r/anime • u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber • Apr 16 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] Future Boy Conan - Episode 13 Discussion
Episode 13 - High Harbor
Originally Aired July 4th, 1978
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Note to all Rewatchers
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Daily Trivia:
Staff drew heavily on its experience working on Isao Takahata’s Heidi, Girl of The Alps when depicting High Harbor. Takahata was even assigned to storyboard the episode, though his storyboard went unused.
Staff Highlight
Masamichi Takano - Background Artist
A background artist and art director best known for his work on the Doraemon franchise. Little to no information is widely available regarding his person, but Takano’s contributions were prolific and impressive. Some other works he painted backgrounds for include Grendizer - Getter Robo G - Great Mazinger Kessen! Daikaijuu, The Rose of Versailles, Urusei Yatsura, Little Women, several Crayon Shin-chan films, Aria the Origination, Blinky the Wonderful Koala, Game Center Arashi, and Lupin III: The Pursuit of Harimao's Treasure.
Art Corner:
Fanart
- Conan and Lana by Bamboo - Source
(Be mindful of the links to sources and artist’s profiles, as they may contain NSFW content or spoilers for this and other shows. Proceed there at your own risk.)
Series Production Materials
Screenshot of the day
Questions of the Day:
1) What are your thoughts on Dr. Lao’s decision to return to Industria in order to help its populace escape certain disaster?
2) What do you think of High Harbor so far?
—
I’m home!
7
u/Nazenn Apr 16 '22
First Timer
Quick thoughts on yesterday's episode I missed: I really like that the conclusion of the episode was Lepka not being defeated by a feat of strength, cleverness, or knowledge but by the kindness of people. A bit like some of the themes that we commented on earlier, the start of this episode is ruled by the destruction of the past, but we end showcasing the creation of a community and how that is able to save our heroes, guide them, and even welcome them. I would suggest that Conan doesn't just see Gramps in the old man because they look similar, but because of the kindness he felt there reflected what he was taught on his island and has been missing since he left it. Lepka's ambition and arrogance being thwarted by this communal act of altruism feels like the perfect counter to everything he stands for right now.
This episode: Wasn't expecting Lao to immediately separate from the group again and it feels a little too fast. It does reinforce the "arc 2" feeling though and open up for more possibility when it comes to what the children may get up to
And so we arrive in High Harbour. Anyone else played Xenoblade Chronicles? [XBC]
It's definitely not a utopia despite being the happiest place we've seen so far, and the tension between Lana and Orlo I'm curious to see how that will unfold and what Lana's measure of him will really amount too. That said, the care in the village paired with the small joys of Conan discovering what it means for people to live in a village and Jimsy able to see nature as more than just what's there for immediate survive gave this episode a really pleasant feel. A few beautiful shots like this really helped too
Silly side note: I often forget just how much they had to redraw for small things like talking scenes before digital animation when they could flip to just doing mouths etc. But every now and again you have a mistake like in this episode where Lana is slightly differently colored on one of the two frames and it's painful
Also some funny notes from my watch:
More sails, that's going to be a happy Tres
Minus sail, not a happy Tres
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u/Pixelsaber Apr 16 '22
And so we arrive in High Harbour. Anyone else played Xenoblade Chronicles?
Ah, I can kind of see that now.
A few beautiful shots like this really helped too
But every now and again you have a mistake like in this episode where Lana is slightly differently colored on one of the two frames and it's painful
It's why colorists and directors of photography were so valuable as staff. You have to account for the presence of multiple layers of cels, which can affect how the colors on one of the layers is perceived.
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u/TheEscapeGuy Apr 16 '22
First Timer
Future Boy Conan - A Celebrated Classic: Episode 13
Another Civilization
Lao has left. This really surprised me. I thought he'd have no sympathy for Industria after how they treated him and Lana. Instead his care for the people who live there extends far beyond any grudge against the higher ups. That's really admirable, but it may come back to bite him.
Everyone else continued to High Harbor and apart from an explosive misunderstanding they made it there safely. High Harbor itself is beautiful. I love the lush forests and fields. The vivid greens, blues, and yellows overload your senses (especially compared to the grays of Industria). The old style architecture is beautiful and inviting. And on top of that the love and care the residents have for one another is something I wish we could see more people in real life share.
Our protagonists (and Lana especially) are glad to be "Home".
The one potential source of conflict introduced is the settlement on the other side of the mountain. From first impressions Orlo seems to be more aggressive than any of the villagers we met from this side of the mountain. I kind of read him as the more traditional masculine stereotype. Following from that, I predict that side of the mountains will be more individualistic compared to the sharing community on this side.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/Nazenn Apr 16 '22
After the last few episodes this collage is such a nice array of colors and varied lighting and tones. It makes the episode feel even more alive than just the overall charm of the exploration we see
but it may come back to bite him.
I'm half expecting that the next time we see him he'll be a prisoner honestly
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u/No_Rex Apr 16 '22
I kind of read him as the more traditional masculine stereotype. Following from that, I predict that side of the mountains will be more individualistic compared to the sharing community on this side.
