Future Boy Conan: The Videogame (PC Engine CD-ROM)

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.

Future Boy Conan Memorial Box (LaserDisc)

Future Boy Conan is the 1978 television anime series created and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Spanning 26 half-hour episodes, it tells the tale of a group of young heroes and their adventures in a post-apocalyptic world. It perfectly balanced the cliffhanger serial style of Miyazaki's younger years with the social commentary of his later works such as Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind. If you're a fan of Castle in the Sky, then you'll love Conan, which is definitely cut from the same cloth.

This LaserDisc box set was released in Japan some years ago, and like most classic anime series for the format, it is now a prized collector's item. You can find copies on Ebay easily, but expect to spend a lot of money. Even if you don't have access to a LaserDisc player, you can enjoy the packaging, as well as the complimentary art book, which goes into detail on the series, including a number of production art stills and screenshots.

Everything is in Japanese, and there are no English subtitles on any of the discs (the only English subtitled version of Conan at present is an online fansub copy). This will be a barrier to many Western fans, and we are reminded once again that so many of Miyazaki's pre-Ghibli works remain beyond our reach.

Why is Future Boy Conan not available on our shores? I suspected licensing (read: money) is the cause, as Nippon Animation owns the rights and do not appear willing to deal with anyone. Then again, we don't know if anyone has made any formal offers. The challenge in importing an anime series from four decades ago is quite high, as a new dub soundtrack would have to be produced, and the fanbase is far too small to cover the costs. Anime fans are typically teenagers and college students, and they have more than enough on their plate from the present; they don't have much time or patience for the "old" stuff. That's okay. You and I were the same when we were their age.

At some point, somebody will have to bite the bullet and bring this great series to our shores. Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have a solid cult following today, and that fan community is only growing over time. Sooner or later, they're going to discover that there's life beyond Totoro and Spirited Away, and movies that were made before Castle of Cagliostro and Nausicaa. I'll bet that if you sit down any Miyazaki fan and have them watch an episode, they'll become diehard fans of Conan just like you and me.

This reminds me, I really need to finish that Future Boy Conan blogathon that I began way back in 2011. By the time I reached the eighth episode, I was hit by writer's block, and couldn't find anything further to say. I need to finish that one up, certainly for the Ghibli book project and for posterity.

Future Boy Conan LaserDisc Box Set

Future Boy Conan is Hayao Miyazaki's 26-episode series that aired on Japan's NHK network in 1978. It was not a ratings hit, but the series has become a cult classic as Miyazaki's name rose to fame with the movies of Studio Ghibli. It may even be his finest achievement in animation, a perfect distillation of his many talents and personas. Action, adventure and romance crash head on into sober observations of war, decay and destruction. The buoyant, younger Miyazaki meets his cynical, older self that would soon emerge with Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind.

In the West, Conan remains virtually unknown, even among Ghibli fans. In Japan, however, the series has been widely celebrated on all the major home video formats, from VHS to Blu-Ray. Here is one excellent example of this: a glorious LaserDisc box set, featuring all 26 episodes on six discs and a large art book, all packaged in an impressive case design. This looks absolutely spectacular.

These Conan box sets are found on Ebay from time to time, and the price is quite expensive, as you would expect. At this point, it's really a conversation piece for the diehard fans. It certainly will look awesome on your bookshelf next to the other LaserDiscs and vinyl records. But would it actually be played often? Probably not, especially when a vastly superior Blu-Ray release is more easily available (and just as frightfully expensive).

Unfortunately, for English-speaking fans, no commercial release of Future Boy Conan includes English subtitles. It appears there was at least a cursory attempt at exporting the series, hence the "Engrish" title, "Conan, The Boy in Future." I don't have the heart to tell Nippon Animation that nobody actually talks like that. We've always used the direct translation of Mirai Shonen Conan, "Future Boy Conan." I just know that if we ever secured a Western release, this would become a major argument, just as we had a major fight over title "Horus, Prince of the Sun" a few years back.

I have no idea why Nippon Animation (the Japanese animation studio who holds the rights) has never successfully exported this series. Like most matters in the movie business, the answer likely comes down to money. Now that the show's creator is an internationally-famous movie director with two Academy Awards, the price tag has shot through the roof. Hey, this is their chance to cash in on that meal ticket.

Also, it must be said: there is virtually no interest or demand for Future Boy Conan in the States. Anime fans, who are largely teenagers and college students, won't touch anything they consider "old", meaning anything older than they are. They also won't touch Miyazaki or Ghibli, as they consider those too "mainstream". Ghibli fans, likewise, have little to no interest in anything Miyazaki or Takahata created before 1984. Believe me, I've tried. They like to share Totoro fan pictures. Beyond that, it's a struggle to gain any attention. Oh, well.

Riffs: Lupin the 3rd, Future Boy Conan, My Neighbor Totoro

Some years ago, I posted on this riff from My Neighbor Totoro, where Mei looks through a bucket, giving us this fascinating little camera shot. This bit was quoting an early episode of Future Boy Conan. To my surprise, I only recently realized that this shot originated in the 1971-72 Lupin the 3rd TV series, from one of the episodes directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

Hayao Miyazaki always likes to recycle certain gags and shots. It's what makes exploring his films and TV series so much fun. There are Easter eggs scattered everywhere. Why is this still such a mystery? Hardly anybody in the Ghibli fan community every talks about this. Perhaps we still need to spread the word of the pre-Ghibli era. Once you've seen Horus, Lupin, Heidi and Conan, your eyes will pop out of your heads.

Lupin the 3rd: Series One is currently available on DVD in the States, courtesy of Discotek. When is somebody going to license Future Boy Conan, already? What exactly are we waiting for?

Future Boy Conan: The Playstation 2 Video Game

Future Boy Conan is the 1978 NHK anime series directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and is a thrilling combination of adventure, romance and comedy, with strong doses of political and environmental themes that would become icons of the Studio Ghibli era. It's a fantastic show and might possibly be the director's greatest work in animation.

And here is the one thing Ghibli Freaks everywhere have begged and pleaded for years: a Miyazaki video game! D3, a software publisher dedicated largely to cartoon-videogame tie-ins, brought Future Boy Conan to the Playstation 2 in Japan.

If you're familiar with the TV series, then you'll love this game, which recreates the entire series from start to finish. Playing as Conan, you explore fully three-dimensional environments, fulfilling mission requirements, searching for objects, meeting characters, and beating up bad guys. In other words, you get to do pretty much everything you saw on the show.

D3 recreates the world of Future Boy Conan with an almost obsessive attention to detail. You can tell the programmers and designers were true fans and not just cashing in a paycheck. Animations are supremely fluid and aim to capture the stylings of the show. I especially enjoyed watching Conan running recklessly, just like he does in a dozen TV episodes.

The graphics are rendered in a style called "cel shading," in which 3D polygon models are layered with a thick black outline that mimics that look of 2D cartoon drawings. It became famous in Sega's Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio in the US), but the technique was pioneered previously in Wacky Races and Fear Effect on Dreamcast and Playstation 1, respectively. You may also recognize this style with Ni No Kuni, which was jointly produced with Studio Ghibli (the sequel uses many of the same animators, even though the studio was on hiatus at the time).

Despite my best investigations, I could not find an English-language patch for PS2 Conan. It was released exclusively in Japan and features a fair amount of text. You may need to consult a FAQ guide for assistance. Physical copies can be found on Ebay for $34.00 - $75.00, but this appears to be a slightly obscure release.

Here are a couple gameplay videos to show off Future Boy Conan. Now give us more Miyazaki videogames! And somebody release this series in the States!

Future Boy Conan in 1990 Animage Article

Here's another excellent find from the archives: an extensive eight-page Future Boy Conan article from Animage magazine's July 1990 issue. Hayao Miyazaki drew the cover illustration and delivered a short interview.

