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.