THE MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD

'''The Mysterious Cities of Gold''' (often abbreviated as '''MCoG''') (Japanese: 太陽の子エステバン; ''Taiyō no Ko Esuteban'' , French: ''Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or'', also released as ''Esteban and the Seven Cities of Gold'') is an animated television series produced by Studio Pierrot. It was a French/Japanese co-production which originally aired in Japan on NHK (the national public broadcaster) in 1982, and in France and Belgium in 1983 on Antenne 2. It aired in the United States for years on the Nickelodeon cable network in the latter part of the 1980s, in Australia on the public broadcaster ABC at about the same time (considered a Classic ABC program), and twice in the United Kingdom on Children's BBC, in 1986/87 and 1989. It also was shown on TV2 in New Zealand and several other countries.
The series comprises 39 half-hour episodes, in the typical anime serial style of one continuous story. In some countries (including the UK's cable channel "The Children's Channel" although not in the US) a short documentary followed after the story, presenting concise, accurate and appealing information for children about subjects related to the episode. The documentaries were funded by the NHK.

Contents

Plot summary

Characters

Protagonists

Antagonists

Others

Spaniards

Amazons

Incas

Mayas

Settings

Episode guide

Credits

Regional releases

Japanese release

English dub

UK airings

BBC

Other airings

The 39 documentaries

Trivia

See also

Notes

External links

Music

Plot summary

The story is very loosely based on the children's novel, ''The King's Fifth'', by Scott O'Dell.
In the year 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban joins a party of Spaniards in their search for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father. He is joined on his quest by Zia, an Incan girl, and Tao, the last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu ("Hiva" in the English dub).
The series is a mix of ancient South American history, archaeology, and science fiction. The characters discover many lost technological wonders of the Mayans, Inca, and Olmecs, including a solar powered ship (the ''Solaris'') and The Golden Condor, a huge solar-powered airship, capable of traveling considerable distances under the sun's power alone. They are constantly pursued by antagonists Gomez and Gaspard, who are also in search of the Cities of Gold.
The Cities of Gold, of which there are seven, were built by the Emperor of Mu out of fear of a global war which would destroy civilization. Such a war indeed broke out, destroying the Empires of Mu and Atlantis when they used the "weapons of the sun" (implied to be thermonuclear weapons). The Seven Cities of Gold hold copies of books in their "Universal Libraries" as well as powerful artifacts, including the "Great Legacy", a portable fusion reactor. Other elements of this technology turn up in unexpected places, like the ''Solaris'' in Tao's home island, Esteban's and Zia's medallions as keys to the Cities, or Tao's jar as an important piece of the Great Legacy.

★ Reminiscences of this ancient story are present in Inca legends written on golden Quipu, which only Zia can read. This triggers an obsessive quest for the Cities of Gold on the part of the Spaniards Mendoza (very loosely based on Pedro de Mendoza), Gomez, Perez and Francisco Pizarro.

★ Esteban seeks his long-lost father and is tied to Mendoza (who rescued Esteban from a sinking ship as a baby): he might know the whereabouts of Esteban's father and holds half of Esteban's medallion. Esteban seems to have a magical ability to make the Sun appear, which proves an invaluable asset throughout the series.

★ Zia also seeks her father, from whom she was taken as a very young girl. She has a medallion similar to the one Esteban carries.

★ Tao seeks signs of his ancestors; he possesses an encyclopedia about their lost technology and a "mysterious jar which no one can open" (the Great Legacy's cooling or control rod system).

