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Mysterious Cities Of Gold - Complete Series | 
 enlarge | Director: Kenichi Maruyama;edouard David;kenichi Murakami;bernard Deyriès
Actors: Tomoko Ai, Sachiko Saitô, Tesshô Genda, Rokurô Naya, Mahito Tsujimura
Studio: Fabulous Films Ltd.
Category: DVD
List Price: £54.99
Buy New: £39.98
You Save: £15.01 (27%)
New (7) Used (1) from £30.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 604
Format: Pal
Languages: English (Unknown), French (Unknown), Japanese (Unknown), French (Original Language), Japanese (Original Language)
Rating: Parental Guidance
Number Of Items: 6
Running Time: 1120
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5030697010865
ASIN: B00149XOW2
Release Date: June 23, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
It's taken far too long for one of the finest children's television programmes of the 1980s to make its journey to DVD, but thanks to this superb six-disc set, all 39 episodes of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold are finally available. And time has been very kind to it. Don't remember it? Then at the very least, the theme tune is bound to stick (it's easily one of the best title tracks ever). But if you're one of the many who were charmed by this ambitious, epic adventure, then the return of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold will be very good news indeed. Set in the 1532, it follows Esteban on his search to find out the truth about his father, and also on the epic quest to find the cities of the show's title. Joined by Zia and Tao, and fighting against Gomez and Gaspard, it's a weaving, engrossing story, that fully justifies its sizeable running time. What's more, The Mysterious Cities Of Gold holds up incredibly well. The animation may look a little dated, but it harks back to a time in the 1980s when ambitious programmes such as these were filling the childrens' TV schedules. And this was the best of the lot. With a darkness and edge that you simply wouldn't expect, it's a gripping tale, expertly told. Further icing the cake, the DVD set that The Mysterious Cities Of Gold arrives on is nothing short of majestic, bursting with interesting features and a real care and attention that befits the programme itself. Which goes to make this collection something really very special indeed, not only bringing back a genuine classic from the archives, but doing it with a style that others would do well to match. Brilliant. --Simon Brew
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
Oh wow!! May 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow wow wow!! I absolutely loved this when I was younger and I can't wait until it's delivered! Already have the theme tune as my rington!! I'm almost 3 months pregnant and will definitely be watching this with the little one when he/she is born! Super!
The best Cartoon Series you're ever likely to watch May 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have to say that when I originally watched this cartoon around 20 years ago, I became absolutely hooked. I couldn't believe how good it was. That was the general consensus of most people who watched it, it really was compulsive viewing!
Now having purchased it from HMV & watched it, it's even better than I remember it. The visuals are stunning & the music adds to the feel of the cartoon better than any other I have ever seen, but the storyline is what really hooks you.
I would have to describe this as a 'what if'. What if Eldorado really existed? What if there really was a city of Gold built by an advanced ancient civilisation? This is the cartoon that explores this thesis. Heavily based on historical fact, this combines it with a fantasy element, though not so much as to make it ridiculously unbelievable (as many other programmes and films have), rather it serves to educate the viewer in a mature & entertaining way. Combined with a historical piece at the end of each episode, it teaches you many things you were unaware of.
Okay, so nothing is perfect and it does have one or two flaws. The most obvious one being the dialogue. Sometimes it does indeed come across that the characters are reading from a script because the tone is somewhat fast and flat at times and I noticed that on occasions the characters will be walking single-file at a distance of about 50 or so feet and the last in line appears to hear what the first is saying, but that is soon forgotten in the brilliance of the piece.
Overall though it is a stunning piece of animation and the message that comes across over & over again during the 39 episodes is that love & compassion should always take presidence over greed & self interest. In a word, Unmissable!
I thought this would never happen May 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
"Mysterious Cities of Gold" on DVD! Who'd have thought? I remember being at uni in 2000 and having to watch the episodes in RealPlayer format as nobody knew who held the copyright to the series! To whoever sorted out the copyright mess, THANK YOU.
This is a box set that has been lovingly put together. Nothing is lacking, they've put everything in here that you could possibly want, including the hilarious moment when Philip Schofield and Gordon the Gopher sang along to the theme tune (which I remember from the first time around).
Some cartoon series don't hold up to adult viewing but this one does. Apart from the interesting factual clips at the end of each episode, the series does not skip over the darker side of history and the characters actually have some depth. But I know I'm preaching to the choir. Buy it, treasure it, show your kids how cartoons used to be made.
Five Stars Are Not Enough May 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Finally after a very long wait, the best cartoon of the 1980's - if not all time is available on to own DVD.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold was based in the year 1532 and followed the adventures of a Spanish boy called Esteban who joins a voyage to search for his father and the cities of gold. If you've been unlucky and never seen the cartoon before words cannot really describe how fantastic it is. Cites of Gold was and remains to this day an unequalled masterpiece of entertainment. Everything about it is perfectly done and there is absolutely nothing I can fault about Cites of Gold. The soundtrack is amazing and the opening credits are exactly as I remember them, and instantly I remembered being a kid sitting in front of the TV watching the program refusing to do anything until the episode was finished. All the characters from Esteban, Zia, and Tao to the talking parrot Kokapetl are brilliant. This is a fantastic boxed set worth every single penny. The episodes have been fully restored and look and sound fantastic.
There's no need to say anymore. I highly recommend it, above all else. This really is a must buy for any collection, first time watcher or long time fan.
Better than gold April 5, 2008
13 out of 24 found this review helpful
Fans of this series have waited many years for this boxset to come out. And the wait has proved to be worth it for what we have here is a beautifully produced boxset that is worthy of what is surely one of the most inspirational and fondly remembered children's TV series in history.
All 39 episodes have been fully restored so prepare yourself for a treat as you watch it on crystal clear DVD for the first time. The episodes are spread over six discs and printed on each one is a main character (even Kokapel the parrot gets its own disc).
The extras are many and varied. If you like behind-the-scenes trivia, documentaries and the like then you won't be disappointed.
If you grew up with this series, you'll enjoy the karaoke version of the theme, and I challenge you not to grin happily like a kid with a new toy when you watch the clip of Phillip Schofield singing along in the Broom Cupboard (remember those days?!).
The six postcards feature key scenes from the series. They are action packed and colourful and I won't be posting them to anyone any day soon - they're mine!
The poster is double sided. One side features a map tracking the the children's journey from Barcelona to the Americas while the other side has the three children in happy and playful poses. Either side will look great on your wall but I wish the poster was bigger (it's just slightly bigger than A2).
The 24-page collector's booklet is quite a treasure. Beautifully illustrated throughout, it has a detailed synopsis of every episode and character biographies. A list of episodes on the back page is a useful reference tool (though I would advise against reading the synopses if you are watching the series for the first time because they are riddled with spoilers).
All in all, this is a fantastic addition to any DVD collection. You get the sense that it has been lovingly put together by people who were big fans of the show. If I had to say something negative, it's the fact that I wish the DVDs were housed in proper individual plastic cases as the gatefold-style packaging has a flimsy feel which is unfortunate because this is one DVD boxset that you will want to keep forever.
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