Ranked #2548

Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman

ANIME NOSTALGIA SERIES
Full list of the review series can be found on this page, 3rd post from bottom:
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=userpage&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0

TEASER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjuN5Bn-RCo&feature=related

Looks like the next in line title to review is made in the same year as Mazinger Z. It is also rather similar in themes as it pretty much has to do with sci-fi, giant robots and heroes protecting Earth. But at the same time it has a shift from heroes using only huge robots to being a team which uses martial arts and occasionally even deception. As always, this review covers the entire series, including its sequels.

Gatchaman can roughly be seen as the Japanese version of Batman as it established the anime superhero equipment. Although itself a copy of American superhero clichés, it was the first to feature in anime form, colorful costumes (like Superman’s uniform and cape), special equipment/gadgets (like Batman’s belt) and secret identities (masked heroes). Practically, it orientalized the way superheroes are seen in Japan. Something between a ninja in the way of fighting, a samurai in the way of living and a yasashi teenager in the way of acting. Which was a nice alternative to the unrealistic and almost random superpowers of Mazinger. Not that this anime is that realistic but the choreography during battles needs a lot more detail and complexity as the heroes here are not made out of super indestructible alloys like Mazinger Z. The constantly needed to avoid being hit by bullets or deflect lasers with something or even cover behind walls. This situation gave the first feel of field tactics in anime, which was completely absent in super robots.

At this point I must make clear that Gatchaman are NOT the first Japanese masked superheroes that used henshin (transformation) and gadgets, as there was already Kamen Rider and the first Super Sentai (Power Rangers) airing already. But then again those were NEVER made into anime, so in a way every time you see a shonen hero or mahou shojo heroines transforming, you actually witness the brainchildren of Gatchaman’s legacy.

It also established the Super Sentai 5 member team in anime. You know, the kind-hearted hero in red, the silent emo-like type, the gentle, pretty girl, the fat guy and the little kid. A billion following series (mostly mecha) copied this format, from Voltes 5 , to Digimon , to even Power Rangers themselves (they were 3 at first). Again, I must point out that the above archetypes were already present in Mazinger Z but played a very secondary role. The fat guy, the kid and the girl were mostly there as support from the rear lines while here they are part of the main group, taking part in every mission and allowing more openings for character coloring and more active roles for you to care about. Some episodes are solely dedicated to each one of them and all the focus is not given to some impersonal huge robot smacking other impersonal robots. The show became a lot more humane this way with characters you could sympathize easier.

It is also the only title whose names and storyline were changed completely 3 TIMES in English adaptations. All 3 of its adaptations in English, Battle of the Planets, G-Force, and Eagle Riders, have almost no relation to each other, neither in names, locations or even plot development. Those darn Americans and English people found a weird way to create 3 distinctive (and of course inferior) series, using the exactly same footage! Lord almighty, how did they do it??? At least there is the 4th release, which is 100% uncut and un-tempered so the hardcore fans can enjoy it fully. The adaptations hid all the deaths, made the robots be not in need of pilots that die when blowing up, made the voices of the characters sillier and even shoehorned extra footage with a cute comic relief robot.

As always, because of restrictions in animation of that time you can easily find lots of mistakes like jerky motions, repeated footage, wrong coloring, even wrong backgrounds at some places. Also, realism is as I said still quite off as the heroes can avoid a hundred machineguns by simply doing aerial flips and their airship can just go inferno and blast through everything like butter. It is also questionable if you actually like the bird-themed costumes and the crazy looking robots. In Mazinger Z they were like creatures from hell but here they look like circus freaks. Heck, I know people who laugh every time the main villain appears in his traditional uniform, with its long ear accessories and high heel boots. Also the feeling of silliness seems to increase even further when they get to upgrade their vehicles and airship. They looked simple and rather pragmatic at first but then they get them all colorful with silly birdheads and pointless extra accessories. So it’s a matter of aesthetics really. I sure didn’t mind much as a kid but today they do look like Adam West’s Batmat show. Still, it feels a lot better than most following series of the 70’s. Really, I consider its animation and music amongst the best of that decade.

Voice acting is decent for its time and the first opening theme is… um… questionably stupid. I mean Mazinger’s was awesome but this is … silly with those kids singing. The second song is a hundred times cooler and even got numerous rock remakes. Because it’s THAT AWESOME.

The story is again quite basic and there is hardly any continuity most of the time. An evil organization tries to take control of the Earth’s natural resources by building an army of animal and monster themed giant robots. A good organization proceeds into forming a team of 5 super teenagers, specially equipped with weapons and gadgets, wearing bird-themed costumes, riding bird-themed vehicles and piloting a bird-themed aircraft to stop them!!! … Ridiculous, isn’t it? Frankly, there is nothing serious in the story. There are no realistic characters or interesting personalities, everything is one, big, fake parade of circus freaks doing monkey business… BUT! …

The story itself has several interesting ideas that were hardly used in the exact same way by any other series. For instance, the arch villain is amongst the most original bad-guys I have ever witnessed. spoiler alert!
He was created by an alien creature of pure energy, he can change his/her gender as he/she pleases, and he turns out to have a close relation with the good guys.

As always, there are several moral messages about ecology and the misuse of technology, themes hardly used in most action series. The show was actually targeted at pre-teens and thus it aimed to inspire its audience with high ideals. And surely, at some episodes it was way too scary or violent to be considered for kids here in the West.

The pace and atmosphere varied from time to time; some episodes are pure drama (tragic pasts), some are scary thrillers (man-eating plants) and some are apocalyptic in scale (Van Allen zone destruction). The characters get power-ups in their equipment and the bad-guys develop special anti-hero squads. It was way too gloomy most of the time for a genre that is usually cheery and aimed at kids. The conclusion is also not a happy ending one as some key players get killed in very gore ways. Just don’t do the mistake of watching an old English adaptation. YOU WILL REGRET IT! I was rubbing my eyes at the sight of how watered-down in violence and comical the series was turned into.

It may feel simplistic and repetitive today but it still is the root from which all following mecha and super sentai took pointers from. So like it or not, it has earned its place in history. read more

In only just a few short weeks, Gatchaman has been able to establish itself as my favorite anime. It's the combination of excellent vintage animation, sound, retro- style, and over-all originality that makes it such an amazing series. There's plenty of character development along with great story telling. Even the characters make the series such a great work. Gatchaman was the series that played a huge roll in the creation and boom of Henshin tv shows. My advice to anyone is to check out this series, especially if your an old-school anime fan.