It took some time to locate the original series on IMDb. I watched few episodes recently in Hindi and wanted to get the whole series but did not know what was the original version. Then I searched with director's name viz Fumio Karakoa and found this and verified with run time. I loved the series in school days around year 1995 when it was showed dubbed in Hindi on Doordarshan at morning hours on every Sunday. With "Sindbad the Sailor" this was a favorite watch on Sunday mornings. I have read the text by Rudyard Kipling as well but I really enjoyed this version more. With the opening sound track "Jungle Jungle baat chali hai pata chala hai, chaddi pahan ke phool khila hai" written by Gulzar this show has been one of the most popular among kids. With advent of Cartoon Network we have got access to other popular cartoon series in India but for me this series holds a special place.
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griz1-199-49149329 October 2011If you've like the Disney adaptations of Rudyard Kiplings works but wish they had delved deeper, this series is for you. It takes it to the next level, opening up a depth in the various characters that makes one wonder why this series in English has remained so rare and hard to find. Young Mowgli, adopted by the wolves and never knowing anything of himself save as a wolf, learns to live according to the Laws of the Jungle; struggling with the fact that he is also "a hateful human". A fact apparently backed up in the few humans he encounters. Yet are all humans mean and hateful? Mowgli is a human with a human heart that the animals often don't understand and he lives in peace with the Jungle according to its laws. He finds that his lack of claws and fangs and speed is more than made up for by his inventiveness and ingenuity as he rises to become one of the Jungle's greatest hunters and champions.
A wonderful tale of self-discovery, community, honour, duty, coming of age, and coming to terms with the darker sides of the Human Condition. A warning to parents of younger children: the show depicts fluffy animals being taken down in hunts, main characters getting hurt, and even the death of a beloved main character. But it is skillfully done. The intent is to gently teach young minds and not to shock or sensationalize/desensitize. While it does come out of a different time and culture that is very patriarchal and the series is most definitely "shonen" it is wonderful to see a female wolf as one of the pack's most promising hunters and a female wolf leading one of the packs encountered. I heartily recommend to both the young and the young-at-heart. -
Dawalk-122 August 2009I never forgot about this version of The Jungle Book. I remember first seeing this at some point, when I was between being a toddler and a preteen. Looking and thinking back on/to this, I was wondering if this is another example of anime judging from the animation style and I'm right that it is. Didn't know what this drawing style was called at the time when I was little/younger and since it is anime, this is the first (if not only one among others) anime that I ever saw and to which I was exposed. The first VHS tape from the series "Mowgli Comes To The Jungle" is haplessly the only one out of it that I own. But I rented and seen some of the other episodes (I don't think I remember ever seeing the whole series). It's somewhat hard to believe that in less than 2 months, it will be 20 years since this show premiered. It would be great if copies of a DVD set were released right now to commemorate its 20th anniversary. I don't even know for sure if it's even aired on American t.v. at all, and if it has, then I missed it and it must be such a rare anime. It's more worthy of taking some airtime/space than some, certain stuff that's on now.
I can't say for sure which version of Mr. Kipling's story I like more, since I'm partial to both this and Disney's, but I'd agree that it is the far more superior of the two. Because this one delves even deeper into the world of the hero Mowgli and the animals. For those who haven't seen it, I'll give one explanation of what the message of this is: A lesson on how people and animals have to learn how to coexist on the same planet harmoniously. Anyone who's ever heard of (if not read) the author's original tale knows the basics of how Mowgli is taken into the home of a pack of wolves and getting adopted after becoming an orphan, and is also looked after by a kindly black panther named Bagheera. Mowgli grows into his preteens and has adjusted to the wild lifestyle, but then he eventually has to leave for the "man village" and join his own kind. I like how most of the animals treat him well as they try their best to avoid Shere Khan from getting his claws into him, on the way to keeping him safe and in one peace.
I won't give away anymore of the story, particularly this take, especially since it's been so long since I've seen it and most of the episodes I've seen I don't remember quite as well as the first (probably because I used to watch that one a lot, so that's the only, really familiar one to me). In fact, I saw "Mowgli Comes To The Jungle" for the very first time in over a decade last night/early morning on Veoh, but when I watch the other episodes on there, I'll get reacquainted with them. This is one version and anime that's not to be missed. Highly recommendable because of the story lines, which is perhaps mainly for those. It's really captivating, which is why I say that's what makes it such a great take. -
janepercival117 June 2005i love the jungle book my first experience was when i was four watching Disney's movie. i always wanted to be Mowgli. my love for the movie made me stumble upon this anime i was looking around a video store and i found this version made by Nippon animation the tape only included episodes one and two. but i instantly fell in love with the version. and collected all the videos available unfortunately the first ten episodes were only available. but being such a big fan i wondered through TV channels on sky looking for the show after a couple of years i found the show on a Chanel named Chanel east i videoed the episodes i needed but then the Chanel stopped showing them and i have never seen the whole series. after the red dogs episode. but for anyone who loves jungle book or anime this is great. i personally love it more than the Disney version. to witch the show is very different. if you find any videos buy them. overall excellent viewing David Percival aged 19 from the UK.
