Moomin (1969 TV series)

holding a rifle in the fifth episode of the series. This and other situations throughout the series displeased Jansson. The anime series is notably different from the later anime television series Moomin, released in the early 1990s, which was translated into many languages, released in dozens of countries, and relies more on the original Moomin books and comic strips. While the series itself was well-liked by the Japanese public as an adventurous and comedic series for boys, it was dramatically different in areas like the adaptation and overall atmosphere. For example, Moomintroll was portrayed more as an ordinary boy; while still friendly like in the books, he is somewhat ill-tempered, occasionally fighting or behaving slyly. This, along with elements such as Snork being a driver, common use of firearms, one scene in an early episode featuring characters getting drunk together at a bar, infuriated Jansson. After Tokyo Movie's contract was cancelled, with Mushi Production taking over, the designs were changed accordingly and the series had episodes more faithful to the source material, which included the source's stories and points of mystery, horror, comedy and tragedy. Despite this, Jansson's consent was still not obtained and the program was ended after more than 60 episodes. Since 1990, Moomin Characters, Ltd, which manages the Moomin copyrights, has not released this series to the public in principle. == Production ==

In the 1960s, sports dramas and slapstick comedies were the mainstream of Japanese TV animation at that time. Therefore, Calpis Co., Ltd., the sponsor of the animated program in Fuji TV, wanted to offer a family-oriented animation that was distinctly different from those fields. At that time, "Moomin," which had just been imported from abroad as children's literature, caught their attention. And so the project was launched. A short time later, the proposal was sent to Tove Jansson. Jansson's response was positive, so Shigeto Takahashi, a producer at Zuiyo Enterprise who was in charge of the project, decided to meet directly with Jansson to proceed with negotiations. Jansson suggested the following conditions for the production of the animation. • No money, no machines, and no television. Development and pre-production Tokyo Movie, now TMS Entertainment, was chosen to produce the animation. Masaaki Osumi, who came from a puppet theater company, was chosen to be the director. Osumi, who was familiar with Moomin, initially thought the content was too static to be suitable for animation, but accepted the position. The company hired Yasuo Otsuka as the animation director. He was considered to be one of Japan's foremost animators, and was an important mentor to Hayao Miyazaki. He considered the cuteness of movement and the roundness of his drawings to be important, and never used straight lines to draw characters such as the Moomins. The initial meetings were confusing. Takahashi, who respected Jansson's opinions and aimed for a plot that was faithful to the original work, was at odds with the advertising agency, which aimed for a plot that did not respect Jansson's original work on the grounds that "the style as it is will not be popular in Japan." Osumi was invited by the advertising agency to a planning meeting, where he was surprised and frustrated by their inability to understand the spirit of the source material due to comments which included the suggestion of running a bullet train in the Moomin Valley. Osumi was dissatisfied and desired to quit, but was fascinated by the animation shown by Otsuka just before leaving the company, and reconsidered. Osumi later said of the participants in this meeting, "Perhaps, but they had not even read the original work and were only thinking about the character business." Later, the bullet train idea was rejected due to opposition from Osumi and others. In making the animation, Osumi decided to base it on Moomin comic strips rather than the Jansson novels. The strips had a freer plot than the novels, and he thought that "the style of the comic would work as an animation". Therefore, Osumi claims that he did not create a plot that was different than the comic strip. In the casting process, Kyōko Kishida was chosen to play Moomin because she once contributed a story about reading a Moomin novel in an essay she had written for a newspaper. Subsequently, the casting of other main characters was done according to Kisida's abilities, and stage actors and other actors with greater theatrical skills than the popular voice actors of the time were employed. Hisashi Inoue, a distinguished novelist and dramatist, participated as a screenwriter. At first, there were some complaints from the advertising agency that the story was too self-controlled. However, once the animation was actually broadcast, the response was more favorable than expected, especially since the sponsor, Calpis, approved of it, and the strong complaints receded. Change of production company When the broadcast began, Tokyo Movie and Zuiyo Enterprise asked Jansson to watch episode 7. This was to get her endorsement, however, she gave the episode a low rating and submitted a letter to the staff with a series of complaints and requests. Tokyo Movie ended production after episode 26 and exited the project because of this letter from Jansson. But this reason was ostensible. The Moomin project was initially intended to be a low-budget production, but the animators and staff on site insisted on producing high-quality work, and as a result, the budget was far exceeded, and negotiations with the advertising agency for an increase in the budget were not agreed upon. Also, Due to its popularity with viewers, the number of broadcasts was suddenly increased from the planned number, but Tokyo Movie could not cope with this. For this reason, Tokyo Movie's upper management wanted to withdraw from the project and used Jansson's claims as an excuse to Zuiyo Enterprise, the sponsors, and the Fuji TV, who were willing to continue the program. With the departure of Tokyo Movie from the project, Osumi and other key staff and animators were also dropped from the production. The animators on site were summoned by the president and informed of the sudden termination. They were disappointed, but also relieved. Yutaka Fujioka, who was in charge of the site and wanted the project to continue, was on a business trip that day and was angry when he heard the news of the termination the next day. However, the CEO had already made that decision, and it was too late. They were soon transferred to the Lupin the 3rd Part I: The Classic Adventures project. Mushi Production became the animation production company from episode 27. Episode 27 was greatly innovated and changed in response to Jansson's request, with the character design being adapted to drawings by Jansson and the plot of the story being changed as well. Unfortunately, however, after the program ended, the TV station was inundated with many complaints. The children wrote such comments as, "The characters' faces suddenly changed and became scary," and "Why did the atmosphere of the story change and it became boring? ". Also, The sponsor, Calpis, which had been satisfied with Tokyo Movie, expressed its dissatisfaction. This evaluation led to a meeting with Jansson, and as a result, a few elements, such as character design, were returned to a status similar to Tokyo Movie, provided that it would be broadcast only in Japan. The program was ended after well over 60 episodes. == Reception ==

