Tlalyaohuitl: Achtotipa Yaoyotl
| Tlalyaohuitl: Achtotipa Yaoyotl | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical, fantasy, adventure |
| Created by | Coaloc Xiomara |
| Voices of |
|
| Composer(s) | Toloche Xochinya |
| Country of origin | Zacapican |
| Original language(s) | Nahuatl |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 105 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Yaoyana Niloti Coaloc Xiomara |
| Animator(s) | Tepoztlaque Tlilania Yoltoc |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CNMHA |
| Original release | September 12, 1983 – May 1987 |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
Tlalyaohuitl: Achtotipa Yaoyotl (Nahuatl: 𐐓𐑊𐐰𐑊𐐷𐐰𐐬𐐸𐐶𐐨𐐻𐑊 𐐰𐐽𐐻𐐬𐐻𐐨𐐹𐐰 𐐷𐐰𐐬𐐷𐐬𐐻𐑊, "Underwar: The First War") is a Zacapine animated TV series produced by Tepoztlaque Tlilania Yoltoc in Angatahuaca, Zacapican. The series was the first ever animation project for the Tepoztlaque studio. The widespread success of the series was a boon for the Tepoztlaque animation studios and they would go on to produce many animated movies and TV series for the Zacapine and international audience, including various spin-offs and sequels to this original series. The series is set in 1444 during the golden age of Aztapamatlan in what is now Zacapican, following the adventures of a peasant boy named Ezhua who is drawn into an war (the titular "Tlalyaohuitl") taking place in a vast subterranean realm between the Empire of the Heron and various antagonistic forces including the Coatli, often titled "Snake Organization" in international dubs. The original cartoon was produced in Nahuatl and aired its original run in Zacapican between 1984 and 1987. It was later released in Tsurushimese, Mutli, Raji, Latin and others.
Background
Series Overview
In the first 50 episodes with Yaoyana Niloti as producer, the series had a episodic structure with very little overarching plot structure. Most episodes including the pilot episode began with a cold open set on the surface in 15th century Zacapican showing a scene in a rural community or temple that would culminate in a Coatli attack or intervention before the title sequence would play. The middle portion of the episode would take place in the subterranean world and revolve around confronting the villain of the week, after which Ezhua would return to the surface by the end of the episode. Each episode would often introduce both new Coatli villains and monsters as well as new members of the Imperial forces with unique designs in an effort to increase the variety of merchandise that could be produced. Often, both the villains and heroes of the episode would be voiced by well known Zacapitec radio and TV personalities.
After series creator and lead voice actor Coaloc Xiomara gained control of the series by ousting producer Yaoyana Niloti, the structure immediately changed to that of a serial TV show. The 51st episode served as an informal reboot of the series as many recurring characters were reintroduced in a different characterization. Writers were hired for the first time to work on the overarching plot and the scripts for each episode. The style of the animation changed as well and gained a surreal quality, as Coaloc assumed full control over what she considered to be her passion project. The series became darker in tone after this change, introducing adult themes such as war, imperialism, genocide and the concept of free will.
Reception
Tlalyaohuitl is one of the most iconic TV shows and the top rated children's TV show in all of Zacapican. At first averaging roughly 1.5 million viewers per episode, after the restructuring of the series viewership would double to 3 million viewers for each episode. The series is widely viewed as a classic that is still aired on CNMHA time slot for children's programming in the present day. Many, particularly those who were in the show's target demographic of 7-13 during its original run (now aged roughly 44-50), view the show nostalgically, driving sales of merchandise and spinoff series such as the 2013 soft reboot Tlalyaohuitl: Battle for Kaloomte set in the modern day. Tlalyaohuitl is regularly praised for its implementation of adult themes, a hallmark of Coaloc Xiomara's style as an artist for children's media. This has also been the cause of some derision however, as several parent's groups issued complaints due to the show's "terrifying imagery", a complaint especially prevalent in response to the international releases. As a result, some regionalizations of the show are partially censored to avoid bad publicity and declining sales of the accompanying merchandise. Tlalyaohuitl has also received criticism for outdated representation of Mutulese culture, as the villains of the series are stylized with caricatures of Mutulese culture especially in the early episodes. Coaloc Xiomara has previously stated one of the motivating factors for her seizing control of the series away from Yaoyana Niloti was her irritation at the inaccurate representations of both Mutulese and medieval Zacapine culture.
In the Mutul
Tlalyaohuitl, simply known as 'Metnal' (The Place of Horrors), has gained a mainstream cult following in the Mutul. It was first diffused by Xukaj' provincial television network before joining the then-popular children emission Ilal a Kanol (Watching is Learning) on MTL-TV2. TV2 notably only bought the right for Coaloc Xiomara' episodes but maintained the decision of broadcasting the series during a children' primetime slot. Over the course of 8 years, the series became a staple of Ilal a Kanol' roaster of cartoons and episodes were regularly replayed in infamously nonsensical orders.
'Metnal' is infamous in its own right among international fans of the show for two reasons: first, the Central Library odd efforts to censor the show. The 'Black Oil' spilled by the purely-mechanical enemies of the Zacapine original (itself an effort to bypass censors to still be broadcasted as a children cartoon) was changed back to red blood due to concerns about the 'dehumanization of the show' opponents'. Similarly, the Central Library required new frames of text added after every use by the show of Mutulese symbols or cultural elements to dispel the stereotypes the show might play upon and explain their actual significance. The issue was that a single, white-on-black, frame of glyphic text was added turning the explanations into subliminal messages. An unfortunate consequence of this policy is that the show' climax has been qualified as 'spasm-inducing' and reinforcing the surreal nature of the ending. The second demand of the Central Library was to edit the aforementioned ending in such a way as to leave the victory of the heroes ambiguous. This demand was never justified by the Central Library but is suspected to be due to cultural pride and sympathy toward the clearly-Mutuleses villains. This decision would prove fundamental in the future of the franchise' internal timeline.