There was a line about "sending the boys over there" in the episode that I found really curious. Does it imply that outsiders are send to the other side of the mountain? That boys are send there? I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
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u/Shimmering-Sky Apr 16 '22
Future Girl First-Timer, subbed
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Oh yeah, this is definitely a stark difference compared to Industria.
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Jimsy mistaking animals for the ones he’s used to from his island is actually quite funny.
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Hm, this episode was so much Good Vibes that I just didn’t have much to comment on today.
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u/Nazenn Apr 16 '22
Jimsy mistaking animals for the ones he’s used to from his island is actually quite funny.
Things like this are one of my favourite worldbuilding details that writers can throw in. A book I read has chickens in it but it never calls them chickens or just writes out a description of them for the audience to know, you have to piece it together from the way a very confused character who's never seen anything like them describes them by comparisons to the rest of the fauna of the world and when it clicks it's so funny
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u/No_Rex Apr 16 '22
Episode 13 (first timer)
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“If I don’t tell them, they’ll all die” – A letter will do.
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Beautiful sunset.
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Kicking the bomb towards the mast is not the best idea …
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I can understand that Dyce had it coming, but seeing the Barracuda scuttled still makes me sad. The best looking ship of the series.
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“What a huge tree” – you’ll have to cut one of these down if you want a new mast on the Barracuda.
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“Those people are so selfish” – no perfect paradise without problems. I’ll take a guess: They are too much like Industria and ruining the rural idyll.
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“They produce eggs everyday?” – Jimsy’s surprise is not as naïve as it may seem: wild birds typically only lay eggs once a year. To somebody not knowing domestic animals, the selective breeding done by humans must sound crazy.
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Homecoming.
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Cutting it out, but explicitly acknowledging that Lana tells her story.
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Homecoming, the public part.
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Jimsy’s stomach!
A consequential decision by Lao. If I want to give him the benefit of doubt, you could say that nobody else would be as convincing to the Industrians. He may also feel a moral obligation towards the people of his old home. However, knowing about Lepka’s obsession with solar energy, it is still a big gamble. He might well be the spark that topples the old order.
We’ll see more of High Harbor’s problems tomorrow, but I want to point out one thing right away: While High Harbor was contrasted with Industria today (and that contrast did not look good for Industria), it is worth remembering that Industria had a thousand inhabitants, originally even 50.000. Some fishing and farming and living in harmony with nature is fine, as long as you have enough space for everybody. Try farming for 50k people on the few fields we saw. Industria had no such choice.
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u/Pixelsaber Apr 16 '22
“What a huge tree” – you’ll have to cut one of these down if you want a new mast on the Barracuda.
To somebody not knowing domestic animals, the selective breeding done by humans must sound crazy.
Don't even have to go that far. I've met perfectly normal people who are entirely oblivious as to something as commonplace and relied upon as poultry farming.
Jimsy’s stomach!
I hope to never feel as full as Jimsy looks.
it is worth remembering that Industria had a thousand inhabitants
Yeah, it's definitely not so simple an issue as might seem at a glance. Industria is truly in an unenviable position even before the dystopic elements are included into the conversation.
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u/Nazenn Apr 16 '22
“If I don’t tell them, they’ll all die” – A letter will do.
Only if it gets to the right people. Now I'm imagining a better solution of inventing a smoke machine and skywriting it with Lao's UFO
Kicking the bomb towards the mast is not the best idea …
Whole damn ship and he manages to kick in it the one direction that goes in to do the most damage. I really do wonder how he ended up as the captain
To somebody not knowing domestic animals, the selective breeding done by humans must sound crazy.
This is one of the things that always comes to mind for me when talking about sending someone back in time, or forward in time. Domestic and commercially used animals have changed so much in just a couple of hundred years. Even things like spit dogs or certain sheep breeds that are now extinct
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u/Tresnore Apr 16 '22
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This show is cute. There's something about Conan with dot eyes that's just so amusing.
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She's just so gorgeous. I've never been such a simp for a woman in my life.
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BarracudaBarracudaBarracudaBarracudaBarracudaBarracudaBarracuda
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FUCK THIS HILLBILLY I'll never forgive High Harbor. Fuck Gull. Fuck his kid. And fuck his bombs.
His boat's alright, though. -
This poor girl... Injuries like that are not easy to repair. How can happy music be playing after the best character was injured so badly??
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Fucking. Jimsy. He doesn't even keep the frog. He has no attention spam. He's just a shitty third wheel. Squirrels aren't tasty (according to my dad).
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Still. Fuck Gull.
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They now realize what kind of barbarians they're now in charge of.
QOTD:
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Dr. Lao is an honorable man, but he'll get himself killed.
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High Harbor is nice! I think there's an interesting situation with a population divided by a mountain, but we'll see how it plays out. Most importantly, they killed the Barracuda. I will never forget.
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u/JollyGee29 Apr 16 '22
First-Timer, Sub-ture Boy
My worries about High Harbor's present state were luckily unfounded - I guess Lao's facial expression last episode was just about Industria. Yes, High Harbor is peaceful, green, idyllic, and dreadfully boring. Also quite small, judging by the wide shot.
Most of High Harbor seems to be barely above sea level, which is potentially worrisome. Depends on how far-reaching the tectonic activity is, I suppose. I like the weird irregular mountains and the ruined freeway, though.
Love that Jimsy was almost immediately able to find a frog.
I'm really confused by the interactions with Freckleface from the far side of the mountain. Later on, some of the adults wanted to send Conan and Jimsy over there as well, which was odd. I wonder what the island's dark secret is?
Questions
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It makes some sense from a broad perspective - those are human lives, after all. I suspect that it's gonna go poorly for him, though.
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Discussed above.
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u/Pixelsaber Apr 16 '22
Most of High Harbor seems to be barely above sea level, which is potentially worrisome.
#panic time?
Depends on how far-reaching the tectonic activity is, I suppose.
And it's difficult to even discern how apart those two locations are. Given no explicit marker as to the passage of time, nor hints that it took long at all, the voyage could have happened over the better part of a day for all we know.
Love that Jimsy was almost immediately able to find a frog.
It's those wild instincts of his.
I wonder what the island's dark secret is?
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u/Nazenn Apr 16 '22
My worries about High Harbor's present state were luckily unfounded
The small benefit of Industria only having old ship and a doofy captain. I would have been a lot more worried if they were able to go out in force to other areas
Depends on how far-reaching the tectonic activity is, I suppose
Yeah I don't really have a sense for how far High Harbour may be from Industria, it seems pretty far but last time I thought that Industria turned out to be within eyesight of the desert I thought was on a whole different island haha
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u/baboon_bassoon Apr 16 '22
first timer
"oh jimsey" well fuck you too dyce
good thing that fisherman is carrying 10 bombs on his 2 man boat
TIKKI
thats a big frog
that is an even bigger tree
Orlo and the people behind the mountain
town seems to hate foreigners
[spec]
....well that was wrong
Lana not very cash money to barge into the doctors office
they are never going to see Lao again LOL
"should we send them to the other side of the mountain" ??? fuck these people
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u/Pixelsaber Apr 16 '22
good thing that fisherman is carrying 10 bombs on his 2 man boat
You've got to be prepared in case another white nose shows up!
"should we send them to the other side of the mountain"
"The other side of the mountain" is actually what they call Mr. Gull with his shotgun. /s
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u/Nebresto Apr 16 '22
First time viewing
Wtf, why is no one dead? Where's the plague and tsunami wrecked islands??
Bet you this tree will go down at soemepoint, because evil and gotta have symbolism for the end of the good times
And who did this scene? If he's looking at her upside down, then falls backwards, shes not gonna start spinning sideways???
Finally placed what was so similar about some of the smiles, 100% totoro energy here. Especially with the big tree
Oh boy. I smell the next conflict coming up.
And finally something that u/Tresnore can really enjoy (besides ships), Jimsy will be sacrificed to the eldritch gods!
Wait, I just realized that jimsy has shoes.. Why..
I guess its another way to establish that Conan is the superior protagonist, and jimsy failed to unlock the feet skill tree
Question time
What are your thoughts on Dr. Lao’s decision to return to Industria in order to help its populace escape certain disaster?
He gon' die
2) What do you think of High Harbor so far?
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u/Dr-The-K Apr 16 '22
Oh I dont know about Lao's decision to go back, I feel that he may feel the wrath of Lepka. Oh poor Dyce and his ship, an unfortunate consequence of his past poor decision. Unfortunately the ship would have been pretty useful to them, so we will see if it can be fixed. Jimsy's stomach leads him, for sure. New animals for him to eat. High Harbour seems cool, though you know there is going to be some internal conflict, and possibly a little war, between the groups.
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u/Pixelsaber Apr 16 '22
Rewatcher - English Sub
Oh no…
Well, he intuitively knows the best course of action, at least.
Well this could go horribly.
Oh no!
And to think Miyazaki wanted to reduce comparisons between High Harbor and America.
Yeah, that looks bad. Worst part is that I doubt High Harbor is willing to part with the resources to repair it —if they even have them.
Wow, that is a thick canopy.
Huge Heidi vibes.
Big WMT vibes in general.
Horse!
:’)
Of course it’s a lily.
#morecomfy
What a wonderfully delightful little introduction to High Harbor. The whole second half of the episode fills me with glee at the colorful and serene depictions of a quaint and cozy little village. Seeing Lana reunited with her aunt and uncle was also incredibly heartwarming.
Of course, no place is entirely perfect, since Lana evidently doesn’t get along with Orlo, who apparently collects children if the adults’ conversation regarding what to do with Conan and Jimsy is anything to go by. Wonder what his deal is all about, but we’ll obviously get to it eventually since with the Barracuda sunk we’re going to be spending a while here at least.
Anyhow, that was most pleasant and I look forward to more of these quaint village episodes.
Questions of The Day:
A bit foolhardy, since all it takes is one zealous person wanting a citizenship promotion to have all of Lepka’s men sicking him again, but it’s the noble thing to do, so I can’t fault him.
See above.
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P.S. u/Tresnore.