Treasure Island (1978 TV series)

Treasure Island (宝島, Takarajima) is a Japanese anime television series that aired in 1978 and 1979 in Japan and in the mid-1980s in Europe, Mexico, South America & Arab World countries, based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel of the same name.[1] In 2013, the 1987 movie compilation was dubbed in English by Bang Zoom! Entertainment and available on the North American Hulu, but has since been removed. However, as of early 2016, TMS has made the compilation movie available to watch on YouTube for free.[2]

Treasure Island
DVD cover
宝島
(Takarajima)
GenreAdventure, drama, mystery, supernatural
Anime television series
Directed byOsamu Dezaki
Produced byKeishi Yamazaki
Seiichi Ginya
Written byHaruya Yamazaki
Yoshimi Shinozaki
Music byKentaroh Haneda
StudioTokyo Movie Shinsha
Madhouse
Licensed by
Original networkNNS (NTV)
Original run 8 October 1978 1 April 1979
Episodes26
Anime film
Directed byYoshio Takeuchi (primary)
Osamu Dezaki (supervising director)
Written byHaruya Yamazaki
Yoshimi Shinozaki
Music byKentaroh Haneda
StudioTokyo Movie Shinsha
Madhouse
Released9 May 1987
Runtime88 minutes
Original video animation
Takarajima Memorial - Yūnagi to Yobareta Otoko
Directed byOsamu Dezaki
Written byOsamu Dezaki
Music byKentaroh Haneda
StudioTokyo Movie Shinsha
Madhouse
KSS
Released21 December 1992
Runtime7 minutes

Characters

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Main characters

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  • Jim Hawkins: The main protagonist. In this version, he is depicted as a 13-year-old boy with a pet leopard cub named Benbow. He is often energetic and greatly admires Silver at first; but as the series progresses, he often tries to mask his confusion with Silver with anger, but can't truly bring himself to hate the man. When Redruth gets killed, he is forced to face reality as it truly is.
  • Long John Silver: The main antagonist. The cook on the voyage to Treasure Island. Silver is the secret ringleader of the pirate band. His physical and emotional strength is impressive. Silver is deceitful and disloyal, greedy and visceral, and does not care about human relations. Yet he is always kind toward Jim and genuinely fond of the boy. Silver is a powerful mixture of charisma and self-destructiveness, individualism and recklessness.
  • Gray: He is almost incited to mutiny, but remains loyal to the Squire's side when asked to do so by Captain Smollett. He is very skilled with knife. He is from Ireland.
  • Papy: Light-headed young pirate who often panics and doesn't have his own view. He is scared of John Silver.
  • Smollett: The captain of the voyage to Treasure Island. Captain Smollett is savvy and is rightly suspicious of the crew Trelawney has hired.
  • Livesey: The local doctor and judge. Dr. Livesey is wise and practical, and Jim respects but is not inspired by him. Livesey exhibits common sense and rational thought while on the island, and his idea to send Ben to spook the pirates reveals a deep understanding of human nature. He is fair-minded, magnanimously agreeing to treat the pirates with just as much care as his own wounded men.
  • Ben Gunn: A former member of Flint's crew who became half insane after being marooned for three years on Treasure Island, having convinced another ship's crew that he was capable of finding Flint's treasure. Helps Jim by giving him the location of his homemade boat and scares the mutineers with his voice.
  • Joyce: One of the manservants of Squire Trelawney, he accompanies him to the island. He is shot through the head and killed by a mutineer during an attack on the stockade.
  • Hunter: The other manservant of Squire Trelawney. He also accompanies him to the island.
  • Trelawney: A local Bristol nobleman. Trelawney arranges the voyage to the island to find the treasure. He is associated with civic authority and social power, as well as with the comforts of civilized country life (his name suggests both "trees" and "lawn"). He often acts childish during situations.
  • Redruth: The gamekeeper of Squire Trelawney, he accompanies the Squire to the island but is shot and killed by the mutineers during an attack on the stockade.
  • Arrow: The first mate of the Hispaniola. He drinks despite there being a rule about no alcohol on board and is useless as a first mate. He mysteriously disappears before they get to the island.

Plot summary

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Jim Hawkins is a young boy led by progressive events to embark on a search journey for the legendary treasure of the once dreaded pirate, Captain Flint.[3] on their way to Treasure Island, John Silver, Jim's best friend (and eventually father-figure), takeover command of the ship revealing his true self as the ruthless pirate who was once the right hand of Flint himself. Feeling betrayed, now Jim has to deal with his mixed emotions and face Silver who still consider himself and Jim as friends.

Cast

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Note: There are some differences between the Japanese cast of the TV series and the movie

Character Japanese VA English VA Spanish VA German VA Arabic VA
John Silver Genzō Wakayama (TV series)
Michio Hazama (movie)
Richard Epcar Maynardo Zavala Michael Grimm Wahid Jalal
Jim Hawkins Mari Shimizu (TV series)
Masako Nozawa (movie)
Erica Mendez[4] Alma Nuri Marek Harloff Antoinette Mallohi
Billy Bones Ryo Kurosawa (TV series)
Takeshi Aono (movie)
John Snyder Maynardo Zavala Ben Hecker Wahid Jalal
Gray Akio Nojima (TV series)
Ryusei Nakao (movie)
Kyle Hebert Braulio Zertuche Walter Wigand Ismail Nanwo
Papy Akira Kamiya (TV series and movie) Todd Haberkorn Ismail Nanwo
Smollett Hideaki Esumi (TV series)
Shusei Nakamura (movie)
Jamieson Price Carlos Agosti Klaus Dittmann Slahaden Mkllate
Hunter Hiromitsu Mizushima Christian Stark Musa Mareb
Livesey Iemasa Kayumi (TV series and movie) David Mallow Jesús Colin Harald Pages Juseph Nano
Trelawney Junpei Takiguchi (TV series and movie) Joe Ochman Gerd Marcel Michal Tabet
Ben Gunn Kaneta Kimotsuki Joe J. Thomas Rahtjen Ibrahim Marshli
Mishal Tabit
Redruth Kōichi Kitamura Joe J. Thomas
Jim (Adult) Kiyotaka Mitsugi (TV series)
Kenyuu Horiuchi (movie)
Koichi Yamadera (OVA)
Johnny Yong Bosch Muhammad Ibrahim
George Mitsuo Senda Keith Silverstein Christian Ahrens Juseph Nano
Morgan Reizō Nomoto John Snyder Ismail Nanwo
Lily Rihoko Yoshida Wendee Lee Samira Chanfir
Israel Hands Shōzō Iizuka (TV series and movie) Patrick Seitz Eduardo Borja Musa Mareb
Black Dog Tesshō Genda Christopher Corey Smith Eduardo Liñan Klaus-Peter Kaehler Ismail Nanwo

References

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  1. ^ "宝島DVD BOX1・2". www.zawazawa.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  2. ^ Treasure Island The Movie on YouTube
  3. ^ "Takarajima". www.animedimenzija.com (in Bosnian). Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Resume". Erica Mendez. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
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