From LISTSERV@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU Sun Jan 1 23:09:21 1995 Return-Path: Received: from mx4.u.washington.edu by redms.cac.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.32 ) id AA04616; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:09:20 -0800 Received: from mx1.cac.washington.edu by mx4.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA11980; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:09:19 -0800 Received: from brownvm.brown.edu by mx1.cac.washington.edu (5.65+UW94.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.31 ) id AA11841; Sun, 1 Jan 95 23:09:16 -0800 Message-Id: <9501020709.AA11841@mx1.cac.washington.edu> Received: from BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU by BROWNVM.brown.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 2512; Mon, 02 Jan 95 02:02:03 EST Received: from BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@BROWNVM) by BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 3090; Mon, 2 Jan 1995 02:00:42 -0500 Date: Mon, 2 Jan 1995 02:00:39 -0500 From: BITNET list server at BROWNVM (1.8a) Subject: File: "FBCONAN SYNOPSES" To: "Michael S. Johnson" Status: O FBCONAN SYNOPSES Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopses STATUS: so far (2/18/92), episodes 1-3 are done Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopses Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1992 04:35:00 CST From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" Here goes. As time goes by, I'll be posting individual synopses of all 26 of the Conan episodes at irregular intervals. The first one, #0, is an introduction. I'd like to use this space to thank Andy Kim for copying the show off Laserdisc for me, and to thank Naouki, Bubba, and Shinsuke for helping me out with a few of the titles and some of the more confusing bits. We still can't figure out why all of Leftover Island's inhabitants died, though--the show seems to avoid that issue and why only Conan and Ojii survived. Any comments and revisions are welcome. I am currently basing the spelling of names on the originals in "The Incredible Tide," except a few I can't remember, and Monsli, whose name and character is very different than the original. Special thanks to Kazuharu Iida for help on translations. --Bryan ======================================================================== Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopsis #0 Date: Sun, 9 Feb 1992 04:38:00 CST From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" Obligatory Disclaimer: The following plot description is written by Bryan C. Wilkinson for the Miyazaki Discussion group. "Mirai Shonen Konan" is (c) Copyright 1978 NHK and Nippon Animation. "The Incredible Tide" and its characters are (c) Copyright 1970 Alexander Key. The description is a review and no infringement on either copyright holder is intended. Please get permission of this author before reprinting. Send inquiries to "Bryan Wilkinson, 10379 Lansdale Ave., Cupertino CA, 95014" or to the Miyazaki Discussion Group. Mirai Shonen Konan (Future Boy Conan) Plot Description Installment #0 (out of 26): Introduction Future Boy Conan is an NHK (Japanese PBS) anime serial that was first televised in 1978, and marks the beginning of Hayao Miyazaki's directing career. Since then his work has become the best known and most acclaimed animation in Japan. It is based on "The Incredible Tide", a children's sci-fi story by Alexander Key, who is better known for authoring "Escape to Witch Mountain", later adapted into a live-action film by Disney, as well as co-authoring the screenplay for the movie sequel "Return From Witch Mountain" and writing the companion book. Since the original book is fairly short, Miyazaki managed to keep most of the original story elements yet expand its storyline into a 26-episode long show. Major differences include that the cataclysm in Miyazaki's version is caused intentionally by man-made weapons, elimination of the original's very strong Christian preachiness, the changing of the roles of various characters in power, a less simple ending to the story, lowering the ages of the two main characters from 14 years old to 11 (the same age as one of Miyazaki's sons at the time), and stylizing the show in the manner of 30's science fiction. Conan is a must-see for Miyazaki fans in particular, as the early roots of later works like "Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind" and "Sky Castle Laputa" can be seen in this imaginative show. Also predominant is an action-comedy style exactly like that of his Lupin the Third movie "Castle of Cagliostro." Yasuo Otsuka, who often has collaborated with Miyazaki and is Art Director of the show, shared some of the work in the directing and character design. Following is a list of characters, places, and things that appear in "Future Boy Conan": * The Great Cataclysm: giant moth-like planes, the "wings of death" employed hypermagnetic weapons to disrupt the Earth's plates in a great war (which if consistant with the original, is more corporate in origin than political) leveling the continents to below sea level, and upsetting the rotation of the Earth on its axis. * Leftover Island: home of Conan and "Gramps"--site of a crashlanded, upended spacecraft, and believed by them to be the only inhabited place left on Earth after the great cataclysm 20 years ago. Near the island is a submerged city. * Conan: born nine years after the cataclysm, Conan, now 11, lives alone on Leftover Island with his grandfather, and is a remarkable athlete. He is ambidexterous, and is often more comfortable handling things with his toes rather than his hands. His only possesion of any note is a fishing spear. * "Gramps" (fondly called by Conan "Ojii," like a nickname): as Gramps puts it, when Conan was born, he was adopted by everyone as their own, so naturally he is Conan's adopted grandfather. Gramps is a kind soul, yet somewhat views the cataclysm as a needed purging of earth's warmongers. He is the only remaining live member of a failed attempt to escape the cataclysm in a spacecraft that instead crashed on the island and the group established a settlement there. * Lanna: a young girl from the island High Harbor, she is the same age as Conan, and is with minor telepathic abilities. She is sought out by the militaristic corporate-nation Industria, for her reclusive grandfather Dr. Lao holds the knowledge they need to access an orbiting power station, and they believe she can determine his whereabouts. * Tikki: a tern (seabird) that is Lanna's friend. She communicates with him telepathically. * Monsli: a young military commander from Industria assigned to capture Lanna, she also possesses use of a rear-prop monoplane (similar to the teardrop shaped air-cars of 30's sci-fi) named "The Falcon." Devastated by the war as a child, she seeks order to her personal chaos in the military discipline. * Captain Dyce: slightly mad captain of the double-masted steam cargo ship, the Barracuda, he collects plastic to sell to Industria. He also has an unhealthy interest in young girls (particularly Lanna). * Douglas: first mate of the Barracuda, he is also in charge of the "autoroids"--gasoline powered excavation robots. * Jimsy: young funny-looking hermit-like inhabitant of an uncivilized archipelago who becomes Conan's blood brother, with roughly equal talents. He'll eat almost anything--particularly frogs, and hates girls. * Industria: the only world power to survive, centered around a gigantic triangular fortress, and surrounded by the wrecks of old ships. * Repko: ruler of Industria, a typical dictator type wanting to make sure his position as most powerful person on the planet stays unchallanged as his corporate-nation rebuilds civilization. * Council of Scientists: Repko's gathering of surviving minds that know how to make use of the old technology. * Gigant: a surviving "wing of death" located under Industria's fortress. * Patch: a one-eyed brute in charge of a salvage operation trying to repair a sunken ocean liner. * Tellit: an insubordinate member of Patch's crew sympathetic to Industria. * Dr. Lao: Lanna's mysterious grandfather and a great scientist who has been hiding incognito. He has invented two levitating flying machines-- one capable of going underwater and carrying many passengers, the other a craft he designed to escape from Industria the first time he was captured (it resembles the flying jars later to appear in Nausicaa). * High Harbor: a rural island, with two population centers and a wasteland inhabited by horse-riding anarchists. Notable inhabitants include Lanna's uncle who is a doctor; Orlo--leader of the anarchists-- and his young sister Tella; and a fisherman and son who specialize in explosives. * Tasty: a piglet adopted on High Harbor by Jimsy. ======================================================================== Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopsis #1 Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1992 02:11:00 CST From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" Obligatory Disclaimer: The following plot description is written by Bryan C. Wilkinson for the Miyazaki Discussion group. "Mirai Shonen Konan" is (c) Copyright 1978 NHK and Nippon Animation. "The Incredible Tide" and its characters are (c) Copyright 1970 Alexander Key. The description is a review and no infringement on either copyright holder is intended. Please get permission of this author before reprinting. Send inquiries to "Bryan Wilkinson, 10379 Lansdale Ave., Cupertino CA, 95014" or to the Miyazaki Discussion Group. Mirai Shonen Konan (Future Boy Conan) Plot Description Installment #1 (out of 26): The first episode begins with an introduction that precedes every following episode. "In the year 2008 A.D., the human race stood on the brink of extinction. Hypermangnetic weapons of force far superior to that of any nuclear arsenal were implemented, leading to the disruption of the Earth's plates. Earth's axis of rotation shifted, and the five major land masses were lost below the ocean's waters." During the monologue, we see scenes resembling the style of 30's science fiction. Above a large metropolis, giant planes, the "wings of death", fly overhead. As the Earth's surface begins its violent upheaval, a small group of people crowd into a launching spacecraft. However, as the ship ascends, it is hit by debris. Unable to reach escape velocity, the ship begins to fall back into the turmoil. And as the turmoil settles, only islands can be seen on the now water-covered surface. 20 years pass... Title: "Leftover Island" As the title appears, a small island comes into view. At the low summit of the island is the same craft, imbedded upside-down at an angle in the ground. The half-ruin of a settlement surrounds it. Inside, "Gramps," an aging bespectacled man, is writing in his journal. He fears that he and Conan may be the only survivors of the cataclysm, and the human race is near its end. Conan, an athletic 11-year-old boy, comes running to their abode. He is carrying the head of a giant fish, which has clearly been bitten off its body by something much bigger. A shark of that size in these waters is bad news for their fish supply, so Conan grabs an appropriate spear and runs back off to the water. Climbing the wreck of an old warship, he looks into the clear water for a sign of the shark's whereabouts, and after a deep breath, dives in. Below the water is the ruin of a city. Conan briefly enjoys his surroundings, until he catches the eye of the interloping great white. He gains safety in a building, and replenishes himself with an air pocket caught above a lavatory. He then once more gains the shark's attention and lures it into a trap--a set of boulders stopped up above an alleyway. Pulling the cord to the trap from the safety of a window, he buries the critter with the rubble. But the shark is merely knocked out, and chases after Conan with renewed vigor. Conan effectively makes use of an auto wreck to gain some distance from the chomping menace, and climbs onto a perch above the water. The shark leaps out, neatly cutting Conan's spear in two with its dorsal fin. It submerges to make a second leap, but this time Conan is ready, and plants his half-spear into the side of the shark, which carries him under. He rides it out, but the wounded shark blindly charges into a train tunnel, colliding with a rusting train. Conan, exhausted, carries the massive body onto the island and collapses. But this lasts only brielfly, and soon he is jumping with joy about his catch. His jubilation is interrupted by a passing tern, seeming to want his attention. He then notices a whole flock of the birds making a commotion not far from him. Carrying the shark's huge limp body on his back, he investigates. The terns are circling the motionless body of a girl the same age as Conan. Conan is apprehensive, unable to remember seeing another human being besides Gramps and himself. He runs off, but checks himself and returns. He cautiously pokes her with a toe, and she stirs a little, sending him off running again. He again changes his mind, comes back, and asks her what the problem is. She gains concisousness, and finds herself staring into the opening maw of a great white. Naturally, after a weak cry, she passes back out. This is enough for Conan, and he tears back home, and fetches Gramps to deal with the situation. Gramps carries the girl back to his place, and lays her on the bed. Faintly, she begs for water. Gramps sends Conan after some. Frantic, Conan grabs a pail and rushes down inside the spacecraft, into its buried cockpit. The cockpit is filled with water. Conan fills the pail and climbs back up. The girl, quite dehydrated, drinks a huge amount. He then tells Conan to get her something to eat, and he frantically scurries off. While he is gone, the girl speaks. Girl: Where is this place? Gramps: My hut, and you're welcome to stay. Girl: High Harbor? Or am I in Industria? Gramps: ... Girl: This isn't High Harbor, is it? Gramps explains that this is "Leftover Island", of which he and Conan are the only remaining inhabitants, a fact that seems to relieve the girl. Conan returns with an armful of various edibles, and Gramps explains he meant some of the soup from the stove. Gramps asks the girl if there really are still other people out there, and she nods in reply. Gramps is happy to hear this. Conan brings a dish of soup, and Gramps realizes that she needs fresh clothes. He asks Conan to leave, without explanation, and Conan is confused by this. He circles the place and finds a window to peek in, but only sees the girl now in one of Gramps' other shirts. Gramps scolds him, and then gives him the girl's red dress to be washed. "It smells funny," Conan observes, and goes off to wash it. Gramps asks the girl to forgive Conan for his behavior, since he's never encountered any other people before. That night, Conan and Gramps are eating, while the girl sleeps restlessly, calling out. Conan is worried if the girl will be okay. She calls out for "Grandfather," and Gramps goes to reassure her. Conan has trouble getting to sleep, and checks once more, but Gramps reassures him that she's doing better now. The next morning, the girl wakes up and goes outside. Conan wakes up to the sound