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--- Gatchaman Episode 57 – The Evil White Sea (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2756)

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:50:

Gatchaman Episode 57 – The Evil White Sea

Gatchaman Episode 57 – The Evil White Sea



The episode opens with the view of a barred gate being opened, to reveal a grim looking building. In this prison in the farthest reaches of the north, a man has just been released after 35 years of incarceration.

“Miller, you’re old now, so don’t do anything stupid!” a prison guard with a very thick Scottish accent tells the man. “Just live out the rest of your life quietly, okay?” Seriously this guard sounds like Mike Myers doing his fake Scottish accent.

The guard is escorting the man to the exit. When they get there, the road is deserted.

“Huh, there’s nobody here for ya!” the guard exclaims. “Don’t you have any relatives?”

The old man looks out at the grim world in despair.



“My daughter was only 2 years old when I went to prison,” he says, in an ‘old man’ kind of voice. “I haven’t seen her in almost 35 years. Thank you for your kindness, Officer.”

“Take care.” the guard replies, as he watches the man walk slowly down the road. Sheesh, don’t they at least call a taxi for these released prisoners, or something?

And with the lack of warmth the government is displaying toward the old man, it almost seems like a humanitarian gesture when a car pulls up, even if it is driven by a goon, and his passenger looks suspiciously like a CotW.



“Hey, Gramps!” the goon greets the old man. “You Mike Miller?”

“Yeah, I’m Miller. What’s it to you, Fang Face?” Mike asks.

The goon opens the car door invitingly.



I’m sorry, but every time I see this shot, I think ‘Hey little girl, do you want some candy?’ Sosai Tim made a similar Gatchafunny, which I’ll post at the end.

Also, notice how the CotW just teleported into the backseat?

“We came down here to pick you up,” says the goon, ignoring Mike’s insult, “because we heard you’re being released, old man.”

“What a silly mask.” Mike comments. “Circus in town today?” He looks around the car curiously.

“Wow, you’re really out of the loop, Gramps.” replies the goon, not the least insulted.

The CotW in the backseat appears to be picking his teeth with a dart. We can’t see his entire outfit, but his helmet reminds me of the German WWI helmets. Or maybe a Viking helmet? His mask underneath it is some kind of robot face. I guess he’s not a Captain, but a Hauptman. (That’s German for ‘Captain’.)

“We’re from Galactor!” the goon explains.



“Junk actor?” Mike is confused.

“Yeah, that’s right.” the goon replies, not sounding so confident anymore. “Guess you were put away before Galactor came onto the scene.” He closes the driver’s door, then scoots across and goes out the passenger side.

“Here, hop in.” he invites Mike.



Strangely, Hauptmann-Robot has switched sides in the car as well.

“Thanks, chum!” says Mike, moving around the car. He stumbles and falls to the ground as he approaches, and the goon has to help him up.

“Let’s go, Gramps.” the goon says, pulling Mike into the car.

“I try to keep fit, but I still can’t overcome my age.” Mike admits.



“He doesn’t sound too reliable.” the goon says to Hauptmann-Robot, as if Mike weren’t even there. “Commander, are you sure we need this geezer?” Ooh, he’s a Commander! Hauptmann-Robot keeps on picking his teeth as he replies.

“It’s an order from Berg Katse! Supposedly, he’s an incredible sharpshooter.” he says.



“What? That can’t be right!” the goon exclaims, even as Mike drifts off to sleep. “His fingers are shaking with palsy, Sir!”

“Not my problem.” says Hauptmann-Robot, in true Galactor style. “I’m just following orders I was given.”

Mike falls over in his sleep, leaning onto the goon.



“Aw, man, he fell asleep!” the goon complains. “This is ridiculous! Aaaah! He drooled on me! That’s so nasty! Yuck!”

Clearly, this goon is a prime example of why the men in the green uniforms never present much of a challenge for the Science Ninja Team.

The goon pushes Mike away and begins driving, contemplating the old man as they head down the road.

“A sharpshooter? Him?” the goon is disbelieving. “You must be kidding me.”

We cut to a shot of the moon, which looks extremely large in the night sky. It turns out that this is because we are actually in space, looking at a satellite. Or perhaps a space station. Two men in ‘futuristic’ space suits are floating around. They remind me of that old Rocket Robin Hood show.



“Sky Hawk 5! Come in Sky Hawk 5!” says a voice from their control panel. “Unidentified object headed straight toward you! Be on alert! Do you copy?”

“What is that?” Asks Rocket Robin Hood Wannabe number 1.

“I don’t know.” his companion replies. “But it looks like a missile!”



“Aw, crap!” the first Wannabe says, just before the missile hits them. Needless to say, Sky Hawk 5 is no more.

We cut to Ken.

“The third time?” Ken asks.



“That’s right. Our Earth observation satellites are being attacked.” Dr. Nambu replies. Ooh, so it was a satellite! I was right!

“You think it’s Galactor?” Joe asks casually.



“All we know is, the satellites are shot down when they pass over the South Pole.” Nambu replies.



“Then that must mean there’s a Galactor base somewhere in that vicinity.” Jun deduces.

“I’ve got it!” Jinpei declares. “Sky Hawk 5 is filming the surface of the Earth with a special camera, right? So Galactor must have attacked because it could have found their secret base!”

“Naw, that doesn’t sound right.” Ryu says blithely. Jinpei is instantly disappointed.



“What you mean?” Jinpei complains. “You’re just trying to poke holes in my thinking!”

“Let’s say Galactor really does have a base at the South Pole.” Ryu replies. “You really think they’d attack from there, wise guy?”

This notion is clearly surprising to Ken, Jun and Dr. Nambu, as they turn to face Ryu.



“It’s like when I was just a little tyke.” Ryu goes on. “Some buddies and I chased after this skylark one time. But to protect its nest, it flew off in the opposite direction to trick us.”

Jinpei finds this amusing.



“Only you’d compare Galactor to a skylark!” Jinpei mocks Ryu.

“No, he’s right!” Joe defends Ryu. “Galactor always keeps their base coordinates secret. Why go out of their way to point us to this one?” Of course, this is a very good question.



“So in other words, Galactor’s trying to attract our attention to the South Pole.” Ken says, slamming his hand on the map.



“They’re trying to bait us there, for whatever they’re plotting!” Ken declares.

Bingo.

“Sounds like fun to me.” Joe says. “Why don’t we take their bait, then?”



“Hold on you two.” Nambu lectures. “Remember, we haven’t determined that this is Galactor’s doing.”

“But Doctor, whether or not it’s Galactor, we know that it’s someone who’s out to destroy the Mantle Project.” Ken points out. “Am I right or what?”



Personally, I think Ken’s right, but my opinion doesn’t count for too much here.

“But…” Nambu protests.

“You know we’ve got to go!” Ken interrupts Nambu.

“Then move out, Science Ninja Team, and launch the God Phoenix!” Nambu orders.

And now we get our stock footage of the Docking Bay filling up the water and the God Phoenix leaving the Crescent Base. The music is triumphant, but suddenly we cut to footage of an icy landscape, and the music is eerie and strange.

Inside what appears to be a Galactor base, a strange elevator with 3 arms carries Mike and Commander Hauptmann-Robot down.



When it reaches the bottom, the dome opens in front of a familiar figure.

