Muumin (1972)

No one has written a review for this? Fine, I’ll do it myself (keep in mind this is the longest one I’ve done)

After the failed attempt of the 1969 Moomin anime, they remade it about two years after it ended. The original was VERY different from the books and comics, being pretty violent, with characters shooting each other, getting drunk, and all that kinda stuff. At least that’s how the first 26 episodes were, as after that, they switched studios and it became more faithful. However, these episodes that Tove Jansson, the original author, approved of became lost media, with only a handful still remaining, ... but the first 26 episodes all survive. This version and the one I’m talking about were both part of the Calpis Comic theater anthology series, later being called world masterpiece theater. These two versions were some of their earliest ones and while I have yet to watch the surviving episodes of the 1969 anime, I did watch the 1972 version and as someone who read and loved the original comics, and the 1990 anime, I kinda like this one better than that adaptation, but for a very specific reason which I’ll get into later.

A little thing I would like to mention is that this should not be mixed up with the 1969 version, I know they released around the same time, were made by the same studio, and are both part of calpis comic theater, but they’re very different. This version is called Shin Moomin, which means New Moomin. And in case you’re curious, all episodes of this version survive as they were all released on vhs, which I happen to own a volume of. Now for the review. Marking it as spoilers as I do go into depth on some episodes, including some important to the story, if you can call it that.

This isn’t entirely faithful to the original comics. While they didn’t add violence and drinking, most of the stories are original, with very few actually being based off the comics and books. But thankfully, most of the stories are pretty fun to watch, with some good lessons thrown here and there. I will mention my absolute favorite episodes down the line that I think are genuinely fantastic. The characters can be brats here, ESPECIALLY Moomin, and little my seems to be a kid in this version rather than a small 18 year old, but it’s not to the point you’ll outright hate them. Also, snork wears a wig in this version and Floren/Snorkmaiden is called Nonnon here. But while talking about characters, I gotta talk about Snufkin in this version, as he’s genuinely awesome here. He’s more of that of a samurai or cowboy in this version just based on vibes alone, and while he keeps to himself a lot more in this version than the 1990 one, where he was still introverted but also didn’t mind playing games with Moomin and friends, he still gets into some adventures here when he’s not playing his guitar. Thats another change, he plays the guitar instead of the harmonica, and only plays one song throughout. Hes legitimately a great character in this adaptation, and this series also has some of the best portrayals of snufkin and moomins friendship in any Moomin media.

The animation in this version is also suprisingly good! The 1990 anime had some great animation, and while it isn’t as great here, it’s still surprisingly well done and fluid for the early 70s. There are some episodes where you can tell they didn’t really have as big as a budget, but that’s really for the episodes that are outright bad, which are more common in the middle of the show. I also love the designs in this show, especially Moomin and Snufkins. But there’s not a whole lot to say about animation other than it’s pretty good, so why not mention the best episodes of the series?

Episode 6, “The star child that came down”, while being an original story, genuinely feels like a part of the Moomin franchise, even if the story was just in this version. The title kinda says what happens, Moomin finds a star child that came down, and learns that their tears create gems, so he and his friends become greedy and take as much as they can. It’s not until he has a dream (which is legitimately well animated) after Snufkin tells him what they’re doing is wrong he decides he must return the star child, and there’s a sweet scene at the end where Snufkin plays his guitar for Moomin and it’s just sweet. It’s one of the most Moomin episodes of the show, and I think that’s why I like it so much.

While I don’t think this one is one of the best episodes, I would like to mention episode 14, “Sorry-oos new home” as this and another episode I’ll get to soon has what I love about this version so much, it’s DRAMATIC. Seriously it genuinely feels like a soap opera just for how over the top it gets. A scene near the end perfectly demonstrates it. Because Sorry oo doesn’t like his new home, he runs away and Moomin can’t find him. He finds Snufkin, who tells him that he wants to be with someone, and that the home they built for him feels like a prison, so that’s why he ran away. So Moomin grabs a huge rock and destroys his house while screaming and immediately starts crying on the ground and yeah it’s a little dramatic. This is why I love 70s anime, you get stuff like this. The episode also has a really good moral to it that’s still relevant today, being people aren’t going to live up to your expectations and that’s something you have to accept. Ok, three more episodes and then I’ll wrap up the review.