of terns, and sees her leaving. He follows, and finds her on a rock on the beach, with a small cloud of terns aroud her. She is apparently talking with one that is perched in her hand. "...I see...thank you," she says, and the birds disperse, making a commotion around Conan, giving him away. "You can talk with birds?" he asks. She replies that she can, to an extent, introducing him to her friend Tikki, who is now perched on her shoulder. Conan remarks that this explains the incident yesterday, but is stopped by the fact he hasn't learned her name yet. Girl: My name's Lanna. Conan: Llah? Llaahhhn...nnaah. Lanna! Lanna: Thank you. For saving me, that is. Conan: I...Conan! My name's Conan. Conan does some handstands while trying out Lanna's name. Lanna asks if it's true only he and Gramps inhabit the island. Conan replies that there used to be others but they're all dead now. Lanna asks Conan if he and Gramps have a boat. Conan shows her a miniture raft with a sail. Lanna says it's "cute," but it probably isn't good enough to make the trip to High Harbor. Lanna explains that she is from High Harbor, a beautiful island inhabited by quite more people than Conan can count on his fingers and toes. He then shows Lanna around the island, and offers her a berry from a plant that turns out to be VERY tart. Suddenly, there is a strange sound. An airplane appears, which Conan mistakes to be a strange bird. Lanna recognizes it, and has him duck under cover. She tells him that it's "Industria"--bad people. The plane circles, notices the settlement, and lands on the beach. Gramps goes to greet them with open arms, until they come out carrying machine guns. Dumbfounded, he stands frozen as a uniformed woman and man pass by and ignore him. Angry, he confronts them. They are searching for Lanna, and want full cooperation or else. He is furious that even after the catastrophe, humans still haven't learned their lesson. Forced to comply, he enters the hut, and comes out with a heat-seeking mini- missile launcher, demanding that they leave the island or else. The woman, named Monsli, who is the commanding officer, tells her underling to comply and return to the plane as this is probably a waste of time anyway. But as they leave, the man takes the safety off his gun, and spins around to fire. But Conan has been spying on the proceedings, and chucks a big stone at the gun, skewing the aim, and the bullets instead impact the launcher. It explodes in Gramps' arms, as the two run back to the plane. But the missile itself homes in on Lanna, and explodes near her. Monsli notices this. Conan is with Gramps. Gramps says he'll be okay, and tells Conan to worry about the girl instead. At that moment, Lanna cries out for Conan, and we see she is being carried into the plane. As the plane gains speed, Conan jumps onto the wing and plants his spear into it. The plane rises, taking Conan with it. End of Episode 1. To be continued... ======================================================================== Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopsis #2 Date: Wed, 12 Feb 1992 03:01:00 CST From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" Obligatory Disclaimer: The following plot description is written by Bryan C. Wilkinson for the Miyazaki Discussion group. "Mirai Shonen Konan" is (c) Copyright 1978 NHK and Nippon Animation. "The Incredible Tide" and its characters are (c) Copyright 1970 Alexander Key. The description is a review and no infringement on either copyright holder is intended. Please get permission of this author before reprinting. Send inquiries to "Bryan Wilkinson, 10379 Lansdale Ave., Cupertino CA, 95014" or to the Miyazaki Discussion Group. Mirai Shonen Konan (Future Boy Conan) Plot Description Installment #2 (out of 26): Episode 2: "Travel Plans" (RECAP:) Lanna cries out for Conan, and we see she is being carried into the plane. As the plane gains speed, Conan jumps onto the wing and plants his spear into it, shouting "Return Lanna!" The plane rises, taking Conan with it. (END RECAP) In his position, Conan has trouble staying on, so he repositions onto the wing's edge, so the wind pins him there, and plants his spear again. The pilot is furious, and does a barrel roll to try and shake Conan off, tumbling everyone inside the plane. "What in hell do you think you're doing!?" Monsli shouts. At this point, the pilot realizes the flaps aren't responding fully. This is because of Conan's hacking away at the cables inside the wing. Monsli realizes this, and sticks her gun out a panel to shoot him. But Lanna grabs onto Monsli's arm, making it impossible to aim. Her underling tries to stop Lanna, but she holds him off by kicking him in the face repeatedly (no shirking heroine is she!). Meanwhile, Conan does further damage unabated, and the pilot opens his canopy to shoot at Conan. He misses, and Conan throws his spear, knocking the gun out of his hand. Conan strikes a triumphant pose, forgetting he's standing on the wing of a plane without any footing anymore. The wind blows him over the edge, and he manages to prevent his fall by grabbing the