Critical response Tove Jansson had difficulty viewing all of the episodes due to historical issues. So, having watched only the episode 7, which had just been completed at the time, she explained the following. In 2008, Masaaki Osumi said to one of Jansson's reviews by stating. Producer Shigeto Takahashi gave the series a low rating, saying he was disappointed that it could not faithfully reproduce the original worldview by Tove Jansson, but praised Kisida and the rest of the cast for their excellent performances. Incidentally, Kisida's performance in this series was so well received that she continued to play the Moomins in the Japanese dubbed version of the stop-motion Moomin TV series produced in Poland in 1977. ==Cast and characters==

The description will focus on elements that differ from Jansson's original narrative. Main characters ; : :In the original work, he is named "Moomintroll". :In the Tokyo Movie season, his body is gray and ears are round and fat, giving him a hippopotamus-like appearance. In the Mushi Production season, he is closer to Jansson's design with a slimmer light blue body and slightly pointed ears. Although his age is not revealed in the work, he was defined as a boy who is about 10 years old in documents of the time thus resembling the main target audience of the animated series. :In general, he has a gentle personality and can get along with anyone. He is not good at lying or deceiving people. The Tokyo Movie season emphasizes his laid-back nature. ; : :His body is gray, almost black. He always wears a silk hat and often blows a pipe or carries a walking stick. :In comparison with the original work, he is a kinder father who rarely goes on wandering trips and lives in good company with Moomin and Moominmamma. :He also narrates the next episode's preview, which ends with the mysterious words "". ; : :Her body color is the same as Moominpappa's, and like the in the original work, she wears a red and white striped apron. :She values her handbag so much that if she loses it, she gets so upset that she can't do her chores. She is not as generous as in the original story, but she is a kind, good wife and wise mother who supports her family. :She had won a beauty contest held in the Moomin Valley, which is how she met Moominpappa. ; : :In the original books, she is named "Snork Maiden". :Her body is light green. She has primiered in episode 6 first time. She has pink hair and wears a golden anklet on her left leg, and in the Tokyo Movie season, she wears a yellow bow tie. :She is Moomin's friend. She is usually withdrawn but has a firm character and is willing to say what is important. She respects her brother Snoke who she lives with but is often taken aback by his selfishness. Snoke himself is devoted to his sister and considers her very important. :Her name in the series was derived from the director Osumi's wife's nickname, "". During the production of the pilot film, some it was suggested that children who saw the program would have a hard time referring to her if she did not have her own name, so a name was hastily chosen. However, Jansson said the name "reminds me of the word 'NO' and has a negative ring to it," and so did not like the name. ; : :In the original, he is named "Snork". :His body is green, almost gray. He always wears a golden wig, because an illustration of Snoke wearing a wig in "Finn Family Moomintroll" was used as a reference for his character design. He has also premiered in episode 6 first time. :At first, he brags to those around him about his educational background and the prestigious Snork family and looks down on the inhabitants of Moominvalley. He also tries to bring cars, money, trains, and other conveniences (elements that Jansson did not want in the Moomin Valley) to the Moomin Valley, but he fails at every attempt. Later, this aspect of his personality gradually faded into the background, but his pride remained and was emphasized. Later in the series, he became a funny and lovable comedy relief character who, while retaining his troublemaker side, spoke more politely than necessary, but also had a goofy side. :He is considered the character with the most differences between the original and the animation. This is largely due