Future Boy Conan: The Complete Series - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Future Boy Conan: The Complete Series



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

​

Movie
Not going to lie to you here. Out of all the anime series that we’ve gotten on Blu-ray, and all the Miyazaki upgrades thanks to Gkids, I really didn’t expect to see Future Boy Conan. Yes, it’s a Miyazaki work and we know that Gkids has been religious about releasing ALL of his works on Blu-ray, but this 1978 seminal anime TV series just didn’t seem to be high on the priority list. Especially since Gkids USUALLY sticks to their releases of movies vs. TV shows. However, I’m not going to deny the fact that I’ve literally giddy with excitement due to the fact that the show gets a new 4K remaster, a solid dub, and even though it’s missing the movies, is the FIRST time in many many years that this classic show has gotten a home video release.

Airing back in 1978, the show’s premise revolved around humans destroying each other 40 years in the future (2008) with magnetic weapons that were supposedly WAY more powerful than nuclear devices (a plot device that actually makes me chuckle as magnetic weapons can’t really be used as “bombs” like they portray it as). Earth basically wipes itself out in an instant, leaving the earth in flux as the major continents break apart and sink to the bottom of the ocean. Part of humanity lives on islands and floating ships and other devices, while the rich have their own sort of way of living. The series picks up 20 years later on an island in the watery world where 2 people (Conan and his Grandpa) believe that they’re the last 2 people on Earth. That is until a girl named Lana washes up on the beach and they find out that there is a LOT more out there than just unending ocean.

However, Lana is being chased by the forces of a land called “Industria” who will stop at nothing to find the secrets of solar energy from her gandpa, one Dr. Lao. Thus begins an adventure where Conan attempts to protect Lana from the forces of Industria, as well as rescue his grandfather from their clutches when he is kidnapped. Toss in some telepathy as humans have mutated, good old fashioned pirates, and a general sense of whimsy adventure that is 100% Hayao Miyazaki.

While the show is technically 26 episodes long, the show really plays out like a movie, with episodes simply being breaks for the audience. Heavily serialized and lacking the episodic filler of most anime shows, the 780 minute long “movie series” (as I’ve crudely dubbed it) is REALLY trim and lean, making for one engaging story. Even though it’s still 1978’s anime before anime really got off the ground into the golden ages of the 80s and 90s, it is still a huge undertaking for the time. The series shows just why Miyazaki would become one of the most innovated narrative directors of all anime time and just how talented he is at telling his stories, even across a nearly 13 hour run time. It has all the trappings of a classic adventure, just without the fine tuning and incredibly layered setting that predecessors in the genre would create (and before we had the never ending shows like One Piece or Inuyasha and Pokemon).

Gkids has once again created a knock out set for the series. Unlike Neon Genesis Evangelion where there are several special editions, Gkids and Shout Factory keep this set much more trim and to the point. The show is cased in a 4 disc Viva Elite Blu-ray case with a nice slip cover, and also includes a nice 16 page artbook for the show. However, outside of the trailer for the 4K Restoration and new art work, this is a very VERY lean set extras wise. Not shocking as the show never really had a tone of extras in their DVD releases over the years, but still something to take notice of. Personally I would have KILLED for a commentary with Miyazaki himself (especially considering the retired director is coming out of retirement for a one off film to complete his legacy soon) as Shout is excellent about gaining new extras, but it is what it is.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

According to the press release and extras list Future Boy Conan got a nice new 4K remastering for this release, and the results are genuinely REALLY nice. Now, I have to make it clear that this is an old animated film from the 1970s that was done on a SUPER low budget, so be warned that line art and edges may not be perfect. However, it looks way better than the old imported Japanese DVDs I got in years and and years ago. There’s a few speckles and bits of print issues here and there, but the new Blu-ray looks surprisingly good. Colors are warm with soft pastels and bright primary shades blended together. Blacks are mostly good, though they do look a little bit creamy at times. Simply put, this is a HUGE improvement over the old master from decades ago and will please most fans without hesitation.







Audio:

Both the English Dub and the Japanese original audio track are perfectly good audio mixes, and I hate to say this, but the English dub is actually pretty good. I’m usually a stickler for Japanese audio mixes as they get the tone and inflections to better fit the mood, but this dub is one of the better ones. It fits the whimsy adventure story quite nicely and doesn’t sound wildly out of place (seriously, I’ve heard some anime dubs that made me want to slit my wrists and end my watching of the show just listening to them). The track itself is quite pleasing with good vocals and a solid sense of immersion from the score and more action oriented bits. However, it IS an old 2.0 track from the 70s and there is some harshness on the high end of the spectrum and you hear some distortion when screaming and yelling go underway. It’s a perfectly serviceable mix, just not going to shock and stun you.










Extras:

• BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE COMPLETE TV SERIES
• Japanese and English audio tracks, with English subtitles
• All 26 episodes spread across four discs
• 4K Restoration Promo Trailer
• Exclusive 16-page booklet featuring character artwork

Final Score: ​

Future Boy Conan is one of the most copied and revered anime shows of all time, with shows like Giant Gorg, Gurren Lagann (one of my absolute favorite series of all time) and Xabungle all claiming to have taken direct influences from Future Boy Conan in their creation. Miyazaki is a genuine legend in the anime world, and it’s so exciting to see his long languishing TV show finally get the respect and treatment it needs with a new restoration and fantastic Blu-ray release by Gkids and Shout Factory. Great show, Great release, although still a bit saddened by the minimalistic extras. Must See.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Noriko Ohara, Masato Ibu, Sabrina Pitre, Ichiro Nagai, Mieko Nobusawa
Created by: Hayao Miyazaki
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0, Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, English
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 780 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: November 16th, 2021

Recommendation: Must See

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I have seen all the movies made by the studio but I missed this one.. I will have to catch this one.