Even before The Big Bang Theory became a permanent hit on the TV channel ProSieben, the sitcom Malcolm in the Middle captured the hearts of many fans. In the intro, there is briefly an anime that many of you have probably never heard of.
What kind of anime is this? In the intro of Malcolm in the Middle (via YouTube), a man with black, smooth hair that reaches past his chin is visible. This character appears in the anime Nazca.
- The series aired in 1998 on Japanese television and consists of only 12 episodes. About 2 years later, the series Malcolm in the Middle premiered.
- The series is about Kendo student Miura Kyoji, who discovers that his master is a reincarnated Inca warrior. The Kendo master wants to destroy the world to cleanse it.
- Kyoji is lucky because he himself is the reincarnation of the warrior Bilka. In the past, he has thwarted the plans of the Inca warrior.
- Central to Kyoji’s conflict is whether he is merely the shell of the reincarnated warrior or if he can save the world himself.
The person seen in the intro of Malcolm in the Middle is Shinri Shiogami. He is a brutal rival of Kyoji and is jealous of him. Shiogami also wanted to become a student of the Kendo master but was initially rejected. His goal is to annihilate Kyoji.
You can find the German trailer for the first season of Malcolm in the Middle here:
An Anime about the History of the Andes
Is it worth catching up on? The anime is unique in its theme. It depicts the Inca culture and the civil war between Huáscar and Atahualpa, two rulers of the Inca Empire.
Elements such as the ceremonial knife Tumi and the city Machu Picchu have also been incorporated. The Intihuatana, ritual stones of the Incas, are also an important key element in the anime.
So, anyone wanting to learn more about the mythology, history, and culture of the Inca Empire may enjoy the anime, even if many of the elements are mixed with fictional things.
However, the anime was overlooked in Japan and the rest of the world. And that likely has its justification. On MyAnimeList, the series was rated only 5.51 out of 10 possible points.
The animation is criticized for sometimes making no sense. For example, there is a scene where two characters slide down a hallway they shouldn’t even fit in. The pacing is also said to be terrible, leaving many questions unanswered in the episodes.
One of the actors from Malcolm in the Middle risked his health during filming. For a gag, his body came dangerously close to the edge of exhaustion, as he reports: For a gag in Malcolm in the Middle, the father almost risked his life
