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--- Gatchaman Episode 65 – Super Bem, the Composite Iron Beast (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2852)
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 14:57:
Gatchaman Episode 65 – Super Bem, the Composite Iron Beast
Gatchaman Episode 65 – Super Bem, the Composite Iron Beast
It is night. A manhole cover opens, and a strange tentacle emerges from below the ground. It grows with a sound reminiscent of burgeoning Jigokillers, and a clawed tip reaches toward a window on a nearby building. It shoots some kind of electric ray at the window, literally melting the glass and the blinds beyond.
The tentacle moves inside the building, seeking…? It comes to a locked door. The tentacle claw wraps around the handle, and again the electricity melts the lock away. The chamber beyond is dark, but appears to be Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory storage area. Yes, the shelves are lined with brains in jars. But one brain is clearly superior, as it sits in its own special platform.
The claw shoots the same electric beam at the brain, and the glass case around it begins to melt. I wonder what this will do to the poor brain? Smoke rises, and an alarm sounds…
And now it is morning. But not a good one, as the ominous music attests. For up in the ventilation system of another building, the clawed tentacle is still roaming, and it is attacking even more ‘special’ brains.
Now we get a brief glimpse of what the tentacle is attached to. It looks like some kind of brain itself, with large, glowing yellow eyes.
The tentacle-thing takes the brain, jar and all.
Outside, it looks lighter, but it must still be somewhat dark, as two security guards are walking around with flashlights. One guard makes casual conversation with the other.
“Yeah!†the other guard replies. “The brain of a famous Japanese scientist, Dr. Yomashina, who died ten years ago, is kept in this medical center. Maybe someone will steal it.â€
Clearly this isn’t a very smart thing for the guards to say, and so I’m not at all surprised that they’re probably toast.
“Ugh, stop! That’s morbid!†protests the first guard. So why did he bring up the subject, then?
“Everything seems to be okay here.†says the second guard. But then he starts to shake in fear. “What the hell?â€
The guard is stepping on a ‘snake’, and he’s sweating bullets. So much so that he leaps and grabs the other guard in his fright.
“Dummy, it’s just a hose!†the first guard says, but as he reaches for it, the ‘hose’ starts writhing. Now he’s terrified too! He and the other guard stand trembling and watch as the ‘hose’ pulls out of a hole that has melted through a window… and its clawed end is holding a brain.
“Hey, that’s Dr. Yomashina’s brain!†says the first guard. Wow, he must be a fantastic security guard, to recognize one brain from another!
“It’s coming at us! Look!†interrupts the terrified second guard.
“Help! Aaaaaah!†the guards begin screaming, holding each other in horror as a whole series of clawed tentacles begin reaching for them.
One guard is grabbed by the ankle and electrified. Cut from BOTP:
He literally dissolves into dust. Creepy!
The second guard is caught as he is radioing for help.
An alarm sounds, and hordes of men and women in white lab coats come running. They are shocked to see the brain tentacle monster holding a brain in a jar!
This thing is super creepy. It could give me nightmares!
The brain-thing opens its eyes and they flash hot pink and yellow, sending out strange light beams that cause the scientists to disintegrate to dust.
Nearby cars and oxygen tanks explode under the beams’ influence. The tentacles now recede and the Brain monster departs.
And somewhere, a bracelet is beeping. Its owner reaches for it.
Apparently Ken doesn’t wear much while he’s sleeping… not even his bracelet!
“This is Nambu!†the bracelet says.
“This is G1 here. What’s the trouble, Dr. Nambu? Over!â€
“An enormous creature has attached the medical center and made off with Dr. Yomashina’s brain! It’s headed toward the mountains! Pursue it immediately!â€
“Yes, Sir!†Ken accepts his orders.
He rushes out the door, while still getting dressed!
Hops into his plane…
And takes off! What, no pre-flight check?
And someone else is sleeping when he gets the call, although regretfully, he has more clothes on than Ken did.
“G2, G2! Move out!†the bracelet calls.
“This is G2! I’m on my way now, Doctor!â€
And Joe rushes out of his trailer and to his car. Note that he follows the Ken Washio precedent of never locking your front door behind you.
Or perhaps not. He’s towing his trailer as he responds. Gee, I hope he doesn’t have to transform and join up with the God Phoenix!
A shocked Jun is receiving her message, standing n her nightie over a bed, where Jinpei is sleeping.
Okay, this picture has me wondering… why was Jun in Jinpei’s room before she got the call? Or is Jinpei sleeping in Jun’s bed? That lamp looks pretty girly… Oh wait! As the picture pulls back, we can see another bed behind Jun. They share a room! I guess that makes sense, after the roof in Jinpei’s room was destroyed when the giant beetle crashed through it.
“G3 and 4! Move out immediately! What’s taking you so long? There’s been an incident!â€
“10-4, Doctor!†Jun responds, before glaring at Jinpei.
“Geez, Jinpei, what am I going to do with you?†she huffs. “You have to get up now! Come on!†She’s roughly shaking Jinpei, but he doesn’t want to wake up.
“I can’t eat anymore…†he laughs, huddling under the covers while Jun gets angry.
“If you won’t get out of bed yourself, then let me help!†she cries, literally pushing him, sheets and all, out of bed.
Jinpei lands on the floor, and isn’t too pleased.
“Geez, I was having a great dream! You’re so mean to me sometimes! †he complains. Check out those styling pajamas!
“Hurry up!†Jun calls to him, rushing toward the door, already fully dressed.
Wait… did she just get dressed in front of Jinpei? Isn’t he a little old for that kind of view? Ewww….
“Hey, wait up, Sis!†Jinpei stumbles to the door, still pulling on his pants. “Ugh! zippers!â€
And apparently Jinpei is in such a hurry that he’s forgotten his socks and shoes. At least he closes the door, though.
“Coming!†calls Ryu, as he rushes out of his shack at the marina, leaving his door open and his light on. Unfortunately, in his rush, he also forgot that his front porch is a dock, and he goes falling off of it.
He crawls out of the water, and goes running off.
You know, I get that they want to show this in rank order of the Team, but really, wouldn’t it make sense to call Ryu first? He has to have the God Phoenix ready for all of them to join up. Just a thought…
Anyhow, everyone is on their way!
Some more tired than others.
To add to his exhaustion, Ryu sneezes. I guess that’s an after-effect of falling in the water.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 14:59:
But rather than everyone joining up with the God Phoenix, as I would have expected, they all meet in a barren, mountainous area.
“Whatcha been doing, Ryu? You’re the last one here!†Jinpei admonishes.
“Sorry! Guess my G-5 isn’t fast enough for an emergency, huh?†Ryu apologizes.
Ken turns, apparently already in the middle of a briefing.
“According to the radar, it disappeared around here somewhere, so I want you to split up and see if you can find it.†he orders.
Fortunately from the earlier scene, we know he’s talking about the brain tentacle monster.
Now everyone is searching.
“It looks like something was being dragged through here on the ground.†Ken notes.
