Cyborg Grampa-G 1

His name is Tokijirou Kaizou, a brilliant scientist who has decided to spend his waning years taking things much easier: caring for his family, farming on his own plot of land...and transforming himself into a 2000-horsepower cyborg!? From one of the most well-known mangaka artists of Weekly Shonen Jump (you probably known him from...um, "that go series"..."the series with the killer notebook" and..."that new series with the kids in the manga business" comes the work that put him on the map, which he both drew...and wrote!? (this probably explains why he only is an artist now)

Cyborg Grandpa G (Cyborg Jii-Chan G) by Takeshi Obata (as Shigeru Hijikata)
Vol. 1: Good Morning Grandpa!!

Inside Cover Comment:
Shigeru Hijikata:
Without losing you at the cover, I really thank all you people who have bought this comic.
I’m already soaring releasing this comic with all my heart, but thinking it over now, I didn’t think at all that I would get serialized with a weird manga with an old man protagonist.
From here, whether my life goes mad, it will be because the moon is extremely blue.

Chapter 1: Good Morning Grandpa!!

5.
Crows: Caw caw

6-7.
(Cover page, just look and admire)

8.
This is G-chan's Family!!
Eiichi Kaizou (38)
Yuu Kaizou (36)
Ai Kaizou (14)
Kei Kaizou (11)
Tokijirou Kaizou (70)
Kiyu Kaizou (58) - Disappeared

9.
Voice: It's awfully noisy outside. Could it be the scarecrows again...
Eiichi: Well I'm always at gunpoint whenever I go out gardening...
Eiichi: What can we do when grandpa is always up early......
Yuu: Well he's been secluded in his room since yesterday...
Kei: He can't be...
Eiichi: Dea......
Everyone: GRANDP~~~~A! DON'T DIE---!!

10.
Everyone: GRANDPA!!
G: What's all the noise!

11.
G: If it's about the paper, I'm reading it now.
Everyone: Wh...why is grandpa in that form----!?

12.
G: Well then, I'll explain if you don't know!
Kei: Wa---he's moving!!
G: Having become a farmer, genius scientist Tokijirou Kaizou today throws away the name he has--and has been reborn as a cyborg----!!
Everyone: CY...CYBORG!?
G: My power is a plasma/compost fusion and the gas of chicken droppings, with the explosive power of 2,000 horsepower......
G: I've became a remodeled human in order to perform the best agriculture in Japan...no, the world.
Everyone: Agri...culture...

13.
G: MY NAME IS THE FARMING CYBORG!! CYBORG GRANDPA G!!!
(TN: I know I probably could have called him "Cyborg Jii-chan G", which essentially is the title of the series, but the "Grandpa" and "G" also works as a pun...not to mention that the series is referred to "Cyborg Grandpa G" later in English)
Eiichi: Cyborg
Yuu: Grandpa
Ai: G~~~
Kei: That form is for gardening~~?
Eiichi & Yuu: Well, you became a modified human for that~~~!?

14.
G: Why else but for that----!! Without the food from agriculture, humans wouldn't be able to live!!
Eiichi: Is this really necessary for agriculture...grandpa...
G: It's for repelling the crows who invade our field.
G: Right! Immediately I'll show this off to the town en masse the gardening of 2,000 horsepower from compost!!
Eiichi: !?
G: It's a Farming Special Option-----!

15.
G: Yes! Perfect!!
G: G-CHAN CAT SHOT!
Eiichi: WHAT!? OUT OF NOWHERE......
G: G-CHAN TAKE OFF!!

16.
Eiichi: What then is the fate of our house...
Kei: So cool...
G: Huh!? That's the old woman of the tobacco store! There's a bus behind her...!!
G: WATCH OUT!!

17.
G: Phew~~~it was great that my body can reach around mach-two speed...if I was one second slower, she would have been hit by that 30 km/hr bus.
G: Wh...what will I do with the old woman!! Muu~~~like this, I can give her modification surgery!
G: From now on, I'll call you "Wind-Speed Granny".
G: With that speed, you won't get hit by the bus anymore.
G: Muu! It's the field I'm always charmed by.

