, translated to

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

as ''The Flower Child Lunlun'' and ''Lulu, The Flower Angel'', is a

magical girl is a subgenre of Japanese fantasy media (including anime, manga, light novels, and live-action media) centered around young girls who possess magical abilities, which they typically use through an ideal alter ego into which they can transfo ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Toei Animation () is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...

, focusing on a theme of

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s in its stories. It was directed by Hiroshi Shidara and written by

Shiro Jinbo Shiro, Shirō, Shirow or Shirou may refer to: People * Amakusa Shirō (1621–1638), leader of the Shimabara Rebellion * Ken Shiro (born 1992), Japanese boxer * Shiro Azumi, Japanese football player 1923–1925 * Shiro Ichinoseki (born 1944), ...

. It was greatly successful in the West, particularly in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and in

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, as well as in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. An edited English-language dub of a few episodes titled ''Angel'' made this series one of, if not ''the'' first, magical girl anime works to reach the United States and Canada, well over a decade before ''

Sailor Moon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from 1991 to 1997; the 52 individual chapters were published in 18 volumes. The seri ...

''. A theatrical short film, , was released in March 1980. In 2009, William Winckler Productions produced two all-new English-dubbed movie versions edited from the original series titled ''Lun Lun the Flower Girl'' and ''Lun Lun the Flower Girl 2''. Producer

William Winckler William Winckler (born October 3, 1964 in California) is an American actor and independent filmmaker best known for writing, producing and directing cult movies, horror films and English dubbed animation. He is the son of child actor Robert ...

, known for ''

Tekkaman the Space Knight is a Japanese anime produced by Tatsunoko Productions in 1975. A short-lived English adaptation aired in the U.S. in 1984. The first 13 episodes streamed in Japanese with English subtitles on Anime Sols as of spring 2013 exclusively in North ...

'', wrote, produced and directed the English films, which are seen on broadband in Japan.

Story

Long ago,

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

spirits and

fairy A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...

-like creatures lived in harmony with mankind. Gradually humans began to rise toward greed and cruelty, and the plant spirits immigrated to another world they dubbed the "Flower Star." However, their legacy remained in people who truly knew the meaning of love and kindness. A talking dog and cat pair, Nouveau and Cateau, were sent to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

to find one such person to find a magical flower — the symbol of the Flower Star's ruling family — so that a new ruler can ascend the

throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monar ...

. In

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

they meet Lunlun Flower, a tomboyish and outspoken young orphan who lives with her paternal grandparents who own a flower shop. Lunlun's late mother turns out to be a descendant of the Flower star people, so at Lunlun's 15th birthday party they ask Lunlun to join them, and she accepts. They travel all over Europe in search of the flower, helping people every step of the way. Lunlun, Nouveau and Cateau are followed by a bumbling pair of

villain A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

s: the selfish fairy Togenishia and her servant Yabouki, who want to steal the flower and rule the Flower Star. Whenever Lunlun and her friends attempt to help people, Togenishia and Yabouki try to get them back on the road by force, only to fail. They're aided by Serge, a mysterious

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

who gives the people Lunlun helps packets of flower

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s which symbolize the lesson they've learned in the "

language of flowers Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers. Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in tradition ...

." (For instance,

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

s, which signify

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, are given when the son of a farmer vows to follow his dreams and leave home). Lunlun develops a huge crush on Serge due to his kindness, and he's implied to like her back. The people that Lunlun help send flower seeds to Lunlun's grandparents and tell them about their amazing granddaughter... and, in the end, the magical flower is found growing in his garden, and saving it from destruction after an attack from Togenishia. The photographer Serge turns out to be the prince of the Flower Star, and he confirms that he loves Lunlun and asks her to be his Queen. Lunlun rejects his proposal, however, since she loves Serge with all of her heart but does not want to live in the Star Flower. So Serge cedes the throne to his younger brother so he can live on Earth and

marry Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

Lunlun. At the start of the series, Lunlun is given a magical pin from the King of the Flower Planet. This pin, when a flower is reflected in its mirror, gives Lunlun a new outfit for an activity, such as mountain climbing. About halfway through the series, the pin is broken when Lunlun falls from a branch overhanging a waterfall while trying to attract attention after being caught in the Dark Wind (Togenishia's main form of attack). While she is lost in the river, a new pin is given to her in the shape of the royal crest, with the warning that if it is ever lost or broken, her life on Earth will end and she will be unable to return to the Flower Planet. The words to activate this pin are "Fu Flay Lu Fey Lora".

