Choromatsu Matsuno

**Choromatsu** **Matsuno** (松野 チョロ松 *Matsuno Choromatsu),* created by Fujio Akatsuka, is one of The Sextuplets in Osomatsu-kun. He occasionally may appear alongside his brothers as part of Akatsuka's Star System.

## Overview

As the common partner of Osomatsu and the second most prominent of the sextuplets, it can be assumed that Choromatsu would be present in appearances that involve only a few of the group when they are needed for scenes in other series (and don't get name-dropped). He is agile and noted to be especially speedy, but he may usually blend in with the rest.

He is commonly set as a 10-year old boy in the fifth grade, but such a setting can be modified by a story's need.

## Physical Appearance

Like the others, Choromatsu first appears shorter with a large, round upturned nose and a low-hanging mouth. This quickly goes away after the first chapter, however, and his facial features and proportions evolve to where he is usually depicted as a taller, lankier young boy with large round eyes.

He often wears a blue uniform coat with three large gold buttons and a lighter pair of pants, but in summer seasons he can be seen wearing a lighter-colored uniform shirt with short sleeves and a pair of shorts. This outfit and his characteristic bowlcut make him notable even when he and his brothers all look the same.

### Settings as an adult

In "Osomatsu-kun after 30 Years", Choromatsu at age 40 has gone bald with all his hair gone except for being at the base of his head and a tiny single hair sticking up in back. He also has some wrinkles. He is mocked for his baldness by Osomatsu, and wishes he looked as youthful as him.

The 1988 anime adaptation's equivalent "Iyami in 40 Years" depicts a 50-year old Choromatsu as a short, chubby middle-aged man with some wrinkles. Unlike his other brothers with their pompadours, he is balding in a "bar-code" fashion and is teased relentlessly by the other boys and Iyami.

The TV Magazine chapter "Osomatsu-kun after 40 Years" depicts a Choromatsu who has stopped aging, literally being frozen in time (inferred by readers to be from his guilt over Osomatsu going missing and possibly dying). He is stuck in place with a horrified and catatonic expression on his face, and his hair sticking up on end as he remains in his childhood outfit.

In the 1993 beer ad "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up", the 35-year old Choromatsu is not balding like other adult versions, but is a policeman that wears glasses.

## Personality

Being "quick to rush in and quick to flee", Choromatsu is the most agile and sports-loving of the brothers. But he is also very sly as part of his slick attitude, and rather conceited. Though he is boastful and adamant of his goodness, he can also be taken down and vulnerable just as easily.

Choromatsu is described by one brother as being shallow, and his brazen greed and opportunism shows when he gets plastic surgery in an attempt to look more handsome and distinguished from his brothers, or when he abandons the others to try to live with the rich relatives (after having whipped and ordered them around). In both cases, Choromatsu is either done in by the others' revenge or by his own regret and unwillingness to be separated from his family.

It can be noted that some times, Choromatsu will be shown randomly going off to take a nap such as when the boys get their own rooms, when they're made to babysit Chibita, or when he slacks off in the middle of a foot-race.

The 1988 series depicts Choromatsu as quite unlucky and often the scapegoat and punchline of some gags, such as him being bald at age 50, being forced to be at the bottom of his brothers' people-tower, tripping and falling when attempting to skate, or his heavy sleep habit making him the butt of a joke. His short temper is also elaborated on, and as with earlier adaptations, he can be the most distinguished brother besides Osomatsu.

## Relationships with Other Characters

### Osomatsu

Although Choromatsu initially is frustrated at having to go off with Osomatsu in "Everybody Hates Osomatsu" due to the other's trickery getting them in trouble with a bully (who stole their imagawayaki), he latter can't bring himself to force-feed his brother a fake ceramic persimmon even when Osomatsu had used it to deceive him and the bully. When the other brothers are still mad at Osomatsu and unwilling to help him get revenge, Choromatsu tries to make them reconsider, to no avail.

The two are set as a strong duo from then on, though Choromatsu does take the opportunity of Osomatsu leaving to be with rich relatives to win the brothers' jan-ken-pon match and be the new "leader", proceeding to violently whip and boss them around. When Osomatsu returns home, Choromatsu decides to leave and take his place at the rich relatives', wishing to avoid retribution by the others and his mother. But in the end, he is easily forgiven when he comes home in tears and Osomatsu gladly welcomes him back.

They are often left alone by their brothers or will run off on their own for certain adventures, but in other instances there will be drastic circumstances that lead to them being separated; being trapped in a safe in the original "Chibita the Safe-Cracker", being split apart for the initial duration of "Sextuplets vs. the Great Japan Gang" after the experimental car they escape in divides into three, and their abduction by aliens in "Invaders Invade Again".

In "Osomatsu-kun after 40 Years", Choromatsu is the first to catch on to Osomatsu's fake treasure map scheme and realize that he plans to kill them off to be an only child. He modifies and switches the treasure maps, which winds up getting Osomatsu trapped in a collapsing cave and missing for those decades.

#### 1988 anime

The anime adaptation of the rich parent adoption story has Choromatsu become jealous of Osomatsu getting to live with Dekapan, so he and the others travel to the mansion to abduct Osomatsu and switch Choromatsu out in his place. Choromatsu stays long enough to receive the allowance and rushes back home with Osomatsu, but the two are made to hand it over to their parents to support the household.

Osomatsu is also shown to take advantage of Choromatsu's vulnerable position in other episodes, using his sleeping body as a decoy for Totoko in "Watch Out for the Wild Iyami!", or wrenching open his eyes and forcing him to stay awake under the threat of knives in "Babysitting is a Hard Job!".

He sometimes plays the part of the more reasonable one of the duo, trying to warn Osomatsu not to do anything foolish or questioning if they've ever even really studied. But other times, he will be the more hot-headed of the two, such as when playing "bad cop" when interrogating Iyami and having to be calmed down by Osomatsu.

## Appearances in Animation

### Osomatsu-san

*For detailed information, see the Osomatsu-kun and Osomatsu-san wiki*

## Portrayals

### Voice Acting

* Osomatsu-kun (1966)- Keiko Yamamoto, Haruko Kitahama (brief understudy)
* Furious Ataro (1969)- Masako Nozawa
* Osomatsu-kun (1988), related specials- Rica Matsumoto
* Understudy for 1988 series- Megumi Hayashibara (18, 21, 1 line in 26, 1 line in 50)
* CR Osomatsu-kun- Yui Shoji
* Osomatsu-san- Hiroshi Kamiya

Although Matsumoto was primarily in charge for the 1988 series, there would be an occasion when the role would be understudied if she was busy covering for the role of Ichimatsu and the director did not want her to play two parts.

### Live Action

Choromatsu was portrayed by the actor Hiroshi Isono in the 1985 Monday Dramaland TV special.

## External Links

* Choromatsu profile at Koredeiinoda (Japanese)