18.
Man: Hoo, it's Tokijirou.
Woman: Aah...he's become a second-rate hamburger...
Hat: It's a cyborg.
G: Hey, there are crows in my field...!!
Man: The field...
G: Muu!? One crow is flying off!!
G: OH YEAH!!
Woman: Ooh...he mowed down the weeds while similtaneously killing the crow...
Hat: And with that hoe!

19.
Hat: Incredible sharpness~~
G: And I gave him a haircut!
Short Man: While at it, can you repair my tractor?
G: Oh, mayor. Actually, you can come to our house, I've finished my masterpiece!
Kaizous: WHAT IS THIS---!!

20.
G: Loaded with two turbo fan engines!!
G: Repulsing-type Sidewinder Missles for field-wasting crows!
G: A cockpit with an escape system.
G: It's possible that it can do many times the work of tractors up till now! Not even those idiots from Troy use these. And further it's function is equivalent to an F-16 fighter!
Eiichi: How can he use this as a tractor!!
Ai: Mayor, how could you be carefree on this!
Mayor: N? Isn't this fine if you asked for it?
Mayor: Can this transform into a robot?
G: I did my research watching anime!!
Eiichi & Ai: AAAAH

21.
Mayor: I pull here?
Mayor: Hoo, Ho--w cool is this!
Mayor: And next, I'll push this button?
G: Hyo!? What are you doing mayor?
Mayor: Shi shi shi, You've perfectly fallen in my trap. Huh? Cyborg-kun?
G: Wh...what is that!?
Kei: Mayor?

22.
Mayor: WHY DID I HAVE YOU MODIFY THIS TRACTOR? SO I CAN CONTROL THIS TOWN!!
Mayor: Shi shi shi, everything from my mayoral candidacy on, has been for this day! The mountains, the fields, the roots will all be mine!!
Mayor: You turning into a cyborg was not in my plans, but with this mech, I won't have any troubles crushing you.
G: You! You've borrowed the name of mayor. You're merely an evil man!! I can't forgive you! I'll punish you with my farming power!
Eiichi: Wh...what can you do with just that hoe?

23.
Mayor: Let’s fight, Cyborg-kun!!
G: If it’s in plowing, I won’t lose!
Mayor: Ho…however, you have an absolute disadvantage against me! You’re automatic! I’m manual! And you’ve got a back.
G: STOP IT! (Phew--)
Mayor: You attacked with a missile while plowing…that shouldn’t be within the windward of a farmer! That selfish conduct doesn’t lean on town conduct!
G: But aren’t I at a disadvantage?
Kaizous: What sort of people are those two……!?
Mayor: Not permitted. A mayor cannot permit these things---!

24.
Mayor: THERE!!
Mayor: You’re such a light old man.
G: Well then!! Full release cyber poweeer!

25.
Mayor: Ha!! Th…this is!?
Mayor: THAT FIELD, WAAAA!!
G: Those who invade my field, whether caterpillar or human MUST GET SHOT TO DEATH!!

26.
Kei: He did it—
Ai: I’ve got a better opinion of you—
G: It’s still too early to celebrate. When that tractor is in an emergency, it goes into a special mode. Watch!
G: IT CAN TRANSFORM INTO AN ARMORED FORM INSTANTLY TO MAINTAIN THE SAFETY OF THE CONTROLLER. HE’S BECOME THE ARMORED MAYOR!!!
Mayor: ?
G: Muu~~I hadn’t created that thing!
Kaizou: ……
Mayor: Hoo—this is great! I believe the goddess of victory is smiling on me!
People: Talk, what’s that!? Talk, Oh, that’s rough!

27.
G: You’re soft, mayor! I’ve got armor parts too! G-chan Armored Parts GO!!
Kei: Waa, that’s…!
G: EQUIP!
G: HYO!?
Old Woman: ?
G: Hey, old-lady Yamada! Give back my Armored Parts!!
Old Woman: These suit me.
Yamada: Gra—nny!

28.
Mayor: Shi shi shi, you’re an idiot……If you become my yes-man, you won’t end up more worn than this.
G: I will protect this town! I truly won’t hand it over to you!
Mayor: So then die!
G: HYO—
G: Muu! My joints and power have become quite damaged! I’m tormented by my rheumatism even as a cyborg…..!!
G: Well I’ve finally reached the convenience store in town.
Businessmen: !?
G: HYO--!?

