by The final episode of “The Rose of Versailles” that only people in certain regions know
From the first domestically produced Japanese TV anime, Astro Boy, in 1963, various unusual incidents have occurred in Anime.
The “Musashimaru Tragedy” caused the recording of the final episode of Cardcaptor Sakura to fail, the “Sailor Moon Last Shock” caused a flood of complaints about the shocking final episode, and so on. Incidents have always accompanied Anime. And Showa anime is no exception. Nowadays, it is rare for an anime to be suddenly canceled while it is being broadcast, but this was common in the Showa era when four consecutive seasons were often broadcast.
One of them is the completely new theatrical Anime The Rose of Versailles. The TV anime The Rose of Versailles was broadcast for about a year from 1979, with a total of 40 episodes. However, due to various circumstances, the series was discontinued in some regions at episode 24, and episode 24, “Portrait of a Burnt Rose,” was produced as the final episode of the local version.
This episode was not aired in Tokyo or other areas, and it was not later rebroadcast or released on video. Therefore, it is known as the final episode only people in that region watched, and it is still discussed as the “phantom 24th episode.” It is a rare event unique to the Showa era when it was not uncommon for a show to be discontinued due to adult circumstances.
Speaking of another rare event related to the cancellation, we cannot help but talk about the “Sora Momo Last Shock.” “Magical Princess Minky Momo,” aired in 1982, was the story of a girl named “Minky Momo” from the land of dreams who transforms into an adult with magical powers and struggles to protect people’s dreams. Its popularity was not limited to children; it also fascinated anime fans at the time, and the viewer ratings, initially in the single digits, gradually increased.
At first glance, there didn’t seem to be any problem that would lead to the show’s cancellation, but due to poor sales of related toys, it was decided to end the series at 46 episodes, down from the planned 52 episodes. The sudden cancellation caused the series’ comical style to change drastically at the end. Momo loses her magic pendant and decides to live as a normal girl, but just then, she is hit by a car and dies.
The unexpected ending of the main character’s death must have shocked viewers who had been following’s exploits up until that point. After that, the sponsor suddenly decided to extend the broadcast, and the second part began, in which Momo appeared as if nothing had happened.
In “Fist of the North Star,” which began airing in 1984, there is a strange incident involving voice actor Shigeru Chiba, who narrated the following episode preview. The following episode preview of this work was famous for being too high-tension, and it was a popular corner that received a large amount of fan mail addressed to the narrator.
However, he seemed to be forcing himself to produce that intense voice. Chiba himself finally felt that he had reached his limit, so he changed the tone of his narration to a more toned-down tone. As a result, viewers were flooded with complaints such as, “Why did you change the tone of the narration? I’m not watching anymore!!” and the staff tried to persuade him, saying, “I’m sorry, but please die…!” After that, Chiba became desperate and began to show even more intense previews for the next episode.
