AnimeSuki Forums

Anthias · 2004-03-31, 21:25

Someone started a thread in fansubs asking about this show, so I thought I'd give some info here for them.

This series (a french/japanese co-production) first aired in 1984 in the west, is owned by DIC in france and the licence has not lapsed, as they actually own it completely anyway. They have maintained the licence arrangements and at some stage in the late eighties VHS versions were available briefly in english as well as french and japanese.

DVD's are now available in FRENCH language versions ONLY. The reason: verry sadly, if the story I have read is accurate, there was a fire in 1997 that swept through the DIC offices in france, taking out a lot of the archival film footage. Among that destroyed was all masters and leasing copies for this show, in all but the french versions. So we will not be able to buy DVD's in english or japanese in the near future. If you hunt hard enough they are on the net, but poor quality and still illegal, so if you have the VHS tapes, best off if you simply back them up yourself to cd (for personal use only) as you wont ever be able to replace them.

Fansubbing is unlikely at best. Recently a lot of MCoG fansites have been appearing, so do a google to find out more

You never know, you might find out something different, but this is as it was reported when I hunted for it a couple of years ago.

Argonlightray · 2004-04-01, 02:28

Has anyone ever heard of The Mysterious Cities of Gold?
...of course you have... It was on Nickelodeon in the late 80's early 90's.
It's not licensed, is it?
Anyone know anything about this? I have the series on VHS; plus I would love for everyone else to see it and share my love for this classic anime.

Kyoji · 2004-04-01, 02:38

it is licensed, well im pretty sure it is, i used to watch it when i was little

xris · 2004-04-01, 02:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Argonlightray

Has anyone ever heard of The Mysterious Cities of Gold?
...of course you have... It was on Nickelodeon in the late 80's early 90's.
Is there a place to get this on a torrent?
It's not licensed, is it?
Anyone know anything about this? I have the series on VHS but thought it would be cool having a digital copy; plus I would love for everyone else to see it and share my love for this classic anime.

It's seems you didn't understnd some of the reasons why I closed your first MCoG thread.

The series is considered licensed (unless you can show otherwise). We do not allow requests on how to obtain fansubs of licensed series here on AnimeSuki. Please read the forum rules...

Do not ask for licensed anime or manga
As described in Fansubbing and Licensing fansubs are technically illegal as they breach copyright. However as AnimeSuki.com does not wish to be associated with piracy, discussions about unlawfully getting licensed anime or manga or even DVD rips are not allowed. This means it is not allowed to post links to sites with such licensed material or ways to obtain it illegally, or ask for links or instructions to be emailed or PM'ed to you. Threads which break this rule will be either closed or simply deleted.

If you're not sure what 'licensed' implies, then please read about it here, Licensed Anime.

If you wish to discuss the series, that's fine, but please do not discuss fansubbing the series or how you can obtain fansubs of it.

7thMethuselah · 2004-04-01, 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthias

Someone started a thread in fansubs asking about this show, so I thought I'd give some info here for them.

This series (a french/japanese co-production) first aired in 1984 in the west, is owned by DIC in france and the licence has not lapsed, as they actually own it completely anyway. They have maintained the licence arrangements and at some stage in the late eighties VHS versions were available briefly in english as well as french and japanese.

DVD's are now available in FRENCH language versions ONLY. The reason: verry sadly, if the story I have read is accurate, there was a fire in 1997 that swept through the DIC offices in france, taking out a lot of the archival film footage. Among that destroyed was all masters and leasing copies for this show, in all but the french versions. So we will not be able to buy DVD's in english or japanese in the near future. If you hunt hard enough they are on the net, but poor quality and still illegal, so if you have the VHS tapes, best off if you simply back them up yourself to cd (for personal use only) as you wont ever be able to replace them.

Fansubbing is unlikely at best. Recently a lot of MCoG fansites have been appearing, so do a google to find out more

You never know, you might find out something different, but this is as it was reported when I hunted for it a couple of years ago.

Actually, the english version of this awesome series still exists on the internet but they are VERY hard to find. If you really are a hardcore fan of this show get it in french, it's definatelly worth it and the french version sounds alot better

. The DVD's or VHS aren't too hard to find in France I think.

There are some very good fansites about it these days which have detailed descriptions about everything you wanna know. Several of these also have previews and/or fragments.

