Mad Bull 34
Encyclopedia
is a manga
series written by Kazuo Koike
and illustrated by Noriyoshi Inoue, serialized in Shueisha
's Young Jump between 1986 and 1990 and collected in 27 volumes
. The series follows the toughest cop in the NYPD's 34th precinct, Mad Bull, and his often-violent exploits when dealing the city's criminals.
Mad Bull was adapted into a four part original video animation
released from December 21, 1990 to August 21, 1992. A sequel manga, began in 1999.
The titular character. A giant-of-a-man police officer who works for the 34th precinct police department. He runs a prostitution ring in the 34th precinct which makes him a target by other gang bosses wanting to take over the territory. Despite Sleepy's penchant for going beyond the law and doing things that would classify him as a crooked cop, he always has good intentions within the law in his otherwise unusual ways to fight the war on crime. When Sleepy was only fourteen, his family was murdered by gangsters, and since then, he made it his mission to kill every gang boss in New York and rid the city of organized crime. His name is a reference to blues guitarist Sleepy John Estes
.
Daizaburo "Eddie" Ban
A Japanese-American who is Sleepy's partner. Daizaburo is the foil for Sleepy as he rather does things by the book whereas Sleepy would rather stop crime using brute force. In the beginning of the manga, Daizaburo is used mostly as comic relief, but later on this role is transferred to Sleepy as his antics become more and more absurd. Daizaburo quickly falls in love with Lieutenant Perrine Valley. His name is a reference to Japanese guitarist Eddie Ban.
Perrine Valley
A lieutenant of the 34th Precinct, she helps Sleepy and Daizaburo on some of the more difficult missions. She eventually marries Daizaburo, first in a scheme concocted by Sleepy in an effort to bring a critically injured Daizaburo out of a coma. Later, she, Daizaburo, and Sleepy are kidnapped by cowboy assassins and are married once again after the previous marriage was presumably annulled.
Chief Alan
The chief of the 34th Precinct. He and Sleepy often butt heads due to Sleepy's "creative" police work. Chief Alan often fantasizes about Sleepy being murdered because of all the trouble he causes him.
Nickels the Electrician
An inventor with a vendetta against Mad Bull and has ties with the New York underworld. Develops bizarre yet deadly devices ranging from guns built into hard hats to shotguns that strap onto cats. A diabetic addicted to canned coffee that has a particular odor that smells like a mix of sugar and urine. Although his name is romanized in the manga as 'Nickels', his name could be translated as 'Nichols', perhaps a reference to actor Jack Nicholson
who the character closely resembles. In the English dub of the anime, he is renamed "Nickels the Mechanic."
(English)
s released in 1991. It selected four different stories from the Mad Bull 34 manga and maintained its high level of violence.
The OVA has also been released and dubbed for American audiences by Manga Entertainment, however, they have only been released on VHS. Keith Burgess, the head of Manga Entertainment, said several years ago that he intends to release the entire series on DVD. However, in 2006, Manga announced that they had lost the license to the series, making any sort of official DVD release impossible. The series has not been re-licensed by any other American company.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written by Kazuo Koike
Kazuo Koike
is a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist and entrepreneur.-Biography:Early in Koike's career, he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and served as a writer on the series....
and illustrated by Noriyoshi Inoue, serialized in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Young Jump between 1986 and 1990 and collected in 27 volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. The series follows the toughest cop in the NYPD's 34th precinct, Mad Bull, and his often-violent exploits when dealing the city's criminals.
Mad Bull was adapted into a four part original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
released from December 21, 1990 to August 21, 1992. A sequel manga, began in 1999.
Plot
Daizaburo "Eddie" Ban, a Japanese-American, joins the New York City's toughest precinct, the thirty fourth. On his first day he is partnered up with John Estes, nicknamed "Sleepy" by his friends and "Mad Bull" by his enemies, a cop who stops crime with his own violent brand of justice. Mad Bull makes no qualms about executing common thieves with shotgun blasts, even if they pose a minor threat. He often steals from prostitutes and does incredible amounts of property damage while fighting crime. Mad Bull's unpoliceman-like behavior often puts him in hot water with his partner Daizaburo and the 34th precinct. However, despite how reckless or illegal these acts are, a good cause is always revealed (for example, Sleepy uses the money he steals from the prostitutes to fund a venereal disease clinic and a home for battered and raped women). Perrine Valley, a police lieutenant, joins Daizaburo and Sleepy later on to help them tackle more difficult cases involving the mafia and drug-running.Characters
John "Sleepy" Estes (a.k.a. Mad Bull)The titular character. A giant-of-a-man police officer who works for the 34th precinct police department. He runs a prostitution ring in the 34th precinct which makes him a target by other gang bosses wanting to take over the territory. Despite Sleepy's penchant for going beyond the law and doing things that would classify him as a crooked cop, he always has good intentions within the law in his otherwise unusual ways to fight the war on crime. When Sleepy was only fourteen, his family was murdered by gangsters, and since then, he made it his mission to kill every gang boss in New York and rid the city of organized crime. His name is a reference to blues guitarist Sleepy John Estes
Sleepy John Estes
John Adam Estes , best known as Sleepy John Estes or Sleepy John, was a American blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist, born in Ripley, Lauderdale County, Tennessee.-Career:...
.
Daizaburo "Eddie" Ban
A Japanese-American who is Sleepy's partner. Daizaburo is the foil for Sleepy as he rather does things by the book whereas Sleepy would rather stop crime using brute force. In the beginning of the manga, Daizaburo is used mostly as comic relief, but later on this role is transferred to Sleepy as his antics become more and more absurd. Daizaburo quickly falls in love with Lieutenant Perrine Valley. His name is a reference to Japanese guitarist Eddie Ban.
Perrine Valley
A lieutenant of the 34th Precinct, she helps Sleepy and Daizaburo on some of the more difficult missions. She eventually marries Daizaburo, first in a scheme concocted by Sleepy in an effort to bring a critically injured Daizaburo out of a coma. Later, she, Daizaburo, and Sleepy are kidnapped by cowboy assassins and are married once again after the previous marriage was presumably annulled.
Chief Alan
The chief of the 34th Precinct. He and Sleepy often butt heads due to Sleepy's "creative" police work. Chief Alan often fantasizes about Sleepy being murdered because of all the trouble he causes him.
Nickels the Electrician
An inventor with a vendetta against Mad Bull and has ties with the New York underworld. Develops bizarre yet deadly devices ranging from guns built into hard hats to shotguns that strap onto cats. A diabetic addicted to canned coffee that has a particular odor that smells like a mix of sugar and urine. Although his name is romanized in the manga as 'Nickels', his name could be translated as 'Nichols', perhaps a reference to actor Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
who the character closely resembles. In the English dub of the anime, he is renamed "Nickels the Mechanic."
(English)
Anime adaptation
The anime adaptation was composed of four, 50-minute OVAOriginal video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
s released in 1991. It selected four different stories from the Mad Bull 34 manga and maintained its high level of violence.
The OVA has also been released and dubbed for American audiences by Manga Entertainment, however, they have only been released on VHS. Keith Burgess, the head of Manga Entertainment, said several years ago that he intends to release the entire series on DVD. However, in 2006, Manga announced that they had lost the license to the series, making any sort of official DVD release impossible. The series has not been re-licensed by any other American company.