“Lord Katse!” Hauptmann-Robot says, “I have brought you Mike Miller as ordered.”

“Mr. Miller.” Katse greets the old man.

“Come on, Gramps!” Commander Hauptmann-Robot jabs Mike with his elbow. “Bow down to him! He’s Lord Berg Katse, the man who’s hired you!”

“Lord Berg What’s-eh?” Mike is confused.



Katse is not amused.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:51:

“So then,” Mike asks, looking around, “why’d you bring me to such a dark, chilly place?”

“I’m willing to pay you a lot of money for your shooting expertise.” Katse says, dodging the question.

“You’re going to give me a gun, eh?” asks Mike, who no longer appears forgetful, but instead has taken on an evil appearance.



“Yes, and a magnificent gun at that!” Katse replies. “Unfortunately none of our Galactor troops are skilled enough to operate it!”



Isn’t that just like Galactor? First they build the weapon and then they discover that they can’t use it.

“Surely you realize I haven’t touched a gun in over 35 years.” Mike admits.

In response, Katse pulls a pistol on Mike.



Mike jumps behind a surprised Hauptmann-Robot, and commandeers his gun, aiming it at Katse.

“Very impressive.” Katse smirks, putting away his gun. “Your reflexes survive, even after 35 years. I knew I was right about you!”

Hauptmann-Robot just stares in amazement as Mike plays with his ‘borrowed’ weapon.



“Who knew this old geezer could move that fast?” he says to himself.

“Don’t make fun of your elders, fat boy!” Mike lectures, as he throws the gun back at Hauptmann-Robot, and sheathes it in his holster.

“Oh, Gramps…” Hauptmann-Robot says, collapsing in shock.

“What’s my target, Boss Man?” Mike wants to know.

“Gatchaman.” whispers Katse nastily.

Katse, Hauptmann-Robot and Mike go through a doorway to look at Galactor’s new gun. Mike isn’t too impressed.



“What the hell is that?” he asks.

“It’s a gift for you, from Galactor.” Katse explains. “For your mission.”

“I can’t work that silly contraption!” Mike protests.

“I’ll assign you a driver.” Katse explains. “You can have him.” And he points at… yep, you guessed it.



Hauptmann-Robot isn’t too pleased to be singled out in this fashion.

“What? Oh no…” he sighs.

“Problem, Commander Klinkstein?” Katse asks. I guess the guys at ADV thought the helmet was German WWI-style too! I am at the name! Needless to say, the subs don’t give the guy a name.

“No, Sir! I humbly accept your order, my Lord!” Klinkstein grovels.

“I’ll be counting on you, Two-Ton!” Mike grins. Klinkstein bows to him, but then covers his face in dismay.

“Why do I get stuck looking after old three-toothed man?” he moans.



ADV was clearly having a lot of fun with this episode.

Katse gets inside of the gun, to demonstrate its use.



And what is Katse’s test target? Well, since they’re (presumably) at the South Pole, he chooses… penguins.

Yep, cute and cuddly little penguins, who wander in curiously… only to be blasted by Katse.

Cut from BOTP:



The two penguins are instantly frozen into some kind of crystal form. Their forms then crumble to dust.

“As you can see, anything hit with this ray gun instantly freezes and falls to pieces.” Katse explains gleefully.



“But it has a flaw.” he admits. “It generates far more heat than normal laser guns, so it can’t withstand continuous use. You’ll only have five shots. One for each Science Ninja Team Bird.” Katse pulls out the bullets, much to Mike and Klinkstein’s astonishment.



“Who’s the Science Ninja Team?” Mike asks. We see images of the Team as Katse answers the question.



“They run faster than the jaguars of the plains.” he says. “They’re more agile than monkeys of the jungle.”

And apparently, they have more panchira than monkeys of the jungle too.



Interestingly, Ryu’s image isn’t used in the demonstration of their agility.

“And they fly more nimbly than the birds of the sky.” Katse adds. “If they were just animals, we could kill them with a single shot, once we learned their habits. But the Science Ninja Team is highly trained, and an incredibly difficult target!”

Strangely, Joe isn’t used in the flying demonstration.

“That’s where your skills come in, Mr. Miller.” Katse goes on. “Now, observe. Be careful not to take the core out of the bullets you’re using. If you do, the beam’s power diminishes, and loses its ability to kill.”



“The Science Ninja Team should be arriving here any minute.” Katse reveals. “We’ve baited them here by disguising it as a Galactor base.”

Um, it’s a hangar for a Galactor mecha-weapon, and it was built by Galactor. I’d say that it actually is a Galactor base. But let’s not argue about semantics, for the God Phoenix is approaching!

“Whoa… it’s a blizzard!” Jinpei exclaims.



“What are you going to do, Ken?” Ryu asks. ‘There’s no way we can search in this weather.” Then the Owl detects something on his instruments.

“It’s a magnetic field! The compass is going haywire!” Ryu exclaims. Wait… I thought it was the North Pole that had a magnetic field?



“That’s odd.” Joe notes. “I wonder if Galactor really does have a base here?”



As if to answer the Condor’s question, a familiar laugh sounds through the God Phoenix. Joe and Jinpei are shocked!



“Welcome, Science Ninja Team!” Katse’s voice greets them as Ken listens.



“Berg Katse! So you were hiding out here after all.” Ken says grimly.

“Not quite, Gatchaman.” Katse disagrees. “We don’t really have a base here. Shame you had to come all this way, isn’t it?”

“In other words, you attacked the satellites as bait to lure us here, right?” Ken smirks. “We already figured that out.”



And where is Katse calling from? Why, from his Devil Star escape pod, of course. It is turning in place over the Antarctic terrain.



“Ooh, aren’t you the smart one?” Katse mocks the Eagle. “Well then, I think it’s about time we got the game started, Gatchaman.”

Is it just me, or does Katse have extra long ears in this episode?



“Game? What game?” Ken wants to know.

And from the blowing snows of the South Pole, Galactor’s new gun mecha appears.

“What the cheese is that?” Ryu asks.



“It looks like some kind of two-man tank.” Ken replies.

“Good luck, numchuks!” Katse laughs. “Let’s see if anyone makes it out alive!” And the Devil Star pod whirls away.

“You turning tail again, you rat?” Ken asks angrily.

Now if I were Ken (which clearly, I’m not) I think I’d be chasing after Katse’s ship about now, instead of seeing what kind of trap Galactor has left for them. But that’s just me.

“Damn!” shouts Ken, slamming the control panel in front of him.



“What should we do?” Ryu asks. “You wanna go after him?”

“There’s something up with that tank.” Ken replies. “We’d better check it out.”

Okay, so not only is Ken giving up a chance to chase after Katse, but he’s not just going to shoot the tank with a Bird Missile. This seems really weak to me. I guess I could buy that Ken is so worried about a Galactor trap that he doesn’t just want to blow up the tank without knowing what he’s facing.

“All right, Ken.” Joe says. “I’ll take on the tank, and you guys go after Katse. Check you later.”



Joe seems to be forgetting one thing. Without the G-2 aboard, the God Phoenix can’t fly as fast, nor can it shoot Bird Missiles. And Joe really should remember this, as he was in command when they faced that exact same situation in Hontwal when meeting up with Cataroller, because the G-1 wasn’t aboard. That was only, what, 5 episodes ago?

