Moomin (1969 TV series)

Moomin (ムーミン, Mūmin) is a Japanese anime series broadcast on the Fuji Television Network between 1969 and 1970. The series of 65 episodes is very loosely based on Tove Jansson's book series. Jansson, however, never really approved of the series due to dramatic changes in plot, atmosphere, character personality, appearance and names. The series was aimed at adults rather than children. The first episode aired on October 5, 1969; the last on December 27, 1970.

The series was never translated into English. It is also notably different from the 1990 Moomin anime series. The later series is much more faithful to the original spirit of the Moomin books, and was accepted as a part of the Moomin franchise.

Summary
This series is the 1969 version of Moomin.

It is only called, "Moomin" in Japan, and is called the first half as "Tokyo Movie version" and the latter half as "Mushi pro version". Especially, Hisashi Inoue, the novelist and dramatist who won many prizes, has participated as a screenwriter in the first half.

Tokyo Movie that undertook the production of this at first drew the eye of Moomin greatly according to liking of a Japanese children, and drew him lovely. The character of Moomin also differs from an original. He was a naughty ordinary boy who occasionally did fight or was a little sly. Moreover, since the car etc. appeared in everyday life ordinarily, Tove Jansson, the original author, greatly disliked this anime adaption, saying that her version of Moomin does not drive, fight, and make or use money. At that time, Hayao Miyazaki who had participated in this work as an animator opposed it, and made the tank appear in the work.

Although the reputation as animation for the boys in whom elements of an adventure and a comedy, etc. were incorporated was very high, it was too different from the original. In addition, the names weren't the same as in the original, and the heroine who didn’t have any name in the original (and was called only "The Snork Maiden") was named "Non-non".

The first director took the name from his wife's pet. However, she was renamed "フローレン, Fraulen" which parodied the word "Fräulein" to mean "young lady" in later "Delightful Moomin Family" because the author disliked her name being audible as "non, non (no, no)". As a result, Tokyo Movie had the contract cancelled, and the character design had been changed by her complaint.

Mushi pro version which took over this work had a lot of literary episode in which a mysterious story, a scary story, an absurd story, a myth story or a tragedy, etc. were included.

Still, her consent is not obtained, and the program has ended.

Cast

 * Kyôko Kishida as Moomintroll
 * Hitoshi Takagi as Moominpappa
 * Akiko Takamura as Moominmamma
 * Reiko Mutoh as Non-Non
 * Taichirou Hirokawa as The Snork
 * Junko Hori as Little My
 * Kousei Tomita as Sniff
 * Hiroyuki Nishimoto as Snufkin
 * Miyoko Shoji as The Mymble
 * Masashi Amenomori as Hemulen
 * Kouichi Kitamura as The Police Inspector, The Ancestor
 * Chikao Ohtsuka as Stinky
 * Junpei Takiguchi as The Groke
 * Jouji Yanami as The Muskrat
 * Takako Sasuga as Thingumy
 * Katsue Miwa as Bob
 * Ichirou Nagai as The Hobgoblin
 * Kazuya Tatekabe as Antlion
 * Yoshiko Matsuo as Ninny


 * Anime originals
 * Kouichi Kitamura as Captain (Ep. 1)
 * Katsue Miwa as Gaogao (Ep. 2)
 * Terue Minami as Sniff's Grandmother
 * Tamio Ohki as Abdalla (Ep. 59)
 * Chikao Ohtsuka as Kagemiro (Ep. 64)

Crew
Director: Script:
 * Masaaki Osumi (eps 1-26)
 * Rintaro (eps 27-65)

Ariyoshi Katô Hideko Yoshida Hiroyuki Hoshiyama Hisashi Inoue Junji Tashiro Kahei Chikara Keisuke Fujikawa Kôei Yoshihara Kuni Miyajima Kuriya Okiya Michiko Asano Shun'ichi Yukimuro Tadaki Yamazaki Tsutomo Matsumoto Yoshiaki Yoshida

Episode Director:

Ippei Sukehiro (Mushi) Masayuki Hayashi (Mushi) Mitaka Fujishi (Mushi) Mitsuo Kamiri (Mushi) Moriyoshi Murano (Mushi) Noboru Ishikuro (Mushi) Rintaro (Mushi) Ryousuke Takahashi (Mushi) Satoshi Dezaki (Mushi) Seiji Okuda (Mushi) Terumasa Kan (Mushi) Wataru Mizusawa (Mushi) Yu Yamamoto (Mushi)

Music:
 * Seichiro Uno

Original story:
 * Tove Jansson

Art Director:
 * Hideo Chiga (eps 1-26)
 * Katsumi Hando (eps 27-65)

Animation Director:
 * Hiromitsu Morita (Mushi)
 * Mitsuo Kimura (Mushi)
 * Osamu Kobayashi (Tokyo Movie Shinsha)
 * Toyoo Ashida (Mushi)
 * Tsutomu Shibayama (Tokyo Movie Shinsha)
 * Yasuo Otsuka (Tokyo Movie Shinsha)

Executive producer:
 * Masami Iwasaki

Producer:
 * Masami Iwasaki (eps 27-65)
 * Yoshihiro Nosaki (eps 1-26)

Key Animation:

Planning: Shigehito Takahashi Broadcaster: Fuji TV Production: Mushi Productions (eps 27-65) Tokyo Movie Shinsha (eps 1-26)
 * Hayao Miyazaki

DVD release
This series has not been released on DVD.

Since it is difficult to obtain permission from the author side and two or more copyright holder exist, it is said that it is difficult to make this DVD.

VHS and LD release
The series was released on VHS and LD in Japan, but was eventually discontinued.


 * LD
 * Vol.1-7 (episode 1-26)


 * VHS
 * "The volume of love" (episode 37, 49)
 * "The volume of dream" (episode 34, 64)

Subtitled Episodes
A YouTube channel called Moomin Archives has been able to subtitle the first five episodes of the 1969 version, as well as the first four of the 1972 version. The channel can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUXESsGUcRCdCiqUqjHVCNg/videos