Fushigi no Kuni no Alice
Encyclopedia
is an anime
adaptation of the novel Alice in Wonderland which ran on the Japan
ese network NHK
from March 26, 1983 to October 10, 1984. The series was a Japanese-German coproduction between Nippon Animation
and Apollo Films. The series consists of 52 episodes, however, only 26 made it to the U.S.
.
In the English language, this series is generally overshadowed by the success of Disney's 1951 feature film version
of the story; however, the anime series was quite popular in various European countries, Israel, in Latin America, and in the Arabic-speaking world. The series was also dubbed in Hindi
by the national film development board of India
and telecasted on Doordarshan
in the early 1990s.
into a hole, only to find herself in Wonderland, where she meets many interesting characters, including the mysterious Cheshire Cat and the terrible Queen of Hearts.
The beginning of the series adheres more similarly to the original story, whereas later episodes adapt the sequel book of Alice in Wonderland "Through the Looking-Glass
," starting with episode 26.
One departure from the books is that Alice returns to the real world at the end of each episode, and goes back to Wonderland at the beginning of the next episode. These transitions between the two worlds are depicted as dream-like, and it usually takes Alice a moment to notice her surroundings have changed.
(also the voice actress for Alice).
The U.S. song and the German opening song uses the same animation, but a different song for the opening credits. The songs are the same in terms of music, and only differ by the language.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation of the novel Alice in Wonderland which ran on the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese network NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
from March 26, 1983 to October 10, 1984. The series was a Japanese-German coproduction between Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
and Apollo Films. The series consists of 52 episodes, however, only 26 made it to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the English language, this series is generally overshadowed by the success of Disney's 1951 feature film version
Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)
Alice in Wonderland is a 1951 American animated feature produced by Walt Disney and based primarily on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with a few additional elements from Through the Looking-Glass. Thirteenth in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film was released in New...
of the story; however, the anime series was quite popular in various European countries, Israel, in Latin America, and in the Arabic-speaking world. The series was also dubbed in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
by the national film development board of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and telecasted on Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
in the early 1990s.
Overview
A young girl named Alice follows a white rabbitWhite Rabbit
The White Rabbit works for the Red Queen, but is also a secret member of the Underland Underground Resistance, and was sent by the Hatter to search for Alice...
into a hole, only to find herself in Wonderland, where she meets many interesting characters, including the mysterious Cheshire Cat and the terrible Queen of Hearts.
The beginning of the series adheres more similarly to the original story, whereas later episodes adapt the sequel book of Alice in Wonderland "Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There is a work of literature by Lewis Carroll . It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland...
," starting with episode 26.
One departure from the books is that Alice returns to the real world at the end of each episode, and goes back to Wonderland at the beginning of the next episode. These transitions between the two worlds are depicted as dream-like, and it usually takes Alice a moment to notice her surroundings have changed.
Music
The series uses two pieces of theme music for the original Japanese version. The Japanese opening song is called "Yumemiru Wonderland (夢みるワンダーランド Dreaming Wonderland)", and the Japanese ending song is called "NAZO NAZO yume no kuni (ナゾナゾ夢の国 Mysterious Dreamland)", both sung by the Japanese vocalist TarakoTarako
, known simply as Tarako, is a Japanese voice actress and singer-songwriter. Her debut role was as a preschooler on Urusei Yatsura. Tarako is currently employed by the talent management firm Troubadour Musique Office.- TV :...
(also the voice actress for Alice).
The U.S. song and the German opening song uses the same animation, but a different song for the opening credits. The songs are the same in terms of music, and only differ by the language.
Episodes
- Alice and Benny
- Rabbit Hole
- Alice in a Sea of Tears
- A Caucus-Race
- Big Alice
- Humpty Dumpty
- An Enormous Puppy
- Nameless Forest
- Crow Pirate
- Advice from a Caterpillar
- Bald Alice
- A Shocking Baby
- Mock Turtle
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee
- The Lion vs. the Unicorn
- The Queen's Croquet Ground
- Cheshire Cat
- Dash of the Snails
- The Lobster-Quadrille
- A Mad Tea Party
- Lovely Circus Land
- Jack the Gourmand
- Handstand Race
- Benny's Disappearance
- The Secret of Greeland
- Alice and the Looking-Glass
- The Exursion of the Heart Queen
- The Shy Duck
- Big Washing day
- Dream Sheep
- Just the Dawsons
- The White Rabbit Moves
- Strange Tour Operator
- Benny and the Screw Mouse
- Weather Man and Weather Woman
- The Angry Kangaroos
- The Balloon Trip
- The Clouds Country
- An Unpleasant Guest
- The Small Flutist
- The Honey Elephants
- Little Bill has Fallen In Love
- Pearl of Wisdom
- (Untranslated title)
- Family Photo
- Magic Drink
- Vanished Light Fairy
- Many Colored Candles
- Non-Birthday
- The Chimpanzee's Child
- The Battle of the Knights
- Queen Alice
Characters
- Alice (アリス Arisu) voiced by TARAKOTarako, known simply as Tarako, is a Japanese voice actress and singer-songwriter. Her debut role was as a preschooler on Urusei Yatsura. Tarako is currently employed by the talent management firm Troubadour Musique Office.- TV :...
: In contrast to her novel counterpart, she is depicted with red hair instead of blonde, a hat, and a red and white dress similar in design to her Disney counterpart's blue and white dress. She appears younger due to her anime design (as this is the same case with Dorothy's anime depiction in the anime adaptation of the Wizard of Oz)
- Benny Bunny (ベニー): Alice's rabbit companion in her adventures throughout Wonderland. Found when Alice buys a magic hat in an old shop, Benny turns out to be the nephew of the White Rabbit, so he gets along fairly well with most of the Wonderlanders. He is always uncomfortable whenever they have to go to the Jabberwocky though, as the dragon is set on making rabbit stew out of him.
- Chester (チェシャキャット Cheshire) : The mischievous, mysterious, striped cat that gets Alice into trouble. Unlike the Disney version, the Cheshire Cat is striped orange and yellow-orange, instead of purple and light-purple. He also gladly helps out Alice, although usually cryptically.
- The Queen of Hearts (ハートの女王) : The usual instigator of the current adventure's problem, the Queen shares the same rubenesque figure of her Disney counterpart. She wears a yellow dress and has a sloping, pointed nose, a contrast to her counterpart's flatish face and red and black gown. Another difference that separates her from most other depictions of the character is that she is the most human out of all of them; she can be reasoned with, and while she does threaten with beheadings, she usually only sends offenders to the dungeon for a few days.
- The Jabberwocky: A moody giant dragon living in a castle, beyond the forest. A loner of sorts, he doesn't like visitors that much and usually keeps to himself. Now and then he seems vaguely bent on cooking Alice's rabbit companion Benny Bunny. But he is in the end more grumpy than dangerous, and seems good-natured all in all. Sometimes ends up helping Alice with her troubles.
- The Caterpillar (キャタピラ): Ostensibly the wisest out of all of the Wonderlanders, the Caterpillar can also be considered the sanest or most normal real-world-wise. Usually found in an area filled with mushrooms, the Caterpillar smokes from his hooka while listening to the different woes of the Wonderlanders. Alice usually comes to him for advice, which has developed into the two of them having a close friendship.
- White King and Queen
- Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum
- Duchess
- Walrus
- Humpdy Dumpdy
- Mad Hatter
- March Hare
- Dormouse
- Dodo
- Mock Turtle