People ♥ Pankun & James

Pankun is a young chimpanzee in Japan often featured on the NTV television show "Tensai! Shimura Dōbutsuen" ("天才！志村動物園", lit. "Genius! Shimura Zoo") and the TBS program "Dōbutsu Kisō Tengai!" ("どうぶつ奇想天外!", lit. "Unbelievable Animals!"). Most of the segments feature him and his bulldog friend, James, embarking on a variety of "human" tasks, like buying groceries, planting a rice paddy, or catching insects.

Pankun is now owned by Cuddly Dominion, a zoo located beside the volcano Aso San, in the Kumamoto Prefecture of Kyūshū. After moving in, Pankun has turned into the main event of the zoo, featuring daily stage shows of various themes in Japanese.

The show has also been translated into international versions; for Nick in India as "The Munnabhai Show", for JET TV in Taiwan (狗狗猩猩大冒險) , for Modern Nine in Thailand (ขำกลิ้งลิงกับหมา) and TVB in Hong Kong (阿笨與阿占) as "The Adventures of Pan and James: Chimpanzee and Bulldog on Errands," winning Best Foreign Purchased Program at the 2006 TVB Anniversary Awards.

The Adventures of Pankun and James

One of the major contrasts in Pankun and James is between the maneuverability and human-like movements of Pankun and the comparatively clunky movements of James. Such contrasts make for some of the duo's most humorous segments. In one segment, Pankun and James exercise with a group of schoolchildren in a gym. Initially, Pankun performs sit-ups as James sprawls out atop his legs. However, when the two switch positions, with James lying on his back and Pankun acting as spotter, the bulldog does not move. Pankun, in an attempt to motivate his friend, slaps at James's thighs, to no avail.

Will trying to think, I might lost to him if there is a man vs wild, totally appreciate the screen of his wholehearted, brotherly, simpatico as a deep value inside, even merely person in this world can be exploding as the same as he did.

Touching.