Animation Kikou: Marco Polo no Bouken
English title: Marco Polo's Adventures
Japanese title: アニメーション紀行 マルコ・ポーロの冒険
Alternative titles: Animation Kikou Marco Polo, Animated Travels: Marco Polo's Adventures.
Type: TV
Source: Original
Episodes: 43
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 7, 1979 to Apr 5, 1980
Broadcast: Saturdays at 19:30 (JST)
Duration: 20 min per ep
Rating: G - All Ages
Studios: Madhouse
Producers: NHK
Genres: Adventure
Themes: Historical

Seventeen-year-old Marco Polo leaves his home in Venice on a trip to the little-known country of "Yuan", in the company of his father Nicolo and his uncle Matteo. Their mission is to deliver the sacred oil from the Tomb of Christ and a letter from the Pope to the Kublai.

This was an animated documentary on Marco Polo, mixed in with live-action footage. 43 episodes were broadcast on NHK from 1979 to 1980, but only the first and last episodes survive. While the cel animation was shot on film, post-production and editing were done on videotapes (normal for NHK programs), which have since been wiped. (Source: Cartoon Research) In 2021, NHK announced that they had successfully collected recordings of all 43 episodes from viewers and individuals involved with the show. NHK began a complete re-broadcast of the show on April 5, 2025. (Source: NHK)