Summary
Hayao Miyazaki is the father of the famousStudio Ghibli, but that was not where he started in the world of anime. Did you know that he was already working on other projects before he helped foundStudio Ghibliand started down the road to what would become one of the most famous anime studios of all time? Way before hewon his first Golden Globe Award, Miyazaki was working on an anime series calledSherlock Hound.
Sherlock Houndis an anime series that aired between 1984 and 1985, with 26 episodes. It is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famousdetective,Sherlock Holmes, but the twist is that all the characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic dogs. The anime also has a Jules Verne-inspired style, withplenty of steampunk elementsto shake things up and keep it interesting. The anime was popular enough that several of the episodes were turned into movies that were released in cinemas in Japan in the 1980s.
Hayao Miyazaki worked onSherlock Houndbefore he founded Studio Ghibli. He directed the first six episodes of the series before it came to a temporary halt due to legal problems with the Doyle estate. By the time those were cleared up, though, Miyazaki had gone on to directNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the first film under the Studio Ghibli name. Because of this, the rest of the episodes inSherlock Houndwere directed instead by Kyōsuke Mikuriya. However, Miyazaki’s signature style can still be seen in the animation style ofSherlock Hound, which has sequences that really look like they could come from a Ghibli movie.
Interestingly, a film version of the first two episodes ofSherlock Houndwas released in 1984 before the show could finally air on television - and it was released in the cinema alongsideNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Both were directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Due to the success ofNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the other episodes ofSherlock Houndthat were directed by the now-famous Miyazaki also went on to be turned into theatrical movies. Another one was also released alongside the Studio Ghibli filmLaputa: Castle in the Sky.
Now, of course Studio Ghibli is famous all around the world, and many instantly recognize the name of Hayao Miyazaki. So for the 40th anniversaryofSherlock Hound, four of the episodes directed by Miyazaki are coming back to theaters in Japan for the first time since the 80s. The episodes “Blue Ruby,” “Treasure Under the Sea,” “Mrs. Hudson is Taken Hostage,” and “Air Battle Over Dover” are being shown in select Japanese cinemas for a limited time.
Hayao Miyazaki is not the only Studio Ghibli legend who worked on these episodes, though. Additionally, character designer Yoshifumi Kondo (Grave of the Fireflies,Princess Mononoke) and animation director Nizo Yamamoto (Laputa: Castle in the Sky,Princess Mononoke) also worked on some of the episodes before going onto work at Studio Ghibli! When you are watchingSherlock Hound, you can definitely see the parallels between the style of the anime and early Studio Ghibli films because of this team.
The four episodes, which were combined to make two movies in 1984 and 1986, are being down back-to-back in this revival at the theater.Sherlock Houndwill be shown at 117 theaters across Japan from March 22nd to April 18th. Some of the biggest cinemas in downtown Tokyo, including Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (in theheart of one of Tokyo’s top otaku neighborhoods), will have showings specifically between March 22nd and April 4th. Get ready for nearly four hours of adventure withSherlock Hound.