“But the trail stops right here! How strange!†Jun adds. But she is unaware of the clawed tentacle creeping up behind her. Sheesh, I knew the Japanese were into tentacle porn, but this shot is something else!
Fortunately, Jun looks around and notices this thing.
She screams, and everyone looks around. They see the claw wrapped around Jun’s ankle!
Ken throws his boomerang at the tentacle.
It severs the tentacle.
Jun leaps away, completely grossed out by the quivering piece left behind.
“Hey, Jun, are you all right?†Ken shouts, as he catches his returning weapon. But the ground is moving…
“Well, I guess I’m…†Jun’s response is interrupted as another tentacle shoots out of the ground in front of her!
Ken narrowly avoids another.
The others see a third tentacle coming for them.
Now the Team is surrounded by tentacles!
But everyone quickly jumps into position, and Jinpei shouts out the name of the maneuver, in case you’ve forgotten.
“Science Ninja Technique: Tornado Fighter!â€
This effectively repels the tentacles, and the Team lands some distance away.
But the tentacles begin to pull the ground apart, and now we can see the giant brain underneath.
The Team is dwarfed by this massive monster!
“What the hell is that?†Ken exclaims.
“Big ugly Martian…†Ryu says in a quavering voice.
“Damn monster!†Joe curses.
A tentacle smashes out at them, but the Team is easily able to avoid it.
Ken throws his boomerang again, at the brain’s eye.
But the tentacles deflect the weapon. Jun and Jinpei attack as well.
But their weapons tangle around a tentacle. The eye beams light up, and just before an astonished Jun and Jinpei are hit, Joe pulls them down to the ground, crying out a warning.
The tentacles retract, and the monster starts to disappear. Joe’s cablegun seems to have a spearhead attachment today, and he shoots it.
But he misses!
“Don’t let it get away!†Ken shouts. “Come on!â€
Everyone runs up the rock face toward the monster.
Only to realized that there’s a large dropoff at the top.
Look, Ken’s so surprised that his boots have turned white!
The Team is now facing a massive waterfall! Seriously, this thing is huge. It could rival Niagara Falls.
“How did something that big just disappear?†Ken wonders.
“Ken, look!†Jun points out.
Sure enough, jets are emerging from the waterfall.
Each jet is manned by a goon, and they begin shooting at the Team. Everyone takes cover behind some rocks.
And then, the Green Goblin appears, riding in a jet sidecar.
You thought I was kidding, didn’t you? 
“Just as I thought! Galactor’s been controlling that creature all along!†Ken says.
“Science Ninja Team, if you interfere, we’ll show no mercy!†croaks the Green Goblin in a strange voice. And look, his hand is a claw, just like the tentacle creature! No wonder he can’t fly his own jet! Sheesh, you’d think that the Galactor costuming department would consider practicality when designing these uniforms…
I’m wondering a bit at what Green Goblin said. It implies that if they wanted to, the Team could just leave. That’s a new tactic for Galactor.
“We’ll interfere as much as justice calls for, you Galactor creep!†is Ken’s response.
“You leave me no choice Bird Man. Waste them!†the Green Goblin orders.
So the jets start shooting again.
“Huh! This one’s easy!†smirks Joe, attaching some kind of suction cup to his cablegun.
The attachment connects to a jet, pulling Joe away just as a missile comes in.
Joe swings up and around and knocks the goon pilot out of the jet.
He swings the jet around and flies it back over the other jets, causing confusion. The goon pilots crash into each other and their jets explode. Joe appears rather pleased with himself.
“Check him out!†Ken laughs, as Jun gasps in admiration.
But Ken’s not one to let Jun’s admiration pass him by. He stands out in the open, and when a jet swings by, he leaps up and grabs it.
Of course, Ken wastes no time in taking over this plane.
But he doesn’t fly it. He leaps out (letting it crash into another jet) and then lands on a third plane, strangling the goon pilot.
Ken and the goon are spinning around in free fall.
So Ken lets the goon break his fall.
Jun wants in on the fun, so she shoots her yo-yo with a suction cup on it.
But instead of flying up there she just shoots her electric charge up the wire.
The plane explodes. Ryu and Jinpei are running on the ground, and in their haste to climb up a rock to escape, another jet crashes into the ground, following them.
Jinpei helps Ryu to the top of the rock face.
Amazingly, there are still some jets remaining, and the Green Goblin orders a retreat. Prudent, that Harry Osborne.
“Hey, Ken, let’s join up and go after them in the God Phoenix!†Joe suggests.
“No, it’s no use. It looks like we’d better fall back and regroup this time.†Ken disagrees.
“But we could crush them!†Joe is aghast.
“Right now, our priority is finding out what this hideous creature is.†Ken explains, picking up a fallen tentacle.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:01:
Sure enough, the next thing we see is Dr. Nambu examining the tentacle under a massive microscope.
“This creature isn’t of this Earth!†Nambu announces. “It’s a Bem.â€
“A Bem?†Ken hasn’t heard the term before.
“So it was an alien after all!†Jinpei points out.
“An alien of an inferior species.†Nambu explains. “It belongs to a particularly aggressive extra-terrestrial. It is my belief that Galactor has transported it here in their space ship!â€
Wait, Galactor has a space ship? This is news to me! And how, exactly, do you judge whether or not an alien species is ‘inferior’?
“So you’re saying this Bem creature’s been stealing the brains of distinguished scientists from all over the world?†Jun sums up the plot thus far.
“Hmm…†Nambu ponders this for only an instant. “Yes, there’s no doubt about it. Galactor must be up to something terrible again!â€
“Doctor, I’m sorry we failed to retrieve Dr. Yomashina’s brain.†Ken apologizes.
“That’s all right. You don’t have to worry about it.†Nambu replies. “Actually, I guess you should know that they’ve actually taken somebody else’s brain!â€
Ooh, let me guess… Abby Normal? 
(Sorry, after seeing the brain room at the beginning of the episode I knew I was going to have to make a Young Frankenstein joke somewhere.)
“Whatchoo talkin’ ‘bout?†Today it’s Ken’s turn to do a bad Gary Coleman impersonation.
“I’ve been hearing news of brains being stolen all over the world.†Nambu reveals. Wait a minute… how many brain repositories are there, anyway? Is this what we can expect in the future… for human brains to be collected and preserved after we die? Ewwww….
“So I switched his brain with another one.†Nambu reveals.
“I get it!†Jinpei crows. “Great trick, Doc! Smoked you on that one, Galactor!â€
“But Doctor, do you have any idea why Galactor’s been stealing only the brains of world-famous scientists?†Ken wants to know. “And who would want the brains of dead people anyway?†Exactly my question! Why don’t we ask all of those people who run the brain repositories? Oh, wait, because the Bem disintegrated them. Right…
“Think about what you could do, if you could bring them back to life!†Nambu explains.
“As if that was even possible!†Jinpei scoffs.
“It is.†the Doctor says, much to Jinpei’s surprise.
