Don Dracula | |
Cover of Don Dracula volume 1 from the Osamu Tezuka Manga Complete Works edition | |
ドン・ドラキュラ (Don Dorakyura) | |
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Manga | |
Written by | Osamu Tezuka |
Published by | Akita Shoten |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Champion |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | May 28, 1979 – December 10, 1979 |
Volumes | 3 |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Osamu Tezuka |
Written by | Takao Koyama |
Studio | Tezuka Productions |
Original run | April 5, 1982 – April 26, 1982 |
Episodes | 8 |
Don Dracula (ドン・ドラキュラ, Don Dorakyura) is a manga by Osamu Tezuka that began serialization in 1979. An anime television series aired from April 5 to April 26, 1982.[1]
After living in Transylvania for several years, Count Dracula has moved to Japan. (The English summary on the front page of volume 1 of the "Complete Works Edition" says that a mercantile firm bought Castle Dracula and moved it to Tokyo without knowing it was inhabited.) In the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, he and his daughter, Chocola, and faithful servant Igor continue to live in the castle.
While Chocola attends night classes at Matsutani Junior High School, Dracula is desperate to drink the blood of beautiful virgin women; an appropriate meal for a vampire of his stature. However, each night that Dracula goes out on the prowl he finds himself getting involved in some kind of disturbance which leads to him causing various trouble for the local residents. With nobody in Japan believing in vampires, his very presence causes trouble amongst the people in town.
The slapstick comedy of the proud vampire adjusting to life in Japan is compounded by Professor Hellsing, Earl Dracula's nemesis for the past ten years. He has come to Japan to exterminate Dracula, but has the tragic flaw of suffering from hemorrhoids. In addition, Dracula is also pursued by Blonda, the first woman Dracula was able to drink blood from when he arrived in Japan. Because Blonda has a face only a mother could love, Dracula wants to get as far away from her as possible.
Published in the same magazine as Black Jack at the same time, Tezuka commented that creating the slapstick antics of the poor vampire was very enjoyable.