Super Mario Issun-bōshi
The title of this article is official, but it comes from aJapanese source.
If anacceptable English name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| Super Mario Issun-bōshi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Manufacturer | Amada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. |
| Distributor | Amada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. |
| Release date |  August 3, 1989[1] |
| Language | Japanese |
| Format | VHS |
| Runtime | 15 minutes |
Super Mario Issun-bōshi is the second of theAmada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros. VHSes. It is based on the Japanese folk taleIssun-bōshi ("The One-Inch Boy"), the Japanese equivalent of the English fairy taleTom Thumb. As with all of the other VHSes of the series, it was released byAmada Printing Mfg. Co., Ltd. on August 3, 1989.[2][1]
Plot synopsis[edit]
A shooting star gives a couple the child they had wished for, Mario, but he is only an inch tall. As the child grows older, he becomes adventurous and after climbing a tree and catching a glimpse of a city past the mountains, he becomes determined to travel there. Concerned for his safety, hisMama andPapa say "no" at first, but eventually Papa realizes that it would be doing more harm to keep Mario sheltered forever. He fashions Mario a tiny sword out of a sewing needle, turns a bowl into a boat with small rocket engines, and makes an oar out of a chopstick for Mario to steer it with. He then brings the boat to the river and bids his son farewell as Mario sets sail, singing as he goes.
Mario sees aSpiny Cheep-Cheep jumping out of the water, a flock ofPara-Beetles, and even aBloober withkids flying with its brood. At one point, aDry Bones rises under Mario, but he uses the rockets to fly his boat off its back and get back onto the water, taking a detour through its eye socket along the way, before it clatters apart and sinks back under the river. Later, Mario is caught in a storm caused by aLakitu, who laughs as its cloud sends rain and lightning down upon him, struggling against the choppy water until a particularly large wave finally sinks his boat.
When Mario opens his eyes, he finds himself in a tiny bed on a bench in the city, withPrincess Peach watching over him. She introduces herself and explains that she had been taking a walk after the storm when she spotted him washed up on shore, unconscious, having floated down the river all the way to the city. He thanks her for saving him and tells her that he had come to the city to learn new things, and having grown fond of the cute, tiny Mario, Peach tells him that he should stay there with her, which Mario is happy to hear.
From then on, the two are always together, with Mario riding on Peach's shoulder as she walks around town. But when she hears heavy, crashing footsteps, Peach screams and tries to flee, only to find herself face-to-face withBowser. He is in love with her and demands an answer to his (latest) proposal, but she tells him that she would never marry someone like him. Turning red with anger, Bowser prepares to use force to get what he wanted, but Mario jumps off Peach's shoulder and brandishes his sword at the villain. Bowser laughs at the tiny boy's challenge and tries to step on him, but Mario nimbly dodges every stomp.
Despite Mario's best efforts, Bowser soon manages to snatch him up with his claws and swallows him whole, as Peach watches in horror. Bowser then returns to harassing Peach, but just as he announces his intent to kidnap her, he is brought up short by intense belly pains caused by Mario jumping around his stomach and stabbing him from the inside out with his sword. Peach realizes what's happening as Koopa collapses at her feet and coughs up Mario. He regains consciousness with Mario still perched on his face, but Mario quickly cuts off his horns and eyebrows with three strokes of his sword, causing the Bowser to run away in humiliation while the humans laugh. Peach thanks Mario for defeating Bowser, and then notices a magic wish-grantinghammer he had dropped as he fled, which she uses to grant Mario's wish to become a full-sized young man. The two then enter a hovercraft and fly back to Mario's home to continue their lives together.
Gallery[edit]
Title card
Characters[edit]
Cast[edit]
The cast list is taken from the end of the VHS.[2]
- Toru Furuya ―Mario
- Miyako Endō ―Princess Peach
- Naoki Tatsuta ―Papa
- Masaharu Satō ―Bowser
- Toshiko Sawada ― Narration
Soundtrack[edit]
This episode includes a list of licensed music, which mainly differs from the other episodes:
| Title | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paths of Water | Yanni | Plays on theAmada logo. |
| New Hampshire Hornpipe | Dave Grusin | Plays at the beginning and ending. |
| Snapshot | Art of Noise | Plays during the growth of Mario and his trip to the city. |
| Train | Robert Fripp,Andy Summers | Plays when the storm starts. |
| On Golden Pond | Dave Grusin | Plays when Mario wakes up next to Peach. |
| Reunion | Patrick O'Hearn | Plays when Peach explains Mario how she found him and then touring the city. |
| Rockers | Jerry Goodman | Both play during the battle between Mario and Bowser. |
| Comes and Goes | Art of Noise | |
| Street Level | Yanni | Plays in the previews, as a way to promote the rest of the episodes before the credits. |
| Homeward Bound | Patrick O'Hearn | Plays over the credits. |
Notable mistakes and errors[edit]
- WhenMario sees theLakitu, his glove is missing.
- WhenMario stands on the apparently-defeatedBowser's snout, the latter's horns turn completely dark-yellow.
Mario's missing glove
Bowser's miscolored horns
Blurb[edit]
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
|---|---|---|
ファミコンマリオが⋯⋯ いっすんぼうしになってだいかつやく！！ 小さな体に、大きなのぞみ⋯⋯ 一寸法師のマリオは希望の街をめざします。 旅の途中、嵐にあったマリオはピーチ姫に助けられ楽しい日々をすごしていましたが⋯⋯ 鬼のようなクッパ大王におそわれたピーチ姫を助けるために一寸法師のマリオが大活やく―。 | Famikon Mario-ga…… Issun-bōshi-ni natte daikatsuyaku!! Chīsana karada-ni, ōkina no zomi…… Issun-bōshi no Mario-wa kibō no machi-o mezashimasu. Tabi no tochū, arashi-ni atta Mario-wa Pīchi-hime-o tasukerare tanoshī hibi-o sugoshiteimashita-ga…… Oni no youna Kuppa-Daiō-ni osowareta Pīchi-hime-o tasukeru tame-ni Issun-bōshi no Mario-ga daikatsuyaku… | Famicom Mario does a great effort to be…… Issun-bōshi!! Small body, big hopes…… Issun-bōshi Mario longs for the city. During his journey, he is saved by Princess Peach during a storm; they spend fun days with each other…… Issun-bōshi Mario does a great effort to save Princess Peach, who is tormented by the Great Demon-like King Bowser… |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スーパーマリオいっすんぼうし編[2] Sūpā Mario Issun-bōshi Hen | Super Mario: Issun-bōshi | Written title |
| スーパーマリオのいっすんぼうし[2] Sūpā Mario no Issun-bōshi | Super Mario's Issun-bōshi | Spoken title |
Notes[edit]
- This VHS is the only VHS in theAmada Anime Series to not have any scenes shown in the credits.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Super Mario Issun-bōshi on YouTube.
