poor baby being orphaned by a mafia of murderous cryptids. 

The Emin’s Pouched Rats (エミンの袋に入ったネズミ)

The Fungo Civets (ファンゴジャコウネコ) 

The White Thighed Hornbills (白いサイチョウ) 

The Fire Footed Rope Squirrels (火足ロープリス) 

The Lake Bunyonyi Thicket Rats (ブニョニ湖のヤブネズミ)

The Carruther’s Rope Squirrels (カラザーロープリス)

The Handsome Brown Spur Fowl Quail (かなり茶色のスイレンウズラ)

These spur fowl quail with pretty faces live in the mountains. 

The Trumpeter Hornbills (トランペッターサイチョウ) 

The Dent’s Vlei Rats (デントのフレイネズミ) 

The Black Billed Turacos (クロハシエドリ)

The Lake Bunyonyi Emale Catfishes (ブニョニ湖エマレナマズ) 

The Lake Victoria Booby Mice (ビクトリア湖カツオドリネズミ) 

The Scaly Spur Fowl Quail (鱗状のヤドリギウズラ) 

The Red Tailed Grey Parrots (赤い尾のヨウム)

Red Tailed Grey Parrots roam through the various jungles that Baruuba has visited. 

The Water Chevrotains (水シボロテイン) 

The Rwenzori Thicket Rats (ルウェンゾリヤブネズミ) 

The Kivu Sun Squirrels (キブマオリス) 

The Piping Hornbills (配管サイチョウ) 

The Redhead Lovebirds (赤毛のコザクラインコ)

Redhead Lovebirds are also in the same jungles as Red Tailed Grey Parrots. 

The Servaline Genets (セルバリン ジェネット)

The Thomas’ Chibi Mice (トーマスのちびネズミ) 

The Semuliki Blue Guenons (セムリキブルーゲノン) 

The Nile Breathing Mud Catfishes (ナイル呼吸泥ナマズ)

The Red Billed Dwarf Hornbills (アカハシサイチョウ)

The Red Legged Sun Squirrels (アカアシマサリス) 

The Leopard Lungfishes (ヒョウ肺魚)

The Congo Swamp Otters (コンゴ湿地カワウソ) 

The Shining Thicket Rats (輝くヤブネズミ) 

The Dusky Galagos (薄暗いガラゴ) 

The Panther Genets (パンサージェネット) 

The Red Necked Spur Fowl Quail (アカクビスイレンウズラ) 

The Toad Mice (ヒキガエルネズミ) 

Toad Mice are tiny rodents which live in the cloudforest.

The Straw Coloured Fruit Bats (麦わら色のオオコウモリ)

The most common of African fruit bats, Straw Coloured Fruit Bats are seen flying in the thousands.

The Jungle Caracals (ジャングルカラカル) 

Also known as African Golden Cats.

The Nile Sharp Toothed Catfishes (ナイルの鋭い歯のナマズ) 

The Grey Bellied Chibi Mice (灰色のお腹のチビネズミ) 

The Harlequin Quails (道化師ウズラ) 

The Gosling’s Pool Rats (ゴズリングのプールネズミ) 

As their colloquial species name suggests, the small Gosling’s Pool Rats live on river pools, even though they’re actually semi aquatic mice. 

The Nandini Palm Civets (ナンディニハクビシン) 

The Long Tailed Pangolins (尾長センザンコウ)

The Otter Shrews (カワウソトガリネズミ)

Even though Otter Shrews are seldom seen, they do make cameos in many Baruuba stories. The most commonly seen ones are giant otter shrews. 

The Woodland Thicket Rats (森の藪ネズミ) 

There are two species of woodland thicket rats, even though both of which are very vulnerable to plasmodium induced diseases, thus they have to share their eponymous paragraph for convenience.

The White Throated Samango Guenons (白いノドのサマンゴゲノン)

White Throated Samango Guenons are adaptable old world monkeys.

The Kivu Pouched Rats (キブ袋入りネズミ)

Kivu Pouched Rats are sometimes seen.

The Helmeted Guinea Fowl (ホロホロチョウ)

Helmeted Guinea Fowl live in the savanna. 

The Lake George Vlei Rats (デントのフレイネズミ) 

The Tree Hyraxes (木ハイラックス) - Like the Otter Shrews, the Tree Hyraxes are nocturnal.