7thMethuselah · 2004-04-01, 17:19

seems like this thread is back open, so I'm gonna throw the ball in the middle

What i really liked about this show was the way it evolved from one style into another. At first this an enjoyable middle ages anime with Esteban and his friends sailing towards South America to find an ancient rumored city of gold. Even though not the most orginal setting of a sailboat crossing the atlantic, it is fun to see . All the episodes have alot of stuff happening in them and are in no way to be called repetitive.
Once they reach the new world a few characters get added and the first hints towards what I call the magic aspect are introduced (It's technology in fact but to the people in that age it must seem like magic). This is just perfect because at this point the story can get boring but they change the setting completely, this "magic aspect" then grows in importance and little by little the great mystery aound the Inca empire gets revealed while they keep discovering secrets.
I really loved the kinda double role Mendoza plays, we never quite know if he really is on the side of Esteban, Zia and Tao or if he choosing the surest way to gold. Sancho and Pedro are quite funny and have only one thing on their (simple) minds : gold but they carry their hearts in the right place .
Also there are several side stories which keep you interested and never make you lose attention, not to mention the hilarious rivalry between Mendoza and gaspard

Then late in the story it become almost scifi

Spoiler:

and we finally get the entire plot and background revealed. The battles in the final episodes were not that great however, a little too much of the same stuff in episodes 30-37 (more or less) But when they finally do reach the city of gold and find it's secret I was pleasantly surprised (although I kinda expected something of an end like that).

Cities of Gold are a truly amazing adventure anime which starts out as an historical anime evolves into a more magic/mystery anime and ends as pure science fiction. One of the greatest shows i've ever seen in my younger years. You should watch this one for sure if you can get you hands on them. Btw the original french version is better (might be bc I really hate dubbed versions

)
One warning though this anime was clearly meant for kids and should be watched as such.

PS There is another thread about Cities of Gold, maybe we can merge them?

Atom_Bunny · 2004-04-02, 02:10

I remember this show - vaguely -

I have been given to beleive that the master tapes of the dub were lost in a fire so it will never be repeated. (unless it gets re-dubbed)

Shame

Atom XX

DrWho2002 · 2004-04-02, 02:57

I gots me some poor-mid quality english dubs for the whole series on vhs. some are missing the opening/ending sequences though. I have all the documentaries dubbed in english for all 39 eps as well on cdr... ^_^

Gold_Rogers · 2004-04-02, 03:03

Searching around on the internet, I found out that Nickelodeon had broadcasted the series in the late 1980s, but that currently no one holds the video distribution rights according to Anime News Network and Anime on DVD. What is the licensing status on this, then? Does Nickelodeon still have the rights to it (and if so, are they ONLY the broadcasting rights EXCLUDING the home video distribution rights)? Will we ever see a DVD release in the United States?

Yamano667 · 2004-04-03, 13:16

umm i have the series on vcd, and is not to miss

Xie · 2004-04-03, 15:36

Thank you for posting this. I remember watching it on Nickelodeon very early in the morning when I was getting ready for school (so it must have been the mid 80's or so?). I used to tape a ton of shows I liked when I was little, I wish this had been one of them.

I'll have to go looking for the french version. To bad my french is limited to the one year I took of it in Jr. High

Silus-San · 2004-07-12, 04:46

Hello everyone !!

I'm part of a recent group (BakaNL - Bakaneko no Litterbox).
We are mainly a DVD Riping group, but this project "hoped into my lap" and since the DVDs contain no subtitles, it was required to do the translation. I think many agree with me that this is an amazing series from the 80's and it certainly deserves to be released. Being a DVD Riping group, we are not used to this "fansubing" business, but I was able to gather a team to do it : translators, timers, editors, everything.
We are working on a slow pace, cause this requires much work, but soon, we will release the first episodes and you can count on the best release of this series yet.

We are located at #bakanl@irc.chatsociety.net. As I said, we already have a team assembled for this project, but additional help is always welcome. So feel free to pop in #bakanl and talk with me, the project leader.

Best Regards
Silus-San

Sonhex · 2007-11-19, 15:21

How's this for an obscure thread resurrection!

This is interesting news - here's a new movie version of MCOG 'in production' next year. A CG movie 'retelling' of the series according to the producer's website. There's also a more detailed page here (in French) all about it.

