Young Orpheus
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Young Orpheus
 | |
|---|---|
| Episodes: | 4 |
| Year: | 1972 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Seasons: | 1 |
| Seasons Breakdown: | (1) 4 |
| Category: | Alien Worlds |
| Colour: | Yes |
| Format: | Series |
| Company: | |
| Creator: | Based on a story by Yukio Misawa |
| Run Time (mins): | 30 |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Type of Show: | Live Action |
| Status: | Ended |
| Broadcaster: | NHK |
| First Aired: | September 2, 1972 |
| Last Aired: | September 23, 1972 |
Summary
The Land of the Dead is portrayed as a distant planet rather than a mythical realm. Its ruler abducts a young woman from Earth after becoming enamoured of her smile and laughter. On Earth, Susumu, grieving the sudden death of his sister Fuko, boards a spacecraft that carries departed souls to the planet. After surviving an attempted poisoning, he escapes aboard a second ship piloted by Pierrot, a former servant of the ruler, and begins searching for Fuko and a way home.
An old man tells them that escape depends on a single drop of water, but a storm of raindrops, each representing a human soul, thwarts their efforts. When they find Fuko, she is suffering from amnesia, prompting a journey to the Cactus Kingdom on the Flower Planet. Captured by its queen, Susumu is forced to defeat her champion knight to save his sister, ultimately discovering that the champion was her abductor. Susumu later awakens in a hospital on Earth, where Fuko has inexplicably recovered, in a narrative echoing elements of The Little Prince and Night Train to the Stars.
Cast
Susumu SHINJI OSADA, Fuko MARI WADA, Pierrot SHOJI OKI, KOICHI HAYASHI, Queen KYOKO SATOMI.
Tags: Alien Worlds, Japan, 1972, Japanese
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