Ulysses 31

(french: link=no, Ulysse 31) is an anime series (1981) that updates the Greek mythology of Odysseus (known as "Ulixes" or "Ulysses" in Latin) to the 31st century. The show comprises 26 half-hour episodes as a co-production between DIC Audiovisuel and TMS Entertainment.

Plot

The series (made by the French Jean Chalopin) follows the struggles of Ulysses and his crew against the divine entities that rule the universe, the ancient gods from Greek mythology. The Gods of Olympus are angered when Ulysses, commander of the giant spaceship ''Odyssey'', kills the giant Cyclops to save a group of enslaved children, including his son. Zeus sentences Ulysses to travel the universe with his crew frozen until he finds the Kingdom of Hades, at which point his crew will be revived and he will be able to return to Earth. Along the way they encounter numerous other famous figures from Greek mythology who have been given a futuristic twist.

Main characters

* is the main character and captain of the ''Odyssey''. He achieved the solar peace and became the target of the Olympian gods' revenge. His weapon is a laser pistol that conceals an energy blade, complemented by an energy shield and a belt that allows him to fly. Ulysses is brave, noble, determined, and will stop at nothing to defeat the gods.
* is the son of Ulysses and second in command for most of the voyage. He is Yumi's friend and protector. He is a skilled pilot, and his weapon is a high-tech slingshot.
* is Thémis in the original French dub (after Themis the ancient Titan). A blue-skinned humanoid alien girl from the white planet, Zotra, she is the younger sister of Numinor and possesses telepathic powers. She is saved from being sacrificed to the Cyclops, along with Telemachus and her older brother, by Ulysses. She exhibits telekinesis and is immune to fire. Although physically very frail, she is very intelligent and courageous. Zotrians, aside from blue skin, have snow-white hair, pointed ears, and slanted eyes with cat-like vertical pupils.
* is Noumaïos in the original French dub. A Zotrian teenager and older brother of Yumi, he is saved by Ulysses from being sacrificed to the Cyclops. He is in suspended animation along with the rest of the crew for most of the series. His Japanese name Yumaiosu is the katakana orthography of English pronunciation of Eumaeus, the pig-guardian of Odysseus in Homer's poem.
* is the small robotic companion of Telemachus. Fond of eating nuts and nails, he is a trusty friend who was given to Telemachus as a birthday present. He is skilled at machinery repair and possesses tremendous physical strength.
* is the ''Odyssey''s main computer, with a deep female voice.
* is the god of gods, persecutor of Ulysses.
* is the god of the Seas, enraged by Ulysses's killing of his creature, the Cyclops. He wields a trident, the symbol of his power, and his servants pilot ships that are shaped like a trident.
* is the ruling god of the Underworld. Ulysses must find his realm to find the way back to Earth.

Episodes

Pilot

In 1980, Telecom Animation, TMS Entertainment, and DiC Audiovisuel produced a pilot for the series, simply titled "Ulysses 31". Although there was a Japanese VHS release of the series by King Records in 1986, the pilot never saw an official home release and was used for internal use only.

The pilot has long been considered as only been recorded in Japanese, until a French searcher discovered a copy of the French version in July 2015, then a copy of the English-dubbed version in June 2022.

The story is virtually identical to episode one of the finished series; however, the story was the only thing that was kept. Some characters underwent major redesigns from a typical anime design to the finished series, which is a mix of Japanese anime style and European art based on the appearance of classical Greek sculpture. Renowned Japanese illustrators and animators Shingo Araki and Michi Himeno, who have worked in anime adaptations of famous manga (such as Masami Kurumada's ''Saint Seiya'', '' Fūma no Kojirō'', ''Ring ni Kakero'', Riyoko Ikeda's '' Versailles no Bara'', and ''UFO Grendizer'' OVA) were responsible for the finished series' character designs, animation routines, and visual style.

Soundtrack

Most of the original soundtrack was composed by Denny Crockett and Ike Egan. Six additional themes were composed by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban: "Potpourri", "Final Glory", "Space Traffic", "Ulysse Meets Ulysse", "Mermaids", and "Change of Time (Theme of Chronos)".

The Japanese version has a different soundtrack. The music was composed by Wakakusa Kei, who made the soundtrack in both the series and pilot that was produced in 1980. An official soundtrack was released in 1986 on vinyl and on CD in 1988 by King Records.

Japanese theme songs

* Opening
: by Tomoaki Taka
* Ending
: by Tomoaki Taka

Cast

* Japan (original cast)
** Ulysses: Osamu Kobayashi
** Telemachus: Yū Mizushima
** Yumi: Sumi Shimamoto
** Nono: Mayumi Tanaka
** Zeus: Shouzou Hirabayashi
* Japan (1992 NHK BS-2 cast)
** Ulysses: Masane Tsukayama
** Telemachus: Nobuo Tobita
** Yumi: Akiko Yajima
** Nono: Miki Narahashi
** Zeus: Shouzou Hirabayashi
* France (original cast)
** Ulysses: Claude Giraud
** Yumi: Séverine Morisot
** Telemachus: Fabrice Josso / Jackie Berger
** Nono: Jacques Ebner
** Shyrka: Évelyne Séléna / Sylvie Moreau
** Zeus: