In the Beginning: The Bible Stories

In the Beginning: The Bible Stories (手塚治虫の旧約聖書物語, Tezuka Osamu no Kyūyaku Seisho Monogatari, lit. Osamu Tezuka's Old Testament Stories) is a Japanese-Italian anime television series based on The Bible's Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) created by Osamu Tezuka. The series was a coproduction between Japan's Nippon TV, Tezuka's Tezuka Productions, and Italy's government-owned broadcaster, Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI). Although the series was in production during a period of several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was not aired in Japan until 1997, on the satellite channel WOWOW, while it premiered in Italy in 1992 on Rai 1.[1] The series has also been aired on TV in the United States (on the Catholic-oriented Eternal Word Television Network), Spain, Germany, and Australia (on Australian Christian Channel).

In the Beginning: The Bible Stories
手塚治虫の旧約聖書物語
(Tezuka Osamu no Kyūyaku Seisho Monogatari)
Anime television series
Directed byOsamu Dezaki
Written byOsamu Tezuka (posthumous work)
Music byKatsuhisa Hattori
Reimy
StudioTezuka Productions
Original networkWOWOW
English networkEternal Word Television Network
Australian Christian Channel
Shine TV
Original run April 1, 1997 – May 9, 1997
Episodes26

In the Beginning marked the fourth time Bible stories formed the basis of a Japanese-animated television series, following the two Superbook series and The Flying House, which were made for Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network by Tatsunoko Production in the early 1980s.

In the Beginning features episodes devoted to most of the major Bible stories of the Old Testament, including the stories of the Creation, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark, Abraham and Isaac, Joseph, Moses, David, and Solomon, with the final episode featuring the birth of Jesus Christ. As with the second Superbook series, some stories were stretched out over several episodes. Unlike Superbook and The Flying House, however, no contemporary characters from modern times were inserted into the stories, save for the series mascot and viewpoint character, Roco the fox (whose appearances were removed in the United States edit of the English dub).

Tezuka's manga work frequently included religious themes, and because of his long-running manga Buddha, he is sometimes perceived as having been a devout Buddhist, but in fact, Tezuka was largely agnostic.[2]

The theme music (for the American version), an ending theme called "Rainbow Blue", is performed by Reimy.

Background

In the Beginning grew out of a request that Osamu Tezuka received from the Vatican by way of RAI in 1984, requesting that Tezuka produce an animated version of the Old Testament. Tezuka spent two years working on a pilot film for the project based on the story of Noah's Ark, both writing the scenario for the film and working in the production of the animation itself, but Tezuka died in 1989 before the film was finished. The remainder of the production for the pilot film and the subsequent 26-episode television series was supervised by director Osamu Dezaki.

Episodes
number english title japanese title italian title
1The Creation天地創造I signori della Terra
2Cain and AbelカインとアベルI figli di Adamo
3The Story of Noahノアの箱舟L' avventura di Noè
4The Tower of Babelバベルの塔Una torre fino al cielo
5Abraham, the Forefather 父アブラハムAbramo il patriarca
6Sodom and GomorrahソドムとゴモラSodoma e Gomorra
7Isaac and IshmaelイサクとイシュマエルIsmaele
8Isacc's destinyアブラハム、イサクを捧げるIl destino di Isacco
9Jacob's childrenヨセフの夢占いVenduto dai fratelli
10Joseph's triumphヤコブ一族の再会Il trionfo di Giuseppe
11Moses, The Egyptianモーセの誕生Mosè l'egiziano
12The Fire in the Desert砂漠の火Il fuoco nel deserto
13Moses and the PharaohモーセとファラMosè e il faraone
14The Exodusエジプト脱出L'Esodo
15Laws carved in stone十戒La legge scolpita sulla pietra
16Israel's Treacheryイスラエルの裏切りIl vitello d'oro
17New Alliance約束の地La Terra Promessa
18Jericho{エリコGerico
19One king for Israel初めての王サウルUn re per Israele
20King Saulサウルの敗北La sconfitta di Saul
21King Davidダビデ王Il seme di Davide
22King Solomonソロモンの王国Il regno di Salomone
23The Exile of Israelバビロン捕囚L'esilio di Israele
24Release from Bondage奴隷からの解放Gerusalemme, Gerusalemme
25Prophets in the desert砂漠の預言者たちProfeti del deserto
26The birth of Jesusイエスの誕生Una stella brilla ad Oriente

Staff
  • Director: Osamu Dezaki
  • Screenplay: Osamu Tezuka/Tezuka Production Co., Ltd.
  • Character designs: Osamu Tezuka, Shinji Seya
  • Animation direction: Masaki Yoshimura, Akio Sugino, Junji Kobayashi, Hideaki Shimada
  • Music: Katsuhisa Hattori
  • Production: Tezuka Production Co., Ltd. / Nippon Television Network / Radiotelevisione Italiana

Voice cast

References
  1. "AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA ANIMAZIONE: "In principio - Storie dalla Bibbia"". www.antoniogenna.net. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  2. Schodt, Frederik L. The Astro Boy Essays. Stone Bridge Press, 2007.
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