Say Hello to Bookila! (Manga)

Also known as ブッキラによろしく！ (Bukkira ni Yoroshiku!)

Originally published from April 26 to July 26, 1985, Osamu Tezuka’s Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) was a follow up to Prime Rose (1982-83) and Kibando (1984) in Weekly Shonen Champion. Following the tradition set by other great Tezuka series The Rainbow Parakeet (1981-82) and Black Jack (1973-83) that were featured in that same popular publication.

What it’s about

Toroko Neoki is possibly the most arrogant woman in Japan. The ditzy “star” of Touzai Television Productions, Toroko is a bit of a mystery. She shows up late for work, is disinterested in following any kind of direction, doesn’t read the script and more or less just does whatever she wants… and yet, despite the absolute chaos on set, she still features prominently in almost every production that Touzai TV produces. Despite calls by the writers and other production staff for her to be fired, the station manager, Mr. Nikomi, simply refuses – saying that there’s a very important reason they keep Toroko on the air. But he refuses to divulge the secret.

This, of course, piques the interest of entertainment reporter Rockurou “Rock” Makube, who decides to get to the bottom of the mystery. Despite his questioning, Mr. Nikomi, refuses to divulge any answers – and a one-on-one interview with the extremely dense and befuddling Toroko only deepens the mystery. However, he is left with one clue – seek out Bookila in Studio 13.

Sure enough, when Rock seeks out Bookila in Studio 13, he gets more than he bargained for. After a series of misadventures, Rock discovers the secret – Bookila is a demon from another dimension who is “haunting” the Touzai TV studios, and the ditzy young Toroko is the only one who can keep him under some level of control.

However, with Rock now drawn into the mix, he’s forced to play babysitter as Toroko’s single-minded faith in her own popularity and ability, and Bookila’s demonic nature and playful exuberance land the trio in hot water again and again.

Rock and Toroko at the center of destruction

What you should know

Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) is very much in line with many of the more slapstick comedies of Tezuka’s later period. Following in the footsteps of its Weekly Shonen Champion predecessor, Don Dracula (1979),- which is focused on the idea of “what if Count Dracula lived in modern-day Tokyo?” – Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) takes a concept as it’s cornerstone anchor and then builds several outlandish plots around it.  However, whereas the concept was tighter in the earlier series, on this occasion, Tezuka may have been trying to do a little too much, all at once.

As he said in the June 1985 issue of the Tezuka Fan Magazine (vol. 57), “From Osamu Tezuka to his Fans – The Future”, “I came up with “Say Hello to Bookila!” by combining the concepts of TV Stations, Gremlins, and a ditzy girl protagonist.” As such, he created Toroko Neoki, who is in some ways similar to the airheaded titular character in Barbara (1973-74). However, despite being an airhead, Toroko’s epic-level self assurance that the world revolves around her, creates a vortex around which the other characters swirl.

What is also interesting is that Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) can be seen as a bit of a redemption, of sorts, for Rock Holmes. After playing extremely dark roles in Vampires (1966-69), and Alabaster (1970-71), and then starting to emerge from the shadows slightly in Black Jack (1973-83) and in The Rainbow Parakeet (1981-82) chapter “12 Angry Men” (1981) – that Tezuka casts him in this slapstick role in Say Hello to Bookilla (1985) seems to bring his transformation as a character full circle.

For more on the transformation of Rock Holmes, check out this great analytical essay by Ada Palmer.

Where you can get it

Coming soon!

What else you should check out

Check out the link below for chapter summaries and more detailed publication information on Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) serialization in Weekly Shonen Champion.

Say Hello to Bookila! (Weekly Shonen Champion)

After those sci-fi and adventures series, Tezuka decided to return to a format he had earlier had some success with in Don Dracula (1979) - a slapstick comedy.  Say Hello to Bookila! (1985) began its weekly run on April 26 and ran through to July 26, 19...