to the ad-libbing of Hirokawa, who provided his voice. He appears more often than in the original work. ; : :In the early series, Sniff's character was inconsistent. One time appearing as a friend of the Moomins and another time leading a demonstration to remove Snufkin, who was suspected of arson, from the Moomin Valley. :Eventually, halfway through the series, he settled on a good-natured but timid personality, and is portrayed as a friend of Moomin's. ; : :She is the Mymble's younger sister. Her dress is yellow and she wears a red bow tie. Initially, she appears similar to the original but gradually her design changed, becoming a girl of about 10 years old with a slightly higher isometric height. :While retaining the cheeky side of the original, the aggressive or cynical aspects of the character were replaced by the image of a headstrong, mischievous girl as was often seen in Japanese anime of the time. Later in the series, a slight Tsundere personality was added, and there were times when she seemed to be in love with Moomin. ; : :Little My's older sister. She has green hair and pure white skin. Her clothes are a white dress and black shoes. She has premiered first time in episode 3. :Although not as sensitive as the original, she is sensitive to fashion and makeup and looks in the mirror several times a day. She has a bad drinking habit and can't stop laughing when she gets drunk. ; : :A traveler who came to the Moomin Valley in episode 4. His an old shirt is yellow and he wears a red silk tie. Since then, he has been living in a tent by the river in the Moomin Valley. During the winter, he travels to the south. :In the beginning, he was more like Moomin's older brother with a bit of mischievousness, but in the middle of the show, his character became quieter and more mature, in line with Nishimoto's voice acting. He has a unique philosophy. He loves solitude and freedom. Moomin is fascinated by him, and he sometimes casually teaches Moomin "Philosophy for Living". He is portrayed as a cultured individual, such as when he quotes a passage from Paul Verlaine's poem "Chanson d'automne". :Unlike Jansson's original, his favorite instrument is the guitar, not the harmonica. He often plays a song called "" written by Hisashi Inoue, composed and arranged by Seiichiro Uno for the series. :His guitar was the idea of Osumi who thought a guitar suited Snufkin better than a harmonica given Snufkin's image as "Lonely Man Who Came Down the Mountain." Supporting characters ; : :An old man living alone on the outskirts of the Moomin Valley. :His body is gray and tall, and he wears a blue skirt-like dress. :He knows a lot about plants, animals, old stories, and collects stamps as a hobby. In the second half of the series, he studies birds and plants. :In the original story, he is an eccentric old man who is only interested in his own research and hobbies. In the animation, he is transformed into a kind old man who seems to have a certain status as an elder, participating in important meetings in the Moomin Valley. ; : :He is the longest resident of the Moomin Valley. He is a philosopher and is always thinking about waste in the world. :He lives in a hammock in a tree on the edge of the Moomin Valley and has many philosophy books. He often says "Nonsense, it's useless!" and gets into arguments with the inhabitants of the Moomin Valley because of his habit of repeating this phrase without paying attention to the atmosphere around him. ; : :He is the only policeman in the police station in the Moomin Valley. Whenever an incident occurs in the Moomin Valley, he rushes to the scene. :An original character in the anime, he is based on the appearance of an officer who was the police chief's subordinate in the original comic. ; : :A furry creature who lives in the Lonely Mountain and the forest. He is always hungry. :In the original comics, he is a villain who commits theft and fraud, but in the anime, he is treated simply as a strange being living in the forest. == Episodes ==

In 1989, the series saw VHS and Laser Disc releases in Japan. This is the only home media release. ;LD :Vol.1-7 (episode 1-26) ;VHS :"The volume of love" (episode 37, 49) :"The volume of dream" (episode 34, 64) == References ==