But Joe is so sure of himself that he runs off of the Bridge and to his G-2.

“Joe!” shouts Ken. But it’s too late.



The nose of the God Phoenix is already retracting to reveal the G-2.



“Whatcha wanna do?” Ryu asks Ken again. “Should we leave it to Joe and go after Katse?”

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:52:

“No, I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” Ken says. “Let’s just wait awhile and see what happens.”



Let’s just wait awhile and see what happens? WTH is wrong with Ken? Do something, why don’t you?

“Go on and release Joe.” Ken orders. Wow. This seems a little much to me. But I’m going to hang with the weak idea that Ken wants to investigate the tank before just blowing it up.

The G-2 is lowered to the ground, and it races across the snow.



May I point out that the G-2 has no weapons? Just what does Joe think he’s going to do? Impress the tank with his driving skills?

Sorry… I just always thought this episode was super weak, plot-wise. I’ll stop pointing it out. Lip zipped…

Inside the tank/gun/whatever Mike grins evilly, ready to fire.



“So you made it, Ninja Science Team.” he says, broadcasting to Joe.

“Who the hell are you?” Joe asks as he drives.



“I’m the Great Mike Miller!” Mike replies. “A hit man hired by Shellactor!”

“With a voice like that, you must be ancient!” Joe replies. Clearly tact isn’t one of the Condor’s skills.



“Galactor’s recruiting geezers. Give it up, Gramps.” Joe snarls.

Mike ignores Joe, but instead addresses Klinkstein, who is below him. Literally. Although Klinkstein has his own chair, Mike’s feet are on the Commander’s shoulders.



“Get ready, dummy. You’re gonna move this rig just how I tell ya!” Mike orders.

“Give me a break!” Klinkstein complains. ‘This whole vehicle is computerized. It’s got better eyes than you do, Three-Tooth!”

Klinkstein receives a kick in the face for his trouble.



I’m seeing a lot of similarities between the animation in this episode, and the average Yatterman episode. I guess that’s not surprising, seeing as they’re both Tatsunoko productions. Not that I’m a Yatterman expert or anything.

“Move over!” Mike orders.

“Quit kicking me in the face with your shoe!” Klinkstein demands. So Mike kicks him again.



“When I kick your right side, turn right, and when I kick your left side, turn left.” Mike instructs Klinkstein. “Got it?”

“And for this, I made Commander?” Klinkstein sighs.

“Mush!” shouts Mike, kicking Klinkstein with both heels

And the tank is off!



Mike kicks, and Klinkstein turns. The tank approaches the G-2.

“I’ll hang back and watch them for awhile.” Joe thinks to himself.



The G-2 flies over an icy gorge. But the tank simply grows metallic wings and flies over, following the car.

“Not too shabby!” Joe is mildly impressed.



“And now it’s time to send you straight to hell!” Mike cackles. He loads the bullet into his gun.

Notice anything about the bullet?



“Coming at you, Gramps!” Joe thinks, turning his car around. I'm not sure what he thinks he’s going to accomplish with this maneuver, but he does it anyway.



The G-2 turns around and heads straight for the tank… and Mike Miller’s sights.



“What a spirited young man!” Mike declares, before he shoots. The G-2 leaps over the tank, and is hit mid-air by the freezing bullet. The car falls to the ground, crystallized as ice.



Now the car does not shatter. It’s just frozen. This should be a hint…

But Joe doesn’t get the hint, because he’s frozen too.



“Just four more!” Mike cackles.

And we’re off to a commercial break! The ADV narrator cackles the word ‘Gatchaman’ in a strange way. I guess he’s been inspired by the silliness of this episode.

When we come back, a flashing light on Ryu’s console blinks out, and Ryu is amazed.

“Damn it, Ken, he took Joe down!” Ryu reports.



“What?” Ken exclaims in shock.



“Come on, there’s no way Big Bro Joe would fail!” Jinpei protests.

“Trust me, I can’t believe it either!” Ryu says. “But we’ve lost contact with him!”

“Come in!” Ken calls to Joe on his bracelet. “Joe! Joe!” But of course, there is no answer from the Condor.



Instead, their answer is Mike’s cackling coming onto the Bridge of the God Phoenix.

“So that tough guy, the first, was named Joe, eh?” Mike says. And his tank reveals itself in the swirling snow.

“It’s that tank!” Jinpei exclaims.

“Ken, you don’t think Joe could be…?” Jun asks, afraid.



“What’s the matter, Appliance Ninja Team?” Mike taints them. “Come on out! Are you scared? You could give up!”

“That guy’s got balls!” Ryu exclaims. He doesn’t look too happy about it.



“Yeah, and I’m getting real creeped out!” Jinpei adds.

“I knew there was something up with that tank!” Ken mutters. “This guy’s not messing around!



“Check it! We’ll have to move out in separate vehicles.” Ken orders. “We’re positioned right above the magnetic field, so you won’t be able to rely on your compasses. The only thing you can rely on is what’s in your gut.”

So what exactly does Ken think they’re going to do in their vehicles? They can’t attack the tank that way. I’m not sure what his plan is.

Ryu’s not sure of something else.



“You can’t make me stay behind this time, Ken.” he asserts himself weakly.

“You’re right, Ryu.” Ken agrees. “G-5 should get some action too.”

This pleases Ryu immensely. He shouts and whoops with pleasure.



“Hold on!” says Ken, as Ryu’s face falls. “I only want you there to observe, big guy. If we’re taken down, go back to the Crescent Coral Base and report to Dr. Nambu.”

“But why, Ken?” Ryu asks plaintively. “Why do I always get left behind while you guys fight?”



“Well, it’s because we’re orphans.” Ken explains. “If we die, there’s no one who’d shed tears. But you’ve got a mother, father and little brother back home. No matter what, you’ve gotta stay alive for them!”



Wait a minute… Ryu has a mother? I thought she was dead…? I checked, and the subs say that Ryu has a mother too. Freaky…

“Never forget that!” Ken exclaims, as he rushes off the Bridge.

While most of this episode is a joke (either literally with its humor or because the plot is so weak) there are two important things to come out of it. This revelation is one of them. Now we know that Ryu isn’t always left on the God Phoenix just because he’s the pilot, or because he’s fat. Ken is actually concerned about him, and his family. Awwwww…..

Ryu sadly contemplates what Ken just told him.

The G-1, G4 and G-3 leave the God Phoenix. Check out the G-1’s thrusters going in reverse!



I should point out that normal planes/jets can’t do this. My DH (who is a private pilot) was rolling his eyes at this. He says that thrusters just don’t do this on real jets.

“Here they come, Tubs!” Mike says to Klinkstein. “It gives me goosebumps!”

“Hey, Gramps, why not shoot down the God Phoenix already?” asks Klinkstein, in an astounding display of brilliance. “Make it quick and easy!”

“You obviously don’t know anything about Killer’s Etiquette!” Mike lectures.



“There is no etiquette for killing!” Klinkstein protests.

“This is a duel, you nincompoop!” Mike retorts. “We ought to face each other head on, fair and square.”

“Ridiculous! He’s way too old fashioned!” Klinkstein mutters to himself, and he receives Mike’s keels in his shoulders for his trouble.

