Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Brothers

The Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Brothers is a 1989 original video animation (OVA) consisting of three distinct shorts—Momotaro, Issun-boshi, and Shirayuki-hime. Produced by Studio Junio and commissioned by the Amada Printing Manufacturing Company, these films were created as part of a Japanese marketing push to promote the Super Mario franchise through the lens of traditional folklore. Each short features Mario and his companions recast as characters within classic Japanese fairy tales, serving as a unique crossover between Western gaming iconography and Eastern narrative heritage.

The artistic direction for these shorts reflects the aesthetic of late 1980s Japanese animation, characterized by hand-painted backgrounds and distinct character models that differ slightly from the official Nintendo art of the era. Produced at a time when the Super Mario series was experiencing explosive popularity, the project was intended primarily for a domestic audience as promotional material. While the animation remains a niche subject for international collectors, it is regarded as a fascinating historical artifact of how the Mario property was licensed and localized for the Japanese market during its early international expansion.