“It’s possible for Galactor,†Nambu goes on, “and they’ve got the keen ability to use the alien Bem as their tool in this plot!â€
No one looks happy to hear this.
“So we know they must be planning something big.†the Doctor says, just as a light begins blinking on his wall. It’s a message from Director Anderson!
“Dr. Nambu,†says Anderson, speaking from a monitor on the wall, “they have decided to unveil the legendary robot at the upcoming expo. It’s the one that was supposedly created by the late Dr. Yomashina, to be displayed by the ISO.â€
Wait, so this guy’s been dead for ten years, and only now are they displaying his robot?
Dr. Nambu is surprised to hear this news.
“How very interesting.†he says. “Director, I have a very bad feeling about all this.â€
“This was planned because we’re coming up on the tenth anniversary to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Yomashina.†Anderson explains. Again, I wonder why they have to wait ten years to show off his work.
“We’re all aware that his brain was stolen,†Anderson continues, “so I would like the Team to be on watch.â€
“I understand.†Nambu accepts his orders.
“I’m counting on you, Nambu.†Anderson closes, before Nambu ends the communication.
“Well, everyone, you heard him!†Nambu announces. “Keep a sharp lookout at the event. Now move out!â€
Wait… is the event going on right now? And if so, why is Nambu only hearing about it just now?
As golden Ken flashes by for the commercial break, I wonder if he is a robot in search of a brain… Wait, wasn’t it the scarecrow who needed a brain?
As we return from commercial break, the narrator explains that the ISO holds a famous science expo every year. This year, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of Dr. Yomashina, who was a particularly remarkable scientist, a number of highly capable robots from all over the world are featured in the exhibition.
We see scenes of different robots digging, processing mail, changing their shapes, doing domestic chores, etc.
Okay, this last one is just creepy!
Among these many robots, there is one that especially garners a great deal of attention: the legendary X1. This is the robot Dr. Yomashina was said to have created right before he died.
Strangely, the robot appears to be headless. Coincidence?
Some familiar faces are examining the X1.
“So is this the robot people have been calling the ‘ultimate masterpiece’, Doctor?†Ken asks.
“Dr. Yomashina passed away when he was just about to complete it.†Nambu replies. “It’s quite likely that he deliberately left it incomplete, because he was overwhelmed by its superb performance and was afraid that it might fall into the wrong hands. If Galactor has plans for the Doctor’s brain, they must involve this X1 robot, so it’s up to us to prevent them from getting their hands on it.â€
Everyone is awed by the enormity of the task they are undertaking.
Or perhaps they’re just impressed with the robot!
“Doctor, is it possible that Katse has plans to steal it?†Ken asks. I guess this is only just occurring to him now. Sigh…
“Yes, and I want all of you to be very careful.†Nambu replies.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen,†says an announcer, “it’s time for the long-awaited world premiere of Dr. Yomashina’s robot X1. Please, maintain a respectful silence as you enjoy this amazing phenomenon!â€
“And now…†the announcer says, pressing a red button. But he doesn’t finish. The cover over the X1 retracts and he lets it speak for itself.
“Unbelievable!†the Doctor says. He is clearly very impressed.
“Is that really a robot we’re looking at?†Ken asks.
“It looks just like a real body!†Jun exclaims. Well, except for the fact that it’s huge, headless, and completely transparent, I guess.
“But look, the head is missing!†Jinpei points out.
“I guess it’s a headless robot.†Ryu suggests.
“No.†Nambu disagrees. “It’s a multi-purpose robot that can be used for any task, depending on the functionality of the head attached to it.â€
“So you’re saying it’s made out of special multi-morphable material.†Ken surmises. This is the same guy who only just now figured out that Galactor might want to steal this thing.
“Yes, it’s just as they say.†Nambu replies. “This is indeed the finest robot ever!â€
And of course, as soon as he says that, there’s some kind of electrical noise and the lights start going on and off.
“Something is happening!†cries the brilliant, ever-intuitive Doctor.
Sure enough, the ceiling melts open, revealing two menacing yellow eyes.
“It’s the Bem!†shouts Ken.
Tentacles reach down and grab the X1. They wrap around it, and the Ben inserts itself into the X1’s neck.
The Bem’s brain begins to glow, and the X1 transforms into the Bem’s body. Why it’s… Super Bem! Yeah, yeah, don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s in the episode title, after all.
(Thanks to Sosai Tim for making this awesome merged picture from the episode pan.)
Everyone is terrified, especially Jinpei!
Fire shoots out of the Bem’s feet, and it blasts off like a rocket! But rather than leaving, it backflips, and begins smashing all of the other robots on display. Then it leaves.
It meets up with a plane carrying the Green Goblin. He’s still in his little sidecar.
“All’s well, my Lord.†Green Goblin says, as he speaks to Berg Katse on his monitor.
“Don’t let your guard down, Captain! Lead the Bem back to base immediately!†Katse orders.
“Yes, Sire.†Green Goblin agrees.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:03:
Meanwhile, back in the brain repository…. well, actually, it’s a new brain repository, as it’s controlled by Galactor. The Bem is now lying under a glass cover and appears to be sleeping.
“Well done, Captain!†Katse congratulates the Green Goblin. “This was a wonderful idea from our respective Leader X. The operation to merge the robot’s body with a revived brain was a success! And now our robot Bem shall be a super Bem, after it absorbs the brainwave energy from those stolen brains!â€
Okay, I‘m not even vaguely trained in the medical or biological fields, but I’m wondering how the Bem can absorb energy from a brain that’s been dead ten years or more…
“Sire!†Green Goblin bows. “Activate!â€
And the Bem is blasted with energy… presumably those brainwaves from the stolen brains.
“Arise now, Super Bem, and destroy the Earth for the sake of Galactor’s glorious ambitions!†Katse order, still speaking via monitor. “With such a superior brain, and a strong body, you will be an invincible force of evil! Oh, yes!†Katse laughs his evil mastermind laugh.
Meanwhile, the Science Ninja Team, having no other leads, has gone back to the waterfall.
“It was around here that we lost the Bem last time.†Ken reminds them. “So let’s do a complete check of the area again.â€
Jinpei gets going, but freaks out when he sees something long and green around his shoulders.
He runs to Run for help.
“It’s just a vine, pipsqueak!†Ryu informs him. So Jinpei kicks it. In his fit of anger, his belt buckle reverses colors.
“Don’t scare me like that!†Jinpei lectures the vine.
“See? That’s what you get for being a chicken, Swallow!†Ryu taunts.
“Ken, over there!†Joe shouts.
Something is emerging from the waterfall.
“It looks to me like a secret passageway hidden behind the falls!†Ken says.
Sure enough, the Super Bem shoots out of the passageway.
“Looks like it’s leaving to cause some more trouble.†Joe notes.
“We have no choice.†Ken declares. “Joe, you, Ryu and Jun follow it in the God Phoenix. I’ll check inside the base and then catch up later.â€
“What about me, Big Bro?†Jinpei asks plaintively, recognizing that he’s being left out. I guess being afraid of a vine has its disadvantages.
