1992 would bring in a lot of memories. Maybe, there's the X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon. There's also Conan the Adventurer which was part of my Saturday morning escapism. It was back when I thought that the Conan cartoon came before the movie. Though, a Google search today will tell you that the Conan the Barbarian movie came out in 1982. Was the cartoon series an intentional nod to the ADULT movie that left me in shock? Maybe, maybe not. But I remembered obsessing over this cartoon like it was the greatest cartoon ever. Though I feel like not rewatching it anymore and maybe, it's an Old Shame to me like Power Rangers or just any show I used to like watching. I feel so stupid at how often I quarreled with my parents whenever I had to study on a Saturday morning. It was because I felt Conan the Adventurer was the greatest cartoon ever.
My obsession with the cartoon went beyond me fighting my parents on Saturday mornings. I could remember screaming and shouting that I missed an episode of Conan the Adventurer because of a Saturday morning haircut. Back then, trying to borrow VHS or Betamax was but a luxury. I remembered reading those comics by my mom's eldest brother. There were some copies of the Marvel version of the Conan comics I read such as "A Witch Shall Be Born" where Conan was crucified. Another was where Conan was the king and fought against Thoth-Amon. Yup, the very template of Wrath-Amon though the show also had Wrath-Amon's predecessor, Ram-Amon.
The cartoon eventually led to the biggest misadventure ever - watching the Conan the Barbarian (1982) movie. This was where I and a couple of my peers had a shock. Yes, the movie WASN'T FOR CHILDREN as I thought it was...
I remembered how the movie had none of the toned-down elements of the cartoon. The serpent men were never just "sent away to another dimension". Instead, we have what the cartoon was never allowed to show. Ihe beginning of Conan the Adventurer had Wrath-Amon attack the village. The scene can be considered a nod when Movie!Thulsa Doom or "Wrath-Amon" calls the serpent men to attack the village. I expected "Wrath-Amon" to use the spell of living stone. Instead, this "Wrath-Amon" gets more serious by DECAPITATING Conan's mother. This one was in search for steel to conquer the world for his god Set. The worshipers of the snake god Set soon spread their worship through psychological manipulation.
The movie would contain so many materials NOT suitable for children. The human sacrifice part was one. We could never see Skullkur do a ritual to feed a giant snake. We can't have a scene Cartoon!Conan waiting at the doorstep of Set's temple only to get captured. We can't have a scene where Cartoon!Conan crucified like the 1982 Movie!Conan. The cannibalistic orgy was another nightmare scene. Sure, the red light did try to lessen the scare. However, the mere idea that the cult members were feasting on their murder victims is something to think about.
What sort of scared me though was that I only realized Valerie Quennessen (the princess) has been dead all along when I saw the film. The plot had the Princess of Zamora becoming Movie!Thulsa's favorite member. In fact, it was scripted for Movie!Thulsa intended to marry her so he can cement his rule. Later, the heartbreaking scene of Valeria's death was another. We just couldn't have Wrath-Amon kill Jezmine in the cartoon now, can we? Yet, Movie!Thulsa did just that by forming a snake arrow - something I believe inspired Serpentor's arsenal in the G.I. Joe cartoon before Wrath-Amon was conceived.
It would be VERY INTERESTING to know the cartoon had footnote characters. Some references to the 1982 movie were made. I guess one interesting reference was Mesmira, the rightful queen of Stygia, could be a reference to Queen Taramis from Conan the Destroyer. I ended up calling Taramis from Conan the Destroyer (not to be confused with the novel Taramis who was a good queen and had an evil twin named Salome) as "Mesmira". Though, the episode "The Birth of Wrath-Amon" where Cartoon!Conan only changed the way Wrath-Amon was born took place. The character Ram-Amon is obviously a xerox of Thoth-Amon. Egyptian garb, magic spells, cunning, cowardice? Well, Ram-Amon was also pretty much Movie!Thulsa Doom in many ways. Like Movie!Thulsa Doom - Ram-Amon relied too much on his minions, trickery, and deceit to win the battle. The African accent was also (Ram-Amon sounds like Destro from the 1980s cartoon) there which made me wish James Earl Jones voiced the character.
The finale itself was anything but grand. Granted, I was already an adult when I saw the finale. I never got to see the finale as a child. I felt some resentment whenever I had to miss an episode of Conan the Adventurer because of Saturday morning studies. The finale had Set finally released into the Earth, Wrath-Amon getting the full power of the Black Ring, Conan restoring his parents to flesh and blood (he did save his paternal grandfather first before that), and banishing Set into the Abyss with the combined power of the Star Metal. It had a sequel hook that led to the FAILED Conan and the Young Warriors - a cartoon I'm glad got discontinued. I guess Sulinara was anything but appealing. I heard though the plot was supposed to focus on Mesmira and restoring Greywolf's siblings to fully human form.
Coincidence or not? Granted, Hasbro has had a history with Toei Ltd. aside from Haim Saban. Power Rangers Wild Force started out as a Saban production but was taken over by Disney midway. Now, Hasbro has the rights to Power Rangers after Saban sold the rights to Hasbro and Toei Ltd. approved. I pretty much felt that Cole Evans pretty much looks like the Cartoon!Conan instead of the tougher, more gruff-looking Comics!Conan. Watching Wild Force and seeing Cole's shirtless appearances (which happened during "Soul Searching" and the final episode) made me think he could've been Conan.
That reminds me how the actor, Rick Medina, committed manslaughter (that is, killing in the heat of passion) with a CONAN THE BARBARIAN STYLE SWORD. I can't be sure if Rick was truly in danger and overdid his self-defense. Though, I still felt that Rick was only acting in self-defense when it happened. Still, the incident where he used the Conan the Barbarian style sword actually brought back memories of Conan the Adventurer - in some weird way.
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Just sone weird random rant!
Just sone weird random rant!
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