wing's trailing edge with his ambidexterous toes. The pilot finds the spear has severely damaged an instrument panel. Lanna sees Conan's predicament and stops struggling. Conan tries vainly to grab the wing with his hand, but fails and plummets into the sea far below. Lanna begs Monsli to rescue him, but she is ignored, and she weeps as the plane flies off into the distance. A dejected, exhausted Conan collapses on the beach. Tikki worriedly flutters around him, and he comes to. He tells Tikki he's failed, and the little tern flies off after Lanna. Conan then remembers Gramps and runs back--but he is gone! Conan enters the stone hut, and fortunately Gramps has moved there now, and is in bed. Gramps asks about Lanna, and Conan tells him. Gramps then replies that his time is nearly up, and Conan panics. But Gramps restrains him, and has him come closer. He tells him that it is wrong for him to stay here further alone. He then relates the tale of twenty years ago... The spacecraft (looking almost Flash Gordon-esque) is rapidly losing altitude. In the now-vast ocean, a small speck of land is spotted, and the crew decides to try for it. The landing is rough--the ship hits the ground hard and keeps going uphill, losing little momentum, and impacts something at the summit, causing it to embed itself upended in the ground. The crew stumbles out, and sees nothing but the sunken city and water as far as the eye can see. The days that followed were hard. The sun shone mercilessly, baking the land, and the survivors suffered in makeshift tents. No water was to be found on the island back then, and the ship's supply eventually ran out. But a discovery was made--the deeply imbedded cockpit, now useless and ignored, had formed a well, and a reliable source of water! Things went better after this discovery, for spirits were lifted further when grass began to sprout on the island, soon followed by other plants. Crabs also began to appear on the beach, and seabirds flew in as well. Plentiful fishing was discovered in the waters, and with hope seeming to be back after all, a settlement was constructed around the rocket. Then, nine years after the great cataclysm, Conan, the only second- generation survivor, was born, adopted by everyone as their first child. Thus is Conan the hope and spirit of Leftover Island, even though now everyone is long past, and his parents lived not long enough for him to remember them. Conan tells Gramps of High Harbor, and all the people Lanna said were there. Gramps thinks its wonderful that hope is still alive. He struggles as his heart begins to fail, and dies with wonder for Earth and humanity's fate. Conan is understandably a BIT upset. He runs out screaming, and ends up near a cliff. He takes his anger out on rocks, throwing them so they break, and then grabbing progressively bigger ones and doing the same. After splitting the biggest boulder, he goes to the cliff's top raving on all fours, and grabs an even more enormous one and tosses it into the sea. This uses the remainder of his energy up and he passes out. Meanwhile, looking for a place to stop and make repairs on the battered plane, Monsli's #1 spots the trading vessel Barracuda. On board, Captain Dyce (who bears a resemblance to Inspector Zenigata) complains to his cook about the poor quality of his latest meal (a big UGLY fish with a knife in it), wanting hamburger--which of course they are out of, but have a plentiful supply of fish for some reason. Dyce prepares to rant more, but notices Monsli's plane. "Why is she in this area?" he muses. Douglas reports via voice tube that the Falcon (the name of Monsli's plane) has shown up. The Captain replies that he already knows, and is on his way. Monlsi informs Dyce she will be effecting repairs. "Oh, look, it's Monsli! We don't get many beauties out here! Ah, did something big hit Falcon's wing?"--but to Dyce's dismay, Monsli ignores him, in spite of the compliment. Douglas notices that Monsli isn't alone, and points it out to Dyce. Dyce sees Lanna and goes gooey, cursing Monsli's name. He welcomes her aboard, and immediately tries to talk her into putting Lanna into his custody. She explains that Lanna will stay on the Falcon while the wing repairs are made. She further explains that returning Lanna to Industria is her assignment, to which he comments that he thought they were after a certain "Professor Lao," at which point Monsli instructs him to mind his own business. She then asks if Dyce will lend her use of his room, and he assents. She then restricts him from it, and leaves him gesticulating his anger. Alone on the Falcon, Lanna receives visitors. A group of terns have caught up with her. First she asks of her grandfather, of which the birds are no help. She then asks about Conan. She describes him and sends them to find out how he is. "Conan--please be all right." Back on Leftover Island, Conan has buried Gramps with the others, and erected a matching stonepile monument. He plants flowers at the site and promises his grandfather he will honor his wishes and leave the island to pursue Lanna. The next morning, Conan