Marine Boy

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Marine Boy
海底少年マリン
(Kaitei Shōnen Marin)
Genre Adventure, science fiction
Anime television series
Dolphin Prince
Studio Terebi Doga
Network Fuji TV
Original run 4 April 1965 18 April 1965
Episodes 3
Anime television series
Hang On! Marine Kid
Studio Terebi Doga
Network TBS
Original run 6 October 1966 29 December 1966
Episodes 13
Anime television series
Undersea Boy Marine
Studio Terebi Doga
Network Fuji TV / NTV
English network
Nine Network (1969-1971)
Network Ten (1988)
GO! (2009-2011)
Original run 13 January 1969 22 September 1969 (1971)
Episodes 78
Game
CR Marine Boy
Publisher NewGin
Genre Pachinko
Platform Arcade
Released October 2006

Marine Boy was one of the first color anime cartoons to be shown in a dubbed form in the U.S., and later in Australia and the United Kingdom. It was originally produced in Japan as Undersea Boy Marine (海底少年マリン Kaitei Shōnen Marin) by Minoru Adachi and animation company Japan Tele-Cartoons. It was sold outside of Japan via K. Fujita Associates Inc., with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Television handling worldwide distribution of the English-language version.

Series

The show revolves around a talented boy who is further enhanced by some sophisticated inventions. With these, he serves with the underwater policing agency, the Ocean Patrol, in making Earth's oceans safe.

The series is set in the future, when humankind has pioneered the world's oceans, establishing great facilities for undersea ranching (episode 4, 17, 22), mineral and oil exploitation (ep. 2, 12), research (ep. 6, 7), and some underocean communities (ep. 10, 15).

In this era there is an ocean based government agency: The Ocean Patrol, whose mission includes protecting all in the sea from danger (episode 4). Most of the activity we witness of the OP is that of policing the world's oceans, for this affluent frontier and its resources seems to have produced a startling number of megalomaniacs—it seems hardly a week goes by in which the Ocean Patrol doesn't divert someone with an impressive private military force from taking over the world. That being the case, the Ocean Patrol is also an impressive military force with small and large subs, war ships, and an air force (ep. 5, 18). The military branch of the OP includes researchers and scientists who are constantly developing their defensive and offensive arsenal (ep. 9, 10, 17, 19) as well as new research vehicles (ep. 10, 12) and devices (ep. 13). Key people in this department are Marine Boy's father, Dr. Mariner, as well as the brilliant Professor Fumble. However, there are non-military branches of the Ocean Patrol which conduct some of the aforementioned ranching, research, oil drilling and so on.

The series follows the Ocean Patrol's patrol boat P-1. The patrol boats are small submarine craft, comfortably sized to be manned by 3 or 4 people. They are also capable of flight for limited times using retractable wings (episode 4, 27). Patrol boats may be heavily armed, most commonly with small "rocket torpedos," but optional weaponry is sometimes mounted. These have included a heat beam, boxing glove missiles (ep. 4), smoke screen (ep. 4, 14), a heavy saw, sonic cannon (ep. 9), a steel net (ep. 11), power claws, drill and laser beam guns (ep. 28). The crew of the P-1 includes Bolton and Piper (a double act, reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy) and often the Ocean Patrol member Marine Boy.

Marine Boy is an extremely intelligent, strong and athletic boy of perhaps 13 to 15 years of age. He is a martial artist (episode 1, 2, 8, 16), football player (ep. 17), and an accomplished pilot (ep. 10) whose talents are further enhanced by the inventions of his father, Dr. Mariner. He has a great affinity with sea life, most particularly with a white dolphin he calls Splasher who Marine Boy occasionally seems able to communicate with quite clearly (ep. 11, 12, 17, 28). (MB also wears a ring with a dolphin-calling whistle in it (ep. 2, 4, 16).) It is perhaps because of his skills along with his avid insistence to get involved with trouble that his father, along with Professor Fumble, invented for him the red wetsuit which protects and equips Marine Boy, allowing for him to use his talents to perform dangerous duty. With his headstrong personality, he hardly seems able to avoid it.

