| Synopsis |
Maruko Polo no Boken、 Marco Polo’s Adventures It is the late 13th century、 and a boy named Marco Polo、 who lives in Venice in Italy、 is taken by his father Niccolo、 a merchant、 and uncle Maffeo on a journey to the East.The journey takes them from Italy to the lands along the Silk Road and as far as places in Asia such as China、 Hong Kong、 and Thailand. The adventure is full of new experiences and encounters、 and Marco grows and matures in the process.Eventually、 Marco、 by now a 20-year-old man、 gains the confidence of Kublai Khan and is ordered by the emperor to inspect various countries. Marco's travels continue.The series started in 1979、 consisting of 43 episodes. The episodes combined two different formats: the characters and dramatic scenes were depicted in animation format、 while the landscape、 cultures、 and everyday lives of people in various countries were depicted in a live-action documentary format.Although based on Marco Polo's Books of the Marvels of the World、 most of the animation episodes were new creations.The voice actors included Kei Tomiyama、 Yasuo Hisamatsu、 Kosei Tomita、 and Asao Koike、 who have all since passed away. Only NHK could have brought together these famous voice actors.The opening tune Itsunohika Tabisuru Monoyo, among other tunes used in the series、 were created by the singer-songwriter Kei Ogura who was very popular at the time. Akio Sugino、 known for works such as Treasure Island and Space Adventure Cobra、 served as the character designer. The series was popular for its unique travel show-like feel and novel combination of animation and documentary、 garnering support from many fans.
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