The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982)

 

In 1532 a Spanish orphan named Esteban joins Mendoza, a navigator, and his associates Sancho and Pedro, in their journey to the New World.

Esteban joins the voyage because he hopes to find his father, who was lost at sea new the Americas.  The three adults have more mercenary aims.,  They hope to find one of the Seven Cities of Gold, which they believe will bring them untold riches.  Mendoza, having caught sight of an unusual amulet Esteban wears, believes the youngster might be of aid in completing this goal.

Once on the voyage, Esteban soon meets a young Inca woman named Zia, who has good reason to cynical about Mendoza's plans.  But there are far worse people looking for the Cities of Gold than Mendoza, so the three of them - as well as Sancho and Pedro, and another ally they will soon make - must learn to cooperate if they wish to stay alive long enough to unravel the mystery of the Cities' location.

Mysterious Cities of Gold was produced in the early 1980s, and I first saw it a few years later, while in my early teens.  Sometimes, revisiting a show from your younger days can be a painful awakening (teen me would be horrified by the news that Star Blazers is not good; not good at all), but I am pleased to say that this show actually holds up pretty well.  It's by no means flawless, but it's solid.

Lets start with the animation.  It is not overly complex, but it is competently executed throughout, and it is much more consistent in style and quality than many other animated shows of the era.  The characters all look like they're from the same show, and the designs of the various ancient devices of the lost Hiva Empire are cool.

The story, while perhaps a little drawn out at a whopping 39 episodes, also snakes along quite satisfyingly, with some characters (most notably Mendoza and his associates) having discernible arcs and growth over the length of the narrative.

There's also something of a real sense of threat to events.  Much of the threat is ultimately more apparent than real; this is a kids' show, after all; but - outside of the most central cast - this is not an entirely safe adventure.  Secondary characters, even sympathetic ones, can and do sometimes die.

If you have fond memories of the show, I don't think you will be disappointed by it.  Similarly, if you're in the mood for a pulp adventure animation that's fairly good about sympathetically depicting non-European cultures (though not terribly historically accurate, or good about gender diversity) it is worth a look.

If you do watch it, make sure you avoid the "next time" trailers at the end of each episode.  They often give away pretty much the whole plot of the following entry!