20th Century Hour's "The Making of an Undersea City" Review: Exploring the Dreams and Reality of Future Cities

20th Century Hour "Until the Undersea City is Made" - Tezuka Osamu's Dreams and Challenges

■Overview of the work

The anime series "20th Century Hour: How an Undersea City Was Built," which aired on Nippon Television on February 2, 1969, is a science fiction drama on the theme of marine development, with Tezuka Osamu as the original creator and supervisor. The series was produced primarily by members of Mushi Production, and tells the story of "Seto Oceanotopia," which is being constructed on the bottom of the Seto Inland Sea. The series is short, with only one episode, 45 minutes long, but packed with content.

■ Story

"Seto Oceanotopia" was under construction on the bottom of the Seto Inland Sea. After 15 years and a huge amount of effort and money, Taro Yamamoto, the project manager, finally completed the underwater city that is the dream of mankind. This story depicts the many difficulties that Taro Yamamoto and his team faced and the process of overcoming them. The construction of an underwater city is an epic project that not only poses technical challenges but also intertwines human drama.

■Explanation

"20th Century Hour: How the Undersea City Was Built" is an animated series that was broadcast as part of Nippon Television's live-action program "20th Century Hour." Tezuka Osamu was in charge of the original concept and supervision, and it was produced as a science fiction human drama on the theme of marine development. It was produced primarily by Eiichi Yamamoto and Yusaku Sakamoto of Mushi Production, and is a work filled with the technology and passion of the time. Through the grand theme of building an undersea city, this work depicts the dreams and challenges of human beings.

■Cast

Many talented voice actors are involved in this work. The main cast includes:

• Hiroko Kikuchi
• Sakuma Isao
• Kairyuji
• Akiko Santo
• Junpei Takiguchi
• Koichi Tomita
• Goro Naya
• Ichiro Nagai
• Mariko Mukai
• Ichiro Murakoshi
• Shun Yashiro
• Koji Yada

■ Main staff

The following people are involved in the production of this work:

• Original story: Osamu Tezuka
• Producers: Masaru Murai, Tatsuo Ikeuchi
• Directed by: Eiichi Yamamoto and Yusaku Sakamoto
• Screenplay: Tadaaki Yamazaki
• Music: Takeo Yamashita
• Photography: Eiji Yamaura, Akihiko Mori
• Character design: Kimura Shuji
• Illustrations: Renzo Kinoshita, Norio Hikone
• Background design: Shiro Fujimoto
• Background: Tsuyoshi Matsumoto, Hachiro Tsukima
• Trace: Mitsuyo Kitaoka
• Coloring: Tomiko Takahashi
• Special effects: Tomoji Hashizume, Fusao Tasaki
• Sound: Atsumi Tashiro, Susumu Aketagawa
• Effect: Mitsuru Kashiwabara
• Assistant Director: Tatsuo Shibayama
• Edited by: Masashi Furukawa and Noriyoshi Matsuura
• Moderators: Hideo Katayama, Teruhisa Kitaoka, Yoshihiro Nozaki
• Production desk: Kimura Oko
• Produced by: Mushi Production

■ Main Characters

The main characters in this work are:

• Taro Yamamoto: The central figure in the construction of the Ocean City. He overcame many hardships and completed the construction of the Ocean City.
• Kazuko Mikami: Taro Yamamoto's future wife. Small submarine engineer.

■ Background and production secrets of the work

"20th Century Hour: The Construction of an Undersea City" is a work that symbolizes Tezuka Osamu's dreams and challenges for the future. In the late 1960s, amid rapid advances in science and technology, this work, which depicts the grand dream of mankind building an undersea city, deeply moved viewers at the time. Tezuka Osamu attempted to convey hope for the future by depicting the possibilities of ocean development and the challenge of exceeding human limits.

During the production process, the entire staff of Mushi Production worked as one. In particular, directors Eiichi Yamamoto and Yusaku Sakamoto skillfully balanced the realistic depiction of the underwater city with human drama, creating a work that deeply moved the audience. In addition, character designer Shuji Kimura added depth to the work by faithfully recreating Tezuka Osamu's worldview while adding his own unique style.

■ Evaluation and influence of the work

"20th Century Hour: The Construction of an Undersea City" was highly praised from the time it was broadcast. It was especially praised for its grand theme of constructing an undersea city and the depth of the human drama that supported it. In addition, the fact that it was conceived and supervised by Osamu Tezuka guaranteed the high quality of the work, and it garnered a lot of support from viewers.

This work had a major influence on later science fiction anime and works with the theme of marine development. In particular, the depiction of the underwater city and technical details are often used as references in later works, and Tezuka Osamu's foresight is highly praised. In addition, the depiction of human drama deeply moved viewers, making it a work beloved by many people.

■ Appeal and recommendation points of the work

The appeal of "20th Century Hour: The Construction of an Undersea City" is, above all, its grand theme and deep human drama. The sight of Taro Yamamoto and his team chasing the dream of building an undersea city gives viewers inspiration and hope. Also, do not miss the beautiful visuals that combine Osamu Tezuka's worldview with the technical capabilities of Mushi Productions.

Here are some reasons why I recommend this film:

• Grand Theme: The grand theme of building an underwater city gives viewers dreams and hope for the future.
• Deep human drama: The human drama of Taro Yamamoto and his team will deeply move the audience.
• Tezuka Osamu's worldview: Works conceived and supervised by Tezuka Osamu are guaranteed to be of high quality.
• The technical capabilities of Mushi Production: The visual beauty created by the entire staff of Mushi Production is well worth seeing.

■Detailed information about the work

Below are some details about the work:

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Broadcast period

February 2, 1969 - January 1, 0000

■Broadcasting station

Nippon Television

■Frequencies

45 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Osamu Tezuka

■ Production

Mushi Production

■Work ratings and reviews

"20th Century Hour: The Making of the Undersea City" has been loved and highly praised by many viewers since it was first broadcast. Here are some of the viewers' reviews:

• "I was moved by the grand theme of constructing an underwater city. Taro Yamamoto's human drama was also profound, and it brought me to tears."
• "This work is filled with the worldview of Tezuka Osamu. The technical capabilities of Mushi Production are also superb, making it well worth watching."
• "The depiction of the underwater city was so realistic that it gave me a sense of hope for the future. The human drama was also moving, making it a work that I would want to watch again and again."

■ Related information about the work

Here is some information related to "20th Century Hour: The Making of an Undersea City":

• Other works by Tezuka Osamu: Tezuka Osamu created many masterpieces, such as "Astro Boy" and "Black Jack." Be sure to check out these works as well.
• Other works by Mushi Production: Mushi Production produced many classic anime such as "Jungle Emperor" and "Ribbon Knight". These works are also worth watching.
• Other works with the theme of ocean development: Other works with the theme of ocean development include "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Waterworld." These works are also interesting.

■Recommendation and summary of the work

"20th Century Hour: The Construction of an Undersea City" is a magnificent work that depicts the dreams and challenges of Tezuka Osamu. The theme of the construction of an undersea city and the deep human drama will inspire and give hope to the viewer. Also, do not miss the beautiful visuals packed with the technical capabilities of Mushi Production. Please give this work a watch. I'm sure you too will be able to feel dreams and hopes for the future.