The suit is highly resistant to penetration (ep. 1, 2) (it appears it may be bulletproof) and temperature (ep. 17, 21). The boots have hyper-powered propeller packs built into the heels which are so efficient they can enable Marine Boy to move huge boulders (ep. 3) and break free from metal manacles (ep. 10). When the power units are exhausted Marine Boy has spares in his belt. He also has retractable flippers, released at the click of his heels (ep. 3). The headgear includes a radio transceiver, but most remarkably, there is no breathing apparatus or face shield. Oxygen is supplied through another of Professor Fumble's inventions: "oxy-gum" which Marine Boy can chew and receive hours of oxygenation. He tends to have to replenish the gum after heavy activity. Presumably the oxy-gum is very limited in production because no other Ocean Patrol officers use it. Marine Boy also carries a weapon: a boomerang made of a hardened alloy. The alloy can cut through many materials and the nimble Marine Boy has even used it to deflect bullets (ep. 24). It folds on a spring so it can be carried in a holster on his left arm. When unfolded and thrown it can generate a powerful electric shock, which has proved to be so disruptive to some electrical systems, it has blown up entire submarines (ep. 14, 16, 28).

Marine Boy also has a friend in Neptina, a young (8-12-year-old?) bare-chested mermaid who was always kept decent by her long flowing hair. Neptina wears a magic pearl around her neck, which could be used for various purposes including creating an envelope of protection and deterring dangerous animals (episode 1, 2, 17), as well as working as a crystal ball to see events (ep. 3, 6, 13, 15, 16, 17). She also seems to understand Splasher (ep. 3, 6, 10) and have an innate understanding of sea life (ep. 4). During battle Marine Boy always directs her to safely stay out of harms way, and Neptina always submits, then almost inevitably ends up saving Marine Boy.

History

The program concept was developed by Terebi Doga, (aka Japan Tele-Cartoons or JTC), in Japan in 1965, originally known as Dolphin Prince (ドルフィン王子 - Dorufin Ôji). Produced as a short experimental trial series of only three episodes and filmed in black and white, Dolphin Prince aired on Fuji TV on Sundays at 7.30pm between 4 April and 18 April 1965. The episodes featured young Dolphin Prince, his mermaid friend Neptuna and Dr. Mariner, with stories entitled "Secret Of The Red Vortex", "Call Of The Sea" and "Attack Of The Sea-Star People". It was a well-received experiment and Terebi Doga prepared to produce a full series follow-up, although this time they decided that their program would be produced in color in order to maximise the potential of the production, both artistically and commercially.

Although color television was introduced to the US in 1965, Japan had been transmitting some programs in color since 1960, however, not all Japanese studios had invested in the conversion of their operations to color. To complicate matters, not all the networks were interested in buying expensive color film series which were considered vehicles for selling commercial airtime, especially programs aimed primarily at children. Some broadcasters (such as NHK, TBS, NET and Yomiuri) had embraced color as the emerging and more engaging format, but others such as Fuji TV were unwilling to buy or co-finance color programming without a guarantee of commercial return or sponsored support. Fuji TV had broadcast the popular color series Jungle Emperor (ジャングル大帝 - Janguru Taitei) in 1965, but this would not have been filmed in color at all without the pre-sale of the series to US distributor NBC Films for broadcast in the US as Kimba the White Lion (on the NBC Network which, at the time, insisted that it be supplied color programming by its distributors, the network using color as a promotional tool to attract both sponsors and viewers alike).

Terebi Doga, wishing to further explore their Dolphin Prince concept via a full color version, returned to Fuji TV, expecting that the network would happily buy an expanded version of their original monochrome pilot series. Fuji, however, declined to buy into the project, happy as they were with the ratings they were achieving with their current Thursday night black and white anime series Harris' Whirlwind (ハリスの旋風 - Harisu no Kaze). Undeterred, Terebi Doga found external sponsorship from the Matsushita Company (later to be known as National Panasonic Matsushita), and sold their new version of Dolphin Prince to rival TBS Network. Character names were altered, (changing 'Dolphin Prince' to 'Marine Kid' and 'Neptuna' to 'Neptina'), characters were added and concepts expanded. In order to distance the new series from the original trial episodes, the series was re-titled Hang On! Marine Kid (がんばれ!マリンキッド - Ganbare! Marin Kiddo) and aired on Thursdays at 7.00pm between 6 October and 29 December 1966. Despite Toei Doga's high hopes, the scheduling of Hang On! Marine Kid was a ratings disaster for TBS, slotted as it was directly in opposition to the ever popular Harris' Whirlwind, which was still airing on Fuji TV at 7.00pm. Hang On! Marine Kid was cancelled after its first batch of 13 episodes and not renewed.

