Future Boy Conan
Promotional artwork for the series.
未来少年コナン
(Mirai Shōnen Konan)
GenreAdventure, Drama, Science fiction, romance
Anime television series
Directed byHayao Miyazaki
Produced byJunzō Nakajima
Shigeo Endō
Written byAkira Nakano
Satoshi Kurumi
Sōji Yoshikawa
Music byShin’ichirō Ikebe
StudioNippon Animation
Original networkNHK, Animax
English network
Original run April 4, 1978 – October 31, 1978
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Anime film
The Revival of the Giant Machine
Directed byHayao Miyazaki
Produced byJunzō Nakajima
Shigeo Endō
Written byKensho Nakano
Music byShin’ichirō Ikebe
StudioNippon Animation
ReleasedMarch 11, 1984
Runtime50 minutes
Anime television series
Future Boy Conan II: Taiga Adventure
Directed byKeiji Hayakawa
Written bySadahiko Sakamaki
Music byGorō Oumi
StudioNippon Animation
Original networkTBS
Original run October 16, 1999 – April 1, 2000
Episodes24
Video game
Future Boy Conan: Love and Courage and Adventure
PublisherNewGin
GenrePachinko
PlatformArcade
Released2011

Future Boy Conan (未来少年コナン, Mirai Shōnen Konan) is a post-apocalyptic science fiction anime series, which premiered across Japan on the NHK network between April 4 and October 31, 1978 on the Tuesday 19:30-20:00 timeslot. The official English title used by Nippon Animation is Conan, The Boy in Future. It is an adaptation of Alexander Key's novel The Incredible Tide.

A second series, Future Boy Conan II: Taiga Adventure (未来少年コナンII タイガアドベンチャー, Mirai Shōnen Konan Tsū: Taiga Adobenchā), aired for 24 episodes on TBS from October 16, 1999 through April 1, 2000. None of the original main staff worked on this series.

Production

Spanning a total of 26 episodes, the series was produced by Nippon Animation and featured the directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki, who also contributed to character designs and storyboards. Other future prominent anime creators like Isao Takahata (storyboards, directing) and Yoshiyuki Tomino (storyboards) also worked on the series.

Nippon Animation originally presented NHK with several proposals. At first a different story was favored, but eventually, The Incredible Tide was chosen.[1]

There was a preparation time of three months for the layout. Six months passed between the start of the key animation work and the airing of the first episode. Although a stock of eight episodes was already produced by that time, the show still went behind schedule.[1] According to Miyazaki it "took [them] from ten days to two weeks to produce a single episode" and that if "NHK hadn't inserted a special program in there as a padding, it probably would have turned into a real wreck of a series. If we hadn't been working for NHK, we never could have pulled Conan off."[1]

The staff was happy to work on a more upbeat story after 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother.[1]

In a 1983 interview with Yōkō Tomizawa from Animage bunko, Miyazaki stated that he only worked on the show under the condition that he was allowed to change the story. He disliked the pessimistic world view of the original story, claiming it was a reflection of Key's own fears and insecurities. He wanted a story aimed at children to be more optimistic, stating "[e]ven if someone's lost all hope for the future, I think it is incredibly stupid to go around stressing this to children. Emphasize it to adults if you have to, but there's no need to do so to children. It would be better to simply not say anything at all."[1]

Miyazaki further made an effort to distance himself from the notion of High Harbor representing North America and Industria representing the Soviet Union. In order to do this, he even considered making the setting more Japanese. For example, in his version of the story, the people of High Harbor would grow rice instead of wheat and eat using chopsticks. But this "would have led to all sorts of other problems", so he eventually dropped the idea.[1]

One scene of Jimsy smoking cigarettes was removed by NHK before the airing of the episode.[1] Miyazaki admitted that he put "way too much of [his] own feelings into episode eight", specifically the underwater "kiss" scene. He had grown fonder of Lana by episode 5 and 6 and "realized that [the show] incorporated the exact same story line of a manga [he] had created back in [his] student days" to the point where even the shots were arranged in the same way.[1]

Story

The story begins in July 2008, during a time when humankind is faced with the threat of extinction. A devastating war fought between two major nations with ultra-magnetic weapons far greater than anything seen earlier brings about total chaos and destruction throughout the world, resulting in several earthquakes and tsunamis. The earth is thrown off its axis, its crust rocked by massive movements, and the five continents are torn completely apart and sink deep below the sea.

An attempt by a group of people to flee to outer space failed, with their spaceships being forced back to earth and vanishing, thus shattering their hopes. But one of the spaceships narrowly escaped destruction and crash landed on a small island which had miraculously survived the devastation. The crew members of the spaceship settled there, as if they were seeds sown on the island.