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Lonewlf2 July 2006This show first came into my life in 1990 here in Canada... yea, about 16 years ago. But as the years went by I never forgot it completely, however it's a hard-to-finder. I've got 12 of the video tapes in no particular order but I'd like to have all 52 episodes. About in the era of a decade ago... 1995-ish I discovered the next best thing which became a favorite, The Animals Of Farthing Wood, I'm probably not the only one who followed this trend if you found both shows you'd see the same eye-catching criteria between them. They had both aired before school, early in the morning so it made for a never-miss-an-episode system because there was nothing else you could be doing at that time of day and not be home for it. it worked perfectly. Anyway, I ramble a bit but if anybody finds a source to purchase The Jungle Book series in it's entirety, post something up here.
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anaswakhani3 June 2012Words fail to describe what this series meant to me but I must tell you that nothing defines my childhood more than this series.
From what I have heard from the other reviewers on this site and elsewhere, in most of the countries the series was shown in the early hours of the day, which worked to its advantage and most of us saw it before heading off to our schools. I remember how I myself used to get up early in the morning with my younger sisters just to watch this live on television and, during each episode, we always used to be at the edge of our seats hoping that Mowgli would triumph and would fear that no one would get killed.
I remember how terrible I felt when Alexander, Mowgli's adopted wolf father, died very early in the series. It was even worse when Akela died towards the very end.
But believe me when I say this - if you like Jungle Book but have not seen this series you really do not know what you are missing! This is the ultimate Jungle Book animation series and stays true to Kipling's books. I would even go as far as to rate it a hundred times better than the version Disney tried to push at us! Sadly, this series has never gained fame the way it deserves, largely owing to licensing problems, and since it has never been properly shown in the US. But this series and its songs (in English, Hindi, Japanese and other languages) are the stuff of legends in India and in many countries across the world.
I am really disappointed that there was no sequel to the series and I am bewildered that it is not shown on television anymore, especially when it is so much better than anything else running on the channels these days. I really think it is a great disservice to the young children all over the world that this series is not being shown to them! Everything about this series (the story, the songs, the scenery) were of top quality and I would recommend this to everyone as a must watch! -
RoamingTigress25 November 2011When I was in grade three, this series was a staple of my childhood. Each day it was on, I would wake up early to watch it. Even if we had the VCR set to record it, there was nothing like seeing it live.
While Disney's adaptation was delightful to me, I too preferred this version over this. Not only was it more faithful to the original novel, I liked seeing a more in depth look to Mowgli's relationship with his wolf family. By far, my favourite character was Shere Khan. Mowgli had other enemies, including a man who had kidnapped him for a circus and enormous packs of dholes and rogue wolves, but none drew me in as much as the infamous tiger. My young Canadian self was sad to see him go.
The animation was beautifully done, particularly the lush landscapes. The character designs were delightful, sometimes detailed, sometimes simplistic, adding personality to the characters. It is my hope that the whole series is one day released on DVD, creating a new generation of fans! -
We all know what a gem Rudyard Kipling has created with 'The Jungle Book'! And when someone take this gem and turn it into a precious diamond, you get this series!! Whoever has watched this series in their childhood, I am sure they will have at least one good memory to share. Watching this again at the age of 28 makes me yearn to go back to those early childhood days. So much pain, agony, innocence, fun, lessons, laughter, celebration, sadness, love, cuteness have been poured into this series that it's impossible to get out of the magical jungle world it created. If Rudyard Kipling would have seen this series, he definitely would have changed his story to adapt the series.
Coming to the technical aspects, this series is flawless in all its aspects. The Direction, Storytelling, Script, Music, Editing, Animation all are above par. The visual animation has ability to touch you deeply. Music is soulful. Story and script for each episode are so well thought and written that inner child of yours grows with each episode. 'As Mowgli learns the law of Jungle, we learn the way of life', and this I think is the greatest teaching anyone can get from a book - in this case 'The Jungle Book'.
I am not sure how well versed a director must be to adapt a foreign story of a foreign land about foreign characters, this much relevantly. Being an Indian, I was always able to relate myself with each of its characters. The trees, animals, houses, caves, temples were all very familiar looking and it was not until 22, I learned that the original series was made in Japanese and we watched the dubbed version of it. The first question which arose in mind then was 'how can someone depict our culture so much aptly, that no one can ever raise a question of its authenticity?' We Indians still treat this as an Indian series. Of course the credit also goes to opening song composed by Vishal Bhardwaj sir and the jaunty lyrics by Gulzar sir which never drops off your tongue. Who can also forget Nana Patekar sir's versatile voice talent as Shere Khan.
If there is a word to describe this series it would be 'true'. It remains true to it story, it's characters, it's art and it's audience. And that's why people love this show and it will remain etched forever in their hearts. -
Viddy-wgon13 May 2020This is by far the best anime from 1980s. Japanese are very creative when it comes to anime and manga, it's commendable how they worked on the story arks. The art, the visuals, music, everything is just perfect. The good old stories with morals being the centre point. No wonder moral values were important back in the good days. I like the Disney versions as well but this was my first Jungle Book, so this has a special place in my heart.
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sangavia16 March 2022It's authentic storytelling which everyone as a kid should watch, it's a classic series which drag us to the life of the forest animals and humans, where everything is inner connected . For kids it's much watch to understand love, friends family and move on with our lives where change is constantly adaptive.
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kurt782523 July 2021I bought the series on DVD. It's really good. I'm going to get my little nephews Atticus and Beau to watch.