This is a terrific article, filled with color and b/w artwork from the series. A short overview of Miyazaki's career is included at the start. By 1990, he is already a familiar name among anime fans, thanks to Studio Ghibli's hit movies. Conan, however, was not a ratings hit when it aired in 1978, and maintained cult status. Much like Horus, Prince of the Sun, its stature would grow over time.

The remaining five pages appear below the break. Note the photo of a pre-beard Miyazaki; he would have been 49 years old at the time of this article, already a veteran of three decades, yet his greatest successes still lie ahead.

Future Boy Conan - Who Are These Guys and Their Job TItles?

Dumb Rookie Question: Can somebody help translate these job titles? These are the closing credits to Future Boy Conan, Hayao Miyazaki's 1978 TV series produced at Nippon Animation.  The reason I'm asking is because Keiji Hayakawa, who was part of the production team, is credited on Wikipedia and Anime News Network as the "director" of half the series episodes. That can't be right.

I snapped screenshots of the final two title cards from Conan. Hayao Miyazaki's name is listed on the second; but who are the people and job titles on the first? I see the "root words" for the Japanese word for "director" but don't understand the distinction of these other titles.

These sort of things can be especially tricky, as Japanese anime was so often invented on the fly. Job titles and roles, animation theories, pretty much everything was improvised and adapted freely. There is no formal school of animation theory in Japan, as exists in the West. They have no Cal Arts to hand down the official textbook. And so we have a lot of varying job descriptions for similar duties.

I'm guessing that Keiji Hayakawa was an assistant director for the series. He did assist Miyazaki on the e-konte storyboards.  So who can solve this riddle?

After that, we can next solve the riddle of Why Can't Anyone License Future Boy Conan.

Studio Ghibli Zippo Lighters

Okay, wait...what?  Studio Ghibli Zippo lighters.  Huh.  I honestly did not see that one coming.  It does get points for style, I'll give it that.  But sometimes I don't think Studio Ghibli quite groks the whole concept of "merchandising."

Then again, Hayao Miyazaki is the same person responsible for this little gem of '70s pop culture.  God bless you, sir!

Future Boy Conan - Blu-Ray Screenshots

Alright, let's take a look at how the new Future Boy Conan Blu-Ray Memorial Box compares to the standard DVD release.  The new high-definition transfer is taken from the original 35mm camera negative, and Bandai have spared no expense in restoring Conan to its original glory.  Hayao Miyazaki's 1978 masterpiece has never looked so good.

As always, colors are richer and more luminous in Blu-Ray.  Details are sharp and clear, and you can appreciate the artists' brushstrokes (now there's something I sorely miss in animation).  What's most striking is how much brighter everything now appears.  I hadn't realized how needlessly dark Conan appeared on DVD. I don't think most anime fans realize just how good these classic series truly look.  It's going to be a revelation for everyone, and if you're in charge of your local anime club, I highly recommending pooling your money together for the Conan set.

More screenshots will appear after the jump.  Update: All six photos are now available.  Connection speeds are a little better today, nice!  Enjoy the Conan shots!

Future Boy Conan Arrives on Blu-Ray

On November 25, Future Boy Conan made its long-awaited arrival on Blu-Ray in Japan.  The box set uses a high-definition transfer of the original 35mm camera negative, resulting in a picture quality that is stunning.  I daresay that Conan has never looked this good, even in its original 1978 TV run.

The box features embossed graphics and text, which looks wonderful.  Included are two discs, one for the series, and the second for extras.  A number of booklets are also included, which is very, very nice.  I'm not certain if storyboards are included, either in print or on the extras disc, but I'm sure one of us will eventually save up the money for this package and share all the secrets.

The Conan BD set includes the original 4:3 screen ratio, as well as a 16:9 widescreen mode that slightly crops the picture.  In my next post, I'll include some screenshots so that you can see for yourselves.