Despite its cancellation, Hang On! Marine Kid was promoted for sale by Japanese program seller K.Fujita, who in turn attracted the attention of producer Stanley R. Jaffe representing US distributor Seven Arts Television, which later merged into Warner Bros./Seven Arts. Jaffe expressed interest in re-packaging the existing series and expanding it with newly animated episodes for the English-speaking market, with two provisos. Firstly, the series needed to run for 78 episodes to ensure the program had substantial shelf-life and value for money for stations buying it. Secondly, it was stipulated that the Japanese-language version could not be aired in Japan before the English-language version had aired first-run in the US and sold to international broadcasters. With the deal agreed, Terebi Doga launched production again, preparing the elements of both Dolphin Prince, (the 3 monochrome episodes re-worked and re-shot in color), and the 13 completed episodes of Hang On! Marine Kid for use in the new series, as well as gearing up to producing approximately 65 more new episodes as required to produce the a complete 78 episode run. Scripts and storyboards were prepared in both English and Japanese and with a fast turnaround in the production process, the episodes were delivered to Zavala-Riss Productions in the US for English dubbing (the unit that also dubbed Speed Racer, featuring the same voice actor cast).

By the end of production, two distinct versions had been produced:
- one for the US and foreign markets which would be known as Marine Boy
- one for Japan as Undersea Boy Marine (海底少年マリン - Kaitei Shônen Marin).

As per the terms of the agreement Marine Boy was first run as a syndicated program throughout the US and in international markets from late 1967 onwards. Ironically, the Japanese version of the series was eventually sold to Fuji TV and aired on Mondays at 6pm between 31 January 1969 and 22 September 1969, with only the first 36 episodes broadcast. It was later bought by Nippon TV, all 78 episodes airing Monday to Friday 5.00pm between 11 May to 2 September 1971.

English characterization

The voice of Marine Boy, Neptina and Clicli [1] was that of Corinne Orr, who was also the voice of Trixie in Speed Racer. Jack Grimes, who also worked on Speed Racer, was the voice of Professor Fumble and Splasher. Peter Fernandez was the voice of Piper and Dr. Mariner. His other work includes The Space Giants, Ultraman, Star Blazers, many of the Godzilla films, as well as both Speed and Racer X from Speed Racer. Jack Curtis was the voice of Bullton,[2] as well as the series' narrator (performing the same duties on Speed Racer).

Episode guide

2009 Warner Bros.' syndication order [3]

# Title
1 "The Green Monster"
Marine Boy, suspecting sabotage, investigates when an "unsinkable" nuclear ship is lost during a tornado. 
2 "Danger At 300 Fathoms"
A great underwater oil field is discovered by Dr. Mariner, but while drilling, the team at Satellite Station 23 collapses and Marine Boy is sent to investigate. 
3 "Monsters Of The Deep"
Marine Boy, Bulllton and Piper are ordered to the fishing boat Whoppercatch to investigate an SOS regarding a sea monster. 
4 "Dangerous Starfish"
After arriving at the crash site of an unidentified aircraft, P-1 witnesses an explosion and find themselves surrounded by huge, electronically controlled, poisonous starfish. 
5 "The Astounding Shellfish"
Bullton and Piper find a missing fishing boat with no one aboard. Marine Boy and Splasher set out to solve the mystery of the crew's whereabouts. 
6 "The Mysterious Paradise"
During an expedition organized by Ocean Patrol, Dr. Mariner and his crew find a spear which is modelled after one known to be thousands of years old. 
7 "Deepest Of The Deep"
In order to provide more food to the people of the world, Dr. Mariner experiments with raising larger fish, but it is missing one ingredient which can only be found in the deepest part of the ocean. 
8 "The Ghost Ship"
Marine Boy, Bullton, and Piper are sent to the Arctic Ocean to search for 11 missing men and to explore the myth of a ghost ship. 
9 "The Monstrous Seaweed"
Marine Boy answers an SOS and finds no ship in the area of the signal. What he does find, however, is electronically controlled artificial seaweed. 
10 "The Super Mystery Boat"
Marine Boy enters a kind of submarine Grand Prix using a special boat invented by Dr. Mariner and Professor Fumble, but the sub is blown up before the race finishes. 
11 "The Greatest Power On Earth"
A strange statue which contains vast treasure is discovered by tycoon Mr. Goldpocket while flying over it in his plane. 
12 "Disaster On The High Sea"
Mr. Smirch steals nuclear rock drills in order to obtain uranium enough to take over the oceans of the world. 
13 "Secret Of The Time Capsule"
A mysterious time capsule is found by Marine Boy and Splasher who take it to Dr. Mariner. 
14 "Mystery Of The Missing Vessels"
Flim Flamboyant disguises his sub as the P-1 and leads ships to a cave where he steals their precious cargo. 
15 "Menace Of The Missing Bomb"
A proton bomb with its safety catch unhooked is stolen by a secret agent. 
16 "Danger In The Depths"
Splasher is caught in the sound waves emitted by Scorpo, who plans to sell the dolphins of the world to Smirkoland for use as robots. 
17 "The Gigantic Sea Farm"
Marine Boy and Splasher stumble on an underwater farm where plants grow quickly due to the rich soil. 
18 "Terror Of The Fire Ball"
Dr. Shinedor has invented an electronic laser beam which he can use to shock and punish man for hunting and fishing for pleasure. 
19 "Empire Of The Sea"
Despo Montebank, who claims to be the Emperor of the Pacific Empire, holds Marine Boy and his crew captive in an electromagnetic field and tries to make them obey him. 
20 "Battle To Save The World"
Marine Boy leaves the P-1 to search for the wreckage of a ship sunk by Captain Rex Rancid's electronic missiles. 
21 "The Terrifying Icebergs"
Marine Boy and P-1 are sent to investigate the disappearance of ships at the North Pole, apparently due to icebergs. 
22 "The Whales Of Destruction"
While testing the electronic fence at the Ocean Patrol underwater research ranch, Professor Fumble and Mr. Washer are captured and held on an invisible ship. 
23 "The Power Of Power"
Accidents continue to occur in an underwater power station which is under construction, and Marine Boy discovers tremendous currents which he feels are man-made. 
24 "5 Billion In Diamonds"
Little Clicli sees a submarine attack a diamond-bearing ship and picks up the key after the captain of the ship throws it overboard to keep it from thieves. 
25 "Mission At Corkscrew Strait"
In leading an important cargo ship through the narrow strait, P-1 must use torpedoes to clear the way. 
26 "Lighthouse Of Terror"
A lighthouse beam changes course mysteriously and ships in the area are running around as a result. 
27 "The Invincible Force"
P-1, along with Bullton and Piper, is reported missing and Marine Boy and Splasher go search for them, finding them in a cave being held prisoners of Hambone and Skwid. 
28 "Riddle Of The Vanishing Frogmen"
The villains X-3 and Professor Stormbrane are planning to set off a super bomb inside a volcano and send out Shell boats to attack the SS Rubadubdub. 
29 "Panic In The Pacific"
