A Closer Look at the Lost Film "Do Your Best, Rockman: Earthquake Safety and Fire Safety"

Do Your Best, Rockman: Earthquake Safety and Fire Safety is the crown jewel of "lost" Mega Man animation. Produced by Sankyo Educational Film Company, the short film was briefly screened in Japan in the early 1990s and has never been seen again or released on home video. Until recently, it was considered a myth—a shared memory among only a few fans in Japan who recall watching it at school as children. The discovery of an activity book related to the film a few years ago finally confirmed its existence, though we still have very little other information about it.

However, I'm excited to share that we're one step closer to uncovering more about this elusive flick. Twitter user turtlejump2 reached out to share images of every page from a copy he found in storage. Thanks to this, we now have our best look at the film yet.

Page 1 (left) features a still from the film where the main character, whose name is currently unknown, practices an earthquake drill at school. Page 2 (right) shows a smoky maze, leading to a scene where the young boy attempts to extinguish a fire with a shirt.

Pages 3 through 15 provide a streamlined version of the film's events. While playing Rockman 5, the protagonist suddenly experiences an earthquake. Relying on his earthquake drill skills, he takes cover under a table as objects around his home fall and scatter. A nearby space heater causes a paper fire, and the boy tries to put it out with a t-shirt. Just then, Rockman and Rush arrive to offer some vital safety tips.

The boy then rides with Rockman on Rush to survey the earthquake damage. We need to skip a page due to personal information written by turtlejump2. However, according to one individual's recollection, the scene shows Rockman using Gravity Hold to prevent a derailed train from plunging into a river, with the boy’s father onboard. Moving forward, Rockman and the boy shake hands, celebrating their successful rescue!

Page 16 features official control art from various sources. Page 17 includes another still, showing the main character escaping a building as it catches fire. The accompanying text at the top advises children to alert adults by shouting as loudly as a dog's bark.

The front and back covers, which were previously seen but not quite as clear, now reveal some of the staff members who worked on the film.

• Planning: Teruki Kitano
• Production: Toshihiko Sato
• Producer: Hiroshi Kato
• Character Design: Nobuyoshi HABARA
• Director, Screenplay: 
• Animation Director: Matsumoto Touji
• Art Director: Miyamae Kouharu
• Cinematographer: Kazunori Hashimoto
• Recording Supervisor: Hideyuki Tanaka

There are some notable members on the production staff. Teruki Kitano was the director on Thanks for the Courage, Bomberman, another Sankyo educational film based on a licensed video game IP. Meanwhile, Toshihiko Sato would later go on to serve as the producer on all three episodes of Rockman: Upon A Star. Character Designer Nobuyoshi HABARA, who worked on the unproduced 1992 anime, later provided the title design for the Ruby-Spears Mega Man cartoon, among other projects.

As for voice actors, it was previously confirmed that Hekiru Shiina provided the voice of Rockman, according to her official resume. She later reprised the role in Rockman: Upon A Star, and arcade titles Rockman: The Power Battle and The Power Fighters. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to confirm the identities of other voice actors, as very little information about the film is documented online. It’s truly a miracle that this activity book was found, especially in such excellent condition.

The search for the film itself continues. We can only hope that wherever the original reels are, they are safe! I'll keep you posted on future developments.