History Trivia / TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold

* DuelingDubs: The original series, in Japanese. When the series was to be rerun on an NHK satellite channel in 1998, it was found that the original Japanese dialogue track was lost, presumably deleted because of the show's lack of popularity in Japan. Thus the series had to be redubbed into Japanese from French, and the new dub utilized an almost entirely new stable of voice actors, with Creator/MasakoNozawa (Esteban) the only returning seiyuu. For example, the new voice of Zia was Creator/ReiSakuma (Shampoo of Manga/RanmaOneHalf), replacing Creator/MamiKoyama (the original Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo).

** At the same time, Creator/StudioPierrot was also making ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' and ''Manga/MissMachiko'' and was about to debut ''Anime/CreamyMamiTheMagicAngel'', all of which couldn't be more different from ''Mysterious Cities of Gold''. The studio wouldn't stay in that ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater''-esque literary-anime genre much longer, despite their adaptation of ''Literature/MrsPepperpot'' also debuting on NHK while ''Cities'' was still airing.

* DevelopmentHell: The sequel series slipped into this for quite some time, being pushed back repeatedly until the first episode finally aired at the end of 2012. On the plus side, the sequel premier fit with the original show's [[MilestoneCelebration thirtieth anniversary]].

** The English dub was recorded in Montreal, but was never broadcast in Canada. The English voice actors for both Esteban and Zia have recalled being unable to watch the English dub until they traveled internationally. Years later, Janice Chaikelson (Zia) had to purchase a bootleg set of the English dubbed episodes in order to show her kids the series (this was before the show had an official DVD release in English).

* InternationalCoproduction: Between Creator/DiCEntertainment, Creator/{{NHK}} and Creator/StudioPierrot, with the English dub being co-produced with both Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and Creator/TheBBC.

* TheWikiRule: [[http://mcog.wikia.com/wiki/Mcog_Wiki The Mysterious Cities of Gold Wiki]].

* CrossDressingVoices: In the Japanese version of the '80s series, both Esteban and Tao are voiced by women; Esteban's seiyuu (in both the original 1982 dub and the 1998 redub) is none other than Creator/MasakoNozawa. Tao was originally played by Junko Hori and Darrin'd by Creator/MotokoKumai in the '90s redub.

** At the same time, Creator/StudioPierrot was also making ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' and ''Manga/MissMachiko'' and was about to debut ''Anime/MagicalAngelCreamyMami'', all of which couldn't be more different from ''Mysterious Cities of Gold''. The studio wouldn't stay in that ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater''-esque literary-anime genre much longer, despite their adaptation of ''Literature/MrsPepperpot'' also debuting on NHK while ''Cities'' was still airing.

** In the original '80s Japanese dub, a minor character named Lana was voiced by Mieko Nobusawa. A few years earlier, the same actress had played another character named Lana in another anime aired on NHK: Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan''.

** At the same time, Creator/StudioPierrot was also making ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' and ''Anime/MissMachiko'' and was about to debut ''Anime/MagicalAngelCreamyMami'', all of which couldn't be more different from ''Mysterious Cities of Gold''. The studio wouldn't stay in that ''Anime/WorldMasterpieceTheater''-esque literary-anime genre much longer, despite their adaptation of ''Literature/MrsPepperpot'' also debuting on NHK while ''Cities'' was still airing.

* HeyItsThatSound: Not exactly, but some of the music cues sound similar to those from ''[[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]]''. It's justified since the music was done by the same people: Haim Saban (yes, [[Franchise/PowerRangers that Saban]]) and Shuki Levy.

** The English audio was originally recorded with both UK and US-based actors as tests, the final product uses Canadian actors as a result of both countries complaining about the [[Usefulnotes/AmericanAccents American]] and [[Usefulnotes/BritishAccents British]] accents used in the other takes.

** Shiraz Adam, the VA for Esteban, was a huge fan of the show back when it was popular in Montreal (in French on [[Creator/{{CBC}} Radio-Canada]]) according to a DVD interview. Slightly subverted in his case because he didn't see it for another few years when he visited his cousins in the UK (despite being dubbed in Canada, the English dub was only ever screened in the UK and the US). Similarly, Janice Chaikelson (Zia) only got to watch the English dub on Nickelodeon while visiting relatives in Florida.

** The English dub was recorded in Montreal, but was never broadcast in Canada. Janice Chaikelson, the English voice of Zia, has said she didn't get to watch any of the English episodes until she visited her grandparents in Florida and could see the show on Nickelodeon.

** In Japanese, it applies to every character in the original series ''except'' Esteban. When the show was to be released on DVD in Japan in the late 1990s, the original 1982 dialogue track had been lost; thus, for the home video release and rebroadcast on NHK's [=BS2=] channel, the show had to be redubbed from French ''back'' into Japanese, using an entirely new stable of seiyuu except for Creator/MasakoNozawa (Esteban).

** Shiraz Adam, the VA for Esteban, was a huge fan of the show back when it was popular in Montreal (in French on [[Creator/{{CBC}} Radio-Canada]]) according to a DVD interview. Slightly subverted in his case because he didn't see it for another few years when he visited his cousins in the UK (despite being dubbed in Canada, the English dub was only ever screened in the UK and the US).

** The English dub was recorded in Montreal, but was never broadcast in Canada. Janice Chaikelson, the English voice of Zia, has said she didn't get to watch any of the English episodes until she visited her grandparents in Florida.

* [[HeAlsoDid She Also Did]]: In the original '80s Japanese dub, a minor character named Lana was voiced by Mieko Nobusawa. A few years earlier, the same actress had played another character named Lana in another anime aired on NHK: Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan''.

* CrossDressingVoices: In the Japanese version of the '80s series, both Esteban and Tao are voiced by women; Esteban's seiyuu (in both the original 1982 dub and the 1998 redub) is none other than Creator/MasakoNozawa.

* DuelingDubs: The original series, in Japanese. When the series was to be rerun on NHK in 1998, it was found that the original Japanese dialogue track was lost, presumably deleted because of the show's lack of popularity in Japan. Thus the series had to be redubbed into Japanese from French, and the new dub utilized an almost entirely new stable of voice actors, with Creator/MasakoNozawa (Esteban) the only returning seiyuu. For example, the new voice of Zia was Creator/ReiSakuma (Shampoo of Manga/RanmaOneHalf), replacing Creator/MamiKoyama (the original Anime/MagicalPrincessMinkyMomo).

** In Japanese, it applies to every character ''except'' Esteban. When the show was to be released on DVD in Japan in the late 1990s, the original 1982 dialogue track had been lost; thus, for the home video release and rebroadcast on NHK's BS2 channel, the show had to be redubbed from French ''back'' into Japanese, using an entirely new stable of seiyuu except for Creator/MasakoNozawa (Esteban).

* InternationalCoproduction: Between Creator/DiCEntertainment, N.H.K. and Creator/StudioPierrot, with the English dub being co-produced with both Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and Creator/TheBBC.

* HeyItsThatSound: Not exactly, but some of the music cues sound similar to those from ''[[HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]]''. It's justified since the music was done by the same people: Haim Saban (yes, [[PowerRangers that Saban]]) and Shuki Levy.

** The English audio was originally recorded with both UK and US-based actors as tests, the final product uses Canadian actors as a result of both countries complaining about the [[AmericanAccents American]] and [[BritishAccents British]] accents used in the other takes.

* InternationalCoproduction: Between Creator/DiCEntertainment, N.H.K. and Creator/StudioPierrot.

** In Japanese, it applies to every character except Esteban, as Creator/MasakoNozawa was the only Japanese seiyuu to reprise his/her role when she series was redubbed (from French) for its Japanese home video release/[=BS2=] rebroadcast.

** In terms of keeping the show alive, honourable mention should go to fan Tim Skutt who gets a well-deserved interview on the DVD release. Years before an official English DVD release, this guy did a one-man fandub of the entire 39 episode series using the Japanese and French [=DVDs=], taking the sound from his original home VHS recordings of the Nickelodeon broadcast.
* CreatorCameo: Which turned into an extended role. Howard Rysphan, the director and head scriptwriter of the English dub, auditioned for Mendoza purely on a whim and was stunned when the producers in France and the UK picked him.

* TheOtherDarrin: In Japanese, it applies to every character ''except'' Esteban. When the show was to be released on DVD in Japan in the late 1990s, the original 1982 dialogue track had been lost; thus, for the home video release and rebroadcast on NHK's BS2 channel, the show had to be redubbed from French ''back'' into Japanese, using an entirely new stable of seiyuu except for Creator/MasakoNozawa (Esteban).

* DuelingDubs: It has two Japanese dubs.

* {{Misblamed}}: Some differences between the French and Japanese translations are attributed to {{Bowdlerization}} by the former of the latter, which is inaccurate since the series is a joint Franco-Japanese production written by Jean Chalopin and Bernard Deyriès but animated in Japan. If anything, the differences were more to tailor them to differing expectations of their respective '80s-era audiences than anything else.

** Shiraz Adam, the VA for Esteban, was a huge fan of the show back when it was popular in Montreal (in French on [[Creator/{{CBC}}|Radio-Canada]]) according to a DVD interview. Slightly subverted in his case because he didn't see it for another few years when he visited his cousins in the UK (despite being dubbed in Canada, the English dub was only ever screened in the UK and the US).

** In Japanese, it applies to every character except Esteban, as Creator/MasakoNozawa was the only Japanese seiyuu to reprise his/her role when she series was redubbed (from French) for its Japanese home video release/BS2 rebroadcast.

* [[HeAlsoDid She Also Did]]: In the original '80s Japanese dub, a minor character named Lana was voiced by [[Creator/MiekoNobusawa]]. A few years earlier, the same actress had played another character named Lana in another anime aired on NHK: Creator/HayaoMiyazaki's ''Anime/FutureBoyConan''.