Circus Jinta (サーカス☆ジン太) was a short-term, five-chapter feature serialized by Fujio Akatsuka in Akita Shoten's Adventure King magazine in late 1963.
Overview[]
A traveling schoolboy named Jinta is part of the shabby, struggling Shiketa Grand Circus Team that moves from town to town across Japan.
Together with his pet parrot Silver, his clown father, the cowardly ringmaster, and his sidekick Tensuke, they experience various incidents at the circus.
The title was loosely inspired by the 1952 film about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Cecil B. DeMille. That title and famous catchphrase can be seen to be referenced on the Shiketa Circus' banner in the first chapter.
Characters[]
Jinta[]
(ジン太)
An acrobatic 5th grader who acts as a performer and stuntman in the circus. He bears some features of a generic Japanese boy protagonist for Akatsuka, but is different from those like Osomatsu-kun's sextuplets in having a sharp upturned nose and a scruffy, centered fringe.
If he is a continuation of any character, it may be possible that he is a re-use of the boy from Mister Kaguya and I am a Salaryman (who was in himself a prototype to Osomatsu).
Jinta changes schools and cities month to month, due to the fact that the circus is always on the move.
Jinta's Father[]
A man who performs as a clown in the circus. His design resembles that of the fathers for the series Otasuke-kun and Leave it to Chota, save for a different mustache and his nose shape being vertically flipped in comparison.
Ringmaster[]
The head of the circus, who is a weak-willed man easily intimidated by others.
Densuke[]
(デン助)
A smaller, younger boy who accompanies Jinta. He is basically a smaller version of Ichiro from Otasuke-kun.
Silver[]
Jinta's talking parrot, who often is seen around him and Tensuke at school or the circus.
Serialization[]
Comparison of artwork in the final ch.5 panel between magazine and tankobon.
The series ran from the August to December 1963 issues of Adventure King, and was succeeded by Nonsensical NO.1.
Only three of the below chapters have ever been notably reprinted as part of the "We are 8 Pro" tankobon in Akebono's Complete Works. This in turn was digitized for Shogakukan's DVD-ROM set and the ComicPark print release.
As with other Akatsuka series of the time, the reprints of some chapters have their original frontispieces stripped away or have artwork from other chapters' frontispieces trimmed and recycled (this can be seen with the reprint of "A Surly Guest" re-using some pieces of "Tambo and Hondara Circus"' original illustration rather than its own actual one).
- "Circus Jinta" (サーカス☆ジン太, August 1963)- Adventure King also re-ran this chapter as part of a special masterpieces feature in their September 15th, 1966 extra edition issue.
- (September 1963) - Only appears in vol.2 of the Seven Lucky Gods' "Manga Crazy" gag manga kashihon by Akebono Publishing.
- "Master Iyami" (イヤミ団長, October 1963)
- (November 1963) - Only appears in vol.2 of the Seven Lucky Gods' "Manga Crazy" gag manga kashihon by Akebono Publishing.
- "A Surly Guest" (ムッツリお客, December 1963)- The text of the first page is cut down some in the reprint, and the "New Series Notice" for Nonsensical NO.1 is stripped away in the last page, causing some redrawing and editing to occur for the arrangement of the final panels.
A full release of the feature has yet to ever happen in print or digital form.
Trivia[]
- Although Jinta himself would never be referenced again, the traveling circus theme and a similar story were recycled for the story "$-chan's Big Circus" in $-chan and Chibita; $-chan taking up a role and introductory sequence similar to Jinta.