The Super Marco Brothers Super Show

  

The Super Marco Brothers Super Show
スーパーマルコの大冒険 (Sūpā Maruko no Daibōken)
Genre	Adventure Comedy Fantasy Isekai
Anime television series
Directed by	Mizuki Sato
Written by	Nobuo Harada
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	NA Toei Hollywood
Network	Asahi National Network (Asahi TV)
English network	NA First run syndication
Original run	March 8, 1989 – February 26, 1990
Episodes	50
Manga
Written by	Nobuo Harada
Illustrated by	Hikaru Yotsuda
Published by	Janshii Press
English publisher	NA Pan-Pacific Press
Demographic	Kodomo-muke
Magazine	Super Game
Original run	March 8, 1989 – November 30, 1989
Volumes	2

The Super Marco Brothers Super Show, known in its native Japan as Super Marco's Big Adventure (スーパーマルコの大冒険, Sūpā Maruko no Daibōken), is a 1989 Japanese anime series by Toei Animation. The series is based on the video games Super Marco Bros. and Super Marco Bros. 2 by Nintendo, and is the first of three Toei TV anime to be based upon the Marco video game series. It has also been identified as one of the earliest isekai anime, and the earliest isekai anime to involve a virtual video game world.

Plot

Late one night, Marco is playing a video game on his "Family Console" (a play on the Family Computer) when suddenly, he witnesses a girl on the television screen crying for help from the enemies attacking her. She escapes by jumping out of the TV and introduces herself as Princess Blossom. Before she can explain further, however, a giant hand reaches out of the TV and takes her back, leaving behind her necklace. The next day, while he and his brother Luca are fixing their neighbor's plumbing, Marco can't stop thinking about Blossom, which Luca initially brushes off as a dream, until he sees the necklace Blossom left behind.

Suddenly, a small, brown mushroom like creature jumps out of a wall and snatches the necklace, much to their bafflement. They follow chase into a green pipe, which sends them into a strange, yet barren landscape. After exploring it for a bit, they come across a castle, which appears to be empty. However, they soon encounter a statue of a king, who to there shock, starts to speak. His name is King Toadstool (茸王様, Kinoko Ōsama, "King Mushroom") and Mushroomia, his kingdom, has been cursed, turning most of it's Shroomy inhabitants into blocks; since the King is only half Shroomy, the curse only partially affected him. The only one who can break the curse is his daughter, Princess Blossom, the same girl who came out of the TV. However, she was captured by the the forces of Capos, the instigators of the Curse, and needs to be rescued along with the remaining unaffected Shroomies. Though Luca is reluctant, Marco agrees to rescue the princess.

The next two episodes are spent getting to Capos and finding the Shroomies and Princess Blossom. At the end of the third episode, Marco and Luca came face to face with King Yukke, the ruler of Capos, and the figure who captured Princess Blossom after she escaped from the TV. Explaining that he used the curse to take over the Kingdom, the brothers learn that Capos has already taken over most of Mushroomia outside of the capital, after which they engage in a battle with Yukke. The Marco Brothers overpower him, but are forced to flee with the Princess and the Shroomies when Yukke's army arrives. Making it back to the capital, Princes Blossom frees all the Shroomies, and her Father, from their curse. However, the story is not over, as Yukke still controls much of Mushroomia.

The rest of the series is spent on semi-episodic adventures in Mushroomia, as Marco, Luca, Princess Blossom, and Shroomy travel around helping to put an end to Yukke's reign. These include a trip under a sea, a meeting with a Zorro-esque freedom fighter, and even a trip to the Stars. Eventually, however, Yukke begins to formulate a new plan, to brainwash Princess Blossom into his side and turn everyone who opposes him into stone, including the Marco Brothers. the forms much of the plot of the last quarter of the series, as Marco and Luca rush back to Capos to stop Yukke.

The final episodes detail a battle between Yukke and the Mario Brothers, during which the King is banished to the Warp Zone, seemingly ending his reign of terror. With Mushroomia freed, Marco and Luca return home, but promise to come back and visit regularly. Meanwhile, Yukke promises to escape from his prison, a teaser for the show's follow-up.

