Team Phoenix(1990-1991)
The passing of Osamu Tezuka led to a shake up which saw several creators led by Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro and Yoshiaki Kawajiri among others nicknamed the Madhouse, into positions of power. There came with this change a desire to honor Tezuka. This led Mushi Productions to be renamed Tezuka Productions in his honor. The second of these plans was the launch of a tribute series that became Team Phoenix. Following up on elements from Tezuka’s own Marine Express, Princess Knight, Sharaku and Jungle Emperor Leo awaken a few year ahead in the Mighty Atom’s time. Robots rule 90% of the universe and the Mighty Atom is missing. The three set out on a quest to find him and restore the universe in a blend of the light Tezuka with the darker sensibilities of “The Madhouse”[1].
Chibi Maruko-chan(1990-)
Based on the Shoko Manga by Momoko Sakura, and based on her own childhood in 1974 Japan. The titular character is named Maruko and is a troublemaker, often having to resolve situations she causes with the help of her friends. The stories began as comic strips which the artist submitted to Shuiesha. Because of its slice and life and long running nature, the Anime adaptation by Nippon Animation aired on Fuji TV, is sometimes compared to Sazae-san, which has been running since the 60’s. Ironically it aired before Sazae-san’s time slot, making both synonymous with each other to young children at the time. It is one off the highest selling Shojo ever and aired on Nickelodeon.
Brave Exkaiser(1990-1991)
A co-production between Sunrise and Takara with the latter producing toys. Sunrise was assigned to animate. The show was a self contained color series with no spinoffs or further installments in the franchise planned. The central theme is seen as “Searching for One’s Treasure”. Takara based the mecha designs on the Transformers, though they combined into large Robots and ranged from complex to simple designs. The series proved immensely successful and Takara described 1990 as their best year sales wise. The series follows Exkaiser, who leads a group of space police against a gang of treasure thieves called the Geisters. Tracking down the gang, the Exkaiser team possesses vehicle on Earth as their bodies are made of energy. Exkaiser himself possesses a car belonging to the Hoshikawa family and befriends the young boy Kouta Hoshikawa[2].
Record of Lodoss War(1990-1991)
Dungeons and Dragons was popular in Japan. The members of Group SNE were all friends who had played the game along with other similar ones. Transcripts of these sessions proved popular at the time, even outside the usual demographic. The Dungeon Master for Lodoss War was Ryo Mizuno, who with the growing popularity, published the series as a set of high fantasy novels, and when it became a series that format was abandoned and it instead became its own game. The plot follows a young boy named Parn, son of a dishonored knight searching to discover what happened to his father and regain his family’s honor. Park is made the defect leader of a group including his friend Etoh, advisor Slayn, and new mentor Him. They are later joined by Slayn’s lover Leylia and Parn’s love interest the high elf Deedlit, and the thief woodchuck.
TailSpin(1990-1991)
Based on
Hikotei Jidai or
The Age of the Flying Boat in Japanese. The Manga was written in 1989 by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Miyazaki’s love for flying. The Manga covers airplanes of the 1920’s but with a slightly fantastical bent, though all planes have real counterparts. Even writing it Miyazaki included a comment that “ If this was animated I might be able to convey the sheer grandeur of it all but this is a comic, you have no choice but to use your imagination instead of my own.” The Manga was a series of adventures starring pig adventurer Porco Rosso. Japan Airlines, having read the story, asked Miyazaki if he would consider making the film for them. The War in China broke out and led to a darker tone. The setting was made Dalmatia. Miyazaki was strongly against war but was captivated by the power of “The Tiananmen Square man” a picture from 1989 shot from the ground of a man running towards an approaching row of tanks with a Molotov cocktail. The identity of the man being unknown[3].
Miyazaki decided a TV Series worked best for this format, largely because the workload would be smaller and he was had began to be distracted by work on
Treasure Planet with Disney. Like the Manga the star was Porco Rosso. Japan Airlines stuck on as a sponsor and liked the idea of playing new episodes, encouraging increased travel to catch the latest episodes. As a result the airline provided subtitles to the work in multiple languages. Miyazaki only worked on a few episodes with the other animators and writers doing their best to imitate his style, likely as a test to see who could succeed him.
