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I have found two videos from the Isao Takahata memorial service at Ghibli Museum. The first includes the complete remarks from Hayao Miyazaki. The second video is a news report from Japanese television, featuring clips of other individuals. Unfortunately, there are no English translations available at this time. If anyone would kindly provide a translation of Miyazaki-san's remarks, we would all be very grateful.
Update 5/16: The first video has been pulled from YouTube. Hayao Miyazaki's complete remarks in Japanese are available below. We still need help with an English translation. Much thanks to Infoglitz and Becqerine from Reddit for their assistance.
YouTube essayist and documentary filmmaker Steven McCarthy returns once again with another look at Studio Ghibli, this time examining the career of Goro Miyazaki, the son of founding director Hayao Miyazaki who was responsible for Tales From Earthsea, From Up on Poppy Hill and Ronja the Robber's Daughter. This video goes into detail on these films, including production, overarching themes and public reception.
Goro Miyazaki doesn't get enough love from the fans. Part of that is due to the family name and the curse of having a famous father (ask Julian Lennon), and part of that is simply experience, as we have so few works to examine and study. If he continues to create animated films and television series and develop his own unique voice as an artist, those qualities will begin to dominate the conversation.
McCarthy does an excellent job moving that discussion forward, highlighting his strengths and weaknesses, his difficult relationship with his father, and the qualities that make Goro his own man. He may yet define the next generation of Studio Ghibli, bringing it into the modern era of 3D computer graphics animation while retaining the qualities of the hand-drawn tradition.
Once again, great video and great work. McCarthy promises this will be his final Ghibli documentary for a while, as he pursues other topics. I look forward to seeing his future projects. Somebody give him some grant money so he can create a feature length movie.
In the United States, Isao Takahata is best remembered for his Studio Ghibli movies, including Grave of the Fireflies and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. In Europe and Latin America, however, he is remembered for Heidi, the landmark 1974 animated series that became a household name to children all around the world. The series has been shown in over thirty countries and translated into twenty different languages.
Here is the Spanish-language version of Heidi, all 52 episodes complete and uncut. Since half of our household is Colombian, these videos will be most welcome.
I really like the rich color saturation in these video transfers. It looks like it was translated directly from 35mm film, which is how the series was originally shot. Yes, there is a lot of color bleed and fuzzy NTSC resolution, but this only adds to the warmth and nostalgia. The Spanish-language dub is also quite excellent, much better than I expected. I might have to stop watching episodes of my fan-translated copy (using video sourced from the Japanese Blu-Ray) and start watching this instead.
One Week Only Podcast has just published this excellent video tribute to the directorial films of Isao Takahata. This automatically receives two big thumbs up from me for showing clips from Paku-san's many pre-Ghibli films. The only major directorial work that's missing is the 1971 Lupin the 3rd series, but that's really more Miyazaki's thing, right?
There have been many wonderful tributes to Paku-san this past week. It has been a very long and difficult seven days since his passing. But it is nice to know there are others who mourn with you. When I began this weblog, I swear I was the only one who knew about any of these movies. The only Takahata movie that anyone had ever heard of was Grave of the Fireflies, and even then, the exposure was limited to a handful of small anime fan sites and Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" column.
Enjoy this terrific video. Have you seen all of these great movies? The first person who says "yes" will receive a free pizza! Okay, not really. You'll have to buy your own pizza. But you will have genuine bragging rights.
YouTube channel Redcoat has published a great discussion on Isao Takahata's 1999 comedy classic My Neighbors the Yamadas. This program was made as a tribute to Paku-san's passing on April 5. The occasion is very sad, but the tone of this episode is cheerful and celebratory, highlighting many of the memorable themes and scenes from this great movie.
Yamada-kun remains one of the less popular and less known Studio Ghibli films, as most fans will prefer an action-packed fantasy adventure like Spirited Away than a low-key comedy that is adapted from a Japanese newspaper comic. But if you are willing to give it a chance, you will discover a movie that is upbeat, very relatable and very, very funny. Yasujiro Ozu would be proud, and probably a little jealous.
