Movie Night - Future Boy Conan, Ep. 1

(Update: This video has since been removed from Youtube.  Sorry.)

Here is the first episode of Future Boy Conan. Conan is Hayao Miyazaki's 1978 television series, spanning 26 episodes. It remains one of his signature works; it may, in fact, be his definitive work in animation, if only in that it captures all the different moods of his personality. There's the heavy slapstick comedy, the masterfully timed action scenes, the compelling characters, and the darker, more serious commentary. It's a classic cliffhanger serial, like most of his work in the 1970s, and has such a vibrant energy, such a fast pace to everything. All these elements mix together perfectly.

For followers of Serious Miyazaki, Conan is Act II, following Horus, Prince of the Sun, and presaging Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and finally Howl's Moving Castle. It's probably the anime that he quotes most often, at least as much as Heidi. It's something of a game to spot the "Conan Riff" in every Studio Ghibli movie.

So if you consider yourself a Miyazaki fan, Future Boy Conan is absolutely required viewing. It sits alongside Isao Takahata's World Masterpiece Theatre trilogy, Heidi, Marco, and Anne, as the definitive works of Japanese animation for television. These are the long-form masterpieces that really define their careers.

Anyway, here is episode 1 of Future Boy Conan, presented in three parts. Hopefully, I'll be able to show more episodes. Don't forget to download the fansub copy so you can watch on a larger screen.