Sadly, it appears that no English subtitles are included.  That stinks.  In a perfect world, publishers in the West would pick up this BD box set.  Until then, we shall continue to download our fansub releases on the internet.  Hmm...do you think Hollywood has ever figure this one out?  We want access to the movies.  If they're not going to be available in our region, or not available in the current format (1080p, digital downloads), we'll just take 'em.  As always, the lesson is that we must support those publishers and distributors who support the scene.  Show the business suits that there is a demand for these series.  I'm more than willing to pay a premium price for this excellent BD box set.

Kudos to Bandai for their excellent release.  My hopes are now extremely high for the Heidi BD box set, which will be released just in time for Christmas.  It appears that Bandai holds the rights to the entire World Masterpiece Theater series - does this mean we will soon see 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother and Anne of Green Gables on Blu-Ray?  Onegai shimasu!  Gimme Gimmie!

P.S. Yes, I know that I totally have to get back to work and write the second half of the Future Boy Conan blogathon.  We are totally going to finish this thing, kids.

Future Boy Conan and Heidi Coming to Blu-Ray

Excellent news for Miyazaki and Takahata fans in Japan!  Heidi, Girl of the Alps and Future Boy Conan are coming to Blu-Ray disc this holiday season.  Both series have been expected to make the leap to the high definition format, and there were reports that new 35mm prints have been struck for the BD box sets.  I have no doubt that people are going to be stunned at the picture quality.

The Heidi and Conan BD box sets are outrageously expensive - 36,000 Yen ($451.86) for Heidi, 32,000 Yen ($401.66) for Conan - and there are no English subtitles.  This is purely for the Japanese market.  That said, I would hope that other parties emerge to release these series for release in the West.  Heidi became an international sensation, after all, so there definitely is a global market.

Future Boy Conan will be released on November 25, 2011, and Heidi, Girl of the Alps will be released on December 22, 2011.  Yeah, I know, two weeks from now, the economy will have collapsed and we'll all be eating rats by tire fire under a bridge, but it's still nice to dream about the future.

Much thanks to reader Joel Gutheil, who send me an email about the Conan box set.

Future Boy Conan #08 - The Underwater Scene

I enjoyed this photo montage (from reader hjg) of the underwater sequence in Future Boy Conan #08 so much, I just had to post it here on the blog.  This is one of my favorite Miyazaki scenes, ever.  I'm also discovering that I want to spend more time reflecting after each episode.  I want the scenes to marinate in my head for a little while longer, instead of rushing along as fast as possible.  The first time I watched Conan, I blazed through the entire series in less than a week.  Slower is much better, I think.

Also, this gives me more time to write endless Grampa Simpson essays about why today's video games are nowhere near as fun as they used to be.  Also, at some point I should probably think about doing my taxes.  Hah, hah.

I really wish Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli would just pony up the cash and buy the rights to Conan from Nippon Animation.  Then we would be guaranteed a fantastic Blu-Ray release, and probably a little extra attention from Westerners.  This anime series is ridiculously overlooked.

"26 Days" of Future Boy Conan - Episode 08

Episode 08 - Escape

Episode Summary: Lana hears Conan and uses a lifeboat to save Conan. The GunBoat boards the Barracuda and captures Dyce and his crew. Lana and Conan escape on the lifeboat. While trying to make it to the shore, the GunBoat blows up the lifeboat. Conan & Lana survive and make it to the nearby island. There they discover an old battlefield littered with tanks. Lana hears her grandfather by telepathy, and Conan and Lana set out to cross the desert. 

About a quarter of the way through tonight's episode, I thought to myself, "This is the best episode of Future Boy Conan, by far."  I know that's a phrase I might end up using a dozen times over, but this one is really special.  I think this is the best episode so far, and it may end of being the most poignant and emotionally resonant episode of the entire series.  At this point, I'm nudging the thought in my head that Conan really is Hayao Miyazaki's anime masterpiece.