This is big news for me, MCOG being one of the first animes seen on tv in the UK along with Battle of the Planets and KumKum (anyone remember that one?). I just hope the CG is good enough to do the source justice but the characters' 3d designs are very appealing. Looking forward to seeing more of this..

NoSanninWa · 2007-11-20, 00:33

I'd like to suggest that everyone who wants to talk about the movie refrain from discussing it in this thread. It has its own thread here:

Mysterious Cities of Gold : the Movie

Sxerks · 2013-05-19, 13:39

There are now DVDs and Blue Ray of the original series.

And there is now a Season 2 (30 years later).

The new seasons (3 with 26eps each) are being made in France and has the original Japanese writer Mitsuru Kaneko.

Since it is being done in France is it an anime or a cartoon ? does it need its own thread?

It looks to be licensed in France, Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland.

There is currently a fansubbing project for season 2 here.

2004-03-31, 21:25	Link #1
Anthias Member Join Date: Jan 2004	Mysterious Cities of Gold Someone started a thread in fansubs asking about this show, so I thought I'd give some info here for them. This series (a french/japanese co-production) first aired in 1984 in the west, is owned by DIC in france and the licence has not lapsed, as they actually own it completely anyway. They have maintained the licence arrangements and at some stage in the late eighties VHS versions were available briefly in english as well as french and japanese. DVD's are now available in FRENCH language versions ONLY. The reason: verry sadly, if the story I have read is accurate, there was a fire in 1997 that swept through the DIC offices in france, taking out a lot of the archival film footage. Among that destroyed was all masters and leasing copies for this show, in all but the french versions. So we will not be able to buy DVD's in english or japanese in the near future. If you hunt hard enough they are on the net, but poor quality and still illegal, so if you have the VHS tapes, best off if you simply back them up yourself to cd (for personal use only) as you wont ever be able to replace them. Fansubbing is unlikely at best. Recently a lot of MCoG fansites have been appearing, so do a google to find out more You never know, you might find out something different, but this is as it was reported when I hunted for it a couple of years ago.

2004-04-01, 02:28	Link #2
Argonlightray Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: West Oakland, CA Age: 47	Mysterious Cities of Gold Has anyone ever heard of The Mysterious Cities of Gold? ...of course you have... It was on Nickelodeon in the late 80's early 90's. It's not licensed, is it? Anyone know anything about this? I have the series on VHS; plus I would love for everyone else to see it and share my love for this classic anime. Last edited by xris; 2004-04-01 at 02:46. Reason: Certain requests deleted from message

2004-04-01, 17:19	Link #6
7thMethuselah Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Antwerp area, Belgium, Europa Age: 48	seems like this thread is back open, so I'm gonna throw the ball in the middle What i really liked about this show was the way it evolved from one style into another. At first this an enjoyable middle ages anime with Esteban and his friends sailing towards South America to find an ancient rumored city of gold. Even though not the most orginal setting of a sailboat crossing the atlantic, it is fun to see . All the episodes have alot of stuff happening in them and are in no way to be called repetitive. Once they reach the new world a few characters get added and the first hints towards what I call the magic aspect are introduced (It's technology in fact but to the people in that age it must seem like magic). This is just perfect because at this point the story can get boring but they change the setting completely, this "magic aspect" then grows in importance and little by little the great mystery aound the Inca empire gets revealed while they keep discovering secrets. I really loved the kinda double role Mendoza plays, we never quite know if he really is on the side of Esteban, Zia and Tao or if he choosing the surest way to gold. Sancho and Pedro are quite funny and have only one thing on their (simple) minds : gold but they carry their hearts in the right place . Also there are several side stories which keep you interested and never make you lose attention, not to mention the hilarious rivalry between Mendoza and gaspard Then late in the story it become almost scifi Spoiler: as the atlanteans are introduced, they look like complete aliens to me, and we finally get the entire plot and background revealed. The battles in the final episodes were not that great however, a little too much of the same stuff in episodes 30-37 (more or less) But when they finally do reach the city of gold and find it's secret I was pleasantly surprised (although I kinda expected something of an end like that). Cities of Gold are a truly amazing adventure anime which starts out as an historical anime evolves into a more magic/mystery anime and ends as pure science fiction. One of the greatest shows i've ever seen in my younger years. You should watch this one for sure if you can get you hands on them. Btw the original french version is better (might be bc I really hate dubbed versions ) One warning though this anime was clearly meant for kids and should be watched as such. PS There is another thread about Cities of Gold, maybe we can merge them?

