Gatchaman Collector's Box 1 - Detroit News
- Detroit News
- Eric Henrickson
- 06/29/05
- click here
"...definitely worth revisiting."
Here it is, at last, the complete 'Gatchaman' series - or, as many Gen-Xers know it, 'Battle of the Planets' - uncut and unedited. It's got newly translated subtitles and a new dub. And if you get the three-disc collection, it has a spiffy box with art by famed comic-book painter (and 'Gatchaman' fan) Alex Ross.
So what's the difference between 'Battle of the Planets,' 'G-Force' and 'Gatchaman'? A whole lot.
When the show first aired here as 'Battle,' it had a more kid-friendly translation (and a new character, the paternal robot 7-Zark-7, voiced by Alan Young (of 'Mr. Ed' fame), with his scenes from Center Neptune newly animated and edited in). 'Gatchaman' definitely skews older, with the threat redefined and different stakes.
For comparison, let's look at 'Gatchaman Versus Turtle King,' the first episode of the series. (Many of the 'Battle of the Planets' episodes, some with better prints, are available from Kid Rhino, and those discs also include uncut, subtitled versions of those particular 'Battle' episodes.) The original has a voice-over explaining the background of the Science Ninja Team. 'Battle' has 7-Zark-7 introducing the team. In 'Gatchaman,' the turtle mech is sent by the organization Galactor to steal uranium that's supposed to be used to create a new, safe power source. In 'Battle,' aliens from the planet Spectra have come to steal Vitalumis, a compound available freely to other planets in the galaxy to aid food production. So it's homegrown villains vs. an alien threat.
Some of the biggest differences are in character. 'Battle' had Mark, Jason, Princess, Tiny and Keyop. Keyop was a test-tube baby and grew to mostly speak with goofy sounds and a bit of English. 'Gatchaman' has Ken, Joe, Jun, Ryu and Jinpei, who doesn't have any speech impediments. In 'Battle,' Princess got to infiltrate the turtle mech because it was her turn. In 'Gatchaman,' she's an explosives expert who disables the ship's weapons.
This set, also available as two single-DVD volumes, works on a lot of fan levels. For Gen-X fans of 'Battle,' it's a more grown-up version of the series they loved. (Though, to be honest, as a kid who played Jason on the playground most every day, it was kind of weird for me to hear these new voices and names.) If these Gen-X have grown up to be anime lovers and purists, there's the new subtitles. And for stalwart fans who've run their bootleg tapes raw, here's the original in all its groundbreaking 1970s glory.
ADV has really pulled out all the stops for this set. The extras disc that comes in the box set includes an interview with Leraldo Anzaldua, the English voice of Ken. There are also clips from the Ken voice auditions. (Anzaldua was a pretty good choice.) And there's a documentary about Tatsunoko Productions and other goodies.
The best extras come on the two main DVDs (so they're available no matter how you purchase the set). In addition to commentary, each disc has an episode in 'Gatchaman Karaoke' form. No, you don't get to just blast the theme song, you can voice the whole episode. The shows are presented with the voice track gone (but music and sound effects intact), so you and your friends can get together and follow the subtitles or make up your own dialogue.
For a show that's more than 30 years old, 'Gatchaman' holds up pretty well and is definitely worth revisiting.
Posted on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 (Archive on Friday, July 29, 2005)