“Giddyap!” Mike shouts.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:53:

And the Science Ninja Team approaches!





“Be careful.” Ken tells the others. “That tank may look small, but we don’t know what kind of power it’s got.”



“Hey, I’m going to see what he’s made of!” says Jinpei, as his G-4 rises into the air.



“Be careful, Jinpei!” Jun warns.

The tank flies toward the G-4.

“Why don’t you give me your name for my victim list, pal?” Mike asks, holding up another bullet. Again, the bullet seems to be missing something.



“I’m Science Ninja Team G-4!” Jinpei obliges. “Jinpei the Swallow!” Mike appears taken aback to hear this.



“But he’s just a youngster…” Mike says to himself.

“Coming through!” shouts Jinpei, as the G-4 flies over the tank. Mike takes aim, but the G-4 gets away.

“Come on, keep up with him, slowpoke!” Mike berates Klinkstein.



“Watch where you’re going, Moron!” Mike kicks Klinkstein again. “Come on, Pokeypants!” His heels dance a tattoo on Klinkstein’s shoulders.



“I can’t help it! That brat’s too fast!” Klinkstein cries. Literally, there are tears coming out of his eyes.

Jinpei flies over the tank again.



The G-4 dives underwater, but the tank grows pontoons, and it moves on the ocean’s surface, looking for Jinpei. Mike spots the G-4 under the waves.

“Like fish in a barrel.” Mike grins, aiming his gun again. He shoots. His gun heats up and starts steaming, but the G-4 is hit.



Jinpei is frozen!



Ken and Jun are horrified to witness this!





Not to mention Ryu.



Ryu flies off aggressively, although Ken screams at him to stop.



“Let me go, Ken!” Ryu urges. “I’m always the one that stays behind, and I just can’t stand it anymore! I can’t just sit and watch this guy whack my friends!”



“Why don’t you kids attack me at the same time?” Mike suggests. “You know you can’t lick me one-on-one.” This is actually a pretty good suggestion… presuming any of the vehicles were actually capable of attacking. But they’re not, because the only one with weapons is the G-5, and it’s not joined up with the others.

“We don’t have to fight like cowards, the way you Galactor bastards do!” growls Ryu. Mike is taken aback, but quickly recovers.

“And what’s your name, friend?” Mike wants to know.

“I’m Science Ninja Team G-5, Ryu the Owl!” Ryu answers. He flies over the tank (which is still floating on pontoons) just as Mike loads a bullet into his gun.

Amazingly, it seems that Ryu does have a weapon, and he’s using it! He catches the tank in the fiery exhaust from the God Phoenix’s thrusters. WTG, Ryu! This is the most effective attack yet!



“What the heck is going on?” Mike asks, his head swiveling madly. “Do something quickly!”

“What am I supposed to do?” Klinkstein asks. “You told me to move however you ordered me, so it isn’t my problem!” Of course, this is awfully short-sighted of him. If the tank is destroyed, it’s definitely his problem.

“Don’t give me no lip, Mister! Just start moving forward!” Mike orders. “Uh, back! I mean, back!”

And the tank moves backwards out of the God Phoenix’s exhaust flames. Until Ryu adjusts for this.

“You’ve got it all wrong! Don’t just flail around!” Mike complains.



“You’re the one looking through the window!” Klinkstein protests. “You say which way! You!”

“What are you waiting for, nimrod?” Mike shouts back. “Dive! Take us down! Dive, dive!”

And the tank dives.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Ryu growls, moving to follow.



But Mike is ready, and as soon as the God Phoenix is underwater, he shoots.



Inside, Ryu has turned into an Owl-sicle!



The tank drills through the ice and back out to the surface.

Meanwhile, Ken and Jun are trying to figure out what happened to Ryu. Jun is so worried that her wings slip from her neck down to her collarbone!



The tank emerges from the ice behind her, and Jun gasps.



She turns around to face the tank.

“Jun, no!” Ken shouts. “Don’t try it!”

But Jun is off.





Mike clearly has her in his sights.



“What’s this? They let girls play too?” Mike asks himself.

Mike shoots…. but he misses!



“What the hell?” he asks himself.



“So that tank’s weapon is that freeze ray gun!” Ken deduces, watching this.

“First time I see you miss, Gramps!” Klinkstein comments in surprise. Mike doesn’t answer, but loads his last bullet. He takes aim at Jun again, but his gum is steaming in the cold. The metal is red-hot. It’s about to overheat!

He aims… but just as he’s about to fire, the G-1 swoops down and knocks the gun from the outside, ruining the shot!

The gun explodes from being overheated, and the tank is knocked over. It crashes into an ice wall and explodes as Ken and Jun watch.



Mike’s body is thrown from the wreckage of the tank.



He looks up to see Ken and Jun staring at him.



“Tell me why…” he says, “Tell me why you kids didn’t use your weaponry to attack my battle tank?”

“Only because our G-machines aren’t equipped with weapons.” Ken admits.



“Ohhhh….” Mike sighs. “That makes sense. I just thought it was odd.” This shows at least that his brain is still sharp.

Mike’s hand is closed in a fist, but it opens up, and 5 small cylinders come falling out onto the ice. They are the cores of the bullets he shot!

“I removed the cores from the bullets I shot at you kids.” Mike smiles. “The ice that your friends are trapped in will melt soon. They’re still alive. They’re just sleeping in a state of suspended animation.” And if you were watching closely during the episode, you could have seen that the bullets lacked their cores, and also noted that the G2, G-4 and G-5 didn’t shatter after they were frozen.

“Why did you do that when you could have just killed us?” Ken asks.

“Old habits, I guess.” Mike replies. “I forget my mission in the excitement. “That’s the same reason I ended up imprisoned 35 years ago.”

“What a weird hit man.” Jun says to herself.



Mike struggles to a stand.

“Killing women and children isn’t something a killer with pride would…” But he never finishes his sentence.



He has been shot by Klinkstein!



“I knew I did not like you, Three-Tooth. Die like a traitor!” Klinkstein mutters, before collapsing in the snow and dying himself.

Ken and Jun can hardly believe what they’ve just witnessed!



Jun rushes to Mike’s side.

Does she offer comfort to him, or try to help because he’s just been shot? No, she has a question to ask.

“You’re a professional marksman. How did you miss me?” she wants to know.

“I have a daughter somewhere… but when I went to prison she was left alone.” Mike explains. “You wouldn’t think I’d have feelings for her, but the moment I saw you in my scope, all I could think of was her sobbing when I left.”



And then Mike dies.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:54:

The God Phoenix flies home in the cold, snowy winds. (Presumably everyone was safely defrosted.)



Everyone sadly thinks of Mike.





“It’s too bad. If only we’d had weapons.” Ken says. “When combined we can use the Bird Missiles or Firebird. But in our separate G-machines, we’re left completely powerless.”



“It’s my fault that we failed this time, Ken.” Joe admits. “I shouldn’t have rushed out without assessing the enemy. When I got hit, I couldn’t meet up with the God Phoenix.”



I think Joe is still cold from being frozen, which is why he’s still wrapped in his wings.

“It’s not your fault.” Ken disagrees. “We’re only alive because that hit man was an oddball. But if that old man really had been a crazed murderer, we would have been dead a long time ago. We need to have weapons on our G-Machines, so we can fight an enemy, even if we’re separated.”



