https://data.whicdn.com/images/312957686/original.jpg Tanoshii Muumin Ikka is a 1990 TV show that is mostly aimed at kids but not only. It is one of the best animated works in existence and that is because it is created by a combination of admirable people. Tove Jansson the original creator of the Moomin books Akira Miyazaki the famous World Masterpiece Theater scriptwriter an exceptional voice acting cast great animators. Many episodes are just playful and childish but you will be astonished by how meaningful some of them might be or relatable for adults. https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/e9696d6b731b76536dc4f7eb646a1512.mp4 The first thing that must be mentioned about this series is Tove Janssons philosophical approach and the main messages she wanted to convey while writing her Moomin books. Aside from a cutelooking and colorful group of friends the main characters have a unique carefree lifestyle close to nature and are far from daily obligations. The spirit of the Moomin Valley can be characterized as cottagecore: emphasizing simplicity tranquility and peacefulness far away from the modern world basically rural life. Also the way that short calming stories happen in the same place in every episode is enough reason to call Muumin an iyashikei anime though there are some dramatical and stressful episodes out there too. Imghttps://tovejansson.com/wpcontent/uploads/2021/11/Storesfrontmenu.jpg Here I consider it important to mention that Tove Jansson lived as a queer woman in an age when being LGBTQ+ was illegal in Finland. Sometimes she tried to portray gay people metaphorically in her books. For example Thingumy and Bob were a couple inspired by her relationship with the girlfriend she had back then. But whats more important for the series is that Moomintrolls relationship with Snufkin was implied to be something more than pure friendship. They spend romantic time with each other and their bond is much stronger than any other friendly bond in the series. https://i.pin.com/originals/90/9c/e2/909ce21d159cbf383a4b521c153589d7.jpg Tanoshii Muumin Ikka was not the first Moomin anime out there. Moomin became famous in Japan in 1969 with Muumin another adaptation of the classic novels. Japanese people seemed to like it but sadly it was heavily inspired by western animation and used guns and violence as comedy. This was something disappointing for Tove Jansson because it did not fit well the novel themes and failed to convey the main messages. Thankfully the 1990 series was a huge success. Among all Moomin adaptations Japanese or not it is known that Tanoshii Muumin Ikka was Tove Janssons most beloved one Other older adaptations include Mumintrollet 1969 Swedish production Shin Muumin 1972 and The Moomins 1977 Polish production. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/Moomin281969TVseries29.jpg So what is the reason this was the most successful adaptation? Studio Telescreen and Akira Miyazaki tried to carry the spirit of the Moomins but also to give it some new original color. What was special about it was that despite the fact there were a few changes it followed precisely the spirit of the Moomin Valley Tove Jansson had created in her novels and picture books. There were some differences in the characters for example studio Telescreen decided to name Snork Maiden Floren which made her name sound cuter. There were a few character additions too which I will mention later. But overall the general concept and meaning remained the same. 500https://dg31sz3gwrwan.cloudfront.net/screen/900771/1iphone.jpg In most episodes the main characters meet each other at the Moomins house or somewhere within the Moomin Valley and set on a new adventure. This makes the episode building easier and the feeling more nostalgic. You know that everything starts from the Moomin Valley its something like Central Perk or MacLarens Pub. But the valley holds many mysteries and as the show progresses there is great world building. Theres the cave the Lonely Mountains the boathouse and the Hattifatteners island which is a mysterious neighboring land. Theres always something to explore while watching Tanoshii Muumin Ikka. https://64.media.tumblr.com/f79ea60f89cec55417f71f58e4478430/8c215c13f6d9458f9c/s500x750/443f6c0eaa73b00c596ae3e5cfee0aaa7869681f.mp4 Art and animation are breathtaking. Even if at first glance the character designs look weird to you they are lovely and youll get used to them soon. Studio Telescreen made a great effort to adapt the designs in an animated work and the few changes from Tove Janssons picture books were only for the better. For example Mr. Brisk appears as a hemulen I will explain later what kind of species a hemulen is and teaches Moomintroll how to ski. https://64.media.tumblr.com/e52247836a630b4f1f5a5b79846654b1/5d435af7bf4f8c6a92/s400x600/5510a2091ce3be6d910dd7e88f439edde85777ab.mp4 The music is one of the strongest parts of Tanoshii Muumin Ikka. Sumio Shiratori and his wife Emiko Shiratori did an amazing job making the soundtrack. Sumio composed the OST and Emiko performed the first opening and both ending songs. Here I will have to mention that Emiko Shiratoris presence gave bonus points to the anime itself as her opening song performance is heartwarming and her first ending song performance is soothing and beautiful. This pair of OPED songs was used for episodes 152 and in my opinion it was a great combination. In episodes 5378 the theme songs changed. The opening song was sung by the voice acting cast and it had a more playful and kidfriendly vibe into it. The second ending song too had a happier tone. Emiko Shiratori also did an exceptional job as the narrator of the show with her tender voice. Thats one of the main reasons I definitely recommend the Japanese version to the English dub. The English dub is not bad but the original one is something else https://www..com/watch?v=tsb2DGAzNQ4 The voice actors play an important role too in why the Japanese version is so good. There we have Takehito Koyasu Dio Zeke Roswaal in his youngest voice acting era. In my opinion he was incomparable back then his performance as Snufkin is one of my top 10 voice acting performances of all time. But it doesnt end here all the cast is exceptional. Theres even Akio Ootsuka Iskandar Ekubo Blackbeard as Moominpappa and if you ask me Minami Takayakas performance as Moomintroll Ikuko Tanis performance as Moominmamma and Hiroko Maruyamas performance as Stinky were all equally fantastic. Now lets take a look at the main characters. https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/030/367/688/large/nicolashouleeyc7syzxkaagphb.jpg?1600375882 Moomintroll is the protagonist of the series. A playful and innocent child Moomin whose main interests include exploring new things and spending time with his friends. He likes gazing at the sea dreaming and going on new adventures. Unlike his best friend Snufkin his biggest discomfort is solitude. Moomintroll becomes sad when Snufkin leaves on vacation and his best moments are when Snufkin returns. http://images1.fanpop.com/images/imageuploads/Moominpappathemoomins850657462504.jpg Moominpappa is the father of Moomintroll a lovely father figure who loves his family and appreciates little things in life. He still dreams of becoming a writer and he writes books or theatre scripts. He is a goofy character and sometimes he might handle situations in a bad way but his intentions are always kind even if he lacks manners. One of my favorite scenes includes Moominpappa sliding down a slide falling and eventually hurting his back. Thats the kind of man he is and hes proof that everyone has a childish side to them even when they grow older. https://i.makeagif.com/media/6052014/r85XlQ.mp4 Well especially men. Because Moominmamma is different on that part. She is skillful when it comes to housework and cooking and always takes care of her family and their friends. She looks more mature and everyone can rely on her in hard times. Moominmamma always holds a handbag with her carrying all the important things so that she can help her family and friends under any unexpected circumstances. Another trait of hers is that she trusts her son and even lets him participate in dangerous activities without worrying or panicking. https://i.pin.com/originals/f5/1b/55/f51b553950b78e991c7d704f4d9a5af0.jpg Aside from Moomins there are also Snorks in the Moomin Valley. Snorks resemble Moomins but their main difference is that they have hair. The only Snorks we know are Floren who is also a main character and her brother whose name is Snork. Floren is a friend of Moomintroll and seems to have a crush on him. There are some romantic scenes between them like gazing at sceneries or sleeping together on a hammock. Snork is quite different from the Snork we know in the books and his main purpose in life is to create an aircraft. He studies all day to achieve this. https://64.media.tumblr.com/4720bb9d0d50c4f08b206600a905ce5f/tumblro60k8uZYEM1vs4umto1500.png https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/c209502e0158626683ba447957948a6b.mp4 Snufkin is a mysterious Mumrik different from Moomins and Snorks Mumriks resemble tiny humans who is quite a philosopher and thinker. He might have a strong bond with Moomintroll but in fact he has another best friend: solitude. His main hobbies include playing the harmonica and fishing. He loves wandering around and in winter he always leaves the Moomin Valley and goes south. His departure is always saddening then he enjoys visiting new places and when he returns to the Moomin Valley he is overjoyed. https://c.tenor.com/YmhX6xzGhRgAAAAC/littlemymoomin.jpg Little My pronounced mee is a Mymble another humanlike species from the Moomin Valley which resembles Mumriks. She is a tiny girl with orange hair full of energy and living her life to the fullest. Sometimes she causes trouble for the Moomins because her actions might put her in a dangerous position but she is loved by them and always welcomed into their house. https://64.media.tumblr.com/bab4313ff7c1ca4cff4dcb6fa7825ad4/06a072fb3c7dd1fbb6/s500x750/6bbe54f83ccf89ddb8a4f16401660ded7e19931d.mp4 