If your tour through the works of Hayao Miyazaki begins with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, you’re not trekking back far enough. Before the days of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki devoted his talents to the small screen. He began his career with a near-decade-long stint at Toei Animation before setting up camp at Nippon Animation. Under the latter banner, Miyazaki developed one of Japan’s great animated series: Future Boy Conan.
You’ve more than likely heard of the sci-fi cartoon, and perhaps even enjoyed an eyeful. But if you live in the United States, you’ve thus far had to resort to illegal downloads to revel in the adventures of heroic tot Conan through the post-apocalyptic world. However, the time has come for those stateside to appreciate the series proper. Via Gizmodo, film distributor GKIDS has announced that it will be sponsoring the show’s first formal foray to the US.
GKIDS, which has propelled Studio Ghibli’s films to American distribution, will release a 4K Blu-ray set of the 26-episode series. No word yet on when exactly the package will reach stores, though Gizmodo reports “sometime in late 2021.”
Funnily enough, 2021 is when most of the events of the future-set series take place. Future Boy Conan aired in 1978, and presented a distant, post-apocalyptic future beginning in 2008. At this time, the world is ravaged by warfare and natural disaster. The story proper begins with the crash landing of a space-bound ship on a remote island; from there, a society is forged, and children are born anew. Among them: Conan, who graces the world in this reality’s 2010. We pick up with his adventures 11 years down the line, landing us in 2021.
In other words, it’s rather apropos that we should finally get our union with Future Boy Conan this year. (Not that I would have turned down the chance earlier, but it’s all about how you look at things.)