King Arthur (TV series)

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (円卓の騎士物語 燃えろアーサー, Entaku no Kishi Monogatari Moero Āsā, lit. Story of the Knights of the Round Table: Blazing Arthur) is a Japanese anime series based on Arthurian legend. Produced by Toei Animation, the series consists of 30 half-hour episodes released between 9 September 1979 and 3 March 1980. The series achieved great popularity in its non-English translations.

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Cover art of the 2004 limited edition soundtrack
円卓の騎士物語 燃えろアーサー
(Entaku no Kishi Monogatari Moero Āsā)
Anime television series
Directed byMasayuki Akehi
Tomoharu Katsumata
Written byKensyo Nakano
Mitsuru Majima
Sukehiro Tomita
Tsunehisa Ito
StudioToei Animation
Original networkFuji TV
Original run 9 September 1979 (1979-09-09) – 3 March 1980 (1980-03-03)
Episodes30

The series tells the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, featuring 'Arthurian' characters such as Lancelot, Guinevere, Tristan, Percival, Merlin, Uther Pendragon, and Igraine and other familiar elements of Arthurian lore, including the castle Camelot and Arthurian relics such as Excalibur. The series is not entirely faithful to the original legends since it adds new characters and stories which make the plot less brutal.[1][2]

Plot

When Prince Arthur is a baby, his father, King Uther Pendragon, rules Camelot. Lavik, another king who wishes to conquer Camelot, attacks the castle. Arthur is saved by Merlin who sends him to a knight for safekeeping. For many years, this knight raises Arthur as his own son.

At the age of 15, Arthur attends a tournament with his foster father. At the tournament, he finds that he is able to pull the sword Excalibur from a stone. This action proves Arthur is the legitimate king of England. As a result, Arthur's foster father reveals the truth of his royal lineage. King Arthur and his subjects decide to fight against the evil King Lavik, who is aided by the witch Medessa.

Characters

Production and release
Title card for 1981 English dub version

Isao Sasaki and Koorogi '73 sang the opening theme "Kibou yo sore wa" and "Ou no Naka no Ou." The ending theme is performed by Mitsuko Horie and Koorogi '73.

In the early 1980s, a French-dubbed version, titled Le Roi Arthur, was released through Jacques Censtrier Productions. The first four episodes were released on VHS. In this version, all of the characters' names and the opening and closing theme songs were kept the same. An English dubbed version called King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table was produced and distributed by ZIV International, Inc. in 1981.[3]

Manga adaptation

The series was adapted into several comics published in Telebi Magazine (テレビマガジン), Terebi Land (テレビランド) and Bōken-Ō (冒険王). The Bōken-Ō adaptation was created by Satomi Mikuriya (御厨さと美) and "Mic Mac Production."[4] The series was followed by King Arthur: Prince on White Horse in 1980.

List of episodes
List of Episodes of King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table
Episode Airdate Title Screenplay by Producer Director Art
1 9 September 1979 風雲児アーサー / "Arthur as a Child" Mitsuru Mashima Akira Makoto Takao Noda Tadashi Tsuji
2 16 September 1979 輝けキャメロットの星 / "Camelot the Star" Katsuji Kachimada Yasuhiko Suzuki Ito Ikko Ito
3 23 September 1979 湖の騎士・ランスロット / "Lancelot the Lake Knight" Ochiai Masamune Kikuchi Shironi Toshikazu Yamaguchi
4 30 September 1979 竪琴の騎士・トリスタン / "Tristan the Wolfe Knight" Kazumi Fukushima
5 7 October 1979 勇気ある少年ガラハッド / "Galahad the Courageous Boy" Akira Makoto Ito Ikko Ito
6 14 October 1979 神剣エクスカリバー / "Excalibur" Takeki Kamiki Toshikazu Yamaguchi
7 21 October 1979 槍の名人パーシバル / "Master Percyval of the Rose" Matsuura Keppairiru Tadashi Tsuji
8 28 October 1979 5人の若き騎士たち Omachi Shigeru Shinoda Ayama Ito Ikko Ito
9 4 November 1979 黒い狐・ペリノア Kazumi Fukushima Kikuchi Shironi
10 11 November 1979 炎の中の王子 Akira Nakano Ochiai Masamune Tadashi Tsuji
11 18 November 1979 花咲ける騎士道の丘 Mitsuru Mashima Matsuura Keppairiru
12 25 November 1979 金髪の戦士・フィーネ Akira Nakano Kazumi Fukushima Takao Noda Kenichi Harada
13 2 December 1979 暗黒魔女との闘い Mitsuru Mashima Akira Makoto Kikuchi Shironi Ito Ikko Ito
14 9 December 1979 怒りの故里 前編 Matsuura Keppairiru Tadashi Tsuji
15 16 December 1979 怒りの故里 後編 Kazumi Fukushima
16 23 December 1979 恐怖の槍試合 Omachi Shigeru Kenichi Harada
17 30 December 1979 地獄から来た呪いの剣士 Akira Saori Shinoda Ayama Ito Ikko Ito
18 6 January 1980 激戦！この砦を守れ Kozo Morishita Kikuchi Shironi Kenichi Harada
19 13 January 1980 荒野に咲く花 Matsuura Keppairiru Ito Ikko Ito
20 20 January 1980 響け！父の足音 Kazumi Fukushima Kenichi Harada
21 27 January 1980 赤い夕陽の五人 Akira Saori Takao Noda Ito Ikko Ito
22 3 February 1980 魔女の城の謎 Omachi Shigeru Kikuchi Shironi Kenichi Harada
23 10 February 1980 アドラス山の怪獣 Matsuura Keppairiru Noazuma Numajiri Ito Ikko Ito
24 17 February 1980 聖なる楯はここに！ Kozo Morishita Kikuchi Shironi
25 24 February 1980 魔女メデッサを倒せ！ Kazumi Fukushima Kenichi Harada
26 2 March 1980 悪王ラヴィックの最期？ Takeshi Kamiki Shinoda Ayama
27 9 March 1980 地獄からの使者 Ito Tsunhisa Akira Saori Takao Noda Bunmei Uchikawa
28 16 March 1980 ドクロ騎士の正体 Kazumi Fukushima Kikuchi Shironi Kenichi Harada
29 23 March 1980 呪いの赤い雪 Matsuura Keppairiru Noazuma Numajiri Hata Shun Qin
30 30 March 1980 激闘！最後のたたかい Mitsuru Mashima Kozo Morishita Kikuchi Shironi Kenichi Harada

References
  1. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (TV Series) (1979), retrieved 9 March 2019
  2. "Entaku no Kishi Monogatari: Moero Arthur (TV) - Anime News Network". www.animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  3. King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table. 1981. OCLC 15294784.
  4. A page from the Bouken-Oh comicization (Japanese).
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