Pink (manga)

Pink title page

Pink (ピンク) is a one-shot manga by Akira Toriyama, first published in October 1982 in Fresh Jump. It is also featured in Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 2, first published in March 1988, and it was adapted into a 30 minute anime movie released on July 7, 1990.

Overview

The Rain Jack Story

The original manga is titled Pink - The Rain Jack Story and tells the story of a young girl named Pink who lives in a remote city with her two friends, a little dinosaur called Black and a robot called White. It stopped raining for almost three years in the city where she lives, and the shady Silver Company has somehow managed to make a profit by selling a steady supply of water at outrageous prices. Pink makes a living as a mysterious bandit stealing water from the Silver Company, which she keeps for herself as she loves bathing. Due to her face being concealed behind black goggles, her opponents all assume Pink is a guy.

Silver on the phone

After numerous thefts, the head of the company, Silver, calls the local sheriff Cobalt Blue to apprehend the bandit and bring them to justice. With little information to go by, Blue goes in search of the bandit. He comes across Pink's home, which he finds suspicious as there is a lush palm tree thriving amidst the drought. He asks her a few questions, but comes with nothing despite all the evidence around him. Pink is all too willing to answer his questions as she has become smitten by him.

Pink with her parents' umbrella

Later that night, after having a dream about her and Blue walking together with her late parents' umbrella in the rain, Pink comes up with the solution to the drought and heads out to the Silver Company for one last heist. Meanwhile, Cobalt Blue has finally put together that the bandit and Pink are the same person and goes after her. Pink performs a frontal assault on the company, but is quickly overpowered by a samurai Silver hired to kill her.

Gorosuke Kaminari, the god of rain

Just as they are about to kill her, Cobalt Blue steps in and saves Pink. She quickly tells Blue she is on a mission to rescue the god of rain Gorosuke Kaminari and takes Blue to the basement where Kaminari is. It turns out the drought is the result of the Silver Company holding Kaminari prisoner and forcing him to make water for them to sell. With Kaminari free, he proceeds to make up for lost time and produces rain. Unfortunately, he goes overboard and the manga ends with the land being completely flooded. In the end, Pink finally has Blue all to herself in her parents' umbrella, which they are now using as a boat.

Pink - Water Bandit Rain Bandit

The official theatrical poster

Nearly eight years after the manga was first published, Toei Animation produced a Pink anime film titled Pink - Water Bandit Rain Bandit (ＰＩＮＫ みずドロボウ あめドロボウ), in which some of the established characters are revamped. The film was first shown at the Toei Anime Fair on July 7, 1990, as part of a triple feature with two other Toriyama properties: Kennosuke-sama and Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might. The film was distributed on video as a double feature with Kennosuke-sama in May 1994.

In other works

Pink and Cobalt Blue in N-cha! Love Comes From Penguin Village

Pink bears several similarities to other Toriyama stories, antecedent and posterior, such as 1981 story Pola & Roid and the 2000 series Sand Land. The characters in Pink are named after colors, like the members of the Red Ribbon Army, such as General Blue and Sergeant Major Purple. The character Pink can also be compared to the early depiction of the Dragon Ball character Yamcha, as both characters are thieves who live in the desert and have companionship with unusual talking creatures. Daizenshuu 7 notes that Yamcha's Jet Squirrel was based on Pink's vehicle.

An older version of Gorosuke is a recurring character in Dr. Slump. Also, Pink and Cobalt Blue makes a cameo in the movie Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Love Comes From Penguin Village.

Gallery

Pink Black White Silver Cobalt Blue Cobalt Blue Silver's men are defeated The samurai hired by Silver to kill Pink Poster for the festival in which Pink was first shown Film poster White and Pink in the Pink movie Pink and Cobalt Blue on Pink's flying vehicle

External links

• Pink at animenewsnetwork.com
• Pink - Water Bandit Rain Bandit information at eiren.org
• Pink - Water Bandit Rain Bandit information at crusherfactory.net