"Porphy's Long Journey": A detailed review of the moving journey and its appeal

Porphy's Long Journey: A moving tale of travel and reunion

■Overview of the work

"Porphy's Long Journey" is a TV anime series produced by Nippon Animation that aired in 2008 and is based on the novel "The Orphan of Simitra" by Paul Jacques Bonzon. The series is set in chaotic Europe after the Second World War and tells the touching story of a brother and sister who lose their family in an earthquake and go on a journey to reunite with them. It aired from January 6th to December 28th, 2008, and consisted of 52 episodes. It was available on BS Fuji, Animax, and BIGLOBE Stream, each with its own different broadcast schedule.

■ Story

When a large earthquake strikes the isolated Greek village of Simitra, young siblings Porphy and Mina lose their family and are separated. Porphy heads for Paris, following his sister's dream of becoming a singer and singing, while Mina is picked up by a traveling troupe and travels far away from her hometown. Wounded by the loss of their parents, the two continue to walk powerfully across Europe, singing under the blue sky. As they travel from Greece to Italy and France, the siblings grow as they meet people from Europe who have overcome the tragedies of the war and are working towards reconstruction. They continue their journey with hope in their hearts, dreaming of the day they will be reunited.

■Explanation

Since its founding, Nippon Animation has been producing high-quality animations under the philosophy that "genuine emotion enriches the human heart." In this day and age when the importance of life, human dignity, and the ability to be moved are often lost, Nippon Animation's wish is to present children with dramas filled with true human love. "World Masterpiece Theater" was revived for the first time in 10 years in January 2007, and the first installment was "Les Miserables: Cosette." The 25th installment was "Porphy's Long Voyage," which depicts the journey of a boy searching for his missing sister in post-World War II Europe, including Greece. The story is deeply moving, with themes of family love, friendship, and hope.

■Cast

The voice actors who play the main characters in this work are as follows:

• Porphy/Yuki Kaida
• Mina/Ayumi Fujimura
• Christopher/Kazuhiko Inoue
• Anneke/Sumi Shimamoto
• Zaimis/Toyonaga Toshiyuki
• Dory/The Whale
• Thomas / Kazumi Tanaka, Ryoichi Tanaka
• Corinna/Hiromi Konno
• Burns/Ryuzaburo Otomo
• Alessia/Mari Ise
• John/Aiko Hibi
• Tom/Koma Ichimura
• Smith/Kotaro Nakamura
• Damon/Koji Yada
• Elena/Mariko Kouda
• Isabella / Hiromi Tsuru
• Carlos/Jo Aoyama
• Django / Eiji Maruyama
• Leon/Sakurazuka Yakkun
• Mario/Yasuhiko Kawazu
• Dora/Nanaka Nagasawa
• Chiro/Rika Komatsu
• Gasparo/Masaaki Tsukada
• Daisy/Yoshiko Matsuo
• Maximillian / Kisho Taniyama
• Ilaria/Eiko Yamada
• Rebecca/Minami Takayama
• Michael/Ai Orikasa
• Jack/Toru Furuya
• Monica/Mitsuko Horie
• Andre/Osamu Sakuta
• Heinz/Michie Kita
• Guido/Mayumi Tanaka
• Georges/Naomi Shindo
• Giuliani/Ikeda Shuichi
• Marissa, Sandra / Noriko Hidaka
• Emilia/Maya Okamoto
• Gina/Hisayo Yanai
• Samuel/Mitsuaki Madono
• Cecil/Akiko Kimura
• Marianne/Mina Tominaga
• Xalopoulos/Yusaku Yara
• Arukis/Ryo Sugisaki
• Rose/Miki Nagasawa
• Tiffany/Megumi Hayashibara
• Pascal/Kenichi Ogata
• Natalie/Miyuki Kawasho
• Amelie / Eri Yasui

■ Main staff

The following staff members are involved in the production of this work:

• Original story: "The Orphan of Simitra" by Paul Jacques Bonzon
• Planning: Kohei Sano, Kazuko Ishikawa
• Produced by Koichi Motohashi
• Production management: Kenichiro Hayafune
• Series Composition: Kunii Kei
• Character design and chief animation director: Shigeo Akahori
• Art Director: Nobuhito Sakamoto
• Art setting: Ryu Sakamoto
• Color design: Takashi Ohira
• Director of photography: Seiichi Morishita, Kenji Takehara
• Edited by Shinichi Natori
• Music: MOKA☆
• Music produced by Hirokuni Maeyama and Shunichi Uemura
• Narration by Koba Konishi
• Producers: Isao Takahashi, Atsushi Tanaka
• Assistant Director: Yasutaka Yamamoto
• Director, sound director/Tomomitsu Mochizuki
• Production: Nippon Animation

■ Main Characters

We will introduce the main characters of this work in detail.

