ARABIC VERSIONS OF MANGA SHOWS THAT ENTERTAINED A GENERATION
▶ Japanese anime favourites from the 1980s such as ‘Captain Majed’ and ‘Adnan wa Lina’ are now available to view on YouTube. Saeed Saeed lists 12 of the best
Before Instagram and Snapchat became the norm, a generation of children in the region spent their after-school hours in the 1980s binge-watching dubbed versions of animated Japanese Manga series.
Binge at the time meant having our eyes glued to the screen from 4pm to 6pm. Parents were also hassled to visit the Abu Dhabi Co-operative, where they shelled out Dh30 for video cassettes of shows missed from previous years.
Now seems like a good time to revisit those simple pleasures. From the intergalactic battles of Grendizer and Jongar to the sporting triumphs of Captain Majed, here are 12 shows (with their Arabic titles) now available for our viewing pleasure on YouTube.
Rajul Al Hadidi
This was mandatory after-school viewing throughout the 1980s. The futuristic series is set in 1986, when thoughtto-be extinct dinosaurs return to exact vengeance on humankind. The only thing stopping them is the D-Force, led by sibling humanoids Kamal and Lamees.
Adnan wa Lina
While this was a female favourite in schools, Adnan Wa Lina also had its fair share of male fans. In addition to being set in a post-apocalyptic world in 2008 (something that we fellas digged), the plot revolved around the deep friendship between the titular characters (who the girls liked) and their daily adventures – which we all loved.
Sanshiro
Broadcast in the region from 1983, Sanshiro has as much intrigue as any drama series. The title character is a young lad who wants to appear in a robot competition using his late father’s creation, Gomaru – but hot on his trail is a secret syndicate of baddies. After killing his father and planning to use his robot technology to rule the world, these sinister types are now after Sanshiro and plan on destroying him and Gomaru.
Hekayat Alamiya
This is edutainment at its finest. The anthology series is comprised of fun and informative recreations of international folk tales, from Ghana to the former Yugoslavia. And the song in the ending credit is so plaintive that it could make a sensitive 9-year-old teary (yeah, that was me) without really knowing why.
Taw Taw
The show that turned a generation of Arabs into panda fans. This series follows baby panda Taw Taw as he rummages through the lush Japanese forest for food and adventure. It also has one of the saddest theme songs ever.
Captain Majed
The show responsible for a generation’s love of football. The epic series follows the gifted football player Majed in his journey from school hero to the world stage.
Al Hadaf
If Captain Majed made us dream of becoming football stars, Al Hadaf gave us the warm feeling of what it means to be in a team. The show makes for heartfelt viewing as it traces the highs and lows of the Al Kamal football team.
Grendizer
Another seminal series that was a firm favourite in the region. On the surface, the plot resembles a standard intergalactic good-versus-evil saga, but dig deeper, and themes of environmental sustainability and tolerance emerge. The unconventional hero Daisuke worries about keeping his alien background a secret from humans, and deals with the sadness of being an orphan.
Jongar
Schoolyards were split between fans of Grendizer and
Jongar. Where the former’s plot was more brainy (for 7-year-olds, anyway) Jongar appealed to our emotions with its tale of humanoid Kantaro who, with the help of his giant robot Jongar, must fight alien invaders from pillaging the Earth’s natural resources.
Mughamarat Sinbad
Also known as The Adventures
of Sinbad, this series found great success when its dubbed version arrived in the Arab world. Washed ashore on a deserted land, Sinbad begins his many journeys across strange lands, where he encounters exotic animals, spooky musicians and his homies Ali Baba and Aladdin.
Mughamarat Sasuke
A hit in the US (under the name Ninja, The Wonder Boy) the Arabic version had us following the escapades of the speedy and, in hindsight, rather intense ninja. But our hero has every right to be pensive, as he is trying to stop forces of evil from instigating a civil war.
Ahlam Dahabiya
Before the Discovery Channel, we had Ahlam Dahabiya. The series follows 16th-century explorers who set sail from Europe to the “new world” of the Americas in search of treasure. Each episode ended with an epilogue by a wise-sounding narrator on the cultures and customs detailed in that particular story.
Children spent their after-school hours in the 1980s binge-watching dubbed versions of animated Manga series