Episodes

1. Super Marco Time (旅立て！TVからの乙女, Tabidate! Terebi kara no Otome, Begin the Journey! The Maiden from the TV) First aired March 8, 1989
2. Searching for Shroomies (助けて！キノコ一族, Tasukete! Kinoko Ichizoku, Help! The Mushroom People) First aired March 15, 1989
3. Into the Dark Place (駆けろ！ 暗黒の国, Kakero! Ankoku no Kuni, Run! The Land of Darkness) First aired March 22, 1989
4. Yukke's Coup (決戦（ショーダウン）！大魔王ユッケ, Shōdaun! Daimaō Yukke, Showdown! King Yukke) First aired March 29, 1989
5. Monkey Business (ウキーキーキー ！東遊記, Ukīkīkī! Tōyūki, Ook ook! Journey to the East) First aired April 5, 1989
6. Mushroom Gladiators (戦え！剣闘士（グラディアトル）たち, Tatakae! Guradiatoru-tachi, Fight! Gladiators) First aired April 12, 1989
7. The Flame Flower Kid (銃を撃て！マルコのウェスターン, Jū wo Ute! Maruko no Wesutān, Fire a Gun! Marco's Western) First aired April 19, 1989
8. Plumbers of the Round Table (蘇れ！聖剣エクスカリバー, Yomigaere! Seiken Ekusukaribā, Revive! The Sacred Sword Excalibur) First aired April 26, 1989
9. Jungle Fever (吠える！ジャングル・フィーバー, Hoero! Janguru Fībā, Roar! Jungle Fever) First aired May 3, 1989
10. The Number of Zero (行け！怪傑0, Yuke! Kaiketsu Zero, Go! The Extraordinary Zero) First aired May 10, 1989
11. The Undersea Palace (わくわく！新浦島太郎, Wakuwaku! Shin Urashima Tarō, Excitement! The New Urashima Tarō) First aired May 17, 1989
12. Karate Capos (とぉっ！ユッケの空手, Tō! Yukke no Karate, Hi-yah! Yukke's Karate) First aired May 31, 1989
13. Robotic Operating Badguy (オレハロボダ！奇怪機械, Ore wa Robo da! Kikai kikai, I am a Robot! A Bizarre Machine) First aired June 1, 1989
14. A Midsummer's Nightmare (眠れ！真夏の悪夢, Nemure! Manatsu no Akumu, Sleep! The Midsummer Nightmare) First aired June 8, 1989
15. Rollin' Down the River (泳げ！赤い河川, Oyoge! Akai Kasen, Swim! Red River) First aired June 15, 1989
16. Marco and the Beanstalk (すげぇ！巨人物語, Sugē! Kyojin Monogatari, Cool! A Tale of Giants) First aired June 22, 1989
17. The Great BMX Challenge (ダッシュー！モトクロス・レースだ, Dasshū! Motokurosu Rēsu da, Dash! A Motocross Race) (First aired June 27, 1989)
18. The 13 Labors of the Marco Brothers (ファイト！哀の勇者, Faito! Ai no Yūsha, Fight! Hero of Sorrow) First aired July 4, 1989
19. Pirates of Pasta (ヨーホーホー！海賊船セッティング・ドーン, Yōhōhō! Kaizokusen Settingu Dōn, Yo-ho-ho! Pirate Ship Setting Dawn) First aired July 11, 1989
20. A Magic Lamp or Two (ジンだ！ボクらの願望, Jin da! Bokura no Ganbō, It's a Genie! Our Wish) First aired July 18, 1989
21. Catty Cathy (可愛くないですか！？キャサリンはママ, Kawaikunai desu ka!? Kyasarin wa Mama, Isn't he cute!? Catherine's a Mama) First aired July 25, 1989
22. Yukke's Mechanical Menace (生きてる！人工怪獣, Iki-teru! Jinkō kaijū, It's Alive! The Artificial Monster) First aired August 1, 1989
23. Merlock Bolmes (やった！名探偵ボームズ, Yatta! Meitantei Bōmuzu, Hooray! Detective Bolmes) First aired August 15, 1989
24. Get the Gold! (探せ！黄金（ゴールド）, Sagase! Gōrudo, Search for it! Gold) First aired August 22, 1989
25. Falling Down (バイバイ！夏の終わり, Bai-Bai! Natsu no Owari, Bye bye! The End of Summer) First aired August 29, 1989
26. Another Plumber (それは！？人間共, Sore-wa!? Ningen-domo, Is that!? Humans) First aired September 5, 1989
