The Magical World of Gigi is the English adaptation of the anime Magical Princess Minky Momo (魔法のプリンセス ミンキー モモ Mahō no Purinsesu Minkī Momo), directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, and produced by Ashi Productions. The series aired on TV Tokyo in Japan between March 18, 1982 and May 26, 1983, consisting of 63 episodes.
In the United States, the series was distributed by Harmony Gold.
Dubbing History[]
The English dub of the series was produced by Harmony Gold, around the same time they had dubbed Robotech. The first 52 episodes of Minky Momo were utilized for the dub, and was very minimally edited. The series failed to air in the United States, as buyers were not interested[1], but this adaptation was used as the basis for several international versions that aired under the Gigi title, including the Latin American Spanish dub.
The English version did eventually make its way onto the "Cartoon Connections" block of ATV10 in Melbourne, Australia, and aired from at least late 1986[2] to early 1988.[3] The only portion of Gigi that had ever managed to see a commercial release in the USA would be the 1985 OVA Gigi & the Fountain of Youth in 1987.
In the dub's pre-production, Haim Saban and Shuki Levy were originally hired to produce the opening theme song, sung by Jehan Agrama (under the alias "Smile"). This title theme did not make it into the English version, but appeared in other international adaptations based on it such as those in France and Italy. Ulpio Minucci would be hired as the composer instead and produce his own theme for the series, though Agrama would still carry over as vocalist. This sparked a lawsuit and subsequent settlement between Saban and Harmony Gold and ended any further partnership[4].
Cast[]
| Image | Character | Original Name | Seiyū | Dub Actor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gigi | Minky Momo | Mami Koyama | Kathy Ritter |
| ||||
|
Bonkers | Sindbook | Isamu Tanonaka | Clifton Wells |
|
Coco | Mocha | Reiko Kitou | Jan Rabson (1st voice) |
| Cam Clarke (2nd voice) | ||||
|
Yum-Yum | Pipiru | Yūko Mita | Melanie MacQueen |
|
Papa / Robin | Papa | Rokurō Naya | Robert V. Barron |
|
Mama / Daisy | Mama | Mika Doi | ¿? |
|
King Cuthbert | King of Fenarinarsa | Hiroshi Masuoka | Jan Rabson (1st voice) |
| Steve Kramer (2nd voice) | ||||
|
Queen Yolanda | Queen of Fenarinarsa | Emiko Tsukada | Melanie MacQueen |
|
Narration | Ismau Tanonaka | Jan Rabson (1st voice) | |
| Daniel Woren (2nd voice) | ||||
Episodic Characters[]
| Character | Seiyū | Dub Actor | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boy | Naomi Jinbo | Robin Levenson | 1 |
| Rancher | Reizō Nomoto | Mike Reynolds | |
| Typical Villain | Junpei Takiguchi | ¿? | |
| Cowboy | Hideki Fukushi | Jan Rabson | |
| Mary Jane | Saeko Shimazu | ¿? | 2 |
| Flasher | Hideki Fukushi | Robert Axelrod | |
| Boss | Yūji Mikimoto | ¿? | |
| Explorer | Kazuya Tatekabe | Joe Perry | |
| Jimmy | Kazuhiko Inoue | Cam Clarke | 3 |
| Becky | Sanae Takagi | Robin Levenson | |
| Father | Daisuke Gōri | Joe Perry | |
| Barkeep | Hideki Fukushi | ||
| Ken | Kazue Komiya | Cam Clarke | 4 |
| Policeman | Hideki Fukushi | ¿? | |
| Teacher | Hiromi Okazaki | ¿? | |
| Alarm Clock | Takashi Yasuda | Robin Levenson | |
| Billy | Reiko Suzuki | Melora Harte | 41 |
| Otto | Sanae Takagi | Kris Noel Pearson | |
| Thief Lupin | Jun Sagami | Tom Wyner | |
| Santa Claus | Yasuo Muramatsu | Ted Lehmann | |
| Postal Workers | Hideki Fukushi Masashi Hirose |
Cam Clarke Mike Reynolds | |
| General | Shōzō Iizuka | Mike Reynolds | 42 |
| Major Jones | Sukekiyo Kameyama | Steve Kramer | |
| Sergeant | Takashi Taguchi | Gregory Snegoff | |
| Jane | Tomoko Ōtsuka | ¿Susie London? | |
| Soldiers | Tetsuya Yamazaki Norio Murata |
¿? | |
| Alarm | Yūji Mikimoto | Robert V. Barron | |
| Johnny | Hirotaka Suzuoki | Tony Oliver | 43 |
| Angel | Masako Nozawa | Robin Levenson | 44 |
Additional Voices[]
- Robert Axelrod - Biker (ep. 3)
- Catherine Battistone - John (ep. 41)
- Cam Clarke - Fake Santa (ep. 41)
- Lara Cody - Bystander (ep. 2), Girl (ep. 4)
- Richard Epcar
- Steve Kramer
- Ted Lehmann
- Robin Levenson - Girl (ep. 4)
- Tony Oliver
- Joe Perry - Man (ep. 3)
- Jan Rabson - Announcer (ep. 1)
- Mike Reynolds - Policeman (ep. 3)
- Gregory Snegoff
- Ellyn Stern
- Tom Wyner
Notes[]
- There are various differences between the series' adaptation and the OVA, with some of the names differing (and some keeping their original names), and many of the roles are recast (apart from Yum-Yum, Gigi's Father and King Cuthbert).
- Momo's dub name "Gigi" corresponds to the nickname of Jehan Agrama (daughter of Frank Agrama), an associate producer at Harmony Gold that worked on both the dub of the series and the OVA.
Transmission[]
| Date(s) | Channel | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986-1988 | ATV10 | Australia | 
|
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ Interview with Al Hill Jr., a producer behind the series, 1986. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ↑ Australian TV schedule archives, TelevisionAU. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
- ↑ TelevisionAU archives. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ↑ "Kidd Stuff", LA Times, August 12, 1986
External Links[]
- Magical Princess Minky Momo at the Internet Movie Database
- Magical Princess Minky Momo (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia