(Where were we…let’s see. BRYGER, yes, HONEY HONEY, all simply, ACROBUNCH, definite, NANAKO SOS… k… BAXINGER!
1982 would see the return of the J9 in GINGA REPPU BAXINGER or “Galactic Gale Baxinger” because the toy helpfully puts it. 600 years after the climax of BRYGER, the subtle peace of the fifty-planet Solar Machine is being disrupted by revolutionaries who would possibly maybe maybe also simply be in league with invaders from any other neatly-known person. To shield the authorities, aristocrat Diego “Don Condor” Kondo invokes the spirit of the most most important J9 crew and devices up the Galactic Whirlwind Baxinger, a 250-man crew of outer dwelling biker commandos ready to troubleshoot catastrophe wherever it would possibly maybe maybe maybe also simply appear. Along with Shtekken Radcliffe, firearms knowledgeable Mahoroba “Billy the Shot” Shiro, melee weapon stylist Lily “the Butterfly” Mineri, and supercool samurai Samanosuke “Slugger Sama” Dodii, they pit the expanding-plasma aggregate wide robotic Baxinger against all comers. The tale of BAXINGER loosely follows Japan’s slack Tokugawa era, when civil battle erupted between factions who most important to see the Emperor restored to rotund vitality and these that supported the Tokugawa authorities, which recruited an army of wandering samurai to shield the capital. Is called the Shinsengumi, their exploits would encourage novels, movies, TV drama, manga, video games, and the occasional anime sequence (GINTAMA, RURONI KENSHIN).
BAXINGER doujinshi circa 1983
The fate of the Shinsengumi looms over BAXINGER; clearly the Tokugawa shogunate now no longer suggestions Japan, so that you perceive this one isn’t going to total neatly for our heroes. The conflicts between various factions at some stage within the Solar Machine change into extra and further Byzantine and self-serving, the Bakufu authorities finds it harder to establish any authority, and J9-II is caught within the heart. Like BRYGER they uncover themselves overwhelmed by occasions, nonetheless their honor as 28th-century samurai keeps BAXINGER’s heroes from fleeing the Solar Machine, as a substitute selecting to meet their fate head-on. Reflecting the show’s feudal roots, the costume procure and general see of the show is enthralling, ornate, almost Byzantine; the Okay. Kazuo character designs are continuously classy, and we’re given a mountainous theme song and what would possibly maybe maybe also simply be the splendid ED song of all time, Naomi Masuda’s “Asteroid Blues”. The Baxinger robotic itself is quite Art work Nouveau in its impracticality; aquire one in every of the Takatoku toys and then see for yourself how the chest plate prevents arm bolt. BAXINGER ran from July ’82 unless March of ’83, and it would possibly maybe maybe maybe be April sooner than the next incarnation of J9. In the period in-between Kokusai Eiga stuffed the hole with a mission to outer dwelling.
Farewell, BAXINGER!
MISSION OUTER SPACE: SRUNGLE (“Akudaisakusen Srungle”) ran for a rotund yr as one in every of these aggregate A-TEAM and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. The Srungle crew is known as “The Gorilla Force”; they’re a gang of specialist operatives piloting what would possibly maybe charitably be called the least magnificent wide robotic machines ever designed, in repeat to fight the scary felony organization known helpfully as “Crime”. This all takes affirm in what’s called “Outer Set Zone”, a wide stretch of the cosmos that’s been given gravity and ambiance. Members assemble colonized a shipshape city and several other asteroids at some stage within the Zone, which is ruled by “Galac Set”. Civilization itself hangs within the steadiness because the Gorilla Force – Captain Chance, Jet, Expansive Megastar, Interesting, Little one Face, and Bill Bixby as The Magician – fight the machinations of Crime.
SRUNGLE by some capability overcomes its difficulties and delivers 50 episodes of a advanced location, nutty cameos (Pac-Man, Gundam, Edvard Munch’s THE SCREAM), and further and further unattractive robots to forestall by technique of showdown with the Emperor Of Darkness and a wide dwelling brain. A extra detailed overview of SRUNGLE would possibly maybe maybe also simply also be stumbled on on the Roketto Panchii blog , neatly rate a be taught to flesh out the SRUNGLE universe. American audiences were treated to a “Robotech” style mashup of SRUNGLE and Ashi Pro sequence GOSHOGUN, dubbed and broadcast by Saban as “Macron 1”, in which characters from one show did their thing, characters from any other show did their fully separate thing, and customarily they spoke to one any other by technique of imperfect-dimensional tv. Merchandise-wise, SRUNGLE toys were made by Clover (who additionally had the Gundam license for approximately ten minutes) and Poplar, who genuinely knowledgeable in low charge dime-store stuff. Each and every companies went out of enterprise after attempting to merchandise SRUNGLE.
