Paul's Miracle Mission - A thorough analysis of the touching story and the appeal of the characters

Paul's Miracle Mission - A look back at the nostalgic fairy tale adventure

"Paul's Great Adventure" is an original anime TV series produced by Tatsunoko Productions that aired from 1976 to 1977. Although it is a long series of 50 episodes, the story of adventure and friendship unfolding in a different world each time was very popular with children at the time. In this article, we will take a closer look at the appeal and background of "Paul's Great Adventure" and its subsequent influence.

■Overview of the work

"Paul's Great Miracle Mission" is a story about the adventures of Paul, a boy who loves fantasy stories, who is guided by Pakkun, a fairy who resides in a stuffed toy, to save his childhood friend Nina from the demon king Belt Satan. Paul travels to various parallel worlds with Nina's dog Doppe, and overcomes obstacles along the way. Each episode features a different parallel world, and the unique worldviews and characters make this a fascinating work.

■Broadcast information

"Paul's Miracle Mission" was broadcast for 30 minutes every Sunday from 9:30 a.m. on Fuji TV from October 3, 1976 to September 11, 1977. It was a long-running series of 50 episodes, and became one of the things that children looked forward to in the morning.

■Production Background

Tatsunoko Productions produced many popular anime in the 1970s, including the "Time Bokan" series and "GoWapper 5 Godam." "Paul's Great Miracle Mission" was planned as part of this project, and the original story was written by Tatsunoko Productions' planning department. The director was Hiroshi Sasagawa, and the character designs were by Akiko Shimomoto. The music was also composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, who also composed the theme song.

■ Story

Paul is an ordinary boy who loves fantasy stories. One day, he is invited to another world by Pakkun, a fairy who lives in a stuffed animal. Paul spends a happy time in this dreamlike world with his childhood friend Nina and his dog Doppe, who can now speak. However, the demon king Belt Satan suddenly appears and kidnaps Nina. Paul, along with Doppe and Pakkun, embarks on an adventure through this mysterious world to save Nina.

■ Characters

・Paul: An ordinary boy who loves to fantasize. He embarks on an adventure through a mysterious world to save Nina, who has been kidnapped by Belt Satan.
Nina: A childhood friend of Paul. She is kidnapped by the demon king Belt Satan and imprisoned somewhere in a mysterious world.
Doppe: Nina's pet dog. With Pakkun's power, he stands on two legs and speaks in the strange world.
・Pakkun: A fairy that resides in a stuffed toy. He guides Paul and his friends into a mysterious world.
Belt Satan: A demon king from another world who has woken up from a 2,000-year slumber. He kidnaps Nina, a human girl, to become his source of life.
Kinoppy: A mushroom man who is a servant of Belt Satan.

■ Main robot items

- Occult Hammer: Pakkun's mysterious hammer. It can open doors to other worlds and give power to various objects.

■ Episode

"Paul's Miracle Mission" is a long-running series of 50 episodes, each set in a different alternate world. Here are some excerpts:

#1/Resurrected Belt Satan#2/The Fearful Spider's Web Castle#3/The Pitcher Plant Pursuit#4/The Secret of the Rock Giant#5/The Skeleton's Fierce Attack#6/The Thunder Demon Showdown#7/The Fearful Roller Giant#8/Flowers Bloom in the Cactus Kingdom#9/Defeat the Evil Birdman#10/Awaken! The Bronze Knight#11/Nina's Flower of Memories#12/The Boy of Door Castle#13/The Night Monster, Aknighter#14/Burn, Flame! Once again・#15/Attack on the Giants' Country・#16/The Battle of Origami Country・#17/Aim for Belt Satan's Horn・#18/The Tears of the Spade Witch・#19/The Clock Country that Forgot Time・#20/The Fireworks Castle of Sadness・#21/The Wrath of the Giant Lens・#22/The End of Mecha Town・#23/The Upside-Down Fuss・#24/Rise Up, Swaying Shadows・#25/Draw it in a Picture Book! The City of Freedom・#26/The Adventures of Detective Tokkamer・#27/The Tears of the Virgin Mary・#28/Musical Note Man, Call for Peace・#29/Resurrection! The Light of Conscience #30 / The Country That Stolen the Future #31 / The Vegetable People Who Lost the Sun #32 / The Demonic Bacteria World #33 / Get Back the Seven Colors #34 / Pakkun Returns to His Hometown #35 / The Transformation of the Ceramic People #36 / Join Hands, Mini-Mini Country (Part 1)
#37: Join Hands, Mini-Mini Country (Part 2)
・#38/The Bridge of Love Made by Toys・#39/The Mysterious Number Man・#40/The Adventurer in the Sea・#41/The Tree of Hope and Courage・#42/Stand Up! Animal Knights・#43/Soap Bubbles Forever・#44/The Wrath of the Totem Pole・#45/Flower's Sister Lippy・#46/The Resurrection of Belt Satan・#47/Carnival in the Land of Sweets (Part 1)
#48 / Carnival in the Land of Sweets (Part 2)
・No. 49 / Hunt down Belt Satan! ・No. 50 / Goodbye! Mysterious World

