| Manga Fairy Tales of the World | |
| Ja Kanji: | まんが世界昔ばなし |
| Ja Romaji: | Manga sekai mukashi banashi |
| Genre: | Adventure, fantasy, drama, romance, thriller, biopic |
| Type: | tv series |
| Director: | Masami Kuzū Osamu Dezaki Yoshihiko Soga Keinosuke Tsuchiya Sadao Nozaki Tan Hakata Hideo Nishimaki Tadakata Ishida |
| Producer: | Hiroshi Inoue (TBS) Yasuo Ooda Yuji Tanno |
| Music: | Harumi Ibe |
| Network: | TBS |
| First: | October 7, 1976 |
| Last: | March 28, 1979 |
| Episodes: | 127 (231 segments) |
, also known as Tales of Magic, Merlin's Cave and Wonderful Tales From Around the World, is a Japanese anime anthology series produced by World Television, TBS Britannica and Dax International. The series features adaptations of fairy tales, legends, literature classics and famous characters biographies.[1]
The show consists of 127 episodes, each one combining two different stories, which run for 10 minutes each, except for 13 mid-series stories that covered an entire half-hour episode. Some story arcs in the second half of the series are told over several episodes, as in the case of A Little Princess lasting 11 episodes, and Les Misérables, which lasted 13 episodes for a total running time of 120 minutes. However, these serial episodes were broadcast alternating with shorter stories, sometimes reruns of earlier episodes in the series. The series features 181 story arcs, consisting of 231 segments in total excluding reruns.
Source:
The series was animated by Dax international in cooperation with Madhouse for the first 52 episodes. Every tale is produced by a different staff who gave each episode their own distinctive style. Among the many artists who worked on the series there are: Osamu Dezaki (under the pseudonym of Kan Matsudo), Akio Sugino, Yoshifumi Kondō, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, Toyoo Ashida and Shuichi Seki. The narration is provided by Mariko Miyagi, who also voices all the characters in the series along with Akira Nagoya.
See main article: List of Manga Fairy Tales of the World episodes.
The show aired in Japan on TBS from October 7, 1976, to March 28, 1979. The entire series has been distributed on home video by TDK since 1987, first on VHS and later on DVD. A new edition restored in HD was distributed by Broadway in 12 DVD boxes from August 5, 2015 to April 5, 2017. This latest version was added in Japan on Amazon Prime Video, in two seasons of 200 and 45 12-minute episodes respectively, and on Apple TV+.
The show has been released in English-speaking countries by different companies under various titles. In 1979 American Way released a selection of 65 episodes in three seasons with the title Tales of Magic. Some episodes already featured in Tales of Magic, as in the case of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or The Snow Queen were adapted by Fred Laderman and broadcast by BFA Educational Media on CBS as single half-hour specials. In 1986 Embassy Home Entertainment released on VHS selected episodes of Tales of Magic, sometimes under the alternative title Merlin's Cave (Merlin's Magic Cave on the videotape cover).
Another English adaptation of the series titled Wonderful Tales From Around the World was produced in the 1980s by Cori Films Int'l and distributed by Orient Film Associates.
The series was also released in several other countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Quebec, Brazil, South Korea and in the Middle East.
Popular fairytales and fables adapted in the series include:
Legendary tales in the series include The Pied Piper of Hamelin, William Tell, Medusa's Head, The King with Donkey Ears, Robin Hood, Rostam and Sohrab, The Last Leaf, The Flying Dutchman, Knight of the Swan, and Faust.
Novels adapted in the show include Uncle Tom's Cabin, Don Quixote, The Happy Prince, Alice in Wonderland, Monkey King, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, A Dog of Flanders, Little Women, Treasure Island, Gulliver's Travels, Les Misérables, A Little Princess and The Adventures of Pinocchio.
In addition to fairytales and fables, the show also features biographical episodes about scientist Galileo Galilei and social reformer Florence Nightingale, adaptations of William Shakespeare's tragedies King Lear and Romeo and Juliet, gothic horrors Dracula and Frankenstein, religious stories about Joan of Arc and Noah's Ark, and as well as epic poems such as The Iliad.
All songs were performed by Mariko Miyagi.
Opening Theme:
Ending Theme:
In the English version, the Japanese opening theme song "Watashi O Yobu No Wa Dare" is titled Tales of Magic. Written by Kenny Ellis, it is sung in English with only a slight melodic change.