| Magical Princess Minky Momo | |
Minky Momo second series |
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| 魔法のプリンセス ミンキー モモ (Mahō no Purinsesu Minkī Momo) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Magical girl |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | 18 March 1982 – 26 May 1983 |
| Episodes | 63 |
| Original video animation | |
| Magical Princess Minky Momo La Ronde in my Dream | |
| Directed by | Hiroshi Watanabe |
| Produced by | Harmony Gold U.S.A. Inc. |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Released | 1985-07-28 |
| Original video animation | |
| Magical Princess Minky Momo Hitomi no Seiza Minky Momo SONG Special | |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Released | 1987-01-21 |
| TV anime | |
| Magical Princess Minky Momo Hold on to Your Dreams | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Network | Nippon Television |
| Original run | 2 October 1991 – 23 December 1992 |
| Episodes | 62 |
| Original video animation | |
| Minky Momo The Bridge Over Dreams | |
| Directed by | Yoshitaka Fujimoto |
| Studio | Studio Junio |
| Released | 23 May 1993 |
| Original video animation | |
| Minky Momo The Station of Your Memories | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Studio | Studio Live |
| Released | 22 June 1994 |
Magical Princess Minky Momo (魔法のプリンセス ミンキー モモ Mahō no Purinsesu Minkī Momo), also known as Magical Princess Gigi or Gigi (France) or Benvenuta Gigi (Welcome Gigi, first anime) and Tanto tempo fa...Gigi (Once upon a time...Gigi, second anime) in Italy, is the title of two different magical-girl anime. The first Momo anime TV series, often called Sora Momo ("Sky Momo"), aired in 1982 and had character designs by the late Toyoo Ashida. The second Momo TV series, often called Umi Momo ("Sea Momo"), aired in 1991. They are the first and the third magical-girl anime created by Ashi Productions, respectively. Each of the two Momos consists of two parts.
Two Momos share the same title, except that the official title of the second part of the second Momo is Magical Princess Minky Momo: Embracing the Dream (魔法のプリンセス ミンキー モモ: 夢を抱きしめて Mahō no Purinsesu Minkī Momo: Yume o Dakishimete).
The protagonist is a magical girl called Minky Momo in both Momos, but they are different persons. (Umi Momo is not a sequel of Sora Momo in an ordinary sense.)
Four OVAs have been released so far: Magical Princess Minky Momo: Yume no naka no Rondo (1985), Magical Princess Minky Momo: Hitomi no Seiza (1987), Minky Momo: Yume ni Kakeru Hashi (1993) and Minky Momo: Tabidachi no Eki (1994). The latter two were not called Magical Princess Minky Momo: ... but just called Minky Momo: ... (She is not a magical girl anymore in those stories.)
Currently the third Momo exists only as manga (Miracle Dream Minky Momo). It is not yet decided but it is possible that there will be the third Momo anime. Takeshi Shudo himself is already talking about how the third Momo should be.[1]
Despite the series' popularity in Japan, in Europe and in Latin America, only the 1985 OVA Yume no naka no Rondo has been released in the United States, in an English dub produced by Harmony Gold and released by Celebrity Home Entertainment, titled Gigi and the Fountain of Youth. Rebecca Forstadt (under the pseudonym Reba West) played Gigi (Momo) in this dub. Like most English language anime during its time, the dub version was heavily edited, with an altered plot, rewritten dialogue, and a changed soundtrack (all of the original Japanese vocal songs were replaced with new English songs).
While it would be a stretch to compare Minky Momo to the Momotarō of Japanese folklore, it is interesting to note that Momotarō also had, as companions, a bird, a monkey and a dog. The choice of name and companions was almost undoubtably a deliberate reference to Momotarō. "Momo", incidentally, means "Peach".
Contents |
Momo is a princess of "Fenarinarsa" (フェナリナーサ Fenarināsa), "the land of dreams in the sky". Fenarinarsa is the dwelling place for fairy tale characters. But it was in danger of leaving Earth's orbit and disappearing, because people in the earth lost their dreams and hopes. The king and queen of Fenarinarsa sent their daughter Momo to Earth to help them regain their dreams. Momo became the daughter of a young childless couple in the earth, accompanied by three followers with the appearance of a dog (Sindbook), a monkey (Mocha) and a bird (Pipil). On Earth, Momo takes the appearance of a teenaged girl. To help the planet regain its hopes and dreams, Momo transforms into an adult form of herself, with an occupation tailored to fit the situation (Airline stewardess[2], police officer[3], football manager[4], veterinarian[5]). Each time Momo succeeds in bringing happiness to the person affected, a jewel appears in the Fenarinarsa crown. Once 12 jewels appear, Fenarinarsa will return to Earth's surface.
Later in the series, however, the task is left incomplete as she loses her magical powers and then her own life. She is reincarnated as a baby, the real daughter of the couple in the Earth, not the daydreamed. Now she has her own dream to realize. And she has a pink lizard named Kadzilla who helps her and her pets defeat once and for all an evil shadow who had been the source of the troubles of the people she had helped.
The second series has a similar plot, however this Momo came from "Marinasa" (マリンナーサ Marināsa), the "land of dreams in the bottom of the sea". In this series, she was accompanied by Cookbook (dog), Lupipi (bird), and Charmo (monkey). She enjoyed a happy life on the Ground. Similarly to the previous series, she is adopted by a young childless couple became her parents on the Ground and she used her magic to bring happiness to many people.
Later in the second series, Momo and her family become refugees. She understand that people has few hopes and dreams now. She eventually meets the Momo character from the first series, and ultimately decides to save all the remaining hopes and dreams, using her magic against many social issues. Despite her efforts however, all magic and fairy tale characters begin to disappear. The King and Queen of Marināsa decide to escape from the Earth, but Momo elects to stay behind in order to fulfill her parents' dream of having a child, believing that hopes and dreams are never really lost.
These albums have songs from multiple shows. The applicable tracks are in bold.