Super Mario Momotarō
The title of this article is official, but it comes from a Japanese source.
If an acceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| Super Mario Momotarō | |
|---|---|
| |
| Manufacturer | Amada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. |
| Distributor | Amada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. |
| Release date |  August 3, 1989[1] |
| Language | Japanese |
| Format | VHS |
| Runtime | 15 minutes |
Super Mario Momotarō is the first of the Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros. VHSes. It is based on the Japanese fairy tale Momotarō (literally, "Peach Boy"). As with all of the other VHSes of the series, it was released by Amada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. on August 3, 1989.[2][1]
Plot synopsis[edit]
On a floating island in space with a mountain resembling Mount Fuji, Ojīsan and Obāsan, two elderly Hammer Brothers, live in peaceful happiness with their beloved daughter, Princess Peach. However, word of her beauty reaches the evil Bowser, who had been plundering treasures from all across space. He arrives with his Koopalings (minus Lemmy) and upon seeing Peach, decides that her beauty makes her the perfect bride for himself and orders the Koopalings to snatch her. Ojīsan and Obāsan beg Bowser to not take Peach, offering him anything in return, but he shrugs them off and leaves with their protesting daughter.
Peach rejects Bowser's proposal and is thrown in a cold dungeon in his castle on Onigashima, while the evil king and the Koopalings continue their destructive raids, amassing a huge amount of treasures, to Bowser's pleasure. Meanwhile, Ojīsan and Obāsan are consumed with grief and unable to concentrate on anything else, spending their days missing Peach and worrying about her safety.
One day, a shooting star lands at their feet, and when the light abates, it is revealed to be a giant peach, which then splits open and out pops a healthy, mustachioed baby boy. Amazed to be blessed with the child, Ojīsan and Obāsan name him Mario and raise him, astonished by his rapid growth from a baby into a brave young man. While they are proud of him, they still miss Peach, and after they accidentally mention her in front of Mario, he asks to be told about what happened to her, which is shown in flashback. He immediately resolves to go and rescue his sister, but while Ojīsan tries to talk him out of the dangerous quest, Mario is confident that he can save her, and tells him and Obāsan not to worry.
Back in Bowser's Castle, he once again beseeches Princess Peach to marry him, but she merely misses Ojīsan and Obāsan, and wishes for help. Help is on the way, as Mario ties a bandana with a Peach emblem around his cap and prepares to head out. Obāsan gives him a lunchbox of his favorite food and Ojīsan gives him a gun, the latter saying it is a treasured family heirloom that should come in handy against Bowser. Mario thanks them and bids them farewell, cheerfully singing to himself as he walks through the countryside.
Soon into his journey, a starving Para-Beetle crashes into his head, too weak to fly properly. Mario shares his mushroom lunch with her, and she joins his cause as thanks. The two then come across a Boomerang Brother who has fallen on his back, and when Mario helps him up, he also joins them. Finally, a Spike who had heard about Mario's quest from Ojīsan runs up and asks to join them, as his homeland had been destroyed by Bowser, and he wants to help them defeat the tyrant. The three soon set sail on a rocket-powered airship, a peach emblazoned on its sail.
Meanwhile, Bowser revels over his glittering treasure, commenting that all he needs now is for Peach to marry him. However, when he goes down to ask her to answer his proposal once more, Roy alerts him that a suspicious ship is approaching. As soon as they land, the Koopalings attack, on Bowser's orders, soon joined by the king himself. While Mario's friends battle the Koopalings, he goes after their leader, nimbly dodging Bowser's spiked mace until finally defeating him with help from the Para-Beetle and Boomerang Bro and a well-aimed stomp to the face.
Now tied up, and with the Koopalings similarly subdued, Bowser begs Mario not to shoot him and eventually agrees to stop plundering the lands and allow Mario and his friends to return everything he stole. Peach thanks Mario for rescuing him, and they and Mario's three followers depart on the treasure-laden airship, eventually returning home to Ojīsan and Obāsan.
Gallery[edit]
Title card
The Koopalings kidnap Princess Peach
Mario and his companions
Characters[edit]
Cast[edit]
- Toru Furuya ― Mario
- Miyako Endō ― Princess Peach
- Naoki Tatsuta ― Ojīsan
- Masaharu Satō ― Bowser
- Toshiko Sawada ― Narration
Soundtrack[edit]
This episode includes a list of licensed music, which mainly differs from the other episodes:
| Title | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paths of Water | Yanni | Plays on the Amada Anime Series logo. |
| New Hampshire Hornpipe | Dave Grusin | Plays at the beginning and ending. |
| Train | Robert Fripp, Andy Summers | |
| Inner Secrets | Eddie Jobson | |
| Tribe | Robert Fripp, Andy Summers | |
| The Fox and the Lady | Cusco | |
| Snapshot | Art of Noise | |
| Reunion | Patrick O'Hearn | |
| Rockers | Jerry Goodman | Plays at the climax of the episode. |
| Street Level | Yanni | Plays in the previews, as a way to promote the rest of the episodes before the credits. |
| Homeward Bound | Patrick O'Hearn | Plays on the credits. |
Blurb[edit]
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
|
ファミコンマリオが⋯⋯ ももたろうになってだいかつやく！！ 桃から生まれたスーパーマリオはやさしいおじいさんとおばあさんに育てられました。 おじいさんとおばあさんには美しいピーチ姫という一人娘がおりましたが鬼のクッパ大王につれさられていました。 話を聞いたスーパーマリオはピーチ姫を助けるために仲間をひきつれクッパ大王のすむ鬼ヶ島へと向かいました―。 |
Famikon Mario-ga…… Momotarō-ni natte daikatsuyaku!! Momo kara umareta Sūpā Mario-wa yasashī Ojīsan to Obāsan-ni sodateraremashita. Ojīsan to Obāsan-niwa Utsukushī Pīchi-hime toiu hitori musume-ga orimashita-ga Oni no Kuppa-Daiō-ni tsuresarareteimashita. Hanashi-o kiita Sūpā Mario-wa Pīchi-o tasukeru tame-ni chūkan-o hikitsu Kuppa-Daiō no sumu Onigashima-eto mukaimashita… |
Famicom Mario does a great effort to be…… Momotarō!! The peach-born Super Mario was raised by the kind Ojīsan and Obāsan. Ojīsan and Obāsan's only daughter was Princess Peach, who was kidnapped by the Great Demon King Bowser. Hearing the news, Super Mario headed to Onigashima, where Bowser lived, to rescue Princess Peach, accompanied by his friends… |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スーパーマリオ ももたろう編[2] Sūpā Mario Momotarō Hen |
Super Mario: Momotarō | Written title |
| スーパーマリオのももたろう[2] Sūpā Mario no Momotarō |
Super Mario's Momotarō | Spoken title |
Notes[edit]
- This is one of only a few instances of Mario wielding a type of gun or any other weapon, although he is never actually shown using it, merely pointing it and later using it for intimidation.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Super Mario Bros. (Amada series). The Mushroom Kingdom.
- Super Mario Momotarō on YouTube.
