The Mysterious Cities of Gold

One of the best animated TV series was born from the collaboration of a French idea and amazing Japanese artistry. Director Bernard Deyriès and producer Jean Chalopin had already collaborated with TMS for their previous production Ulysses 31 which met with great success. Now, the series was to be co-produced by Studio Pierrot (Creamy Mami, Naruto, Bleach, etc.).

Although both series were released around the world, the basis for the international version was the French edit, which differs from its Japanese counterpart. In the case of the Cities of gold, the title was Taiyo no ko Esteban (Esteban, child of the sun).

Deleted Opening shot in Japanese version

The difference is apparent as soon as the main title begins: the ever popular song (sung by Noam Kaniel) of the English version is completely different in Japanese. A quick glance at the animation proves that the sequence was designed to fit the Japanese song "Bouken Sha Tashi" (Adventurers) by "Pal" (a group with Masato Arai, Takaki Funabashi, Hiroki Harada, and Kayo Watanabe). A few shots were deleted in the International version to fit the length of the new song. The ending song is also different in Japanese: "Itsuka Dokokade Anatani Atta" (Meeting You Some Day) by "Pal" also. Here's is the opening theme :

Here's the shorter English version:

Alternate animation in episode 4

But the differences are not limited to the title sequences. Within the episodes, some scenes are included in one version and not in the other. The most obvious change is an entirely different ending in episode 4: in the international version, the heroes fight against shark whereas in the Japanese version, they quietly row ashore.

Japanese LP

However the main difference between the international and Japanese version is obviously the score. Nobuyoshi Kyoshibe composed a conventional score (available on LP) which has its merits, but it never quite stroke the same chord as the international soundtrack by Shuki Levy. The latter is available on CD also, both the original tracks and a re-orchestrated version. I always liked that score which somehow conveys Southern American or Spanish rhythms with mostly electronic sounds.

As if that wasn't enough, and even when the basis is the same international version, there are various cuts between the English and French version due to censorship. The popular live-action documentaries at the end of each episode are also omitted from most English language broadcast (they are on the DVD release though).

The series met with moderate success in Japan when originally aired in 1982.

If you get a chance to see the Japanese DVDs, be aware that they offer a entirely new dub with a new cast, made in 1998 and no documentaries. Even the main title song was mixed somewhat differently. Here is the DVD version:

Very little information transpired as to why they needed to record new voices but it would seem that the original dub is mostly lost (destroyed?) which is rather believable considering its relative obscurity and the fact that the same thing seems to have happened to Ulysses 31.
The omission of the documentaries is rather regrettable though, since the Japanese version originally contained more footage than the international one (usually a science professor introducing the sequence).
Here's an example:

A new series is currently under production in France. The first episode is due to air in december 2012 on the first network. Apparently the entire cast was replaced, even though, behind the scenes, some of the original crew was reused.

Here's a peek at the new series:

The 1982 series is available on DVD.
Please click "like" on the Facebook page to receive updates.
That's all for today folks!