Songo-kun

Cover to the "Let's Go Songo-kun" kashihon by Akebono.

May to June 1992 (Deluxe BomBom remake)

**Songo-kun** (そんごくん) is a 1964-1965 gag and adventure manga by Fujio Akatsuka, later also credited to Fujio Pro. It parodies the tale of "Journey to the West".

It was later given a brief remake in 1992, after Hennako-chan had gotten such treatment.

## Overview

The manga centers around the young boy Songo, who embarks on a treasure hunt with his friend Sanzo, the mysterious "Old Man of the Pants", and Sanzo's pet pig who serves as potential emergency rations. Songo is given a special crown by his scientist father that will record and broadcast his adventures, and departs China.

Other Akatsuka characters occasionally show up as enemies or general guests, although the major draw are the bizarre situations that the heroes wind up in while trying to find the treasure they seek.

With the "Akatsuka boom" that had existed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kodansha requested more remakes of Akatsuka material in hopes to create a synergy with more animated adaptations being produced with Fuji TV and Yomiko, necessitating a double-shot revival of the *Songo-kun* feature for Deluxe BomBom that had a tease for another potential story to come. However, there was no sequel or *Songo-kun* anime to ever be had, and a later attempt at reviving *Mom NO.1* in BomBom did not proceed to any animated adaptation as well.

## Characters

### Songo

The hero, representing the legendary monkey king Son Goku (Sun Wukong). He fights with an extending pole, and can use various ninjutsu tricks.

His design is a mix between that of Akatsuka's average Japanese boy protagonists and that of the Chibita/Kantaro model.

### Sanzo

*See also: Ichiro*

aka "San-chan". Songo's best friend. He represents the Sanzo Hoshi (Tang Sanzang) of the group.

He cannot think very well unless he has eaten a bunch, and must be supplied with food. He is also a clear re-use of Ichiro from Otasuke-kun, and he would cameo in various other titles. Though he can usually be seen wearing his nightgown and crown, if a story may require him to wear more standard clothes, he can be seen in the usual "Ichiro" outfit.

### Old Man of the Pants (Dekapan)

*See also: Dekapan*

An unusual middle-aged man clad only in a large pair of striped boxers. He first appeared in *Osomatsu-kun* and would later receive his name there. He represents Sa Gojo (Sha Wujing).

### Pig

The pet pig accompanying these men on their mission. He represents Cho Hakkai (Zhu Bajie), but there is the possibility he too may wind up as Sanzo's food someday.

### Songo's Father

A wise inventor, who watches his son's adventures and tries to provide help when he can. In the original run, he is a re-use of Chota's father from *Leave it to Chota*, but he is redesigned in the BomBom remake.

## Serialization

* 4th Grade (Shogakukan): April 1964-March 1965
* 5th Grade (Shogakukan): April to December 1965
* Deluxe BomBom (Kodansha): May and June 1992, "The Search for a New Treasure"

There should be at least 20 chapters within the original run of the series, although some reprints such as Akebono tend to strip out individual frontispieces and indications of there being separate stories (particularly in vol.1 of their "Complete Works"), making it difficult to tell where one story may end or begin.

As mentioned in the overview, the Deluxe BomBom version has an open ending setting up a sequel for Songo and his partners to go on the next stage of their journey, but there is nothing more to the tale.

## Reprints

* Akebono: Originally released under 3 different kashihon with the titles "Songo-kun in the Fairy Tale World" (おとぎの世界へそんごくん), "Hurry up, Songo-kun" (はりきりそんごくん) and "Let's Go Songo-kun" (レッツ・ゴーそんごくん). Later published in 2 volumes as part of the "Complete Works" collection in 1969.
* Bunka: "Shoot the Monster, Songo-kun" (怪物をやっつけろそんごくん) kashihon.
* Shogakukan: "Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works" DVD-ROM set (2002). The "Complete Works" Akebono volumes are digitized for the collection, and the 1992 remake is included in an "extra volume". However, the frontispiece to the first chapter of the 1992 remake was not included for whatever reasons, and the frontispiece to the second chapter was supplied in its place.

## External Links

* "Songo-kun" (1992) write-up at the Akatsuka Preservation Society (Japanese)
* "Songo-kun" summary by Hiroshi Nawa, "Fujio Akatsuka as a Cultural Heritage" (Japanese)