The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus (found anime series based on L. Frank Baum's novel; 1996)
The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus, or Shōnen Santa no Daibōken, is a 1996 Japanese anime series based on the children's novel of the same name written by L. Frank Baum, who also wrote Land of Oz series. The anime "tells the story of Santa Claus as a child and youth before becoming the world-renowned saint of Christmas." It aired from April 6th to September 21st, 1996 on the Tokyo Broadcasting System. It ran for 24 episodes[1] It was produced by Studio DEEN and directed by Yuji Moto. [2]
Opening & Ending
Only the anime's opening has been found on YouTube, uploaded by Cloakbass who took it from Billibilli. It was uploaded to Billibilli by 猪肉面 who took it from Tudou. The identity of Tudou's uploader remains a mystery, as the original upload on Tudou seems lost. 猪肉面 states that they looked everywhere for the anime but could not find it in the video's description. [3] An advertisement for Takako Okamura's album is also at the end of the upload, suggesting that it was taken from a VHS recording of a broadcast while it was airing.
The opening is called いつも心に太陽を or "Itsumo Kokoro ni Taiyō" by Takako Okamura. The title translates to "The Sun Is Always In Your Heart." A full version of the opening song was released on her eleventh album BRAND-NEW. [4]
While Takako Okamura did the lyrics, composition, and performance, Shinji Ebihara arranged the theme song. [2]
The ending song is titled 愛という名の翼 or Ai to iu Na no Tsubasa [2], which translates to "Wings Called Love" [5] also by Takako Okamura [4] which also has a full version on BRAND-NEW. Footage of the actual ending remains lost. This would also be the first time Takako Okamura's music was used in anime.
Information on DVD release
Jay, the writer of The Royal Blog of Oz, made a blog post claiming to have found a high-quality DVD copy, potentially officially released. They go on to detail several plot elements in the series new to this adaptation, such as a rich boy wanting to buy a cat character named Blinkie and a mysterious figure who may or may not be Claus’s biological father. They also mention a battle over the Mantle of the Immortals, and new characters not present in the book. There is a potential English dub mentioned in the post, but its existence remains unconfirmed due to lack of solid proof. [6]
In The Wonderful Blog Of Oz, it is written that compared to the book, Claus and his cat can actually talk to each other and that there is a girl named Mari who is completely original to the anime. She has "lots of enthusiasm", "a bit of a temper and probably a crush on Claus." She also colors the toys Claus makes and helps him on his adventures. [7]
Cartoonresearch.com mentioned this series in a blog post about international Christmas Specials. They mention that Claus remains a child for most of the anime, in contrast to the book where "Claus grew up, mostly as a young adult and adult, until he became Santa Claus as an old man." [8]
On November 20th, 2021, the full series was uploaded by YouTuber Nikho Varela, which was unnoticed until Reddit user EricGjovaag discovered its availability on December 22nd, 2021 and made a post on r/wizardofoz.[9] Although the link didn't seem to work, LMW discord user tailswisher was able to get it working, rendering the series as found.
Episode List
| # | Episode Title | Translation[5] | Air Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | サンタクロースの生まれた森 | The Birth Forest of Santa Claus | Apr 6, 1996 | Found |
| 2 | しのびよる黒い影 | Lurking Shadows | Apr 13, 1996 | Found |
| 3 | 動物たちが大暴れ | The Animals are Rampaging | Apr 20, 1996 | Found |
| 4 | はじめての旅 | First Journey | Apr 27, 1996 | Found |
| 5 | さよならバージーの森 | Farewell, Forest of Burzee | May 4, 1996 | Found |
| 6 | 笑いの谷のクロース | Claus and the Laughing Valley | May 11, 1996 | Found |
| 7 | はじめての友達 | First Friends | May 18, 1996 | Found |
| 8 | クロースは魔法使い? | Claus the Magician? | May 25, 1996 | Found |
| 9 | おばけの谷大作戦 | The Ghost Valley Strategy | Jun 1, 1996 | Found |
| 10 | 嵐を呼ぶゴブリン | The Goblin Which Calls the Storm | Jun 6, 1996 | Found |
| 11 | ブリンキーを助け出せ! | Rescuing Blinkie! | Jun 15, 1996 | Found |
| 12 | はじめてのプレゼント | First Present | Jun 22, 1996 | Found |
| 13 | ライオンのオモチャ | Lion's Toy | Jun 29, 1996 | Found |
| 14 | 真実の山 | The Mountain of Truth | Jul 6, 1996 | Found |
| 15 | プレゼントの重み | Weight of a Present | Jul 13, 1996 | Found |
| 16 | 悪の影オーグワ | Awgwas, the Dark Shadows | Jul 27, 1996 | Found |
| 17 | 霧の森の奇跡 | Miracle of the Mist Forest | Aug 3, 1996 | Found |
| 18 | オーグワの復讐 | Revenge of Awgwas | Aug 10, 1996 | Found |
| 19 | 光と闇の大戦争 | War of Light and Darkness | Aug 17, 1996 | Found |
| 20 | 輝け! 光の心 | Shine! Hearts of Light | Aug 24, 1996 | Found |
| 21 | 最初のクリスマスツリー | The First Christmas Tree | Aug 31, 1996 | Found |
| 22 | 森の支配者と海の支配者 | Rulers of the Forest and Seas | Sep 7, 1996 | Found |
| 23 | サンタクロース誕生 | Birth of Santa Claus | Sep 14, 1996 | Found |
| 24 | さよならサンタクロース | Farewell, Santa Claus | Sep 21, 1996 | Found |
Gallery
Images
Production Material showing an older Claus, as Santa Claus.
Claus as he appears for most of the anime as a young boy.
Blinkie the cat, Claus's pet and companion.
More production images.
Video
References
- ↑ TBS' official page on the series. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 AnimeNewsNetwork page on the series. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ bilibili upload of the opening of the series. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 BRAND-NEW discography. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Christmas Specials' FANDOM Wiki page on the show. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ The Royal Blog of Oz post about the DVD copy. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ The Royal Blog of Oz post about an unconfirmed English dub. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ Cartoonresearch.com post with a mention of the series. Retrieved 16 Mar '24
- ↑ Post by EircGjovaag about the playlist. Retreived 25 Jul '24