Future Boy Conan II? I Don't Think So...

Future Boy Conan II? I Don't Think So...

Getting to the bottom of this…

I am a very big fan of the original "Future Boy Conan" series from 1978 and I believe it is one of the best series I have ever seen.

I was quite surprised when I found that there was a sequel series made in 1999 called "Future Boy Conan II: River Adventure" or some sources state "Future Boy Conan II: Taiga Adventure". I knew it wasn't made by Miyazaki or Ghibli and I thought the ending of the first series was absolutely perfect, so I didn't think much of it.

However, I recently tried to find out more information on it, and the more I found, the more I was confused.

http://myanimelist.net/anime/2613/Mirai_Shounen_Conan_2:_Taiga_Daibouken

According to the website above, the plot follows the adventures of a young boy named 'Taiga' who travels to South America with his archeologist father, 'Dr. Daino'.

This description has nothing at all to do with the Future Boy Conan series, nor does it even mention the titular character.

From an initial scan of the promotional pictures as well as the untranslated videos on YouTube, 'Taiga', the main character, looks quite a bit like Conan, as does the female character to Lana (however she has blonde hair). There is even a scruffy sidekick that is not unlike Jimsy. Dr. Daino is somewhat like Captain Dyce in his mannerisms, but that is the only resemblance.

According to this website:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nippon_Animation

It states it is "a remake of Future Boy Conan directed by Hayao Miyazaki's former assistant, Keiji Hayakawa, but featuring a new cast of characters."

Personally, I don't see how it could be a remake due to it having nothing to do with a nuclear catastrophe or anything else regarding the original series.

However, I think I stumbled upon an answer for all of this:

http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php/taiga-adventure

This site states that “Taiga Adventure” was called “Future Boy Conan II” as a way to capitalize on the original 1978 series. “Taiga” has nothing to do with “Future Boy Conan,” the characters, the story, or even the setting. The producers wanted it to sell, so they tagged on the name to attract attention and sell it to a pre-existing fanbase.

I personally find this reason to be the most convincing. I have read about certain videogames or movies renamed to something else more popular in order to attract an established fanbase, even if the product has nothing at all to do with the franchise. (A humorous example is Sylvester Stallone’s first acting role in a softcore film called “The Party at Kitty and Stud’s” in 1970. After his success as Rocky ‘The Italian Stallion’ Balboa, the film was re-released in 1976 as “Italian Stallion”. It has nothing to do with the Rocky series.)

Sometimes a studio will put a new product in a franchise, just because it has the same vibe as the original (The first “Seiken Densetsu” or “Mana” series videogame was released in Japan on Game Boy as “Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden” in 1991. But in America it was just called “Final Fantasy Adventure”, making it seem like a Final Fantasy game instead. However, it is actually regarded as the first of the “Seiken Densetsu/Mana” series and not a true Final Fantasy game. In Europe it was simply called “Mystic Quest”, tying it to the SNES “Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest” game, further distancing it from the “Seiken Densetsu/Mana” series.).

And sometimes the product is actually a sequel, just set in a different location with different characters in a different time and made by different people (see the abysmal “Son of The Mask”, the 2005 sequel to 1994’s “The Mask”. Ben Stein’s character is the only connection, if you would like to call it that).

However,
I am still convinced that it was named "Future Boy Conan II" just to cash in on a pre-existing fanbase. Simple as that. It has nothing to do with the 1978 series.

That being said, the 'Taiga/River Adventure' series looks quite fun and I would love to see an English translation, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with the amazing "Future Boy Conan" (1978) series.

You can see the untranslated videos online or on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UB2l-ThAJQ&list=PLWsWKldnm0doNN8miK7X7cHXr5rQ8IDm_


If anyone has any more information on this series and the connection (or lack of) to "Future Boy Conan" (1978) please respond. The more information we have, the more we can figure out what is going on here.

SIDE NOTE:
There is another title named "Conan the Future Boy: The Big Giant Robot's Resurrection" made in 1984, but I have read that this is simply an edited version of the last few episodes of the 1978 series into a 49 min short movie.

Source:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462699/board/nest/32118547?ref_=tt_bd_1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077013/board/thread/32118790

Any more information on this would also be appreciated.