Episode eight is the romantic's favorite, Conan and Lana forging a bond as lovers.  I'm not sure if this could work in anyone's hands but Miyazaki, but he's an old-fashioned romantic at his core.  His cliffhanger serials could probably be described as "romance adventures" - Castle in the Sky was actually advertised as such in 1986.  He's also what you'd call a "personal filmmaker," which means he pours his own emotions and life experiences into his characters.  The Hero and Heroine are really stand-ins for Miyazaki and Akemi Ota, and the greater themes the inner dialog of Miyazaki's complex worldview.  In this way, he reminds me of Fellini and his beloved Heroine, Juliette Messina, and this pairing is seen again and again and again.

This is also an immensely funny episode, and I found myself laughing out loud more often than ever before.  Maybe I'm just in the right mood tonight, maybe Jimsy and Dyce make a good comic pair.  They both get to really ham it up, and they manage to turn a tense showdown at sea into something out of The Three Stooges.  It's interesting that we get all the laughs in the first few minutes, right up front; you can see the emotional tone shift from thrills to comedy to suspense and finally romance, where most of the episode resides.  This is Conan and Lana's time, and from here on out, they exist in a space all to themselves, slightly separated from everyone else.  From here on out, they're an old married couple.

There are three scenes that I think are among the most touching moments Miyazaki has ever filmed.  The first is Lana's desperate escape and rescue of Conan (a terrific role reversal as Miyazaki's Heroine takes command), the second the climactic scene when Conan is trapped underwater, and the third is at the very end as Conan carries Lana through the desert.  I don't think these moments have ever been matched until the climactic flashback scene at the end of Howl's Moving Castle (a deeply personal confessional between Miya-san and his wife that's just about the greatest sequence of his career).  And, yes, we get the melodramatic music and violins playing.

I wonder where Miyazaki found the inspiration behind Lana's kiss?  It's a tender, intimate moment, as she gives Conan her very breath to keep him alive, as he lies trapped at the bottom of the sea.  When I first watched Future Boy Conan, it was this scene that resonated with me the most.  It towers in my mind above everything else.  I can't really explain why.  This scene is charged with a desperate, passionate intensity.  I think this is why I feel such an extra tension as the two are caught underwater, on the edge of drowning.  A thousand cliffhangers, and this one moment has me at the edge of my seat.

How wise of Miyazaki to devote the entire second half of episode eight to Conan and Lana, alone to care after one another.  They're already laughing about how they met like old grandparents.  This quiet pause allows for a new key change in the story, as a vast desert of abandoned tanks point to the sombre themes of humanity's destruction and nature's revenge.  These serious Miyazaki themes are going to become more prominent and we're going to understand these characters in the context of a post-apocalyptic world.  Until now, the war and destruction has only served as a backdrop for a lot of comedy action scenes.  Now, an emotional maturity and awakening.

The episode closes as Lana discovers the echo of her grandfather's voice in the distance, and Conan carries her joyously across the rolling sands.  She wants to assert her equality and run alongside, but Lana embraces Conan, squeezing him tight.  They love each other like two old souls, and it's a wonderful discovery.

"26 Days" of Future Boy Conan - Episode 07

Episode 07 - Chase

Episode Summary: Dyce escapes in the fog. Lepka gets permission to use the GunBoat and Falco to pursue Dyce. Conan escapes from jail and sneaks onto the Falco. Jimsy informs Lana that he is a companion of Conan. Dyce meets with Lana and when she gets angry that he left Conan he opens the window and threatens to throw her out. The Falco sees the light and follows the Barracuda. Conan escapes and attempts to board the Barracuda.

Alright, let's see if we can get back to our regular schedule on the Conan blogathon.  I think I'll have to put "26 Days" in quotes now, heh heh.  At this current rate, we'll have the entire series finished in time for Christmas.  Joy!  And if history is any guide, this blogathon will finally receive its deserved attention sometime around the year 2014...So all is well.  Cough.

Anyway....One question that's always on my mind when watching this episode, and a lot of Future Boy Conan episodes: How does Miyazaki get himself outta this jam?  How many times over the course of this series did he and his team find themselves completely, hopelessly stuck?  Conan begins and ends this episode stuck in a series of cliffhangers, each one tighter than the last, and all I can think is...How does he get outta this?!  Surely, being trapped in an ocean with magnetic braces tying his arms and legs together, as the Barracuda sails off in the distance, is an impossible fix.  This show must have been murder on ones nerves back in '78.  Imagine waiting a week to find out.

This is another thrilling episode, with the tempo staying high.  This is a high crescendo of the first act, and Miyazaki never wastes any time.  I never get a sense that the pacing is lagging or being rushed; plot details are dribbled out piece by piece as needed, quiet moments are allowed room to breathe, and bursts of action have purpose, meaning.  We could say this is a story that has been thought out and meticulously planned in advance...but this is Miyazaki.  We know from his Studio Ghibli films that this isn't the case.  He works extensively on the background of the characters, and the major plot points, and the overall themes he wants to address.  But this is more of a general strategy than a specific plan.  Once the first couple episodes are scripted, it's off to war and damn the torpedoes.

This is why I ask myself just how many times Miyazaki or Otsuka were honestly, genuinely stuck.  They had to have been caught at least once, given all the exciting chases and narrow escapes.  The lucky thing is that they manage to find a suitable solution without resorting to cheap gimmicks or deus ex machina.  Conan's escape from the prison cell, the Barracuda's stealth escape in the fog and ruins of Industria, Jimsy's attempts to break Lana out of her cell (again), and Conan's escape from the seaplane (again)...these are all so brilliantly timed and paced.  This series has the feel of a great jazz ensemble, and it's a joy to see them create almost moment-to-moment.

There are a lot of great bits in this episode.  That part where Jimsy finally meets Lana and is dumbstruck, almost shy, it's endearing.  He hands her a frog because, well, what else can he do?  That's his only trick to dealing with girls.  That was pretty much my entire repertoire with girls in college.  It's a miracle I ever got anywhere...and it's a miracle I never got myself stuck in a porthole.  Oh, and bonus points who spotted that gag of Jimsy in the porthole and remembered it's also in Castle in the Sky.

Also, Dyce has a really creepy side that we need to address at some point.  He still reminds me of Homer Simpson.  And did Monsely really talk about Conan as a pet to be tamed?  Lots of people in this show have issues, don't they?  We'll get to that later.  I need sleep.

Riffs - Future Boy Conan #06, Castle of Cagliostro

I'm trying to get over a throat illness which is laying me low, so I'll write the episode #07 essay for the Future Boy Conan tomorrow.  Tonight, I'll show you a riff that I spotted from last night's episode.

This is early in the episode, when Conan tries to break Lana out of her prison.  The bad guy has a gun and is trying to shoot Conan, but Lana rushes him and tries to push the gun away.  Bad guy pushes back, then swats Lana to the wall, sending the bullet cartridge scattering in all directions.  This same pair of shots was also used by Miyazaki in Castle of Cagliostro, as we can see from these screenshots.  It's interesting that the villains in Conan and Cagliostro both look and sound so similar.  Maybe it's just me.  But Miyazaki had more of a melodramatic flair back then, so his villains all hail from the Snidley Whiplash school.

Anyway, these two scenes are a good example of Miyazaki's effective use of editing to create a compelling action sequence.  He knows how to time his cuts properly, and use the inherent motion in changing camera angles.  Proper composition of your shots is key.  This is how you are able to portray action with very limited resources, a skill the greatest Japanese animators know by heart.

Okay, kids, time to let the flu medicine knock me out.  Enjoy the Friday and expect the Conan #07 essay tomorrow.

26 Days of Future Boy Conan - Episode 06

Episode 06 - Dyce's Rebellion

Episode Summary: Conan and Lana make their escape. They eventually find a plane from the last war that Lepka wants to use. They are captured in the hangar. Lepka threatens to hurt Conan if Lana doesn't tell him where her grandfather is, but she refuses. Dyce seeing what Lepka has done decides to help Lana. Dyce and his crew kidnap Lana and make their escape on the Barracuda.

