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Mysterious Cities Of Gold - Complete Series [DVD]
 
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Mysterious Cities Of Gold - Complete Series [DVD]

DVD ~ Tomoko Ai
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
RRP: £54.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Mysterious Cities Of Gold - Complete Series [DVD] + Dungeons & Dragons - The Complete Animated Series [DVD] + Dogtanian - The Complete First Series [DVD]
Total RRP: £114.97
Price For All Three: £54.44

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Product details

  • Actors: Tomoko Ai, Sachiko Saitô, Tesshô Genda, Rokurô Naya, Mahito Tsujimura
  • Directors: Kenichi Maruyama;Edouard David;Kenichi Murakami;Bernard Deyriès
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 6
  • Classification: PG
  • Studio: Fabulous Films Ltd.
  • DVD Release Date: 23 Jun 2008
  • Run Time: 1120 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00149XOW2
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 15,640 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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

DVD Description

In the year 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban joins a party of Spaniards in their search for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father. He is joined on his quest by Zia, an Incan girl, and Tao, the last descendant of the sunken empire of Mu ("Hiva" in the English dub). The series is a mix of ancient South American history, archaeology, and science fiction. Esteban, Zia, and Tao encounter the Mayans, Inca, and Olmecs during their journey. The characters discover many lost technological wonders of the Mu Empire, including a solar powered ship (the Solaris) and The Golden Condor, a huge solar-powered would-be ornithopter (mechanical bird), capable of traveling considerable distances under the sun's power alone. They are constantly pursued by antagonists Gomez and Gaspard, who are also in search of the Cities of Gold. It is the 16th century. From all over Europe great ships sale west to conquer the New World, the Americas. These men eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventures in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries. To find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to Eldorado, and the Mysterious Cities Of Gold.

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
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 (19)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I thought this would never happen, 21 May 2008
By Star_Sea "Xing" (Salisbury, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
"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.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars Are Not Enough , 10 May 2008
By Andrew Kerr (Scotland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
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 orphan called Esteban (dubbed a child of the sun) who joins a voyage with Mendoza (a navigator) to search for his father and the cities of gold. They join with two other children along the way called Zia and Tao.

The box set has been beautiful created and comprises of all thirty nine episodes over six disks as well as a collectors booklet that details every episode and character, six exclusive postcards, a double sided poster and another booklet with the historical facts behind the series. As well as a whole host of special features including deleted scenes, production documentary, karaoke theme tune sing along, and original storyboards. The Mysterious Cities Of Gold was based on historical facts, and each episode would finish with a brief but educational documentary. The transfer in terms of picture and sound quality is excellent and all episodes have been fully restored.

If you've been unlucky in life and have never seen the cartoon before words cannot really describe how fantastic it is. Cites of Gold was and remains to this day a unequaled masterpiece of entertainment that has really stood the test of time, and still shines. Everything about it is perfectly done and there is absolutely nothing I can fault about Cites of Gold. The soundtrack is amazing and the brilliant opening credits are exactly as I remember them. I instantly 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 really are brilliant. This is a fantastic boxed set worth every single penny.

There's no need to say anymore. I highly recommend it, above all else from the eighties. This really is a must buy for any collection, first time watcher or long time fan you won't be disappointed.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best Cartoon Series you're ever likely to watch, 22 May 2008
By Mr. J. L. Fish (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good buy
This box is a nice buy. It consists of 6 dvd's which are folded into a cardboard foldable section. The amount of extras that are with it are rather funny. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Van De Velde

5.0 out of 5 stars A God Among Cartoons
There are no words strong enough for how much I used to long for this to come out on video, and then DVD. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. C. McMartin

4.0 out of 5 stars Goodbye - Till next time
The Mysterious Cities of Gold - a delightful Japanese/French co-production, is an epic anime series, obviously aimed at the younger viewer, but intelligent enough for us grown-up... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cartimand

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Collection Ever
The DVD box came sealed and in a good pack condition. The delivery was whithin the specified time. Box came with all the extras stated.
Good to do business with this seller.
Published 8 months ago by L. J. Antas Videira

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for all ages!!
Such a blast from the past...I'm so glad they finally decided to realise 'The Mysterious Cities of Gold' as a beautifully made box set. Read more
Published 12 months ago by emmaraine1

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming, beautiful series
The Mysterious Cities of Gold is one of those cartoons that for some reason I never really got into as a child, probably because it came to the BBC at a time when I was growing... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. Mischief

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply the best animation series of all time
When I was 8 or 9 I first started keeping a diary. One of my entries was 'Today I watched The Mysterious Cities of Gold' I have never forgotten the show, and remembered the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. Kennedy

5.0 out of 5 stars A blast from the past
The dialogue isn't amazing, though the majority of the voices aren't too annoying. One annoyance is the number of times you can count Zia shouting "Esteban! Read more
Published 13 months ago by David G. Paul

5.0 out of 5 stars "Children of the sun...." (now all sing along!)
This was essential viewing as a child of the 80s. Think it was shown on a Friday afternoon. Straight from school to sit and watch this. Read more
Published 18 months ago by UK reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Cities of Gold
This series comes from the 80's and has a mix of information and entertainment a bit like He-Man and She-Ra. Read more
Published 18 months ago by M. G. Hatfield

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