Hans Christian Andersen, also known as Paramount Pictures Presents Hans Christian Andersen and known in Japan as Andersen Stories (アンデルセン物語, Anderusen Monogatari), is a Japanese animeanthology series based on the stories of Hans Christian Andersen which aired on Fuji TV from January 3 to December 26, 1971. It consists of 52 episodes and was produced by Mushi Production and Zuiyo Enterprise.
The show is a third entry in the Calpis Comic Theater, a precursor of the World Masterpiece Theater series. Zuiyo Enterprise would split in 1975 into Nippon Animation Company, Ltd. and Zuiyo Company, Ltd., which retained the rights of the series along with Mushi Production. Nippon Animation employed some of the anime's production staff and continued with the World Masterpiece Theater franchise.
Premise
The series has been broadcast three years after The World of Hans Christian Andersen (Anderusen Monogatari, 1968), an eponymous and thematically similar feature film produced by Toei Animation. The film and the series also have in common composer Seiichirō Uno, lyricist Hisashi Inoue, screenplay writer Morihisa Yamamoto and voice actress Eiko Masuyama.
In the TV series, some Andersen tales were each told in one episode, while others were told over several episodes, for a total of 31 storylines spanning 52 episodes.
Two pixies were used as a framing device, which was also done in Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics. Many different staff members were encouraged to vary their styles, often taking liberties. Several episodes were serious and dramatic, while others were light-hearted.
In English-speaking countries, the series was released in the 1970s by Paramount Television under the title Hans Christian Andersen. ATLAB Australia was hired to dub the anime. The English adaptation by Noel Judd kept the original jazz-rock Japanese musical score, while often altering some character names and dialogues, sometimes in order to change overly sad endings (as in episode 5). Episodes from the English dub are currently difficult to find.
The English adaptation of the series also served as a basis for dubs that aired in other countries outside Japan during the 1980s, such as Italy (in syndication), Germany (Sat.1 and Kabel.1), Catalonia (TV3), Bulgaria (BT1), Mexico (XEQ-TV Canal 9), Greece (ERT and ET3[1]), Turkey (TRT) and in the Middle East (Kuwait Television).
Synopsis
In order to sign up to the University of the Fairy Land, it's necessary to collect 101 magic cards that appear out of nowhere when a good deed is performed. The pixies Bubbles and Binga (Candy and Zukko in Japanese), have the opportunity to appear in the world of Andersen's fairy tales to try to modify the endings for the better: they will therefore try to intervene in the plots of fairy tales to change the course, but without much success.
Eiko Masuyama as Candy (キャンディー, Kyandī), Bubbles in English dub, a clumsy but romantic female shapeshifting apprentice pixie, who dreams to become a princess. Similar in appearance to a pig, she has thick blonde hair, a tail of the same color and wears a burgundy bodysuit. Masuyama also voiced Anna, the little match girl in the last episode.
Yasuo Yamada as Zukko (ずっこ, Zukko), Bingo in English dub, Bubbles' mischievous male pixie companion who constantly teases her. He has brown curly hair, a tail of the same color and he's completely naked.
"Thumbelina - Part 3" / "Thumb Princess (Mole Groom)" -「親指姫(モックラ花ムコさん)」- "Oyayubi hime (mokkura hana Muko-san)"
28 February 1971 (1971-02-28)
10
"Thumbelina - Part 4" / "Thumb Princess (Lovely Flower Prince)" -「親指姫(スキスキ花の王子)」- "Oyayubi hime (suki suki hana no ōji)"
7 March 1971 (1971-03-07)
Four part episode and longest story arc in the series, also screened as a feature-length film at the Toei Cartoon Festival that same year on July 18.
11
"The Nightingale - Part 1" / "The Nightingale (The King's Favorite)" -「ナイチンゲール(王様のお気に入り)」- "Naichingēru (ōsama no okiniiri)"
14 March 1971 (1971-03-14)
12
"The Nightingale - Part 2" / "The Nightingale (Smiling Through Tears)" -「ナイチンゲール(涙でニッコリ)」- "Naichingēru (namida de nikkori)"
21 March 1971 (1971-03-21)
13
"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep - Part 1" / "Wayward Ellen (Happiness Is in the Starry Sky)" -「じゃじゃ馬エレン(しあわせは青空に)」- "Jaja uma Eren (shiawase wa aozora ni)"
28 March 1971 (1971-03-28)
14
"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep - Part 2" / "Wayward Ellen (Lovely Chris)" -「じゃじゃ馬エレン(すてきなクリス)」- "Jaja uma Eren (sutekina Kurisu)"
4 April 1971 (1971-04-04)
15
"The Bronze Boar" / "Square With Pictures" -「絵のある広場 - "E no aru hiroba"
11 April 1971 (1971-04-11)
Based on "The Metal Pig".
16
"The Tinderbox - Part 1" / "The Magic Tinder-box (A Monster Jumped Out)" -「魔法の火うち箱(とびだした怪獣)」- "Mahō no hi uchi hako (tobidashita kaijū)"
18 April 1971 (1971-04-18)
17
"The Tinderbox - Part 2" / "The Magic Tinder-box (The Loveliest Treasure)" -「魔法の火うち箱(一番ステキな宝物)」- "Mahō no hi uchi hako (ichiban sutekina takaramono)"
25 April 1971 (1971-04-25)
18
"What the Old Man Does is Always Right" / "My Dad's the Best in the World" -「ぼくの父さん世界」 - "Boku no tōsan sekaiichi"
2 May 1971 (1971-05-02)
19
"The Shadow" / "Where Is My Shadow?" -「オレの影は どこにいる?」- "Ore no kage wa doko ni iru?"
9 May 1971 (1971-05-09)
A loose adaptation set during modern times in an Italian-American neighborhood.
20
"The Top and the Ball" / "Friendship Is Forever" - なかよしはいつまでも」- "Nakayoshi wa itsu made mo"
16 May 1971 (1971-05-16)
21
"The Marsh King's Daughter - Part 1" / "The Marsh King's Daughter (Cursed Father and Child)" -「沼の王の娘(呪われた親子)」- "Numa no ō no musume (norowareta oyako)"
23 May 1971 (1971-05-23)
22
"The Marsh King's Daughter - Part 2" / "The Marsh King's Daughter (Helga's Secret)" -「沼の王の娘(ヘルガの秘密)」- "Numa no ō no musume (Heruga no himitsu)"
30 May 1971 (1971-05-30)
23
"The Marsh King's Daughter - Part 3" / "The Marsh King's Daughter (The Glow of Love)" -「沼の王の娘(愛のかがやき)」- "Numa no ō no musume (ai no kagayaki)"
6 June 1971 (1971-06-06)
Quite faithful three episodes adaptation, though eliminating religious themes and cutting short the original ending.
"Bishop of B'rglemn and His Families - Part 1" / "Jens' Adventure (Mysterious Boerglum Island)" -「イエンスの冒険(謎のベアグル島)」- "Iensu no bōken (nazo no Beaguru Shima)"
20 June 1971 (1971-06-20)
26
"Bishop of B'rglemn and His Families - Part 2" / "Jens' Adventure (Setting Sail for Battle)" -「イエンスの冒険(たたかいの船出)」- "Iensu no bōken (tatakai no funade)"
27 June 1971 (1971-06-27)
Episode in two parts based on "The Bishop of Børglum and His Kinsmen".
27
"The Traveling Companions - Part 1" / "The Travelling Companion (Mysterious Boy)" -「旅の道づれ(ふしぎな少年)」- "Tabi no michidzure (fushigina shōnen)"
4 July 1971 (1971-07-04)
28
"The Traveling Companions - Part 2" / "The Travelling Companion (The Doll That Moved)" -「旅の道づれ(動きだした人形)」- "Tabi no michidzure (ugoki dashita ningyō)"
11 July 1971 (1971-07-11)
29
"The Traveling Companions - Part 3" / "The Travelling Companion (Farewell, Friend)" -「旅の道づれ(友よ！さらば)」- "Tabi no michidzure (tomoyo! Saraba)"
18 July 1971 (1971-07-18)
Based on "The Travelling Companion", but taking some liberties. The main character does not marry the cursed princess but the newly added character of the circus girl.
"The Old Street Lamp" / "Two People's Secret" -「二人の秘密」- "Futari no himitsu"
28 November 1971 (1971-11-28)
Loosely inspired by "The Old Street Lamp".
49
"Psyche" -「プシケ」- "Pushike"
5 December 1971 (1971-12-05)
Loose retelling of one of Andersen's most obscure story directed by Osamu Dezaki, with setting shifted from Renaissance Rome to Ancient Greece.
50
"The Snow Queen - Part 1" / "The Snow Queen (Evil Mirror)" -「雪の女王 (あくまの鏡)」- "Yuki no joō (akuma no kagami)"
12 December 1971 (1971-12-12)
Gerda's grandmother tells the story about the Evil Mirror and the evil Snow Queen to Gerda and Kai. A fragment of the mirror gets in Kai's heart and he is kidnapped by the Snow Queen. Gerda must find her friend Kai starting on her dangerous adventure.
51
"The Snow Queen - Part 2" / "The Snow Queen (Battle in the Land of Death)" -「雪の女王 (死の国のたたかい)」- "Yuki no joō (shi no kuni no tatakai)"
19 December 1971 (1971-12-19)
Gerda must sets off to the Land of Death to save her precious friend, Kai from the evil Snow Queen. Gerda's power of love is a key to cure and free Kai's curse and defeat the evil Snow Queen.
All songs in the series are composed and arranged by Seiichirō Uno, and written together with Hisashi Inoue and Morihisa Yamamoto.
Opening theme
"Mr. Andersen" (ミスターアンデルセン) by Taeko Sakurai with Young Fresh
Ending theme
1) "Candy's song" (キャンティのうた, Kyandī no Uta) by Eiko Masuyama with Young Fresh (eps. 1–2, 5 and 6–52 in even-numbered episodes)
2) "Zukko's song" (ズッコのうた, Zukko no Uta) by Yasuo Yamada with Young Fresh (eps. 3–4 and 7–51 in odd-numbered episodes)
Releases
The series has been released both on VHS and DVD in Japan.
In 2005, Nippon Columbia released the entire series on DVD, celebrating Andersen's 200th birth anniversary. A selection of episodes (in no particular order) was first released in January, as 5 single DVDs: "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid", "The Red Shoes", "The Wild Swans" and "The Little Match Girl" along with "The Snow Queen".
The DVD box was released in 3 volumes from March of the same year: BOX 1 as a 5-disc set on March 23; BOX 2 as a 4-disc set on June 29; and BOX 3 as a 5-disc set on September 28.
On December 17, 2008, "Complete Box", a set of all 14 volumes, was also released. Due to the release method mentioned above, the episodes order of each volume doesn't always match the actual broadcasting order.
The original soundtrack album by Seiichirō Uno was also re-issued as a 2-disc CD, containing also songs not used in the series.
With the exception of a 5-episode DVD issued in Germany,[4] the series has never been released on home-video outside Japan.
International titles
Andersen Stories (Literal English)
Hans Christian Andersen (English)
Paramount Pictures Presents Hans Christian Andersen (Alternative English)
