The appeal and reviews of "Fumoon": Why you shouldn't miss it

Fumoon - Tezuka Osamu's Future Predictions and Inspirational Stories

■ Public Media

TV Special

■ Original Media

comics

■ Broadcast period

August 31, 1980 - January 1, 0000
Sunday, August 26, 1979 10:00-12:00

■Broadcasting station

Broadcast on Nippon Television Network

■Frequencies

91 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

・Original story: Osamu Tezuka's "The World to Come"

■ Production

Produced by Nippon Television Network, Tezuka Productions

■Works

©Tezuka Productions

■ Story

Horseshoe Island in the South Pacific. A new species of human beings, several dozen centimeters tall, that resemble a mix between humans and insects, appears on the island. Dr. Yamadano believes this to be a sign of an abnormal event on Earth and speaks out at an international conference, but his voice is ignored by the two major powers. Around the same time, Yamadano's old friend, private investigator Ban Shunsaku, is taken prisoner by the new species, and his nephew Kenichi and his sister Peach investigate the connection to the disappearance of animals and head to Horseshoe Island with the help of newspaper reporter Rock and others. There they learn an important truth.

■Explanation

This is the third installment of the special anime series made for the 24-hour charity program. This time, it is based on his early masterpiece "The World to Come." It begins when the new human race, the Fumoon, uses their psychic powers to quickly sense the approaching dark gas cloud of death and tries to escape from the Earth. The final scene is a moving and memorable one.

■Cast

・Kenichi/Hiroshi Suzuki・Rednov/Noriaki Otsuka・Rock/Kento Shiozawa・Gamata/Kenji Utsumi・Rococo/Mari Okamoto・Cocoa/Kumiko Takizawa・Peach/Minori Matsushima・Bearded Man/Kosei Tomita・Whiskey Chief/Toshiyama Midorikawa・Dr. Tanno/Junpei Takiguchi・Mose/Ryoko Kurumiya・Notarian/Ichiro Nagai

■ Main staff

・Original story: Based on Tezuka Osamu's "The World to Come" ・Produced by Tezuka Osamu ・Planning by Yoshikawa Bin (Nippon Television Network), Tsuzuki Tadahiko (Nippon Television Network)

・Composition, direction, and mecha design: Sakaguchi Hisashi

・Producers: Toru Horikoshi, Takayuki Matsutani, Toru Komori ・Chief animation director: Hiroshi Nishimura ・Art director: Seiji Miyamoto ・Assistant director: Yoshihiro Shimizu ・Set design assistant: Gen Sato ・Character design: Hiroshi Nishimura ・Title: Yoshiyasu Fujii

・Animation: Makoto Ito, Shunichi Sakai, Yuzo Tomizawa, Kazuo Yamazaki, Riki Yoshida, Shigetaka Kiyoyama, Teruo Handa, Akihiro Kanayama, Sadayoshi Tominaga, Junji Kobayashi, Takateru Miwa, Kozo Masanobu ・Animation: Yumiko Shimamura, Hiroko Konishi, Akiko Murata, Keiko Shimizu, Mikiko Takanashi, Masahiko Imai, Ikuko Kanda, Tatsuya Ishiguro, Masateru Yoshimura, Yasuo Ishii ・Sound Director: Satoshi Kato ・Production: Nippon Television Network, Tezuka Productions


Staff 2
・Music/Theme song/Composition/Arrangement/Yuji Ohno ・Insert song "Star of Love"
Lyrics by Keisuke Yamakawa
・Composition and Arrangement: Yuji Ohno
・Song: ANKH

The appeal and reputation of Fumoon

The TV special anime "Fumoon", based on Tezuka Osamu's "The World to Come", was broadcast on Nippon Television in 1980. This work was produced as part of a 24-hour charity program and is based on one of Tezuka Osamu's early masterpieces. Although it is a long special anime at 91 minutes, it is characterized by a story that draws the viewer in and a moving final scene.

The story revolves around the Houmoon, a new human race that appeared on Horseshoe Island in the South Pacific. The Houmoons have an appearance that resembles a combination of humans and insects, and their appearance is thought to be a sign of abnormal changes on Earth. Dr. Yamadano appeals for this fact at an international conference, but is ignored by the two major powers. Meanwhile, private investigator Ban Shunsaku, an old friend of Dr. Yamadano, is taken prisoner by the new human race, and his nephew Kenichi and his sister Peach head to Horseshoe Island to find out the truth. There, they learn an important fact.

The appeal of this work lies in Osamu Tezuka's foresight into the future and the profound human drama. The scene in which the new human race, the Fumoon, sense the approaching dark gas cloud of death using their psychic powers and try to escape from the Earth leaves a strong impression on viewers. The final scene is also a moving and memorable one that will move viewers' hearts.

The cast is also impressive, with popular voice actors from the time such as Hiroshi Suzuki as Kenichi, Norio Otsuka as Rednov, and Kaneto Shiozawa as Rock. In particular, the performances of Minori Matsushima as Peach and Kosei Tomita as Higeoyaji add depth to the story.

The main staff is also made up of the finest talent from Tezuka Productions, with the original story by Tezuka Osamu, the composition, direction and mecha design by Sakaguchi Hisashi, and the animation director by Nishimura Hiroshi. The music is also by Ohno Yuji, and the insert song "Love Star" is sung by ANKH. The combined efforts of these staff members have raised the quality of the entire work.

Fumoon's evaluation and recommendation

"Fumoon" is highly acclaimed for Tezuka Osamu's predictions of the future and its moving storyline. In particular, the existence of the new human race, the Fumoon, who are depicted as a harbinger of Earth's strange events, deeply moves viewers. The moving and memorable final scene also leaves a lasting impression on viewers.

This work is based on Osamu Tezuka's early masterpiece "The World to Come," and its deep themes and human drama are appealing. The scenes of the new human race, the Fumoon's supernatural powers and their escape from Earth, leave a strong impression on viewers. In addition, the combined efforts of the luxurious cast and staff raise the quality of the work as a whole.

"Fumoon" is recommended for those who want to enjoy Tezuka Osamu's vision of the future and a moving story. It is also recommended for those who are interested in Tezuka Osamu's early masterpiece "The World to Come" and those who are interested in the special anime produced as part of a 24-hour charity program. Please watch this work and experience Tezuka Osamu's vision of the future and a moving story.