Pop Culture Movies and More: Ulysses 31 (TV Series 1981-1982)

It is the 31st Century and Ulysses is a famous explorer and pilot in space but he desires to go home to Earth to his wife. He takes his son Telemachus and Telemachus's new robot gift, Nono, with him and takes the space-ship Odyssey with computer Shyrka and his crew. En route to Earth, Telemachus is kidnapped and taken to the Cyclops, a huge robot with one eye, worshipped by a cult. Ulysses destroys the Cyclops and as well as rescuing Telemachus takes Numenor and Yumi, two children from the planet Zotra with them. However, this enrages the ancient gods of Olympus, still existing after all this time, and in revenge, puts the crew and Numenor into a deep sleep, wiping the location of Earth from Shyrka's memory, and putting the Odyssey in the universe of Olympus. The only way out is for Ulysses to find the Kingdom Of Hades, but Ulysses, Telemachus, Yumi, Nono and Shyrka have to defend against the Trident: the forces of the gods and the dubious community of the Universe in a desperate search for finding a cure for the crew and to find the Kingdom Of Hades for a way home to Earth. I absolutely adore this show for multiple reasons! It is a cult classic gem that is lesser known to the wider world making it all the more a must-see for it truly is one of the best shows ever created. Ulysses 31 is a beautifully illustrated show with some incredible animation and visuals that are simply stunning. I have always been interested in hand-drawn animation because of the amount of detail and care put into each frame can be seen throughout. It takes my breath away to see all of the efforts that have gone into the final product and how amazing every moment looks. As well as being a huge fan of animation, I am also very fond of the 1980s so mixing the two together brings us the phenomenal content that is this show. Originating in France with the combined work with Japan, the show was aired in 1981 where it received such popularity later being dubbed in English and aired in the later years of the 80s in the UK. All 26 episodes can now be found on YouTube for free making this show all the more accessible for everyone to enjoy. Every single episode has been worked on by enhancing the quality, updating audio, altering distorted sounds and bringing the show back to life, looking better than ever. A big thanks go out to TheAdamAdamant for all the hard work put into restoring such a brilliant series. I have linked below a playlist of the entire show so be sure to go check them out if you get the chance. It is undoubtedly worth it, I can assure you. I love how unique of a concept this show had with the intriguing idea of having Greek mythology stories retold in a futuristic setting in the 31st Century, which led to some superb storytelling combining the two mediums seamlessly. We can see some fantastic science fiction elements on display within this show whilst still holding onto the imagery that is associated with Greek mythology. From a space station in the shape of a helmet, space ships resembling tridents used by the god's forces, the robotic cyclops and plenty more iconic characters and stories from the mythology updated in a futuristic manner. I adore the ship designs used, with the overwhelming amount of detail on display like all the flashing lights, which make it look alive and like a real working piece of machinery. My favourite of all the ships shown is undoubtedly the Odyssey, which looks so cool, both outside and inside. All the characters are equally entertaining, each with their own struggles to overcome, working as a team, always at one another's side. Ulysses is easily my favourite of the crew with his knock-off lightsaber from the show's obvious inspiration of the time: Star Wars. The intro theme is just sheer perfection. It's so catchy and memorable, which is up there as one of my all-time best-loved show intros. Overall, I cannot stress enough how much I adore this cult classic serial. It is one of the greatest shows I've ever seen and it could be one of yours! I love the animation, the music is unbelievably epic, the stories grand and the characters extremely likeable. It is science fiction at its peak, especially with the outstanding level of quality in every episode.