★ The Olmecs are descendants of survivors of the global war who hid under their mountain. Only their elite were able to survive, suspended in cryogenic hibernation. The Olmecs do not appear to be human (or if they were Human, it is implied they have horribly mutated from the fallout of the Nuclear war that destroyed their ancestors); they are short, thin and have pointed ears and enlarged frontal bones. Much of their facial characteristics resemble to chimpanzees and they are shown to shriek and scurry like these animals. They are highly intelligent but devious and selfish. Lead by their king, Menator, the Olmecs seek an artifact called the "Great Legacy" in order to power their cryogenic systems, as well as samples of healthy cells from the children to combat their mutations and sterility. Their technology is generally inferior to that of the modern day, with weapons such as spears and swords used. They do however maintain some elements of their advanced technology heritage such as the stasis and medical technology used to keep the elite of the Olmecs in suspended animation until such time as they can be revived, powered by what appears to be a geothermal power system. This power system is destroyed in an escape by the children and Mendoza, starting a frantic search by the Olmecs for the fusion reactor core (the Great Treasure) hidden in the City of Gold.
They also have a single flying machine that appears to use very similar technology to that of the Golden Condor, however it is armed with some kind of particle beam or focused heat weapon of great power. The more senior of the Olmecs are also very familiar with the technology inside the mysterious City of Gold, manipulating it easily to liberate their Great Treasure...but in the process setting off automated defense systems which engage and cripple the Olmecs flying machine, forcing them to beat a hasty retreat.
Eventually, the Olmecs succeed, at great cost, in taking control of the Great Legacy, but it begins to melt down without the moderation provided by Tao's jar. A Chernobyl-like accident is avoided by the personal sacrifice of Esteban's father who, acting as the High Priest of the Cities, dies replacing the jar.

Characters

Protagonists

★ 'Esteban' - An orphan who was rescued at sea as a young child by the Spanish navigator Mendoza. He wears one of the two sun medallions. He loves adventures and is a very impulsive person. Esteban has a fear of heights which is only strengthened by the people of his home town who believe him to be the 'Child of the Sun' and hoist him high up to call out the sun. He joins the Spaniards in their search for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father.

★ 'Zia' - The daughter of an Incan high priest. She was kipnapped from Peru by the Spanish invaders and given as a present to the Queen of Spain. She met Esteban when she was kidnapped for Governor Pizarro who wanted her to read the golden quipu. Zia wears a sun medallion identical to Esteban's.

★ 'Tao' - The last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu ("Hiva" in the English dub). He lived with his father on the Galapagos islands until he was the only one left. Later he joined Esteban and Zia on their journey when the ship ''Solaris'' was revealed.

★ 'Kokapetl' - Tao's pet parrot.

★ 'Mendoza' - Spanish navigator for the Spanish fleet. An experienced sailor, he rescued a young Esteban from a shipwreck during one of his voyages. Mendoza knows how to make the best of a situation, however it not always clear where his loyalties lie. He is accompanied by two mercenaries, Sancho and Pedro. Mendoza has spent many years searching for information about the Mysterious Cities of Gold, which led him to the sun medallions.

★ 'Sancho' - Obese associate of Mendoza. Sancho stutters a lot and is a bit slow. He and Pedro have a habit of getting in trouble together, and can sometimes let greed get the better of them but they are loyal to Mendoza and follow his orders without question. Sancho is a sailor at heart, but he is very much after gold.

★ 'Pedro' - Skinny and loud-mouthed associate of Mendoza. Pedro is very cautious and easily scared. Despite his cowardice, Pedro is capable of acts of great courage.

★ 'Papacamayo' - Zia's father and the chief of the Mayan Village of the New Sun.

★ 'High priest' - Esteban's father and the High Priest, guardian of the City of Gold and keeper of the Great Library.

Antagonists

★ 'Commander Gomez' - Greedy and vicious commander of the Spanish armed forces who will stop at nothing to get his hands on gold. He is accompanied by Captain Gaspard, who is very loyal to him. During the story, both of them leave the Spanish army, due to conflicts with Govenor Pizarro. Senior Gomez's rank gives him authority over a ships captain.

★ 'Captain Gaspard' - Loyal subordinate of Senior Gomez and Captain of the Guard, he also commands the Spanish soldiers. A bit rough, but not too smart, he is a very practical man with extensive knowledge of fighting and warfare. In the long term, gold is the only thing that interests him.

★ 'Govenor Pizarro' - Pizarro is the appointed governor of the entire region. He commands the Spanish invasion forces, including Senior Gomez and Captain Gaspard. Greedy and ruthless, he will do anything to accomplish his goals. The character is based on the real life Francisco Pizarro.

★ 'Menator' - Leader of the Olmecs, he possesses a lot of scientific knowledge. Cold and calculating, he plans to use the technology of the Cities of Gold to harness the power of the Sun and save the Olmec race from extinction.

