Asterix in Britain Exhibition in London

So there I was, perusing the Guardian TV Guide (yes, I'm a Guardianista), when I saw this:

I was excited and waves of nostalgia ran over me as Asterix was a big part of my childhood, okay, not as big as Tintin and certainly not anywhere the level of The Mysterious Cities of Gold formative, but a big part nonetheless. To be able to see the original works and sketches of one of the co-creators of the most famous cartoon Gaul is super exciting. So looking at the details the exhibition will run from 10 May 2018 - 30 September 2018 at the Jewish Museum near Camden Town. I hope to be visiting soon and will let you know what I thought!

LINK- The Jewish Museum Homepage

LINK- The Tintin Shop in London

Mysterious Cities of Gold Golden Condor Model For Sale

Anyone who knows me knows that the Mysterious Cities of Gold cartoon series is my favourite programme of ALL time and was a formative part of my childhood; single handedly creating my interest in anime, manga, South and Central American culture and synthesizer music (that's why I love Jarre, Vangelis and Oldfield).

I created this influence map 4 years ago and you can see that MCOG is featured very prominently.

I am super excited with the release of the MCOG Golden Condor by Metaltech. This model is 40 cm X 30 cm X 10 cm and comes with a cool stand so your model can soar through the beautiful blue sky (well it does on my head anyways). I like the fact that the model is pose-able and very detailed. 

I have a MCOG medallion and an original cel but the condor was that first moment of wonder I had, any piece of memorabilia associated with the condor is highly sought after (and incredibly rare). I have extremely powerful memories of the condors first flight, the point when the machine comes online for the first time and flies is etched in my memory. I've seen this episode more than any other (I watch the series annually) but I still get goosebumps when the music kick in (I've linked to this scene below, check it out it is an astonishing piece of animation).

I am hyper excited to get my Golden Condor model and whilst it is bad to wish time away October cannot come quick enough!

LINK- What Games Teach You

LINK- MCOG Golden Condor Model

Link: Japan- My Journey to the East

He-Man Remastered Track was used in Mysterious Cities of Gold

If you've ever watched an old TV series from the 80's you've probably noticed that some of the sound FX and music is the same.  That's because a lot of the animation and dubbing was done by the same studios or using Movieola editors, not on digital audio workstation like many sound effects today. The studios used key stock effects as that's what they had.

Anyways, my favourite TV show of all time The Mysterious Cities of Gold not only shared sound effects with He-Man: Masters of the Universe but also music! Originally titled Subterranean Secret or The Burning Shield, the MCOG track was used occasionally in dramatic and atmospheric scenes in He-Man. Here, for the first time is a completely clean version of the music created by Dusan M, using the original cues from the score by Shuki Levy. No more horrible audio cues distorting the majesty of this wondrous track. Enjoy!

Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 2 Review

The original Mysterious Cities of Gold series was a French- Japanese co-produced animation by Dic Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on 29 June 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes.

I first caught the series on BBC 1 in the early 80s and was beguiled by the mythical adventure story of a young Spanish boy named Esteban who joins a voyage to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. The impressive looking background art, sharply drawn characters, and the beautiful soundtrack kept me entranced throughout the whole series, becoming my favourite programme of all time. It informed my formative years and introduced me to the wonders of the ancient world including the Incas, Aztecs, Atlantis and El Dorado. Even at the age of 33 I still regularly revisit the programme every year and I can attest to the fact that it still holds up as an impressive piece of work.

There has been talk of a second series for years and preliminary plans were laid however it never materialised. However with the re-release of the series on DVD in 2008 and increased interest in the new series were finally put into production. Debuting on the Kix Channel in December the second series finally landed. So how does it fare compared to the original?

At the end of the original series the children had only found one of the seven lost cities of gold, yet the conclusion was oddly satisfying in an open-ended way. Well the second series is a continuation rather than a reboot, so with the same character designs and story the series picks from the end of series one; The three children and Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho heading to China in search of the next lost city of gold and the truth about Esteban’s father.

On the whole I really did enjoy the new series but felt that it lacked the atmosphere and awe that was present in the original series. The voice actors were passable, however I did feel that Mendoza sounded angry or annoyed a lot of the time, a shift from his can-do attitude from the first series. Also the synth music from the discovery parts and key events made each new discovery super special. The music that dropped when the adventurers find the Solaris and Golden Condor still sends shivers down my spine. I felt that in this new series moments of emotive music and silence from the characters would have carried greater gravitas than the exposition from the characters.

China is well represented in the series with beautiful background artwork.

The team still go on awe inspiring adventures which draw you in.

The series does take a little while to get going, the first 10 or so episodes are very slow paced but the series does pick up and from episode 16 onwards I had those moment of awe and wonder, much like I felt nearly 25 years ago when I first saw the first series.

I'll leave you with one of my favourite youtube videos, this is St. Elmos Fire, the piece of music by Haim Saban and Shuki Levi. This music swells in the series when there are moments of discovery... the new series was missing these moments but does stand well as a continuation. Roll on series 3!

Mysterious Cities of Gold Nostalgia

I've been watching the new Mysterious Cities of Gold Series, and whilst it is okay it had me yearning for the charm and style of the older series. The thing I liked about the old series was the mood created by the amazing soundtrack, and there is one piece of music which is burned into my soul... St. Elmo's Fire. This piece of music created by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban (of Power Rangers fame *sigh*) was used only 12 times in the whole 39 episodes, and only at key points of the series such as the discovery of a mysterious place or the observation of grand phenomena.

Well a Youtuber has kindly put these key moments into a complete video so you can relive those amazing moments from the series in one 15 minute video... sit back and enjoy my favourite cartoon!

Mysterious Cities of Gold Wii U Game

Visitors to this site will know my adoration of the MCOG series, but I'm pretty excited bout the upcoming MCOG game which will be making it's way soon to the Wii U. Check out the gameplay :) 

I'm off to play the iOS MCOG: Flight of the Condor game... until next time, goodbye! 

Also as an added bonus (because I'm all in the spirit of giving) check out the new English trailer for season 2 of the series, coming to the UK on Bluray in early 2014.... this is pant wettingly exciting! 

Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 2!

Anyone who knows me knows that my favourite TV show of all time is an old animated cartoon series called the 'Mysterious Cities of Gold'. The show followed a ragtag group as they try to find Eldorado, the city of gold. Over 39 episodes the epic story-line followed our intrepid travelers in their quest.... this was back in the early 80's. Well now, after 30 years, the series has been continued, following our group as they try to find the remaining cities of gold. Season 2 has been airing and as part of the mailing list (the Gold List) I have been able to follow the adventures in French audio with English subtitles. MCOG season 2 will be dubbed into english and released next year by the same company who created the Season 1 box set. But to whet your appetite here is a trailer for the new season. 

And for those who are feeling nostalgic check out this fanmade tribute to the series: