I'm Kemugoro (ぼくはケムゴロ) is a gag work by Fujio Akatsuka and Fujio Pro, serialized in Shogakukan's Elementary School 4th Grade magazine through 1971-1972.
Overview[]
The young brothers Taro and Jiro come across a giant peach in the river one day while out playing. They decide to crack it open, expecting something like the mythical figure of Momotaro, and find a strange ghostly creature named Kemugoro to emerge.
Being a sentient force of pollution and grime, Kemugoro delights in destruction and dirtying up places, but can also use his shapeshifting powers to either help or hinder the brothers further in their day-to-day lives.
At the time the title was serialized, chemical pollution from petroleum factories had become a serious issue in Japan to where asthma and other illnesses were common in citizens from the factory fumes. With quick inspiration from this ongoing problem, Akatsuka crafted a work where pollution would be anthropomorphized as a constant yet bizarre troublemaker.
The two boy protagonists' names were taken from a pair of Sakhalin Huskies, Taro and Jiro, who were the two known survivors of the pack sent in the 1958 Japanese Antarctic expedition. This is conveyed in their designs with their dog-like noses.
Some assistant work on the title was contributed by Don Sasaki, including the sighting of a crow much like Karappe of the Wind.
Characters[]
There is very minor usage of the Akatsuka Star System, with Karappe showing up twice, while Dekapan and Kemunpasu show up on one-time occasions.
Taro[]
The elder of the two brothers. He has a characteristic shiny black nose and single bucktooth which are shared traits among the other family members.
Being the older and bigger of the two, he is often the one to lead in ideas, and Jiro looks up to him greatly. When not at home, he is shown to play baseball as a hobby.
Jiro[]
The younger of the two, initially distinguished from Taro by freckles and his differently-styled bowl-cut (though Taro soon gains freckles in some stories as well). He is shown to still wet the bed, but is assisted by Taro wetting his own futon to make him feel less left out.
He is shown to have to study a lot, though Kemugoro will either ruin his homework or try to distract him while doing so. He also tends to want to get close to cute (but very similar-looking) girls in his class, only for those situations to go awry due to the being.
Kemugoro[]
The devilish creature that enters these boys' lives. He is incredibly speedy and can fly through the air in a cloud of pollution, but is also a shapeshifter that can disguise himself in different forms (which bear his face).
Mother[]
The mother of the two boys, who has to deal with the antics caused by the strange new being in their house, who even she can't control.
Serialization[]
- Elementary School 4th Grade: April 1971-March 1972
Prior to the start of the feature, a preview for it was released in the March 1971 issue of Elementary School 3rd Grade. It was succeeded by Akatsuka's Kuroquette-kun, which ran from April 1972-March 1973.
Chapters:
- Kemugoro came from the Donburamomo (ドンブラモモからケムゴロ)
- Suck up the Kemugoro (ケムゴロをすいとれ)
- Kemugoro is Trapped (ケムゴロをとじこめた)
- The Teacher's Home Visit (よっぱらい先生の家庭訪問)
- The Umibozu Kemugoro (海坊主のケムゴロ)
- Kemugoro and Things (ケムゴロとたからもの)
- The Fishing Crab and Kemugoro (つりぼりカニさんとケムゴロ)
- Kemugoro Becomes Jiro's Clothes (ジロの服になったケムゴロ)
- Kemugoro and a Messy Christmas (ケムゴロとメチャクチャクリスマス)
- The New Year's Octopus and Kemugoro (正月タコさんとケムゴロ)
- Kemugoro's Winter Swim (ケムゴロの寒中水泳)
- Kemugoro Caught in a Car (車にひかれたケムゴロ)
Reprints[]
- Akebono (1976): Collected into a single volume, with Tecchan is Back to Fighting as extra content.
- Shogakukan: The Akebono volume was digitized as part of the "Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works" DVD-ROM set, and was available in the print-on-demand edition from ComicPark.
Other than the ComicPark option, there is no current re-release of the title or way to see it in print or digital format.