Grimm Masterpiece Theatre: Review and impressions of the animation that rediscovers the charm of classic fairy tales

Grimm Masterpiece Theater - Grimm Masterpiece Theater

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

novel

■ Broadcast period

Broadcast period: October 21, 1987 to March 30, 1988 Broadcast time: Every Wednesday from 18:50 to 19:20
Broadcasting station: Asahi Broadcasting Corporation 30-minute program x 24 episodes

■Broadcasting station

Asahi Broadcasting Corporation

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 24

■Original Story

The Brothers Grimm

■ Director

・Director: Hiroshi Saito

■ Production

Produced by Nippon Animation, Asahi Broadcasting

■Works

©NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD. 1987

■Explanation

This anime series features selected masterpieces from the world-famous Grimm's Fairy Tales, a collection of folklore from all over Germany compiled by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, in the early 19th century. A different character designer is in charge of each episode, allowing you to enjoy a variety of visual styles for each story. Talented designers such as Koji Mori and Shuichi Seki are competing with each other. The stories included are generally well-known, but there are also some lesser known stories such as "Old Sultan" and "The Water of Life," making for a very diverse lineup.

■Cast

・Donkey/Hasesan Osamu・Hansel/Koyama Mami・Frog/Chiba Tsunagi・Little Red Riding Hood/Horie Mitsuko・Hans/Shimada Satoshi・Cat/Nagai Ichiro・Snow White/Fujii Kayoko・Snow White/Tamagawa Sakiko・Bluebeard/Hori Katsuyuki・Yorinda/Tsuru Hiromi・Sultan/Yanagi Joji・Princess Erina/Shimamoto Sumi・Devil/Genda Tesshō

■ Main staff

・Original story by the Brothers Grimm・Producer: Koichi Motohashi・Production manager: Mitsuru Takakuwa・Planning: Shoji Sato・Music: Hideo Shimazu・Direction: Hiroshi Saito, Tsunagi Omachi, Kazuyoshi Yokota, Takayoshi Suzuki, Jiro Saito・Producer: Ryuji Matsudo・Screenplay: Ichimi Fuji, Nobuyuki Fujimoto, Yu Yamamoto・Character design: Shuichi Seki, Koji Mori, Noboru Takano, Hirokazu Ishino, Shuichi Ishii・Animation director: Tetsuya Ishikawa, Koji Kato, Shuichi Ishii, Kei Takeuchi, Hirokazu Ishino, Masaru Oshiro・Art director: Taizaburo Abe, Makoto Sato, Masazumi Matsumiya, Jiro Kono, Kazuko Katsui・Director of photography: Toshiaki Morita・Sound recording director: Sadayoshi Fujino・Color design: Kaoru Uno, Nobuhiko Karasawa, Michiyo Kono, Hiromi Kariya・Video check: Ko Sato, Akiko Yamaguchi, Akiko Sakamoto Yutaka, Nahomi Miyata・Artwork / Studio Hibari, B-BOO, Studio Junio, TT Pro, Doga Kobo, Thumbtack, Anime Spot, Studio Emu, Shochiku Issei, Asato Sumiko, Kubozono Makoto・Finishing touches / Studio Killy・Backgrounds / WHO, Art Room, Boomerang, Studio Loft, Boa 83', Studio Aqua・Filming / Trans Arts・Sound production / Audio-visual system・Mixer / Akiyoshi Yoda・Sound effects / Yasuo Yoda・Sound recording studio / Taihei Studio・Development lab / Tokyo Developing Lab・Titles / Akira Michikawa・Editing / Yoshihiro Kasahara, Shinichi Natori, Masato Nakamura・Negative editing / Hidetoshi Kamitsunori・Storyboards / Ryoichi Koganei, Tsunagi Omachi, Kazuyoshi Yokota, Takayoshi Suzuki, Jiro Saito・Assistant director / Takeyuki Sadohara, Tatsuya Hirakawa, Kaga Production desk: Tsuyoshi, Eiji Imanari; Production assistant: Akio Yogo; Production assistant: Toichi Komura, Nobuaki Nakanishi, Masahiko Kobayashi, Yasunori Tsukamoto, Katsunori Kobayashi; Production: Nippon Animation, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation

■Subtitle

1. The Bremen Town Musicians 2. Hansel and Gretel 3. The Frog and the Princess (Part 1)
・4/The Frog and the Princess (Part 2)
・5/Little Red Riding Hood ・6/The Golden Goose ・7/Puss in Boots (Part 1)
8. Puss in Boots (Part 2)
9/Snow White and Rose Red 10/Snow White (1st)
・11/Snow White (2nd)
・12/Snow White (3rd)
・13/Snow White (4th)
14/The Six Men's Ballads, 15/The Water of Life, 16/Bluebeard, 17/Jorinda and Joringel, 18/Sleeping Beauty, 19/Old Sultan, 20/The King with the Beard of the Thrush, 21/The Devil and the Demon King, 22/The Shoes that Fall Apart, 23/Cinderella (Part 1)
・24/Cinderella (Part 2)

■ Related works

・New Grimm Masterpiece Theatre

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・"Rainbow Bridge"
Lyrics by Michio Yamagami, Music by Koichi Morita, Arrangement by Nozomi Aoki, Vocals by Ushio Hashimoto, Mori no Ki Children's Choir (Columbia Records)
・ED
・"My Town is a Merry-go-round"
Lyrics by Michio Yamagami, Music by Koichi Morita, Arrangement by Nozomi Aoki, Vocals by Ushio Hashimoto, Mori no Ki Children's Choir (Columbia Records)

Grimm Masterpiece Theatre: Its Appeal and Evaluation

Grimm Masterpiece Theatre is a TV anime series produced by Nippon Animation and Asahi Broadcasting Corporation that aired from 1987 to 1988. It is based on fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm and consists of 24 episodes. Each episode is 30 minutes long and aired every Wednesday from 6:50 PM to 7:20 PM. The series is an animated adaptation of classic Grimm fairy tales, offering viewers a wide range of stories and visual styles.

The greatest appeal of Grimm Masterpiece Theatre is its diversity. Each episode has a different character design, providing plenty of visual enjoyment. With the participation of talented designers such as Koji Mori and Shuichi Seki, you can enjoy a different art style for each episode. In addition, the stories included range from famous ones such as "The Bremen Town Musicians" and "Hansel and Gretel" to more obscure ones such as "Old Sultan" and "The Water of Life". This allows viewers to have a fresh experience every time.

The cast was also impressive, with many famous voice actors, including Hase Sanji, Koyama Mami, and Horie Mitsuko. In particular, Horie Mitsuko's performance as Little Red Riding Hood left a deep impression on viewers. The music was also composed by Shimazu Hideo, and the theme song "Rainbow Bridge" and the ending theme "My Town is a Merry-go-round," along with the singing of the Mori no Ki Children's Choir, touched the hearts of viewers.

The production staff is also excellent, with a team of professionals from various fields, including director Hiroshi Saito, screenwriter, character designer, animation director, art director, etc. This has allowed Grimm Masterpiece Theatre to maintain a high level of quality while providing excitement and joy to its viewers.

The appeal of each episode of Grimm Masterpiece Theatre

Each episode of Grimm Masterpiece Theatre has its own charm. Here are some of the episodes:

Bremen Town Musicians

The first episode, "The Bremen Town Musicians," tells the story of animals forming a musical band and going on an adventure. The character designs were done by Shuichi Seki, and the animals' expressions and movements are very realistic and appealing. The band's performance scenes also entertained and moved the viewers. This episode was a very memorable start to the series, and succeeded in capturing the hearts of the viewers.

Hansel and Gretel

The second episode, "Hansel and Gretel," tells the story of a brother and sister who get lost in the forest. The character designs were done by Koji Mori, who realistically depicted the atmosphere of the forest and the expressions of the brother and sister. The episode also conveyed the bond between the siblings and the tension of their adventure to the viewers, making it a touching episode. This episode provided viewers with a new perspective by animating the deep themes of the Grimm fairy tale.

Frog and Princess

The third and fourth episodes, "The Frog and the Princess," tell the story of a frog transforming into a princess. The character designs were done by Noboru Takano, and the realistic movements of the frog and the beauty of the princess are impressive. The relationship between the frog and the princess, as well as the transformation scene, surprised and moved the viewers. This episode made the most of the fantasy elements of the Grimm fairy tales, providing the viewers with dreams and hope.

Little Red Riding Hood

The fifth episode, "Little Red Riding Hood," tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood meeting a wolf on his way to his grandmother's house. The character designs were done by Hirokazu Ishino, and he realistically portrayed the cuteness of Little Red Riding Hood and the frightening nature of the wolf. In addition, Little Red Riding Hood's courage and the scene where he confronts the wolf left viewers with a sense of tension and emotion. This episode left a deep impression on viewers by animating the themes of fear and courage from the Grimm fairy tale.

snow white

Episodes 10 to 13 of "Snow White" tell the story of Snow White's escape from the evil queen. The character designs were done by Shuichi Ishii, and Snow White's beauty and the Queen's frighteningness were realistically depicted. In addition, Snow White's kindness, the friendship of the seven dwarfs, and the confrontation scene with the Queen moved and delighted the viewers. This episode deeply touched the viewers by animating the theme of love and friendship from the Grimm fairy tale.

Grimm Masterpiece Theatre Review and Recommendation

Grimm Masterpiece Theatre has been highly praised as an animated adaptation of classic Grimm fairy tales. Viewers have praised the diversity of each episode, the beauty of the character designs, the acting ability of the cast, and the wonderful music. It has also been praised for offering viewers a new perspective by animating the deep themes and fantasy elements of Grimm fairy tales.

This series can be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from children to adults. It is especially recommended for fans of Grimm's fairy tales and anime fans. Also, by watching it with your family, you can share the story and emotions with your children. Grimm Masterpiece Theater is a wonderful work that provides viewers with dreams and hope, excitement and joy. Please give it a watch.