disconnects an empty fuel tank from the rocket, and rolls it into the water. He jumps on, but the cylindrical tank rolls, and will not allow him to stay on. On the sea bed, he stares up at it in frustration. fig. 1: Conan's raft idea ________________________________ / ___ \ | / \ <- opening | | \___/ | (large tank) \_______|_________________|______/ | | | | | | (supporting poles) | | ____|_________________|__ / | | \ \_________________________/ (small tank) While enjoying a fish snack sitting with his arms crossed, he sketches the tank with a a stick in the sand using his foot. He then draws a small one next to it and connects the two, forming a catamaran shape (see fig. 1 above--the opening isn't in his drawing, but is added to show how he positions it to allow access inside). He drops the stick, uses the foot to remove the fish, and taps his head with his toes in contemplation (this HAS to be seen!) and uses his other foot's toes to pick his nose. This screws his balance up and he lightly topples backward. But the idea looks workable. He attaches a smaller tank to the big one with poles, leaving the large opening in the big one (from its connection to the nozzle workings) facing upward. He then uses thick electrical wire from the ship for binding the parts together. The result works (though the initial deck is too weak and he jumps through it). He then constructs a sail, which when finished proves its efficiency by carrying him across the island. He spends the next blustery night carving a rudder, the image of Gramps haunting his mind. In the morning, all is clear. The settlement gate sealed off, Conan gives a final farewell, and shoves his craft off into the sea, unfurling his sail, and making for parts unknown, manning sail with both hands and the rudder with his foot. End of Episode #2. To be continued... ======================================================================== Subject: FUTURE BOY CONAN synopsis #3 Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1992 01:23:00 CST From: "Bryan C. Wilkinson" Obligatory Disclaimer: The following plot description is written by Bryan C. Wilkinson for the Miyazaki Discussion group. "Mirai Shonen Konan" is (c) Copyright 1978 NHK and Nippon Animation. "The Incredible Tide" and its characters are (c) Copyright 1970 Alexander Key. The description is a review and no infringement on either copyright holder is intended. Please get permission of this author before reprinting. Send inquiries to "Bryan Wilkinson, 10379 Lansdale Ave., Cupertino CA, 95014" or to the Miyazaki Discussion Group. Mirai Shonen Konan (Future Boy Conan) Plot Description Installment #3 (out of 26): Episode 3: "First-Time Best Pals" A large typhoon is brewing, with waterspouts everywhere. Conan lies in the lare tank, waiting out the storm. He grabs a stored fish with one foot, and munches on it. He marks his seventeenth day on a makeshift chart on the ceiling--only the first five of which were sunny. Time passes... The battered catamaran drifts--it is a hot, still day, and Conan lies on the deck, apparently unconscious, with a foot in the water. Under the water, a hungry fish sees the dangling toes, and tries to bite one--but is swiftly snatched out of the water by the foot, and soon a fish skeleton sinks into the water. Conan, otherwise still unmoving, licks his chops. Seagulls fly in overhead, and a wind picks up, catching the sail, and Conan gets up. He sees storm clouds ahead. "Rain!" He paddles his boat urgently towards the clouds. The rain starts, and he grabs a pan to fill, and opens his mouth to catch the rain--but the rain stops, to his consternation, and he sets the pan on his head. But something catches his eye--"An island!! All right, an island!" He jumps for joy and accidentally falls into the ocean. Having set his boat ashore on a patch of beach surrounded by forest, armed with his fishing spear, he shouts into the woods, "Hey!! Anybody there?!! Anybody?!" But he only hears his echo. Needing water, he decides to chance entering the forest. But he is watched... In the forest, he finds stairs, leading down to a door with sunlight shining through it. He goes down through the door, and find himself in a street of a ruined, overgrown town. He hears the sound of rushing water, and finds a stream running through an old storm gutter. He dives into the water, and takes water in like a fish (unknowingly swallowing a leaf). A foot steps into view, and leaves. Conan surfaces. "Who's there? Is that someone?" But no one answers, and the town is empty. While looking, he spots a fruit-laden tree, and soon is gulping down fruit as heartily as the water. On an above wall, a foot knocks a stone to the ground. Conan spins around, just in time to glimpse a disappearing face. He chases after the swiftly retreating personage, and is caught off guard by a mirror. He realizes it is a reflection, spots the mysterious watcher again, and resumes the chase. "Wait up!!"--the watcher is again on top of the roofless walls, so Conan leaps up too, and continues to follow--but is deterred by stepping on a weak wall that collapses beneath him, forcing him to retreat. He gives up and returns to his boat, only to find that it has been sabotaged beyond immediate repair. Footsteps lead back to the forest, and he follows them. Suddenly he stops dead in his tracks, clutches his neck as if poisoned, and collapses. The figure approaches, and we see it to be a largish boy about Conan's age, carrying a small bow and a long, tied up mat of red hair that looks more like the thatched roof of a primitive hut. The spectacle is rather amusing. He taps Conan with his bow--and Conan springs up, catching him off guard. Seeing him, Conan breaks into laughter. The stranger nastily laughs back. They circle angrily. Conan: My boat! Gimme back my boat! Stanger: Gimme back my water and fruit! They both assert the higher value of their possessions, and heap insults on each other. They stand off and circle more. Stranger: Why, I bet you've never even killed a small lizard! Conan: Why, I'd bet you haven't ever even killed a shark! Stranger: Oh yeah? Well the lizard I killed was thiiiis big! (indicates with wide arm gesture--briefly amazing Conan) Conan: Oh yeah? Well the shark I killed was thiiiiiss, thiiiiss big! (he has to run a few feet to complete the gesture--briefly amazing the stranger) Stranger: Oh? Well, I've also killed 999,999,9...(you get the idea) ...999,999 rats thiiiisss (same gesture, a bit smaller) big!! Conan: Oh? Well, I've killed many, many, many, much MORE whales that were thiiiiss, thiiiiss, THIIIISS BIG!!! Stranger: LIAR! Conan: YOU'RE THE LIAR! Stranger/Conan: Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar LIAR LIAR LIAR, LIIIAAARR! They stop and catch their breath. The stranger takes out his bow--"Watch!"--and immediately fires an arrow that precisely hits a stag beetle on a distant tree. He gives Conan a sly laugh. Nonplussed, Conan balances the spear on his toes, and tosses it with his foot high and straight up into the air. It slows, flips, and falls back downward. The stranger panics and runs away, but Conan stays unmoved and nonchalantly catches it between his toes. He gives the stranger a sly laugh back. The stanger shouts "Watch" a second time, and runs to jump up onto a high branch. "There!" Conan easily lights on the same branch. He gives the stranger a look, and the native leaps off--Conan follows, catching up, and it turns into a race, each leaping in unison (a la Cagliostro's opening), and trying to get the lead. They run up a cliff (and briefly upside down under it), squeeze through a double trunked tree, and continue. Stranger: Faster!? Conan: Faster! They accelerate and end up careening through some bushes and end up with a branch in their faces. Stranger: Stop (give up)!! Conan: YOU stop!! They push into each other. Not looking where they're headed, they smack into a big tree. They quickly come to, though, and try to overcome each other. A big fat lizard crawls out of the tree and walks away. They both desist and chase after it. It tries to escape into some rocks, but the stranger grabs its tail. The lizard starts to win, so Conan helps pull. The tail breaks, and they fall back. The stranger looks in the hole, with no luck. "Damn!" Conan is meanwhile spooked out by the writhing tail left in his hands--"Wh..what's with this thing?! It's still moving!" The native complains that he could have had a good meal. "What about this?"--Conan holds up the tail. "You really don't know anything do you?" He explains that a whole lizard that size would have been better. It soon becomes evident that an exaggeration was made earlier, but it gets brushed off, and the stranger realizes that Conan isn't half bad. He introduces himself as "Jimsy," and Conan gives his name. Jimsy leads Conan off. They reach a very small hut, made of leaves and branches. Jimsy enters. Conan: Uh, is this your house? Jimsy: Yeah, come on in. Conan plants his spear and crawls inside. Jimsy offers him a dead frog. Conan puzzles over it. Jimsy tears a leg off another one and munches on it. Conan: Is this island High Harbor? Jimsy: Nope, this is MY island. Conan: My island? Aren't there any other people here? Jimsy explains that there are, but on the opposite side. He hates them so he lives alone. Conan asks if he knows Lanna. Jimsy misunderstands him and he explains that Lanna is a person--a girl. This sends Jimsy into hysterics--"You have a friend that's a girl?!"