Baoh

Baoh (Japanese: バオー来訪者, Hepburn: Baō Raihōsha, lit. "Baoh: The Visitor") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, most famous for his manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1985, it was later compiled into two tankōbon volumes. The series was adapted into a single-episode original video animation (OVA) by Studio Pierrot and distributed by Toho in 1989.

Baoh
An issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump featuring Baoh.
バオー来訪者
(Baoh Raihōsha)
GenreHorror, superhero[1]
Manga
Written byHirohiko Araki
Published byShueisha
English publisher
ImprintJump Comics
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Jump
DemographicShōnen
Original run20 May 198412 February 1985
Volumes2
Original video animation
Directed byHiroyuki Yokoyama
Produced byReiko Fukakusa
Written byKenji Terada
Music byHiroyuki Namba
StudioPierrot
Licensed by
Released1 November 1989
Runtime48 minutes

Baoh is Araki's first series to display his signature amount of over-the-top gore.[2]

Plot

17-year-old Ikuro Hashizawa is kidnapped and turned into a Baoh, a bioweapon with super human strength and other abilities, by the Doress Laboratory. He escapes with the help of Sumire, a 9-year-old psychic girl. Professor Kasuminome, head scientist at Doress, sends various assassins and monsters to try and kill Ikuro, in means of stopping the Baoh virus from spreading and infecting the world.[3]

Characters

Main characters

Ikuro Hashizawa (橋沢 育朗, Hashizawa Ikurō)
Voiced by: Hideyuki Hori (OVA Japanese), Brian Hinnant (OVA English) Kōki Uchiyama (JoJo ASB)
The 17-year-old Ikuro initially knows very little of his past, waking up in the clutches of Doress and accompanying and protecting Sumire. He soon discovers that he has been transformed into a Baoh (standing for Biological Armament On Help), the result of Doress's evolution experimentations to produce a parasitic worm that buries itself into its host brain, slowly transforming it into a nigh-unstoppable killing machine. He later discovers that he was the victim of a traffic accident, with his survival beneficial to Doress's experimentations.
When the host body is attacked (such as during Ikuro's near death at the hands of Number 22), it transforms by means of the Baoh Armed Phenomenon (バオー武装現象(アームド・フェノメノン), Baō Āmudo Fenomenon), covering its body in a protective armor that grants the body superhuman strength and healing, which he can also use to heal others. As a Baoh, Ikuro displays other abilities. Baoh Meltedin Palm Phenomenon (バオー・メルテッディン・パルム・フェノメノン, Baō Meruteddin Parumu Fenomenon) allows him to secrete corrosive enzymes from his hands, melting through metal and human flesh. Baoh Reskiniharden Saber Phenomenon (バオー・リスキニハーデン・セイバー・フェノメノン, Baō Risukinihāden Seibā Fenomenon) produces two blades coming out of his arms that can slice through nearly anything. Baoh Shooting Bees-Stingers Phenomenon (バオー・シューティングビースス・スティンガー・フェノメノン, Baō Shūtingubīsusu Sutingā Fenomenon) turns Baoh's hair into needle-like projectiles that burst into flames upon contact. His most powerful ability is the Baoh Break-Dark-Thunder Phenomenon (バオー・ブレイク・ダーク・サンダー・フェノメノン, Baō Bureiku Dāku Sandā Fenomenon), where his body produces up to 60,000 volts of electrical energy, powerful enough to power a laser cannon. The only way to kill a Baoh is to kill the worm, by removing it from the brain by force and then burning it alive. A Baoh will also die after 111 days of the worm living in its brain, after which its larvae leave and kill the host, seeking out hosts of their own. A Baoh can also be put into dormancy by submerging the host in salt water.
Sumire (スミレ)
A 9-year-old girl possessing psychic abilities, including automatic writing, table-turning, and precognition. She is also a captive of Doress, as they wish to exploit her psychic abilities. She keeps another of Doress's experiments, a brand new marsupial-like lifeform she has named Sonny-Steffan Nottsuo (サニー・ステフェン・ノッツォ, Sanī Sutefen Nottso) as a pet.

Doress

The Secret Organization Doress (秘密組織ドレス, Himitsu Soshiki Doresu) created Baoh and seeks to kill Ikuro before the virus can spread.