It's Paku-san. What more do ya want? Why else are you here? Go watch this video, then go watch the movie.
After the commercial beatdown inflicted upon Horus, Prince of the Sun in 1968, the Toei Doga bosses punished Isao Takahata by yanking him away from feature films, demoted him in rank, and sent him to work on the studio's television cartoons. Where did he end up first? He ended up here.
Himitsu no Akko-Chan ("The Secrets of Akko-Chan") was a "magical girl" anime based on a popular girls manga comic. The series was successful enough, running 94 episodes during its 1969-70 run. The series was later revived on television in 1988 and 1998, and also appeared in three theatrical film adaptations. The series currently exists as an ongoing web comic in Japan.
According to various Wikipedia pages, Takahata worked as assistant director for the original series. It is still unknown just how much creative freedom he was given at the time, but I would have to assume that he was kept on a very short leash, and probably focused on rebuilding his reputation with the studio bosses after fighting the epic war over Horus.
By 1971, Paku-san had had enough. He took Hayao Miyazaki and Yoichi Kotabe and escaped to join fellow alum (and "older brother") Yasuo Otsuka at the A Productions studio, where they began their pre-production work for the doomed Pipi Longstockings project. Takahata and Miyazaki would jointly direct episodes of the "Green Jacket" Lupin the 3rd series, and Takahata would work as director on other A Pro series while working on Pipi, Panda Kopanda, and eventually preparing for his epic triumph with Heidi, Girl of the Alps.
This is a very interesting period in Paku-san's career, and it remains a bit of a mystery to me. It would help tremendously if we had more of these anime series available to watch. But at least we have these bits and scraps to inspire us and keep us moving forward.
As for this video, it shows the opening to Himitsu no Akko-Chan. A DVD set was released in Japan, which is probably where this clip originated.
In this interview for the 2002 Central Park Media DVD, beloved Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert paid tribute to Isao Takahata's seminal 1988 masterwork, Grave of the Fireflies. Ebert was not only an early champion of the films of Studio Ghibli, but a champion of anime at a time when the mainstream movie community refused to touch the medium with a ten-foot pole. Thank God that he stuck his neck out and promoted these great movies.
Ghibli Blog would never have existed if not for Ebert's Greatest Movies columns, and especially his essay on Grave of the Fireflies. I watched the movie on VHS in 2001, and it took me two days to make it entirely to the end. I was too emotionally overwhelmed to make it more than halfway.
After a few days had passed, I was genuinely curious. How could animation create such a beast? What mad genius imagined such a thing as "realistic animation"? This wasn't a cartoon, not like Disney or Bugs Bunny or even known anime classics like Akira or Ghost in the Shell. This was more like an Ozu film, or Schindler's List.
What really blew my mind in those days was the sheer obscurity of it all. Nobody knew that Grave of the Fireflies even existed. Ebert was the only film critic who had even mentioned the movie, much less praised it. And nobody knew anything about the director behind it, or anything about his career. What else did this guy make? Did he make other movies like this one? Where can I find those movies? What were they like? Were they any good? All answers were either met with shrugs or silence. Nobody seemed to know the answers, and nobody seemed interested in discovering those answers.
Two years later, I had my own arts website, and Fireflies was the first posted movie review. I worked and worked endlessly to write that essay. I soon followed up with more reviews of Studio Ghibli movies as I could discover them. The import titles were virtually impossible to find, and relying on "fansub" translations online meant extremely slow downloads on Kazaa or Napster. We're talking 56K phone lines. It took me weeks to download copies of Omohide Poro Poro, Pom Poko, Porco Rosso, Mimi wo Sumaseba and Umi ga Kikoeru. Eventually, I was able to buy DVDs that were released in Japan (expensive) and Hong Kong (cheaper but lower picture quality). Thankfully, most of these movies included subtitles so that I could follow along.
