Jungle no Oja Ta-chan

Aired: 1993

A Toei Animation adaptation of Masaya Tokuhiro's hit gag manga, broadcast on TV Asahi. Far in the African interior lives Ta-chan, a superhumanly strong wild boy whose sidekick is a chimp named Etekichi. Joined by his goofy friend Pedro and his fiancée Jane, he repeatedly pummels poachers, lecherous hunters, and outright supervillains in a series of riotous, often risqué jungle battles. The show pairs Tokuhiro's anything-goes humor with explosive shonen-style action and lined up an impressive run of theme songs from artists like B∀G ('Heart no Katachi') and Ann Lewis ('VIRGIN LAND'), making it one of the most musically distinctive series of its era.