Battle Of The Planets E19: The Sea Dragon

"Let's see if he'd like to drag a little with us."

 -Jason-

It's a mostly well-known fact to fan circles of Battle Of The Planets, the American adaptation of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, that our fearless, young, orphaned heroes, Mark, Jason, Princess, Tiny and Keyop were actually translated from their Japanese counterparts.

In Japan, the heroes are Ken the Eagle, Joe the Condor, Jun the Swan, Ryu the Owl and Jinpei the Swallow respectively.




In keeping with our effort to continue to shed light on the classic, beloved, heralded by few, anime series Battle Of The Planets we dig deeper yet again.

President Ippei Kuri of Tatsunoko Productions lent some insight into the avian motif behind the characters of his company's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman in Newtype USA. Ken Washio (washi translates as Eagle), or Ken the Eagle, highlights Kuri's efforts to run with the cloaked bird style for their superhero look. Who doesn't like a good cape?

 

Kuri noted, "Everyone wanted to put color on everything. So white stood out the most" (Newtype USA, August 2004, p.19). It's fairly well-known that good guys wear white and Ken or Mark, as he is affectionately known in the USA on Battle Of The Planets, was indeed the epitome of the good guy with the symbolic Eagle as a soaring majestic bird of nobility.



But truth be told Tatsunoko worked in a rather different bird for Mark's costume? Kuri sought to incorporate a bird of pure white and ultimately decided upon the crane. Kuri and company worked in crane markings for Mark's helmet. Red and black details infused into the character's uniform were based upon the crane, not the Eagle.

 

 

 

And with that, without further adieu, we look at another Mark-centric mission in Battle Of The Planets, Episode 19, The Sea Dragon.

Tatsunoko’s animation sparkles and shines yet again in this memorable Mark entry in the series. G-Force are tasked by Chief Anderson to travel to the planet of Aquatica to remove Spectra who has taken residence there.

 

In the first part of the entry Mark humorously inquires with his team family if anyone wants out because the adventure ahead will be daunting. Once again underlining the strength of family and family loyalty the team makes it clear each and every one of them is on board the Phoenix.

Upon arrival to Aquatica the team must face a robot Sea Dragon on the water planet. Mark wasn’t overstating the perils that await the team as the team is literally knocked around to the point of temporary defeat.

 

To date this writer can’t recall the team beating that is put on display here. It is brutal and each and every team member is knocked unconscious. The Phoenix is nearly torn apart and left to take water at the bottom of the ocean. Mark attempts to right the ship and save the team but alas is too weak.

The Sea Dragon does a splendid job of highlighting the fact that even heroes don’t win every battle. This is underscored by the severe beaten the team takes leaving them to be rescued by a civilian force and returned home.

For the second portion, the Phoenix is rebuilt completely and the team returns to Aquatica to finish the job using a devastating device called the Frigid Midget that freezes everything within a 500 yard radius and well covers all aboard the Sea Dragon including the Spectran Goons.

 

Mark is tasked with the mission of planting a weapon aboard the ship.

This episode includes an unforgettable scene that I recall from childhood where Mark is stuck in a corner with the encroaching cold surrounding him closer and closer by the second with his life in peril. The tension and suspense is palpable as the walls essentially close in as Mark waits desperately for the ship to break apart without taking his own life.

 

He hangs on as the Sea Dragon breaks apart from the extreme cold. He leaps to the ocean to be rescued by the rest of his team. Tatsunoko once again pencils a gorgeously warm image of Mark waving against a sunset backdrop offering us the convention of the rescue shot. The sun setting as the mission is completed. All in a day’s work for G-Force.

 

Once again, the animation is truly glorious and some of the stills are ravishingly penciled and it is a stunning looking entry in the series. One of the hip words for kids today when something is awesome or cool is 'fire' well The Sea Dragon is fire and it's worth seeing.

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Title: The Firebird Versus the Fire-Breathing Dragon.

Up Next: Magnetic Attraction.

Battle Of The Planets E18: Mad New Ruler Of Spectra

"Who wants a horse-machine race?"

-Tiny Harper-

 

"They're not mechanical horses. They're galloping dynamite."

-Tiny Harper-

Star Wars (1977) arrived and set the tone for space opera and sci-fi adventure films for the next many decades. It was undeniably a craze and everyone and their brother were looking for ways to manifest the popularity of Star Wars and infuse it into their own productions. Of course today we have Star Wars and Marvel films like saturation bombing.

