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) 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.

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. The second season had an even lighter tone.

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

 * Akira Kamiya as King Arthur
 * Keiko Han as Guinevere
 * Hideyuki Tanaka as Sir Kay
 * Makio Inoue as Tristan
 * Satomi Majima as Phine
 * Michie Kita as Galahad
 * Tesshō Genda as Lancelot
 * Banjō Ginga as Rubik/Lavik
 * Daisuke Gōri as Percival
 * Kenji Utsumi as Gastar
 * Ichirō Nagai as Sir Ector and Longinus
 * Hidekatsu Shibata as Yuuzel
 * Yasuo Hisamatsu as Merlin
 * Akiko Tsuboi as Igraine
 * Kohei Miyauchi as Archbishop
 * Masato Ibu as Leodegrance
 * Toshio Furukawa as Pellinore
 * Hidekatsu Shibata as Uther

Production and release


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.

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. The Bōken Ō adaptation was created by Satomi Mikuriya (御厨さと美) and "Mic Mac Production." The series was followed by King Arthur: Prince on White Horse in 1980.