The animated feature films "The Gentle Lion" and "Haru's Flute," based on picture books by Yanase Takashi, the manga artist and picture book author who created "Anpanman," will be broadcast consecutively on NHK Educational TV from 4:30 p.m. on December 28th.
"The Gentle Lion" is a story about the bond between a baby lion who has lost his mother and a mother dog who has lost her cubs.
At a certain zoo, a baby lion named Bulbul who lost his mother and a mother dog named Mukumuku who also lost her cubs live together as if they were real parents and children. With the help of lullabies sung by Mukumuku, Bulbul grows into a fine lion. However, one day, Bulbul is transferred to another zoo, and the two are separated.
One night, several years later, Buruburu hears the familiar lullaby that Mukumuku sang to him...
The original was released in 1970. It also appeared in the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan," which was based on the Yanase-san and Nobu-san couple, and became a hot topic. This time, the audio will be a revised version (1998) with new voice actors and some of the lines changed.
"Haru's Flute" is a touching story about the bond between Nuki's mother and the boy she raised.
Haru the raccoon dog is a popular character in the forest, skilled at somersaults and playing the bamboo flute. One day, he finds a human baby in the forest. Disguised as a human mother, Haru names the baby Pal and begins to raise him. The baby grows up quickly, and a famous musician passing by notices the baby's talent as he plays the bamboo flute, imitating Haru's style. The baby then goes off to the city to study music.
Haru endures the loneliness of parting and sees Pal off, wishing him happiness...
The voice cast includes Keiko Toda, Masako Nozawa, Ryusei Nakao, Hiroshi Masuoka, and Mika Kanai.
