Casshan Ep3: Find Tomorrow In The Ruins

"Although Casshan is still handsome and has abilities that any American comic book hero would envy, he constantly (over) dramatizes the agony of no longer being human and of being separated from his sweetheart, Luna."

 

-Fred Patten, Less, Or More, than Human?, Newtype USA, March 2003 (p.52).-

And therein lies the rub. The creators, rather than Casshan, over dramatize the proceedings to the point of imbalance. Ironically, that seems awfully human.

Exploding robots/androids continue to propel the action as Andro Force proceeds to lay waste to civilization whilst Casshan does everything in his power to stop them. The latest installment's animation is indeed solid overall for the period from Tatsunoko Production, but story balance seems to plague Casshan in the early going.

Tetsuya and childhood friend, Luna, reunite in Casshan, Episode 3, Find Tomorrow In The Ruins.



In an article dubbed Less, Or More, Than Human?, long time anime writer Fred Patten, author of Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years Of Essays And Reviews, discusses the evolution of the man and machine interface concept that would be popularized within the Ghost In The Shell franchise as first established by manga artist Masamune Shirow (1989-1990) and made even more wildly popular in film (1995) internationally by acclaimed anime director Mamoru Oshii.



In the previous episode's coverage of Casshan, Stake Victory In The Moonlight, the derivative quality inherent in Casshan's ideas were clearly noted, but to be fair, Casshan is genuinely next in a long line of ideas based on the concept of merging man and machine. And Casshan does deliver with flair. Patten notes Cyborg 009, a series franchise that began back in 1964 and has endured in manga and anime form to this day. Production I.G, the group behind Ghost In The Shell, is actually behind yet another adapatation of that classic series upcoming in 2015, with a film that preceded in 2012.



Obviously cinema has also run with the man/machine idea in everything from The Terminator (1984) and Robocop (1987) to Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Ex-Machina (2015) to name just a few.

Tatsunoko even took their own Casshan concept and explored the idea by ultimately transforming Joe from their original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974) into a cyborg for the 52 episode series sequel Gatchaman II (1978-1979). Joe, of course, would be better known stateside as Jason in Battle Of The Planets (1978). See that extensive coverage here. And what exactly was Keyop after all?

So there have been many efforts to infuse a narrative of humanity disrupted by technology in cinema, television and anime. Casshan is not new to the discussion, but rather another voice. Can a cyborg ultimately feel? Blade Runner (1982) and others have explored these stories to wonderful effect. It is an age old and timeless question dramatically cultivated for science fiction that seemingly never tires.



Unfortunately Tetsuya is no longer human and the newly built man that he is, Casshan, admits to Luna he does not know Tetsuya. Casshan pretends that he does not even know his creator and father. But all of this is a ruse to protect Luna. In truth, Casshan, despite his newly acquired technically built self, ultimately still feels.

It's somewhat amusing that Casshan looks less like a newly built man and essentially more like the latest take on the costumed superhero with a twist---a man in white tights. Tatsunoko never shied away from American-inspired costumed heroes and brought something truly original to that universe. It must also be noted that Casshan's faithful sidekick, Friender, essentially a robotic version of a Great Dane also comes complete with a somewhat annoying or grating automated howl whenever it springs into action.



The latest entry sees the writers make efforts to demonstrate confusion within Casshan regarding his identity and his humanity versus his status as a newly built man. Who am I? What am I? It's clear that Casshan is beginning to question all of it. His uncertainty is brought to the fore by his old friend Luna. But the writers don't take that aspect of the series far enough. It is an intriguing element of the series and one not necessarily explored or mined well enough. Adding to the mixed signals is Casshan's ability to shed tears even as a newly built man who is no longer human. He can feel and as a result we the viewers can feel confused about how we feel toward the series.



Casshan is also a subtitled series only on Blu-Ray. There is no English dub, which is fine. But there's something about the inflection of Japanese voice casting, at least here. Sometimes it sounds downright angry when my American ear is looking for softer and more emotional. This is simply a cultural adjustment on our parts.