It is only now, in 2018, when we finally have all Studio Ghibli feature films available on home video in the USA. Isn't that crazy? Thankfully, it is now extremely easy to discover all these amazing movies. You'll probably have to purchase Isao Takahata Blu-Rays online, as most retailers have pretty poor selections. But at least they're available.
Thank God for Roger Ebert for awakening us to these amazing worlds. And Thank God for Paku-san for creating those worlds.
Anne of Green Gables is the 1979 season of the World Masterpiece Theater television series, which was created by Nippon Animation. It is the third and final series created by Isao Takahata (director) and Hayao Miyazaki (layout and design). Yoshifumi Kondo replaces longtime friend Yoichi Kotabe (character designer and animation director). After episode 13, Miyazaki would also withdraw to direct Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Cagliostro.
This is a fantastic series, my favorite of all Anne of Green Gables adaptations. Paku-san really dives into the depths of these characters and knows just where to adapt, where to cut and where to expand. He understands the psychology of these characters, not just Anne, but everyone, especially Marilla. His objective storytelling approach is very even-handed and balanced, and it's a quality that is somewhat unique to this Anne. Most other versions identify too strongly with the main character, and they suffer a little as a result.
I could write a million words about this series. It's absolutely magnificent, even if a touch below the standard set by Heidi and Marco. It's funny and touching and emotionally varied. There are some really beautiful moments just in the first episode. And I wouldn't dare spoil the devastating heartbreaks that occur in the final dozen episodes.
Here is the entire series, all 50 episodes, with English subtitles. Enjoy it before it disappears!
Jarinko Chie is Isao Takahata's 1981 slice-of-life comedy about the misadventures of a young girl and her family in Osaka, Japan. Her parents are separated, and her father is a bumbling gangster wannabe who frequently gets into fights and gets into trouble. She meets a cat who walks upright and talks and also enjoys getting into fights. Various episodes of hilarious hijinks ensue, with occasional forays into the emotional melodrama that Paku-san mastered so easily.
This movie is adapted from a Japanese manga comic, and was successful enough in theaters to spawn its own TV series, which ran for two seasons. Takahata served as the "general director" for that series, which means that he oversaw the production, but did not direct any specific episodes himself. The tone is generally light and funny and maybe a touch satirical, at least if you understand the region.
The voice actors all hailed from a famous comedy troupe, whose name I can never remember and forgot to write down many years ago. They're basically Japan's answer to SCTV or Saturday Night Live. If you lived in Japan in those days, you'd recognize the voices and have a good laugh.
The episodic structure of Jarinko Chie is similar to My Neighbors the Yamadas, except that there is a narrative thrust throughout the picture, as Chie tries to bring her dysfunctional family back together.
Basically, this movie is Paku-san's version of The Simpsons. I love this movie. It's magnificent and touching. It doesn't quite reach the heights of Gauche the Cellist, but it's a work of brilliance. There are a number of "Ghibli Riffs" for fans to discover. Let's see if you can catch them all!
Longtime friends Yasuo Otsuka and Yoichi Kotabe both served as animation directors, offering some really inspired character designs that are cartoonish, yet grounded in realism and daily life.
I much prefer the Japanese title "Jarinko Chie" over its English translation "Chie the Brat," because I don't think that title really fits. I just have issues with "A the B" grammar. Whatever, doesn't matter. The important thing is that you watch and enjoy this movie.
This movie includes English subtitles and is broken into eight short videos. Hopefully, I have successfully posted the entire playlist in this post. Enjoy!
Gauche the Cellist is Isao Takahata's 1982 movie about a young musician who is visited by a series of talking animals over a series of nights. During his encounters, the stubborn young man slowly learns to quiet his mind and discover the beauty of the world around him, and the music that is found throughout all life. It is a miraculous movie that will uplift your spirit and enrich your heart. It is one of the greatest animated feature films ever made.