On the Disney side, Jymn Magon and Mark Zaslove were hired, largely inspired by
Tales of the Gold Monkey, a 1982 adventure tv series in the vein of
Raiders of the Lost Ark. They originally proposed using
Jungle Book characters but this was shot down in favor of original creations and a setting between the World Wars. Though some Disney characters(drawn Miyazaki style) did appear including Launchbad(who became the Linchpin of the crossovers due to appearing in multiple shows). Don Rosa, famed writer of many classic Scrooge McDuck stories wrote several episodes. The show was firmly set in the 1930’s setting of
Duck Tales established by Rosa. The fictional location of a neutral zone named Cape Suzette was created. One of the most celebrated episodes “The Wind Rises” by Miyazaki was especially praised as it followed an animal counterpart of Jiro Horikoshi, the creator of the planes who bombed Pearl Harbor and despised his creations being used for war. This was a sentiment Miyazaki feared as Japan was experimenting on weaponry in case of an attack from China. While nuclear weapons were refused, several horrifying alternatives had been proposed such as an “Oxygen Destroyer” of sorts based on the 1954 Godzilla Film which caused Oxygen to combust, fire starting bats and a potential release of the Bubonic Plague. All of which Miyazaki hated and opposed. There was also, hardly ever serious, talk of unleashing experimental mecha on China, even though the technology was nowhere near that level seriously.
White Fang(1990)
An adaptation of the novel by Jack London and adapted as the first collaboration between Disney and World Masterpiece Theater. Disney was at the time looking for a release for the year while Miyazaki and Takahata were busy on their next projects and approached World Masterpiece Theater and agreed to dub the series, promising to do so faithfully as they had the Studio Ghibli films. The only work not adapted was, ironically,
1973’s Fables of the Green Forrest.
1975’s A Dog of Flanders
1976’s From the Apennines to the Andes
1977’s Planet of the Apes
1978’s Nobody’s Girl: Remi and and the first series Nobody’s Boy: Remi
1979’s Anne of Green Gables
1980’s The Wizard of Oz(Walt was especially happy about this one as he loved the original 1939 film and had fought to get the rights to it).
1981’s Heart
1982’ Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow
1984’s Kattri, girl of the Meadows
1985’s Princess Sara
1986’s The Story of Pollyanna, Girl of Love
1987’s Little Women
1988’s Little Lord Fauntleroy
The following were intentionally not dubbed for various reasons:
The Early works from 1969 to 1973 including 1969’s Moomin and 1970’s Anderson Monogatari were still under contract by Mushi Productions, though for the latter Disney was not afraid of brand confusion since they had also adapted some of the fairy tales contained within or hoped to in the future.
Disney declined to adapt 1974’s Jack and the Beanstalk and instead substituted their own “Mickey and the Beanstalk”.
1983’s Alice in Wonderland due to potential brand confusion.
Peter Pan and the Pirates due to the contract with the Overmyer Network(Disney admitted they would have adapted with the original Peter Pan voice actors or sound alikes when needed).
Something else came from this deal. Tezuka Productions realized they still owned the rights to distribute Moomin and more stories had been released since the 1969 show. This fast tracked the production of a new Moomin series, the popularity of which led to the beginning of a “Moomin Boom” in the 1990’s[4].
The Plot of White Fang follows the novel. A Sled Dog Team carrying a body for burial are ambushed by Wolves which kill one of the men and all the Dogs before a group arrives to rescue the second man Henry. We then follow the Wolves, which split up following a famine, leaving a pregnant she Wolf and her mate One Eye. One Eye dies to a lynx trying to get his pups food while his mate kills the Lynx’s kittens to feed the pups. The Lynx follows them back and in revenge kills all but one pup before being killed by the She-Wolf. The two are then found by a group which includes Grey Beaver, who recognizes the She-Wolf as Kiche, his late brother’s dog who left during a famine and takes them both in. The cub is named “White Fang” and lives a harsh life as the pups don’t recognize him as one of their own due to his wolf heritage while the humans protect him. He is separated by his mother when she is sold off and runs away. He saves Grey Beaver’s son Mit-Sah from a group of boys. He runs away again when a famine occurs and encounters his mother, who has a new litter of pups and has forgotten him. He returns home but Grey Beaver accidentally sells him while drunk to a Dog Fighter and White Fang competes, killing Wolves and a Lynx but nearly dying to a Bulldog. He is rescued by gold hunter Weedon Scott, who buys him. At Scott’s estate an escaped convict attempts to kill Scott’s father for putting him away and White Fang stops him, gaining the love of the family. White Fang then rests peacefully with his new family and a litter of pups he sires with the family’s Collie.
The Film was somewhat more successful than an average entry into the World Masterpiece Theater due to Disney’s input but the original novel was largely kept intact. However Disney’s involvement led Jeffrey Katzenberg, then working at Universal, to greenlit a competing film, which adapted the real life story of Togo, which beat out the World Masterpiece Theater production[5].
Cyber City Oedo 808(1990-1991)
A Cyberpunk DVA by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, author of Wicked City and Vampire Hunter D. The series is set in 2808 in the City of Oedo(an old name for Tokyo). The Cyber Police institute a program of recruiting hardened criminals with explosives implanted within them if they disobey orders. The criminals recruited include Sengoku, Gogul, and Benten, who agree in exchange for time off their sentences. While well received in Japan, it didn’t take off in the US due to the similarities with DC’s Suicide Squad.
Doraemon: Nobita and the Animal Planet(1990)
Nobita awakes to see a Pink Gas and is transported to a planet of talking animals. He then seems to wake up and tells his friends, who assume he was dreaming but he. Finds he brought a flower back with him from the world. The Pink Gas appears again and he is brought there with Doraemon. They meet a dog named Chippo, who introduces them to his family. They discover the pink gas acts as a portal and that the planet is under attack from an alien race called the Nimuge, who kidnapp Chippo’s family, leading Doraemon, Nobita and Chippo to set out to save them. They infiltrate the invaders by knocking out some soldiers and taking their outfits. The Nimuge find out there is a spy and order all the soldiers to line up. Just as Nobita is about to be exposed, another Nimuge is revealed to be a spy for the Space Police Force. The group free him from his cell for him to help them free the family. They learn the Nimuge are actually humans in this alternate universe. They squandered their planet’s resources, rendering it inhospitable. Humanity transported several species to another planet, where they developed a civilization of their own with the hope they would do better than humanity,. Some of Humanity departed to the stars while another part of humanity survived on Earth and became a bitter conquering Empire, using the pink gas to invade other universes. Doraemon and the others help fight off the invasion of the Nimuge. All seems lost until the Galactic Police Force arrives to help turn the tide of the battle. The Galactic Police Force is revealed to be the rest of Humanity, who survived elsewhere in space. With the threat gone, Doraemon and Nobita return home.
Heisei Tensai Bakabon(1990)
A remake of Tensai Bakabon or “The Genius Bakabon” from 1971, now by Studio Pierrot instead of Tokyo Movie Shinsha. The title translates to “Heisei Period Genius Bakabon” referring to the then current Heisei Period.
Lupin the 3rd: Mystery of the Poe Papers(1990)
The First in a series of TV Specials following the “Red vs Green” Trilogy. Intended as a one true “Back to Basics”. Directed by Osamu Dezaki.The Lupin gang split up and went their separate ways. Jigen is first seen in a war zone and is asked to track down a psychotic killer. Goemon is in a monastery where he is tasked to find an uncuttable object. Fujiko is working as a secretary for a wealthy client while Zenigate spies on her. Lupin hears of a secret manuscript written by Edgar Allen Poe and evidence he may have been murdered and the Lupin gang is all brought together due to their shared destiny[6].
Mad Bull 34(1990-1992)
A series of DVAs by Magic Bus directed by Satoshi Dezaki. Based on the Manga by Kazuo Koike(Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, Crying Freeman) that ran in Shueisha’s Young Jump from 1985 to 1991. Japanese-American Police officer Daizaburo “Eddie” Ban is transferred to the 34th New York Precinct and partnered with the violent Cop John Estes, called “Mad Bull” by his enemies but “Sleepy” by his friends. Estes has no qualms with brutally killing criminals and stealing from prostitutes but still has a sense of right and wrong such as using the money he stole to fund charities for domestic violence and sexual health.
Sally the Witch(1990-1992)
Made by Toei to Compete with the remake of Himitsu no Akko-Chan, Sally the Witch was revived as well. It aired 88 episodes. It is actually a sequel to the original series with Sally returning to Earth and reuniting with her friends.
Sol Bianca(1990)
A series of two DVAs by Katsuhito Akitama and Hiroki Hayashi released by AIC. The series follows the titular ship, which is the home for an all female band of pirates. They learn of a treasure from old Earth called the Gnosis, which is in the hands of the dictator Emperor Batros. A Video Game adaptation was released at the same time.
Sword for Truth(1990)
A DVA Series by Osamu Dezaki. Shuranosuke Sakaki is a ronin who wields two scythes. He is hired to rescue Princess Mayu from the Seki Ninja by the Nakura clan. While he succeeds, he is nearly executed for his invovlement with the Princess, but she saves him before coughing up blood, revealing to have been poisoned. Sakaki refused a reward and leaves the Nakura Clan.
A Wind Named Amnesia(1990)
Based on the 1983 novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi, known for Vampire Hunter D and Wicked City. Produced by Tezuka Productions. The film is set in 1999 after a gust of strange Wind took away all human memory such as speech and civility, resulting in chaos. One man named Wataru meets another who was researching a way to expand his memories and kept his memories. He teaches but is weak from government experiments, asking Wataru to explore the world before dying. Wataru meets a girl named Sophia she saves from a unmanned police unit and they travel to New York City, but they instead arrive in Los Angeles and rescue a girl named Sue and her father Little John from a cult. Despite destroying the cult, Sue dies, and her father stays behind. Wataru and Sophia resume their travels and arrive in a city run by a supercomputer running everything and brainwashing two survivors. They free one named Lisa but she remains behind to try and free her brainwashed father. Sophia is revealed to be of an alien race who erased Earth’s memories and vows to bring them back if Wataru can convince someone else to join him on his quest. The two make it to New York chased by police mechs. Wataru nearly dies but is saved by Sophia. The two have sex and this completes the deal as Sophia went with him. She leaves to convince her race to return humanity’s memories.
Art from Short Video Animation by BabyBojanglesJr on Newgrounds.Com
Metroid(1990-1991)
Created as a collaboration between Nintendo and DiC. By this point the Super Mario Bros Series was completing its season with the intent that it would run for one season and then be swapped out. An adaptation of the then recent Super Mario World Game served as the finale. The Koopalings and Bowser were defeated(Bowser dying in lava and become a skeleton for the final fight) before being finally defeated with his children surrendering and the Mushroom Kingdom at peace. Legend of Zelda, being a rerun of an older series, ended with the defeat of Ganon. Nintendo vetoed DiC’s plans to make Samus male in development, but they did go ahead with their plans to make Mother Brain the series antagonist complete with a voiced role. This turned the series into a prequel to Captain N, meaning it ended with Mother Brain teaming up with other villains. The Super Mario Bros Tv Series ended similarly.
Castlevania(1990-1991)
The release of this series along with Metroid led to this particular installment being referred to as “Metroidvania” both in advertising and by fans and replacing Mario and Zelda as the two shows on the Nintendo Power Hour. A Scooby Doo sequel homage revolving around kids running way from monsters was scrapped at Nintendo’s request. The series combined elements from all games released so far and focused on game protagonist Peter Dante[7] traveling Dracula’s castle, facing a monster or a trap in every episode. This led to jokes about there being an eternal night within the series. The show featured a monster of the week style with Dante going up against Frankenstein’s monster in one episode, Medusa in another, The Invisible Man, and so on and defeating them by episode’s end before fighting Dracula in the finale. Some episodes dived into the past and showed Trevor Belmont fighting Dracula as well, diving into some of the villain’s backstory. Unlike Metroid, it was unclear at first when this game took place in the canon of Captain N, until the show finished and Dracula was revived on Captain N, revealing it to be a prequel to that show.