“No dice! I can’t afford to take a coward with me.†Ken lectures. Ooh, feel the burn!
“Be that way! I hate you, you big jerk!†Jinpei shouts as Ken runs off. Sheesh, he sounds like my son, who’s half Jinpei’s age!
“Please be careful, Ken!†Jun calls, ignoring Jinpei’s immature outburst.
Ken waves, then leaps into the secret passageway in the waterfall just before it closes. He runs through the base.
He deals with a couple of guards.
The guards were at the top of a giant control room, and at the bottom Ken sees the Green Goblin monitoring the Super Bem’s flight.
“Now, Super Bem!†Green Goblin says, raising his fist. “Lay everything to waste.â€
Already the Super Bem is flying over a city, and it begins smashing tall buildings. Its eye beams melt a radio tower. Its feet stomp on cars.
For this, it needed a brain?
The Super Bem picks up a gasoline truck and throws it at another building. And out come the UN ground and air forces. But they’re not enough to keep the Super Bem at bay. The Bem moves out of the way to let the ground force missiles shoot the planes, then it uses its eye beams to destroy the ground forces.
The eye beams also destroy what’s left of the air forces.
Seriously, why do the UN troops even bother?
“Well that’s just freaking great!†Joe rants, sitting in Ken’s seat on the God Phoenix. “The creature’s totally out of control!â€
“What do we do now?†Ryu asks.
“It’s easy!†Joe declares. “We just launch Bird Missiles at it!†Well duh! What else did you expect the Condor to say?
Joe reaches for his red button, actually waiting for the glass cover to retract, for once.
“But…†Jun protests.
“Watch me work.†Joe smirks.
“G-1 isn’t linked up, so you can’t fire, Joe!†Jun tells him, grabbing his hand.
Wait a freaking minute here! Why the heck isn’t G-1 linked up? When did Ken take out his jet? He certainly didn’t fly it into the base!
“Damn it! Son of a…†Joe curses, looking at the viewscreen. I guess he hates random plot discrepancies as much as I do.
“I really don’t care what you do.†Joe says to Ryu. “Just kill it.â€
“Got it.†Ryu says calmly.
But the Super Bem sees the God Phoenix as a new toy. Again I wonder why it neded a brain when it’s acting like a two year old.
“He’s got us!†Joe shouts, as everyone tumbles out of their seats.
“It’s going to crack the God Phoenix!†Jun screams.
“Ryu, what are you waiting for?†Joe asks. “Give it all you’ve got!†Everyone seems to be back in their positions.
“I know, I know!†Ryu tells him. “But the power’s maxed out!â€
“Super work, Super Bem!†the Green Goblin says, back at the waterfall base. “I want the God Phoenix obliterated! Maximize the voltage feed! Boost the Bem’s brainwave energy!â€
Ken, listening in, doesn’t like the sound of this.
Suddenly, the Green Goblin notices that one brain isn’t active.
“Something is wrong.†Green Goblin sneers.
“I would appear that this brain’s performance level’s a bit ‘Abby Normal’.†says the goon in a slight British accent. Ah, so the folks at ADV have seen Young Frankenstein too!
“That’s impossible!†the Green Goblin exclaims, just as Berg Katse appears onscreen to berate the CotW.
“Come on, Captain!†Katse shouts, shaking his fist, “What the hell are you waiting for? Hurry up and boost its power!â€
“Yes, Sire… but one of the brains is a dud.†Green Goblin reports.
“What?†Katse screams.
“Looks like they finally realized that it wasn’t Yomashina’s brain.†Ken thinks smugly to himself. He chooses this moment to announce himself by pushing the goons he killed from in front of him. The land behind Green Goblin.
“That’s enough, scumbags!†Ken shouts.
“When did you get here, Gatchaman?†Green Goblin snarls.
“Stealing close without showing our true form is what we do best!†Ken replies heroically. Yeah, and it doesn’t hurt that the waterfall base’s security cameras didn’t notice the God Phoenix parked outside.
“What you’ll do best is die!†Green Goblin shouts. And the goons in the room begin shooting at Ken.
But Ken leaps to the center of the room, throwing out his boomerang. The boomerang severs the cables connecting the brains to the computers. Green Goblin catches the boomerang in his claw and throws it back at Ken, but it only serves to cut the cables on more equipment. Things break apart, and explosions rock the room.
Ken steps on a goon’s shoulder on his way to deal with Green Goblin.
And then he races away from the burning lab.
__________________
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:04:
The Super Bem has turned red, and it’s holding its head in agony, even as it’s crushing the God Phoenix.
“Look, something’s wrong with Super Bem!†Jun notes. “It looks like it’s in a lot of pain!â€
“I’ll bet you Ken was able to sabotage its energy source!†Joe says. Sigh… why do we need another ‘no one can save the day but Ken’ episode?
“Now’s our chance! Ryu shouts. “Here we go!â€
The God Phoenix pulls away from the no-longer-Super Bem, then comes around.
“We’re going to slam right into it, got it?†Joe instructs.
“I’m on it!†Ryu acknowledges. “Brace yourselves!â€
But the Bem’s agony seems to infect the occupants of the God Phoenix, as they approach.
The God Phoenix doesn’t penetrate the Ben, but instead rotates around it.
It looks like people didn’t follow Ryu’s instruction to brace themselves.
“Ryu, what’s going on?†Joe wants to know.
“Massive magnetic power! We can’t move!†Ryu explains as he struggles with the controls.
“Its brain’s energy circuits must have gone totally haywire!†Jun surmises.
Meanwhile, Katse is ranting to the dead Galactors at the burning Waterfall base.
“You failed again, didn’t you?†he yells. “How dare you let them interfere with us? And now we have no choice but to push the self-destruct on the Super Bem, to finish the Science Ninja Team!â€
“My Lord, your wish is my command.†groans Green Goblin, pulling himself across the floor.
He reaches up to a red button on a panel…
Meanwhile, Ryu is slowly backing the God Phoenix away from Super Bem, and doesn’t notice the G-1 docking up from behind…
Ken runs to the Bridge, ordering everyone to activate Science Ninja Technique: Firebird. Everyone is shocked to see that he’s even there!
But Green Goblin is reaching for the Bem’s self-destruct button…
“Hurry up! I gave you a direct order!†Katse screams over the monitor.
But Ken is already buckling up his seatbelt.
“Everyone, ready to Flame On?†he asks.
Ooh, he’s sitting next to Jun!
“Roger!â€
“Firebird ready… activate†Ken orders.
And the Firebird goes off… but not before Ken and Jun switch seats.
Ah, the dangers of using stock footage.
Finally, the Green Goblin presses the Super Bem self-destruct button. But the button is destroying the waterfall base, not the Bem! Still, it’s a little much for the Bem, which is lost in a swirl of color, and then begins melting.
The Firebird seems able to withstand this, as it flies away.