And it has Beethoven. What more could you want?
Here is the entire movie, presented in its native Japanese language with English subtitles. Please watch and enjoy before the copyright police come barging through the door.
Hey, GKIDS, are you reading this? Release this movie in North America!
Whenever I am asked what is Isao Takahata's greatest works, I always say, simply, "Heidi Marco Anne." Those three television series are his crowning masterpieces, and the epic novels to Studio Ghibli's short stories. This series became a blockbuster smash success in Japan, and was soon exported to nearly every nation on the globe. Everywhere except the USA, that is. D'oh!
This week, in many parts of the world, Isao Takahata will be remembered as the director of Heidi, that beloved animated series that became the soundtrack to so many childhoods. Meanwhile, many of us who have never seen this program can discover it and be amazed, dazzled and overwhelmed.
This is a fantastic series. Of the "Heidi Marco Anne" trilogy, my personal favorite is Marco, but there's no denying the brilliance and boundless charms of Heidi. This masterwork, more than any other, is the defining paradigm of the Studio Ghibli movies. This is where Miyazaki found his best inspirations. And I think there's at least one "Ghibli Riff" in all 52 episodes.
This series is really a team effort between Takahata (director), Miyazaki (layout and design) and Yoichi Kotabe (animation director, character design), and they should all share credit. But it's Paku-san's genius and vision that made this work a reality. It was he who wanted to create a cartoon melodrama that celebrated daily life in almost documentary detail. It was he who wanted to push the emotional boundaries of the medium. It was he who wanted to shatter the "kiddie cartoon" archetype and create true literature. Heidi may not be as dark or moody as Horus, Prince of the Sun, Takahata's revolutionary 1968 feature film, but it's just as important a milestone in the evolution of anime.
This is a fantastic series. I wish GKIDS would just pay the ransom money and release the series in the US. These fan translations are terrific, but I'm really hungry for a proper Blu-Ray box set.
Here is the entire Heidi series, all 52 episodes, with English subtitles. Enjoy!
3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (aka Marco) is the 1976 television series created by the trio of Isao Takahata (director and writer), Hayao Miyazaki (layout and design) and Yoichi Kotabe (character design, animation director). This was their follow-up to the wildly successful Heidi, Girl of the Alps, which was instrumental in the anime boom of the 1970s and spread around the world. The series was followed by Anne of Green Gables in 1979, with Yoshifumi Kondo replacing Kotabe.
Of the three World Masterpiece Theater series, 3000 Leagues/Marco is my favorite. It has the richest, most epic story, the most varied and interesting characters, and the most emotionally challenging moments. It pushes serious melodrama to its limits, and it does lose some of the cheerful, bouncy energy of Heidi, but it's far more satisfying for me.
Is this Paku-san's greatest masterpiece? Maybe. It remains lesser known than either Heidi or Anne, perhaps owing to its source material, a little-known short story that was greatly expanded and adapted into a 52-episode series.
Here's the first episode of Marco. There are no subtitles, so you'll just have to follow along as best you can, but you should be able to understand the thrust of it. The story is about a boy named Marco, whose mother must leave their home in Italy for Argentina in search of work that will sustain their family. Marco does not want his mother to go, and his inner conflict will engulf his older brother and father in later episodes. Eventually, Marco travels across the ocean to search for his mother and bring her back home.
In addition to this pilot episode, the next ten episodes are on YouTube as well, from the same channel. Be sure to watch these before they get taken down by the copyright police. Whatever. Paku-san's art belongs to the world now. He belongs to us and we're never letting go.
The internet was created with the intention of collecting the world's total knowledge into one vast, infinite library, where thinkers and scholars and artists could create freely and contemplate the universe. Instead, we just wasted out time by watching a bunch of silly parody videos.
