16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"I just want to get... back home again...", November 12, 2006
This review is from: The Flying House Volume One (DVD)
Caught in the woods by a drenching rainstorm, Justin Casey, Angela "Angie" Roberts and her kid brother Corkey sneak into a rather odd-looking house for shelter. They then meet the absent-minded Professor Humphrey Bumble and his Solar Ion Robot (SIR) and learn that the house is actually a time machine that becomes operational when struck by lightning. Sure enough, that's exactly what happens, and our protagonists are catapulted 2,000 years back in time to witness the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and His disciples while they try to find a way back to the 20th Century.
Thus begins THE FLYING HOUSE, the second of three television anime series (the other two were SUPERBOOK I and II) produced by Tatsunoko Production in Japan in the early 1980s at the behest of the Christian Broadcasting Network. The 52-episode series was originally known in Japan as TONDERA HAOSU NO DAI BOKEN ("The Great Adventures of the Flying House"). Although it was fairly popular during its original run in Japan from April 1982 to March 1983 and in reruns afterward, in the West it's generally overshadowed by its sister series SUPERBOOK and is often mistakenly thought to be part of the SUPERBOOK series itself. This is a shame, as THE FLYING HOUSE really does stand on its own as a very good series and an anime classic.
First of all, the quality of the animation is noticeably better than in SUPERBOOK I (in which some episodes were animated beautifully but others fell short in quality). The character designs of some characters (namely Peter and Jesus Christ himself) carry over from the first series. Also, some of the animation staff of THE FLYING HOUSE went on to make the comedy anime classic SAMURAI PIZZA CATS for Tatsunoko in 1990!
Second of all, the music is wonderful - the background music is alternately cute and catchy and breathtakingly beautiful. Both the English and Japanese opening theme songs will stick in your head as well.
Third of all, although this series is based on Bible stories, it's not as didactic or preachy as one might expect - there's lots of humor and a good amount of slapstick in the best Tatsunoko "gag" anime tradition. Professor Humphrey Bumble (whose name in the original Japanese, incidentally, is "Dr. Tokyo Time" :)!) is a particular source of humor, as he's a very absent-minded and flighty character, and pretty much all of his attempts to use the Flying House to get himself and the children back to the present day go hilariously wrong.
Fourth, the voices and the scriptwriting are well-done for the most part. With talent like the legendary Billie Lou Watt (R.I.P.), Ray Owens, and Peter Fernandez behind it, you generally can't go wrong. The kid brother (Corky) sounds rather irritating at times, but then again, he was probably meant to be.
Finally, the adaptations of the Bible stories presented here are more detailed and closer to the originals than those in the first Superbook series, although there were still some alterations to be made because this is a kids' show and because America's broadcast standards are more conservative than Japan's.
This being anime, there are some very dark and very intense moments (even in the edited English version). The aforementioned "The Prize That Was Won and Lost" is one of them - they don't gloss over the fact that John the Baptist is executed (they don't show the execution, but the children hear it happen from behind a closed door), or a distraught Salome's suicide attempt afterwards. Perhaps the most infamous example is the "temptation of Christ" episode, "Speak of the Devil," in which Justin, Angie and Corky themselves fall victim to Satan's temptations and find themselves in the midst of their ultimate fantasies come true, which in a matter of seconds turn dark and menacing. You might not want to ever look in your mirror again after seeing what happens to Angie in this episode! "Speak of the Devil" is actually probably too scary and too intense for very young children, but it is still one of those touches that sets THE FLYING HOUSE apart from other kids' shows and makes it worthwhile viewing for anime fans even if they aren't Christians.
Some more liberal anime fans will likely dismiss this as a piece of propaganda dreamed up by the evil mind of Pat Robertson to "brainwash" the people of Japan into Christianity. I couldn't disagree more (even though I consider myself a liberal and disagree personally with much of Robertson's rhetoric). THE FLYING HOUSE is not the most groundbreaking, innovative or cinematographically challenging anime ever made, and it won't convert anime haters into otakus, but what it is, is certainly worthwhile - an enjoyable, simple and fun animated series with a positive message. I'm 27 and have recently started watching this series again, and have fallen in love with it all over again. Recommended for anyone looking for quality Christian animation or anime to double as good clean family fun.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good nostalgic show from the 80's, November 16, 2006
This review is from: The Flying House Volume One (DVD)
The first four episodes of 52 from The Flying House. Two versions are on this DVD, English and Spanish. There are no ending credit words at the end of each episode except for CBN 1983, which struck me as odd. If anyone wants to know who did the voices, they'll have to research it online. In addition, there is no 'The Flying House' title at the beginning either. It is in the Spanish version, however. There are credits and a title on my old tapes from 20 years ago.
I heard the second volume is due out in early 2007, as all episodes will be released in English eventually. I hope it doesn't take too many years since this was one of my favorites.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