Sniffs appearance is unique looking like a kangaroodog he is quite the mascot character. He loves going on adventures but he is always scared and lazy so eventually he starts whining and falls back. He is a character that either gets loved or hated depending on the watcher. To me hes a fun addition to the group. https://64.media.tumblr.com/93e02d2bf05db75fd41aa5d5e62174a3/1b4d835d8b77e6edd3/s500x750/c5d1953671dda7b86e052e3bb563221a5d4e58f3.mp4 Last but not least I want to add Hemulensan to this list. Not many consider him an important character but I personally love his character. He is an old man who tries to find a romantic meaning in life and collects stamps. When he completes his collection he sets for a new adventure: to collect flowers that is. His character design and reactions fit his goofy character perfectly and hes fun to watch. Originally in Tove Janssons books the Hemulens are more and they share the traits Hemulensan has but in Tanoshii Muumin Ikka he represents the species by himself. Webmhttps://64.media.tumblr.com/40b0a8945b3219de484d6f8b6d59a286/879679700479dab56c/s500x750/4d6a7174dbed80852ac6f91ef9ffc427f6c7bdd2.mp4 There are no villains in the Moomin Valley. Even the valleys police officer is living a 100 peaceful and calm life and there was a hilarious episode where he almost lost his job because he wouldnt bring any criminals to the prison outside of the valley. But there are two creatures whose roles are somehow close to that of a villain. 500https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/moomin/images/9/97/StinkyisAfterMoominandSnufkin.png Stinky is the first one. He is a buglooking creature whose main hobby is playing pranks on the main characters. He is supposedly not bad but that is the way he tries to get Moomin and his friends attention. Some of the pranks are terrifying and there were a few times some of the main characters almost faced death. Still he is supposed to be a humoristic character. Stinky lives under a rock all alone. He is usually not invited to parties or events due to his irritating behavior but he likes showing up out of the blue. https://i.ur.com/aQnmIHX.mp4 The other one is Moran / The Groke. Morans character includes heavy symbolism and she is something like an incarnation of loneliness and terror. As you can see she looks like a big ghost with a duckface. Every resident of the Moomin Valley is frightened at the sight of Moran and no one likes her. Moomintroll pities her because she is always lonely and sad. Moran appears uninvited and she does not talk but her negative energy freezes the ground around her. Sometimes she may cause destruction. The Groke is probably too scary for kids due to her intimidating appearance and the vibes she radiates. https://64.media.tumblr.com/69a322e223c13aa947d26393b2e14431/cf969425796634f9bd/s500x750/13040725f806ad160d764c0e3884cc194a8f18e8.mp4 The most important character additions in Tanoshii Muumin Ikka are Alisha and her grandmother. They both firstly appear 30+ episodes in and then they become part of the Moomin Valley. Alisha is a young girl who wants to hang out with the Moomins but her grandmother who is a witch does not let her do so. That is because the witchcraft studies are more important in her mind and she wants her granddaughter to succeed. Hanging out with friends would leave her behind. But Alisha learns to appreciate friendship and meets a new lifestyle that of having both friends and studying. https://64.media.tumblr.com/154328ecb825f6f7e1aaa489c25b184b/e4a8c990e59c53a4be/s500x750/85d327a6fe8db52bf87fd57629fe2601abed4ec4.mp4 Details I loved https://i.pin.com/originals/c7/2c/64/c72c6400b9188c889adc6a138cf3df18.png Moomintrolls dreams. They were all colorful adventurous and surrealistic. As dreams are in our world well at least to me. https://i.pin.com/originals/31/23/eb/3123ebb18af8989fc3607d9733d5638a.png Snufkins departures and arrivals to the Moomin Valley. The atmosphere was always melancholic at the departure and when he returned it was heartmelting. https://i.yt.com/vi/ScSSRlplNYQ/maxresdefault.jpg Hemulens house or other places that were not important but were animated perfectly. https://64.media.tumblr.com/a2f1584a7135c2bb6e147c739ad6d5c0/02476502213c2b4da6/s540x810/e9dfc8b0f6a3d01fcdaa28bedf5823b50b8d38b8.jpg Moominpappas backstory. It added color to the Moomin world and it was wonderful seeing him recite his old stories. Conclusion Tanoshii Muumin Ikka creates a beautiful world full of color and fun adventures away from daily responsibilities. It is a great watch for kids but I am sure their parents would appreciate it even more. If I were a father I would definitely watch this with my kids and both sides would be satisfied. Watching Tanoshii Muumin Ikka feels like home and that is thanks to its peaceful tranquil and comforting vibe. With this review I express my satisfaction and congratulate both Tove Jansson for her great books and Telescreens staff that produced such an amazing adaptation. It is clearly one of the best TV shows out there. Thank you for sharing this show with us