The Sitatungas (シタトゥンガ) 

The Rameron Pigeons (ラメロンハト) 

The Spur Winged Geese (拍車翼のあるガチョウ) 

The Greater Cane Rats (オオ杖ネズミ) 

The Congo Booby Mice (コンゴカツオドリネズミ)

Also known as Guinea Multimammate Mice due to their multiple mammary glands. 

The Red Beaked Fin Feet (アカクチバシヒレフット)

Red Beaked Fin Feet are seen mainly in the swamps.

The Golden Wolves (黄金の狼)

Also known as African Golden Wolves. 

The Woodland Chibi Mice (森のちびネズミ) 

The MacMillan’s Thicket Rats (マクミランヤブネズミ) 

The Franquet’s Epauletted Fruit Bats (フランケの肩章付きコウモリ) 

The Sharpe’s Drongoes (シャープのオウゴンゴ) 

The Derby’s Scaly Tailed Squirrels (ダービーのウロコリス) 

Derby’s Scaily Tails live in the many woodlands surrounding the cloudforest where Baruuba lives. 

The Temminck’s Mice (テミンクネズミ) 

The Maroon Bellied Pygmy Geese (栗色の腹のピグミーガン)

Maroon Bellies are frequently seen in swamplands.

The Tree Pangolins (木センザンコウ) 

The Marsh Mongooses (沼地マングース) 

The Schoutenden’s Genets (シュートデンのジュネット) 

The African Tiger Frogs (アフリカトラガエル) 

Yoshimasa Ikeda Baruuba Family Series

Baruuba’s Wife Books 

Baruuba’s Wife 

Japanese (バルーバの妻) 

Baruuba’s Wife’s Holler

Japanese (バルーバの妻の叫び声) 

Baruuba’s Foundling Books 

Baruuba’s Foundling 

Japanese (バルーバの捨て子) 

Baruuba’s Son Books 

Baruuba’s Son 

Japanese (バルーバの息子) 

Baruuba’s Son’s Howl

Japanese (バルーバの息子の遠吠え)

Baruuba’s Daughter Books 

Baruuba’s Daughter 

Japanese (バルーバの娘) 

Baruuba’s Daughter’s Scream

Japanese (バルーバの娘の掛声)

Baruuba’s Adoptive Son 

Japanese (バルーバの養子) 

Baruuba’s Adoptive Daughter 

Japanese (バルーバの養女) 

Baruuba’s Baby Books 

Baruuba’s Baby 

Japanese (バルーバの赤ちゃん) 

Baruuba’s Dog Books 

Baruuba’s Dog 

Japanese (バルーバの犬) 

Walther Kabel’s fascinating pulp career

The late Walther Kabel’s Malmotta is a fairly internationally obscure novel which has been public domain in pretty much the whole world since 2006. Since English and German are closely related, translating the novel into and revising it in the former isn’t too hard of a task. 

Sōji Yamakawa’s Sankei period

Sōji Yamakawa’s two major outings on the infamous Sankei Shimbun newspaper are worthy enough to be celebrated outside of Japan, mainly because he had the balls to churn out hundreds of strips for both Kenya Boy and his own fifties reboot of Tiger Boy. 

The strip edition of Kenya Boy has tons of 4 and 8 picture strips, which is quite staggering for a Sōji Yamakawa work which only lasted for nearly four years from the 7th of October 1951 to the 4th of October 1955. In a sad twist of fate thanks to newspaper decay, not many strips have survived even in 2023. Fortunately, most of them have been published and remade into thirteen, ten and twenty volumes of gorgeous books from at least four out of eight primary and secondary school editions. They have also been adapted into a soft manga remake drawn by the late wildlife artist Kyuuta Ishikawa, which only has eight original volumes and two huge collector’s edition volumes, as well as a brief Home Run rerun in total. Most Japanese Collectors prefer the Classic Sankei and Sankei Junior Books editions, primarily because of how widespread they are in Japan even today and how good they also look. To be fair, the Kadokawa edition isn't as heavily Theakstonised as the comics of Warren's Creepy Magazine and has about twenty decent volumes in total, not bad for something quite lacklustre in most Japanese collectors' eyes. There’s also a Fujimi Comics manga tie in of Toei’s Kenya Boy anime film released in 1984. 