And this is the other important thing to come out of this episode. Ken (and the others) now recognize that they need weapons on their individual G-machines.

“I mean, come on!” Ken continues. “I don’t think good speed and good performance are enough to defeat Galactor. We’re getting shot at with real bullets here. Our battles aren’t games. We’re not a bunch of Speed Racers, you know.” Ouch!

FTR, the sub says, ‘We’re not having a speed race with Galactor.’ I think ADV just couldn’t resist, given that obvious opening.

The cold winds of defeat madly howl through the skies above the South Pole as the Team begins their journey home. Will they ever beat Berg Katse? Fury whirls within Gatchaman, like a raging blizzard…

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:55:

BOTP Episode 8 – Fastest Gun in the Galaxy

This is Center Neptune: computerized watchdog of our galaxy. And no, I don’t mean 1-Rover-1.

Here, the activities of Planet Spectra, arch-enemy of Earth, are monitored 24 hours a day.

“I’m 7-Zark-7,” Zark introduces himself, “a finely-tuned robot, programmed to respond to any inter-planetary threat.”



Remember, this is a very early episode in the BOTP running order, so Zark may not be as well-known to all viewers as he is to us. They don’t know how lucky they are…

“My refined intelligence bank stores the names of all known Spectra agents operating on Earth.” Zark brags. Well, if he’s that good, why hasn’t he captured all of these ‘known Spectra agents’ already?

“Case in point…” Zark wants to show off.



“Zone 30/RR. Two known Spectra agents have moved into this sector. Reason: unknown. There’s a single possibility: the old maximum security prison San Martin.” Zark sounds like he’s speaking into his computer systems, even though he’s standing in the middle of the room.

“What possible interest could such a place have for people from another planet?” Zark wonders. “I think I’ll just have a look on my scanner.”

We see the prison, and its gates are opening to the sound of ominous music. Two men emerge from within: a prison guard, and an old man.

“Well, Vargo,” the guard says, sounding like Mark with a gravelly voice, “after 30 years in prison, you’re finally free. What’s your plan? Going back to your old ways out west?”

“It’s the only kind of life I ever knew on the outside,” Vargo replies, “but I guess maybe I’m too old to get back in it now. I was once mighty handy with guns, you know. Fastest draw in the world! But we’ll see…”

Seems like Vargo isn’t too bright. Do you really want to tell the guard at the prison where you’re being released that you’re planning to take up shooting guns again? Hmmm…

“Good luck, Vargo.” says the guard. I guess he’s not too bright either, not paying attention to anything Vargo has said. Vargo begins walking away.

A car with a Spectran goon and Captain Hauptmann-Robot pulls up next to Vargo.

“Vargo!”

“Hold it, we want to talk!”

This second Spectran sounds a lot like Jason putting on a deep voice.

“Who are you, anyway?” Vargo asks.

“We’re friends, Vargo.” the goon says, smiling in a friendly manner.

“Never had no friends that looked like you fellas.” Vargo replies, looking around suspiciously.

“Now that you’re out of jail, we wanna help you.” the goon says. He sounds like Colonel Cronus forcing a long, slow drawl.

“You boys from out west?” Vargo asks.

“We’re from way out west.” the goon confirms. “Are you interested? Come along with us, and get a new start in life!” The goon slides through the car and opens the passenger side door.

“Might give it a whirl.” Vargo replies, walking over. He falls down, and the goon picks him up.

“Are you all right?” the goon asks politely.

“Yep, just downright clumsy.” Vargo replies, as the goon pulls him into the car. The goon has a disgusted expression on his face.

“Now fill me in! What’s this all about?” Vargo wants to know.

“How about it? Shall we tell our friend Vargo about the big surprise he’s in for?” the goon asks Hauptmann-Robot.

“You’re going to take a nice, long trip to Planet Spectra, all expenses paid.” Hauptmann-Robot says, while picking his teeth.

“You’ll really like Zoltar.” the goon says kindly to Vargo. “He’s got a big, important job in mind for you.”

“And do it, if you ever want to see Earth, or any other planet again!” Hauptmann-Robot snarls.

Oh yeah, Vargo’s not suspicious now… his head is lowered. Or is he asleep?

“Pull yourself together, gunfighter!” the goon says. He’s being quite friendly. “You’ve got big things ahead.”

The entire drooling scene was cut. I have to wonder why? It wasn’t violent, and was actually quite funny. Ah well…

We see the moon, and a satellite in space. Two Rocket-Robin-Hood-wannabes are floating around.

“Sky Lab 2,” says a voice from the control panel, “this is Galaxy Control. We’re picking up a UFO moving in your direction at light speed.” Funny, Galaxy Control sounds like Jason with his nose plugged by a clothespin.

“A meteorite!” says one of the spacemen.

“It’s coming right at us!” says Mark Oops, not Mark, even though it sounds just like him. It’s Rocket-Robin-Hood-wannabe number 2.

But the meteorite passes right on by. They actually run footage of the thing approaching, but in reverse, so it looks like it’s going away. Too funny!

“Phew, that was close!” says spaceman number 1, but his face has an expression of extreme panic.

More footage of the meteorite moving away (footage run in reverse). Then we cut to Mark.

“But why?” he asks.

“We don’t know why, except that it was no accident.” Chief Anderson replies.

“What’s Security’s idea?” Jason wants to know.

“Sky Lab 2 was deliberately shot at by a manmade meteorite.” Anderson says.

“It looks like the work of Spectra.” Princess observes. “But what would they gain by it?”

“Maybe they’re testing a new weapon and Sky Lab happened to be the handiest target.” Jason suggests.

“It doesn’t add up.” Mark disagrees, slamming his hand on the wall map. “This area where Sky Lab is has a dozen more important satellites. Why pick Sky Lab?”

“Maybe this is the first of a lot of hits to come.” Jason postulates.

“Very possible.” Anderson admits. “But the rulers of Spectra are usually more devious than that.”

“Right.” Mark agrees. “I’d say it’s bait. They can’t beat us here, so they’re trying to lure us up to their planet for a workout.”

Wait a minute… how is attacking the Sky Lab luring the G-Force to Spectra? Unless the Sky Lab is in orbit above Spectra? In which case, I think the Spectrans have a right to be shooting at it.

“So?” the Chief asks.

“So we play their game, and go there.” Mark answers.

“Good luck. And remember, they’re undoubtedly waiting for you.” is Anderson’s goodbye.

Insert stock footage of the Phoenix launch bay filling up with water, and the ship launching.

Now we see the Earth in space, and it’s getting smaller.

“G-Force is on its way to Planet Spectra.” Zark voices over for us. “A perilous flight into distant Crab Nebulae.” Yes, he says ‘nebulae’. Apparently there’s more than one.

“I hope they aren’t being led into a fatal trap.” Zark says, as we see a dot moving across space.

“I’ve just given them a readout on that ex-prisoner the Spectrans picked up outside of San Martin Prison.” Zark tells us. “Could that old gunman have anything to do with all this? Is he also up there on Spectra now? I must mull that over in my analyzer cells for a minute.”

More stock footage of moving through space, without really seeing anything.

And suddenly we’re there. It’s a landscape of ice, accompanied by ominous music and a three-armed elevator descending down into a Spectran base.