--he keeps laughing, falling back so his head pops out of the hut. Conan gets mad and sticks his head through the roof, telling him to stop it. "I hate girls!" Jimsy spouts, and extolls the worthlessness of the female sex. Conan denies this, saying that Lanna can talk with birds and such. "Oh, that kind of girl sounds okay." They sit back in the hut. "If I could call a bird, I'd eat it!" Conan gives up. The two sleep in the hut. Conan wakes up to answer nature's call. He looks at the moon, and sees in his mind Lanna's abduction. "Lanna..." he sniffs. The next morning, Jimsy wakes to hear a horn. "The ship," he says to himself, and pulls up the rug lining the floor of the hut, causing Conan to roll out. He wakes up to see Jimsy hurriedly gathering food, including some hidden in a cache below the rug. "What's going on?" "The ship's here," Jimsy explains, running off with the armload. Conan chases after to see what's going on. They reach another beach, where the Barracuda has set anchor. On the beach, people are gathering around a demonstration being given by Captain Dyce. Conan: Wow, what a big boat! The pilot must be something else! Several 2-meter-tall robots manned by the Barracuda crew come ashore in boats (the technology looks similar to Laputa, yet simpler), led by Douglas. Dyce is giving a sales pitch, showing off various goods of value to the poor islanders. He explains that they can earn these things by helping the Barracuda crew gather plastic. They are disappointed, but willing to start, so Dyce asks Douglas to lead them to work, and Douglas heads them off with his robot. Conan watches the robots in awe, and follows. Meanwhile, Jimsy confronts the cook, wanting to trade. The Captain leaves them to barter--the cook gives Jimsy 3 cigarettes. Jimsy protests, so he reluctantly puts down a fourth. Jimsy, unsatisfied, starts to gather the stuff and leave. The cook swears, and tells him to wait, and angrily adds one more. Jimsy mulls over this, puts the food down, and takes the five cigarettes--and then snatches a batch more from the cook's hand, making a run for it! The cook realizes he's been left with only three, and shouts after Jimsy. But Jimsy has run up the cliff surrounding the beach's aclove, and thus safe, takes a whiff of his fresh tobacco. He then realizes someone's missing, and wonders where Conan's run off to. The robots ("autoroids") are excavating the area in search of plastic. Dyce sees that the workers are having trouble identifying the difference between plastic and other junk, and labors to explain. Conan watches Douglas at work. Douglas tells him to stop looking at him but Conan merely waves back. Douglas then discovers an aged intact bicycle, and stops work to ride it downhill to show the captain. The autoroid is left alone and empty. Conan admires it, and climbs in. He pushes a lever, and the robot vibrates. Conan giggles mischieviously. He makes the robot do knee bends with its hands on its hips, and laughs more. He makes the robot do a hula-like gesture, but then loses control, and the autoroid tears downhill backwards. It heads straight at Douglas and Dyce, who is trying the bicycle. Douglas gets out of the way, and Dyce manages to get the bike to pedal up to speed, and is chased by the robot. "Stop!" Dyce shouts. "Get out of the way!" Conan advises. Dyce crashes into a pile, and is struck by the robot, which passes through it. He lands holding the handlebars of the dismembered bike, swearing--and is struck down by the wheel of the bike. He orders the crew to capture the hijacker. Conan is still stuck in the autoroid, which is now chasing workers around. Jimsy is watching the whole thing with great amusement. "This guy's amazing! This'll be interesting..." Conan has managed to turn the robot forward, but it is still running out of control. He asks how to stop the thing, and Douglas, chasing, tells him to use the "off" switch. Conan looks, and trys a switch. "This one?" The robot does an about- face and is now chasing Douglas. "Wrong one!" Captain Dyce leaps onto the back of the robot, and swipes at Conan. The robot runs up a cliff, and Conan bails out at the top, as the robot loses momentum and falls backwards. It tumbles down and lands on top of the Captain. Captain Dyce: Ouch, ouch, ouch! Jimsy helps Conan up, and rushes him off. Conan feels bad about what happened, but Jimsy tells him that he doesn't like them anyway, so it serves them right, as he happily runs off. At a cooking fire, the two relax, Jimsy enjoying a prized cigarette. Conan is still thinking about the ship. He then asks Jimsy if he has anyone close to him--like his Gramps. Jimsy gives a negative reply, and suggests they should become "best pals" (i.e. blood brothers). Conan agrees, and Jimsy offers the cigarette. Conan looks at it. Jimsy tells him just to breathe in a deep breath. He does, turns green, and collapses on the ground. Jimsy laughs. Jimsy: Now we're best pals! Conan (weakly--still sick): Yes, first-time best pals. Jimsy: Yay! INDUSTRIA STINKS! HOORAY FOR MY ISLAND!! Conan (startled): Hey! What was that you just said!? Jimsy: Huh? I said what? Conan: That last part! Jimsy: Umm... "Industria stinks..." Conan (interupting): That's it! You know of "Industria"!? Jimsy: Yeah, that ship "Barracuda" comes from that island. Conan: So..I see! Yaay! I've found Industria! All right! Conan is jumping about in joy. Jimsy is really confused. That night, the two arrive at the place where the Barracuda has stopped at. It is still there, its lights visible in the darkness. Jimsy: Are you really going to go? Conan: Uh-huh. At all costs, I've got to go to Industria. I must-- they've got Lanna. "Ah..Lanna, huh?" Jimsy thinks about this. "All right, I'm coming too," he decides, remarking that they'll need to get on the Barracuda undiscovered... somehow. End of Episode #3. To be continued... ****