Here are a couple wildly funny video spoofs of the "steamed hams" bit from The Simpsons. I'm sure you've seen this episode a hundred times, it's a comedy classic with Principle Skinner and "Super Nintendo" Chalmers. The first video fuses voice clips to the climactic battle in Nintendo's Super Mario World, and it works surprisingly well. The second video is a mashup of audiovisual clips that parodies Gorillaz, which is something of a semi-parody musical act. I really enjoy this one, as it reminds me of the wave of "YouTube Poop" videos that exploded across computer screens in 2008. Are we now seeing the next generation of those spoofs?
I have no idea why the kids have glued onto "Steamed Hams" as much as they have, but I'm glad they did. What do I know? I'm a rapidly aging Generation X'er who's still running a weblog like it's still 2005. Does anyone even know what a "blog" is anymore? I'm the last of the dinosaurs.
YouTube user Kenji the Engi presents this excellent video essay on Isao Takahata's 1982 masterpiece Gauche the Cellist, describing this movie's adaptation from a poem by famed Japanese author Kenji Miyazawa. He comments on many of the scenes, story elements and animation techniques, providing the perfect introduction to this great movie.
I often pester GKIDS to pick up Gauche the Cellist for release in the US. Studio Ghibli and animation fans everywhere would love this movie, if they were only given the chance. For now, you can import the movie from Japan on DVD and Blu-Ray (released on the Ghibli ga Ippai label with English subtitles). It is also available on the Isao Takahata Blu-Ray box set, which for the moment is still exclusive to Japan.
This movie comes highly, highly recommended. See it by any means necessary.
Masaaki Yuasa is one of the most talented and exciting animation movie directors anywhere in the world. His style effortlessly blends Japanese pop culture, manga and anime with the surreal Western cartoon style of Tex Avery or John Kricfalusi, then hurled into a blender with Andy Warhol pop art and Frederico Fellini surrealism. As far as I'm concerned, he's the best "unknown" filmmaker in the world.
His 2004 feature film Mind Game has endured as a cult classic, but its unique quirkiness has kept it out of the mainstream, and it remains somewhat obscure even among the anime diehards. Now GKIDS has finally brought this great movie to our shores, with a limited US theatrical run to be followed by a Blu-Ray/DVD release. Most likely, the movie has already come and gone from your city, so we'll have to wait for its arrival on home video. Start saving your pennies today.
Kudos to GKIDS, as always, for their dedication to global animated movies that continue to push the boundaries of the medium and preserve the classic tradition of hand-drawn art.
Here is the US trailer, which is more or less identical to the 2004 Japanese version. Enjoy:
A decade ago (can hardly believe it's been that long), I posted a series of YouTube video episodes from the DVD documentary How Princess Mononoke Was Born. This television program originally aired on Japanese network NHK, which has had a very long and fruitful relationship with Hayao Miyazaki, going back to his 1978 series Future Boy Conan, which aired on the network.
Here are some cool screenshots from the VHS edition, containing the series on three tapes and encased in a stylish box. These sort of deluxe packages were common in the latter days of VHS, and have always remained prized collectors' items. Even if you can no longer play videotapes, it's nice to have these sitting on your shelf, filling out your prized Ghibli fan collection.
Unfortunately, this documentary has never been released outside of Japan. It's very unfortunate, because this terrific program deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Thankfully for fans, an English translation of the Japanese language arrived from the fan underground, and video episodes soon appeared on YouTube for all to enjoy. These were the videos that I shared on Ghibli Blog in 2008 (parts one, two, and three).
Just recently, a Ghibli Blog follower sent me an email about this series. He informed me that the woman who was responsible for the English subtitles was stricken by illness, and she was unable to complete her translation project. This is why the YouTube videos were never fully completed.