These four variants are some of the bases for the proposed uncut forty nine part twenty eight volume edition, as if it's going to be written and drawn by one of the world's biggest Shotaro Ishinomori fans, my honorary idol Naoyuki Konno. The fifty six volumes will represent the main story of an actually complete light novel saga, envisioned and animated in a way that Souji Yamakawa himself would fart with joy!

The strip edition of Tiger Boy, which lasted for 43 months and 6 days from the 24th of October 1955 to the 29th of May 1959, has relatively less strips than the strip edition of Kenya Boy. Many of the surviving strips are found primarily in the private collections of a few hardcore Souji Yamakawa fans, but as for online images, only a 4-picture half of an 8-picture strip has been found (on the infamous Twitter of all things), and it was photographed years ago by a senior fan of Mr Sōji Yamakawa’s works near a restaurant. The Classic Sankei edition has only eleven volumes in total as well, even though they're all easier to find than the strips. 

Along with the five volumes of Jun: Shotaro's Fantasy World, both variants are two of the bases for the proposed uncut twenty six volume edition, which will have books and chapters that weren't there in either the strip edition or the Classic Sankei edition at all. 

Baboon Boy: Characters

The characters of Baboon Boy 

Main characters

Chintu Kokonoe (九重チントゥ): Chintu was born in Brittany, France to Francophile Shotaro Kokonoe and a single Breton schoolteacher. 

Recurring Characters 

Ginger O’Malley (ジンジャー・オマリー): Ginger is a redhead witch antiheroine with brown eyes and hairy brown armpits, who finally reunites with Jane after the two were separated for a long while. 

Jane O’Malley (ジェーン・オマリー): Jane is a Hazel  eyed brunette, raised by Chintu’s sister Hinata until they’re separated by poachers, meeting Chintu himself along the way. 

Hinata Kokonoe (九重ヒナタ): Hinata is Chintu’s older sister, raised by wild men and women in the jungle. 

Sheetha Kokonoe (九重シーサ): Sheetha is the handmaiden of the jungle kingdom’s notorious hairy king (formerly a prince at the start), a rather snarky Irish male adopted by wildlings, and his wife the jungle’s figurative queen. Then she meets her eventual husband Govannan on his return to Wales, and so the two would be married at the end. Her name is derived from both Sita and Sidhe. 

Govannan (ゴバンナン) (โกวานนัน): Govannan also appears in Tiger Boy as a worthy opponent for Jun Kodama himself. 

Minor Characters

Shotaro Kokonoe (九重祥太郎): Shotaro is the father of Sheetha, Hinata and Chintu. 

Yoshio Kawagoe (川越良雄): Shotaro’s scientist friend, as well as Rin’s father. 

Dead Characters 

Anti Villains 

Sorcha O’Malley (ソルチャ・オマリー): Sorcha is a nicer counterpart to Brigid O’Connell in the Kenya Boy series. She is the highly regarded leader of a gang of loggers, known to have a complicated past where she has gone from a troubled teenager to a rather complex moll. However, unlike Brigid, who is essentially a ruthless pirate, she’d rather be in a prison calming other prisoners. 

Shonen Barbarian: an underrated masterpiece that deserves completion

Shōnen Barbarian is a a short lived, somewhat incomplete story by Soji Yamakawa which has two versions, one for Bokura, Kodansha’s fabled Monthly Shōnen Magazine predecessor (albeit for media savvy preteens) and the other, more famous variant for one of its creator’s short lived companies, Tiger Shobo. 

I wonder if the future will be more forgiving for this story even in Japan? It’s plausible but really unlikely since huge Japanese companies have inappropriately touched pretty much all aspects of Japanese pop culture for a long time. It’s startling when its creator is posthumously famous in France and Italy only for having wrote Noboru Kawasaki’s Kōya no Shōnen Isamu, the much better known manga completion of his own (pretty weak, I must admit) story, Kōya no Shōnen. 

Shonen Barbarian can be completed as a fan-made English Language doujinshi when I can buy all seventeen Wild issues in the future, but with a few things changed instead. It can also be partly copied in both the commonwealth and the USA, even with the late creator’s mostly dormant estate’s (otherwise strict) permission. Anyways, I do not think it’s going to become a global bestseller up until New Year’s Day 2063 for obvious reasons such as service issues. 

Barbarian Boy: Characters

The Characters of Barbarian Boy

Jo Muramatsu (村松ジャウ): 

Lyn Johnson (リン・ジョンソン): 

Kana (かな):