★ 'Kalmec' - Second in command of the Olmecs. He is in charge of the Olmec army and the defense of the Mountain of the Burning Shield. Less knowledgeable of the Olmec's technology than Menator, he specialises in military. Treacherous and merciless, he believes in the supremacy of the Olmecs.

★ 'Marinche' - Guide and advisor to the doctor, followed by Tetiola who is loyal to her. She is very devious and she wants to find the Cities of Gold. The character is based on La Malinche, who assisted the Spaniard Hernán Cortés in his conquest of her native Mexico.

★ 'The Doctor' - A Spanish doctor whose real name is Fernando LaGuerra. He seems to specialise in poisons. He is searching for the Cities of Gold together with Marinche and Tetiola. Although he has more morals than Marinche and dislikes using such primitive methods as poisons, as soon as Marinche reminds him of their primary goal, he would do anything, such as providing enough poison to kill an entire village.

Others

Spaniards

★ 'Alvarez' - Soldier of the Spanish army under Pizarro's command.

★ 'Andreas' - Another of Pizarro's soldiers.

★ 'Father Rodriguez' - Spanish priest in Barcelona, who adopted Esteban. He died the day before the ship ''Esperanza'' left for the New World.

★ 'Lucas' - A Captain in Pizarro's army.

★ 'Perez' - Captain of the ''Esperanza''.

Amazons

★ 'The Amazon Queen' - A wise and just ruler who wishes to live in peace.

★ 'Omoru' - The evil priestess of the rain god who plans to depose the Amazon Queen.

★ 'Paula' - An Amazon warrior who supports the Amazon Queen.

★ 'Morca' - the Queen's lady in waiting who tries to warn her about Omoru's treachery.

★ 'Lauda' - Another Amazon warrior, but who supports Omoru.

Incas

★ 'Apo' - An Inca wise man imprisoned along with many of his people by Governor Pizarro.

★ 'Ketcha' - A warrior of the High Peak.

★ 'Illama' - One of the children of the High Peak.

★ 'Kraka' - Chief of the city of the High Peak.

★ 'Kiyun' - An Inca prisoner in Pizarro's Fort.

★ 'Luca and Shicomi' - Two children of the High Peak who befriend Esteban, Zia and Tao.

★ 'Myuca' - An old story teller who knows many Inca legends.

★ 'Pasha' - Once a High Priest of the Cities of Gold, Pasha is imprisoned in his own temple by Pizarro.

★ 'Telapa' - A citizen of the High Peak.

★ 'Tohawka' - A young Inca who tries to escape from Pizarro.

★ 'Upanki' - Leader of the warriors of the Fort of the Black Eagle.

★ 'Wayna' - A warrior of the High Peak who is sent to guide and protect the children.

★ 'Yacuma' - A woman who looks after the children while they stay at the High Peak.

Mayas

★ 'Myena' - A young Maya girl who has no family, but who is taken in by Papacamayo.

★ 'Wynacocha' - Leads the warriors of the Village of the New Sun.

★ 'Sheehol' - Chief of a village neighboring the Village of the New Sun.

Settings

Most of the backdrops in the series are based on real archaeological sites and artifacts, reproduced with near-photographic accuracy. They are, however, often combined and moved to suit the plot. Famous cities and their fictional counterparts include, in order of appearance:

★ Chichen Itza, Tiahuanacu, and Uxmal (Opening Credits)

★ Ollantaytambo and Sacsahuamán (Fort of the Black Eagle)

★ Machu Picchu (City of the High Peak)

★ Nazca Lines

★ Palenque (First Ruined City)

★ Kabah, Labná, and Tikal (Second Ruined City)

★ Copán (Forest of Statues)

★ Loltun (Third Ruined City)

Episode guide

★ List of Mysterious Cities of Gold episodes

Credits

★ Directed by: Edouard David, Bernard Deyriès, Kenichi Maruyama and Kenichi Murakami

