Robin Hood (anime)

Robin Hood Castle is burned to the ground by order of Alvin, Baron Nottingham. Robin and his cousins ​​Will, Winifred, and Barbara flee to Sherwood Forest , hoping to escape the chase. There they meet his father’s old friend, Brother Tuk. And in the end, they encounter a group of bandits led by Little John, who at the beginning of the series calls himself Big John, until Robin laughs, renaming him “Little John” for playing with a cat. Together, Robin and the bandits must stop the persecution of Baron Alvin, as well as prevent the greedy Bishop Hartford from getting to Marian Lancaster and Sherwood's magical secrets.

• Robert Huntington is the main character, also known as Robin Hood . Heir to the noble Huntington family. His house was burnt by order of the insidious baron Alvin of Nottingham. Robert and his surviving cousins ​​are forced to flee to Sherwood Forest, where they encounter Little John's gang.

Seiyu: Kazue Ikura

• Marian Lancaster is the heiress of the noble family of Lancaster, who is taken care of by the greedy Bishop of Hartford. She wears a golden cross from her mother on her neck. Marian plays an important role in evolution ^{[ specify ]} Robin Hood.

Seiyu: Naoko Matsui

• Brother Tuk is an old monk who lives on the edge of the Sherwood Forest and takes charge of Robin and his cousins, helping them as best he can. ^[2]

Seiyu: Kenichi Ogata

• Little John is the leader of a gang of robbers who were forced to hide in Sherwood Forest to avoid forced labor. Faced with Robin, he soon becomes his important ally. He has a love interest in Winifred.

Seiyu: Bin Shimada

• The torment is Little John's right hand.

Seiyu: Mayumi Tanaka

• Will and his sisters Winfred and Barbara Scarlett are Robin's cousins. In the American version, Barbara was given the name Jenny

Seiyu: Yuko Mitta (Will)

• Alvin is the treacherous baron of Nottingham. Alvin makes his workers pay taxes and work for him. It was Alvin who ordered the destruction of the Huntington Castle. He later tries to seize power in the kingdom. However, at the end of the series, his plan was foiled by Robin and King Richard. Outwardly, he strongly resembles , a character in the works of Hanna-Barbera . ^[3]

Seiyu: Masashi Ebara

• Bishop Hartford is a greedy bishop from Nottingham who takes care of Marian Lancaster and must keep an eye on her legacy. Toward the end of the series changes for the better, in particular, informs Robin about the plans of Baron Alvin to seize power.
• Gilbert is a black knight who faithfully serves Baron Alvin, Robin’s rival for Marian’s sympathy. A controversial hero - he is a good person, but bound by a vow and forced to serve Baron Alvin. ^[2] As a result, he becomes King Richard's knight. His image is based on the character of ballads Gai Gisborne . ^[3]

Seiyu: Toshihiko Seki

• Cleo is Gilbert's sister. She wears a black dress and has long dark hair. Appeared in the 24th episode. After the alleged death of Gilbert, she decides that the cause of his death was Robin, telling Alvin about it. Cleo plans to kill Robin and avenge the death of his older brother, despite the fact that he was not the cause of Gilbert's death. Later, in the end, Cleo finds out the truth and no longer tries to kill Robin. Cleo was in love with Robin, however, he remains faithful to Marian.
  

Seiyu: Chieko Honda

• King John - Upon discovering his legacy, Alvin uses it to try to take over the kingdoms. He himself follows the plans to become king and replace his brother, King Richard.

Musical accompaniment for the anime was written by composer Yasunori Iwasaki .

