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36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best animated children's series ever made! 100 stars!, February 6, 2009
This 1980's series, loosely based on Scott O'Dell's novel "The King's Fifth" is a superb blend of Japanese animation, French writing, and some of the best music ever.
The series which is one big story arc follows a group of Spaniards in the 16th century who go looking for a city of gold that is hidden somewhere in Central or South America, they are accompanied by an Inca girl who can decipher clues to its location and later meet other people along the way.
The storyline includes mythology of lost continents of Atlantis and Mu (Hiva in this story), and of their supposed highly advanced technology that rivals today's.
This series was the jewel of Nickelodeon's television programming in the 1980's and became a cult classic. It was previously released on DVD in Quebec and France in the early 2000's and Japan a few years later. It is now set for a long overdue US release with excellent special features.
I speculate that the success of bootleg copies of the series may have contributed to it finally being released on DVD in English speaking countries just like what happened with the series Sea Quest DSV.
The series also includes a music soundtrack by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy recorded with synthesizers which is worthy of a Grammy and an Emmy. This soundtrack is better than most movie soundtracks and has been released on LP and CD over the decades.
I am ecstatic about this release and will be buying both editions. It is a show that people who watched it growing up will want their kids to see. I watched this all the time when it was on Nickelodeon in the 80's and am glad it is getting the release it deserves.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Golden Oppertunity, January 28, 2009
After 20 years of waiting, its finally here.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold is a show most of children would have seen on Nickelodeon in the mid-80's. A rare collaboration between French writers and Japanese animators (overseen by none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself), it combined strong characters with rich artwork, and set it all in a more or less historically accurate 15th century Meso-America. 39 episodes in length, this series tells one continuous story, told primarily from the viewpoint of the show's three main child characters.
Along their journey, these children demonstrate the virtues of love, friendship, kindness, and self-sacrifice, without any of the artificial constructs normally placed into such stories. They learn and grow, becoming deeper, more mature people as they explore and come in contact with real South American cultures, which are painted in a positive light. The primary antagonists are the invading Spaniards, seeking to look the new world's gold for their own profit.
From a decade where everything was a glorified half-hour toy commercial, the Mysterious Cities of Gold stood out due to it's emphasis on story telling and character development. And, unlike other series of it's time, when the story ends, so does the series. No attempt was made to milk this show for every last penny, it has a definite start, middle, and end, so there is a tangible sense of completion and satisfaction upon completing your viewing.
In addition, each episode contained, at the end, a brief history lesson about the real world versions of items and places visited by the characters in that episode. These were cut from various non-English versions of the series, but are here in full educational glory.
Never before released on video (either VHS or DVD) in America before now, and filled with great extras, this is something that should not be missed. For those of us that grew up watching the adventures of Esteban, to a whole new generation of children that have never experienced a cartoon of this caliber, you simply cannot go wrong here.
Children of the Sun, after 20 long years, our time has finally begun!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The long overdue MCoG box set, finally available!, May 10, 2009
To be certain, this show is terrific! The glowing reviews for the Mysterious Cities of Gold, both on this site and throughout the web, are well-deserved. With that said, I'm more interested in discussing the particulars of this DVD, to help you make an educated purchase.
This release spreads 39 episodes out between 6 discs. Each episode is presented along with its original, corresponding documentary. Additionally, there are DVD exclusives on each disc. The features are engaging, although it would've been nice to segregate the extras to disc 6, making it easier to find them!
Also, it is true that there are no other language options or subtitles on this disc. This is a little disappointing, as the documentary on the voice-over acting discusses the differences between the french and english translations frequently, making me wish I could hear some of the original french!
Yet, despite my criticisms, this box truly is very very good. An alternate Region 1 release of this series is a French Canadian box set by CMR Home Video, Les Mysterieuses Cites D'Or - Complete Collection Boxset (Original French ONLY Version - No English Options). CMR's release is inferior, as it has no liner notes and no extra features. Nor does it have subtitles or other language features.
So, while I have rated the MCoG Deluxe Edition as 4/5 stars, a more precise rating is 9/10. The one point reduction is due solely to the lack of language and subtitle options. Otherwise, this set is an excellent purchase. It is well worth the price, and fans of the show will love it!
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