I watched this show back as a kid in the early 90s and loved it instantly. I can appreciate why as an adult. The quest is epic and has a strong sense of continuity. The opening 5-parter is a true 5-parter, unlike some from the 80s (yes Book Of Enigmas I’m looking at you!). The writing is top notch, the voice cast are great, and the animation is also very detailed.
The animation is particularly noteworthy when it comes to the character designs. The characters are recognisably human but just slightly different to normal - their eyes, particularly Ren’s and Tula’s, are different, reminding us that this is a different planet, Mer (as in sea, a very deliberate name no doubt). Actually Ren is an interesting design in general. Given that this show was before hair dyes became so completely commonplace, a character with brown skin and blond hair was an unusual sight in itself, but the look works. Bloth is another interesting design, as he appears to be based a little on Popeye’s nemesis Bluto. And all the rest of the pirates have their own unique looks, Mantus, Konk, even the background characters are well-designed.
The voice cast are also of a very high pedigree. Niddler is voiced by Frank Welker who needs no introduction, likewise Peter Cullen (Mantus), and Tim Curry (Konk), who was also voicing another more famous pirate at the same time, Captain Hook in Peter Pan And The Pirates, for which he won an award. He seems to like playing pirates as he was also Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island a few years later, and many more besides. His voicing of Sir Gawaine in The Legend Of Prince Valiant (at the same time as this show) was perhaps a slight departure, a cavalier hero, but even then he put a bit of pirate swagger into that voice and made it work. Mind you, with his portrayal of Konk, he does put a bit more something into his voice rather than just his normal one.
Tula was voiced by Jodi Benson, best known as being the voice of Ariel, The Little Mermaid; Bloth by Brock Peters, known to me for a couple of Star Trek roles, Admiral Cartwright in a couple of the films, and Sisko’s father in DS9, and Ioz by Hector Elizondo who has cropped up in a few things here and there (he played the most interesting character in the Princess Diaries movies, and was the voice of that owl guardian of the library in Avatar). The least familiar name to me was George Newbern (Ren), but it turns out even he is known to me for something else, he was the son-in-law in the Father Of The Bride movies. Shows how long it’s been since I last saw them!
The storyline concerning the whole quest thing is a familiar enough concept, there are a lot of typical details (the son follows in his father’s footsteps, is evocative of so many things from Star Wars to Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors), but the story is still distinctive enough. Actually I suspect that the 13 Treasures Of Rule was an influence on the 2011 Thundercats remake. That and the Neosapien rebellion in Exosquad which was about a year or two after this show, are the two things that TC2011 reminds me of the most. Incidentally we covered Exosquad last year if you’re curious, it’s well worth checking out.
This show did have the usual omission in the toyline, they didn’t make a figure of Tula, instead making a figure of Zoolie. On the villains’ side, the extra figure was a character called Joat, who only appeared in one episode (despite being planned as a recurring character like Zoolie).
Wilycub, I was interested in your likening Niddler to Kowl from She-Ra - my first thought was that he was Snarf to Ren’s Lion-O. In any case, I think he’s my favourite character in the show, Frank Welker deliciously hams it up to steal every scene he’s in. I also liked your Star Wars analogy, which you’ll find just as applicable when we do Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors, if not more so!
Overall - yes, I’m still loving this show. I loved it as a kid, I loved it when I saw it again in 2013, and I’m loving it again now. One of the best the 90s had to offer, up there with Prince Valiant, X-Men and Exosquad.
