The Mysterious Cities of Gold (partially found original Japanese edition from the Japanese-French animated series; 1982-1983)
Title of original airing.
Status: Partially Found
Date found:
November 30, 2018 (2, 35 episodes)
August 25, 2020 (15, 19, 22, 31 episodes)
Found by: Dougo13
The Mysterious Cities of Gold (Japanese: "太陽の子エステバン", French: "Les mystérieuses cités d'or") is an animated series produced by Studio Pierrot of Japan and DiC of France. In Japan, the series aired on NHK from June 29th, 1982 to June 7th, 1983, and in France on Antenne 2 from September 28th, 1983, with an unknown final episode air date. In North America, it aired on Nickelodeon from June 30th, 1986 to June 29th, 1990.
Original Japanese edition
The series was re-aired on NHK BS2 from April 6th, 1998 to January 4th, 1999. However, the master film from the original broadcast was imported from France and re-recorded with a new cast. The reason for this is that NHK has lost the film recorded in Japan.
According to Wikipedia and other Internet sources, this is said to be due to troubles caused by the bankruptcy of the animation production company MK Company, but an unofficial fan site of the series says that this is only a rumor and that the truth is unknown[1].
Existence of recorded VHS tapes
The show was aired in the 1980s, a time when VHS tapes were beginning to become common, and naturally there were people who recorded the show.
In 2013, Twitter user Fuwaryozo[2] found only one VHS tape that was recorded, which included "Dr. Junpei no Naruhodo! Hyakka (ドクトル順平のなるほど！百科, A five-minute segment aired only in Japan, in which Waseda University professor Junpei Susato teaches about Latin American sites, history and customs. It was recorded on a master tape, but both were lost)."
Between 2018 and 2020, recordings of the some episodes (2, 15, 19, 22, 31, and 35) were ripped by Dougo13 and shared to shiteaterbubibinman who made them public as a torrent release with his permission.[3][4].
In 2020, Twitter user Sakutosero found a VHS tape containing the show, but only the opening was recorded. He posted three screenshots on Tweet[5].
In 2021, Twitter user mayakane found three recorded VHS tapes in his closet at home[6].
Availability
As mentioned above, some episodes can be found on torrenting sites like nyaa.si, however, there's still most yet to be available online.
NHK often solicits donations from the public for tapes of shows that are no longer extant within the company, and the anime series Animation Kikō Marco Polo no Bōken (アニメーション紀行 マルコ・ポーロの冒険) and the puppet series Prinprin Monogatari (プリンプリン物語) have been donated on VHS tapes recorded by ordinary households, with most episodes being able to be revived. Since NHK is not currently accepting donations for this show, it is currently impossible to view a recording of the show as it aired.
Gallery
Three VHS tapes with the note "エステバン" can be identified.
References
- ↑ FAQ page on unofficial fan site Retrieved Jun 25, 2023
- ↑ Tweet by Fuwaryozo Retrieved Jun 25, 2023
- ↑ Blog post about the raw torrent release of 2, 35 recordings Retrieved Jun 25, 2023
- ↑ Blog post about the raw torrent release of 15, 19, 22, 31 recordings Retrieved Jun 25, 2023
- ↑ Tweet by Sakutosero Retrieved Jun 25, 2023
- ↑ Tweet by mayakane Retrieved Jun 25, 2023