| Synopsis |
Don Matsugoro no Seikatsu、 The Life of Don Matsugoro Don Matsugoro is the pet dog of Ken Matsuzawa、 a novelist living in a town in Chiba、 and has the secret ability to speak the human language. Only Ken’s daughter Kazuko knows of Don Matsugoro’s secret .One day、 Don Matsugoro is injured in a fight with a dog named King. At the vets、 Don Matsugoro meets a cute puppy called Chotaro and learns that Chotaro’s owner was about to have his ears cut so that he could win in a dog show.Determined to save Chotaro from being hurt by egocentric humans、 Don Matsugoro gathers his canine friends、 including King、 who he just fought with、 Ogin、 a former pet of a bar hostess、 and the wild-natured Heikichi who acts like a tough guy、 and stages a rescue operation to save Chotaro.Based on Hisashi Inoue’s novel Don Matsugoro no Seikatsu、 the animated version depicts various events involving both dogs and humans. It was broadcast in 1983 as a one-shot、 feature-length animation show as part of the Nissei Family Special series by Fuji TV.Yasuo Yamada、 famous for doing the voice of Lupin The Third 、 was chosen to play the voice of Matsugoro. His light and witty tone gave the show an easy-going feel.The comic artist Estumi Haruki served as the character designer、 Kimio Yabuki、 known for animation films such as Hans Christian Andersen Stories and The Wonderful World of Puss ‘n Boots、 served as the director、 and Kiyohide Ohara wrote the script.A live-action movie based on the original novel was released in 1986.
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