Atlantis, a mad scientist and an ancient emperor: these are the ingredients of the anime of the 80s that we will talk about in this new appointment of our column. Hero of the story is Fantaman, an ancient emperor who is awakened from his sarcophagus to help those who will be the protagonists of this adventure. We are in 1981 when this 52-episode anime arrives in Italy but, as can be seen from the drawings and the type of animation, it is a much older product. It was in fact made in Japan between 1964 and 1965, inspired by a novel of many years earlier.
But what is the story of Fantaman?
Fantaman: the plot
The research of Doctor Corallo
The first episode of the anime brings us to know the protagonists of this adventure. We are in Antardide, aboard a ship, and we meet Dr. Corallo, a scientist who is as brilliant as he is distracted. The man has long been sailing to the search for Atlantis, convinced by his recent studies that it emerged from the sea. In reality it is so but he does not have time to see it with his own eyes because a terrible machine emerges from the sea, attacking the ship and sinking it. To judge it is the Doctor Zero, a mad and evil scientist (whose iconic phrase “The world is mine!” is impossible to forget), who aspires to conquer the world. The only survivor of this attack is Maria, the daughter of Doctor Corallo, remained in the middle of the sea but saved by Dr. Steele, another scientist who happens to be there to test his latest invention: the hyperdisk.
Atlantis and the discovery of Fantaman
Together with Dr. Steele, aboard the hyperdisk, we find the teenage son Terry and a funny and scary helper, Gaby. They will be the ones to save Mary and to find Atlantis shortly afterwards and by chance. In fact, to continue on their journey they need water to feed the hyperdisk. They then run into Atlantis but are again joined by the terrible robot led by Doctor Zero, who attacks them. In the escape they make a discovery: a sarcophagus whose writing indicates to open in case of serious danger. Said and done: the group awakens an ancient emperor of incredible strength with a bucket of water, Fantaman.
The war on Doctor Zero and the awakening of Doctor Death
This fearsome skull-faced hero leaves his sarcophagus and immediately steps in to help the group that awakened him. Fantaman's strength is unmatched and with a few moves he destroys Doctor Zero's robot. However, this is only the beginning of a real war. Back at the base, a council with exponents from all over the world instructs the Dr. Steele to destroy Zero, which threatens the Earth. The improbable group of kids, a funny and distracted man headed by the doctor, throws himself into an adventure, thanks to their new ally: Fantaman. Thus begins a long series of adventures told in 52 episodes during which the intervention of the Golden Skull will always be providential. However, there is one being who can actually fight Fantaman on equal terms: the elusive Doctor Death. It is a being perfectly equal to our hero if not for the color: Fantaman is gold, the other silver. Knowing this, Zero decides to awaken him and hurl him against the hero.
The end
The long search for the base of Zero, carried out over the course of the various episodes by our group of heroes, ends in the 52nd episode. Unfortunately, Dr. Steele's plan to blow up the base and force Zero to surrender does not go through; so he, along with his son, are captured and imprisoned. To free them will obviously be Fantaman, then attacked by Zero and his henchman Gorgo. The hero will manage to defeat both of them but, in the end, he will have to fight a last and difficult duel against Doctor Death. The outcome is quite obvious: Fantaman vince even against him, despite having his own powers. And in fact, before dying, Doctor Death asks "What is it that makes you so invincible?", Fantaman's answer is "Justice".
Fantaman: curiosity
The first impression is not what matters
Fearsome skull face, long black cloak, glassy, expressionless gaze (not to mention his creepy laugh!): Fantaman is a far cry from the classic hero you'd expect to find in a cartoon. His appearance, indeed, would be perfectly suited to that of a villain. Yet, never as in this case the appearance can be deceiving. The appearance, deliberately scary, arises from the desire to give the hero an appearance so threatening but unique in its kind, to make it a 'different hero'. Proof of this is the fact that he acts in a totally disinterested way, without personal purposes. It should be noted that Fantaman only appears on stage in case of need, almost always summoned by Maria Corallo when an attack is underway or there is imminent danger. So, although the protagonist of the anime, it is actually among the characters that we see less.
A story that comes from ancient times
Fantaman's character has a long history. The TV series is a TCJ (Telecartoons Japan) production consisting of 52 episodes divided into two seasons of 26. In Italy it arrives in the early 80s but in Japan it makes its debut between 1964 and 1965 in the wake of the novel's success by Takeo Nagamatsu, entitled Bat tail, however, which dates back to 1930. The 'Golden Bat', meaning of the novel's title, is in fact the one that appears on the scene every time Fantaman is about to make his appearance.
The uniqueness of the story but, above all, of the protagonist made it a unique product at home, which in some way also recalled the samurai tradition. Fantaman, on the other hand, is equipped with a powerful magic staff that could almost resemble a katana.
A product for children? Not really…
When he thought of drawing an anime TV series from the 30s novel, he imagined destined for an audience of children. This solitary eror, ready to fight out of pure altruism and with honorable ideals, would have been the perfect example for the little ones. Too bad that, first Nobuhide Morikawa, then the Daichi Doga, have instead totally turned things upside down. The first, who was entrusted with the task of transforming the novel into anime, decided to give it a touch of horror, and so did the production house, changing the settings. Thus was born a Fantaman full of fighting at the edge of the splatter, where deaths are not taboo. In short, not really a product for children ...
The abbreviation
The Italian acronym takes the title of Fantaman and is sung by the Superobots (Douglas Meakin on vocals and Roberta Petteruti for backing vocals). For the occasion they used the pseudonym of Superband.
The characters
Fantaman - Protagonist of the story. A superhero with a skeleton face, heralded by a golden bat and endowed with superhuman strength and a staff capable of unleashing terrible calamities. He is awakened from a sarcophagus.
Doctor Corallo - Scientist in search of Atlantis and father of Mary. He will die in the first episode.
Maria Corallo - Daughter of Doctor Coral, she is the only one who can call Fantaman back.
Doctor Steele - Scientist who will fight evil together with Maria and other helpers.
Terry Steele - son of Dr. Steele and at his side in the battle against evil.
Gaby - Doctor Steele's assistant, fearful and awkward.
Doctor Zero - Main enemy of our protagonists. A mad scientist who aims to conquer the world by using scary machines.
Gorgo - Zero's right arm.
Black Ghost / Doctor Death - Fantaman's ancient rival, the only one who has a hope of defeating him.
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You want to relive the adventures of others 80s anime? From the vicissitudes of Maya to become an actress, we then took a dip in the baptisms of Kyashan. We met Ranma 1 / 2 among the Cursed Springs, and we stumbled upon the dreams of Red-haired Anna. We went to a dystopian future with Conan and we are passionate about the sporting challenges of Holly and Benji, Lotti e Mila and Shiro. But also a lot, more!
Tagsanime fantaman whip tail Fantaman, beyond appearances