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・"Paul's Adventure"
Lyrics: Ichiro Wakabayashi; Composition and Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi; Vocals: Kumiko Osugi, Columbia Yurikagokai; Ending theme:
・"Occult Hammer Song"
Lyrics: Ichiro Wakabayashi; Composition and Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi; Vocals: Kumiko Osugi, Columbia Yurikago-kai

■Cast

・Paul/Sumiko Shirakawa・Nina/Keiko Yokozawa・Doppe/Isamu Tanonaka・Pakkun/Yoko Asagami・Belt Satan/Toru Ohira・Kinoppy/Yuko Maruyama・Narration/Aiko Konoshima

■ Main staff

・Production: Tatsuo Yoshida ・Planning: Jinzo Toriumi, Shigeru Yanagawa ・Original story: Tatsunoko Productions Planning Department ・Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi ・Art director: Mitsuki Nakamura (♯1～♯26)
・Character design: Akiko Shimomoto ・Sound director: Kan Mizumoto (Zack Promotion)
Producers: Ippei Kuri, Masaru Shibata, Masashi Nagai Chief Director: Hiroshi Sasagawa Production: Fuji Television, Tatsunoko Productions

■The appeal of the work

The greatest appeal of "Paul's Great Miracle Mission" is the adventure story set in a different world each time. It depicts a worldview that stimulates children's imagination, such as the Land of Sweets, the Land of Toys, and the Land of Clocks. Also, do not miss the friendship and growth of characters such as Paul, Nina, Doppe, and Pakkun. In particular, Paul's struggle to save Nina gave courage and hope to children.

■ Impact and evaluation

"Paul's Great Miracle Mission" is highly acclaimed as an anime work from the 1970s. In particular, the innovative idea of ​​depicting a different alternate world in each episode influenced later anime works. In addition, the music by Shunsuke Kikuchi and the character designs by Akiko Shimomoto were also highly praised and supported the quality of the work as a whole. Even today, remakes and derivative works by fans are thriving, which shows how popular it is.

■ Recommendation points

"Paul's Great Miracle Mission" is a work that can be enjoyed by both children and adults. It is especially recommended for those who like fantasy and adventure. It is also a must-see for those who are interested in anime works from the 1970s and those who want to cover all the works of Tatsunoko Productions. It is a long-running series with a total of 50 episodes, but each episode depicts a different alternate world, so you can enjoy it without getting bored.

■ Summary

"Paul's Great Miracle Mission" is an original anime produced by Tatsunoko Productions that aired from 1976 to 1977. This work depicts the adventures of Paul, a boy who loves to dream, as he tries to save his childhood friend Nina from the demon king Belt Satan, and the appeal of the story is that it unfolds in a different parallel world in each episode. Don't miss the friendship and growth of the characters, as well as the music by Shunsuke Kikuchi and the character designs by Akiko Shimomoto. Its popularity has not waned even today, and fans are actively remaking and creating derivative works. Please enjoy this nostalgic fairy tale adventure at least once.