"One of the reasons I don't like Industria is because there is only rock and steel.  There are no trees and grass."  So says Conan in typical Miyazaki fashion.  I'm wondering if Industria is really a metaphor for modern, industrial Japan?  This depiction of a corrupt, decaying civilization of concrete and steel feels slightly eerie in the wake of last month's earthquake-tsunami, and the resulting catastrophe at the Daiichi nuclear power plant.  And it's more than a little unsettling that we can read ourselves in a post-apocalyptic science-fiction adventure.  We were supposed to be better than this.

The conflict between modern civilization and the natural world, Japan's postwar drive towards industrialization, and the loss of man's traditional connection to nature - this is the central theme of Studio Ghibli for both Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.  I wonder if Heidi, Girl of the Alps and 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother became an influence?  Both were stories set in the 19th Century, and both seemed to dismiss "modern" cities in favor of a traditional rural or frontier life.  Future Boy Conan returns Miyazaki's gaze to his own modern society.

Tonight's episode was fantastic.  How many cliffhangers did Conan and Lana run through in this one episode?  It feels like they were escaping from one jam, just to collide into another.  I love it - hah!  This show really needs to be on Cartoon Network.  I'm not sure how many Americans would feel about Conan's super strength, though.  It's great for heroic feats and the occasional sight gag, but there is a suspension of belief.  Even I think it has a whiff of deus ex machina sometimes.  Conan's ability to fall 20 or 30 feet without taking any real damage (apart from a funny Wile E. Coyote-style gag) is one of those moments where people are going to raise objections.  People always want explanations for everything.  They want Mr. Spock to walk in and explain the science behind everything that happens.

Ah, well, it's alright.  We all get to obsess over various details in the Future Boy Conan universe.  I get to ponder grand themes of man-vs-nature; you get to ask loudly for explanations why Conan alone has all these super powers, like a stack of hidden "Get Out of Jail Free" cards.  Fortunately, we're only six episodes into the show, so there's plenty of time to work through our favorite arguments.

The younger Miyazaki had found a perfect balance between action, comedy and romance.  The early scene where Conan breaks into Lana's prison cell has all three; I even spied a quick riff from Castle of Cagliostro, which was made a year later in 1979.  I enjoy this series, and all Miyazaki anime, because it's heart is sincere.  There isn't a trace of cynicism or contempt towards the audience anywhere.  Miyazaki and Otsuka and the whole crew are having as much fun conjuring all these crazy jams as we are watching them.

I know the episode is titled, "Dyce's Rebellion," but that's more of a sub-plot to this episode, and it's really the setup to the cliffhanger into episode seven.  This episode is all about Conan and Lana; they take the center stage together for the first time since the pilot episode.  After all the buildup, they deserve time together.  As a couple, they do bond quickly, don't they?  Kinda reminds me of Anthony Quinn in The Guns of Navarone.  Or Pepe le Pew.  Either one works.

Bottom line is they're a perfect pair, a matching of equals.  Conan gets to show off all the time, but Lana reveals her tougher side, too, and her intelligence.  She's quiet but she pays very close attention.  Watch out for those types.  They're the ones who will walk away from the poker table with all the money in their arms.  It's kind of a tough thing for Lana, since much of her time is being spent being kidnapped and then rescued, but I don't think of her as a helpless maiden waiting for her prince.  Lana has her strengths.

Oh, and should I finally mention how Castle in they Sky basically rips off these two characters?  It's basically Future Boy Conan starring the under-studies.  I'm sure everyone's figured that one out by now.  I'd really like to hear what fans have to say once the blogathon's over, which Miyazaki anime they preferred.  Me?  I'm going with Conan.  I still say the '70s TV series are where the true Miyazaki-Takahata masterpieces lie.  Just the fact that I get to spend much more time with these characters - Conan and Lana, Heidi and Peter and Clara, Marco and Fio, Anne and Diana - makes a world of difference.

26 Days of Future Boy Conan - Episode 05

Episode 05 - Industria

Episode Summary: The Barracuda arrives in Industria. Conan is thrown in the brig after he assaults Mosley who was visiting the ship. Lepka is introduced threatening Lana to tell him where her grandfather is. Monsley decides to take Conan in admiring his initiative. When the soldiers come to take him, Conan escapes. He goes through Industria and eventually finds Lana.