27. To the Stars (スペース・オペラだ！遥かな星へ, Supēsa Opera da! Haruka na Hoshi e, It's a Space Opera! Towards a Distant Star) First aired September 12, 1989
28. Yukke's Big Plans (巨人化！ジャイアント 魔王, Kyojinka! Jaianto Maō, Gigantification! The Giant Demon King) First aired September 19, 1989
29. Dogfights and Turtlefights (飛び立て！戦闘機パスタ, Tobitate! Sentōki Pasuta, Take Off! The Fighter Plane Pasta) First aired September 26, 1989
30. Unbeatable Capos (倒せ！無敵ノロノコたち, Taose! Muteki Noronoko-tachi, Defeat them! The Unbeatable Noronokos) First aired October 3, 1989
31. The Legend of Winneshroom (走れ！平原のウィッノコ, Hashire! Heigen no Winnoko, Run! Winnoko of the Plains) First aired October 10, 1989
32. Baby Blossom (キミはベビー！若返りの泉, Kimi wa Bebī! Wakagaeri no Izumi, You are a baby! The Fountain of Youth) First aired October 24, 1989
33. Count Capula (怖いだよ！吸血鬼（ヴァンパイア）変態, Kowai da yo! Vanpaia Hentai, How Scary! A Vampiric Metamorphosis) First aired October 31, 1989
34. Shroomy the Road Runner (変身！仮面バイカー, Henshin! Kamen Baikā, Transform! The Masked Biker) First aired November 7, 1989
35. Plumbers Academy (フラシュバック！配管工学園, Furasshu Bakku! Haikankō Gakuen, Flashback! Plumbers Academy) First aired November 14, 1989
36. The Pied Capo (おのれ！パイド・パイパー, Onore! Paido Paipā, Curse You! The Pied Piper) First aired November 21, 1989
37. Spy Guy (僕達はスパイ！秘密の使命, Boku-tachi wa Supai! Himitsu no Shimei, We're Spies! A Secret Mission) First aired November 28, 1989
38. Tales of the Golden Lemur (危ない！黄金狐猿, Abunai! Ōgon Kitsunezaru, Danger! The Golden Lemur) First aired December 5, 1989
39. Yukke's Plan (ガハハ！大魔王の大作戦, Gahaha! Daimaō no Daisakusen, Ga-ha-ha! The Great Demon King's Master Plan) First aired December 12, 1989
40. Christmas in Shroomia (メリー・クリスマス！冬季天国, Merī Kurisumasu! Tōki Tengoku, Merry Christmas! A Wintery Heaven) First aired December 19, 1989
41. New Years Eve (覚えろ！新年の抱負, Oboero! Shin'nen no Hōfu, Remember! New Year's Resolutions) First aired December 26, 1989
42. Robbin' Woods (反逆しろ！ロビン・ウッド, Hangyaku Shiro! Robin Uddo, Rebel! Robin Wood) First aired January 2, 1989
43. Prison Escape (行くぞ！監獄を逃げろ, Ikuzo! Kangoku o Nigero, Here we go! Escape the Prison) First aired January 9, 1989
44. Sea Side Blues (なぜ！？潜水艦バトル, Naze!? Sensuikan Batoru, What!? A Submarine Battle) First aired January 15, 1989
45. Food Fight (頂きます！フッドファイトだぜ, Itadakimasu! Fuddo Faito da ze, Let's Eat! It's a Food Fight) First aired January 22, 1990
46. Yukke Wins... (許さない！ユッケの勝利, Yurusanai! Yukke no Shōri, Don't Allow It! Yukke's Victory) First aired January 29, 1990
47. Dark Wedding (えぇっ！？魔結婚式, Eh!? Ma Kekkonshiki, Huh!? A Demonic Wedding) First aired February 5, 1990
48. Race to the Finish (はやく！姫救出, Hayaku! Hime Kyushutsu, Hurry! Princess Rescue) First aired February 12, 1990
49. Just in Time (止めろ！ユッケの怒り, Yamero! Yukke no Ikari, Stop! Yukke's Rage) First aired February 19, 1990
50. Into the Warpzone (真決戦！運命（さだめ）の兄弟（ブラザーズ）, Shin Kessen! Sadame no Burazāzu, The Real Showdown! Brothers of Destiny) First aired February 26, 1990

