Keluang Man
| Keluang Man | |
|---|---|
| Genre |
Superhero Animation Comedy |
| Created by | Kamn Ismail & Team |
| Developed by |
|
| Voices of |
|
| Country of origin | Malaysia |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 142 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Kamn Ismail Natashah Hj. Mohd Nor Hazlinda Mohd Salleh |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | UAS Animation Studios (M) Sdn. Bhd. |
| Distributor | UAS Animation Studios (M) Sdn. Bhd. |
| Release | |
| Original network | TV1 |
| Original release | 1998 – 2005 |
Keluang Man is a Malaysian comedy superhero who is based on the fruit bat (Malay: keluang). His costume and appearance is based on the ever popular Batman.[1] The Keluang Man cartoon series was very popular since his first appearance back in 1998 through Malaysian local TV channel, TV1 (Radio Televisyen Malaysia), however production stopped somewhere in the middle of 2002 for an unknown reason; possibly the economic crisis from the middle of 1997 to 1999.
The Keluang Man series includes a few aspects of moral values in each episode, making it very suitable to be watched by the whole family, although some of the actions shown in the series are a bit violent. In addition, the typical Malay language used in the series makes it fun to watch, plus the accent of Malay speaking Sikh police may drive audiences crazy.
Unfortunately, the series became less interesting from season two onwards. The producer of Keluang Man had thrown away most of the action parts of the series and made it full of advice and good moral values, which may explain the fall of Keluang Man.
The Story
Set in Tampoi, Johor (near Johor Bahru), Keluang Man made his first appearance in an alley where a man is trying to rob a girl. Since then, Keluang Man has been media's most wanted. Keluang Man's real name is 'Borhan' and he is actually one of the mental patients in Tampoi Mental Hospital. The hospital security makes it hard for Keluang Man to act during daylight, so he decided only to fight for justice at night.
However, the existence of Keluang Man as a justice fighter did not make Inspector Shahab, the local police chief sit very well in his position. He sees Keluang Man as an annoying hero who always disturbs the police's business.
In the second episode of the first season, Tiong Man makes his first appearance in Keluang Man as a counterpart, holding a similar role as Robin in the Batman series. Both superheroes work together to fight supervillains such as Badut (The Clown), Mata Batu Johan Hitam, Samsir, Majid Kilat, Meow The Cat Girl and many more with the hope that the town of Tumpoi will turn back into a peaceful place for everyone.
The Keluang Man series and all the characters in the series were created by Kamn Ismail and his team of amazing animators in early 1997 ( Probably and officially announced on 1 June 1997 ). The pioneer team members were, Kamn Ismail (Director), Wan Ayumi Wan Yusof (Asst. Production Director), Amir Hamzah Hashim (Chief Compositting Dept.) Mohd Azizi Amsam (Chief Animator), Raja Zaharuddin Shah (Chief Storyboards), Azhar Saad, Karim Wahab (Storyboard Artist), Razali Talib, Azman Ahad, Jamaluddin Shaadon (Compositt Artist) Arifin Sharif, Bibi, Norzana, Zawawi Zaid, Khairil Azwa, Asmawi, Hafidh Hassan, Shaharuddin Salleh (Animators) Anes Wardati, Asro (BG Artist) and Siti Zahrah Mat Zin (PA Cum Production Secretary). A few months later, the team was augmented by a group of new junior animators.