Dr. Kasuminome (霞の目博士, Kasuminome-hakase)
Doress's main scientist who is responsible for the creation of the Baoh parasite. Perhaps the ultimate irony, which Professor Kasuminome himself voices near the end of the OVA, is that he succeeded far too well. His intent was to create the ultimate soldier, a weapon of such power no one could possibly defeat it, but in doing so he created Baoh--a weapon no one, including Doress or Kasuminome himself, could ever possibly control or contain. Hirohiko Araki named him after the Kasuminome (霞目) neighborhood of Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai.
Sophine (女工作員(ソフィーヌ), Sofīnu)
Kasuminome's assistant. She is first seen chasing Sumire when she escapes in the first chapter.
Number 22 (第22の男, Dai Nijū-ni no Otoko)
One of Doress's assassins sent to kill Ikuro Hashizawa and recapture Sumire. He unwittingly sparks Ikuro's Baoh Armed Phenomenon transformation and is killed.
Dordo (ドルド, Dorudo)
Doress's top assassin, said to be able to blow someone's brains out with a single sniper shot. During the fight with Ikuro, it is revealed that Dordo is actually a cyborg.
Walken (ウォーケン, Wōken)
A psychic assassin under Doress's pay, the last of a tribe of Native Americans known as the Skookum (スクークム族, Sukūkumu-zoku). He is the world's most powerful psychic, capable of melting objects with his psychokinesis using the Molecular Air Motion Wave (分子空動波, Bunshi Kūdō Ha) and warp the ground with the Molecular Seismic Wave (分子地動波, Bunshi Chidō Ha). He sees Baoh as a worthy opponent and carves a sigil into his chest, claiming that he will kill Baoh. Baoh, however, gains the upper hand by flinging his sabers off at him, removing his power dampening bandana, only for Walken to seek vengeance. Hirohiko Araki named Walken after American actor Christopher Walken.

Voice Cast

Voice cast
Character Japanese[4] English[4]
Ikurou Hashizawa Hiroyuki Hori Brian Hinnant
Sumire Noriko Hidaka Kimberly Helms (as Kem Helms)
Dr. Kasuminome Ichirou Nagai Michael S. Way
Colonel Dordo Shuuichi Ikeda Dave Underwood
Sophine You Inoue Sara Seidman-Vance
Walken Yuusaku Yara Chuck Denson, Jr.
Masked Men Shinya Ootaki

Shouji Satou

Ikuya Sawaki

Paul Johnson

Marc Matney

Mark Franklin

Number 22 Sean P. O'Connell
Girl Tomoko Maruo Sandy Clubb
Technicians Kouzou Shioya Patrick Humphrey

Frank Lynn

Gary Lawton

Soldiers Michitaka Kobayashi Jim Clark

Nick Manatee

Kevin Greenway

Staff

Production staff
Staff role[4] Person Notes
Director Hiroyuki Yokoyama
Supervisor-in-Chief Hisayuki Toriumi
Executive Producers Kazuo Nakano

Haruo Sai

Producer Reiko Fukusa
Screenplay Keiji Terada
Character design/ Animation direction Michi Sanaba
Mechanical designs Masayoshi Tano
Director of photography Jin Kaneko
Art director Michiharu Miyamae
Audio director Noriyoshi Matsuura
Assistant animation director Yoshimitsu Oohashi

Hiroki Takagi

Shouichi Masuo

Music Hiroyuki Nanba

English localization

English localization staff
Staff role[4] Person Notes
Executive Producer Robert J. Woodhead
Producer Janice Hindle

Peter R. Haswell

Production coordinator Natsumi Ueki
Dialog editor R. Roe Adams III
Translator Shin Kurokawa

Michael House

Subtitling director Michael House
Dubbing director Scott Houle
Script supervisor William Bailey
Audio engineer Nick Stuteville
Dialog mixer Ron Abfalter
SFX Editor Skip Bowerman
M&E editor Kevin Turner
Communications Billie Houle
Duplications Billie J. Toney

Licensing

The manga was licensed in English and released in monthly chapters by Viz Media in 1990; sales were pitiful, and it was not until 1995 that they released it in tankōbon format.[5][3] The OVA was licensed for an English DVD release by AnimEigo in 2000[6] and was released in 2001.[7]

Other appearances

The series' main protagonist, Ikuro Hashizawa, was featured as a downloadable playable character in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle in his Baoh form, as part of the game's five waves of DLC characters and campaign modes.

Reception

Hiroyuki Takei, most famous for his manga Shaman King, said it was one of his favorite series along with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in his youth.[8]

References

  1. Thompson, Jason (22 July 2010). "Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - BAOH". Anime News Network. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  2. "Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  3. "Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - BAOH". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  4. "Baoh Liner Notes | AnimEigo". archive.animeigo.com. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  5. "Baoh, Vol. 1 Hirohiko Araki". Alibris. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  6. "Animeigo News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  7. "BAOH DVD delayed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  8. "Interview - Hiroyuki Takei" (in French). Manga-News. 6 September 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
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