At the end of the 1970s Sandy Frank acquired rights to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974), which predated Star Wars, purchasing access to the series from Tatsunoko Productions and hastily applied a space theme to the Japanese hero series.



Suddenly, the team of young heroes were traversing space in search of the latest evil to quell from planet Spectra. The original series wasn't of the same mind at all, but rather a persistent team of young people assembled to protect Earth at all costs never traversing the stars at all.

For Battle Of The Planets 7-Zark-7 was born (along with 1-Rover-1 and sexy artificial intelligence Susan), a robotic accompaniment a la R2-D2, to pull in young viewers even though it eschewed the intent of the original Japanese TV series.



Nevertheless, Frank, the creators and writers slap-dashed some relatively haphazard American animation onto the series, appending an already perfect original, slashed some of the graphic violence and re-worked the stories accordingly with an expert voice cast. It was ingenious really particularly the all-star voice cast featuring Casey Kasem, Janet Waldo and more.

A year after Star Wars, the American Battle Of The Planets was a success with kids across America, maybe not to the degree of Star Wars, but enough that today it still retains its fans, like this writer. The original is beautiful, but it's a testament to Frank that he Americanized it to some degree of perfection.



Some have referred to Battle Of The Planets, or Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, as but a mere footnote in anime history, but it really was a much bigger deal that that and even saw a resurgence at the turn of the century with a new comic book line and new toys. In Japan, there are still diecast ships and books created in support of the Tatsunoko classic. A live action adaptation was even produced, albeit not a particularly good one. An animated film was conceived, but fell apart as well. These were real missed opportunities when you consider the quality and effort put into something like the live action Attack On Titan (2015) adaptation of the anime series, the latest Japanese sensation.



Frank's efforts to transform Battle Of The Planets, despite a few that seemed mildly disjointed, were met mostly with success. Episodes generally rang true in terms of character and action with the occasional head scratching that accompanies a young person's series, but viewed through more mature eyes.

But for Battle Of The Planets, like Star Wars, G-Force was often taking the adventure to the stars.

As for Battle Of The Planets, Episode 18, Mad Ruler Of Spectra, it's hard, high-flying space adventure is brought down to a more equestrian-styled earthbound tale, still, somewhere in space.



Visually the episode can be best remembered for the cyborg horses, which seems like a more fitting title for the entry (ahhh The Cyborg Horses).

Mad Ruler Of Spectra refers to the old scientist who created those wild, machine horses. He's abducted by Spectra to use his intellect. His creations are applied against Earth. He agrees to work with Spectra initially for the gift of supreme power for which he temporarily replaces Zoltar so that Spectra can get what it needs out of him. It's all in the business of villainy. Zoltar had nothing to worry about really despite his unintentionally funny objection to the move. The Luminous One quickly puts the nefarious Zoltar back in power. Smart to keep your evil minions in check though. G-Force must rescue the old scientist and save Earth yet again.



Not a terrific entry by any stretch. Not much in the way of emotional subtext happening in this one.

Still, the horse animation is impressive. Far from the home stretch of Battle Of The Planets, Mad Ruler Of Spectra receives a mild nod of approval by a horse's nose.



Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Title: Who Is Leader X?.
Up Next: The Sea Dragon.

5 Centimeters Per Second

"Everywhere I go, I look for you."

Much has been said about director Makoto Shinkai. He's often been heralded as "the next Miyazaki" (Variety Magazine). It says so right on the sleeve for his film 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007).

Are the comparisons really accurate or even fair to Shinkai?

Shinkai's recent film, Your Name (2016), was one of the biggest animated pictures to ever see release in Japan.




To be accurate, Your Name was the 4th highest grossing film in Japan of all time. It was the 7th highest grossing animated film of all time in Japan. Bigger yet, it was the highest grossing anime film worldwide ever. Those are no small feats.

It's clear Shinkai has been on the directorial march for a fair bit to earn that achievement too.

Despite the acclaim and the criticisms of Your Name, Shinkai continues to direct and create films that are personal to him.



His films speak directly to his style and his voice and they couldn't be more unique and special and, in contrast, to master director Hayao Miyazaki. Put simply, both animating directors are exceptional but both are very different, approach the medium differently and have equally different visions and narrating styles. Sure the comparisons by critics make for a nice little Japanese rivalry and perhaps a fiery little narrative to put eyeballs to the written word, but this writer finds the body of work by Miyazaki and Shinkai to be intensely personal and magical to both. Miyazaki has a firm grasp on telling a story narratively, like Disney, whereby Shinkai has been a visual storyteller more in tune with a kind of stream of consciousness and more obtuse writing in keeping with Japanese anime. In some ways Shinkai falls somewhere in between in his approach. Those with an appreciation for animation as an art form won't go wrong with either of their works. Just don't expect critics to cut Shinkai any slack or treat his name with the same kind of healthy respect.




