Pink Lady Monogatari: Eiko no Tenshitachi (partially found anime TV series; 1978-1979)
Pink Lady Monogatari: Eiko no Tenshitachi (ピンク・レディー物語 栄光の天使たち Pink Lady Story: Angels of Glory) is a biographical slice-of-life anime series produced by Toei Animation that aired on TV Tokyo from October 24, 1978 to June 26, 1979. It ran for a total of 33 episodes - including 2 clip shows and a prologue that premiered one week before the show proper.
Premise
The show was based on the real lifestory of popular superstar female pop music duo Pink Lady.
Despite the title and the content of the show, the main characters were not actually voiced by the Pink Lady duo; professional voice actresses Michiko Nomura and Junko Hori portrayed Mie and Kei, respectively.
Pink Lady also didn't perform the opening (OP) and ending (ED) songs, that were sang by a group of child actors known as Young Fresh, from Japanese entertainment agency Toei Jido Kenshu Jo ("Toei Children's Training Institute", now known as Toei Academy).[1][2]
During the show, there would be live action sequences featuring the actual Pink Lady duo (Mie and Kei) as they would be shown talking in their studios or actually singing their songs in musical interludes.[3]
Pink Lady would later make an appeareance on notorious short-lived 1980 TV variety show Pink Lady and Jeff for American audiences, as their English-language song Kiss in the Dark was a hit in the country.
Episodes
# | Original Title | English Translation | Air Date | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
0 | "前夜祭「今完成ピンクのアニメ」" | "Before the Festival: 「The Pink Anime is Complete」" | October 17, 1978 | Lost |
1 | "星は海から生まれるのです" | "A Star is Born from the Sea" | October 24, 1978 | Lost |
2 | "おてんばデュエット" | "Tomboy Duet" | October 31, 1978 | Lost |
3 | "ごめんね天国のお父さん" | "Sorry, Father from Heaven" | November 7, 1978 | Lost |
4 | "哀しみの二ッ星" | "Two Grieving Stars" | November 14, 1978 | Lost |
5 | "ひとつの糸に結ばれて" | "Tied To One String" | November 21, 1978 | Lost |
6 | "ふたりで踏んだ初舞台" | "Two of Them Debuting" | November 28, 1978 | Lost |
7 | "明日さく花" | "Tomorrow's Blooming Flower" | December 2, 1978 | Lost |
8 | "ワン・ステップ・ジャンプ" | "One Step Jump" | December 12, 1978 | Lost |
9 | "ふたりでひとり" | "Two Lonely Ones" | December 19, 1978 | Lost |
10 | "とんでけクッキー" | "A Late Cookie" | December 26, 1978 | Lost |
11 | "こころの手紙" | "Letter From the Heart" | January 9, 1979 | Lost |
12 | "心はひとつ" | "A Lonely Heart" | January 16, 1979 | Lost |
13 | "愛のネックレス" | "Necklace of Love" | January 23, 1979 | Lost |
14 | "くじけるものか" | "Will they Lose their Spirit?" | January 30, 1979 | Lost |
15 | "あたたかな母の胸へ" | "In the Warm Heart of a Mother" | February 6, 1979 | Lost |
16 | "巣だつひな鳥" | "The Chick Leaves the Nest" | February 13, 1979 | Lost |
17 | "さようなら故郷" | "Goodbye, Hometown" | February 20, 1979 | Lost |
18 | "可愛いファン" | "A Cute Fan" | February 27, 1979 | Lost |
19 | "若いふたつの芽" | "Two Young Buds" | March 6, 1979 | Lost |
20 | "ふたりの友情" | "The Friendship of Two" | March 13, 1979 | Lost |
21 | "二人三脚" | "Three-Legged Race" | March 20, 1979 | Lost |
22 | "ペッパー警部誕生" | "The Creation of Pepper Keibu" (Pink Lady's first album) | March 27, 1979 | Lost |
23 | "はばたく日は" | "The Day they Went out to the World" | April 3, 1979 | Lost |
24 | "愛の拍子" | "The Rhythm of Love" | April 10, 1979 | Lost |
25 | "ふるさとの涙" | "Tears from Hometown" | April 17, 1979 | Lost |
26 | "祈りの旅" | "Journey of Prayer" | April 24, 1979 | Lost |
27 | "にじ色の別れ" | "Farewell to the Colors of the Rainbow" | May 1, 1979 | Lost |
28 | "SOS!" | "S.O.S!" (Pink Lady's second single) | May 8, 1979 | Lost |
29 | "花ひらく夜" | "Blooming Night" | May 15, 1979 | Lost |
30 | "おもいやり" | "Sympathy" | May 22, 1979 | Lost |
31 | "きびしい歌の道" | "The Harsh Path of Singing" | May 29, 1979 | Lost |
32 | "木枯らしの詩" | "Poem of a Cold Winter Wind" | June 5, 1979 | Lost |
33 | "故郷の青い空" | "Blue Sky of a Hometown" | June 12, 1979 | Lost |
34 | "歩んだ道" (Clip show 1) | "The Path Taken" | June 19, 1979 | Lost |
35 | "栄光への歩み" (Clip show 2) | "The Path to Glory" | June 26, 1979 | Lost |
Status
The anime hadn't been reaired since it's original airing or released in other countries despite having strong ratings.[4] However, the anime's OP and ED were included in VHS compilations of Toei theme songs #6 released back in 1986.[5] As such, they're the only footage currently available to watch online. Due to some legal issues among Pink Lady, it is extremely unlikely this show will ever appear on home video or even streaming services.
At one point, the owner of fansite Pink Lady America posted some screenshots from one of the episodes; however, it is not known if he still owns any actual footage.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Pink Lady Monogatari: Eiko no Tenshitachi (TV) on Anime News Network Retrieved 21 Apr '20.
- ↑ ピンク・レディー物語 栄光の天使たち 7" format vinyl single on Hip Tank Records Retrieved 21 Apr '20.
- ↑ ANIME- PAGE ONE on Pink Lady America fansite Retrieved 21 Apr '20.
- ↑ ピンク・レディー物語 栄光の天使たち on kiokunokasabuta.web.fc2.com Retrieved 21 Apr '20.
- ↑ TV Hero Theme Song Complete Works #6 Animation on Japanese Yahoo Store Retrieved 21 Apr '20.