All that’s left of the Bem is slimy goo, which metamorphs back into the transparent material of the X1 robot. The base explodes, leaving a mushroom cloud over the waterfall.
On the God Phoenix, Ken and Jun have switched seats again.
“Good work, Science Ninja Team.†Nambu congratulates them.
“Doctor, I’m truly sorry, but we weren’t able to retrieve the stolen brain.†Ken apologizes.
“Your safety is more important to us than the brain of a dead man.†Nambu replies. Yeah, especially the brain of Abby Normal.
“You’re free to fight again, and that’s what matters. Return to base!†Nambu orders.
“Bringing it all back home, Doctor man!†Ken says, as the ADV scriptwriters go 70s-slang crazy.
And to show us that everything is well, we see a rainbox over the smoking waterfall. Awww….
The Super Bem was destroyed by the source of its own power, and though exhausted, the Science Ninja Team continues to be filled with the fierce fighting spirit that had brought them victory!
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:05:
BOTP Episode 56 - The Great Brain Robbery
Down here, at Center Neptune, in a secret place deep beneath the sea, the security of the universe is Zark’s full-time responsibility.
“Sometimes I wonder if the humans I’m associated with understand what it’s like to work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, never eating, or sleeping.†Zark complains. Hey, what about all of those ten second oil breaks, and steamy conversations with Susan? Not to mention playing with Rover.
“Come to think of it, I wonder what it’s like to sleep, and to dream!†Zark giggles.
“If I could dream, I’d dream about Susan.†Zark titters. “She really flicks my On Button!â€
And right on cue….
“Hello, Zark.†Susan breathes huskily through the communicator that looks suspiciously like a drive-through ordering box. “This is Susan, at the Early Warning Station, out on Planet Pluto.â€
Remember, boys and girls, Pluto has been re-granted planetary status in the future.
“Oh, hi, Susan!†Zark says. “I was just dreaming… I mean, thinking… about you!â€
“I have a red alert for you.†Susan says, in the kind of voice that suggests that the ‘red alert’ is really pictures of Susan in her underwear. Ewwww…
“Some strange, unidentified object was just launched from Spectra.†Susan finishes her report.
“Thank you, Susan.†Zark says, walking over to his elevation tube. “I’ll get right to my monitors.â€
“I’m afraid Spectra is at it again!†Zark says as he descends. “Zoltar is always dreaming up some evil new scheme for conquering Earth!â€
Although Zark descends in his Number 7 sweater, when he arrives at his station he’s wearing his cape, and no sweater. Yes, it’s the Bruce Wayne Descending Tube of Costume-Changing!
“I wonder if he’s a robot?†Zark says, still thinking about Zoltar as he flies across the room. “He must put in as many hours as I do!â€
Zark reaches his monitors and doesn’t even turn them on, but apparently he can still see thing on them anyway.
“There’s the Crab Nebulae, home of Planet Spectra.†he reminds us. “And something is hurtling away from it into outer space! Whatever it is, it’s gone into Time Warp, travelling faster than the mind can think!â€
Now we can see Sandy-Frank-animated images of Space passing by on Zark’s monitor.
“I think we’re in for it.†Zark worries. “It’s entering our solar system, now. Yes, I was afraid of that… it’s heading straight for Earth!â€
And sure enough, we cut to an Earth scene of a manhole cover opening.
“My acute sensors tell me the strange invader is moving toward our Artificial Intelligence Center.†Zark informs us, as we see a strange tentacle coming from the manhole to approach a building and melt the window to enter. “Scientists there are working on top secret defense projects. This could be very serious!†So, um, why isn’t he alerting anyone about this?
“I’d better tune into Security Frequency.†Zark sighs. Yep, he’d rather spy on this thing instead of warning anyone else about it. He watches the tentacle move down the hall and melt a doorknob.
“I hope they’re not heading for the laboratory where the artificial intelligence units are being manufactured!†Zark says calmly. “Those units closely resemble a human brain, but they’re manmade.â€
Get that, kiddies? These are not real brains! Just computers made to look like brains!
Yeah, riiiiight….
In any case, the tentacle melts open a glass case containing a brain, and an alarm sounds…
Now the tentacle is entering a different room via the ventilation shaft, and going after another brain… uh, artificial intelligence. Hey, if the Spectrans are after artificial intelligence, they’re welcome to Zark! Of course, the Spectrans are too smart to mistake Zark for ‘intelligence’.
The tentacle pulls the second brain/AI out of the melted window, brings it behind a wall… and then the wall breaks, showing a lot of tentacles. There are apparently no guards and no scientists at this research facility. But an alarm sounds, and then we cut to a beeping communicator. It’s Mark’s!
“G-Force Commander, come in! Come in!†calls Zark’s voice. I guess now that the Spectrans have gotten away cleanly, he thinks it’s time to warn G-Force about this.
“Commander to base!†Mark says, looking just as nice while shirtless as Ken does. “I read you loud and clear!â€
“The Artificial Intelligence Center has been invaded.†Zark tells Mark. “A top secret brain project is missing. Rendezvous with G-Force at once!â€
“I’m on my way!†says Mark, running out the door while still pulling his shirt on. He forgets to close it, and jumps into his plane without a pre-flight check, then takes off. We cut to Jason lying on his bed in his trailer.
“Red alert, red alert!†Zark’s voice calls. “Jason, scramble to Sector 5!â€
“Yeah, yeah, mellow out, Zark!†Jason laughs. “We’ll handle it!†He runs out of his trailer, forgetting to shut the door, and then drives off, his trailer attached to the de-transmuted Spacemobile.
“G-Force, to the Phoenix!†we hear Zark’s voice saying over the communicators, as we see Princess running out the door.
“Hurry up, Keyop!†she calls, and we see Keyop stumbling toward the door, still putting his pants on, although his feet are bare. I’m not sure why they cut the scene with Princess trying to wake up Keyop… maybe they didn’t like the implication of them sharing a room?
Tiny runs out of his shack at the Marina and falls into the water. He crawls out, then runs off.
Everyone is on their way! Although Keyop is yawning, and Tiny is sneezing. No one joins up with the Phoenix, but they all meet at a remote location near the mountains, and get out of their vehicles. Tiny is last to arrive, and comes running up.
“Late again!†Keyop burbles.
“Well, I, uh… er… I went for a swim to wake up!†Tiny explains.
“Zark tracked the stolen brain to this area.†Mark says, ignoring Tiny’s excuse. “Let’s spread out and have a look. Be ready for anything.â€
Now we see everyone searching among the rocks.
“Here’s a track! Something tells me we’re getting warmer.†Mark says.
“Here’s another one!†Princess says, fascinated by what she has found. “I’ve never seen anything like it! Whatever made them can’t be too far away. They’re still warm!†And she’s so fascinated that she almost misses the tentacle creeping up behind her.
As usual, while BOTP cuts out the violence, they kept in the suggestive shot of Princess’ underwear and the tentacle creeping up behind.
“Oh!†Princess screams, as she finally sees the tentacle and it grabs her ankle.
