Moomin (1969 TV series)

Moomin (ムーミン, Mūmin) is a Japanese anime television series which was broadcast on Fuji Television between 1969 and 1970. The series are loosely based on the Moomin books by a Finnish author Tove Jansson. A sequel series entitled Shin Muumin (New Moomin) was later released. Jansson, however, never really approved of these series due to dramatic changes in areas such as plot, atmosphere, and character personality. In addition, the sequel was targeted for adults rather than children.

The series was never translated in European languages or released outside Japan. It is also notably different from the later anime television series Moomin, released in the early 1990s, which was translated into many languages and released in dozens of countries. The later series relies more on to the original of the Moomin books, and was accepted as a part of the Moomin franchise.

Summary

This series is the 1969 version of Moomin. It is only called "Moomin" in Japan. Its first half is referred to as "Tokyo Movie version," as opposed to the latter half, or the "Mushi Pro version". Hisashi Inoue, a novelist and dramatist who won many prizes, participated as a screenwriter in the first half.

Tokyo Movie that undertook the production of this at first drew the eye of Moomin greatly according to liking of a Japanese children, and drew him lovely. The character of Moomin also differs from the original. He was a naughty ordinary boy who occasionally did fight or was a little sly. Moreover, since the car etc. appeared in everyday life ordinarily, Tove Jansson, the original author, got angry, saying "my Moomin is No car, No fight, and No money" (At that time, Hayao Miyazaki who had participated in this work as an animator opposed it, and made the tank appear in the work). Although the reputation as animation for the boys in whom elements of an adventure and a comedy, etc. were incorporated was very high, it was too different from the original. In addition, the names weren't the same as in the original, and the heroine who didn’t have any name in the original (and was called only "The Snork Maiden") was named "Nonono". The first director took the name from his wife's pet. However, she was renamed "フローレン, Fraulen" which parodied the word "Fräulein" to mean "young lady" in later "Delightful Moomin Family" because the author disliked her name being audible as "non, non (no, no)". As a result, Tokyo Movie had the contract cancelled, and the character design had been changed by her complaint.

Mushi pro version which took over this work had a lot of literary episode in which a mysterious story, a scary story, an absurd story, a myth story or a tragedy, etc. were included.

Still, her consent is not obtained, and the program has ended.

List of Moomin episodes

DVD release

This series has not been released on DVD.

Since it is difficult to obtain permission from the author side and two or more copyright holder exist, it is said that it is difficult to make this DVD.

VHS and LD release

The series was released on VHS and LD in Japan, but was eventually discontinued.

LD

Vol.1-7 (episode 1-26)

VHS

"The volume of love" (episode 37, 49)

"The volume of dream" (episode 34, 64)

See also

• New Moomin

References

1. ^ Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy. The anime encyclopedia. Stone Bridge Press, 2006. ISBN 9781933330105. 

External links

• Moomin (1969 TV series) (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia