Mirai Shounen Conan

Conan was the only child born on Remnant Island, a place settled by a group of refugees while they fled a terrifying wave of magnetic bombs that wiped out most of humanity. After 20 years, most of the castaways have died, save for Conan and the wise old man that raised him.

Believing Remnant Island to be the last inhabited place on Earth, Conan is shocked when he discovers a young girl named Lana washed up on the beach one day. Though he is thrilled to learn that humanity has survived, Lana tells him the nation of Industria wants her as a hostage to force her grandfather, Dr. Lao, to power their machinery. Their conversation is cut short when Industria's top pilot, Monsley, suddenly appears and seizes Lana. Determined to save her, Conan immediately sets off from Remnant Island and begins a journey that will ultimately determine the fate of the world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Conan Main

Ohara, Noriko Japanese

Lana Main

Nobusawa, Mieko Japanese

Jimsy Supporting

Aoki, Kazuyo Japanese

Dyce Supporting

Nagai, Ichiro Japanese

Monsley Supporting

Yoshida, Rihoko Japanese

Ojii Supporting

Yamanouchi, Masato Japanese

Luca Supporting

Mizutori, Tetsuo Japanese

Dongoroth Supporting

Kamiyama, Takuzou Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Ibu, Masatou Japanese

Luke Supporting

Tanaka, Hideyuki Japanese

Hayakawa, Keiji Co-Director, Director, Storyboard

Miyazaki, Hayao Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Character Design, Key Animation, Mechanical Design

Takahata, Isao Director, Storyboard

Shiba, Shigeharu Sound Director

Reviews

May 5, 2026

Snowiyiz

Recommended

Future Boy Conan is a classic anime directed Mayao Miyazaki, released in the 1970s, it surprisingly still remains as one of the most enjoyable animes out there. The anime is set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has nearly been wiped out due to advanced weapons, the story follows Conan, a young boy embarking on a journey to rescue his friend Lana and uncover the truth of the world.

One of the strongest aspects of the series is it sense of adventure. The story moves quickly, with each episode contributing meaningfully to the plot, making it feels like one long, continuous journey, rather than a series ... of disconnected events chained together by brute-forcing them into a timeline. This keeps viewers engaged and prevents the narrative from being repetitive. In addition, the world-building itself is OUTSTANDING, depicting a ruined Earth where the remnants of technology and nature coexists, creating such an odd fusion, yet it blends into the anime's tone.

The characters cast also deserves it's own highlight. Conan himself is such a charming, likeable protagonist. He's optimistic, brave, and morally grounded. His determination to protect the ones special to is comparable of an unyielding fire, burning in the harshest of storms. Side characters, particularly from the antagonists cast, also receive meaningful development, making their backstory understandable, instead of it being black and white. However, characters such as Lana, felt really undeveloped because her side of the story wasn't explored enough for viewers to understand her motives, at least compared to other works of Miyazaki.

In terms of animation, although being on the older side of technology, it ages like fine wine. It can even be considered as the gold standard for modern animes to study. The attention to detail, ranging from peaceful islands covered by nature, to industrial cities submerged in autonomy, help immerse the audience in the story, making them feel like they're one of Conan's companion themselves. The soundtrack also contributes a lot to the grand schemes of things, delivering a soothing melody in appropriate scenes, while also intensifying scenes that are more focused on action.

But, what truly makes Future Boy Conan stand out the most, in my honest opinion, is the message it's trying to deliver. The series cast light on topics such as environmental destruction, the dangers of technology, and the importance of hope. The reason why Conan is named "Future Boy" is because he's the symbol of hope, an optimistic future for humanity. It reflects Miyazaki's beliefs, with enough willpower, people can build a better even in the most difficult circumstances.

Future Boy Conan has its flaws, but its charm and influence outweighed its negatives tenfold. It is a timeless adventure that combines engaging storytelling, memorable characters and meaningful themes, making it a must watch, especially for fans interested in the origins of Miyazaki's work.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 13, 2026

rallyntando

Recommended

Young Hayao Miyazaki with ample room to explore and experiment. Very much "for kids" but still made with extreme care and thoughtfulness. There are classic Miyazaki elements like unusual flying machines, strong female characters, and a pro-environmental message, but also a cartoonish whimsy and freedom which feels youthful and endearing. The classic late 70's cartoon soundtrack features a groovin' electric bass and some fantastically of-its-era music and sounds. It's not "good" by modern standards, but absolutely contributes to the charm of the whole thing, and I wouldn't want it any other way. It's wonderful to see the proto-elements of future beloved Ghibli films scattered all ... throughout the 10 hours of this show. The show starts slowish but really does step it up in the 2nd half. Highly recommended watching for any Ghibli/Takahata/Miyazaki fan.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jul 9, 2026

chinese_cartoons

Mixed Feelings

This is a solid adventure show with really good art and animation for the time. Unlike most shows, you can tell that this one actually had a proper budget behind it. However, one huge flaw is that a lot of mysteries in the show are never resolved. Most notably, these include:

- The source of Conan's superhuman strength (the show even has a whole establishing scene for it but it is never followed up later) and Lana's telepathy
- the reason everyone else on Conan's island died.
- pretty much anything on the world pre-apocalypse outside of a few scenes showing how it happened, but not ... really why.

It also another victim of Miyazaki's refusal to kill off characters. Besides the obligatory death of Conan's grandfather in episode 2, not a single character (named or otherwise) dies for the next 20 or so episodes. This is at it's most egregious in the middle of the show when one character escapes near certain death 3 times in the space of a couple of episodes.
The environmentalism themes can also tread into unreasonable territory at points. (the way a group of characters "atoned" for their actions near the end of the show was especially bizarre, especially considering their expertise would be irreplaceable in a post-apocalyptic world).

If these things don't bother you and you just want a TV length Ghibli film, you will enjoy the show, especially if you like Nausicaa as a lot of themes and general concepts were recycled for it (the girl working for the empire in that film is pretty much a reskinned Monsley in both appearance and function lol). If you're expecting more you will probably be disappointed.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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