Gatchamania.net - Print: Director Anderson Week

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Posted by shamrokchick on 08-12-2008 at 03:35:

Director Anderson Week

Well we're on a new week and next on our list is Director Anderson, head of the ISO.

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"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too." Swallow

Posted by lborgia88 on 08-12-2008 at 04:08:

I looked up some more thumbnails of Director Anderson on Reboekah's site, from episodes 47, 1, 102, 97, 53 and 54.

One thing is clear -just like every other character, he always had to wear the same clothes all the time!

Posted by Ebonyswanne on 08-12-2008 at 10:01:

He didn't show up in that many eps when you think about it did he...

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 08-12-2008 at 14:40:

Those are some good shots of Director Anderson! He always seemed so stiff.... but then, he was just serving as a placeholder until Nambu took over his job, wasn't he? Wink (j/k!!!!)

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Posted by shamrokchick on 08-12-2008 at 16:09:

I agree, when we did see Anderson... he was always just standing there talking. Not much action from the big guy...

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"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too." Swallow

Posted by Transmute Jun on 08-12-2008 at 17:47:

Well, to be fair, he did *die* in 'action' in the series... only so Nambu could replace him, of course. Wink

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Posted by lborgia88 on 08-12-2008 at 18:43:

Anderson did appear in the first episode, and the episodes where Galactor was about to destroy the world, either with the V-2 plan, or the Black Hole plan. I guess his main purpose in the show was to represent the global, civilian government and remind viewers where the Science Ninjas' authority stemmed from.

Posted by shamrokchick on 09-12-2008 at 04:33:

quote:

Originally posted by Transmute Jun
Well, to be fair, he did *die* in 'action' in the series... only so Nambu could replace him, of course. Wink

Ahh.. I forgot about that. That must be in Gatch II/F.

__________________
"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too." Swallow

Posted by tatsunokofan on 11-12-2008 at 04:18:

Hi all!

Boy, for a guy who is considered part of the regular cast of the series, Director Anderson is pretty much a cipher. The man doesn't appear in the Planning Establishment of the first two series, and is only mentioned in the third series Planning in reference to Nambu having replaced him after he died. In fact, most references to him simply describe him as "The Director of the International Science and Technology Organization." So, without any official background on him to go by, we have to look to the show itself for what we learn about him. From that, we get the following:

Director Anderson
(Character voice: Teiji Omiya)

In "Gatchaman:"

The Director of the International Science and Technology Organization (Episode #1). He was an intelligent man, with a background in science that allowed him to understand concepts like the nuclear power (Episode #'s 1, 5) and the Neutron Reaction (Episode #104). He was very proud of what the I.S.O. has accomplished with the Mantle Plan (Episode #5). When relaxing, Director Anderson enjoyed smoking a cigar (Episode #5), and among his talents, Anderson knew Morse Code (Episode #47).

When Gallactor first attacked, he was unaware of the existence of the organization. He was caught equally off guard when Dr. Nambu announced that he had formed the Science Ninja Team to combat the threat (Episode #1). Despite this, he came to respect the Ninja Team for all of their accomplishments (Episode #'s 5, 53).

As the head of the I.S.O., Director Anderson spent much of his time chairing meetings of the representatives from various nations in regards to matters pertaining to both the Mantle Plan and regarding Gallactor (Episode #'s 1, 13, 22, 45, 53, 54). Most of these meetings took place at the I.S.O. Headquarters, where Anderson had his office (Episode #'s 104, 105), but a few were held at Crescent Coral Reef (Episode #'s 13, 15). He also took a personal interest in many I.S.O. projects, showing up in person to watch their progress firsthand (Episode #'s 5, 9, 15).

When I.S.O. matters required the utmost in security, such as transporting the "brain" of the Ultra Computer from its place of manufacture to the laboratory where the computer is kept, Anderson preferred to do it himself. In instances such as that, Director Anderson would use a specially built private jet. The VTOL jet came with a special seat for Anderson that could be ejected from the plane and parachute safely to the ground. The seat also had a built-in radio with which Director Anderson could send an emergency Morse Code signal, and a compartment built into the armrest that could be used to securely store vital documents and equipment. This jet was manned by a three person crew, a pilot, a co-pilot, and the stewardess. When Director Anderson traveled in this manner, he was accompanied by two security guards (Episode #47).

