The Mysterious Cities of Gold (MCoG) is a cartoon series produced in 1982 by Studio Pierrot. It was a French/Japanese coproduction which originally aired in France as Les Mystérieuses Cités d'Or. It was also shown in Britain on Children's BBC, and a few years later in America on the Nickelodeon cable network. There are 39 half-hour episodes, in the typical anime serial style of one continuous story. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger. A small documentary follows, presenting concise, accurate and appealing (for children) informations about subjects related to the episode, thanks to funding by the NHK. It can also be noted that the characters of the series are actually quite complicated and subtle. Several of the main characters switch sides several times in the story or keep ambiguous stances. Under influence of the French team, the drawing style elvolved from the traditional "manga" style to a more round and less exagerated style.
The story is loosely based off of the children's novel, The King's Fifth, by Scott O'Dell. In the year 1532, a Spanish orphan named Esteban searches for one of The Seven Cities of Gold in the New World, hoping to find his father. He is joined on his quest by Zia, an Incan girl, and Tao, the last descendent of the sunken empire of Mu.
The series is a mix of South American history, archeology, and science fiction. The characters discover many lost technological wonders of the Aztecs, Incans, and Olmecs, which include a solar powered boat (complete with weapons) and a giant golden condor. They are constantly persued by antagonists Perez and Gomez, who are also in search of the Cities of Gold.
The Cities of Gold are seven sites built by the Emperor of Mu out of fear of a global war which would destroy civilisation. Such a war indeed broke out, engulfing the Empire of Mu and Atlantis in destruction out of the use of "solar power". The Seven Cities of Gold hold copies of books in their "Universal Libraries" and modern artefacts, including the "Great Legacy", a "solar-energy" reactor. Other elements of this technology turn up in other places, like the Solaris in Tao's home island, Esteban's or Zia's medalions being keys to the Cities, or Tao's vase being an important piece in the Great Legacy.
- Reminiscences of this ancient story are present in Maya legends written on golden Khipu, which only Zia can read. This triggers an obscessive quest for the Cities of Gold on the part of the Spaniards (Mendoza, Gomez, Perez, Pizzarro)
- Esteban seeks for his long-lost father and is tied to Mendoza (Mendoza is the man who had rescued Esteban from a sinking ship : he might know the whereabouts of Esteban's father and holds a half of Esteban's Medallion ; Esteban seems to have a magical ability to make the Sun appear, which proves an invaluable asset al through the series).
- Zia also seeks for her parents, whom she was taken from as a very little girl. She has a medallion similar to the one Esteban carries.
- Tao seeks signs of his ancestors; he possesses an encyclopedia about the lost technology and a "mysterious vase which no-one can open" (the Great Legacy cooling or moderator system).
- The Olmecs are descendants of survivors of the global war who hid under their mountain. Only their elite were able to survive in hibernation, the waken minority doing their outmost to take control of the Great Legacy which is needed to revive the remnants of the Olmecs.
Eventually, the Olmecs succeed, at great cost, in taking control of the Great Legacy, but its activation turn out a disaster without the moderator part constituted by Tao's vase. A chernobyl-like accident is avoided by the personal sacrifice of Esteban's father, who, acting as the Guardian of the Cities, dies replacing the vase.
MCoG has a small but loyal fanbase. It has been released in France on DVD, but not other parts of the world. It is rumored that a sequel was attempted, but canceled due to lack of funding. 1
It has been dubbed and subtitled in French, English, Swedish, German, Polish, and Japanese.