Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli
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| Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli | |
|---|---|
| ジャングルブック 少年モーグリ (Janguru Bukku Shōnen Mōguri) |
|
| Genre | Adventure, Action, Drama |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Fumio Kurokawa |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Original run | October 2, 1989 – October 10, 1990 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Jungle Book Shonen Mowgli (ジャングルブック 少年モーグリ Janguru Bukku Shōnen Mōguri?) is an anime adaption of the original Jungle Book story which aired in 1989. It consists of a total of 52 episodes. It was notable for the surprising level of graphic violence (for a kids TV show) that permeated several episodes.
The Japanese anime was dubbed in Hindi and telecast as "Jungle Book" by DD National in India during the early 1990s. The Indian version featured original music by Vishal Bharadwaj (with words by noted lyricist Gulzar), which made it quite popular that the time.
The anime was also dubbed in Arabic under the title "فتى الأدغال " (Fatah El Adghal: Boy Of The Jungle) and became a hit with Arab viewers in the 1990s.
[edit] Music
- Japanese
Opening Theme: "GET UP Ai o Shinjite (GET UP 愛を信じて) [GET UP Love is Believed]" by Toshiya Igarashi
Ending Theme: "chikyuu no ko (地球の子) [Child of the Earth]" by Hashimoto Shiori
- US
Opening Theme:"LOOK UP" by Suzi Marsh
Ending Theme:"A Child is Growing" by Suzi Marsh
- India
Opening Theme:"Jungle Jungle Pata Chala hai" (Hindi: जंगल जंगल पता चला है) (Translation: It's now known in many jungles ...) by Vishal Bharadwaj
[edit] Characters
- Mowgli - The main character of the series. He was still a baby when he got lost in the forest of Seeonee. Alexander and Luri, both wolves, adopted him as a son and raised him as a wolf. Mowgli appears to be somewhere between the ages of 7 and 10 during the course of the show, though the first episode did show him as a toddler.
- Alexander - Mowgli's stepfather. Blue/black furred. He became the leader of the pack when Akela chose to retire. He had a fight with Vermillion, despite not willing to do so. It was a fight to determine who would marry Luri and to determine the successor to Akela's leadership in accordance to the Law of the Jungle. Vermilion lost chose to leave. During a fire that grazed the forest, Alexander died defending his pack from Shere Khan.
- Akela - He is the leader of the pack, noteabley when Mowgli was first adopted into the pack and during much of Mowgli's younger days. Very old but very knowledgable, he was forced out of his retirement after Alexander died.
- Vermilion - Lala's father and Alexander's great friend, who he fought to be the next leader of the pack when Vermilion's father Akela, the former leader, chose to step down. He acquired a scar on his left eye afterwards. Red in colour. It was later revealed that they had also fought perviously to decide which one would get to marry Luri. He later moved away, apparently leaving his daughter behind, and became the leader of a pack of wolves in a rocky desert area.
- Luri - She is Mowgli's stepmother. White in colour with brown ears. A very gentle mother, though strict enough for discipline. With Akela growing old, she replaces him as leader of the pack.
- Sura - One of Mowgli's stepbrothers. Dark-furred like Alexander, and generally a kind but serious wolf. Later in the series, he courts Lala. He is good-humoured, but very protective of his friends and family. By the end of the series, he becomes a father to 2 pups.
- Akru - One of Mowgli's stepbrothers. Brown-furred. He is a bit more serious than his brother, Sura, and appears to be the dominant one of the two. Later in the series he courts a white/cream and gold wolf called Mackie. Many fans have made the mistake of thinking Akru was a girl in the Japanese version of the show mainly because he appeared to be voiced by a woman voice actor. However by the time Mackie was introduced, it was already firmly established that Akru was always intended to be a male.
- Shere Khan - A tiger who is the main antagonist of much of the series. Cruel and cunning, he violates a lot of Laws, including eating humans, cows and overhunting. The injury on his leg was dealt by Alexander before he lost.
- Bagheera - A black panther (or black leopard) who is one of Mowgli's friends. He also serves as one of Mowgli's teachers like Baloo, though he is more enthusiastic and has a gentler approach in some of his lessons. Bagheera spent part of his childhood as an English family's pet.
- Baloo - A bear that is one of Mowgli's friends. He is Mowgli's main teacher of the Laws of Nature and a lot stricter than Bagheera. He is seen as a de facto member of Mowgli's wolf pack.
- Kaa - A snake who is one of Mowgli's friends. He also serves as a teacher to Mowgli on a few occansions.
- Tabaqui - Shere Khan's sidekick. Unlike the other versions of Jungle Book, he's a bungling hyena or jackal who never seems to get anything right.
- Bacchus - the fat wolf who could never hunt properly. He is more fitted to babysit the wolf cubs. He appeared more often in the first half of the series and was occansionally used for comic relief.
- Vargas - An old wolf who was saved by Alexander from a pack of wild dogs. He stole food from the pack's storage in his first few appearances.
- Lala - Vermilion's daughter and Akela's granddaughter. Brilliant red fur (though a tad lighter than her father's), she acts like a tomboy early in the series, and mainly hated Mowgli. Later in the series, she grows to her teens and was revealed to actually like Mowgli quite a bit. By the end of the series, she and Sura are the parents of two cubs.
- Kichi - Mowgli's red panda friend. Her parents are killed by humans. Later in the series she lives together with Mowgli in his hut. In the English version, Kichi was referred to as a male. In the German version, Kichi is called Kiki.
- Meshua - She is the girl that Mowgli takes a liking to late in the series. She has a pet mongoose named Rikki Tikki in honour of Rikki Tikki Tavi in one of the short stories in The Jungle Book. Her grandfather was the one who originally found Mowgli when the boy was on his own from his wolf pack, saying the boy reminded him of his grandson. Though Mowgli chose to remain in the jungle at that time, he did meet his human friend later along with Meshua. Meshua's family later adopt Mowgli into their family as their new son since their other son had died.
- Chill - A falcon who served as the messenger for Akela's pack and Hati, the great elephant.
- Hati/Hathi - The great elephant who serves as the ruler of the whole forest of Seeonee.