Both directors share a delicate eye for detail and a love of animation, but after that the two part company and stand by their respective, unique works and styles.

Shinkai relishes the relationship in his pictures and captivates us with his world view on interpersonal and electronic communication be it intimate, or lost, or words simply unspoken. Here we see the separation and growth of love between two young people across time. As the subtitle to this film suggests, a chain of short stories about their distance (Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut, 5 Centimeters Per Second).

Friendships and loves are often separated by the miles, but that distance in fact consolidates love in Shinkai's eyes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder as they say.



Shinkai told a similar story thematically early in his career (here). The stellar Voices Of A Distant Star (2002) told a simple, shorter story in a similar vein and it still captivates today. In fact, in many respects 5 Centimeters Per Second feels very much like it lives in that world like a prequel or a companion piece to Voices Of A Distant Star.

The Place Promised In Our Early Days (2004) followed suit with its own science fiction themes. Again, the atmosphere, the tone, the mood of the film was in keeping with the unique voice of Shinkai.

Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011) may be Shinkai at his most playfully Miyazaki-esque. But it still retains the director's personal touch.




The relatively short The Garden Of Words (2013) and 5 Centimeters Per Second combined with his previous work, all offer a fairly balanced picture of what Shinkai is about as a voice in anime, and as an animator. It's a particularly impressive body of work which continues to see him evolve narratively while implementing evocative and gorgeous animation that is uniquely Shinkai.

Persistent Miyazaki comparisons abound are simply not accurate, fair to Shinkai or to Miyazaki. If such claims are intended to bolster or give Shinkai props on his level of quality fine, but to tear him down on anything that separates him from Miyazaki inaccurately dissects the upstart Japanese director and his own work. Shinkai stepped out from the shadows a long time ago. Perhaps if the late Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Paprika) were alive comparisons might be made there.



Viewing the 63 minute feature film spotlighted here brought this writer to one general conclusion without delving into the themes of love and loss that one should experience by seeing his films. And that is Shinkai is an artist with a painterly hand.

Shinkai lovingly holds on static shots or, as the are called in anime, pillow shots. These gorgeous stills fill each and every frame and Shinkai does not distract with a lot of quick and unnecessary editing allowing viewers to see his world as he sees it through his eyes. The level of detail since he created Voices Of A Distant Star has also enhanced the experience even more.

5 Centimeters Per Second spoke to me. Damn all the criticism, because if this man sees the world the way he presents it in his films then his voice is needed now more than ever.



There is a beauty and a striking sense of love about these films that will endure and will draw viewers in with an open heart to the beauty in this world. We live in a dichotomous world of violence and peace, hate and love and ugliness and beauty and Shinkai always chooses to explore the latter.

Themes of love and loss, hellos and goodbyes, friendships and loves are enveloped within an animated painting. Shinkai's words are often poetic and simple allowing for the image of his expression to be moving poetry on its very own.



My recent visit to a local shopping center witnessed the push and pull of customers, unkind glances, impatient shoppers, short tempers, trash or wrappers knocking about street curbs. When I returned home Shinkai invited me into his world and for a little while the world was a much better place than I've seen lately.

Heck Shinkai could illustrate beautiful trash, it's true, but there are a few too many people out there in a hurry that would be wise to stop, take a breath and breathe in the world of Shinkai. They should at least stop for the amount of time a cherry blossom leaf takes to fall to the ground, roughly 5 centimeters per second, to take a look around them.



Shinkai is indeed a welcomed voice in anime and in cinema with his eye on lost love along with his visual approach to storytelling.

This one may remain one of his most strikingly beautiful paintings... rather, moving pictures. A Shinkai trademark is to provide an authentic sense of place, Japan and location. The director's loving detail provided to every shot and image and backdrop of the great island nation combined with its special sights and sounds is a love letter to Japan herself. People who have been there will see sights and sounds come alive on screen not through a camera but through the imagination of animation.



5 Centimeters Per Second is cinema for the dreamer. And Shinkai is a dreamer who imagines reaching into the stars. He sees beauty there as much as he sees it in this world. One look at his films and one thing is certain, you'll want to live in it with him.

Writer: Makoto Shinkai.
Director: Makoto Shinkai.