Amidst these survivors, a boy named Conan is born in October 2010, bringing a new ray of hope to the survivors. After several years, during which most of the other survivors had died and the only people left on the island were Conan and his grandfather, he meets a young girl named Lana, and their adventure begins. Between the different islands left in the world, including Industria, High Harbor, Remnant, and others, the young group of adventurers travel and conflict rises between good and evil people. Throughout the series a pure love story develops between Conan and Lana.[2][1]

Characters

Conan (コナン, Konan) Voiced by: Noriko Ohara
The main protagonist of the series, Conan is an adventerous 11-year-old boy who grew up on Remnant Island and was raised by his grandfather. Conan is very attuned to his rural, secluded lifestyle. He is a extremely strong, being a good runner, jumper, climber, who can hang on a ledge with just his toes, and an excellent swimmer, being able to hold his breath for more than three minutes. He is also proficient with his spear, particularly at throwing it. His strength and related talents get him out of most situations. Despite his strength, he is gentle and kind to people he meets. Deciding to rescue Lana in a self-constructed sailboat after his Grandfather's killing and Lana's subsequent capture, Conan meets new friends and acquaintances while becoming caught up in Lepka's plots in Industria and High Harbour. Conan is friends with Lana for whom he develops romantic feelings.
Lana (ラナ, Rana) Voiced by: Mieko Nobusawa
Lana is a shy, timid girl, who is the granddaughter of Dr. Lao, and she devotes herself to him throughout the story. Lana, who is also 11, is discovered by Conan, unconsciously washed up on the shore, as the first person other than his grandfather whom Conan meets. After a period of being held captive by Dyce, she follows Conan's group through Industria in an attempt to find her grandfather. Pursued by Industria, Lepka intends to capture her as hostage in order to obtain the secret of solar power from Dr. Lao. Lana is referred to as possessing ESP, allowing her to communicate with a tern named Tikki, as well as sense the presence of her grandfather. She comes from High Harbor. Lana develops romantic feelings for Conan and a desire to be with him.
Grandpa (おじい, Ojii) Voiced by: Masato Yamanouchi
Conan's adopted elderly grandfather, who raised him on the island. Originally part of a crew of people escaping from the largely destroyed Earth, their spaceship crashed back down, miraculously landing on Remnant Island, with all the members surviving, including Conan's grandfather. With every other crew member dying soon after Conan's birth, he was left to raise Conan alone for 11 years, taking him as his adopted Grandson. However, after being attacked by two soldiers of Industria during Lana's abduction, he dies after succumbing to his injuries.
Monsley (モンスリー, Monsurī) Voiced by: Rihoko Yoshida
A young commander of Industria's armed forces, Monsley is the second non-Islander Conan sees. Piloting the flying boat Falco, she is initially tasked with Lepka's orders by helping capture Lana, and eventually leading the invasion of Industria to conquer High Harbor. With disdain for the older generation, encounters with Conan and following the events of the battle in High Harbor, Monsley renounces Lepka's ambitions, and joins with Conan against him.
Jimsy (ジムシィ, Jimushī) Voiced by: Kazuyo Aoki
A wild boy living alone on the first island Conan arrives at, Jimsy quickly becomes Conan's first "companion", helping him rescue Lana. Jimsy is a master hunter, proficient with his bow and able to draw with Conan in a race, and is motivated mostly by his stomach. Jimsey ends up spending most of his time with Dyce as Conan and Lana are separated from the party. Initially, Jimsy had a negative view on women, but he gradually forms a relationship with Tera, whom he saved, at the end of the series.
Dyce (ダイス, Daisu) Voiced by: Ichirō Nagai
Dyce is a citizen of Industria, and the captain of the ship Barracuda. He was originally ordered to kidnap Lana, but let her escape due to his obsession with his captive and his dislike of Monsley and Lepka. Initially a comedic villain of Conan, he eventually becomes one of Conan's allies, helping to overthrow Industria's regime in their exploits. He is a clumsy character, largely unfamiliar with the Industrian weaponry he finds himself using, and often makes it out alive with Jimsey by pure luck in fights with forces of Industria.
Lepka (レプカ, Repuka) Voiced by: Iemasa Kayumi
The head of administration of Industria, Lepka technically serves under the Industria High Council, a group of scientists. However, over the course of the series he becomes the sole dictator of Industria, and the primary antagonist. Lepka desires to extract the secret of solar power from Dr. Lao to power his weapons, which would allow him to rule over what remains of the world.
Dr. Briac Lao (ラオ博士, Rao-hakase) Voiced by: Masato Yamanouchi
The grandfather of Lana, and the main scientist responsible for the development of solar power for both civil and wartime usage. Originally a member of Industria's High Council, he defected after he learned of Lepka's power-driven ambitions. He believes that the people of Industria must be taught to discard their weapons, and begin new lives in peace. For this reason he escaped, bringing with him the secret of how to access the orbiting solar power station from pre-war times.
Umasou (うまそう, Umasō)
Umasou, which means "looks delicious" in Japanese, is Jimsy's pet piglet.
Orlo (オーロ, Ōro)
Orlo leads an Anarchist gang based in the mountains of High Harbour, taxing whoever the gang surrounds. He plots to become the leader of High Harbor through force, demanding that the citizens of High Harbor surrender to Industria or face destruction. After being captured while one-sidedly losing a battle against soldiers of a Warship of Industria, Orlo collaborates with Monsley to trick Lana's village into surrender and capture.
Tera (テラ, Tera)
Orlo's younger sister, about the same as Conan and Jimsey. She is the second leader of Orlo's men. She is injured by a rocket fired by Industria's soldiers after she, and other of the gang members attack forces from an Industrian warship, being saved by Conan and Jimsey.