“Go.†Mark says calmly, as he throws his sonic boomerang. The weapon cuts off the tentacle and allows Princess to leap away.
“Princess, hurry! Get over here!†Mark shouts, as he catches the returning boomerang.
More tentacles pop out of the ground, attacking the Team.
“G-Force is in a terrible predicament!†Zark says on voiceover. “This certainly will be a test for their training!†However, he doesn’t sound worried, even though the Team is now completely surrounded by the tentacles.
And we have a commercial break! Gee, that was early in the episode.
When we return, the tentacles are about to strike. But the G-Force Team assembles into the Whirlwind Pyramid formation! The swirling winds allow them to fight off the tentacles and get away from the area.
But then the tentacles curl around the ground like fingers, and start tearing the rock apart. From underground we see massive yellow eyes, and a giant brain-like head emerging.
“There’s our thief!†Mark says, without even a hint of shock or surprise.
“Some beauty!†Tiny says sarcastically.
“Heads up!†warns Jason.
Everyone jumps into the air as a tentacle attacks. Mark throws his boomerang and shouts, “Go!†but the tentacle deflects the boomerang back toward the Commander. Keyop’s and Princess’ weapons are similarly deflected. The brain-creature starts shooting beams from its eyes, and Jason pushes Keyop and Princess out of their path, yelling, “Move it!†as he does so.
And then the monster retreats behind a hill. Jason tries for a parting shot with his gun, but misses.
“It’s getting away!†Mark shouts, and everyone chases the creature by running up the hill.
“Whoa!†Mark is shocked to see a sheer cliff face just below his feet. He’s so scared that his boots turn white!
“It’s got to be down there, somewhere.†Mark says, looking at a massive waterfall across from their position.
“Mark, look!†says Princess, as Spectran planes come shooting out from behind the waterfall. One has a sidecar, and it lowers down to meet them. The Green Goblin is riding in the sidecar.
“Spectra pirates!†Mark says. “I should have guessed Zoltar was behind this!†Gee, Zoltar? You think?
“As Commander of Robot Unit 3, I order you to surrender!†calls the Green Goblin. Got that? These are robots flying these planes. But that doesn’t impress Mark.
“G-Force will never give up!†he declares. “Zoltar’s just wasting his breath!â€
“So be it! Robots, to the attack!†orders Green Goblin.
“This should be fun.†Jason says dryly, as he puts a suction cup attachment onto his gun. He shoots at one of the planes and attaches to it as it goes by. He swings up and knocks the robot pilot out of the jet. Then he flies… well, we don’t see, because it cuts to Mark.
“My turn!†Mark grins. He jumps up and onto a passing jet. Princess throws out her yo-yo, which attaches to another jet. She activates an electric charge. We see the electricity surround the jet, but that’s all.
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:07:
Keyop and Tiny bravely run away.
“Move out!†calls Keyop.
“Jump!†says Tiny, as they try to climb up a rock face. Keyop struggles to help Tiny at the top.
“Go on a diet!†Keyop urges him.
“Back to the base!†the Green Goblin orders his jets. They fly away, and we see that Mark and Jason are back on the ground. We don’t know what happened to the planes they landed on.
“Those cowards!†Jason says in disgust. “We could have finished them but good!â€
“Jason, we’re here to recover the stolen brain, not to fight!†Mark admonishes. Of course, while giving his lecture, Mark forgot that it’s not a brain, it’s an artificial intelligence. Sheesh, get it right, Mark! 
“Yeah, well I didn’t start it!†Jason retorts.
“I didn’t say you did!†Mark replies in an exasperated tone. He picks up broken tentacle.
“We’d better get this thing back to Center Neptune for analysis.†he says.
We cut to Chief Anderson, who is analyzing the tentacle’s cells underneath a massive microscope.
“It appears the tentacle is composed of brain cells.†Anderson reveals.
“Brain cells?†Mark is surprised.
“Brainy beast!†Keyop burbles.
“You mean to say that the scientists were creating artificial brains, with traits and characteristics?†Princess asks. Okay, she confused me. I’m not quite sure how her question relates to what has just been said. Apparently neither does Anderson, because he rubs his chin thoughtfully.
“Yes, and some of the types were extremely dangerous.†the Chief says. “The plan backfired.â€
“All right, level with us, Chief! We’ve got to know what we’re up against!†Mark says.
“The plan was to build an artificial brain, programmed with the known criminal characteristics of Spectra.†Anderson admits. Everyone is shocked. The Federation was building a Spectran criminal AI?
“A brain of evil?†Mark clarifies for the viewers.
“Our scientists hoped that by studying this evil brain, we’d get a better understanding of a criminal mind like Zoltar’s.†the Chief explains.
“And now Spectra has stolen this brain of evil?†Mark asks. Ooh, Brain of Evil… sounds like a good name for a new band, doesn’t it?
“Unconfirmed, but I’m afraid that’s what happened.†Anderson says. Waitaminnute! Unconfirmed? Didn’t Zark witness the entire thing on the security system? Or is he considered an unreliable source?
“So, who needs it?†Keyop broots.
“We do!†the Chief practically snarls. “If Spectra has the brain, the entire galaxy is in jeopardy! Get it!â€
“G-Force!â€
And we have another commercial break.
When we return Zark is… well, what’s he always doing in the middle of the show? Yep, you guessed it… pacing.
“With Spectra in possession of that evil brain, I’m really worried. What do you suppose they intend to do with it?†Zark asks. “We planned to use it for study purposes only. But Zoltar will no doubt put it to work in some evil way for him!â€
“That’s why we have to be on guard!†Zark says, before flying off to his station.
“Today is the opening of the Annual Robot Show at the Space Dome Arena.†he informs us. “That big place, full of wonderful new robots, will be an irresistible temptation to Zoltar, I’m afraid. I’ve advised G-Force to be there with Chief Anderson. The Robot Show is just getting started, so I’d better check it on my telescanner.â€
We cut to a shot of a large arena, and an announcer is doing a voiceover. He sounds like an echoy Jason narrating an educational film for an elementary school science class.
“Welcome to the Annual Robot Show!†the announcer says. “The theme of this year’s Robot Show is ‘practicality’! In addition to the giant robots for use by the defense sector, we have some new models for business and home utilization.â€
We see images of different robots performing various tasks.
“This durable unit can clear a 2 acre building site in 10 minutes. And talk about efficiency! This model even does windows! And something for Junior…†Yep, that’s the swingset robot.
“And now, I’m proud to present this year’s grand prize winner, the Giant Fembot!†the announcer declares. Wait, a Fembot? Now I’m expecting her to be wearing a pink negligee with guns pushing out of her breasts…
“The Fembot can be outfitted with a variety of interchangeable computer systems.†the announcer goes on, sounding as if he’s talking about the accessory packs available for the latest Barbie.
And now we see Chief Anderson and the G-Force Team, all looking at the Fembot, which is covered with a curtain.
