If you’re a fan of either Hayao Miyazaki, anime history, or both, you’ll want to pay close attention to the words I’m about to type: Future Boy Conan has been licensed for a home video release by GKIDS! That’s right, for the first time ever, fans will get to own the series that gave the famed and much-beloved anime creator his start in the industry. Now that’s what I call service!
The series in question is a sci-fi television series called Future Boy Conan which began its run in April 1978 and ran for 26 episodes. Produced by Nippon Animation, the series is an adaptation of an American novel written by Alexander Key which was published in 1970.
Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth which has been ravaged by war, super-powerful magnetic weapons have shifted the Earth’s axis and caused entire continents to split and sink into the ocean. A boy named Conan is born into this world and raised by his grandfather on an isolated island when one day, a mysterious girl named Lana washes ashore. Soon they learn that she’s being followed by a shadowy organization who wants to use her somehow to control what’s left of the planet.
As mentioned, this is the first series that Miyazaki ever directed and it’s going to be released with a 4K digital remaster and a brand new English dub before the end of the year. In all my years of covering anime news, this is pretty much unheard of and will be an amazing present for anyone in your life who loves anime. It’s unknown how big the print run for this series will be, however, so I suggest picking it up as soon as you possibly can before it disappears into the sands of time once again.
Source: GKIDS on Twitter
Images © NIPPON ANIMATION CO., LTD.