SOOOOOOLAR WIND…
Subsequent up at bat for MIC used to be the third J9 sequence, GINGA SHIPPU SASURAIGER. “Sasuraiger” comes from the Jap “sasurai” or “bolt”, and that’s fair steady what the heroes of J9-III attain – bolt by the Solar Machine in their huge robotic/dwelling locomotive to meet the circumstances of a cosmic wager. A century or so after the occasions of BAXINGER, disowned prosperous itsy-bitsy one/pc genius Bruce Carl Bernstein – aka “IC Blues” – finds himself on the pleasure asteroid J9-Land making a gentleman’s wager with Max Girth, head of the “Bloody Syndicate”. If Blues can dart to all fifty planets of the Solar Machine in one years’ time, he’ll accumulate every thing Max owns – nonetheless if he fails, all Blues gets is a bullet within the head. Happily Blues has an ace up his sleeve – the 23 meter expansive transforming huge robotic “Sasuraiger” and a crew to pilot her on this crazy gamble. Harmonica-taking part in gunslinger Rock “Straight-shooting” Anrock, mechanical genius Beat “Otoboke” Mackenzie, involving secret agent grew to vary into wide thief Birdie “Kimagure” Conceal, and young fans Jimmy Kenzo and Suzie Chan be a part of IC on his wild dart all the diagram in which by the planets, leaving Blues’ signature on prominent planetary landmarks whereas dodging the efforts of a further and further determined Bloody God. Refereed by Joanna Carlisle, who owns the splendid news syndication service within the Machine, the corrupt bet additionally catches the distinction of Detective Chief Orlen, whose duty calls for he observe down IC Blues nonetheless whose personal emotions about the case would possibly maybe maybe also simply fluctuate.
SASURAIGER’s light-hearted tone, evident from the most most important bars of the cheery theme song, sung by MOTCHIN aka groupsounds guru Ai Takano, is a right alternate after the sturm und drang of BAXINGER’s climax. There would possibly maybe be, then again, excitement aplenty as Blues and firm grief Bloody God’s thugs all the diagram in which by the Machine, and is that our aged buddy Khamen Khamen over there playing godhood? It fair steady would possibly maybe maybe be! Reports fluctuate as to whether or no longer it used to be dubbed into English as “Shock Six” and/or proven in Indonesia, nonetheless no order English-language evidence has surfaced rather then Enoki Movies’ promotional field cloth. Takatoku marketed a entire line of Sasuraiger toys including a inform-to-robotic transforming Sasuraiger confusingly labeled “Batrain”. SASURAIGER would wrap up in January ’84 and MIC would launch planning their next J9 sequence – “Ginga Ninpu Onsengar” – nonetheless subsequent occasions would prevent its manufacturing.
Kokusai Eiga would kind one extra SF robotic anime – no longer any other J9, nonetheless an fully new show that broke with custom both visually and thematically. CHO KOSOKU (“Expansive High Tempo”) GALVION wasn’t something savor MIC’s old sequence –much less aliens, much less emphasis on cosmic storylines, as a ways as I do know, no tried godhood – fair steady two laborious-success ex-convicts pressed into service as drivers of a wide sportscar that will flip on a dime AND flip into a combating robotic. A pair hundred years from now, involving billionaire Midoriyama Rei realizes the splendid arrive to fight the pass SHADOW conspiracy is with her personal secret organization called CIRCUS. She recruits Mu and Maya simply out of federal penal advanced for 2 reasons: they’re improbable drivers, they generally’re genuinely wanting to build up their sentences decreased. GALVION escaped the J9 dwelling-opera style with as a lot as this level mechanical procure by Koichi “Gunbuster” Ohata and character designs by manga artist Yoshihisa “Yu” Tagami, whose work we’d later see in DIGITAL TARGET GREY. Recently the see of the show is patently 80s, nonetheless it absolutely’s the most most important MIC show that didn’t depend on capes, swords, define headgear, “expanding plasma”, or any of the other story trappings of their old SF sequence, and the “Lonely Chaser” OP theme sung by Riyuko Tanaka positively vibrates with mid-80s drum-machine beats and ersatz Eddie Van Halen guitar licks.