More tragedy: recently, Studio Ghibl had all of these Mononoke documentary videos removed from YouTube on copyright grounds. I have never understood the reasoning behind this strategy. It's perfectly understandable to protect your rights when your movies are easily available on store shelves and online retailers. It's quite another thing when said programs are unavailable anywhere. We would love to buy this series on DVD or Blu-Ray. We would gladly pay money for a separate release, or a reissue of Princess Mononoke with the documentary as a bonus feature. Simply taking your ball and going home accomplishes nothing.
Let us hope that Studio Ghibli will indeed release this great program on our shores. It goes into the production of their landmark blockbuster movie in exquisite detail, from conception to completion. You follow Miyazaki on the long and difficult journey to create what was, then, his most ambitious film project. Had the movie failed at the box office, he would have been ruined. Instead, it became Japan's all-time box office champion, bring fame, fortune and international acclaim to the director and his studio.
The next time you purchase the latest Blu-Ray from GKIDS, send them a nice letter asking them to release this title as well. Send them a photo of a twenty-dollar bill and scribble the words, "This can all be yours."
Until then, why not add this VHS box set to your collection? I found it on Ebay fairly easily. All true Ghibl Freaks should have at least one or two videotapes to show off.
Now this is just too cool for words. Ghibli Freaks of all ages have been screaming, pleading, begging for years to have videogames based on their beloved movies. Now a small team of indie developers have delivered the goods.* And it's awesome.
Mimi's Delivery Rush is a loving tribute to Hayao Miyazaki's classic 1989 movie Kiki's Delivery Service, with names changed to protect the penniless. In this game, you play "Mimi" (wink, wink) as she flies around town on delivery runs. I am partially reminded of all the great Castlevania games over the years, but I'm also reminded of Sega's Crazy Taxi, one of the all-time great quarter munchers.
The graphics are presented in a classic 16-bit side-scrolling platforming style, and everything looks terrific. There's a lot of color and detail, and the software team wisely avoided the popular trend of making "retro" graphics that are massively over-pixelated. This is much closer to how videogames looked a quarter century ago, and it looks as charming and inviting today.
This videogame was created for Movie Game Jam 2018. If you click the Mimi link above you will visit the team's website where you can cast your vote for this little gem. A number of prizes will go to the winners, but these sort of things are created purely for love. It's a thrill to be celebrated as part of a community of artists and fans.
Mimi's Delivery Dash is available on Windows (PC). The developers are Nathan Scott (programming, sound and music), Sako (pixel art and additional programming) and Martin Wright (key art and additional pixels). Kudos for all their great work. I would definitely love to see this project expanded into a full-length game, and would gladly pay for the privilege. And while we're at it...can we please have a Sega Dreamcast version? Pretty please with cherry on top?
(*Ugh, did I really sneak a lame-o pun into this article? Oy froynlavin. I blame the GamePro Writers' Guidelines, which instructed me to always employ "heavy alliteration and witty word play.")
YouTube essayist Steve McCarthy continues his series on Studio Ghibli with this excellent video retrospective on Isao Takahata. I am always thrilled when anyone in the West acknowledges the great Paku-san, who remains a cult figure in relation to Hayao Miyazaki. I am especially thrilled to find a film scholar who not only understands the director's career, but also criticizes it as well. For true fans who enjoy grappling with film art, this is great viewing.
McCarthy follows Paku-san's career from Toei to the present day, highlighting Horus, Prince of the Sun (of course), his World Masterpiece Theater trilogy of Heidi-Marco-Anne, his collaboration with Miyazaki on Future Boy Conan, his pre-Ghibli movies Jarinko Chie and Gauche the Cellist, and continuing through the Studio Ghibli era, discussing each film at length and sharing his likes and dislikes in equal measure.