★ Produced by: Kanae Mayuzumi, Max Saldinger and Atsumi Yajima

★ Musical Score by: Shuki Levy, Haim Saban and Ryuji Sasai

★ Writing Credits: Bernard Deyriès and Jean Chalopin

Regional releases

''MCoG'' has a small but loyal fanbase. It has been released on DVD in France, Belgium, Japan, Canada (in French) and Germany, but not in other parts of the world. It remains unclear who owns the rights to the English version, or even whether the masters still exist.[1]
The networks in the various territories that broadcast the series made numerous cuts to the series, resulting in a number of different versions of the series. Many cuts were made to reduce running time, and occur during slower paced scenes.[2] For example, Episode 1 started with a 5 second high angle shot of the square in Barcelona which was cut from the 1989 UK run. Content deemed unsuitable for younger viewers was also removed in some versions. A violent scene in which the Olmecs use a death ray to vapourise some of the Mayans was cut from a later episode in at least one region.
However, some have attributed the English-language licence to either Saban Entertainment or DiC, as Shuki Levy and Haim Saban are listed in the English dub credits,[3] and DiC as the original distributor.[4] There is even speculation as to Walt Disney being the current owners of the English translation of The Mysterious Cities of Gold. This came about as Disney owned DiC for some time.[5]
There has recently appeared on UK website play.com, a "notify for pre order" screen for a UK Mysterious Cities release. Whether this is proof that the series WILL get a UK release in English is unclear as yet.
[6]
It is rumored that a sequel was attempted, but cancelled due to lack of funding.[7]

Japanese release

When the series was released in Japan in late June 1982, it was called ''Taiyo no Ko, Esteban'', or literally translated "''The Child of the Sun, Esteban''". However, the Japanese version was a bit different than the French version used internationally.
One of the main differences was the opening sequence, which is longer than the French version as it contains includes further sliding images of the Mesoamerican pyramids, a scene of Esteban, Zia and Tao running along, and a live-action shot of a gull diving into the sea. The ending sequence also has a longer running time.
Another major difference was the music. During production, the Japanese decided to scrap the soundtrack that DiC had produced for the series. was used as the opening theme, while played over the end credits. In the same way as many other anime, the content of the lyrics synchronizes credit movies of the Japanese version.
Both the international and Japanese cuts have scenes missing and ones that are exclusive to each version. One instance, for example, is the Seasick Dream sequence in Episode 2 is missing in the Japanese version. A scene example missing in the French version is the opening segment in Episode 1, showing a ship going through a storm, and a pan in shot of a map of continents to Spain.
Currently, there are two versions of ''Taiyo no Ko, Esteban'' in existence. While content wise, the two versions are identical, there are some differences between them. In the 1982 airing of ''Esteban'', the series had a different voice cast than the 1998 airing and DVD release. Esteban's voice actor, Masako Nozawa, however remained the same in both versions.
The original airing also contained the recaps, next episode previews, as well as the documentaries. The ending sequence, as well was modified to reflect the new voice actor change. However, when the modifications were made to the ending sequence, the episode staff information was not restored for unknown reasons.
Other minor differences between the releases was sound effects were added to the opening sequence, some episode titles were changed, and in episode 39, the song that played during the final part of the episode, ''Ougon no Condor'', was changed to the song ''Bōkenshatachi''.

English dub

The English dub was directed by Howard Ryshpan in Montreal, Canada. Although the voice actors are not credited, some have been identified in recent years.

★ Shiraz Adam - Esteban

★ Adrian Knight - Tao[8]

★ Janice Chaikelson Steinberg - Zia[9]

★ Matt Berman - Gomez[10]

★ Howard Ryshpan - Mendoza/The Doctor/High Priest[11]

★ Anick Faris - Lana/Morca/Myeena

★ Walter Massey - Sancho

★ Simon Prescott - Captain Perez

★ Kelly Ricard - Narrator

★ Vlasta Vrana - Documentaries narrator
Many of the voice actors from the English dub also worked on other cartoons from the same company.[12] The voices of Esteban, Mendoza, Gomez, Pizzarro, Olmecs and Sancho are recognisable in the English dub of ''Ulysses 31''.
The closing credits of the English version were still written in French, although the ending theme was in English. This was also originally the case with ''Ulysses 31'', although for American broadcast, English-language credits were generated.

UK airings

The programme was shown in the United Kingdom without the accompanying three-minute documentaries (see below) that appeared at the end of each episode.

