Leo the Lion is the sequel to my all-time favorite series, Kimba the White Lion. I would call 3 of the series’ 26 episodes “essential viewing for the Kimba fan”, and 6 or so more are real stand-outs.
In the intervening years of story time between the two series (the English dub track says it’s 20 years, but that’s silly; there are some changes to the original storyline here just like there were in the original Kimba series -- most notably anything having to do with the main character changing his name from Kimba to Leo since his name was always Leo in Japan), Leo (who is the adult Kimba) is intent on keeping his jungle safe from humans. I believe this is in continuation of the deal Kimba made with the humans in the last episode of the first series (“Silvertail, the Renegade”, which was originally titled “The Man-Eating Lion” in Japan). In the Japanese script, Kimba promised to keep his animals separate from humans, and that promise underlies Leo's actions in this series.
One notable thing about the Leo the Lion series is that the last two episodes provide an antidote of sorts for the Jungle Emperor Leo movie (1997)--the movie returned to the original manga and told the tear-jerker stories as written in 1950, which quite frankly were bad storytelling. In my opinion, one of the changes made for Leo the Lion vastly improves the story. Some may think the other change is kinda far-fetched, but it’s still a more satisfying ending.
Here is my choice of the best episodes from this series:
Episode 5. “Rune’s Adventurous Journey.”
Rune and Rukio are born to Leo and Lea. Leo decides that Rune needs some help to be up to the life that awaits him. This is the best script in the series up to this point. It is a good story, well told. And, of course, the birth of the cubs shapes the course of the rest of the Leo the Lion series.
Episode 6. “Dwimag the Mighty.”
A peaceful band of gorillas, dependent on a giant for their safety, are seeking a new home. Rukio gets to shine in this episode, as she befriends a fearsome, and fearful, gorilla. If only there could have been more stories about her. I am partial to this episode because it is the only one in the series that features Rukio, who is essentially this series’ equivalent of Kitty in Kimba the White Lion.
Episode 10. “Lycons Do Not Cry.”
An enemy of Leo’s befriends Rune and Rukio. I enjoy this episode since it focuses largely on the two cubs, and the title character has a bit of complexity to him.
Episode 12. “The Poachers.”
One of the strongest episodes of the entire Leo series, dealing realistically with the harm done by poaching. Quite violent at times, but overall it’s a powerful story.
Episode 18. “Locomotive Battle.”
The obnoxious Bizo, the elephant, must cooperate with Rune or both of them will die. There are some points in this episode where the writing is not always consistent with the universe created for the series. Still, this one ranks with the better Leo episodes.
Episode 19. “The Stone Fortress.”
Rune gets the idea to build a stone castle as protection against disasters like fire. I admit I have a strange reason for liking this episode: It appeals to me on a technical level. The visual style baffles and fascinates me. This one must have been drawn by an entirely different team of artists. It looks like the artists who normally did the background characters took over the studio and did a full episode themselves. Everyone is so far off model that I can’t take my eyes off the screen.
Episode 25. “The Sun Will Rise Again Over the Royal Castle” or “The Green Plague.”
A spotted fever plague sweeps through the jungle, affecting most of the animals. This is one of the two most satisfying episodes of the entire series especially for the Kimba fan who has seen the Jungle Emperor Leo movie. Here, Tezuka re-writes his own story to great effect.
Episode 26. “The Eternal Mount Moon.”
Leo accompanies an expedition to Mt. Moon to search for the moonlight stones, which can solve the world’s energy shortage. Rune stows away with the expedition. This episode follows directly from the previous one. Again, Tezuka has re-written his story, providing a much better ending that seen in the Jungle Emperor Leo movie.