Sarutobi Ecchan (るとびエッちゃん), initially titled That Strange, Strange, Strange Girl (おかしなおかしなおかしなあの子), was a long-running manga by Shotaro Ishinomori, also adapted into an anime by Toei Animation.
The character was later re-used for the 1980s Esper Ecchan series, which has entirely different settings.
The manga itself was a loose remake of an earlier shojo work by Ishinomori, I Love! Miko-chan, but with Miko now a side character to this protagonist.
Plot[]
Etsuko Sarutobi is a small, mysterious elementary school student who can run at lightning speed, has superhuman strength, and can talk to animals. Her strange powers sometimes cause trouble for her friends, but she can also use those powers to solve problems.
Characters[]
Original Cast in Weekly Margaret version[]
- Etsuko Sarutobi (Ecchan)
- Mieko Hirooka (Miko) - Re-used from I Love! Miko-chan
- Momoko - Re-used from I Love! Miko-chan
- Kurihei - Re-used from I Love! Miko-chan
- Takeo Oyama
- Okawara
- Kiyoshi Yamanoue
- Hakuun Sarutobi, Ecchan's grandfather
- Emiko Sarutobi, Ecchan's older sister
- Roboko
- Miss Shirayuki
- Kamome Mizushima
- Pooh
- Buku
- Ecchan's parents (Taro Sarutobi and wife)
- Michiko Hirooka
Weekly Shojo Friend additions[]
- Taihei Tenka
- Gonta
- Katsuhiko Okawara
- Miko's older brother
Serializations[]
There are many versions of the Ecchan manga, which will be detailed below.
Original Weekly Margaret run (1964-1966)[]
The series first appeared in Weekly Margaret (Shueisha) under the title That Strange, Strange, Strange Girl. The title on the later collected editions was given as the finalized Sarutobi Ecchan to reflect the anime.
In this work, Ecchan and friends are 4th graders at Mangacho Elementary.
- Part 1 (That Strange, Strange, Strange Girl): 1964 #9 - 1965 #7 (42 issues in total)
- Part 2 (That Strange Girl): 1965 #10-18 (8 issues in total)
- Part 3 (That Strange Girl Sarutobi Ecchan): 1965 #47 - 1966 #8 (total 12 issues)
Heibon version (1968-1969)[]
Referred to as That Strange Girl, but also renamed "High School Ecchan" in the book reprints. This version ran from the July 1968 issue to the December 1969 one. It involved Ecchan being set as a high school student attending Heibon Academy High School (after skipping a grade of junior high), where she would interact with Rokube and Marippe of Those Anxious People.
New Japan Woman's Association Newspaper version (1969-1971)[]
Titled That Strange Girl. It ran from the September 1969 to March 1971 issue.
Weekly Shojo Friend version (1971-1972)[]
Titled Sarutobi Ecchan. This version ran from 1971 #32 to 1972 #9. This version has some significant changes to go along with the anime, such as Miko and Momo being 6th graders, the creation of Taihei Tenka, and Kurihei being Taihei's younger brother.
The school is called Sakuragaoka Elementary.
Nakayoshi version (1971)[]
A three-chapter serialization of Sarutobi Ecchan ran from October to December 1971.
Fun Kindergarten version (1971-1972)[]
This serialization ran from October 1971 to March 1972 and was illustrated by Ishinomori's assistant Ryo Noguchi.
Anime[]
All 26 episodes were broadcast on NET every Monday from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. from October 4, 1971, to March 27, 1972.
A pilot film by Toei was produced sometime before the series, and clips from it were used in trailers to promote the show, but the full pilot has never surfaced. One way to tell the pilot footage apart from the episodes would be that the pilot film had Ecchan with brownish-purple hair, rather than the black.
Toei would also show evidence of three extra episodes that were apparently scripted or in progress by the time the anime ended, when they would list them in a 1970s film reel lending list, but it is unknown if the stories were ever actually completed or if they still exist (if they were).
Related Works[]
I Love! Miko-chan[]
The origin of characters like Miko, Momo, and Kurihei, as well as the origin of the "rooftop lovers" setting that would better be utilized in Those Anxious People.
Mutant Sabu[]
Ecchan appears in the chapter Ecchan and Sabu.
Genma Wars[]
Ecchan appears among the esper army in the final chapter. This is followed up on in Genma Wars REBIRTH, where she and Buku are featured in the cast.
Those Anxious People[]
The series where Rokube and Marippe of the Heibon stories originate from.
Trivia[]
- Ecchan is often mistaken as the descendant of Sarutobi Sasuke in fan or even later official write-ups, but she has never referred to herself as such in either the original manga or the anime and there is otherwise no proof to show it. The reason for this confusion is that the original author purposely used the Sarutobi surname, and then later Ishimori Productions associates and editors would publish that claim in media featuring magical girls.
- Before its anime, Ecchan was originally conceived to be adapted as a live-action TV drama by Toei producers Toru Hirayama and Yorishō Saitō, but it was never produced.
- The Android Kikaider: The Animation anime adaptation of Kikaider would pay homage to Ecchan by giving Hanpei Hattori's previously-unnamed assistant the name "Etsuko Sarutobi."
- Ecchan was also influential for Katsuhiro Otomo's manga Domu, in which he named the esper protagonist Etsuko, with the nickname "Ecchan."