Ulysses 31
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ulysses 31 | |
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| Genre | Sci-fi / Fantasy / Animation |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Jean Chalopin Nina Wolmark inspired by Homer's Odysseus |
| Starring | Matt Berman Adrian Knight Anick Faris Kelly Ricard Howard Ryshpan |
| Country of origin | France, Japan |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Original run | October 10, 1981–April 3, 1982 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
Ulysses 31 (宇宙伝説ユリシーズ31, uchuu densetsu yurishiizzu 31) is a Japanese-French anime series (1981) which updates the Greek and Roman mythology of Odysseus (known as "Ulysses" in Roman Mythology, hence the name) to the thirty-first century. The show comprises 26 half-hour episodes and is produced by DiC Entertainment.
The gods are angered when Ulysses, commander of the giant spaceship Odyssey, kills the giant Cyclops to rescue a group of enslaved children including his son. Zeus sentences Ulysses to travel the universe with his crew frozen until he finds the Kingdom of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be able to return to Earth. Along the way they encounter numerous other famous figures from Greek mythology given a futuristic twist.
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[edit] Main characters
- Ulysses (es: Ulises) – main character and captain of the Odyssey.
- Telemachus (es: Telémaco) – son of Ulysses and second in command for most of the voyage; Yumi's friend and protector.
- Yumi (es: Thais) – a blue-skinned humanoid from the White Planet Zotra, younger sister of Numinor, with telepathic powers.
- No-No (es: Nonó) – small robot companion of Telemachus, fond of eating nails. He is rather timid but can be relied on in a crisis.
- Shirka – the Odyssey's main computer. Speaks with a deep female voice. Possibly her name is a variant of Circe, who was seen in one episode.
- Numinor (es: Numaios) – older brother of Yumi. He is in suspended animation along with the rest of the crew, for most of the series.
- Zeus – god of gods, Ulysses' persecutor.
[edit] Episodes
- Vengeance of the Gods
On his trip back to Earth, Ulysses's son is carried off by the Cyclops to give sight to his followers with Telemachus' life force. Ulysses destroys the Cyclops and saves Telemachus, Yumi and Numinor, but all aboard the Odyssey are cursed to remain lifeless until Ulysses finds the Kingdom of Hades.
- The Lost Planet
The ship passes a moon that brings Numinor back to life, since it's from his home planet of Zotra. When they investigate, the children disappear and Numinor suspects they've been kidnapped by a legendary witch.
- The Black Sphere
Ulysses meets an old scholar named Heratos and his assistant, a young Zotrian woman named Atina. Heratos gives Ulysses a map that he says is to the Kingdom of Hades, but is actually to the Graveyard of Wrecks and Hulks which no-one has ever left alive, because the gods have threatened Atina's life otherwise. While there, Ulysses finds the black sphere which contains a map of Olympus (meaning he can use it to find the Kingdom of Hades). Heratos and Atina save them at the last minute, but the sphere is lost.
- Guardian of the Cosmic Winds
Aeolus, King of the winds, kidnaps Ulysses to provide entertainment for his daughter's birthday party. Unable to watch her father's cruel sport, she frees the children and helps them escape.
- The Eternal Punishment
Ulysses comes across Sisyphus, a king condemned to fill a crater with boulders for eternity for daring to want the secret of immortality. Zeus has promised that Sisyphus can leave if he makes Ulysses take his place, and he strands Ulysses there and tries to take command of the Odyssey. Telemachus, Yumi and No-No capture Sisyphus make him take them to find Ulysses. They find that the crater is really a factory that recycles the boulders Sisyphus pushes into it. The children rescue Ulysses, but Sisyphus and his prison are transported into another dimension with the bitter realization that Ulysses had been willing to help him escape.
- Flowers of Fear
The Odyssey comes across a lifeless city world. Hearing that its people had the technology to bring the dead back to life, Yumi takes Numinor to the planet in order to revive him. However, she learns why there is no life in the city.
- Mutiny on Board
A space storm revives the companions as crazed zombies who take over the ship and try to crash it into space glaciers.
- Secret of the Sphinx
Passing through the domain of the great Sphinx, Ulysses must answer his riddle to leave safely. His treacherous daughter kidnaps the children and plots to make Ulysses her slave.
- Cronus, Father of Time
Ulysses is saved from a Trident attack by Cronus, the god of time, who wants to use him as leverage to be allowed to reenter the home of the gods.