Starting topic:

• “Wood Walker” (下 成 佐登 子) - performed by Simonari Satoko

The final topic:

• "Hoshizora no Labirinsu" (星空 の ラ ビ リ ン スletters. Labrinth of the Starry Sky) - performed by Simonari Satoko

The musical accompaniment also differed depending on the country in which the series was shown. So, in the opening version of the English version, the song “Robin of the Forest” was sounded, and in the video dub Interfilm the instrumental composition from the Japanese opening song Wood Walker was used. In the Italian version, the song “Robin Hood” was played with the words of Alessandra Valeri Manera ( Italian: Alessandra Valeri Manera ) and the music of Carmelo “Ninni” Carucci ( Italian: Carmelo "Ninni" Carucci ), sung by singer Cristina D'Avena . The French version used the composition "The Adventures of Robin de Bois" ( French Les Adventures de Robin des Bois ) performed by Alexis Tomassian ( French Alexis Tomassian ).

There are several editions of this animated series: Japanese, European and intermediate. Differences between the European version and the Japanese:

• Opening - the sequence of scenes has been changed, instead of the Japanese screensaver with the emblem in front of the block. In this opening, frames with a woman from the 39th series are added.
• Ending - there is no block "In the next series."

Also in the European and American versions, unlike the Japanese, the series names are slightly different. In the intermediate version there are European opening and endings, but the block “In the next series” has been added to the ending.

Part of the series was also remounted into a full-length film. ^[2]

In Russia , the American version was shown on TV. In Ukraine, the UT-1 channel broadcasted an interim version in 2000 .

1. "Birth of the Hero"
2. Mystery Forest
3. "A Duel"
4. "House Building"
5. "The Mercenary"
6. Gentlemen Bandits
7. "The Loyal King"
8. Towards Nottingham
9. Friend or Foe
10. "Impossible"
11. "An Uncertain Future"
12. "Disguise"
13. Up in smoke
14. "A New Day"
15. "An Unexpected Return"
16. "Fog and Wind"
17. "The Ultimate Farewell"
18. Tuck's Battle
19. Witchcraft
20. "Revenge"
21. "King of the Forest"
22. "Fire"
23. "Thunderstorm in Nottingham"
24. "The Girl in Black"
25. "Love and Hate"
26. "Peace After the Storm"
27. "A Foundling"
28. "The Flying Ship"
29. "A Prediction"
30. Barons Greed
31. "The Bandits Revenge"
32. "Jenny's Tale"
33. "Return"
34. "The Fog of Revenge"
35. "The Good Old Days"
36. Gamekeeper
37. "Fire in the Forest"
38. "The Treasury"
39. "Reconciliation"
40. "An Evil Being"
41. "Traitor"
42. "The Lake of Truth"
43. "The Decisive Battle"
44. "The Bad Luck Man"
45. "A Charming Villain"
46. "Unbeatable"
47. Honest Eyes
48. "Tragedy"
49. "Prince of the Woods"
50. "The Decision"
51. "The Crowning"
52. "Immortal"

Although the script for the series was written by Kuri Ippei , Robin Hood is not based on original ballads, but on a retelling of the story in Walter Scott 's Ivanhoe version. ^[2] Although, in addition to the classic heroes of ballads, Robin's entourage also has new characters - parents, a cousin and two cousins ​​of Robin, as well as Gilbert's sister Cleo. Also, the main opponent of Robin is Baron Alvin, and not the usual Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, who appear only after the 40th series, giving Alvin a place in the center of the stage. ^[3] Due to the fact that Robin and his allies are mostly teenagers fighting against the adult baron and bishop, the dynamics on the screen are similar to “ Peter Pan ”. ^[3] Opposition to the baron is at the heart of the plot, so Robin practically does not steal from the rich and distribute money to the poor. ^[3]

The anime also added magical and spiritual elements, for which there is a clear message about the attitude to the world. ^[3] When Robin, Maryam, Cleo, Gilbert, Hartford and Alvin die, the forest resurrects them with its power. ^[3]

The animation itself is pretty cheap: lines to indicate movement, lots of repeating scenes, just the design of characters and backgrounds. ^[3]

• Clements J. , McCarthy H. ROBIN HOOD // The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 . - Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press , 2015 .-- ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5 .

• Anime "Robin Hood (anime)" (Eng.) In the encyclopedia of Anime News Network
• Anime "Robin Hood (anime)" (Eng.) In the AniDB database