Japanese Cast

Mari Okamoto is a Japanese actress and voice actress. Biography Despite being born in Tokyo, Okamoto was actually raised in Hirakata, Osaka, where she also spent her elementary-school years. In 1961, she made her debut for performing arts activities in c ...

as Lunlun *

Fuyumi Shiraishi was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Career Fuyumi was previously affiliated with Aoni Production and after she left Aoni and joined Ken Production founded by the late Kenji Utsumi until the time of her death. Death Shiraishi di ...

as Cateau *Takuzou Kamiyama as Nouveau *

Yuu Mizushima Yuu or YUU may refer to: * Yū, Yamaguchi, or Yuu, a town in Kuga District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan * Yuu (wrestler), Japanese professional wrestler * Yuu Shiina, usually written You Shiina is a Japanese freelance illustrator and manga arti ...

as Serge Flora *Michie Kita as Togenishia *Natsuko Kawaji as Queen * Reiko Suzuki as Grandmother *

Keaton Yamada is a Japanese former actor, voice actor and narrator from Mikasa, Hokkaidō. He switched from going by his real name, Shunji Yamada, to going by Keaton Yamada in the 1980s. He is currently represented by Remax. On December 5, 2020, it was anno ...

as Grandfather *

Tohru Furuya Toru is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Toru can be expressed with several kanji. Some examples: *徹, "penetrate" *透, "transparent" *享, "enjoy" *亨, "smoothly" *暢, "freely" The name can also be written in hiragana と ...

as Claude

International titles

* ''Flower Angel'' (English dub, U.K.; produced by Harmony Gold) * ''Angel'' (English dub, U.S.; produced by

ZIV International ZIV International was an American production and distribution company founded in 1971 by Irv Holender. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it distributed Americanised versions of European animated cartoons and Japanese anime series, and produced ...

) * ''Lulú, la Chica de las Flores'' or ''El Misterio de la Flor Mágica'' (

Castilian Spanish In English, Castilian Spanish can mean the variety of Peninsular Spanish spoken in northern and central Spain, the standard form of Spanish, or Spanish from Spain in general. In Spanish, the term (Castilian) can either refer to the Spanish langua ...

dub) * ''Ángel, la Niña de las Flores'' (

Latin American Spanish The different varieties of the Spanish language spoken in the Americas are distinct from each other as well as from those varieties spoken in the Iberian peninsula, collectively known as Peninsular Spanish and Spanish spoken elsewhere, such as in ...

dub) * ''Angel, a Menina das Flores'' (

Brazilian Portuguese Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...

dub) * ''Angélica'' ( Brazilian Portuguese alternative title dub) * ''Le tour de monde de Lydie'' ( French dub) * ''Lulu l'angelo tra i fiori'' (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

dub) * ''Ейнджъл — детето на цветята'' (

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

dub) * ''Lidia in jurul lumii'' (

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

dub) * ''Лулу — ангел цветов'' (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

dub) * ''Lili, a virágangyal'' ( Hungarian dub) * ''Lulu, the Flower Girl'' (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

sub) * ''Lulu'' (Filipino dub) * ''Ronron the Flower Angel'' (English dub, Philippines) * ''Saosan, Al Zahrah Al Jamilah (سوسن، الزهرة الجميلة)'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

dub) * ''Lulu i cudowny kwiat'' (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

lector) * ''Çiçek Kız'' ( Turkish dub) * ''꽃천사 루루'' (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

dub) * ''花仙子'' (Huaxianzi) (

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

dub) * ''זהבית'' (Zehavit) (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

dub) * ''สาวน้อยแองเจิ้ล'' (Sao noi Angel) (

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

dub) * ''Angel, das Blumenmädchen'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

dub) * ''Angel'' (

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

dub; based on

's English dub)

English-language versions

Initially,

acquired the series for the U.S. in 1980. At least the first four episodes were dubbed into English, with a new theme song and score by house composer

Mark Mercury Mark Gibbons, Better known as Mark Mercury is an American composer. He has arranged, produced, recorded, and composed music since the 1970s. Career Mercury is an American composer whose music falls into several genres: space, electronic, electr ...

. In this incarnation, the characters were renamed to Angel (Lunlun), Cathy (Cateau), Wendal (Nouveau), Melicia (Togenishia) and Ivan (Yabouki). The episodes were then packaged into one presentation in 1981, which aired on HBO and was released on videocassette by

Media Home Entertainment Media Home Entertainment Inc. was a home video company headquartered in Culver City, California, originally established in 1978 by filmmaker Charles Band. Media Home Entertainment also distributed video product under three additional labels — ...

as ''Angel'' and by Family Home Entertainment as ''Flower Angel''. The ZIV dub was released on DVD as part of the Fairy Tale Adventures compilation from TCG Direct in 2009. In 1985, ZIV licensed their rights to Harmony Gold, who prepared a feature-film length condensation of the series with another new dub track and music score. Again, the characters were renamed, this time to Angel (Lunlun), Lily (Cateau), Periwinkle (Nouveau), Princess Wysteria (Togenishia), Ragweed (Yabouki) and Stefan (Serge Flora). The episodes that were featured in the film were episodes 1, 7, 24, 29, 49 and 50. The 37th episode was also covered, but it was only the intro to coincide with the beginning events of the 49th episode. This film was not released in America, but received multiple VHS releases in the UK.

Reception

In 2005, Japanese

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

conducted an online web poll for the top 100 anime, and ''Hana no Ko Lunlun'' placed 85th tied with '' Ikkyū-san''.

References

External links

Official site
by Toei * * {{Toei Animation films 1980s 1979 anime television series debuts 1980 anime films Japanese animated films Magical girl anime and manga Shōjo manga Toei Animation television TV Asahi original programming Toei Animation films