Anderson had great respect for Dr. Nambu, usually deferring to his expertise in scientific and security matters (Episode #'s 1, 13, 54), and rarely did he question Nambu's decisions (Episode #53). At first, Director Anderson did not know what the Science Ninja Team looked like in their civilian guises (Episode #5), but he was eventually privy to their secret (Episode #97). While Anderson could request the aid of the Science Ninja Team with difficult situations, he could not order them to do so directly. So, even when Anderson requested their assistance, the final decision regarding the actions of the Science Ninja Team came from Dr. Nambu (Episode #'s 22, 45, 65, 84, 97). When Dr. Nambu was unavailable, Director Anderson could attempt to contact the Science Ninja Team at Dr. Nambu's villa (Episode #97). If the Ninja Team was not there, he had to wait until they contacted him to establish communication (Episode #102). Also, through the Information Bureau of the I.S.O., Director Anderson was able to keep tabs on the activities of the Red Impulse Squadron (Episode #104).

In "Gatchaman II:"

Director Anderson continued his career as head the I.S.O. following the initial defeat of Gallactor, and still held that position when they were revived. Despite his close relationship with Dr. Nambu, he was unaware that Dr. Nambu had kept the Science Ninja Team battle ready in case Governor X returned to Earth (Episode #1).

Much of Director Anderson's duties remained the same as they had earlier, with him leading meetings of representatives in the I.S.O. Headquarters (Episode #'s 1, 10). He continued to maintain an office inside the Headquarters, where he often consulted with Dr. Nambu regarding the latest Gallactor activities (Episode #'s 8, 11, 43).

Fortunately, not all his duties were so serious. On occasion, Anderson was able to perform enjoyable tasks, such as handing out the International Science Peace Prize to men involved in scientific developments to be used for the betterment of mankind (Episode #42).

On the occasion when Director Anderson's duties required him to leave the I.S.O. Headquarters, he traveled in a chauffeur-driven automobile (Episode #46).

Sadly, Director Anderson's life was cut short by a Gallactor attack. He was visiting the 1st Naval Command to supervise the development of a Special Radar to be used by the Science Ninja Team to locate the Main beam launching equipment for Gallactor's Solar Shifter when Gallactor attacked the base, severely injuring Anderson (Episode #46). Director Anderson did not recover from his injuries. After his passing, Dr. Nambu was named to be his replacement as Director of the I.S.O. (Gatchaman Fighter #1). Director Anderson was survived by one known relative; his grandson, Sam (Episode #46).

Director Anderson did get a trio of oft-forgotten appearances in the Gatchaman radio drama. Two of these were radio versions of the stories from the first episodes of Gatchaman and Gatchaman II. The third story was an original story submitted by a fan in a "You Write Gatchaman" contest. The story centered on involved Joe fighting a mad scientist who was creating cyborgs for Gallactor, and Anderson appears briefly to greet Ken and Joe when they visit Nambu's office and helps get the story rolling. Teiji Omiya, the voice behind Director Anderson in the TV series, did not reprise his role in the radio drama, and the credits for the episodes to not tell us who performed his part.

I've long felt disappointed that Director Anderson didn't get a better send-off. He'd been a fixture of the series since the first episode, but his farewell appearance has him badly injured, only to have it announced that he died off-camera in the first episode of Gatchaman Fighter. To make matters worse, his injuries occur in the first couple of minutes of Gatchaman II #46, and serve only as a means to introduce Sam into the story. And, as a final insult, Director Anderson wasn't even given any lines of dialogue! He just silently rode along in a car, silently handed over some equipment, and silently stared in horror as a piece of equipment fell on top of him. He deserved more.

In the real world, Teiji Omiya passed away on December 23, 1994 from colon cancer. He did make one final guest appearance in Gatchaman Fighter #10, though not playing Director Anderson. Instead, he was playing the evil Vittendorf, who was hired by Gallactor to destroy Gatchaman base.

