Gatchaman Volume 1: The Legend Begins - Animated Bliss
- Animated Bliss
- Isondill
- 08/07/05
- click here
"...a series that truly feels like a classic."
"...a really fun campy action show ..."
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INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------
Gatchaman was originally released in Japan in 1972. It was not until later in the 70?s and 80?s that this series was released stateside and before now it was only in the form of two edited, re-cut series released as ?Battle of the Planets? and ?G-Force?.
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STORY - Rating: 9.0 (out of 10)
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Anime has come a long way over the years. It is wonderful to see Gatchaman today to see exactly how far things have progressed for the art form. While there were great anime series in the 70?s and Gatchaman is really only a children?s show it is still marvelous to see how things have changed. The animation styles have improved and the stories have become more mature than they ever were before. That is not to say that this was poorly written. The scripts are flawed, yes, and yet they work wonderfully with the great cast of characters. This is a really fun campy action show and compared to several other action series coming out at the same time in Japan and especially in America this was a series braver than most. It was not afraid of killing off the villains or of getting the Science Ninja Team bruised and injured. This ADV Release is the first presentation of the series in it?s original uncut format in the United States. Previously, the show was edited and altered to fit the standards of television at the time and to make it more marketable to an American audience. It has some material that may have been found unsuitable for children at the time. As for the believability of some of the action scenes, well, this
was only a kids show from the 70?s. They battle a giant mummy in ?The Giant Mummy that Summons Storms!?. This would never actually happen as Egyptians wouldn?t have been able to mummify something 300 feet tall. Of course, it turned out to be Galactor in another one of their disguises; it still can?t help being chuckled at. The action scenes are sometimes silly and yet it is obvious how much some of the material has changed the history of anime. The group combination attacks and the signature poses have been influential in particular. Gatchaman is in some ways a sort of action-anime equivalent to ?Scooby-Doo, Where are You??. There?s no talking dog character, that is for sure, yet the cast follow clues to find and battle villains in campy ways. The real similarities are slim except to say that anime fans are going to be pleased with Gatchaman in the same way classic cartoon followers adore Scooby Doo. That says a great deal on the importance of this show. This really is one of the anime series that ?started it all? for fans in the United States and for the still new art form that hadn?t fully progressed into what it is today.
This DVD Contains Episodes: ? 01 - Gatchaman Versus Turtle King
? 02 - The Monstrous Aircraft Carrier Appears
? 03 - The Giant Mummy that Summons Storms!
? 04 - Revenge on the Iron Beast Mechadegon
? 05 - The Ghost Fleet from Hell!
? 06 - The Great Mini-Robot Operation!
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ANIMATION - Rating: 8 (out of 10)
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A great deal of anime from the time period when Gatchaman was made have become dated and have lost some of their crucial animation qualities. While this series doesn?t look nearly as good as it must have in the 70?s it still manages to look nice and it doesn?t appear dated in the same sense that other series have. In comparison to recent anime this is still on a much grander scale than such atrocities as Cybuster. It hasn?t aged gracefully and yet the work was of a high enough quality to still seem impressive today. The character designs, especially for the Science Ninja Team, are incredibly well done and are symbolic in ways the creators could never have possibly dreamed of when they invented this series. The animation will not disappoint its viewers.
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AUDIO - Rating: 10 (out of 10)
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ADV has done a great job with their new dub for Gatchaman. The voice actors have all given superb performances that reflect the time of the anime. They rightly performed as English counterparts to the original Japanese VA?s. The Dolby Digital 5.1 English Language track sounds superb even if it was made to carefully match the sound of a television series from the seventies. The Japanese language track is only presented in 2.0 and yet it sounds far superior to most 2.0 tracks. Considering when the show was made it is also of an exceptional sound quality. This is a very satisfactory release when it comes to audio.
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EXTRAS - Rating: 6 (out of 10)
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This release contains far more extras than one might imagine. There?s two Commentary tracks. One with Leraldo Anazulda (Ken) and Charles Campbell (ADR Director) and the other with Brian Jepson (Joe) and Charles Campbell (ADR Director). These are entertaining and are somewhat informative. They are worth listening to. It?s nice to have bonus features like commentary for a change. For those who want to dub anime on their own there?s ?Gatchaman Karaoke? which has the dubbing turned off with on screen text. You can voice your favorite Science Ninja Team Member or your favorite villain! This was a very fun bonus feature and the possibilities are endless. It?s a great way to spend a couple hours. Inviting friends to join in makes it even more fun. Finally, there is also the inclusion of a Clean Closing Animation and of ADV Previews. Those are both typical inclusions but it?s nice to have them just the same.
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OVERALL ---------------------------------------------------------
Gatchaman is a fun series and with six episodes on volume one it will have viewers entertained for hours. Watching it from a historical context is interesting enough and the excitement doesn?t stop there as this is a series that truly feels like a classic. It?s bound to become a keeper on the shelves of anime collectors. This is a DVD worth purchasing. I?m already looking forward to the second volume in the series.
Posted on Sunday, August 07, 2005 (Archive on Wednesday, September 07, 2005)