Future Boy Conan — Drowned World Miyazaki, 1978
Six years before the film people usually name first, the ecology and the physics were already on a weekly television schedule.
1978 · TV series · 26 episodes · Nippon Animation, NHK
The premise — Ocean ate everything
Adapted from Alexander Key's The Incredible Tide. Nuclear war sank the continents, the hyper-technological isle of Indastria rules what floats, and Conan goes after Lana once its soldiers take her.
Why it works — A simple errand
The rescue plot is plain on purpose. That leaves twenty-six weeks free for salvage, sailing, hunger and repair work, which is where the show actually lives.
The craft — Weight first
The action is built on momentum rather than impact: bodies wind up, overshoot, grab, and need a beat to recover. Nothing moves without something pushing it.
The storyboard room — Who drew it
Hayao Miyazaki directs and boards, with storyboards also credited to Yoshiyuki Tomino, Isao Takahata and Keiji Hayakawa. Three screenwriters split the run. An unrepeatable credit list.
Who it's for — Ghibli archaeology
Anyone who wants the Miyazaki toolkit before it hardened into a house style, and anyone who likes adventure serials that let the weather set the schedule.
The verdict — Formed early
Nippon Animation and NHK were paying for a children's adventure serial. What they got, in 1978, reads as a full statement of intent on a television budget.
Filed under adventure, drama, science fiction.
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Sources
- Anime News Network encyclopedia entry
- Imagery: Typographic. No third-party key art, stills or screenshots used.