This is probably my favourite anime of all time. I watched it religiously as a kid when it first came out (1982), and would watch it again at any time even now. I recommend it to everyone. I shall attempt to explain my ludicrously high ratings for the series as best I can.
PLEASE NOTE THAT I'M REVIEWING BASED ON 1980s STANDARDS, SINCE I WATCHED IT FIRST AROUND THAT TIME. THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THIS SERIES ARE INDEED OBVIOUSLY DATED COMPARED TO MODERN ANIME.
Visuals:
Absolutely breathtaking. The vibrant colours and artwork, the animation, the unbelievable and immensely varied environments coupled with the style and visual direction are simply superb, and induce a warm pleasant feeling inside. The atmosphere generated is one-of-a-kind. There are some excellent and well thought-out structural designs, eg the Golden Condor & Solaris, as well as the vast number of places that are visited throughout the journey of the anime which really draw you into its world.
If you watch this series with no real appreciation for much anime before the 90s, the visuals will seem horribly dated, which is understandable considering modern visual quality. To those used to modern-day anime, I would therefore recommend watching this series with an open mind with concern to the visuals.
Sound:
How I do love it. For more than 20 years I've STILL remembered the lyrics to the opening/closing credits, and will never hesitate to sing along. The musical score within the anime is probably one of the most memorable for me personally - it's lovely, it's epic, and it has become very dear to me. The sound effects are beautifully realised and, whilst modern-day anime would no doubt put them to shame with their clarity, I feel they still hold their own to this day.
The voice acting - baring in mind I saw the English dubbed version - is I think, the only ever time I commend dubbing. I don't think i've ever said that I would prefer a dubbed English language over genuine native language + English subs, but i've seen some of the native language + subs episodes and they just didn't feel right, with frankly some silly-sounding characters. I have to give top praise for the English dub, and for those people who don't understand French or Japanese, I would recommend the dubbed English version (for English-speaking people) over subtitles.
Story:
The story is... epic. How else to describe such a thing? For a series that doesn't structure itself on monster-of-the-week episodes, but instead progresses with each episode to move the story to the next chapter as if it's one colossal adventure, I do not think I have seen better. The idea is superb, the execution is awesome, and the flow and lack of fillers/boring parts are wonderful.
The anime takes place almost 100 years ago, starting in "Barcelona, Spain, in the rain" (opening quote). We are introduced to a child who we find out was rescued out at sea when he was a baby. He wears a strange medallion around his neck, and the local people regard him as the Child of the Sun, and believe he can make the Sun come out through the clouds at will. One day he meets a sailor who entices him to journey with him across the ocean in search for one of the seven legendary 'Cities of Gold' - a city thought to be hidden somewhere in South America and made entirely of Gold. The child agrees.
The series progresses through adventurous oceanic voyages; ancient Inca/Mayan/Aztec-like civilisations; and across several types of landscapes, each bringing with it it's own challenges, obstacles, and beauty. Once the initial 5-6 episode settling-in period is over, there is never a dull moment. Pirate chases; large creature battles; wars between civilisations - it's all here. And the concept is truly amazing.
Absolutely all the aspects of the plot engrossed me personally, and I never found it to be predicable. The story makes a wonderful winding path to a decent climax, and I felt it did a fabulous job of keeping me gripped and wanting to see more after each episode was over. There are many different places in the series that are visited on the journey by the lead characters, and I found each one to be full of mystique and wonder.
Characters:
Extremely memorable from the outset. From the 6 lead characters, the kid-trio are all excellent, and being 10 years old they aren't too complicated by teenage emotion as yet, so they can focus on the adventure rather than unnecessarily analysing relationships and bonds. It becomes much more based on instinct, which makes it fun to watch them. The adult-trio are surprisingly interesting too. One would think that the kids would overshadow the adults in terms of intrigue, but the adults are just as part of the bunch as the kids, and they add a nice sense of security.
The villains in the series are suitably horrible people, and do their job of making the viewer hate them well. Each of the many, MANY supporting characters the bunch meet on their adventure are very well thought out and managed, and I found that they fit every encountered civilisation in a comfortable way.
Value:
The replay value, for a 39 episode anime series, is top notch. I don't think I'd watch any other lengthy series as often as this. The story is so great that I start to yearn for the adventure over again. I commend the writers for making it so interesting.
Enjoyment:
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderful series, and I would recommend it to everyone on earth. It's unfortunate that it's REALLY hard to get a hold of (as far as English dubbed version goes anyway; I got mine from
and can vouch for its quality and reliability). The Mysterious Cities of Gold is probably my most memorable tv programme/anime/cartoon of all time, and my honest suggestion is to give it a go.