Voice cast

English

• Mike Coppola as Marco
• Lenny Marx as Luca
• Trini del Rio as Princess Blossom, Shroomy, and additional voices
• Robert Patrick as King Yukke and additional voices
• Frank Welker as the Narrator, King Toadstool and Additional Voices

Japanese

• Tōru Furuya (古谷 徹) as Marco
• Kenji Noda (野田 憲司) as Luca
• Yuriko Yamamoto (山本 百合子) as Princess Blossom
• Miyako Endō (遠藤 みやこ) as Shroomy
• Masaharu Satō (佐藤 正治) as King Yukke
• Chikao Ohtsuka (大塚 周夫) as King Toadstool
• Ichirou Mizuki (水木 一郎) as the Narrator; credited as Toshio Hayakawa (早川 俊夫)

Songs

Opening Theme

• Jump Marco Brothers! (跳べ！マルコブラザーズ, Tobe! Maruko Burazāzu)
  • Composition: Hibiki Mifune (御船 ヒビキ)
  • Arrangement: Tsubuasa Yamato (山戸 翼)
  • Lyrics: Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文)
  • Performance: Ichirou Mizuki (水木 一郎)
  • Label: Nippon Columbia

Ending Theme

• Towards a Distant Star (遥かな星へ, Haruka na Hoshi e)
  • Composition: Hibiki Mifune (御船 ヒビキ)
  • Arrangement: Tsubuasa Yamato (山戸 翼)
  • Lyrics: Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文)
  • Performance: Mitsuko Horie (堀江 美都子)
  • Label: Nippon Columbia

Insert Themes

• Flame On! Flame Flower (燃え上がれ！フレーム・フラワー, Moeagare! Furēmu Furawā)
  • Composition and Lyrics: Hibiki Mifune (御船 ヒビキ)
  • Arrangement: Tsubuasa Yamato (山戸 翼)
  • Performance: Kenji Noda (野田 憲司)
  • Label: Nippon Columbia

• Now's the Chance! Marco's Theme (今が！チャンスだ！マルコのテーマ, Ima ga! Chansu da! Maruko no Tēma)
  • Composition and Lyrics: Hibiki Mifune (御船 ヒビキ)
  • Arrangement: Tsubuasa Yamato (山戸 翼)
  • Performance: Ichirou Mizuki (水木 一郎)
  • Label: Nippon Columbia

Production

Before the series was conceived, Toei Animation and Toei Company spent about a year trying to convince Nintendo to license the characters. Higher ups at Toei had children who owned a Family Computer, and many felt that Super Marco Bros had potential for an anime adaptation. Nintendo had been looking to adapt some of it's games, however, they were mainly shopping around to studios like Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Nippon Animation, and Shin-Ei. Toei's pitches had failed to impress Nintendo executives, until writer Nobuo Harada (原田 のぶお) sent a pitch to Marco creator Hirofumi Tezuka (手束 弘文), who managed to get the approval of Nintendo higher ups. This deal enabled Toei to produce a 52 episode series titled Super Marco's Big Adventure, and also gave Harada permission to write a manga adaptation, which would be published in the inaugural issue of Janshii Press's Super Game manga magazine, which is now owned by Nintendo.