Marine Boy and the P-1 encounter synthetic jelly monsters which attack a secret airship whose torpedoes only make them multiply and grow larger. 
30 "24 Hours To Doom"
Marine Boy and Dr. Mariner set up a trap to catch pirates who sink ships and steal the cargo. After Dr. Mariner is caught, the villains give Ocean Patrol 24 hours to surrender their base in return for Dr. Mariner's freedom. 
31 "Attack Of The Robot Spiders"
Marine Boy and his racer, Carrier Fish, are trapped by robot sea spiders who spin webs and encircle them. 
32 "The Great Bomb Robbery"
Thieves capture Hugh Highstep, the ballet instructor, and the dolphin ballerina, Twinklefin, after the dolphin accidentally takes a miniature bomb that Squidink wants for himself. 
33 "Operation Deep Deep"
Four wacky scientists kidnap Professor Fumble in an attempt to learn the formulae for Ocean Patrol's many weapons, especially Marine Boy's special suit. 
34 "The Stolen Island"
The villains X-3 and Professor Stormbrane are planning to set off a super bomb inside a volcano and send out Shell boats to attack the SS Rubadubdub. 
35 "Underwater Underworld"
A gangster group is holding a secret convention in an underwater strait and is being trained by Professor Beelzebub to steal an electronic brain which is being delivered to Ocean Patrol headquarters. 
36 "Rustlers Of The Deep"
Rustlers steal the whales from Texboy's deep sea ranch. 
37 "Raid Of The Robot Robbers"
Robots controlled by Mr Fuddidudder are stealing from stores and ships, and Ocean Patrol thinks the Gold Grabber Gang is really at the bottom of the trouble. 
38 "Attack Of The Robot Sharks"
During an Ocean Patrol Rodeo, Bullton finds himself riding the back of a monster shark breathing fire - it's one of Count Shark's monsters for use in an attempt to take over Ocean Patrol headquarters. 
39 "The Monster Search"
Marine Boy and the P-1 are sent by Dr. Mariner to capture a prehistoric sea monster. Along the way they encounter a fortune teller and a gangster. 
40 "The Well Hidden Plan"
Marine Boy and the P-1 set out to search for a microfilm which has been hidden in a potato. 
41 "Flimflam On The High Seas"
Professor Dazzle loses his dazzling pendant during his performance at the circus. When Bullton finds the pendant, Flip Flimflam's men kidnap him thinking he is Professor Dazzle. 
42 "The Dragon Of The Sea"
A sea dragon is wounded by a movie crew which is trying to film it. Ocean Patrol is ordered to destroy it. 
43 "Piracy Under The Sea!"
Marine Boy's wrist radio is removed by a playful baby dolphin and he cannot hear Bullton and Piper call for help. 
44 "The Super Brain Capers"
Dr. Mum is captured on a submarine and forced by Mr. Robbinsteel to build an electronic brain. Marine Boy rescues Dr. Mum, the submarine is blown up, but the brain is still intact. 
45 "The Great Underwater Train Robbery"
Jesse Jamison and his men take over a train which is carrying a shipment of rubies on the Underwater Railroad. 
46 "The Genius Dolphin"
Professor Fumble invents a mini-electronic translator for Splasher to use in order to speak with humans. 
47 "The Nuclear Pirates"
Two ships collide in a fog and the nuclear-powered ship is robbed of its nuclear fuel. 
48 "The Phoney Patrolmen"
Men disguised as Ocean Patrol members enter an underground fort in an attempt to steal gold, and all persons in the fort are held captive by them. 
49 "Saga Of The Undersea Lion"
Captain Kiddo and his pirate ship discover a castle filled with treasure and guarded by a sea lion on the ocean floor. 
50 "The Mini Micro Wave"
Clicli discovers a ship which sends out a roll of microfilm and shows it to Marine Boy. The film shows Miniprof's microwave machine that can shrink anything. 
51 "The Ultra Freezer Freeze"
Jim Sumorbond tries to steal Professor Fumble's special ultra-freezer. The getaway truck crashes into the ocean, and the freezer in the back causes huge ice masses to form. 
52 "The Tubsub Tanker Sub"
A storm causes an oil tanker to spill oil in the sea, jeopardising the fish. Octane builds a spill-proof Tubsub Tanker Sub. 
53 "The Tremendous Tremendo"
When the evil Despotic invents a super electronic brain called Tremendo, he plans a world conquest. 
54 "The Ghosts Of Spook Island"
A supposedly haunted island is under the domination of the mysterious Captain Wraith. 
55 "Ghost Of Destruction"
Marine Boy faces the greatest challenge of his career in the Ocean Patrol when a ship, the ghost of a heavy cruiser, haunts the seas. Wherever it appears, there is a disaster that follows. 
56 "The Whale Blows Rainbows"
Guppy, an enormous pet whale, is kidnapped by Cuthbert Tuthsum, a butler with ambitions toward evil. 
57 "The Great Plankton Menace"
