Future Boy Conan

Conan is a cult case in Portugal, at least for people who are now around their thirties. Having been broadcast in 1984, it garnered a lot of following and deservedly so (it has been put on sale on DVD the past year - 2004). The story, has most of the themes that populates Miyazaki's work: man as the entity that destroys nature, the conflict between nature and technology, elements that would be developed in features like "Castle in the Sky" or "Princess Mononoke". I've been a fan of Mr. Miyazaki's work for some time now, and that started with Conan (and I personally remember having the cards that were placed on sale at the time it was first shown) - this show was magical, funny and the main character represented a freedom that every kid longs or aims for. The animation nowadays is dominated by computers, but somehow this work is a true classic: you still look at it with awe and amazement, for all the uniqueness that made it so special when it first was shown is still all there. A must see!

Highly dramatic and engaging, this TV series was near perfect and shows Miyazaki's talents for the first time he directed something. Interestingly, Miyazaki's characters that he developed in this TV series served as prototypes for the films he made. Indeed, this TV series is actually one 26 episode long film with many subplots that constitute each of the episodes.

Also, it is impressively dramatic considering it was a TV series marketed for children. The Japanese animated TV series were always much more dramatic and complex than American animated TV series, but in the 1970's anime it was still in its early stages and wasn't as well developed as it became in the 1980's, when it's range expanded to all demographic groups.

An excellent TV series, indeed, one of the most powerful ever made. Yes, I said powerful for an animated TV series from the 1970's, because it is.

I would say its the best "animated anything" of all time, but to avoid excessive hyperbole I reluctantly confine myself to "Japanese anime TV series". This is one of Hayao Miyazaki's earlier projects (by no means earliest), and yet it is his best. The colors are not as rich, the animation not as fluid as in his later works but its still his best. Its a 1970's anime made with 1970s techniques, yet you could not want it any other way. The character's drawing is simple by later standards, monotone faces, quite flat, but they are unforgettable and their visual "flatness" only emphasizes their depth of character. The scenery despite the limitations of technology is simply beautiful. All in all, what Miyazaki achieved with this series is the equivalent of replicating the Mona Lisa using nothing but crayons. I will say no more. Except that I pity that part of the world which never had the pleasure to watch it or even hear of it.

I have seen all 11 of Miyazaki's films multiple times, being a huge fan of his and Studio Ghibli's work, but in my opinion, out of all the works he has done, Future Boy Conan is his masterpiece. I absolutely adore this show! I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the chemistry between Conan and Lana, I loved how gripping the whole thing was and it ended on a great note!

Future Boy Conan could be the most underrated and overlooked TV show of all time. I've seen this show twice and honestly, I'm tempted to call it my favourite TV show of all time (NO JOKE!). It is that good. So many people are missing out. If you are a Miyazaki fan, I strongly recommend you check out 26 episodes of brilliant story-telling. All the episodes are available in 1080p quality on KissAnime, subbed only. What are you waiting for? Watch it right now. You will not be disappointed!

If only most kids TV shows nowadays were even close to the quality of Future Boy Conan.

10/10 from me!

It is one of the few animation series that I remember being broadcasted here in Portugal when I was younger (1984). I didn't know who the author was, but I loved it. Best of all, in those days here in Portugal, they would show Japanese Animation with the original voices (Japanese) with Portuguese subtitles.

Now about the series: It has drama, it has action, and it has comedy, all packed in fantastic animation (for 1978). In one series we see all the themes Hayao Miyazaki would use in his films. And a lot of characters are prototypes of others he creates in his films. Fantastic!