Underrated Anime: Gatchaman(Battle of the Planets)

[Angelcake the Fox]

One of the most famous, most popular, and most innovative anime to ever come out. Too bad it was only recently released in its original form.

Gatchaman(full name being Science Ninja Team Gatchaman) was created by former mangaka and animer pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida, who also created Mach Go Go Go (better known as Speed Racer) and co-founded the legendary Tatsunoko Productions. It was the third creation of his in his anime career, and also his biggest hit within Japan in his lifetime (he died of cancer in 1978).

This anime was innovative for a couple of reasons. For one, it was the first 'super team' (sentai) anime. It also set the standard for other super team anime and television, i.e. five team members, color coordinated uniforms, super weapons that involved the entire team, etc.

Furthermore, it was one of the first action anime to have a social message. The five members of the Science Ninja Team (the word Gatchaman refers to the leader) fought against Galactor, a terrorist organization that exploited the greed and destructivness of humans in order to achieve world domination. Such things as conservation, pollution, and technological responsibility were all topics addressed.

It was also unusually gritty for an anime at that time. People died, people were injured, and the good guys didn't always win.

The anime's popularity just couldn't be contained within Japan, and it eventually made its way to the United States.......albeit in a heavily edited and completely changed version, which we now know of as Battle of the Planets (later known as G-Force).

Of course, Gatchaman didn't just last one season. It would later become a trilogy, comprising Gatchaman, Gatchaman II, and Gatchaman F

Today, this classic anime can now be seen, in its original, unedited form, thanks to the people at ADV. They can now be bought in individual DVDs, or the cheap boxsets which contain two DVDs and an extras DVD each, all of which contain coverart from the famous Alex Ross.

So, if you get a chance to see this, don't pass it up.

[Mayhem]

Oh they've (ADV) finally gotten around to releasing it? Right, best go find somewhere to buy it from

[Angelcake the Fox]

Yeah, but you'd better get them while you still can. Because they're selling like crazy!

[Mayhem]

Well they all seem in stock at Amazon so I'll probs go there...

[Angelcake the Fox]

Oh, of course they're in stock there. I was refering to retail stores. They're disappearing really fast.

Surprising, considering how old the anime is. The only other anime that sells that well, in terms of age, is probably Robotech.

[Mayhem]

Ah gotcha... though as I'm in the UK, the net is going to be the only way I can get them

I think BotP was a lot of Gen X'ers first exposure to anime back then. It was with me, when it was broadcast in the UK in the early 80s. Perhaps why it still carries a lot of popularity today.

[Pekass]

If i remember fine, a new comic about G-force (comando G in spanish) was published like a year ago, it has a neat drawing, but I will stick to the old cartoon xD