Gatchaman Volume 1: The Legend Begins - Denkyu.Com
- Denkyu.Com
- Andromeda
- 06/12/05
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The Father of Modern Anime: Gatchaman
Written by Andromeda
Or as some of you know it by, Battle of the Planets and G-Force. Back in the late seventies, for some of us older fans of anime, we were introduced to Battle of the Planets. A story about five amazing teenagers who had been enhanced with cerebonic implants, sworn to protect the Earth from those that would threaten it. You might remember them as, the leader Mark, the eager to fight Jason, the pretty Princess, the kid Keyop and the not so tiny Tiny. Oh, and we can't forget their robot friend 7-Zark-7.
But you know what, I'm not here to talk about this dubbed, hacked version of an anime series. I'm here to tell you about the anime that got it all started here in America, the Father of Modern Anime. And what perfect month to do this in, but in June, the month where the less known American holiday, Father's Day, is celebrated. Oh, I hear what you're saying, 'What about Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion?' Yeah, yeah, okay, that was in the mid-60s but it wasn't until the late 70s with Battle of the Planets did our curiosity and love for anime spring fourth. Yes, there are anime fans out there over the age of 23 and some are even female!
Gatchaman is about five young heroes, Eagle Ken, Condor Joe, Swan Jun, Swallow Jinpei, and Owl Ryu. The names of birds aren't just their last names, but their identities when they transform into Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. When the Earth becomes threatened by the Galactor Organization, a group of aliens lead by the masked Berg Katse, these five are called into action by Dr. Kozaburo Nambu.
Using Mechas such as a giant turtle, this group of aliens from the planet Selectro, the Galactor Organization, plunders, intimidates and just plain causes trouble everywhere. In the first few episodes they seem to be after anything that has a large supply or is a large supply of Uranium. Using bird-style technology, the Science Ninja Team intervenes in Galactor's plans of stealing anything, thus making Katse's boss quite upset.
Each character is different with their personalities. Ken's the leader, full of right decisions. Joe is the hard-headed one, always eager to fight. Jun is feminine like a female should be, but don't underestimate the communications and demolitions expert of the team. Jinpei is a typical hyper-active kid with lots to say, and some of it naughty from what I've read. Ryu is one of those big gentle guys that you'd expect a big bear hug and a smile from every time you see them. Each are different like normal everyday people and yet they function so well together at the same time.
When it was dubbed and edited here in the States, a lot of the violence and dialogue was changed to make it softer, thus the reason why 7-Zark-7 was added in, to fill in the the space. Thanks to ADV, they are releasing Gatchaman in its original uncut and unedited glory. No stupid robot filling in space, all of the action-packed sequences and all of the great dialogue done by such voice actors as Katsuji Mori, Isao Sasaki, and Mikio Terajima are brought to us. Alex Ross even lent his artistic talent to create brand-new original artwork for this collection and let me say, it's amazing.
As a child, I loved watching Battle of the Planets. I so can not wait for this DVD to come out on June 14th. For those of you who are too young to have been around to have seen this then, but your father's have and loved it and are still into watching some animation, I suggest picking this up for them for Father's Day. Heck, If I pretend to be your dad for a day, would you buy it for me? Please?
Posted on Sunday, June 12, 2005 (Archive on Tuesday, July 12, 2005)