Japanese Anime... lifelike drawings
Mark, Jason, Princess, Tiny, and Keyop.
They're recognizablable names from yesteryear. I was barely old enough to ride a bike when these cartoons came out.
They belonged to an American incarnation of a Japanese anime cartoon shorts which ran through syndication between 1978 to 1980. It was simply titled “Battle of the Planets.” I was still living in Manawa at that time. That's taking me back. Way back.
Used to be on Saturday mornings. I'm guilty, like most kids, of getting up early to catch the Saturday blitz of cartoon fever. I was just a toddler then.
The only thing? They were Americanized. And with the advent of Star Wars hitting the country like a yellow fever, Battle of the Planets was influenced by the power of the Jedi. There’s a cute robot looking suspiciously like R2-D2. It was a hook to get younger kids interested. It worked. At least for me.
What I didn’t know was it was a different version of an original Japanese cartoon called “Gatchaman.” I wouldn’t know this until twenty years after.
Nowadays they’re bringing out the cartoon in its original form on DVD. Just go to the nearest Best Buy stores. (There’s a couple in Appleton. I just discovered another one in Fond du Lac. They’re multiplying).
Four sets are out. That's far as I know. You can find them on the Best Buy shelves. In their original Japanese form. That means they’re in native language. With subtitles. If you can take that sort of thing. It doesn’t bother me any. In fact, I prefer it that way.
There’s a small problem though. It wasn’t originally intended as a children’s program. They’re violent. They have swearing. They have adult themes. People die in it. (including one major character). That's another no-no in cartoons. The characters think and act like human beings. What’s more confusing? They have different names. I don’t want to even get into that part.
Gatchaman follows five young heroes probably in their mid-twenties. They're like a superhero group. They fight the forces of Galactor, headed by the alien being Sosai (or "Overlord") X and his evil leaders. Again there’s the battle between good and evil. With plenty of grey area. Setting the standards for forthcoming Japanese anime we eventually see in Robotech and complex films like "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell."
In 1978 Sandy Frank productions ran a mild, children-friendly version. What’s it called? Battle of the Planets. Now they’re finally bringing to American audiences the original spot of cartoons. I’m glad. That’s the way it should be intended.
The nice thing about the new Gatchaman box sets is this: the covers are done by comic book favorite Alex Ross. They’re beautifully painted. Almost worth the price admission themselves. Almost. But I’d like to see the cartoons also. There’s a 105 shows in the first Gatchaman series. An average of 12 or 13 shows are put on each DVD box set. It’ll take a while before they’re all out. But worth it.
They came out at a time when Japanese anime was still in its pioneering days. They were making new grounds with the series. It was a very long running series in anime. But influential. Though-provoking. Always well-drawn.
I’m not pretending to know everything about anime. I know next-to-nothing. But I do enjoy some anime. And it’s time that a younger generation of fans get to know this otherwise charming, well-done series. Transmute!
They're recognizablable names from yesteryear. I was barely old enough to ride a bike when these cartoons came out.
They belonged to an American incarnation of a Japanese anime cartoon shorts which ran through syndication between 1978 to 1980. It was simply titled “Battle of the Planets.” I was still living in Manawa at that time. That's taking me back. Way back.
Used to be on Saturday mornings. I'm guilty, like most kids, of getting up early to catch the Saturday blitz of cartoon fever. I was just a toddler then.
The only thing? They were Americanized. And with the advent of Star Wars hitting the country like a yellow fever, Battle of the Planets was influenced by the power of the Jedi. There’s a cute robot looking suspiciously like R2-D2. It was a hook to get younger kids interested. It worked. At least for me.
What I didn’t know was it was a different version of an original Japanese cartoon called “Gatchaman.” I wouldn’t know this until twenty years after.
Nowadays they’re bringing out the cartoon in its original form on DVD. Just go to the nearest Best Buy stores. (There’s a couple in Appleton. I just discovered another one in Fond du Lac. They’re multiplying).
Four sets are out. That's far as I know. You can find them on the Best Buy shelves. In their original Japanese form. That means they’re in native language. With subtitles. If you can take that sort of thing. It doesn’t bother me any. In fact, I prefer it that way.
There’s a small problem though. It wasn’t originally intended as a children’s program. They’re violent. They have swearing. They have adult themes. People die in it. (including one major character). That's another no-no in cartoons. The characters think and act like human beings. What’s more confusing? They have different names. I don’t want to even get into that part.
Gatchaman follows five young heroes probably in their mid-twenties. They're like a superhero group. They fight the forces of Galactor, headed by the alien being Sosai (or "Overlord") X and his evil leaders. Again there’s the battle between good and evil. With plenty of grey area. Setting the standards for forthcoming Japanese anime we eventually see in Robotech and complex films like "Akira" and "Ghost in the Shell."
In 1978 Sandy Frank productions ran a mild, children-friendly version. What’s it called? Battle of the Planets. Now they’re finally bringing to American audiences the original spot of cartoons. I’m glad. That’s the way it should be intended.
The nice thing about the new Gatchaman box sets is this: the covers are done by comic book favorite Alex Ross. They’re beautifully painted. Almost worth the price admission themselves. Almost. But I’d like to see the cartoons also. There’s a 105 shows in the first Gatchaman series. An average of 12 or 13 shows are put on each DVD box set. It’ll take a while before they’re all out. But worth it.
They came out at a time when Japanese anime was still in its pioneering days. They were making new grounds with the series. It was a very long running series in anime. But influential. Though-provoking. Always well-drawn.
I’m not pretending to know everything about anime. I know next-to-nothing. But I do enjoy some anime. And it’s time that a younger generation of fans get to know this otherwise charming, well-done series. Transmute!
posted by K.M. Paters at 10:16 PM
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