Mu and Maya from GALVION
GALVION held promise, nonetheless its February-to-June, 22 episode rush used to be within the bargain of short by the financial catastrophe of MIC’s chief sponsor, Takatoku Toys. You’d direct with the license to kind toys for worthwhile savor MACROSS, Takatoku would assemble been in barely steady financial neatly being, nonetheless subsequent licensing choices – among them DORVACK, ORGUSS, and the J9 sequence – were no longer celebrated ample to establish the firm afloat. When the money ran out GALVION’s tale wasn’t any place arrive performed. Episode 22 wrapped the show up with a 35-2d little bit of narration and that will maybe be the last we’d see of Mu and Maya and the Circus-1. The show has by no manner been launched on any dwelling-video layout – no longer VHS, no longer Beta, no longer Laserdisc, absolutely no longer DVD. The physical whereabouts of the fashioned movie would possibly maybe maybe also simply be a mystery, so episodes taped off-air and handed from otaku to otaku would possibly maybe maybe also simply be all we ever see of GALVION. And that’s a disgrace. It’s a enjoyable show with an though-provoking character mix and a range of noisy, transforming-robotic bolt.
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| Futari Daka pops the grab and tells the sector to luxuriate in its mud |
One last MIC sequence remained on air after GALVION’s untimely finish – FUTARI DAKA or ‘Twin Hawks’. This motorcycle racing drama used to be per the Shonen Sunday manga of the same name by Kaoru “Yattaman” Shintani, who earlier had equipped character designs for 1980’s GOD SIGMA and would later instruct us PHANTOM BURAI (script by Buronson), QUEEN 1313, and something called AREA88. Sunday’s publisher Shogakukan used to be a sponsor of the anime sequence, which would possibly maybe maybe also simply show its survival in a publish-Kokusai Eiga world. FUTARI DAKA provides with bikers Taka Tojo and Taka Sawatari, who allotment a first name and a bitter rivalry both on the direction and off. The OP mixed stay motorcycle escape photos in with its anime, used to be space to the catchy “Heartbreak Crossin’” by Takanori Jinnai, and even though it did not set MIC from oblivion, the show stumbled on new existence on French TV five years previous its cancellation date, which used to be June of ‘85.
the titular Twin Hawks of FUTARI DAKA
The last fate of MIC – laid low by lack of a toy sponsor – serves to highlight an unhappy truth about Jap cartoons. All these anime reveals we obsess about are, let’s face it, 25-minute infomercials designed to promote toys, mannequin kits, stationery, games and other licensed product. The product licenses lend a hand the money flowing; without money, you don’t assemble your anime reveals. The rising charge of the yen versus the dollar, spurred by the Plaza Accord of 1985, meant that exports from Japan got extra costly. In any other country markets were hit by sticker shock for Jap items and merchandise savor consumer electronics, autos, and most importantly anime TV sequence and toys from same. 1985 saw a contraction within the selection of anime TV reveals (34 in 1984, 20 in 1985), a earnings-hungry alternate moved into the burgeoning dwelling video market with order-to-video OVAs honest from toy license financing, and the kids who grew up with wide robots, science ninjas and dwelling battleships dilapidated out of the comic strip-looking at demographic and into dating, college, and looking on the bubble economic system pop.
MIC’s exit from the anime manufacturing world used to be nonetheless one ingredient in a bigger drama; a drama that would assemble echoes 25 years later as any other money disaster rocked the alternate. Crowded by greater studios even within the splendid of occasions, sooner or later laid low by market forces previous its alter, by it all Kokusai Eiga-sha produced sequence that were irregular and sharp and that also assemble fans all the diagram in which by the sector, gratifying their mission observation with a in actuality worldwide legacy. The license for many MIC sequence is currently held by Enoki Movies. Howdy fellas, let’s accumulate some ACROBUNCH or HONEY HONEY DVD bolt going on here, I’m fair steady asserting, hint hint.
-Dave Merrill
Attributable to Jane E. McGuire and C/FO MAGAZINE VOL. 2 NO. 10 for their assistance with the J9 portions of this text.
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