As the episode continues, we discover Tetsuya does remember who he is, but simply pretends not to recall so that he might spare Luna's feelings. All of his memories of his past life with Luna are intact, but he is now a newly built man who simply must protect her.



Another aspect of the series that is a bit hard to swallow is the transformation of dog friend Friender into any assortment of mecha: a car, a boat, a jet or a drilling vehicle. This aspect of the series comes off a little forced and overly child-driven. It was much easier, and still is, to buy the subtle transformation process of the members of G-Force in Battle Of The Planets. When G-Force transmuted their self-identifying craft into stellar vehicles, at least their was color continuity for all of the vehicles. The red and blue was retained from Mark's plane to G-1, the blue from Jason's car to G-2 and so on. Here the gorgeous design of Friender transforms his blue canine-shaped body into completely different sized and colored mecha. What!? Even if the jet remained blue etc. at least there would be some move toward credibility.



Casshan makes every effort to avoid revealing to Luna that Tetsuya no longer exists as she once knew him. "Tetsuya is dead." But if Casshan has feelings what does it matter? Luna will accept Casshan as Tetsuya.

So Find Tomorrow In The Ruins sees Luna join forces with Casshan. She may not be super human or an inhuman newly built woman, but she possesses the fiercest, most deadly weapon known to androids in the MF Gun, built by her father. Watch out! With Casshan's shooting star kick, flying drill maneuver, fire-breathing sidekick Friender and now Luna at his side, it looks to be all out war against Buraiking Boss and the Andro Force.



Sorry to say, but Casshan doesn't quite reach the heights of the exceptionally stellar Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, at least based on the early going. Casshan suffers mightily under the weight of a generally flawed foundation sad to say. Despite that, the third installment does the best job of creating a fairly sympathetic character in Tetsuya turned Casshan. If you can buy the whole premise this installment does make some headway.



It's easy to see why Casshan never received the series longevity of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. It certainly lacks the first class refinement of the latter success story. I realize I'm unfairly putting an awful weight upon the shoulders of Casshan as a 1970s child entertainment, but kid's entertainment or not, Tatsunoko's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is the true classic of the period. Both reach for complexity, but the latter is smarter, more stylish and more thoughtful with its end results.

Nonetheless, Casshan is still a keeper even for kids today. If they could only read those darn subtitles. Oh well.

Tetsuya clearly robbing the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman wardrobe for those pants.

Casshan Ep2: Stake Victory On The Moonlight

My general take on Casshan (1973-1974), as a series, based on Casshan, Episode 2, Stake Victory On The Moonlight, is that Casshan lacks some of the general likability of Tatsunoko's Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974) characters. Casshan is now a newly built man and whilst his humanity is intended to shine through in a manner suggesting it is suppressed or buried the intent of the writers comes off a little uneven or confused.



Is it too clichéd or derivative? Some might say it even apes ideas from an earlier series called Kamen Rider (1971-1973). But for a whole host of reasons Casshan, the tragic anti-hero, doesn't quite sit right in this early going. Perhaps the general dynamics of the series begin to click moving forward, but for now it's all just a little more awkward than anything you'll find on Science Ninja Team Gatchaman or Battle Of The Planets (1978).



As far as kiddie-driven entertainment we get a good number of exploding robots. If those robots aren't exploding it's not Casshan. Andro Force, Buraiking Boss' army, isn't all that impressive in design either, yet it has certainly had its impact on anime and the ongoing franchise of Casshan.

In this second installment we learn a few new things about Casshan and the mythology surrounding the series. Casshan's affixed yellow, crescent-shaped, solar panel feature is also a siphon for sunlight. It harnesses solar power to give Casshan sight, the ability to fight and, generally speaking, life. Though an invincible being he still has his weaknesses. It would be a terrible thing if the good guy couldn't go down in a fight now and again. If he was the perfect being all the time would there be any bad guys at all to challenge him?