“I’ve brought Vargo, as you’ve ordered, Master.” says Hauptmann-Robot, while Vargo swivels his head, looking around curiously.

“Welcome, Vargo.” says Zoltar, turning around.

“Don’t stand there!” Hauptmann-Robot elbows Vargo in the ribs. “The Supreme Ruler of Spectra has greeted you!” It should be noted that while Hauptmann-Robot is berating Vargo for ‘standing’, Hauptmann-Robot is doing the exact same thing.

“You have work for me?” Vargo asks, getting right to the point. “What kind of work could I do on an alien planet?”

“I want you as a gun expert, if you still have any skills.” Zoltar replies.

“Don’t know about my fingers…” Vargo says, smiling nastily.

“A great artist does not lose his talent.” Zoltar says. “You were once called the greatest on Earth! Show us…”

“Well… don’t expect much…” Vargo replies, still looking nasty. “I’m not as young as I used to be, you know!”

Zoltar whips out a gun and points it at Vargo. Vargo leaps behind Hauptmann-Robot and nabs his gun, using the CotW for cover.

“Very good, Vargo!” Zoltar compliments him. The Spectran Leader spins his gun around and holsters it. “So far, you have proven yourself! We will see how your meet the tests ahead!”

Hauptmann-Robot looks on in amazement as Vargo expertly plays with his borrowed gun.

“The old goat’s a lot better than he looks!” Hauptmann-Robot exclaims.

“It’s the first time I’ve captured a gun in thirty years!” Vargo says, tossing the weapon back into Hauptmann-Robot’s holster. The CotW collapses.

“Still got the knack!” Vargo notes. “Eh… what’s next?”

“Over here!” Zoltar says, showing Vargo a small gun tank.

“What is it?” Vargo asks.

“Our newest superweapon: the Crynogun!” Zoltar explains.

“You called me up here to run that thing?” Vargo is surprised.

“Yes, and Brock here will be your first assistant.” Zoltar says, pointing at Hauptmann-Robot. Okay, I guess his name is Brock. I think I like Klinkstein better.

Zoltar gets into the Crynogun. He pulls out the gun… and then puts it away. Yup, no frozen penguins.

“When a beam from this gun strikes the target, it freezes the target!” Zoltar explains. “This is an amazing breakthrough in weaponry.” He leaps out of the gun, although there doesn’t appear to be any reason why he got into it the first place.

“We know G-Force is on their way to Spectra.” Zoltar says. “And the Crynogun will be our welcome to them. You, Vargo, with this weapon, you will freeze them, and destroy them!”

Zoltar pours out bullets into his hand.

“It’s going to be another showdown at high noon!” Vargo says. We cut to shots of the G-Force Team running and leaping and flying.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:56:

“Yes.” Zoltar voices over. “You must never underestimate the strength and cleverness of G-Force. They are highly trained to meet all situations. They have cerebonic implants which give them extraordinary powers. Do not permit yourself to become overconfident. The moment you think you have them, they escape! First, be sure you have them in range. This cartridge will do the rest.” Zoltar pulls out the bottom of one of the bullets.

“It contains a mixture of cryonic crystals and liquid nitrogen.” Zoltar explains. “A direct hit freezes the victim in his tracks. G-Force will be here shortly. They stand in our way, and I wish them eliminated. Do it, Fargo!”

And now we’re back in space. Zark tells us that G-Force is approaching the Crab Nebulae, that galaxy of swirling gasses within which is hidden the Planet Spectra.

“They’re going into de-orbit!” Zark announces.

Suddenly, we cut to a shot of the Phoenix flying through a grey sky.

“And now, they’re over Spectra,” Zark says, “soaring above the planet.”

You know, it seems as if Spectra doesn’t really have a very good planetary defense system if they just let the Phoenix on through. Then again, the Earth let two Spectran agents land on the planet and then kidnap someone and take him back to Spectra. I guess no one has very good planetary defense.

But back to the show. G-Force is surveying the scene as they fly over ice and snow.

“Ice hockey!” Keyop burbles.

“I don’t know what it is, but something’s out of whack, here!” Tiny says. “Looks like we’re getting a lot of interference here!” He both looks and sounds like Barney Rubble.

“Someone’s beaming in on our telecom monitor!” Jason scowls.

“Greetings, G-Force!” comes Zoltar’s voice through the Bridge. Everyone looks around in shock. “We were certain you’d be paying us a visit.”

“We knew you’d be expecting us.” Mark says. “I’ll be a short visit.”

“Brave words, Commander,” Zoltar replies, “but we may have to detain you for some time. Perhaps forever…”

“Thanks, but we’re not all that wild about your planet!” Mark responds. “Now why don’t you show yourself in person?”

And Zoltar is there, in his Devil Star Pod. OR whatever they call it in BOTP. I forget. Okay, James confirms that it’s also called the Devil Star in BOTP.

Hey, how did G-Force know exactly where to find Zoltar, on this entire planet? I mean, it’s not a small place. Amazing coincidence that they ended up in the exact same location, don’t you think?

“I am right here, Commander.” Zoltar says, ignoring amazing coincidences. “I have you in perfect view! I’d like you to see the exciting reception we’ve planned for you! Look below, G-Force!”

And the Crynogun appears in the swirling snowy winds.

“What is it?” Tiny asks.

“I’d just as soon not know.” Mark replies.

“To use one of your quaint expressions, this time we meet on myterms!” Zoltar says.

So what does he do? He flies away. Yep, Zoltar is ‘meeting’ the G-Force Team by leaving. Uh huh…

“It’s your move, Commander!” Zoltar says as he disappears.

Mark slams his hand down angrily on the console. I guess he doesn’t want to give chase?

“Yeah, he bugs me too.” Tiny says mildly.

“Well we’re not going to play it his way!” Mark decides.

“We can’t just hang here!” Jason says. I’m not sure why not. Shouldn’t Jason be offering to hit the Crynogun with a TBX missile?

Apparently not, because Jason has another idea.

“Somebody’s got to kick it off! I’m going down there!” And he runs off of the Bridge.

“Hold it!” says Mark, but the Phoenix’s nose over the Spacemobile is already being retracted.

“Jason’s got an awful short fuse!” Tiny comments.

“All we can do now is give him cover!” Mark says. “And let’s hope he’s right… this time.”

Wow, they’re really ragging on poor Jason, here. I can see it… this entire episode is going to be all his fault. Poor guy! Like Mark couldn’t have had Tiny stop the deployment of the Spacemobile?

But it’s too late. Jason’s car is racing across the snow and ice.

Inside the Crynogun, Vargo talks to Jason.

“Come on, you young buck!” Vargo says. “I’m ready!”

“It’s Vargo!” Jason recognizes him. I guess that report Zark sent came in handy. Sigh…

“You’re coming up against the fastest draw in the world, Sonny!” Vargo replies.

“You made a mistake, old man!” Jason smirks. “You joined up with the wrong planet!”

“Stand still!” Vargo snaps at Brock. “How’m I gonna git off a good shot with you sidewindin’?”

“And how can I drive with you digging holes in my shoulders?” Brock asks as Vargo’s heels press onto him. “You stand still and… stop kicking, and I’ll be all right!” Of course, that pause in the middle of his last sentence was Vargo kicking Brock.

“Jest tend to yer knittin’ down thar, Bucko!” Vargo says. “I’m headin’ up this shootout!” Wow, he’s really getting into this ‘old West’ accent!

“Just stop kicking! I’m trying!” Brock protests. So Vargo kicks him.

The Crynogun moves off and approaches the Spacemobile.

“He got behind me.” Jason thinks.

So Jason jumps a cliff, but the Crynogun sprouts wings and follows.

“He’s gaining fast!” Jason sees the Crynogun approaching him again.

“Who said I was over the hill? I can still sling a gun!” Vargo hoots. He loads a bullet into the gun. It seems to be missing something…

Jason turns around and faces Vargo head on.

“Like the old days! Ride in and smoke ‘em out!” Vargo laughs, getting the Spacemobile in his sights.

The Spacemobile flies over the Crynogun, and Vargo shoots it. Jason’s car crashes to the ground, frozen.

I have to admit, when I was a kid watching this for the first time, I remember thinking Jason was a goner. I didn’t notice the ‘missing core’ thing on the bullet, and without the penguin demonstration I had no way of knowing that Jason hadn’t been hit with the full power of the weapon. I think, as a kid, this was probably the most scared I had ever been for the G-Force Team. So yeah, in a way, it was traumatizing. Certainly, I remember watching this episode and feeling scared, even now as an adult.

“After 30 years I put another notch in m’belt!” Vargo cackles nastily, as we see Jason’s frozen form. “Gotcha!”

And on that note, we’re off to a commercial break.

We return to see Zark at his station again.

“I’m getting very bad vibes on my receptors from Spectra.” Zark tells us. “G-Force members are sitting ducks for Zoltar and his Crynogun! In my opinion, Security should have thought twice before letting G-Force go up there!” So now Zark is criticizing Chief Anderson. Whee.

“Of course, I’m only a robot, and I’m not paid to give opinions!” Zark says oh-so-modestly. “Just precise, computerized readouts.”

“Come to think of it… I’m not paid at all!” Zark says, his antennae drooping. Well then, I guess Zark is being paid exactly what he’s worth.

Back onboard the Phoenix…

“They knocked out the Spacemobile!” Tiny says in disbelief.

“Jason!” Mark exclaims.

“Frozen!” Keyop burbles.

“Come in, Jason!” Mark calls into his communicator. “Do you read me?”

“Yer wastin’ yer time, bucko!” Vargo laughs, apparently monitoring the communication. “Yer partner bit the dust!”

“Dust…” Keyop broops.

“It’s alive!” Princess is surprised. What, did she think the Crynogun was remote-controlled?

“How about sending down another one of your outfit?” Vargo asks. “You afraid of an old, worn-out gunslinger?”

“Old, worn-out windbag!” Tiny mutters.

“Old buzzard!” Keyop broops.

“All right. Zoltar and old Vvargo have given us the challenge,” Mark says, “and we’re going to take it. They’ve got a weapon out there we know nothing about, but we’re going to test it.” Now that’s not entirely true. They now know that this weapon can fly, move fast, and freeze anything it shoots.

“Keyop, Princess, get ready!” Mark orders.

“Hey, Mark!” Tiny says, “What about me?”

“You get ready too, Tiny!” Mark replies.

“Whoo hoo! I finally get to see a little action!” Tiny is thrilled.

“No, you stay with the ship.” Mark bursts Tiny’s balloon. “This is where you’re needed the most. We’ve all got our jobs.”

“Yeah, but just sitting up here is a big waste of all my muscle!” Tiny protests.

“Look, I know how you feel.” Mark says sternly. “You want to get out there where the action is. But believe me, Tiny, what you do makes our action possible. G-Force is a Team, and keeping you right here at the controls of the Phoenix is important.”

And then Mark runs off.

Tiny doesn’t look too happy about Mark’s explanation.

The Space Buggy, Galacticycle and Sonic Jet are released from the Phoenix.

“Come on, G-Force! I’m ready to take on the best you’ve got!” Vargo cackles.

“Take your assigned positions!” Mark orders, as his Sonic Jet moves around the area. “We’ll out-flank him!”

“Mincemeat!” Keyop broobles as the Space Buggy takes off.

“Zeroing in!” replies Princess.

The Crynogun lifts off to meet head to head with Keyop.

“Here they come, tryin; tuh stampede us!” Vargo says, his ‘old West’ accent back.

“Bye-bye buzzard!” Keyop blurps.

“A runty little feller…” Vargo seems to be having second thoughts. But this doesn’t stop him from trying to target the Space Buggy.

“Steer right, ya hammerhead!” he kicks Brock.

Keyop leads him on a merry chase.

“How kin I git a decent shot off with you buckin’ around like a durn fool mule?” Vargo asks. “This yer first shootout, greenhorn?”

Vargo stops on Brock’s shoulders.

“Miserable old man.” Brock grimaces. “How did I ever get stuck with a job like this?”

The Crynogun grow pontoons and follows the Space Buggy as it dives into the water.

“Gotcha now, shorty!” Vargo says. His gun seems to overheat a bit as he shoots Keyop. The Space Buggy is frozen!

“Keyop!” Mark shots.

“Oh no!” cries Princess.

“That tears it!” says Tiny angrily. The Phoenix flies off.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:56:

“Okay, Tiny, get into the action!” Mark says, an angry expression on his face.

Tiny blasts the Crynogun with the Phoenix’s fiery exhaust.

“Lay the whip to this thing and get outta here!” Vargo demands. The Crynogun dives.

“That’s Round One!” Tiny growls, diving after the Crynogun. But it’s hiding in wait.

“Come and git it!” Vargo grins, before shooting the Phoenix. Tiny is now frozen!

When I was a kid, at this point I seriously thought that only Mark and Princess were left of the G-Force Team. I actually thought they would have to make a new Team. This really left an impact on me…

The Crynogun drills its way out of the ice and back to the surface.

“He’s getting the whole Team, one by one!” Princess says. She sees the Crynogun behind her.

“He’s after you, Princess!” Mark warns.

“A young filly!” Vargo says, seeing Princess in his sights. “This is gittin’ easier!” But he misses his shot as she drives by.

“Missed!” he’s in shock.

“If I don’t get him it’s all over!” Mark says.

“Some sharpshooter! Couldn’t even hit a girl!” Brock taunts. So Vargo loads another bullet. Princess drives off again.

“This time I won’t miss!” Vargo promises. He gets Princess in his sights again… but his gun is overheating.

The Sonic Jet flies down and knocks the gun as it is shooting. It falls over and explodes.

Mark and Princess approach Vargo, who has been thrown out onto the snow.

“Well, ya got me. But I guess I proved I wasn’t over the hill anyway.” Vargo says.

“You proved it in the wrong way, in the wrong world.” Mark lectures. Vargo’s face falls.

“It’s the only way I know… and it’s the only world that wanted me…” he says. His hand opens, and five bullet cores spill out onto the snow.

“We’ll get you back to Earth, and help you to find the right way.” Princess says reassuringly.

“Thank you, Miss.” Vargo says. “I guess it’s back to the Big House for me. I had 30 years in prison to learn that violence doesn’t pay. Some folks is plain dumb. Take this Planet Spectra. They’ve had 30,000 years, and they haven’t learned…”

Next thing we know, everyone is back on the Phoenix, flying home.

“G-Force, calling Earth!” says Mark. “Come in, Center Neptune! G-Force, calling Earth!”

“This is Center Neptune!” comes Zark’s voice. “I read you, Commander!”

“We’ve blasted off for Earth! Mission accomplished!” reports Mark.

“Good work, Team!” Zark replies on the monitor.



“Any casualties?” Zark asks brightly.

“All okay, Zark, but it was close.” Mark answers. Jason turns and stares.

“Three of us got put into a deep freeze by a new ray gun Zoltar invented. But the effect wore off as soon as we destroyed the gun! Zoltar’s going to have to come up with a new one now.”

Well, doesn’t that just tie everything up neatly? Although we never learned what happened to Brock…

We see shots of the Phoenix flying through space.



“Phoenix clearing Saturn!” Mark reports. “Estimate Earth arrival at 0100! Request touchdown clearance.”

“You’re cleared for semi-ballistic re-entry!” Zark announces, as the image of Earth in space grows bigger. “And welcome home, Team!”

“We’re lucky to get them back home safe and sound, this time.” Zark says. “Imagine being turned into a cake of ice! Just the thought of it sends cold shivers down my transducer.”

“And I’m sure Mark’s right.” Zark goes on. “Zoltar will undoubtedly come up with some monstrous new weapon to attack Earth. He’s probably at work on it already. He’s such a poor loser.”

And with that deep thought on the integrity of Zoltar’s character, the episode ends.

__________________

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 03:58:

And I have to add in these great Gatchafunnies made by Sosai Tim! Apparently he found a lot of good material in this episode.

__________________

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Posted by Ebonyswanne on 14-12-2009 at 04:53:

The funnies are classics! Thanks TJ for sharing them.

This is very much an angsty episode and from what I got from it its meant to show how Galactor uses people for their own ends and the compassion of the team... I like it when he looks at Jun and falters and thinks of his own daughter. It gives him a human side that indicates he's not totally bad and has some emotions. (The old guy.)

I'll read BOTP version tomorrow...

Great work as usual TJ & IB. This board wouldn't be the same without you.

__________________
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 14-12-2009 at 13:45:

You make a good point, Ebony. This episode definitely shows how Galactor/Katse takes people they need and uses them, without any consideration for their feelings or emotions. Mike Miller was just a tool for Katse, and Katse didn't care if Mike lived or died, as long as he shot that gun and killed the SNT. Even Klinkstein was willing to kill Mike, just to enforce that all that matters is what *Galactor* wants.

__________________

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Posted by tatsunokofan on 14-12-2009 at 16:20:

Hi all!

A couple of things. First off, the name that ADV gave the Commander is Klinkenstein, not Klinkstein. Just check the ending credits on the ADV discs and you'll see it spelled out for you.

Second, as you correctly surmised, this name is an ADVism, and should be ignored along with the rest of the English dub for a proper review of the episode.

Third, he's not a Commander, nor is he a Captain. He's a Commanding Captain, which I would guess is a rank somewhere between the two (Not that this is ever detailed anywhere in the series).

James

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Posted by lborgia88 on 14-12-2009 at 17:41:

RE: Gatchaman Episode 57 – The Evil White Sea

You did a great job, TJ, of dealing with this episode's plot silliness while highlighting its important aspects.

I'd completely forgotten that there was a mention of Ryu having a living mother, in addition to his father and Seiji! Where was she in episode 26, I wonder?

I wonder what was behind the Team's sudden realization that they need weapons on their vehicles. The writers' wanting more flexibility when writing attack scenes, and a general desire to change things up to avoid getting into a rut plot-wise? Pressure from sponsors with an eye towards selling toys?

Or just a realization, like Ken's, that it made no real sense for the Ninjas not to have them?



When I first looked at this screencap, I didn't notice that Ryu was behind Ken, and thought Ken was having a really bad hair day!

quote:

Originally posted by Transmute Jun

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Posted by lborgia88 on 14-12-2009 at 18:09:

quote:

Originally posted by Transmute Jun And I have to add in these great Gatchafunnies made by Sosai Tim! Apparently he found a lot of good material in this episode.

His funnies are great -the "zombie" one is my favourite!

I don't remember seeing the Battle of the Planets version of this episode as a kid, but I can see why it would have alarmed you. Ironic that, by removing the penguin scene, they made the episode more, not less, disturbing to children.

I do, however, remember watching Rocket Robin Hood!

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 15-12-2009 at 00:33:

quote:

Originally posted by tatsunokofan A couple of things. First off, the name that ADV gave the Commander is Klinkenstein, not Klinkstein. Just check the ending credits on the ADV discs and you'll see it spelled out for you.

Thanks for pointing this out, James. i only heard it said the one time, and it sounded like Katse said 'Klinkstein' to me. But if it's in the credit, then that would be the correct spelling.

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Third, he's not a Commander, nor is he a Captain. He's a Commanding Captain, which I would guess is a rank somewhere between the two (Not that this is ever detailed anywhere in the series).

Out of curiosity, is that actually what they call him in the Japanese? Because the dub just said 'Commander'. I find it an interesting rank, and I'm wondering how it is distinguished... I know! It's the toothpick!

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Posted by Transmute Jun on 15-12-2009 at 00:35:

RE: Gatchaman Episode 57 – The Evil White Sea

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Originally posted by lborgia88 I'd completely forgotten that there was a mention of Ryu having a living mother, in addition to his father and Seiji! Where was she in episode 26, I wonder?

I'm totally guessing here, but I think this was some over-zealous scriptwriter who forgot to check the background notes and see that Ryu's mother was dead.

Or is she? Is it ever actually said anywhere that Ryu's mother is dead? Or do we just assume that, because they only ever talk about/show Ryu's father?

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Posted by UnpublishedWriter on 15-12-2009 at 01:23:

I don't think we ever hear about Ryu's mother, except this episode.

Anyone catch the irony of a 'violence is not the answer' moral in a TV show filled with fighting?

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Posted by tatsunokofan on 15-12-2009 at 02:39:

Hi all!

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Out of curiosity, is that actually what they call him in the Japanese? Because the dub just said 'Commander'. I find it an interesting rank, and I'm wondering how it is distinguished...

By the title. In Japanese, Captain is "Taicho," Commander is "Shirei," and Commanding Captain is "Shirei Taicho." In this episode, the regular Gallactor Member refers to him as "Taicho," but Katse uses the longer "Shirei Taicho." It is also by the name "Shirei Taicho" that voice actor Takuzo Kamiyama is listed in the ending credits.

There are very few Commanding Captains in the series, appearing only in episode #'s 18 and 57. Commanders are fairly rare as well, appearing only in episode #'s 1, 2, 17, 26, 39, 40, and in Gatchaman Fighter #21.

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Is it ever actually said anywhere that Ryu's mother is dead? Or do we just assume that, because they only ever talk about/show Ryu's father?

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I don't think we ever hear about Ryu's mother, except this episode.

That's correct, we don't hear about his mother before this, and there's nothing that indicated that she was supposed to be deceased. Out of sight, yes, but by the reference in this episode, she's still alive.

James

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Posted by UnpublishedWriter on 27-04-2010 at 14:55:

In order, again.

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