“Why did you bring us here, Chief?†Mark asks. He sounds bored and annoyed. “We should be out after that brain thief!â€
“One of the interchangeable brains that had been developed for the Fembot was the Brain of Peace, as a counterbalance to the Brain of Evil.†Anderson explains. Okay, I really want to know what drugs the BOTP scriptwriters were on when they came up with this one.
“Unfortunately, when Zoltar’s creature invaded the AIC lab, it destroyed the Brain of Peace.†the Chief goes on. “Our only hope now is that the Fembot will be able to short-circuit and disarm the Brain Creature.†Um, I’m not making the connection. The Brain of Peace has been destroyed… so how is the Fembot going to destroy the Brain Creature? I’m so confused!!!!!!
The curtain pulls back, and everyone gazes in awe at the huge, transparent, headless Fembot.
“There she is.†Anderson says.
“She’d make a nice lampstand!†Mark suggests. Ugh! Clearly the Commander needs some lessons in interior decorating. And why am I suddenly reminded of the lamp in the movie A Christmas Story?
“Or a candy jar!†Princess adds. WTH? Princess, that’s just gross…
“A zinger!†Keyop remarks.
“Not your type, Keyop.†Tiny says.
“Tomorrow they install the Brain of Peace.†Anderson says. Hold on! I went back and checked Anderson definitely said that the Brain of Peace was destroyed! So how can they install it in the Fembot tomorrow? Can they rebuild it that fast?
“Then the Fembot will join G-Force in eliminating the Brain of Evil.†the Chief goes on, apparently unaware of plot inconsistencies.
“Chief, are you saying that this thing is going to be a part of the Team?†Mark asks.
“Yes, Mark, believe me.†Anderson replies. Yeah, I’ll believe him. It’s not like he didn’t just contradict himself in the space of 2 minutes. Sigh.
“The Fembot will prove to be a valuable ally!†the Chief declares. Well, at least until Dr. Evil gets his hands on it.
The lights begin to flicker.
“Something’s on the roof!†Anderson says, as Princess gasps.
“Sure enough, a hole melts through the roof and we can see the eyes of the Brain Creature.
“It’s the Brain Creature!†Mark announces, in case you’ve forgotten. The creature attacks the Fembot case, wrapping its tentacles around it and settling down inside of the Fembot. Then it grows rockets out of its feet and blasts up toward the ceiling, where it proceeds to destroy the other robots standing around inside the Space Dome. Then it flies out of the hole in the ceiling. It soars through the sky to where the Green Goblin is waiting in his sidecar.
“Mission accomplished!†Green Goblin says.
“Excellent! You have done well, Muto.†Zoltar says, speaking via monitor. Hey, Green Goblin has a name!
“Escort our creature back to base!†Zoltar orders.
And Muto does. His plane/sidecar flies beside the Brain Creature Fembot.
“This is just terrible!†Zark says, as if he could see the whole thing. But he can’t, because his monitors aren’t on.
“Zoltar has stolen that big transparent robot!†Zark recaps for us. “He has a secret base within that waterfall, and a laboratory!†How does Zark know this? We’re not sure. Perhaps Zoltar invited Zark over for tea.
“I hate to speculate, but I’m sure he’s going to put the evil brain in the Fembot, and create a terrible new weapon!†Zark frets.
And now we cut to Spectra’s secret lab inside the waterfall base. Zoltar is talking to Muto via monitor.
“You have served Spectra well.†he tells Muto. “Now we have a super body for the super Brain of Evil! Earthlings have supplied them both, and they shall be their own destruction! I shall clone hundreds of duplicate models of my lovely brain creature. Then Earth and all the galaxy shall be ours!â€
“Proceed with cloning operation!†Muto orders, as he bows to Zoltar.
A goon flips the switch, and electricity charges the Brain Creature.
“It worked!†Zoltar declares. “Now the genetic structure of the evil brain has been transmuted into the clones! Soon we will have hundreds of test tube creatures. We must strike at once! Prepare to launch our new weapon!â€
We cut to G-Force standing in front of the waterfall.
“Zark said Zoltar has a secret base within that waterfall.†Mark says. “But where?â€
Keyop shrieks as something green wraps around his neck.
“Tiny!†he yelps, jumping into the big guy’s arms. “Save me!â€
“Relax, Keyop, it’s only a tree vine!†Tiny explains.
“Wise guy!†Keyop mutters, kicking the vine.
“There, you see, Keyop?†Tiny smiles. “No worry!â€
“There’s something to worry about!†Jason says, pointing. A door opens up from behind the waterfall.
“It looks like some kind of a launching pad.†Mark notes. Sure enough, the Brain Creature shoots out of it and flies into the sky.
“Let’s storm the base!†Jason suggests.
“No. Get back to the Phoenix and go after that thing!†Mark orders. “I’ll take care of the Spectra base.â€
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:07:
We immediately cut to robot planes and ground forces attacking the Brain Creature. We don’t see them getting destroyed, only that their attacks don’t seem to work on the creature.
Everyone (except Mark) is watching onboard the Phoenix.
“We’ve got to stop that thing once and for all!†Jason announces.
“Yeah, but how?†Tiny asks.
“Sometimes it’s necessary to fight fire with… Fire!†Jason says, moving to press the red button to launch a TBX missile.
“Jason, no!†Princess cries, grabbing at his hand. “You’ll destroy the entire city!â€
Like the Brain creature isn’t doing that already? Well, perhaps not as much as in Gatchaman, because a lot of these scenes have been cut.
“We’ve got to do something!†Jason declares, pounding his fist. “Tiny, take her up for a steep dive!â€
“Big ten!†Tiny agrees. But the creature grabs the Phoenix in its claws.
“Oh!†Princess cries, as cracks appear in the wall. “It’s pulling the ship apart!â€
“Tiny, kick the turbo thrusters!†Jason orders.
“I already did that! We’re at maximum thrust!†Tiny replies, struggling with the controls.
“Now we’ve got G-Force right where we want them!†Muto says gleefully, watching this from his monitors inside the waterfall base. “Now we will crush the Phoenix! Switch on the atomic power boosters! On for the glory of Spectra!â€
“Boost!†repeats a goon, as he flips the switch. Funny, it looks just like the switch to start the cloning operation.
But Mark is hidden in the back of the room, listening…
“So this is what they were doing with the Brain of Evil!†Mark thinks to himself as he looks at the laboratory. “Cloning it!â€
“What’s the problem?†Muto shouts. “Give it more power! We must destroy them!â€
“The Brain Creature can’t seem to penetrate the hull of the Phoenix!†a goon reports.
“Give it more power!†Muto screams.
“Fools!†Zoltar says, appearing suddenly on the monitors. “Why do you never follow orders? Bring the creature back to base at once!â€
“Forgive me, Master, I thought…†Muto tries to explain.
“Time to interrupt this evil experiment once and forever!†Mark says, cutting Muto off.
“Arrogant Earthling! Wipe him out!†Muto cries, and the goons start shooting.