Episode 38, “Curse of the red moon” is probably the most famous one I’m mentioning because of a dramatic but hilarious scene near the end. Basically, Snufkin finds an injured bat and decides to take it in. However, Moominvalley believes all bats are vampires and must get rid of them. After they find out he’s taking care of one, they say if he doesn’t get rid of it, he’ll be kicked out of Moominvalley, which upsets Moomin. The best day, as Snufkin is preparing to leave, Moomin finds him, and falls off a cliff hitting basically every rock, while Snufkin just makes a surprised pikachu face instead of helping him. I find this scene hilarious, also because it goes on for like 10 seconds. But wait, it gets better! Moomin begs for him not to leave and realizes the bat is not a vampire, so he puts his finger up to it, and the bat bites Moomin as more dramatic music plays. It has a sweet ending where Snufkin stays and they’re all happy, as he sheds tears because of how much Moomin was willing to do to let him stay. I love everything about this episode, the animation is good, and the story is really captivating and it’s told really well. It does such a good job showing Moomin and Snufkins friendship (I don’t ship them, ESPECIALLY not in this version, as Moomin is a kid and Snufkin is an adult). Still, how anyone watched the Moomin falling off a cliff scene with a straight face when it first aired is beyond me.

Episode 51, “I hate you, Snufkin!”, already sounds like it’s going to be a good one. Moomin plays a game with some friends and eventually goes to visit Snufkin as a surprise, even though he wants to be alone. He asks Snufkin why he likes his guitar so much, to which he doesn’t respond or look at him, but instead takes it away. So Moomin screams “I hate you!” While destroying his guitar before running off. Snufkin takes this suprisingly well, as he doesn’t get mad or sad, just instead silently tries to make a new one. I would also like to mention one scene that cracks me up. In a flashback scene, it cuts to an image of Snufkin as he becomes a white sillouette on a black background, and it’s hard to take seriously when it looks like he turned into bad apple. Moomin later on finds a secret hiding spot and when Nonnon, My, and sniff find out about it, they basically storm it giving ideas on what to add so they can make it they’re home, to which Moomin yells at them for intruding and finally realizes how Snufkin feels. He immediately tries to find him and notices his guitar has been repaired. They make up, and it starts snowing. Winter has come, which means it’s time for him to go on his journey while Moomin and his family hibernates. It’s a good episode, while Moomin is a brat, it has a good moral and a bunch of sweet moments. Plus, it shows how Moomin isn’t a perfect character, he’s a kid that has flaws and a lot to learn, and while you could say that about some of the other episodes, I think it’s noteworthy here. Now for the final episode!

Episode 52, “goodbye Moominvalley” is the final episode of the series. It wouldn’t be another 18 years until Moomin got another anime. The plot is simple, Snufkin leaves for Moominvalley, while Moomin tries to find him to say goodbye and give him a present, with it ending with him leaving, promising to return again in spring, as Moomin says goodbye to him, as a part of the opening plays, and the episode ends. It’s a REALLY heartwarming episode, and I liked to imagine the 1990 version is what happened when he returned in spring. It did choke me up when I first watched it. It’s a really well done and put together ending to such an enjoyable show.

Now, this version obviously isn’t perfect. Some episodes suck, and they kinda spam the same sound effects everytime a character runs which gets annoying fast, but it’s a show with a bunch of love and heart put into it. There were several other episodes I could’ve mentioned that were great or bad but we’d be here all day. Now, if you wanna know where to watch it, all 52 episodes are on YouTube, but note only 34 have been subtitled. But, I’d still recommend this if you like Moomin and want a different take on it that gets unintentionally hilarious at times. It’s a good show even half a century later.