This was the best episode of Conan yet!  Who's with me?  I really wish I could post Youtube videos of this series, but barring that, I do hope you're following along by watching at home.  If not, too bad.  This is the best Miyazaki anime you've never seen.  Definitely download Conan if you haven't already done so.

Anyway, where was I?  Ah, yes - tonight's episode was the best one by far.  I'm always partial to episodes with a lot of action and variety of locales, and "Industria" delivers the goods.  Conan and Jimsy are still doing grunt work at the bottom of the Barracuda, shoveling wood into the engine and generally causing mischief, but the crew has warmed up to them.  They finally arrive in Industria, a couple terrific chases follow, nearly all of the major players are reintroduced, and Lana is back!  This will be her first of many jailbreaks.

Episode five is where Future Boy Conan becomes more complicated.  Clearly, Industria represents The Bad Guy in Miyazaki's world, and it's a decaying, rusting, dying wreck of a civilization.  There's that early scene of the Barracuda sailing into port, while Conan and Jimsy look upon wreckage and devastation everywhere.  We're reminged that the world of Men was almost completely destroyed by war only a generation ago.

There's also a very strong Fritz Lang influence in the design of Industria, with it's lower and lower levels of humans and sub-humans.  One anime that really stands out in my mind is the 2001 Metropolis, directed by Rintaro and written by Katsuhiro Otomo.  When I see his films, I can see that Otomo is a Future Boy Conan freak - you can see the influence in the industrial design, and a couple main characters were just lifted onto Steamboy.  Whatever happened to Otomo, anyway?  Remember when the West hailed him as the God of Anime because of Akira?  Once they finally discovered Miyazaki, Otomo was dropped like last week's prom date.  Strange.

Industria can be seen as a character in itself, with its many layers and hidden secrets.  This is an immense city with a deep history as one digs deeper and deeper.  Tonight, we get to see the surface, the human dwellings underground, and the sub-underground which houses the "people who serve no use."  Those are the ones who've been branded on their foreheads, and they behave like a mindless mob of zombies.  They've been cut off from their own humanity for so long, they've accepted the segregation of this culture and lost themselves.  There's one moment when Conan falls into a living quarters of the sub-humans, and he's almost mobbed before fighting his way out.  A mass of hands lurch at him and I'm reminded of the childhood flashback scene from Nausicaa.

We discover that Industria may embody the old civilization and be run by villains, but it's also a dying city.  They recycle plastics into food, and they need the knowledge of solar power to survive; their nuclear power reserves are running out.  Those people in the depths didn't ask for any of this, and they deserve a chance at life as much as anyone.  The problem, of course, is the stupid, surreal system at the very top.  If you could get rid of those old men in white suits, and that bad guy with the wide jaw - reminds you of the Count of Cagliostro, no? - well, this would still be a crummy place.  But it would be a start.

In any case, this is Conan's episode.  He tracks down Lana was a single-minded determination and focus.  He certainly manages to take the Billy-from-Family-Circus path, which is all over the place.  And remember when I wondered if video games took their inspiration from classic anime movies?  Here's a mine cart level!  Here's a jailbreak!  Here's a maze of secret passages!  Hmm...I wonder why there hasn't been a Future Boy Conan video game since the PC Engine CD-ROM?

Monsely returns wearing a summer dress and riding a bicycle.  She's still mean and bossy and a bit of a jerk, but she says she wants to adopt Conan and make him respectable.  Or maybe she's just saying that to Lana to be mean.  I certainly don't trust her, but Miyazaki's tradition of the "older/younger sisters" strongly suggests that Monsely will eventually come around.  Right now, she's playing the Kushana role and domineering everyone in sight.  But I don't think Lana will be pushed around.  She looks like the damsel in distress, but she has a quiet strength about her.  Lana won't break and she won't sell her grandfather out.  Like I said, things are becoming complicated.