There are, of course, those waist-mounted pulsar propulsion guns that are terrifically fun. They double as both flight packs and weapons as we will discover.

In Casshan's debut, we witnessed the transformation of Tetsuya Azuma into Casshan. We also experienced the death of his dog Lucky and his rebirth in the form of robot hunting defender Friender. Friender was Casshan's answer to the transmuting Phoenix of Gatchaman. Friender is able to miraculously convert or transform into a a jet, submarine, tank or cycle. But here, in Casshan, it's a little harder to buy the transmute of a robot dog into these vehicles versus the more credible Cessna transmute into a G-1 Sonic Jet in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Though that was a stretch, they definitely make a bigger leap in Casshan.



This episode makes another big jump by witnessing Casshan's father, Kotaro Azuma, take Casshan's mother and magically house her inside a robotic swan dubbed Swanee. In some ways this foreshadows other similar concepts in anime such as the immersion of Yui Ikari within Evangelion Unit 01 in Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995-1996) by Studio Gainax. Though, here, the mother, Midori Azuma, is still alive inside the swan robot. This is by no means artificial intelligence.

Apart from problems with narrative grace, Casshan lacks much of the absolutely note perfect concepts and characters that worked so seamlessly in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. The ensemble formula of Gatchaman seemed to allow for a more interesting dynamic than the single superhero hero model. Even in comics I was always much more of an X-Men and Fantastic Four guy than a Spider-Man lover.



Science Ninja Team Gatchaman's invading aliens seem to have a broader appeal than the premise established by Casshan of androids run amok. Certainly the concept is plausible a la The Terminator and other films that have taken the concept and developed it with a greater maturity, but here it's pretty rough.

There is no question Tatsunoko is attempting to make the character and his emotional connections work, but they can only go so far with the premise and really lack the time to explore it properly. It's also a children's cartoon from the 1970s. Tatsunoko is indeed shooting for more mature themes at points beyond the innocence and naiveté, but thus far Casshan is certainly no Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.



So what are my problems with Casshan? First, the character, despite efforts to subject him to his humanity, comes across a little too cold. So far the balance just isn't quite right. The character design is also limited. He never goes native in civilian garb. He's always in that white outfit complete with the solar visor. The characters in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman stepped away from their mission and their superhero status to literally save the world to become like us and even let their hair down. They dealt with real human issues and connected with other people with real problems. It was very easy to connect with those characters and believe they could live in your world. Casshan feels a little otherworldly, a little stiff despite overtures to coax us into feeling his humanity. He's newly built but still feels, but then he's not quite human and the messaging sometimes feels at odds.



The story, too, is far less compelling and far less believable than Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. While Casshan centers around a family in the early going, it is the group of orphans in Science Ninja Team Gatchaman that feels more like an authentic family. Though a group of ninja assassins these young people connect rather naturally throughout the series. Casshan simply never comes out of that bloody costume. Visually, that can be a bit of a bore.

Even Casshan's father comes off a bit too bizarre in his willing to sacrifice the family in the name of survival. Midori is now a holographic projection immersed within Swannee's programming. How does that happen? She communicates in a kind of pre-R2-D2 era Princess Leia hologram projection. Could George Lucas have been watching? And now Kotaro's son is a newly built man or robot. Whatever it takes to keep the family together I suppose.



And, of course, a doomed robot never misses an opportunity to explode. They are definitely the Spectran Goons of the series.

There is no question the creators were making efforts to create a premise where more was at stake. Clearly the hope here is to witness a son sacrificing his life to save humanity only to then ultimately rediscover what it means to be human. In many ways, such a concept works as a kind of immature precursor to the likes of Ghost In The Shell's stories or Robocop in exploring tales of identity. In Casshan these themes exist, but given the restrictions relegated to our heroes of the day, the series will likely remain underdeveloped and merely touched upon.