The appeal and reviews of "The Jungle Book: Mowgli": A story of deep adventure and growth

The Jungle Book: Mowgli the Boy: A Story of the Deep Jungle and Growing Up

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

novel

■ Broadcast period

Broadcast from October 2, 1989 to October 29, 1990 in a 60-minute slot. The subtitles are for two episodes, but were later split into two and saved in the normal format.
Special recommendation by the Central Child Welfare Council in 1990 Broadcast time: Mondays from 19:00 to 19:30

■Broadcasting station

TV Tokyo affiliates

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 52

■Original Story

Rudyard Kipling

■ Director

・Director: Fumio Kurokawa

■ Production

Produced by Nippon Animation, TV Tokyo

■Works

©NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD. 1990

■ Story

Mowgli, the young son of a scholar couple, is taken to the jungle deep in India, where he gets lost alone in the depths of the forest.
He is targeted and attacked by the ferocious tiger Shere Khan, but is saved by the gentle bear Baloo. Mowgli, who is completely separated from his parents, is taken in by the wolf hero Alexander and his wife Luli, and from then on, he is raised by wolves despite being a human child.
As Mowgli grows strong and struggles, he eventually has a fateful encounter with members of his own kind.

■Explanation

An animation based on Kipling's famous original story.
Although there is a Disney film with the same title, "The Jungle Book: Boy Mowgli" is a Nippon Animation production that faithfully depicts the deep themes of the original work. In particular, it is notable for depicting the relationship between humans and nature, and the importance of self-awareness, through Mowgli's growth and life in the jungle.
It also has an educational aspect of teaching children the value of nature and life, having received a special recommendation from the Central Child Welfare Council in 1990. When it was first broadcast, it was a 60-minute program, but was later split into two and saved as a regular 30-minute program, allowing viewers to enjoy the long story.

■Cast

・Mowgli/Takano Rei・Ruri/Yokoo Mari・Pagira/Ishimaru Hiroya・Baloo/Ginga Banjō・Ka/Keaton Yamada・Kichi/Ito Miki・Akela/Fujimoto Yuzuru・Lala/Orikasa Ai・Bogie/Mine Keiken・Meshua/Yajima Akiko・Burdio/Ogata Kenichi・Shere Khan/Sasaoka Shigezo

■ Main staff

・Original story by Rudyard Kipling・Setting: The jungles of India・Producer: Koichi Motohashi・Production management: Mitsuru Takakuwa, Junzo Nakajima・Planning: Shoji Sato・Music: Hideo Shimazu・Director: Fumio Kurokawa・Producers: Shoji Sato, Shunichi Kozaka・Screenplay: Kenji Yoshida, Saburo Sakaguchi, Nobuyuki Fujimoto・Character design: Sadahiko Sakamaki・Animation directors: Sadahiko Sakamaki, Hirokazu Ishino, Masashi Kojima, Takashi Asakura, Kazue Yusa, Daizo Noguchi・Art director: Nobuo Numai・Director of photography: Toshiaki Morita・Sound recording director: Etsuji Yamada・Color design: Ayako Shimakata, Hiromi Kariya, Yuko Sato・Video check: Hiroo Yamamoto, Tetsuji Tanibata, Yoriko Mochizuki・Animation: Shunichi Sakai, Tsunenaka Nozaki, Hirofumi Nakata, Hiroshi Kubo, Katsunori Hara, Reishu Sakaguchi, Kiyomu Fukuda, Takeo Kitahara, Takashi Asakura, studio Look and finishing / Miyazaki Animation Center, M.I. Backgrounds / Atelier Rourke Cinematography / Trans Arts Sound production / Audio-visual system, Tetsuo Ono Mixer / Chiaki Sato Effects / Fizz Studio, Masahiro Shoji Sound studio / Tabac Development lab / Tokyo Development Lab Titles / Akira Michikawa Positive editing / Yoshihiro Kasahara, Kimiko Kuroki, Film Magic Storyboards / Seiji Okuda, Shigeo Koshi, Shinichi Tsuji Director in charge / Akira Shimizu, Shigeo Koshi, Tatsuya Hirakawa Production desk / Shuichi Okada Production cooperation / Trans Arts, Eiji Imanari Production / Nippon Animation, TV Tokyo

■ Main Characters

Mowgli: A boy who was separated from his parents and raised as a wolf in the jungle. When he becomes aware of his human identity, he becomes troubled.

・Lulimogli's foster parent. Later becomes the leader of the wolf tribe.

Akul and Sura: The children of Alexander and Luli, and brother wolves of Mowgli.
While Sura is serious, Akul has a somewhat rough personality.
- Pagira is a black panther who was once kept as a pet by humans and is also Mowgli's tutor.

Balu is an old bear who looks after Mowgli as his tutor.

・A veteran giant snake from Car Jungle.

・Mesh A human girl who is the first person Moogle meets.

Shere Khan is the tiger and Mowgli's arch enemy. He is an outlaw who attacks humans and livestock.

