Sherlock Hound

Sherlock Hound (名探偵ホームズ, Meitantei Hōmuzu, lit. Detective Holmes) is an anime adaptation of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The original concept of ​​this adaptation was written by Italian brothers Marco and Gi Pagot and was a joint production of the Italian Radiotelevisione (RAI) and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment Ltd.); which provided the animation. It is composed of 26 episodes broadcast in Japan by TV Asahi from November 6, 1984 to May 20, 1985. Some of the earlier produced episodes were directed by Hayao Miyazaki.



Dubbing History
The series initially started production in 1981, with Hayao Miyazaki of future Studio Ghibli fame directing. Only six episodes were completed before problems with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate led to a suspension in production. The first produced episode ("A Small Client"; 12th in Broadcast order) was originally dubbed in 1982, according to the copyright date, with an unknown voice cast and no opening or ending credits. The dub showcased more realistic British accents, and Todd and Smiley were renamed "Nigel" and "Bruce", while Sherlock Hound is just referred to as Sherlock Holmes. This dub was most likely commissioned by either RAI or TMS, likely meaning it was either dubbed in Rome or Tokyo. This dub of the episode aired several times on HBO in November of 1983 under the title of The Adventure of Sherlock Hound. Contrary to popular belief, there are no further episodes dubbed with this cast due to most of the Miyazaki episodes being partially unfinished at that time and the remaining episodes likely not in production.

The full series dub would later be recorded in 1984, finishing even prior to the Japanese recording being completed, and is usually used as the basis for several other foreign dubs. The script of the previous dub of Episode 1 was seemingly adapted to use for this dub as well, as they contain several of the same lines. The dub would eventually be released on DVD in the United States by Pioneer Entertainment in 2002, and later re-released by Discotek Media in 2014.

The Italian band Complotto, formed for the production of the music, performed the English and Italian theme songs. The English theme by Complotto was used on film reel prints and on some episodes of one of the three Arabic dubs known to exist; but was replaced by a instrumental of the Japanese theme on the DVD releases due to rights issues with RAI.

Additional Voices

 * Derek McGrath
 * Patricia Parris
 * John Stephenson
 * Bob Towers

Transmission
* TMS/RAI Test Dub