- Temple of the Lestrigones
The Odyssey arrives on a tropical planet, where the ruling tyrant uses a magic prism to shrink them.
- The Seat of Forgetfulness
Ulysses follows a Trident carrier in hopes of learning more about the way out of Olympus, and finds himself trapped in bizarre worlds. To save the children, he will have to give up his memories.
- Trapped Between Fire and Ice
Trying to help a stranded astronaut, Ulysses tries to find a hidden base on one of the deadly planets Scylla or Charybdis.
- Phantoms from the Swamp
Coming across a piece of Zotra that could bring Numinor back to life, Ulysses and Yumi pursue it to a swamp planet where they are ambushed by monsters who can copy their forms.
- Song of Danger
Pirates kidnap the children to force Ulysses and No-No to brave the danger of the Sirens, who guard a map of the Olympus universe.
- Before the Flood
Ulysses and the crew land on a planet similar to prehistoric earth. They encounter a winged woman named Sauria, whose people are under attack from mutant vultures called Keconopters. A tidal wave destroys the Keconopters but Sauria and her people are safe aboard an ark they have built, which holds one pair of each species of animal on earth.
- The Magic Spells of Circe
The crew of the Odyssey are enslaved by the magic of the witch Circe and turned into pig-people to build a tower that will house all the knowledge of the universe.
- Lost in the Labyrinth
Princess Ariadne comes upon the Odyssey, and asks for Ulysses's help in saving her lover Theseus, who has been exiled to her father's labyrinth to be killed by the fearsome Minotaur.
- At the Heart of the Universe
Mercurius, the bubble-dwelling "grandson of the gods," enlists Ulysses's help in taking a jewel from the brow of the giant Atlas under the promise that it will give him the power to send Ulysses home.
- The Hidden Truth
Nereus, a being who can change his shape, calls Ulysses for help when Shark Men, servants of the gods, take over his planet.
- The Magician in Black
Ulysses is saved from an attack by the most powerful magician in the universe who breaks the gods' curse on his crew but, as payment for his services, he demands to hunt Ulysses's best men.
- Rebellion on Lemnos
Princess Hypsipyle of the planet Lemnos is found by Ulysses; she tells them that the women of her planet are being forced by the Shark Men to build ships for the gods.
- City of Cortex
The Odyssey is dragged to a planet populated by machines, and governed by the tyrannical computer Cortex. One of its inhabitants, a "female" robot named Nanette, falls in love with No-No. (This is a reference to a play called No, No, Nanette).
- Calypso
The Odyssey responds to a distress call from Queen Calypso, who tells him that if he saves her planet she will tell him the way back to earth. Calypso has been ordered by Zeus to betray Ulysses but she falls in love with him instead. When she finds she cannot destroy Ulysses, Zeus destroys her planet.
- Strange Meeting
Ulysses and the children are sent back in time and meet the original Ulysses, Telemachus and Penelope of Homer's epic.
- The Lotus Eaters
Needing raw materials to repair the Odyssey, Ulysses travels to a world where the inhabitants are addicted to eating seeds which induce amnesia.
- The Kingdom of Hades
In the final episode, Ulysses and his companions reach the Kingdom of Hades. They meet Orpheus, who seeks Ulysses' help to find his love, Eurydice, who has been taken to the Kingdom of Hades by Charon. Hades, the god of death, tells Ulysses that he must leave his companions behind if he wishes to return to earth.
[edit] Trivia
- The series aired in Japan in 1998 as Space Legend Ulysses 31, but was cancelled after only twelve episodes. NHK later broadcast all 26 episodes on their BS-2 satellite channel.
- In this show Ulysses used a light saber and round energy shield as weapons. In Marvel comics there was a group called the Pantheon who had a member, Ulysses, with a noticeably similar choice of weapons.
- The series bore a slight similarity with the anime/manga Captain Harlock. Both protagonists are hounded in their travels by ancient mythological gods: Ulysses by Zeus, and Captain Harlock by Wotan, a Norse god (see Harlock Saga: Great Harlock Gotterdamerung manga). Each is on a quest: Ulysses to free his ship's companions from Zeus' spell, and Harlock to fulfil his prophecy by starting the 'Twilight Of The Gods'. Both men endure hardships, overcoming traps, agents/servants working for the Gods, being forced to journey to far-away places in space, and surviving many dangers created by the vengeful gods out to destroy them on their quest.