Ichirou Mizuki

The show was produced with an international audience in mind, as such, stories were made featuring characters inspired by the likes of King Arthur, Sherlock Holmes, and Robin Hood, among others. However, several eastern stories made their way into the episodes, including Journey to the West, Urashima Taro, even a Kamen Rider parody. Veteran voice actors were cast, such as Tōru Furuya, best known for voicing Amuro Ray in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, as Marco, Kenji Noda as Luca and Chikao Ohtsuka as King Toadstool. Popular anisong artist Ichirou Mizuki was cast as the narrator, for his work, he was credited by his real name, Toshio Hayakawa. Mizuki also sang the show's opening theme, Jump Marco Brothers! (跳べ！マルコブラザーズ, Tobe! Maruko Burazāzu).

The first four episodes of the show center around the rescue of Princess Blossom. The episodes after the first 4 were mostly episodic until about episode 39, when Yukke began developing a plan to deal with the Marco Brothers once and for all. This plan, involving brainwashing Blossom into being his wife, would be formalized in the final five episodes of the show, which saw the highest ratings in of the show's original run.

Toei's Sierran branch, Toei Hollywood, began planning an English adaptation. Mike Coppola, Lenny Marx and Trini del Rio were cast as the leads, while Robert Patrick was cast as King Yukke.

Broadcast

In Japan, Super Marco's Big Adventure aired in the Wednesday 3:30pm timeslot on Asahi National Network, with Asahi TV as the parent station. The show was a hit with its target audience, prompting Asahi TV to commission a follow-up series.

In the Kingdom of Sierra and Western Anglo-America, the show was syndicated to various stations by Hollywood Syndications. The main station groups that aired the show were Tokki Owned Stations and Broadco Stations in Sierra, Wolf Communications and Skyline Broadcasting in Superior, Urban Stations in Manitoba, and Crust Communications in Astoria. After the show finished its initial run, Nintendo of America and Toei Hollywood signed a deal with Tokki to air the next two Marco shows on their Tokki Kids block.

Stations in Japan

Broadcast area	Station	Network	Timeslot	Notes
Kanto Region	TV Asahi	Asahi National Network	Wednesday 3:30pm	Production station

Stations in Kingdom of Sierra

City	Station	Affiliation	Owner
Porciúncula	KTBS 4	Tokki	Tokki Owned Stations
Riverside	KRSR 4
San Diego	KDDA 9
San Francisco	KCDS 4
San Jose	KTKK 4
St. Anne	KSAO 4
Honolulu	KIKU 7
Tijuana	KPCF 5		Broadco Stations
El Centro	KCEN 10
Eureka	KURK 3	Independent
Sacramento	KSCR 13
Las Vegas	KVGS 8	Tokki
Salt Lake City	KDTV 2
Phoenix	KPHO 2
Grand Junction	KING 5	Independent
Salsipuedes	KSLS 5
La Paz	KPAZ 12

Stations in Superior

City	Station	Affiliation	Owner
New Hamburg	WNHM 3	SCT	Wulf Communications
Saint Anthony	WSNT 5
Madison	WMDS 6
New Michigan	WNMG 2
Green Bay	WGBE 10
Clarke	KTVQ 2		Skyline Broadcasting
Great Falls	KGFH 3
Bozeman	KBZM 7
Missoula	KMON 8
Butte	KBTT 8
Casper	KTWO 2	NAB	Wild West Communications
Cheyenne	KKTQ 16
Duluth	WDA 3	Independent
Helena	KSOS 17		Metropolitan Media
New Glascow	KGLC 24
Laramie	KLRM 15
Agustus	KCSR 13		Latin Telecommunications
Saint Denis	KDNS 5	SCT
Springfield	KRCH 5

Stations in Manitoba

City	Station	Affiliation	Owner
Ouinipignon	MINT 13	Independent	Urban Stations
Toscouné	MTOS 5
Fort-des-Prairies	MEDM 51
La Reine	MQWN 49

Home media

Toei Video released VHS tapes of the Anime in Japan in the months leading up to the show's end. In 2002, they would release the show on DVD, in four volumes of 13 episodes.

See also

• The Hyrule Fantasy

Attribution notices
This page uses material from the Wikipedia page The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).