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Mori no Senshi Bonolon (森の戦士ボノロン) is an illustrated story for children, published since June 15, 2005 in the free magazine Polamel. Tetsuo Hara conceived the project and designed the characters, before overseeing its production. The texts are written by Seibō Kitahara, the pen name of Nobuhiko Horie, who was the editor of Hokuto no Ken. Distributed free of charge in Seven-Eleven stores and other Japanese retail chains with the sponsorship of Seven Bank, the title has surpassed its one hundred and twentieth issue and received an animated adaptation in 2007.
Bonolon is a nine-year-old orange giant. He lives in Tasmun, the forest of great trees, whose roots reach the world of humans. When a tear falls at the foot of a tree, it travels to Tasmun through these roots, and Bonolon appears before the one who weeps. He then grants a wish, only one, without resorting to magic and without acting in place of the one who made it…
Hara recounted in 2021 that the idea had come from his own experience as a father. He had observed the effect of picture books and characters on young children. At the time of Hokuto no Ken and Hana no Keiji, his heroes were aimed at teenagers and gave them role models. He wanted to work for younger readers. He discussed it with Kitahara, and the opportunity arose to bring the project to fruition.
The decision to make it free was made from the very beginning. Hara wanted the stories to reach children regardless of their family situation, and that no child who wished to read would be prevented from doing so. The choice was made to distribute them freely in convenience stores, which are easy to access. Seven Bank joined the project based on this shared intention.
Hara also discussed the character's design. He claims the influence of American painter Frank Frazetta, from whom he takes the bold contrasts, and he wanted a predominantly Western-style universe where Japanese references remain subtle. He combined this foundation with the silhouette of a sumo wrestler. The shape of Bonolon's head is modeled after the ōichō, the ginkgo-leaf topknot worn by wrestlers in the upper divisions. What he wears around his waist is a mawashi, rendered in a Westernized style. The fur around the neck comes from the sound of the name, which Hara found to be roly-poly sounding.
Coamix presents the title as an invitation for parents and children to spend time together through a read-aloud experience. The text in the stories is more substantial than that of a typical picture book, with the publisher estimating the reading time at fifteen to twenty minutes.
The stories are published in Polamel, a free magazine created in June 2005 and presented as a communication medium between parents and children. It is distributed in limited quantities at Seven-Eleven, Denny's, Akachan Honpo and York Benimaru locations, as well as at Seven Bank headquarters. The official website also offers online reading of the latest issue and the three preceding ones, accompanied by a recording performed by a voice actor.
The publication frequency changed once. The magazine was published bimonthly from the first issue in June 2005 through the one hundred and twenty-fifth issue in February 2026. The editorial team announced on April 15, 2026 the switch to a quarterly schedule, effective with the issue distributed that day. Publications have since been set for January 15, April 15, July 15 and October 15. The one hundredth story had been published in December 2021.
An issue predating the launch exists, titled Namida no kiseki no maki. The official website classifies it as issue zero and does not assign it a date. The collected edition counts it as its first volume, which offsets the two numbering systems by one.
Seven Bank has sponsored the title since 2005. The bank has issued since July 2011 a card bearing the character's likeness, with the number of cards issued determining a payment allocated to publishing and book donations to children's recreation centers. It has a large-format picture book produced each year for group reading sessions, for a range it announces at more than fifteen titles. A notice from 2007, repeated in 2021, reported a print run of approximately one million copies per issue, under the bimonthly schedule.
Gō Nagayama drew the stories from the launch in June 2005 through the August 2022 issue. He thus accompanied the first seventeen years of the series.
Hikarin succeeded him starting with the October 2022 issue. The change was accompanied by a redesign of the characters, announced at the same time as a revamp of the magazine and website. Hikarin held the position through the October 2025 issue.
Hōseki has been drawing the series since the December 2025 issue. The publisher presents him as originally from Taubaté, in Brazil. He began his career in 2011 by creating educational material for children, then settled in Kumamoto after winning a prize at the international Silent Manga Audition competition, an initiative by Coamix.
An animated series was produced in 2007 under the title Bonolon : Fushigi na Mori no Iitsutae (ボノロン 〜不思議な森のいいつたえ〜), distinct from that of the story. It comprises twenty-six short-format episodes, each approximately five minutes long. Broadcasting began on November 5, 2007 on Kids Station, Mondays at 8:25 AM, and concluded in May 2008. Hara and Kitahara are credited for the concept and original work. Yūsei Katō served as general director, Hidehito Ueda as director, Shinya Umemura as scriptwriter, and Yutaka Kawasuji as character designer, based on the designs of Gō Nagayama. Production was handled by Foursome. Kazue Itō voiced the character. The copyright notice associates North Stars Pictures, then a content management subsidiary founded by Horie in 2004, and the production committee assembled for the series.
Both theme songs are performed by Yuka Uchiyae, accompanied by the Young Fresh choir, with lyrics by Kitahara. The opening was composed by mayu, the ending by Yoshirō Iwakiri, with arrangements by Michiaki Katō. Nippon Columbia released both tracks as a maxi single on November 21, 2007, under catalog number COCC-16039.
The title was also adapted for the stage. The 096k troupe from Kumamoto, founded by Horie in 2020, staged Nekodake densetsu no maki in the summer of 2025, with free performances reserved for families, followed by a revival the following winter. A second play, Toosenbo no ki no maki, was announced in May 2026.
The story has been published since June 15, 2005 in Polamel, a free magazine published by Coamix. Issues have been scheduled for April 15, July, October and January since the switch to a quarterly schedule in April 2026. Selected stories are each collected in a hardcover volume under the Polamel Books label. The official website lists twenty-two of them, priced between 1,320 and 1,540 yen. These represent a selection, not a complete reprinting of all published issues. Two digital collections extend this publishing effort. The first, titled Polamel fukkokuban, republishes each issue of the magazine in identical form, spanning twenty-eight pages, at a price of 275 yen. It includes one hundred eighteen titles. The second gathers these same reissues into twenty-one collected volumes, priced from 440 to 1,320 yen. Both collections are available only in digital format.
An anniversary book, Zutto issho. Bonolon zukan, was released on July 19, 2025 at a price of 2,750 yen. It brings together a character guide, an overview of the stories published over twenty years, a joint interview between Kitahara and Hara about the birth of the series, and a feature on the landscapes of Aso.
The animated series was released on four discs by Nippon Columbia in 2008, under references COBC-4786 to COBC-4789. The two songs were released as a maxi single by Nippon Columbia on November 21, 2007, reference COCC-16039, reissued in digital format on October 7, 2025.
In France, nobi nobi editions published three collected volumes of five stories each, translated by Fédoua Lamodière. The first volume titled Le Gardien de la forêt was released in 2013, L'île de la tortue on January 23, 2014 and Ulyssia la fée bleue on December 4, 2014. The series was not continued beyond that point and has not been reissued.
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