Dr. Bulthrod's plane, carrying precious specimens of a rare plankton, is shot down. The plankton escapes into the sea where it grows and threatens to engulf the entire Earth. 
58 "Showdown At Sea"
When Professor Puddin builds his complex for extracting gold from sea water, the infamous Dr. Al Kemy devises an evil plan. 
59 "The Precious Robot"
When Professor Fumble invents a robot that makes diamonds out of coal, the evil Mr. Carbona sees his chance to control the world's economy. 
60 "Fight For The Rocket"
Professor Fumble's greatest invention, a weather observation rocket, is stolen by the notorious Lard Greedfat. 
61 "Red Menace"
Suddenly, an army of red dolphins threatens the ocean depths. Their goal is the destruction of the Ocean Patrol. 
62 "The Invincible Robots"
Professor Fumble invents a fabulous new robot, but evil forces build an army of the robots. 
63 "Island Of Treasure"
When a mysterious treasure map falls into the hands of the Ocean Patrol, the crew of P-1 and Marine Boy sail for the Island of Treasure. 
64 "Thieves Of The Deep"
Flim Flamboyant schemes to becomes a billionaire by robbing the underwater oil pipeline. 
65 "The Wild Monster Plant"
The ultrasonic voices of Splasher and his friends awaken a dangerous monster plant which has been sleeping for millions of years. 
66 "The Vanishing Vessel"
A cruise ship carrying Professor Fumble and the world's greatest scientists disappears without a trace. 
67 "Challenges Of The Pirates"
The powerful pirate, Captain Kiddo, is challenged by the Queen of Pirates to see if he can defeat Marine Boy. 
68 "Land Of The Strange Vikings"
An Ocean Patrol boat is found with the crew missing. The search takes Marine Boy to a strange and forbidding land, the land of ancient Vikings, where today they are living under the domination of a cruel queen. 
69 "Attack Of The Icebergs"
When huge mysterious icebergs appear in the Tropical Sea, the Ocean Patrol is alerted. 
70 "The Deadly Tank"
Jocko Nape builds a tank equipped with a hyper Uranium bomb which he plans to set off in the middle of the ocean, thereby creating tidal waves big enough to destroy whole cities. 
71 "Avenger Of The Sea"
Captain Aquarius has captured some unusual sea creatures for his underwater zoo. In the deepest part of the ocean lives Zeoclode, avenger of the sea, who tries to rescue his friends. 
72 "The Desperate Search"
Professor Ike Conoclast has perfected a secret formula for a new secret weapon, but when it is about to be stolen from him he hides each half of the formula in a different place. 
73 "The Secret Of The Golden Seaweed"
When a castaway whom Marine Boy rescues tells him of a fabulous growth of seaweed, they set off together to find the fantastic plant. 
74 "The Fantastic Flash"
Marine Boy is blinded temporarily by a flash of light which a gang of criminals is using to escape detection of their crimes. 
75 "The Stormy Brainstorm"
The Brainstorm, a super electronic computer, suddenly becomes so powerful that it can control not only machines but men's minds. 
76 "The Gill Men"
Piper is captured by the fiendish Dr. Diablo. Diablo plans to save mankind from a future flood by installing gills in their bodies so they can live underwater. 
77 "The Great Sea Escape"
Two master criminals escape from an underwater prison farm and use the P-1 as their getaway boat with Bullton and Piper as hostages. 
78 "The Desert Destroyer"
Suddenly, the desert is flooded with sea water. Ocean Patrol believes that someone is illegally mining uranium beneath the desert. 

Home video release

The series is being restored for DVD release by the Warner Archive Collection.[4]

Footnotes

  1. Lannan, Kelly Patrick. (1977 ~ current) Base Koala TX Data Archives
    Character has often been listed as "Cli Cli", 'Cli-Cli" or "Clee-Clee". Warner Bros publicity spells the name consistently as "Clicli, which is an accurate translation of the original Japanese character's name.
  2. Lannan, Kelly Patrick. (1977 ~ current) Base Koala TX Data Archives
    Character has often been listed as "Bolton" or "Bulton". Warner Bros publicity spells the name consistently as "Bullton", which is an accurate translation of the original Japanese character's name.
  3. Lannan, Kelly Patrick. (1977 ~ current) Base Koala TX Data Archives.
    This guide lists the English language syndicated order as supplied by Warner Bros. to broadcasters in both 1967 and 2009, (it is not the same order as the Japanese-language version). Although the 2009 order is identical to that supplied in 1967, the episode synopses differ substantially; see Marine Boy - 1967 Episode Synopses
  4. http://www.homemediamagazine.com/tv-dvd/warner-archive-revives-spirit-saturday-morning-cartoons-30099

External links

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