Our adventure in the memory of the legendary cartoons of the 80 'continues with the very nice Gigi La Trottola (Dash Kappei). The manga spokon of Noboru Rokuda is from 1980, the following year an anime television series was made that quickly became a cult. So let's go back to sports, specifically basketball, after Holly and Benji, Mila and Shiro, the Tiger Man. Previously we also retraced the stories of The Great Mazinger and the Ninja Turtles to the rescue.
Gigi La Trottola, the plot
The protagonist of the story is Kappei Sakamoto, a boy who could practice any sport thanks to his innate athletic abilities. Sympathetic, sweet and generous, this particular boy has a single "defect": he does not touch the meter in height. Let's clarify: for Kappei this is absolutely not a problem. Indeed, the protagonist takes the opportunity to peek under the skirts of the students, because, in addition to sport, he has another great passion: girls. Despite being excellent in all kinds of sports, Kappei doesn't want to join any sports club. However, the rules of his school, Liceo Seirin, require you to choose at least one sport.
Basketball and love for Akane
Kappei Sakamoto, which became in Italian Sullivan's Teeth, then takes his decision: to bet everything on basketball. An unexpected choice given his short stature. In addition to the team members, here he will meet Akane, kind and sensitive girl who will make him fall in love. Kappei's attempts to conquer Akane, however, are always hindered by an unusual suitor, the girl's dog, Seiichirō, who can speak, but only Kappei can understand him. Many episodes all to laugh for a very nice and exciting cartoon. In fact, the protagonist embarks on an arduous challenge: to meet all the sports clubs and beat them.
Noboru Rokuda's most famous manga
Dash Kappei it is certainly the most famous work of the mangaka Noboru Rokuda. Born in '52, originally from the prefecture of Osaka, he made his debut with particularly realistic works, just think of Abare Taikai. Things change in the face of a particular request from the Shogakugan publishing house, editor of the weekly anthology Weekly Shonen Sunday. In fact, Rokuda was commissioned to produce a comic that also contained a love story and was at the same time a spokon. In short, it should have contained all the ingredients that the public most loved at that time. Not surprisingly, the manga Urusei Yatsura / Lamù by Rumiko Takahashi already depopulated from '78 on the same magazine.
Why basketball?
Apparently the choice of the basket as a commercial of Gigi the top it was made in response to a specific request from the publishing house and the editor who followed Rokuda. An inevitable question: why? Why a manga, then anime, about a sport so 'foreign' to Japan? The choice could be due to multiple factors: in those years Japan began to obtain good placings in the sport in question, but the question could also be another. Maybe the desire to explore something new, just by tackling a sport that is almost unprecedented for the country. On the other hand, the interest aroused was strong, just think of the great success of Slam dunk!
What is certain is that although basketball is primary in Gigi the spinning top, it is certainly not the only sport we are talking about. On the other hand we said it at the beginning of the article: the physical abilities of Kappei Sakamoto make it suitable and skilled in history for any type of sport. We then go from sumo to ping pong, from tests of strength to fencing up to chess tournaments!
Gigi: panties and parodies
That he is a portent in sports is now well established, but the good Gigi is also a very funny character. His mania for collecting panties goes hand in hand with a particular skill in interpreting "colleagues". Dash Kappei, over the course of the 65 episodes, he mentions many other well-known manga / anime, such as Lady Oscar and the Tiger Man. But also characters from Star Wars o Superman.
The acronyms of Gigi La Trottola
Let's move on to the theme songs of the anime. As for the Japanese ones, there is for the opening Mitai mono mitai, sung by Kiki and composed by Ryo Kawakami. For the closure instead Seishun dash, sung by Kiki and composed by Ryo Kawakami. As for the Italian one, Gigi the top, sung by the Knights of the King, composed and set to music by Riccardo Zara.
The names of the protagonists changed
For the Italian version of Dash Kappei all the names were changed in 83, as was customary in those days. The goal was to follow a principle of assonance. Kappei Sakamoto it became so Sullivan's Teeth, his beloved Akane changed into Anna. Furthermore, Seiichiro's dog became Solomon. Adam and Gloria had nothing to do with the original names (Kyoshiro and Kaori).
The protagonists of Gigi La Trottola
Kappei Sakamoto (坂 本 勝平 Sakamoto Kappei?) (Gigi Sullivan): the protagonist of the story. A 15-year-old boy who attends the first year of Seirin high school.
Kaoru Tachibana (立 花 か お る Tachibana Kaoru?) (Thomas): Thomas is the captain of the basketball team. Like anyone else, he is convinced that Kappei will never play well due to his stature.
Kyōshirō Nemuri (狂 四郎 Kyōshirō?) (Adam): more commonly called the "beautiful Adam". He is a member of the basketball team, he is the classic figure of prince charming, tall, blond hair and blue eyes.
Piccolo John: Owner of the team, "small" is just a nickname, in fact he is a colossus.
Kaori Natsu (Natsu Kaori?) (Gloria): L'allenatrice della squadra.
Akane Aki (秋 あ か ね Aki Akane?) (Anna): beautiful, kind and sensitive girl. He is an assistant to the coach of the basketball team where Kappei enrolls.
Seiichiro (诚一郎 Seiichiro?) (Solomon): is Akane / Anna's dog, as well as her secret suitor. He is a quirky dog, full of initiatives to be seen by his beloved owner and walks like a normal person.
Daiba (Alan): Alan is part of another basketball team. It is a real colossus, almost 3 meters high and sturdy like a two-door wardrobe.
Thick: Dick is an unlucky guy. He is part of the ping pong club, but, due to his small constitution, he is not considered as a member of the team and is always sidelined to train with "air".
Tomato: Named for the shape of its head, which resembles that of a ripe tomato.
GIGI LA TROTTOLA Box 1 + 2 (10 Dvd) Italian Edition
- Audience Rating: G (audience generale)