I would offer one critique on this video essay. Heidi, Girl of the Alps is described as a series that was "greeted with indifference", but the series was instead a blockbuster hit in Japan, drawing enormous television ratings and becoming a pop culture phenomenon. In addition, the series was successfully exported around the world, blazing the trail for the anime revolution of the 1970s. Whenever I visit Bogota, Colombia, I can always find a classic World Masterpiece Theater series on the local TV stations. In fact, Future Boy Conan was playing last month. In many ways, Heidi has always remained the touchstone in Takahata's and Miyazaki's careers.
Also, McCarthy echoes the common belief that The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is Takahata's final movie. This is not exactly true, as the director continues to work and prepare on potential projects, but has openly admitted the difficulty in finding financial backers for any future movies. Coupled with his age, and the odds are against him. But he is not officially out, not yet, nor has he announced any retirement. True artists never really "retire," as we have seen once again with Miyazaki.
Overall, great video. I was honestly surprised to see my name and writing in a clip, part of my "Objective Style" series that I wrote at a Minneapolis Dunn Bros coffee shop back in 2007 (after another one of my many computer accidents). The Grampa Simpson cameo is also a real hoot.
There are many YouTube videos that examine the life and career of Hayao Miyazaki. This one is easily the best I've seen. It examines his entire career from Toei Doga to Studio Ghibli, citing the director's major touchstones like Horus, Prince of the Sun and Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Lupin the 3rd, and showing how his filmmaking style evolved into the Ghibli era and the present day.
Steve McCarthy doesn't wallow in hero worship or drown in "member berries"; instead, he offers an honest critique of Miyazaki's work, praising his strengths but also highlighting his weaknesses. I find myself largely in agreement with his assessments. It's good to have an honest discussion on popular culture instead of merely pandering to fanboys.
This is an excellent video that all Ghibli Freaks will enjoy watching. You may even be inspired to track down Miyazaki's pre-Ghibli works such as Horus, Heidi or Future Boy Conan. You'll be glad you did. Great jorb!
Hayao Miyazaki fans have been screaming for videogame adaptations of his classic animated movies for years. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered...in Japan, at least. This is Future Boy Conan on the PC Engine CD-ROM, which was released in the West as the Turbografx-16 and TurboDuo. It is based, obviously, on the 1978 Miyazaki television series, which is just about the greatest cartoon series ever made.
Unfortunately, neither the anime series nor the videogame ever made it to our shores, but thanks to the magic of import shops (and internet downloads, cough, ahem), we can enjoy Conan in all his greatness.
I will freely admit that, strictly on the standards of videogame criticism, Future Boy Conan is a somewhat standard, almost rudimentary side-scrolling action-platformer. Its layouts and level designs are nowhere near the genre's greats, and if you're expecting the next Super Mario or Sonic, you'll be greatly disappointed. The game largely exists for players who wish to relive the TV series, by walking from Cut Scene A to Cut Scene B. For these reasons, this game will probably only appeal to fans of the series.
That said, fans will have a terrific time. The many cut-scenes use the in-game graphics engine to depict its scenes, instead of merely playing compressed MPEG video clips. This means that graphics are extremely clean, sharp and colorfully detailed. The animation is a touch limited but very impressive, and the programmers did an exemplary job in recreating many of our favorite Future Boy Conan scenes, including the title sequence ('70s anime always had the best opening credits).
Hudson Soft made a strong push to promote the PC Engine/Turbografx library on Nintendo's Virtual Console, including a number of CD titles. I do wish that Konami (who now owns the Hudson name and library) would continue the good work and bring us more games, especially the many CD titles that never left Japan. Like the Sega Saturn, the PCE is an endless treasure trove for classic gamers at a time when videogames and anime were practically joined at the hip. Today's most game designers are trying to mimic Hollywood blockbuster movies. They should mimic Miyazaki anime instead.
Just tell me you wouldn't go completely gaga over a videogame version of your favorite Studio Ghibli movie just like this one. Indie developers, assemble!
I previously wrote a post about this game way back in 2010, but only shared a few screenshots. Now we can watch an extended gameplay video that really shows you the guts of this wonderful little gem.