Don Quixote as a cartoon in cultural translation : from Spain to Japan and back again

Abstract

In 1980, Japan’s Asahi Productions produced a 23-episode cartoon series loosely based on Don Quixote that was dubbed into Spanish in 1982 by Ziv International as Cuentos de la Mancha. It left an indelible impression on many children of the 80swho now –as adults and thanks to YouTube– can relive their childhood memories. These include their introduction to Cervantes through a two-stage process of cultural translation. This study analyses how the original and translated programs exist as a cultural hybrid. Though much was added or subtracted by Japanese and Hispanic contributors, Cuentos de la Mancha captures the spirit of Don Quixote at its most cartoonish. Even moments of complete disregard for the original source material can be interpreted as inadvertently Cervantine. Extreme divergence from the novel seems to have had no effect on those young viewers, who are now nostalgic adults.