Anime

Future Boy Conan first aired across Japan on the NHK TV network between April 4 and October 31, 1978, during the Tuesday, 7:30pm timeslot. It has been regularly broadcast across Japan on the anime satellite television network Animax, who have also later translated and dubbed the series into English for broadcast across its respective English-language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia, under the title Conan, The Boy In Future.

The series was also translated into numerous other languages, including Chinese (both Cantonese and Mandarin), French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Basque, Portuguese, Korean, Turkish, Kurdish and Arabic. It has been broadcast across Europe, Latin America, the Arab world and numerous other regions.

Staff

Theme songs

Video games

A video game version of the series by Telenet Japan was released in 1992 on NEC's PC Engine console. The game was released on the Super CD-Rom format and was only available in Japan. In 1995, another game titled Conan: The Boy In Future, was exclusively released on the 3DO, and was developed by Bandai Visual and published by Emotion Digital Software. The game also is exclusive in Japan, and is extremely rare. In January 2011, NewGin announced a pachinko game titled Future Boy Conan: Love and Courage and Adventure (未来少年コナン〜愛と勇気と冒険と〜, Mirai Shōnen Konan: Ai to Yūki to Bōken) based on the anime television series.[3]

Another video game adaptation of the series was released for the PlayStation 2 home console in August 25, 2005, only in Japan.

Influences and reception

In a 1983 interview with Yōko Yomizawa, Hayao Miyazaki acknowledged that ratings for the show had not been very good, noting that episode twenty-five had received the highest rating at 14 percent.[1]

In her 1999 book Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation, Helen McCarthy identifies Conan as a "seminal" work and recognizes themes and story elements in this production which Miyazaki would continue to explore throughout his career. McCarthy also notes continuity in the development of the characters and their plight throughout Miyazaki's work. She sees Lana and Conan as precedents for his later heroines and characters, and mentions, among others, Sheeta's rescue by Pazu, from Miyazaki's 1986 animated feature film Castle in the Sky, as an example.[4]

Popularity in the Arab world

The show was very popular in the Arab world and still is today. The dubbing was performed by the now defunct Arab Audio and Video Center, which was based in Kuwait. The cast included a number of Kuwaiti TV stars such as Jassim Al-Nabhan, Ali Al-Mufidi and others. Conan's name was changed to Adnan and Lana's was changed to Leena so that they could have names similar to Arabic names. Unlike most Arabic dubs of anime, Future Boy Conan has retained most of its plot details without any altering.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Miyazaki, Hayao (July 31, 1996). "「コ ナン」 を語る" [Speaking of Conan]. 出発点 1979~1996 [Starting Point 1979~1996]. San Francisco: Viz Media. pp. 285–310. ISBN 978-1-4215-0594-7. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014. ((cite book)): Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ 純粋な少年「コナン」と少女「ラナ」の愛の物語「ラブストーリー」 [Pure Love Story Conan and Lana]. Animage (in Japanese) (145). Tokyo: Tokuma Shoten: 37. June 10, 1990. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  3. ^ アニメ｢未来少年コナン｣がパチンコ化決定! [The anime "Future Boy Conan" to be pachinko-ized!] (in Japanese). Searchina. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Helen (1999). Hayao Miyazaki Master of Japanese Animation (2002 ed.). Berkeley, Ca: Stone Bridge Press. pp. 39, 223. ISBN 1880656418. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. ((cite book)): Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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