■Subtitle

・1/Friends of the Jungle・2/Birth of Mowgli, the Wolf Boy・3/Alexander, King of the Wolves・4/Law of the Jungle・5/A Cute One Who Washed Away・6/The Lonely Kichi・7/Cold Fangs・8/Sorry, Balu・9/Something More Important Than the Law・10/A Lone Wolf Comes to Visit・11/The Monster Living in Our Hearts・12/Death to Death! A Man-Eating Tiger Escapes from the Rapids・13/Cruel! A Demon's Gunshot Roars across the Plateau・14/Danger! Mowgli, the Terror of the Cursed City・15/Surpass the Wolves! Surpass the Humans!
・16/Hatred, Loneliness, and a Wounded Heart・17/Goodbye, Mother・18/The Man Holding Mowgli・19/Let's Go Back to the Forest Where Freedom and Friends Lie・20/A New Lair・21/The Truce by the Water・22/The Legend of the Peaceful Forest・23/Fly Boomerang! Cut through the Wind!
・24/Journey to adulthood・25/Revenge of the stray wolf Bund・26/Peace in Shioni Forest!
・27/There's no leader!
・28/Mother's Determination・29/Find the Bad Guy・30/Let's All Sing a Victory Song・31/The Birth of a New Boss・32/Mesua, the Flower-Picking Girl・33/The Man-Eating Tiger Shea, Khan's Target・34/In a Desperate Situation! Save Mesua the Girl・35/I Want to Know What Humans Are Like!
・36/The Braggart Buldio・37/Tears Before the Battle・38/The Final Battle! Defeat the Arch-enemy Shea and Kahn・39/Goodbye Meshua・40/The Assassin Group, Akainu Doll, Has Arrived!
・41/Run through the Valley of Death!
・42/I want to meet that girl ・43/Run! Moogle, we will not tolerate human hunting!
・44 / The sound of conch shells and bells ringing in the dark night ・45 / A great counterattack from the forest! Who will be the final victor?
46/With a burning passion in my heart, I head to the town. 47/The great escape plan from the cage. 48/The rope breaks! Lara's child is in danger. 49/Sleep peacefully, brave man. 50/The 200th change of clothes and the secret dance. 51/I met Meshua. 52/The farewell song resounds.

■ Theme songs and music

・OP
・"GET UP/Believe in Love"
Lyrics by Kazuki Matsumoto; Composition by Takaki Arisawa; Arrangement by Hiroshi Takada; Vocals by Toshiya Igarashi; Ending theme song
・"Child of the Earth"
Lyrics by Kazuki Matsumoto; Composition by Takaki Arisawa; Arrangement by Hiroshi Takada; Vocals by Ushio Hashimoto

■Detailed evaluation

"The Jungle Book: Mowgli" is an animated film based on the classic novel by Rudyard Kipling, which aired on TV Tokyo from 1989 to 1990. It is a long series of 52 episodes, and is a story that deeply touches viewers and teaches them lessons.

The greatest appeal of this film is the relationship between humans and nature depicted through the story of Mowgli's growth. Mowgli is raised by wolves in the jungle, and in the process of deepening his self-awareness as a human, he learns the importance of coexisting with nature. In particular, through his bonds with his wolf family and friends, and his confrontation with the ferocious tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli finds the meaning of his own existence and his mission.

The character designs and background art are also of extremely high quality, and their visual beauty enhances the story. Character designer Sadahiko Sakamaki's detailed depictions vividly express the individuality of each character, leaving a deep impression on viewers. Furthermore, art director Nobuo Numai's depiction of the Indian jungle creates a realistic yet fantastical atmosphere, drawing viewers into the world of the story.

Music is also an important element of this work, and the soundtrack by Hideo Shimazu effectively brings out the tension and emotion of the story. In particular, the opening theme "GET UP/Believe in Love" and the ending theme "Child of the Earth" have melodies and lyrics that resonate deeply with the viewers, symbolizing the theme of the story.

The cast is also impressive, with the voice actors who play each character, including Takano Ura as Mowgli, Yokoo Mari as Luli, and Ginga Banjo as Baloo, enriching the story with their performances. In particular, the powerful performance of Sasaoka Shigezo as Shere Khan leaves a strong impression on viewers and heightens the tension of the story.

Although this is an animation aimed at children, it also has deeply moving and instructive themes for adults. The universal themes depicted in the story, such as self-awareness, coexistence with nature, and friendship and family ties, resonate with viewers. Furthermore, having received a special recommendation from the Central Child Welfare Council in 1990, it also has high educational value.

Overall, "The Jungle Book" is a masterpiece of animation with beautiful visuals, deep themes, and a moving story that has a lot to teach its viewers, especially for children who want to learn about the value of nature and life, and for adults who want to think about self-awareness and growth.

■Recommendation details

"The Jungle Book" is an animated film that the whole family can enjoy, and is especially recommended for the following audiences:

1. **Children**: This work has an educational aspect that teaches children the value of nature and life, and can teach them a lot. In addition, Mowgli's coming-of-age story teaches children the importance of self-awareness and friendship.

2. **Nature Lovers**: Set in the jungles of India, this work depicts the beauty and harshness of nature in a realistic way, making it a must-see for nature lovers. In particular, the background art by art director Nobuaki Numai provides visual beauty.

3. **Adults**: This work depicts universal themes such as self-awareness, growth, and coexistence with nature, and has deep inspirational and instructive lessons for adults as well. In particular, the importance of self-awareness, as depicted through Mowgli's growth, is a thought-provoking theme for adults.

4. **Animation Lovers**: The production quality is extremely high, from character design to background art to music, making this a must-see for animation lovers. In particular, the detailed depictions by character designer Sadahiko Sakamaki provide a visual treat.

5. **Kipling Fans**: This film is a must-see for fans of the original novel, as it faithfully depicts the original by Rudyard Kipling. In particular, Mowgli's coming-of-age story and the depiction of the jungle faithfully recreate the themes of the original.

Overall, "The Jungle Book" is an animated film that the whole family can enjoy, and one that can be recommended to a wide audience: children who want to learn about the value of nature and life, nature lovers, adults who want to reflect on self-awareness and growth, animation enthusiasts, and Kipling fans.