What’s the four episode rule?
Do not gush like crazy until you’ve seen at least 4 episodes of a show. Too many times I’ve gone crazy about a show on the first episode, only for it to let me down further down the line. But I think if you can deliver four quality episodes in a row, a show’s worth recommending.
So, enough explaining the new segment of the blog, on with the show.
I first came across Urashiman when I was looking up details of Tatsunoko shows when I was going through the Top 100. However it wasn’t until the Anime World Order podcast reviewed the show and torrented a few episodes of the HK bootleg that I really became interested in it. So what’s this 1983 show all about? Well here’s Tatsunoko’s website to tell you:
52 thirty-minute episodes. A 16-year-old boy encounters a time slip and is transplanted in a future world. The boy, called “Ryu Urashima” in the series, completely loses his memory and even forgets his own name, as he is time slipped. Ryu becomes a police detective in the future world and begins his new life with his cynical colleague, Claude Mizunuma, known as “Claude”. Ryu, though bewildered with the new surroundings, challenges his new job to beat the evil called “Necrime Empire”. Claude, an elite detective, helps Ryu although he trifles with him for his lack of knowledge about his new world. However, Ryu, with his formidable fighting spirit, tries to adjust himself to the new circumstance and gradually becomes a good cop surprising Claude now and then. The series depicts the adventures of these two young men and beautiful woman police, Sophia.
What that’s not telling you is:
- The character Sophia starts off the series as nun.
- Claude is voiced by god of 80’s voice acting Akira Kamiya (Ryo Saeba, Kenshiro, Mendou, Kinnikuman, Roy Focker).
- It has very early animation work from Studio 4C’s Koji Morimoto.
- The “chief” character occasionally appears to be designed to look and move like Alfred Hitchcock.
- And it’s an hugely enjoyable action comedy.
So hat’s off to Anime Classic for proving the purpose fansubs are meant for.
Tatsunoko English Page
Anime World Order podcast about Urashiman
Some cels of Urashiman
Future Police Urashiman @ AnimeSuki