Tag: Fuji TV

One of the International Science Organization’s oceanfaring research chips is torpedoed by a “ghost ship” emerging from a thick fog near a fabled ship graveyard; there’s barely time to sent an SOS to the ISO before the ship sinks. Dr. Nambu deduces that the real target is the ISO’s “underwater farm,” an enormous manned oil refinery that’s been designed to withstand any kind of natural disaster that could possibly leak oil into the ocean. Nambu’s guess is correct: the farm is the next target, and an enormous oil spill is the result. The Gatchaman team is dispatched to investigate. They track a Galactor sub back to the ship graveyard, and then surface to find a huge fog-generating buoy deployed by Galactor. Joe’s immediate response is to fire Bird Missiles at every target within sight, but Ken insists on getting Nambu’s permission to do so. When he’s cleared to use the God Phoenix’s most formidable artillery, Joe goes overboard, emptying the ship of every bird missile on board – a bit of a miscalculation, since there are still plenty of Galactor fighters left. Only a miracle can save the team from Joe’s overzealous attack…

written by Jinzo Toriumi
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Katsuji Mori (Ken Washio), Isao Sasaki (Joe Asakura), Kazuko Sugiyama (Jun), Yoku Shioya (Jinpei), Shingo Kanemoto (Ryu), Toru Ohira (Kozaburo Nambu), Mikio Terashima (Berg Katse), Nobuo Tanaka (Sosai X), Teiji Omiya (Director Anderson)

Note: This episode marks the first appearance of Red Impulse and his wingmen; only their fighters are seen here. And good thing too. This synopsis is for the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman episode, and appears under its original Japanese premiere date. For the corresponding episode of Battle Of The Planets, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

An underground drill bursts through the floor of the World Bank, unleashing a deadly payload: Micros, knee-high robots armed to the teeth with lasers, sent by Galactor to steal every bar of gold and destabilize the world economy. Team Gatchaman is dispatched to retrieve the stolen gold from an unknown base somewhere in the Barelli Islands. The base is soon found, and Ken, Jun and, Jinpei visit the base’s island out of uniform to ensure that they’re captured and taken inside. Joe is left in charge of retrieving the gold, with strict orders from Dr. Nambu not to exceed those orders. But as he often does, Joe manages to do just that, leaving Ryu in the God Phoenix to doze off at the wheel. Joe’s intent is to rid the world of Galactor once and for all, and retrieve the gold. Again, his overzealous refusal to disobey his exact orders put the rest of the team in danger.

written by Jinzo Toriumi
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Katsuji Mori (Ken Washio), Isao Sasaki (Joe Asakura), Kazuko Sugiyama (Jun), Yoku Shioya (Jinpei), Shingo Kanemoto (Ryu), Toru Ohira (Kozaburo Nambu), Mikio Terashima (Berg Katse), Nobuo Tanaka (Sosai X), Teiji Omiya (Director Anderson)

Note: It’s implied that Sosai X himself designed the Micros; they do seem a bit more reliable than most Galactor gadgets. This synopsis is for the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman episode, and appears under its original Japanese premiere date. For the corresponding episode of Battle Of The Planets, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Ken gets ready to take on his “day job” as a test pilot, flying Dr. Nambu’s experimental, non-polluting jet, when he sees an amazing sight. A skeletal figure standing on a biplane intercepts the jet and, with powerful metallic tentacles, takes it out of the sky, forcing Ken to eject. As he splashes down in the ocean, he’s powerless to do anything but watch as the biplane and its deadly pilot wipe out most of the other planes at the air show. The God Phoenix is launched immediately, but even Gatchaman’s ship suffers serious damage when it goes up against the mysterious biplane. Dr. Nambu studies the damage and finds proof that Galactor has perfected the process of making weapons from a stronger-than-steel metal called Whisker – a metal that Nambu himself hasn’t been able to duplicate. If Galactor is already producing weapons based on Whisker, even Gatchaman can’t stop them.

written by Jinzo Toriumi
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Katsuji Mori (Ken Washio), Isao Sasaki (Joe Asakura), Kazuko Sugiyama (Jun), Yoku Shioya (Jinpei), Shingo Kanemoto (Ryu), Toru Ohira (Kozaburo Nambu), Mikio Terashima (Katsenberg), Kazuya Tatekabe (Captain), Mitsuo Yokoi (Captain), Hideo Kinoshita (Narrator)

Note: This synopsis is for the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman episode, and appears under its original Japanese premiere date. For the corresponding episode of Battle Of The Planets, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The sinking of a World Science Organization sub, part of a huge construction effort to build a new underwater base for the Gatchaman team, is the first sign that Galactor is aware of the base. The Gatchaman team is called in to look for signs of Galactor activity on a nearby island, but Dr. Nambu warns Ken and his team not to fight Galactor unless necessary. Stung by a random encounter with a civilian who thinks every other member of the Gatchaman team is more impressive than he is, Jinpei is determined to take on Galactor single-handedly. Unfortunately, in the process of trying to fight them alone, Jinpei also leads Galactor straight to the new underwater base.

written by Jinzo Toriumi
directed by Hisayuki Toriumi
music by Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Katsuji Mori (Ken Washio), Isao Sasaki (Joe Asakura), Kazuko Sugiyama (Jun), Yoku Shioya (Jinpei), Shingo Kanemoto (Ryu), Toru Ohira (Kozaburo Nambu), Mikio Terashima (Berg Katse), Nobuo Tanaka (Sosai X), Mitsuo Yokoi (Clerk in Charge), Hideo Kinoshita (Narrator)

Note: Jinpei is 18th successor to the Iga Ninja; presumably this means she is a practitioner of Iga-ryu ninjutsu, a real discipline which originated in Iga City, in Mie Prefecture, Japan. The existence of the Gatchaman team is apparently public knowledge, enough that children are aware of the individual team members’ “G numbers” and abilities. (Are there trading cards and action figures, one wonders? There should be.) Again, significant violence from this original episode is swapped out for an unusual number of 7-Zark-7 scenes in the Battle Of The Planets dub. Though the Crescent Coral Reef base is seen throughout Battle Of The Planets as “Center Neptune,” this is its first appearance in Gatchaman. This synopsis is for the original Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman episode, and appears under its original Japanese premiere date. For the corresponding episode of Battle Of The Planets, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green