Techtite DVD Reviews

Volume 1

Volume 2

A Techtite Review

The Show: Long before anime became such a phenomenon, there were the first slew of Japanese animated shows, to make it stateside, and lead the charge. Among them was a super-hero saga called Gatchaman, which has been translated into two Americanized versions: G-Force, and Battle of the Planets. Which is the best of the three? Well, while seeing the original, uncut Japanese shows is intriguing, I would have to give an equal thumbs-up to Battle of the Planets. Its opening theme song, robot narrator, and imaginative imagery make it a fantastic treat for all generations.

The plot behind this series is set in the not so-distant future, when an evil alien army is using highly advanced "monster" machines to steal the world's most precious resources. If they succeed, they'll have a much better ability to conquer Earth itself, with no spare resources left to defend ourselves with, or even to survive! A team of cybernetic-enhanced teenagers are set out to stop the threat; they are (in the Battle of the Blanets translation): team leader Mark, the roguish Jason, a female explosives expert nicknamed Princess, the burly pilot nicknamed "Tiny," and the youngest member of the team, Keyop. Their combined special skills make them a formidable foe against the villainous Zoltar, who, as in most 1970's superhero tales, is no match for the teenagers, no matter how large his latest attack vessel may be.

Half the fun of this series is the monstrous yet imaginative ships of Zoltar's forces. From giant "space mummies" to a cross between Godzilla and a fighter jet, these ships are as fun to see animated as they are to see crash into the sea (or outright explode) at the hands of the mighty, heroic G-Force team. How do the good guys always win? As with most superhero tales of the time, the good guys have a secret weapon that never fails, called the Fiery Phoenix. This combines the special forces of the G-Force team, as well as the energy of their ship, in a invincible, giant, bird of fire. Of course, they don't always need to use this weapon (unlike other anime tales, like Thundercats, where their magic sword was the solution to 99% of the problems they faced), though it was always a lot of fun to see the "good guys" win, even against the most gigantic of alien battleships. It is also a good message to kids; if you work as a team, and stay focused, you can accomplish anything. Go, G-Force!

Of course, some people prefer the original Japanese airings of the episodes --even if that means having to read subtitles-- due to the excessive editing-for-TV job done for the Battle of the Planets translation. Lots of differences in culture were deemed too questionable for young stateside audiences, and were either re-dubbed with different lines, or edited out completely. Some editing is so severe, that the cartoonists had to add a robotic narrator named 7-Zark-7, whose job was allegedly to tell the team where to go on each mission. Admittedly, the mission task "seek out the giant space monster attacking downtown" sounds simple enough, without a robot guide. However, some scenes were so edited that there needed to be some sort of narration to make the abrupt transition of some scenes seem less obvious. Fortunately, these collections include some of the first-ever episodes, which needed to be edited the least. However, for fans of the narrator character, 7-Zark-7 introduces and concludes each mission as always, with the occasional cameo of his pet robot dog, One-Rover-One.

Now, as for the episodes offered on video (as of this review's posting). This series is offered --thanks to Rhino Video-- in two volumes, of two episodes each. Volume 1 contains the first two episodes of the series (Attack of the Space Terrapin and Rescue of the Astronaughts) and Volume Two includes episodes three and four (The Space Mummy, and The Space Serpent). Admittedly, the original film stock used in the transfer to video was apparently quite old, and split-second flubs in the picture can be seen once or twice per episode (even on the DVD). However, in a time when the only episodes still aired on TV are from G-Force, I'll take whatever chance of seeing the original Battle of the Blanets episodes that I can get. The fact that I can see the episodes in their unedited form whenever I please (see review of the DVD, below), makes this an even bigger thrill. Thanks, Rhino Video!

The DVD: Aside from the transfer gripes mentioned in the review of the show itself (above), there's little to not like about these discs. Both are DVDs made by fans of the series, for fans of the series. In addition to the original, uncut Battle of the Planets episodes, there are also the original, uncut episodes of Gatchaman, before edited for 1970's American television. In addition, one G-Force episode is included on each disc (first episode on volume one; second on volume two) to show the differences in editing jobs with that series as well.

This is about the only additions on the disc, though this is cool enough. It's amusing to see what was edited for stateside television, and how differently the episodes often played! The relationship between team leader Mark, and Princess, is more elaborate. In the episode "Rescue of the Astronaughts," a one-line dubbing job of the U.S. version says the pilots were saved; in the unedited version, the enemy is seen having already killed them long before the G-force team arrived to save them. There is also a more elaborate portrayal of Jason, whose preference to go in with guns blazing (or, perhaps, missiles firing) was apparently deemed inappropriate for children in the 1970's. Regardless, the original Japanese versions of each episode is included here, and can be seen with English subtitles. Fans also may want to see the credit roll of the Japanese episodes, which shows that the original "Battle of the Planets" theme song originally had lyrics to go along with it!

As of this review's posting, the DVDs and videos both include a trading card in the package, of one of the five G-Force team members. My DVDs included Princess' trading card with Volume one, and Mark's with Volume two. Whichever cards you find in yours, you'll probably be too busy watching the actual episodes over and over to care. This is a classic TV series that is a treat to have on my DVD shelf where it belongs.

	Final Rating : Large Crater. Classic stateside anime --finally offered on DVD-- in both its Japanese, and Americanized versions. Fans will love it!
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Techtite's DVD Reviews!

Battle of the Planets:

Volumes 1&2

A Techtite Review