The Other Side...
Every
masterpiece has its little flaws... Here's a non-comprehensive list :
- Goofs : In the opening credits, Esteban pilots the Condor
with two ordinary levers (instead of the snake-shaped one). A first
draft ?
In the shots featuring Zia as a little child, you can see her wearing her medallion upside down : the necklace is threaded through the sun symbol, instead of the moon crescent !
On various occasions in the episode 35, our heroes mix up Mayans with Incas.
- Continuity : the most noticeable continuity case begins
with the (scheduled) fall of the Condor in the chasm near the first
Mayan ruins (episode 23). At that time, the pit looks like a very deep
shaft, just wide enough for the wingspan of the golden bird, where daylight
hardly gets in. When the children go back to that place in episode 32,
the pit is much wider and far less deep, as the sun easily shines on
the whole bottom.
- Implausibilities : in the same episode, Esteban is blessed
by the gods indeed, for he can speed up the rotation of the Earth in
a way that the sun jumps from the horizon to the zenith in a few minutes !
Of course our heroes are tough nuts, easily recovering from high drops, with an uncommon vital capacity for their tender age. But at the survival game, Gaspard and Gomez would unquestionably beat them :)
Clothes have interesting properties : just consider Mendoza's parascending cloak and Tao's selectively waterproof baggy poncho !
We've already mentioned Kukapetl's IQ (which puts Rin-tin-tin's to shame !)...
The radiance of the recharging Condor varies according to the heroes' strategic needs : gentle in the friendly Mayan village, blinding when governor Pizarro gets too close !
The oversized eagle and anaconda...
Notice that such implausibilities are common in anime -even the bests, and should be considered "cartoonic" licence !
- Physics : an unforgivable mistake is the condor flying
through a rainbow. Not only is it impossible but it is very badly
drawn too !
- I didn't like : the subjective section...
I am very critical regarding the Olmecs. I must admit that their involvement in the story raises the ante, and that Menator and Calmec do not lack in personality. Nonetheless, was it compulsory to make these descendants of Heva (3) such kitsch aliens, with that rat behaviour and those ludicrous suits ? I consider it the main severe breach to the global credibility of the anime (let's forget the rainbow thing :)
Many people feel frustrated by the 39th, last episode. I won't reveal much here, but it is true that the very last minutes give an unpleasant feeling of hurried completion, with reused shots of the flying condor (nice ones though). I must admit however that the contents of these last minutes would hardly fill twenty minutes of a 40th ultimate episode. As for possible sequels to the series, they were never planned by the crew, but it may change...
(3) I know that the Olmecs' origin has been much debated. According to Menator's own words, they are actually degenerated Hevans and in no way extraterrestrials. I am aware that the Japanese version enhances the 'alien' theory, though. Now, whether Hevans and Atlanteans do come from outer space or not is up to your own judgement... (back)
Question...
...to
Bernard Deyriès or Jean Chalopin, if you meet them sometime :)
Did they take some inspiration in Hergé's Prisoners of the Sun (from the Adventures of Tintin comic strip), or is the following purely coincidental ?
- In the underground passage leading Tintin to the Temple of the Sun, the walls are covered with a phosphorescent substance producing enough light to see clearly, just like some tunnels followed by Esteban and his friends ;
- The tunnel entrance opens just behind a waterfall, as the one leading to the High Peak ;
- Tintin throws a stone through the waterfall and reveals the passage ; Gaspard's powder keg makes much more stones fly through...
- On a wall of the main hall in the Temple of the Sun, there is a large picture of a god that resembles much the one in the temple of Solaris (see image above) ;
- Tintin wears a sacred medal which he uses to save his young guide Zorrino ;
- Talking with Captain Haddock about their impending execution, he wonders whether the Incas will use lenses or mirrors to ignite their pyre ;
- Tintin commands the sun too ! (he's got a trick :)
- The Inca opens the Hall of Treasures by pressing the sculpted eye of a god ;
-
When the strips of Prisoners of the Sun were published for the first time in the newborn Tintin comic weekly (1946), you would find below some didactic stuff related to the episode...
Is
That All ?
Just like I said, that was only a small tribute, so it's time you head for the following sites, if you haven't done it already :
Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or by Gwenaël Longo : the best French site on the MCoG AFAIK, where you can find lots of material, especially images, the fabulous soundtrack in mp3 format, a few videos...
|
On this warm afternoon of August 30th 1999, as summer was quietly drawing to its end, ten explosive lines fell in the MCoG webmasters' mailboxes. The mail from J.C.C. (Jean Chalopin Consultant) announced that Jean Chalopin was seriously considering a sequel to the Mysterious Cities of Gold ! Actually, successful talks with Japanese producers (NHK in particular) had already occurred, but he still had to convince a French channel to share in the project.  That's why MCoG fans were invited to overwhelmingly show their interest to the prospective channels (France2 being the best candidate). Our friend Gwenaël immediately got up a petition, which has collected more than 4000 signatures since the beginning ! Unfortunately, this was not convincing enough for all those studio managers, who got reluctant mainly because of the scattering of rights for the first series, as I have been told. Thus the project is abandoned for the present time, but one day may give it more luck. Thanks to everybody who gave us support ! |
Les mystérieuses cités d'or by Yannick Tailliez : another French site with images and sound excerpts in various languages...
Tyrone L. Cartwright's Mysterious Cities of Gold Page : the first with his friend Greg Taylor to make a site on our beloved series.
Mark's Mysterious Cities of Gold homepage : by Mark Yates. Here you will find MPEG videos, screenshots and anime cells, as well as the Japanese credits songs and other interesting audios, scripts, lyrics...
Mysterious Cities of Gold page by Daniel Slatford : the most comprehensive English site IMHO, with audios, images, a chat room, the fans' guestbook, the new Goldlist (successful handover from Tyrone) and of course the WebRing :
|
I am always eager for feedback :
your comments, corrections if needed, appreciations or the simple desire
to share memories...
Now that's really all, folks, so...
Bye !
This tribute : © Xael - August
1999
The Mysterious Cities of Gold and pictures on this site : ©
RTL / NHK / Antenne 2 - 1982
