Maya the Honey Bee facts for kids
| Maya the Honey Bee | |
Japanese DVD cover.
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Quick facts for kids みつばちマーヤの冒険(Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken) |
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| Genre | Comedy, Adventure |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Masahiro Endō Hiroshi Saitō |
| Produced by | Yoshihiro Ōba |
| Written by | Niisan Takahashi |
| Music by | Takashi Ogaki, Karel Gott (title song) |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Network | NET (now TV Asahi) |
| English network | |
| Original run | 1 April 1975 – 20 April 1976 |
| Episodes | 52 |
| Anime television series | |
| The New Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee | |
| Produced by | Sōjirō Masuko |
| Studio | Wako Productions, Apollo Film Wien |
| Network | ZDF, TV Osaka, TV Tokyo |
| Original run | 1 September 1979 – 13 September 1980 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Maya the Honey Bee (Japanese: みつばちマーヤの冒険, Hepburn: Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken, lit. "The Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee") is a fun anime TV series about a curious little bee. It was first made in Japan by Zuiyo Enterprise and Nippon Animation. The show had 52 episodes and first aired from April 1975 to April 1976.
The story is based on a classic children's book called The Adventures of Maya the Bee by Waldemar Bonsels. This anime became super popular in Europe. It has been shown again and again in many countries and languages around the world! A movie made from the first few episodes came out in 1977.
There are two English versions of the show. One was made in South Africa. It used a translated version of the German theme song. The other version was made in the United States with a new theme song. It had Canadian voice actors. This version aired on Nickelodeon from 1990 to 1992. Maya the Bee was part of Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block for younger kids.
A second Maya the Bee series was made in 1979. It was called Shin Mitsubachi Māya no Bōken (新みつばちマーヤの冒険, The New Adventures of Maya the Honey Bee). This series was a team effort between Wako Productions and Apollo Film from Austria/Germany. It first aired in Germany in 1979. This second series looked very different, more like a cartoon. It also had 52 episodes. It wasn't as popular as the first one. It didn't even air in Japan until 1982.
Maya's Adventures
The story is all about Maya. She is a young honeybee who loves to explore. She is very curious and a bit adventurous! Maya is born in a busy bee hive. At this time, the hive is splitting into two new groups.
Maya is taught by her teacher, Mrs. Cassandra. But Maya wants to see the big world outside the hive. She does something that is not allowed: she leaves the hive! Now, Maya is on her own. She makes friends with other insects. She also faces many dangers with them.
Saving the Hive
In the last two episodes of the first series, Maya gets caught. She is taken prisoner by hornets. Hornets are the bees' biggest enemies! While she is a prisoner, Maya learns something important. The hornets are planning to attack her home hive.
Maya has a very tough choice to make. Should she go back to the hive and face punishment? This would save her hive. Or should she stay safe and let the hive be destroyed? After thinking hard, Maya decides to go back.
She tells her hive about the coming attack. Everyone is surprised, but she is forgiven! The bees are ready for the hornets. They win the fight against the hornet attack force. Maya becomes a hero for her hive. She then becomes a teacher, just like Mrs. Cassandra. Maya shares her experiences and wisdom with the younger bees.
Main Characters
- Maya
- Voiced by: Michiko Nomura (1975), Runa Akiyama (1982) (Japanese); Pauline Little (English)
- Maya is the main character. She is a curious, adventurous, and sometimes a bit wild young honeybee.
- Willy
- Voiced by: Masako Nozawa (1975 and 1982 versions) (Japanese); Richard Dumont (English)
- Willy is a young male bee, called a drone. He is Maya's best friend. Willy is often tired and hungry. He can be a bit scared, but he is usually kind. He sometimes gets jealous if Maya pays attention to others. Maya often drags him into her adventures, even if he doesn't want to go! Willy was created just for the anime series.
- Flip Flip (フィリップ, Firippu, also "Philip")
- Voiced by: Ichiro Nagai (1975), Ritsuo Sawa (1982) (Japanese); A.J. Henderson (English)
- Flip is a wise grasshopper who wears a top hat. He is a good friend to both Maya and Willy.
- Miss Cassandra Miss Cassandra (カッサンドラ先生, Kassandora-sensei)
- Voiced by: Miyoko Asō (1975), Reiko Yamada (1982) (Japanese); Jane Woods (English)
- Miss Cassandra is Maya's teacher. She is an important grown-up figure in Maya's life, especially in the first series.