• Porphyra (Porphyrus)
  A 12-year-old boy born in the small village of Symitra in Greece. He is cheerful, energetic, and has a strong will to push forward single-mindedly towards his goals. However, he often fails without thinking about the consequences. He loves cars and knows a lot about European cars, and learned car maintenance techniques while watching his father work. His dream is to create a service station where drivers can have their cars repaired and refueled, and where they can relax.
• Mina (Marina)
  Porphy's younger sister, a 10-year-old girl. Although she is somewhat shy, she is imaginative, cheerful and kind. She is honest, but sometimes she can be nasty towards her brother. She is a good cook and often helps her mother, but one day she was unable to forget a movie she saw with her parents and brother, and began to wish to become an "actor."
• Christopher Porfi's father. A dynamic and lively man, he lived off his olive groves and goat farming, but he made a bold move and, using his military experience, learned auto repair in Athens and built the only service station in the city. He always said he wanted to travel around Europe by car with his family.
• Anneke is Porphy's mother. She is a kind mother who always dotes on Porphy and Mina. She is good at cooking, and everyone loves the food her mother makes.
• Zaimis
  12 years old. A friend of Porphy and Mina who lives in the same village. Compared to the energetic Porphy, he is a little quieter and good at studying. He is a kind-hearted boy who helps out with his family's work and dreams of going to university in Athens and becoming a school teacher.
• Apollo the Little Owl. Since taking up residence in the attic, he has become Porphy's friend and is always by his side.

■Subtitle

The subtitles and broadcast dates for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Letter from Dad (2008/01/06)
• Episode 2: A friend came over (2008/01/13)
• Episode 3: Picking up Dad (2008/01/20)
• Episode 4: Mina's Birthday (2008/01/27)
• Episode 5: Our Station (2008/02/03)
• Episode 6: The Girl from Italy (2008/02/10)
• Episode 7: What Porphy Wants (2008/02/17)
• Episode 8: Midnight Operation (2008/02/24)
• Episode 9: New World (2008/03/02)
• Episode 10: A Summer Day (2008/03/09)
• Episode 11: Pump and Ice Cream (2008/03/16)
• Episode 12: The Fateful Day (2008/03/23)
• Episode 13: What's Lost and What's Left (2008/03/30)
• Episode 14: I will protect Mina (2008/04/06)
• Episode 15: Embracing Memories (2008/04/13)
• Episode 16: Beyond the Sea (2008/04/20)
• Episode 17: Pure White Departure (2008/04/27)
• Episode 18: Goodbye Greece (2008/05/04)
• Episode 19: At the Port of Italy (2008/05/11)
• Episode 20: Cave Town (2008/05/18)
• Episode 21: Farewell to Dora (2008/05/25)
• Episode 22: The Railroad Continues (2008/06/01)
• Episode 23: The Cracked Doll (2008/06/08)
• Episode 24: A Place Where Smiles Return (2008/06/15)
• Episode 25: Small Friendship in a Small Town (2008/06/22)
• Episode 26: When You Hear the Whistle (2008/06/29)
• Episode 27: I Want to Deliver to You (2008/07/06)
• Episode 28: Sicilian Rhapsody (2008/07/13)
• Episode 29: Letter (2008/07/20)
• Episode 30: Signposts of Rome (2008/07/27)
• Episode 31: Somewhere in this Town (2008/08/03)
• Episode 32: Mina and Isabella (2008/08/10)
• Episode 33: Boys Covered in Scars (2008/08/17)
• Episode 34: A Present for an Angel (2008/08/24)
• Episode 35: The Heart of Belief (2008/08/31)
• Episode 36: The Face of the Mask (2008/09/07)
• Episode 37: The View We See Together (2008/09/14)
• Episode 38: Scattered in the Wind (2008/09/21)
• Episode 39: The Road to You (2008/09/28)
• Episode 40: Heading for the Border (2008/10/05)
• Episode 41: Family in the South of France (2008/10/12)
• Episode 42: Stolen Love (2008/10/19)
• Episode 43: My Friend (2008/10/26)
• Episode 44: Raising Courage (2008/11/02)
• Episode 45: Roses Blooming in the Back Alley (2008/11/09)
• Episode 46: Encounter in Paris (2008/11/16)
• Episode 47: A New Door (2008/11/23)
• Episode 48: Fragment of a Dream (2008/11/30)
• Episode 49: Rendezvous (2008/12/07)
• Episode 50: Lies (2008/12/14)
• Episode 51: Wish (2008/12/21)
• Episode 52: For This Moment (2008/12/28)

■ Theme songs and music

The theme songs and insert songs for this work are as follows.

• OP1
  • Porphy's Long Journey
  • Lyricist: Yuho Iwasato
  • Composer: Akifumi Tada
  • Arrangement: Akifumi Tada
  • Vocals: Ikuko
• ED1
  • The road to you
  • Lyricist: Hiroko Sakakibara
  • Composer: Masatoshi Sakakibara
  • Arrangement: Seiichi Kyoda
  • Song: Da Capo

■ Evaluation and impressions

"Porphy's Long Journey" is a moving story with themes of family love, friendship, and hope, and is sure to leave a deep impression on viewers. In particular, the bond between siblings Porphy and Mina, and their determination to continue their journey without losing hope even in difficult circumstances, will touch the hearts of many people. The story, set against the backdrop of Europe's reconstruction after World War II, is also interesting from a historical perspective.

The portrayal of character growth and human relationships is also excellent, with Porphy's passion for cars and Mina's pursuit of her dreams resonating with viewers. Furthermore, the subtitles and episodes for each episode are appealing and have the power to draw viewers in. Music is also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work, with the theme song and inserted songs playing a role in further deepening the emotional impact of the story.

■Recommendation

"Porphy's Long Journey" is highly recommended for viewers looking for a touching story about the importance of family and friendship. It is also recommended for those who are interested in the history and culture of Europe after the Second World War. In addition, it will be enjoyed by those who like car and travel stories. Why not join Porphy and Mina on their long journey of 52 episodes?