Animation Kikou: Marco Polo no Bouken

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Marco Polo leaves his home in Venice on a trip to the little-known country of "Yuan", in the company of his father Nicolo and his uncle Matteo. Their mission is to deliver the sacred oil from the Tomb of Christ and a letter from the Pope to the Kublai.

Background

This was an animated documentary on Marco Polo, mixed in with live-action footage. 43 episodes were broadcast on NHK from 1979 to 1980, but only the first and last episodes survive. While the cel animation was shot on film, post-production and editing were done on videotapes (normal for NHK programs), which have since been wiped. (Source: Cartoon Research) In 2021, NHK announced that they had successfully collected recordings of all 43 episodes from viewers and individuals involved with the show. NHK began a complete re-broadcast of the show on April 5, 2025. (Source: NHK)

Characters

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