In the Beginning: The Bible Stories explained

In the Beginning: The Bible Stories
Ja Kanji:手塚治虫の旧約聖書物語
Ja Romaji:Tezuka Osamu no Kyūyaku Seisho Monogatari
Type:TV series
Director:Osamu Dezaki
Music:Katsuhisa Hattori
Reimy
Language:Japanese
Italian
English
Country:Japan
Italy
Studio:Tezuka Productions
Network:WOWOW
Network En:Eternal Word Television Network
Australian Christian Channel
Shine TV
First:April 1, 1997
Last:May 9, 1997
Episodes:26

is a Japanese-Italian anime television series based on The Bible's Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) created by Osamu Tezuka. The series was a coproduction between Japan's Nippon TV, Tezuka's Tezuka Productions, and Italy's government-owned broadcaster, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI). Although the series was in production during a period of several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was not aired in Japan until 1997, on the satellite channel WOWOW, while it premiered in Italy in 1992 on Rai 1.[1] The series has also been aired on TV in the United States (on the Catholic-oriented Eternal Word Television Network), Spain, Germany, and Australia (on Australian Christian Channel).

In the Beginning marked the fourth time Bible stories formed the basis of a Japanese-animated television series, following the two Superbook series and The Flying House, which were made for Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network by Tatsunoko Production in the early 1980s.

In the Beginning features episodes devoted to most of the major Bible stories of the Old Testament, including the stories of the Creation, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, Abraham and Isaac, Joseph, Moses, David, and Solomon, with the final episode featuring the birth of Jesus Christ. As with the second Superbook series, some stories were stretched out over several episodes. Unlike Superbook and The Flying House, however, no contemporary characters from modern times were inserted into the stories, save for the series mascot and viewpoint character, Roco the fox (whose appearances were removed in the United States edit of the English dub).

Tezuka's manga work frequently included religious themes, and because of his long-running manga Buddha, he is sometimes perceived as having been a devout Buddhist, but in fact, Tezuka was largely agnostic.[2]

The theme music (for the American version), an ending theme called "Rainbow Blue", is performed by Reimy.

Background

In the Beginning grew out of a request that Osamu Tezuka received from the Vatican by way of RAI in 1984, requesting that Tezuka produce an animated version of the Old Testament. Tezuka spent two years working on a pilot film for the project based on the story of Noah's Ark, both writing the scenario for the film and working in the production of the animation itself, but Tezuka died in 1989 before the film was finished. The remainder of the production for the pilot film and the subsequent 26-episode television series was supervised by director Osamu Dezaki.

Episodes

numberenglish titlejapanese titleitalian title
1 The Creation 天地創造I signori della Terra
2 Cain and Abel カインとアベルI figli di Adamo
3 The Story of Noahノアの箱舟L' avventura di Noè
4 The Tower of Babelバベルの塔Una torre fino al cielo
5 Abraham, the Forefather父アブラハムAbramo il patriarca
6 Sodom and Gomorrah ソドムとゴモラSodoma e Gomorra
7 Isaac and Ishmael イサクとイシュマエルIsmaele
8 Isacc's destiny アブラハム、イサクを捧げるIl destino di Isacco
9 Jacob's children ヨセフの夢占いVenduto dai fratelli
10 Joseph's triumph ヤコブ一族の再会Il trionfo di Giuseppe
11 Moses, The Egyptian Japanese: モーセの誕生Mosè l'egiziano
12 The Fire in the Desert 砂漠の火Il fuoco nel deserto
13 Moses and the Pharaoh モーセとファラMosè e il faraone
14 The Exodus エジプト脱出L'Esodo
15 Laws carved in stone 十戒La legge scolpita sulla pietra
16 Israel's Treachery イスラエルの裏切りIl vitello d'oro
17 New Alliance 約束の地La Terra Promessa
18 Jericho

Staff

  • Director: Osamu Dezaki
  • Screenplay: Osamu Tezuka/Tezuka Production Co., Ltd.
  • Character designs: Osamu Tezuka, Shinji Seya
  • Animation direction: Masaki Yoshimura, Akio Sugino, Junji Kobayashi, Hideaki Shimada
  • Music: Katsuhisa Hattori
  • Production: Tezuka Production Co., Ltd. / Nippon Television Network / Radiotelevisione Italiana

Voice cast

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA ANIMAZIONE: "In principio - Storie dalla Bibbia" . 2022-05-24 . www.antoniogenna.net.
  2. Schodt, Frederik L. The Astro Boy Essays. Stone Bridge Press, 2007.