BBC

The show was originally aired in the UK by the BBC as part of Children's BBC in the early afternoon, and ran twice on that network. The first run began on 1 September 1986, with episodes shown weekly on Monday, originally in the 4:20 pm slot (before ''Newsround'' but after the programs for younger children) and at 4:30 from Episode 21 onwards.BBC Airdates A rate of one episode per week, when combined with the large number of instalments and the suspension of showings for holidays on four occasions, meant that the final episode was not broadcast until 22 June 1987, almost 10 months after the first.
The second run began on 5 April 1989, with episodes this time being shown twice weekly, on Wednesday and Friday in the 4:05 pm slot. The schedule was changed with effect from Episode 23, with episodes broadcast weekly on Thursday at 4:35 for the remainder of the run. The BBC aired only 37 episodes during the second run, over a period of 26 weeks. It is unclear why the remaining two episodes were not shown. Possible explanations include:
1. There was a need to limit the run to 26 weeks. The switch to a later, weekly slot could not be made any further into the story due to content, and so episodes had to be omitted in order to finish on time.

2. Two episodes were excluded in their entirety due to content.

3. A simple mistake of chronology was made and not corrected.
On the occasion of both runs the programme was introduced from what was called "''The Broom Cupboard''", a very small studio with a seated presenter surrounded by pictures children had drawn of their favourite shows. The presenter during the first run was Phillip Schofield, who by the time of the second run had been replaced by Andy Crane. A clip exists of Phillip Schofield singing the theme tune to ''MCoG'' during the broadcast of an episode; this arose from his encouraging viewers to sing along to the theme, for which his photocopied sheet of the lyrics was made available. The clip was dug out of the archives on the occasion of his leaving ''Going Live!'', much to his embarrassment.

Other airings

Later, the show was broadcast several times on The Children's Channel, with the final repeat run ending in April 1995. The show has not aired on British television since.

The 39 documentaries

The 39 documentaries, averaging 3 minutes in length are not documentaries about the making of the show but closer in context to History/Discovery Channel featurettes themed around that particular episode. For instance an episode featuring Pizarro was thus followed by a short documentary about him. Others feature the Strait of Magellan, the Galápagos Islands, Inca worship, sacrifice, Machu Picchu, the Amazon rainforest, the various , and the Jade Mask. Each documentary was filmed (not animated) at the various locations. They also feature many aerial shots featuring ships, Inca terraced farms, the Amazon and the Straits of Magellan. In the English version these documentaries are narrated by Vlasta Vrana.
While not shown in the UK (The Children's Channel however did broadcast the version of the show with these included. Being a European based channel it was available in the UK and Ireland on satellite and cable) or the US, the documentaries aired in Australia and other countries. The documentaries are included in the retail versions of the series - but no English retail version has been released to date.

Trivia

★ Lima is mentioned as the destination in Episode 2, yet the story is set in 1532, three years prior to Lima's founding by Francisco Pizarro.

★ Esteban was referred to as a 'child of the sun', and the lyrics to the opening credits song are about the "children of the sun". This is how the Inca referred to themselves.

See also

★ List of Mysterious Cities of Gold episodes

★ Inca Empire

★ Maya civilization

★ ''Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea''

★ ''The King's Fifth''

Notes

External links

★

★

★ The New Adventures of Esteban and Zia - English translation of a site detailing the forthcoming sequel

★ Pierrot page on Esteban (Japanese) This page includes some information on the main characters. A page entitled Episode

★ Mysterious Cities of Gold Homepage (archive link, was dead; ★ class=wikiexternal target=_blank>/home.ptd.net/~crimson/ history) A complete MCOG package with lots of information and media to look at and listen to.

★ Sailor Heva's Mysterious Cities of Gold A site with information and you can search for the City of Gold hidden on his site.

★ Retrospective interview with Janice Chaikelson Steinberg, the English voice of Zia.

★ themysteriouscitiesofgold.com, featuring the original storyboards, animation cels and character model sheets.

★ Fansite with vivid screengrabs and detailed descriptions of all the characters.

★ Children of the Sun fan-game for the PSP.

★ The Broom Cupboard - unofficial history

★ [13] - The Facebook fan club. Join today!

Music

★ Cités d'Or music (French) the soundtrack of the series available for downloading.