29.
G: Mu…Uuh…
G: Hyo!? Th…this is an open-air bath!! This will do it!!
Narrator: By inserting those tablets into the moderately warm water, he raises the regenerative results to the points damaged by carbonic gas—accelerating the lubrication of the mechanics in the body! By the way, give up on looking in this panel since this isn’t that kind of bathing drug!!

30.
Mayor: Shi shi shi
Mayor: Cyborg G-chan has died. And as a matter of fact, everything in this town is mine!!
Kei: Our grandpa can’t die from that!
Ai: Stupid mayor—you’ll pay for that.
G: CYBORG G-CHAN WILL MAKE YOU PAY WITH HIS BODY!!

31.
Kaizous: G-CHAN!!
Mayor: WHAT IS THIS! YOU’RE STILL NOT DEAD YET~~~!!
G: Where there’s evil or agriculture, Cyborg G-chan won’t die yet!!
Mayor: So then, my last measure!
Woman: Hyaa--!?
Mayor: If you oppose me any further, then these people’s “fields” won’t live!!
G: Yo…you’re a coward, mayor!!
Mayor: Shi shi shi, if you’ve become a farming cyborg who loves the fields, then you won’t be able to put up with this. You can’t take this threat!!

32.
Mayor: Huh?
Mayor: Shi shi, what is this small field!! Well then that one daikon is laughable!
(TN: Daikon is a reference to a “daikon radish”, a white radish notable and grown through Japan)
Mayor: Thus this field is mine.
Man: AH!?
G: HYO!!
Kei & Ai: AAH! THAT’S TAKA-CHAN’S FIELD, THE POOREST IN THE TOWN!?
Mayor: Shi shi shi, have you realized, this is my true terror!!
Taka: Stop it! That was the daikon our sick mother was going to eat! The five of our family must live a week off that! Please, stop!

33.
Mayor: I wouldn’t do such a thing!!
Taka: WAAAA
Kei: G…G-CHAN!!
G: Unforgivable! You’re unforgivable…mayor!
G: YOU STOMPED ON THEIR FIELD, AND ON TOP, YOU’VE SHOWN VIOLENCE TO LITTLE CHILDREN!! I’LL PUNISH YOU!!!
G: URYOAAA, CYBER POWER EXPLOSION!!

34.
G: STRONGER G!!

35.
Narrator: STRONGER G – There is one more part of G-chan’s body, outside his mind, that isn’t mechanical. HIS HOT BLOOD!!
Narrator: His body is within a formed memory alloy, and within flows his hot blood. And when G-chan’s anger reaches its summit and his blood boils—
Narrator: The formed memory alloy body reacts and his armor thickens; when in that form—
G: I CAN USE 100% OF MY 2,000 HORSEPOWER CYBER POWEEER!!

36.
G: As I expected, the mecha I created stays undaunted even from that!
Kaizous: AMAZING—
G: If that’s the case, my final means! I’ll do this using up a large amount of energy! Cyborg G-chan detatch.
Mayor: !?
G: FIREBALL GRANDPA G-EMBLEM GALE ATTA—CK!

37.
Mayor: GYA—IT’S HOT--!!
G: MUU! A MAGNIFICENT G!!
Caption: Mayor
Kaizou: G-CHAN!!
Kaizou: KYA—

38.
Mayor: Ha!!
Mayor: Gr…grandpa…How…how’s this…if I overlook this, I’ll give you my field…Al…all of it…how’s that……
G: The crops that can live on a field of a dirtied person like you…don’t exist in this world!!
G: MU
Mayor: WAAA
Sign: DO NOT ENTER: G-CHAN
Mayor: AH
G: How’s this? I pity you, so how about all of you have our entire field.
Keiichi: Eh…?

39.
Kaizous: All of our field…what does that mean……grandpa…
G: After what happened here, we can’t live in this town. We’re going to Tokyo, where I can test my cyber agriculture powers!!
Voice: WA—GRANDPA, GET US OFF—
Kaizous: YOUR MACH-2 SPEED ISN’T STOPPING THE RATTLING!!
Taka: We can’t get in~~

40.
Your Family Needs One
A CROW REPULSING SCARECROW!

SCARECROW MK. I
Standard equipped with a Hyper Gatling Gun, it locks on automatically to target for Speedy bombardment. However, it’s weakness is it can’t see it’s target it is locking on for a moment since it’s body falls apart easily. It’s really stupid. –Introduced in Chp. 1

Crow: Fu—it’s dangerous—

SCARECROW MK. II
Improved version of Mk. I. A surpassing being who isn’t able to lose its target since it can always see in front, even though it’s gatling gun is exposed. Possible option equipment include 30mm machine gun, guided missiles, etc.

Crow: GYA--!?

TN: Hey there everyone and welcome to my latest and...probably most surprising project yet! I probably know what you're thinking if you're reading this script: wait a minute, this series was by Obata!? The Obata of "Hikaru no Go", "Death Note" and "Bakuman" among other series!? One of the most popular and known manga artists of today!? Well the simple answer to this is...yes. Obata did both write and draw this series when it ran in Jump through the year of 1989 (which makes it 20 years this year) as his very first Jump work after a period working under at least one mangaka master. (which we'll be hearing from at the end of the volume...but really isn't as known in this country compared to him) It only lasted in '89 though, since it was out of the magazine by the end of the year...but it's very hard as you know to get somewhere in Jump both then and now. I really won't go into the whole history of Obata right now, but essentially he did have a few other Jump series (one of which I may also be translating if my source helps out) before finally really breaking through with "Hikaru no Go" in '99, close to 10 years since first popping in the magazine. (though he did have an anime from an earlier work...)

Now for the next question that you're probably asking yourself: why do I want to do such a strange but slightly significant series!? Well there are several reasons actually. One of which is of course is the Obata factor: considering everyone hypes him these days, I sort of wanted to see how he started out, particularly in a series that he himself wrote. Secondly is just the whole concept: I mean...a old man cyborg!? It's just so crazy and bizarre a concept that it actually could lead to something memorable! And finally is just the strange cult that the series, as short as it was, seemed to have gained in Japan in the 20 years since it was first released. If you've followed the 40th anniversary of "Weekly Shonen Jump" in '08, there were two "Jii-chan G" references amidst all of the more famous and memorable (and much longer lasting) Jump series, one of which was by Osamu Akimoto in a "Jump 40th" chapter of KochiKame, another was on one of the "40th anniversary posters" done by one of Obata's former assistants, Yusuke Murata. So with all the infamy, it seemed right to at least introduce this strange little Jump series to an English speaking audience and at least see how it goes...or if it goes.

As for the chapter itself...well, let's just say this: somehow it was much more unbelievable and wacky than I really expected, particularly from Obata...and I loved every minute of it! The entire concept of the series makes no sense whatsoever but at the same time makes plenty of sense if you step back: a famed scientist decides to turn himself into a cyborg...just so he could maintain a family farm in his old age! Somehow I would expect this sort of strange concept from Sawai...but as ludicrous as it sounded, it was a great idea that was rather original, both then and now. Heck, even the whole concept of him actually making a special tractor the mayor decides to use to dominate his hometown (unknowingly) was a nice little twist playing on the naivite of G and allowing for that crazy introductory battle. The Kaizou family outside Tokijirou/G was rather normal and definately shows off the "realistic" approach that Obata would later refine for his later series...though here they were mostly tsukkomi to the bizarre antics of grandpa. In a way, I sometimes think that the contrast between the real and the strange is similar to the way that Obata defined it in a series like Death Note, where he also had another notable chance of drawing things both realistic (the humanoid characters) and strange (mostly the Shinigami but also peculiarities in characters such as L).

As for where this new project fits in...well basically, this is going to be my side project for the time being. After this first chapter, I'll probably start going back and forth between this and my current project on Kinnikuman, just so I can show both a bit of respect and courtesy in case this series (for some strange reason) catches on. I already have a scanslator for it (Arienai, run by ammt) and sort of hope I am able to get all four volumes of this strange little series does just mostly to get it out there and see how it goes...as well as to see if anyone will join the insanity along with me. I do hope you all like this series like I do...besides, it's not everyday you come across a farming cyborg who runs on chicken poo, huh?