by During the Showa era, various fairytale-like anime programs were broadcast on television, entertaining children of the time.
The Pointed Hat” (first aired in 1984), which aired during what is now known as “Sunday Morning Kids Time, ” featured adorable fairytale-like illustrations, while the little fairy-like Memole and her friends were romantic aliens called ” Lilur Aliens.” Also airing in the same time slot was “Maple Town Story” (first aired in 1986), a charming tale set in the idyllic forest town of “Maple Town,” depicting the daily lives of animals, including a young rabbit named Patty. Many of these Showa-era fairytale anime included moral elements, making them safe for parents to watch with their children.
However, some fairytale anime contained outrageous depictions of horror and shock, sometimes completely transforming the heartwarming atmosphere into abject despair. So, this time, we’d like to take a look back at some of the most traumatic and terrifying scenes depicted in these “Showa fairy tale anime.” *This article contains core content from the works.
The Empty Shell Gives You Shivers! Horror Depicted from a Small Perspective “The Adventures of Hutch the Orphan,” first aired in 1970, and centers on a young honeybee named Hutch. It’s a fantasy adventure series about a boy named Hutch who embarks on a journey to find his real mother, whom he’s separated from in the harsh natural world. While the series is a fairytale-like story featuring adorable, deformed insects, there are also many scenes in which the brave Hutch is subjected to cruel treatment.
While each incident is heartbreaking and tearful, some episodes are so terrifying that they send shivers down your spine. Episode 47, “Castle on the Farm,” was particularly memorable for me. During his journey, Hutch meets a young black wood ant named Peter. While the two are together, Hutch rescues a snail man who is being attacked by a giant rhinoceros beetle, his natural enemy. Later, Peter’s house is attacked by red wood ants, and he learns that his father has been killed. Furthermore, his younger siblings, encased in cocoons, have been kidnapped as slaves. Upon learning of the tragedy that struck Peter’s family, Uncle Snail implicitly advises him to give up, saying, “It’s nature, it’s the law of nature.
The strong oppress the weak.” However, Hutch and Peter practice fighting in an attempt to gain strength. Seeing this, Peter’s mother scolds him, saying, “I hate violence, no matter what.” Wanting to fight the red mountain ants somehow, Hutch consults Uncle Snail, but is opposed, saying, “That’s impossible.” However, when the knowledgeable Uncle tells him that the ants’ weakness is their inability to swim, Hutch and Peter come up with the idea of building a moat around the house. After much effort, they complete the moat around the house. They triumphantly head to Uncle Snail to tell him about it. But then tragedy strikes.
A giant snail appears before Hutch, with traces of something it has eaten around its mouth… Hurrying ahead, Hutch sees the snail’s shell, empty. This scene, when I realized what had happened to the Uncle, sent chills down my spine. Later, a horde of red wood ants appeared, ignoring the moat Hutch and his friends had built, and they ended up attacking Peter’s house. It was painful to watch Hutch and his friends helplessly as this overwhelmingly powerful force stole their vast number of pupae.
The two despaired after the red wood ants left, but Peter’s mother revealed that she had been hiding half of the pupae in a small, hidden room. She went on to explain that violence is not the way for weak people like them to survive. “If the enemy takes 100 pupae, I’ll lay 200 eggs,” she declared forcefully. While this is an unforgettable episode featuring the traumatic experience of the knowledgeable snail, it also showcases the resilience of even the weakest creatures.