Like most of the first series Gatchaman characters, Director Anderson was resurrected for the Gatchaman OAV series, this time given voice by Yonehiko Kitagawa.

If you thought that Director Anderson wasn't given much to do in the TV series, he had it even worse in the OAVs! He appears in all three volumes, but only briefly. The first volume has him heading a meeting of the various department heads of the I.S.O., much like Anderson did with representatives from various countries in the TV series. He plays a very similar role to his TV counterpart, asking Nambu all the right questions to allow Nambu the opportunity to tell everyone about Gallactor and to introduce the Science Ninja Team. In Volume 2, he stands by Dr. Nambu when Nambu is informed that the Navy is going to attack BC Island without giving the Science Ninja Team time to complete their mission. In Volume 3, he discusses the current Gallactor threat with Nambu, the Secretary General, and General Braddock when Braddock is taken control by Katse, who proceeds to tell everyone to surrender or die. He later informs Nambu that Gallactor claims to have killed the Science Ninja Team, but Nambu tells him that it's all part of the plan. Not a lot to get excited about, but at least he was there.

I hope this helps!

James

Posted by tatsunokofan on 11-12-2008 at 04:37:

Hi all!

Also, since there seemed to be some question of just how often Director Anderson was in the show, here is a list of which stories had appearances by Director Anderson in the world of "Gatchaman"

Gatchaman:

#1 - Gatchaman Versus Turtle King
#5 - The Ghost Fleet of Hell
#9 - The Devil From the Moon
#13 - The Riddle of the Red Sand
#15 - The Fearsome Jellyfish Lens
#22 - The Firebird Versus the Fire-Eating Dragon
#45 - The Sea Lion Ninja Team of the Night Fog
#47 - The Devil's Airline
#53 - Farewell Red Impulse
#54 - Gatchaman's Burning Rage
#65 - Super Bem, the Synthetic Iron Beast
#84 - Smog-Fiber, the Spiderweb Iron Beast
#97 - Leona 3, the Spaceship With No Tomorrow
#102 - Countermove! Checkmate X
#104 - The Evil Grand Black Hole Operation
#105 - Earth's Extinction! 0002

Gatchaman Radio Drama:

#1 - Science Ninpo Firebird
#9 - M. Phage Appears
#11 - Title Unknown

Gatchaman Movie

Gatchaman II:

#1 - The Counterattack of Governor X
#8 - The Firebird of the Moon
#10 - A Blizzard at the Equator
#11 - Struggle! Highplunium 600
#14 - Red Impulse of Space
#42 - The Observatory That Moves in the Dark
#43 - Invaders From Mars
#46 - Gatchaman Unmasked

Gatchaman OAV:

Vol. 1 - Gatchaman VS Turtle King
Vol. 2 - The Secret Red Impulse
Vol. 3 - Final Count 0002

I hope this helps!

James

Posted by Transmute Jun on 11-12-2008 at 05:25:

For such a 'cipher', you certainly have provided a lot of information, James! Thank you for your insights. When you put everything together like that, it does seem like he had a much bigger role in the series. I completely forgot about that episode with Anderson's private plane.

I agree about his death. It seems like a very low-key way for him to go out, and overall it is a rather momentous event.

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Posted by lborgia88 on 11-12-2008 at 05:57:

Thanks for all this information, James. I too had forgotten just how many episodes he appeared in.

I've always found it amusing that the BOTP version of Dr. Nambu was named "Anderson" -a kind of tribute to Director Anderson?

(If I recall, the name "Nambu" was given to the baby whale that Keyop adopts -not as dignified a tribute!)

Posted by Springie on 11-12-2008 at 10:38:

Amazing...I didn't realize that there was that much info out there on Anderson! Again, thanks so much James!

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Posted by shamrokchick on 11-12-2008 at 16:44:

Thanks James for the great info! Smile

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"They say the Titanic sank because it hit an iceberg, but that must have been Galactor's fault too." Swallow

Posted by clouddancer on 11-12-2008 at 22:00:

Thank you James for "locating" or formulating all that information about Anderson for us. Great Job.

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