TETSUO(1990)
The highly anticipated sequel to 1988’s Akira. The film begins not with the protagonists but by following an American team led by Japanese-American George Yamada, who wished to help his homeland. They arrive in Japan and find the aftermath of Neo Tokyo’s destruction. It is through them we learn of two warring factions. The Cult of Lady Miyako, which provides food and shelter to those who need it, and the Great Tokyo Empire led by Tetsuo and Akira, who are worshipped as Gods. Kei and the Colonel along with others join forces with Miyako and the newcomers to fight off Tetsuo, who does most of the attacking while Akira is usually quiet. An American Naval Fleet arrives near the city. Tetsuo discovers his body is breaking down(in horrific detail as his hands have their skin melt away and fall off to reveal bone and muscle). Tetsuo finds that a certain drug from the old lab site can stop this as it was made for the test subjects. Desperate he goes to confront Lady Miyako alone handbags for help. Miyako reveals the complete history of the project that created Akira to him. She urges him to give up the drugs. The colonel launches an unsuccessful assault on the Great Tokyo Empire which is repealed at the last moment by Akira warping objects from across time and space, hurling tons of debris at the invading forces and demonstrating just how strong he is. Akira also accidentally pulled Kaneda(along with debris from that time) from the moment after the last film ended into the current present, to the relief of Kai as she thought he was dead.
Kaneda reunites with everyone including surviving members of his old gang and his rival gang now working together, including the former leader of the Clowns, Joker. They plan an assault. Scientists on the American ship study the psychic effects and the military conceives a plan to assassinate Tetsuo and Akira which Yamada is fine with but another member, Ryu, dislikes. The battle commences while Tetsuo and Akira are at the unused Olympic Stadium. Their psychic powers prove too much even with military help and they bring their defeated enemies before them. Tetsuo demonstrates his power by flying into space and punching a hole in the moon, bringing it crashing down to Earth, seemingly directly towards them to their horror. However, before it can crash into the surface like an asteroid, it breaks apart, becoming a ring around the planet(Which according to most scientists, would be what would realistically happen if the Moon came crashing down towards Earth as the planet’s gravity would crush the moon and make the pieces orbit rather than a direct collision). The destruction of the Moon causes apocalyptic tidal waves around the world.
As Tetsuo gloats, he begins to feel strange as his power lead him to being to absorb metal into his body. He uses his now greater power to attack the American Ships, which sent fighters and a nuke which fail. Kei, having been training with Miyako to control her psychic abilities since she believed Kaneda was dead, finally confronts Tetsuo in a psychic battle with the aid of Lady Miyako and the other Espers while the others led by Kaneda and their armies fight the great of Tetsuo’s followers. Akira simply watches and reflects any threat to him. Tetsuo’s new powers cause his lost metal arm to be destroyed and replaced with a new organic arm. He kills Yamada and survives an orbital strike from a satellite he then destroys. Kaneda also joins the fight against Tetsuo as the three fight now at the arena. Tetsuo accidentally kills Kaori, a girl he loved and tries to get Akira to revive him but he refuses. Tetsuo then goes to the chamber Akira was kept in and lifts it, taking it to Lady Miyako, who he kills when she says she cannot help. Giving into anguish, triggers a shocking transformation in Tetsuo and he transforms into a fetus like monstrosity absorbing everything and fighting agains the jets sent after him. Kei and Kaneda finally convince Akira to do something and just as Tetsuo explodes in a massive ball of light consuming everything, Akira uses his abilities along with those of the other surviving Espers, to contain the blast and all disappear, leaving Kei as the only Esper. Kei uses her abilities to relate what has happened. That Akira transported them all into another plane of existence. Both Kaneda and Kei hope they have found peace. United Nations peacekeepers arrive to help and the two teens say goodbye to the Colonel, who is shown leading the effort to rebuild. The Epilogue shows Kaneda and Kei driving with the gang through the city as it is being rebuilt. Kaneda thinks he spots the ghostly image of Tetsuo watching but it then vanishes. The gang then drive into the Sunrise and the film ends.
The Film did as well as was expected given the immense popularity of the first part. It would have topped charts as the most expensive Anime Film though technically it was made at the same time as Part II and work had begun immediately upon Part I’s completion. King Records attempted to challenge Akira II with their own film in Alcion, which ended badly for the latter. The Sequel was an immense success. It was dedicated to Osamu Tezuka, who expressed a desire to see the second part before his death.
The Delayed
Moomin. As Mentioned the idea of remaking the series is just now being considered partly due to Mushi Productions owning the rights.
The Hakkenden. An adaptation of the Japanese epic novel
Nanso Satomi Hakkeden by Kyokutei Bakin, the longest novel in Japanese literature. The novel continues to inspire works to this day namely Dragonball and Inuyasha, at least when it comes to warriors searching out crystal balls. Its been delayed here because since its such a famous story, I thought I would give it to a more famous studio. In this case Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli, though not as his next film but either 1994 or 1999.