2007-11-20, 00:33	Link #14
NoSanninWa Weapon of Mass Discussion Fansubber Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New York, USA	I'd like to suggest that everyone who wants to talk about the movie refrain from discussing it in this thread. It has its own thread here: Mysterious Cities of Gold : the Movie __________________ There's not that fine a line between willing suspension of disbelief and something just being stupid.

2013-05-19, 13:39	Link #15
Sxerks Member Join Date: Aug 2009	There are now DVDs and Blue Ray of the original series. And there is now a Season 2 (30 years later). The new seasons (3 with 26eps each) are being made in France and has the original Japanese writer Mitsuru Kaneko. Since it is being done in France is it an anime or a cartoon ? does it need its own thread? It looks to be licensed in France, Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland. There is currently a fansubbing project for season 2 here. __________________ Anime/Manga Hub on Wikia - Durarara!! Wiki - Minami-ke Wiki - Gakuen Alice Wiki - Index/Railgun Wiki - Kodomo no Jikan Wiki

2004-04-01, 02:38	Link #3
Kyoji I WANT MORE MILK! Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Leeds, UK Age: 38	it is licensed, well im pretty sure it is, i used to watch it when i was little

2004-04-02, 02:10	Link #7
Atom_Bunny Usagi no Atom Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK	I remember this show - vaguely - I have been given to beleive that the master tapes of the dub were lost in a fire so it will never be repeated. (unless it gets re-dubbed) Shame Atom XX

2004-04-02, 02:57	Link #8
DrWho2002 Fushigi Mystery!! @_@ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Canada, eh?	I gots me some poor-mid quality english dubs for the whole series on vhs. some are missing the opening/ending sequences though. I have all the documentaries dubbed in english for all 39 eps as well on cdr... ^_^

2004-04-02, 03:03	Link #9
Gold_Rogers Famous Dead Pirate Join Date: Mar 2004	Searching around on the internet, I found out that Nickelodeon had broadcasted the series in the late 1980s, but that currently no one holds the video distribution rights according to Anime News Network and Anime on DVD. What is the licensing status on this, then? Does Nickelodeon still have the rights to it (and if so, are they ONLY the broadcasting rights EXCLUDING the home video distribution rights)? Will we ever see a DVD release in the United States?

2004-04-03, 13:16	Link #10
Yamano667 Banned Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The moon :)	umm i have the series on vcd, and is not to miss

2004-04-03, 15:36	Link #11
Xie Member Join Date: Apr 2003	Thank you for posting this. I remember watching it on Nickelodeon very early in the morning when I was getting ready for school (so it must have been the mid 80's or so?). I used to tape a ton of shows I liked when I was little, I wish this had been one of them. I'll have to go looking for the french version. To bad my french is limited to the one year I took of it in Jr. High

2004-07-12, 04:46	Link #12
Silus-San Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2004	Hello everyone !! I'm part of a recent group (BakaNL - Bakaneko no Litterbox). We are mainly a DVD Riping group, but this project "hoped into my lap" and since the DVDs contain no subtitles, it was required to do the translation. I think many agree with me that this is an amazing series from the 80's and it certainly deserves to be released. Being a DVD Riping group, we are not used to this "fansubing" business, but I was able to gather a team to do it : translators, timers, editors, everything. We are working on a slow pace, cause this requires much work, but soon, we will release the first episodes and you can count on the best release of this series yet. We are located at #bakanl@irc.chatsociety.net. As I said, we already have a team assembled for this project, but additional help is always welcome. So feel free to pop in #bakanl and talk with me, the project leader. Best Regards Silus-San

2007-11-19, 15:21	Link #13
Sonhex Not dead. Yet. Graphic Designer Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: UK	How's this for an obscure thread resurrection! This is interesting news - here's a new movie version of MCOG 'in production' next year. A CG movie 'retelling' of the series according to the producer's website. There's also a more detailed page here (in French) all about it. This is big news for me, MCOG being one of the first animes seen on tv in the UK along with Battle of the Planets and KumKum (anyone remember that one?). I just hope the CG is good enough to do the source justice but the characters' 3d designs are very appealing. Looking forward to seeing more of this..