Ampere, Monsieur
Also known as ムッシュー・アンペア (Musshū Anpea)
Hello, My Name (in English) is…
Monsieur Ampere’s name is obviously an attempt by Tezuka to use an exotic-sounding French name to lend a sense of class and style to his Star. Although not confirmed, given Tezuka’s interest in science and medicine, it’s quite possible he swiped the name from André-Marie Ampère (1775–1836), the French mathematician and physicist who is considered the father of electrodynamics.
Distinguishing Features
Visually modeled on the French actor Charles Boyer, Monsieur Ampere is recognizable by his sloping nose, square jaw, cleft chin, and the small black mole on his left cheek.
Status: Primary Star (★★★)
With a certain flair of European style and nobility, Monsieur Ampere oozes a refinement born of aristocratic breeding. From the very beginning, he demonstrated his complexity of character, and ability to tackle dual roles. His somewhat “Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde” nature means he is equally comfortable when cast in the role of a hero or a villain. Either way though, his finesse and charisma always shine through.
Notable Roles
Although not a central character in any series, Ampere has had a host of supporting and cameo roles. His first and namesake appearance was in The Wonderful Journey (1950) where he debuted as an aristocratic treasure hunter who also moonlights as the captain of a smugglers ship. While his masterpiece appearance is arguably in the Black Jack (1973-83) chapter “Recollections of a Spinster” (1977), where he showed his power to tighten up a story with even just a single appearance in the final panel. Over the course of his career, he also made memorable appearances in Next World (1951), Astro Boy (1952-68), The Adventure of Rock (1952-54), Lion Books (1956-57), Rainbow Parakeet (1981-82), and many others – with roles ranging from drug smugglers, to bandits, to sailors to the President.
Manga Appearances
If you spot an appearance not already listed, please let us know in the comments section below!
1950
The Wonderful Journey as “Monsieur Ampere”
1951
Ambassador Atom as “the manager of the space theatre”
Next World as “a resident of the tenement”
The Cactus Kid as “Billy’s brother”
1952
Astro Boy (“Frankenstein“) as “the public prosecutor”
A Man From Mars as “the doctor at the chalet”
The Adventure of Rock as “one of the delegates at the Bird Men conference”
People with Pistols on their Heads as “Hayase Tosaku”
1953
The Bean President as “President Lincoln”
Crime and Punishment as “Svidrigailov”
1954
The Destroyer of the Earth as “Major Tange”
Black Canyon as “Rumble”
1955
Astro Boy (“The Frozen Human”) as “one of the grave robbers”
Red Snow as “Dobroski, the bandit”
Chief Detective Kenichi (“The Case of the Gorilla”) as “a police officer”
1957
Lion Books (“The Multi-Eyed Devil”) as “A-bo’s father”
1958
The Three Who Glimpse the Future as “Rock’s father”
1959
Hikari as “Naruko”
Zero Men as “a passenger on the American ship”
1960
Angel’s Hill
1962
Brave Dan as “the captain of the soldiers”
1965
Ambassador Magma as “a member of the human resistance”
1969
The Runaway Tanker as “Captain Kitaoka”
1972
Lion Books (“Mother River”) as “a member of the Ichimura Yoko theatre troupe”
1974
Black Jack (“Teacher and Pupil”) as “a doctor”
1975
Black Jack (“Stradivarius”) as “the airplane captain”
1976
Black Jack (“Burglary”) as “The Earl of Giddeon”
1977
Black Jack (“There Were Two Films”) as “a member of Nozaki’s Staff”
Black Jack (“Recollections of a Spinster”) as “the President”
1981
The Rainbow Parakeet (“Peter Pan“) as “one of the drug smugglers”
Leave a Reply