Daddy Long Legs. An adaptation of the 1912 Jean Webster novel. It was adapted for World Masterpiece Theater but it’s been pushed back due to White Fang.
Butterflied away
Devil Hunter Yohko. Sacrificed to make way for the Osamu Tezuka tribute. Phoenix Team.
NG Knight Lamune & 40. Butterflied away as different TV Guidelines means there’s no real interest in a series based on a popular drink.
Samurai Pizza Cats. This and the original series Kyatto Ninden Teyandee, have been butterflied away due to Tatsunoko collapsing. Of all the Tatsunoko series butterflied, this one hurts the most.
CB Chara Go Nagai World. A Crossover with Go Nagai properties Devilman, Mazinger Z and Violence Jack in Chibi form. Butterflied away as a crossover already happened ITTL with all three and not Chibi form either.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms. An adaptation of the Medieval Chinese Literature. Given the ongoing Chinese Civil War ITTL. It would be in bad taste to adapt it.
SD Gundam Gaiden. The entirety of SD Gundam was butterflied early on.
Transformers Zone. Due to there being no Transformers: Victory.
NOTES
[1] Based on 2021’s Team Phoenix by Spanish comic writer Kenny Ruiz, placed earlier and with a different staff as a direct Tezuka tribute. Butterflies away Devil Hunter Yohko, OTL’s Madhouse Production this year. OTL Tezuka Productions was a separate company but without Mushi Productions going under, that company is simply renamed.
[2] Brave Exkaiser will be even more successful ITTL due to there being no Transformers Anime ITTL, where most of the ideas were reused from.
[3] TTL’s Equivalent to the infamous photo from the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It was either this or one image evoking a cover from Mad Max; Fury Road of Max standing before all of Immortal Joe’s Vehicle and Forces approaching him. The image change from OTL is symbolic. ITTL the Tiananmen Square Massacre was the start of a Chinese Civil War rather than a violent response to protesters that was crushed which makes the single protester seem small in the face of the Chinese tanks. Here the Protester is more defiant and in fact shot in such a way to appear bigger with his fist and the Molotov cocktail in the air, symbolizing the revolution will eventually be successful.
[4] The Moomin Boom occurred with an OTL 1990 series made because the original two series had angered the author. Since they were more faithful ITTL this almost butterflied away the 1990’s “Moomin Boom” in favor of a 1970’s “Moomin Boom” but it was saved due to the choice to get Disney involved with World Masterpiece Theatre, meaning its only a year behind and that decision got Mushi Productions which OTL had went under, to remember they had the franchise and that Disney had just tried and failed to buy it.
[5] The story is closer to the novel as since Disney is only producing it isn’t “Disneyfied” and butterflying away the 1991 Live Action Film as it being Animated means they follow the Dog’s perspective rather than that of the human characters. Togo is TTL’s Balto. One controversy is that Balto stole the credit in real life for the actions of Togo, who pulled the majority of the 1925 Serum run. This extends to the 1995 film adaptation Balto. ITTL Togo gets his due and the film is about him. It helps that his story is much closer to the film than Balto. Balto grew up in basically luxury wile Togo was seen as too weak to be a sled dog, as nearly abandoned, had to prove himself, struggled as a sled dog and saved the lives of the group multiple times. Balto does appear in the film and is depicted as friendly but somewhat arrogant due to his more pampered upbringing without being an antagonist. The Togo Film does better ITTL than the Disney produced film due to not only their direct involvement but the film about saving dying children basd on real life is more appealing than the film about the harsh life of a Wolfdog.
[6] OTL the Lupin TV Specials began the previous year but ITTL that was devoted to the last part of the trilogy finally rectifying the controversial Evil Lupin story so they begin this year. OTL the special is called The Hemingway Papers and concerns Ernest Hemingway and the idea he may have been murdered with a lost manuscript by him being the film’s macguffin. ITTL Hemingway lived longer and so the plot shifted to focus on Edgar Allen Poe and his mysterious deaths, also allowing for Edgar Allen Poe homages like the Pit and the Pendulum as traps, a Maltese Falcon style statue of a Raven, or Lupin dressing up as Red Death.
[7] Simon Belmont’s original planned name. Here is the original Metroid and Castlevania Series concept art.