Mark flies up and away from the bullets, and then uses his sonic boomerang to cut the cables connecting the brains to the cloning equipment. Muto catches the boomerang and tosses it back to Mark, who catches it. A piece of machinery drops from the ceiling and explodes. Mark takes a brief second to kick Muto before getting the heck out of there.
Back on the Phoenix…
“It’s getting worse! The Phoenix can’t withstand much more stress!†Princess announces.
“Cross patch right servo circuits to alternating left servo!†Jason orders.
“Right! Servo to left, check!†Tiny acknowledges. And the Phoenix slips free of the Brain Creature’s grasp. For some strange reason, the Brain Creature is now red instead of green.
“Let’s take that creature apart!†Jason says, as the Phoenix shoots into the sky and turns around.
“Right on target!†Tiny agrees, coming back in for another pass. But as the nose of the Phoenix is about to hit the creature, it stops. The Phoenix shakes.
“Back her off, Tiny!†Jason shouts.
“Can’t! We’re stuck in its magnetic force shield!†Tiny replies.
“We’ve been stuck before and always got out! We’ve got to keep trying!†Princess encourages everyone.
We see the burning Spectran laboratory, and a scene of bodies everywhere. I’m traumatized!
“All the clones of the evil brain are ruined!†Zoltar rants, looking over the scene from the monitor. “Muto, I know you can hear me. You must press the Doomsday Button! The Brain Creature must not fall into the hands of G-Force. Do it now!â€
“Master, I listen and obey!†Muto says from the floor. He crawls over to a red button on a pedestal.
Back at the Brain Creature, the Phoenix is managing to reverse away from the magnetic force shield. Mark’s Supersonic Jet comes flying up and into the ship. Mark runs to the Bridge.
“The Spectra lab is out of action. Now we’ve got to recover the brain.†Mark announces to the astonished members of his Team.
Back in the lab, Muto crashes the glass cover over the red button.
“You’re doing well, Muto!†Zoltar says encouragingly. “Now go ahead. Press it. Press it!â€
On the Phoenix, Mark is buckling up.
“Prepare to transmute to Fiery Phoenix!†he tells everyone. Mark is sitting beside Princess, instead of in his usual seat. Awwww….
“All set!†Tiny says.
“This is it, G-Force.†Mark announces. “Okay, Tiny, transmute!â€
And they’re in Fiery Phoenix mode. Mark and Princess have switched seats.
A strange swirly fire appears in the sky, and the Fiery Phoenix shoots out of it. The Brain Creature melts, turning into clear goo. And I have to wonder… how did G-Force recover the brain during all of this?
Muto finally presses the button, and there’s an explosion. It clearly involves the waterfall base. Wait, wasn’t Muto inside? You mean, he didn’t evacuate? Oh, the humanity! :fainting:
The Phoenix is back to normal, and Mark and Princess have switched seats again. Chief Anderson contacts everyone.
“Well done, G-Force.†Anderson says. “Earth is safe again, at least for now.â€
“As long as Zoltar is on the loose, Earth is never safe.†Mark points out.
“President Kane has ordered scientists from now on to develop artificial brains for peaceful purposes only.†Anderson informs him. Wow, imagine that. Technology for peaceful purposes only!
“Well at least the President has a good brain!†Mark smiles.
“The President isn’t the only one with brains!†says Zark via voiceover, as the Phoenix flies off to the sounds of happy shupa trumpet music. “Those five young people are not only very intelligent, but very brave as well.†And to show us how perfect everything is, a rainbow appears over the smoking waterfall that so recently housed a Spectran base.
“Well,†says Zark, lying on his oil-changing platform and back in his number 7 sweater, “now that the evil Brain Creature has been disposed of, I can relax a little and take a ten second oil break.â€
And he oils himself.
“It was pretty scary for awhile.†Zark says. “The terrible things they can do to robots!â€
And right on cue, Susan calls.
“Zark, this is Susan!†she says, as Zark gets his usual antenna erection. “Did they capture that brain robber?â€
“Better than that, Susan.†Zark replies. “They completely destroyed it.â€
“Oh, that’s a shame!†Susan says. “I was going to ask if I could have it.†Yep, Susan wants to be a Fembot. Can you just picture it now?
“Susan!†Zark cries, aghast. “Don’t tell me you’d want that creature’s evil brain!â€
“Uh, no… I wanted that Fembot body.†Susan says, without a trace of self-consciousness or embarrassment.
And all Zark can do is giggle.
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 15:08:
And lastly, some of Sosai Tim’s Gatchafunnies!
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Posted by gatchamarie on 22-02-2010 at 17:25:
Thanks for another great recap, TJ! I need to remember and bring with me a box of tissues every time I know I have to read your comments! They're so hilarious and to the point!
Apart from the frightful looks of the "inferior" alien and the COTW, I like this episode with all its usual conveniences and interesting plot. And I think it would have been of a greater benefit if the brainwaves' power of the stolen brains were to be absorbed by Katse's brain instead of being installed in a monster who did nothing else but crash things like any other mecha ... it would have helped Katse to plan better strategies! In this episode, as you have correctly pointed out, Galactor did not know that Gatchaman had found their base and had easy access! Not that I don't "pray for their success", or that I like to be a spoilsport, but I surely would have liked to see more barriers and action instead of the SNT entering bases completely undetected. But that means the obliteration of the "White Shadow" image and a longer viewing time for the episodes, which cannot be the case! I know! At least, I can console myself with another glimpse of the screenshots with the Eagle in bed!
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To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!
Posted by lborgia88 on 22-02-2010 at 17:56:
Great recap, TJ! I love this episode just for its wackiness. I mean, a space alien/robot/dead brain hybrid -with tentacles! 
I'm not sure, though, if the BOTP version makes more or less sense!
I really would like an explanation, though, as to how Dr. Nambu knows that Galactor has a space ship, or that extraterrestrial creatures like BEMs exist!
Tim's funnies are great -I'm especially laughing at the "Iron Man underoos"!
Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 18:44:
Glad you guys enjoyed it! Yep, this is certainly a wacky episode... you have to wonder what the writers were thinking. Did they get 'requests' for a space alien episode, or did someone see a Frankenstein movie and get inspired? And maybe someone really loved tentacles. Interestingly, the mecha in episode 67 (coming up) also has tentacles... and lots of them!
The BOTP one definitely didn't make sense. As to whetehr thet Gatchaman one did... well, if you take out the fact that the Earth is preserving old brains, I guess so. But it's hard to get past that stumbling block. I think I can buy BOTP's idea of AI brains much more easily.
Marie, I like your idea... of Katse absorbing the brainwaves to make himself sure intelligent... perhaps forever, or perhaps for a limited time. Or maybe even an idea where he gains intelligence from most of the brains, but insanity and depression from the one he *thought* was Dr. Yomashina's brain. That certainly would have led to some interesting future episodes!
As for how Namub knows about the Bems... I can't recall where this is, but I think I remember James saying that in some of the source material for the show it was implied that Dr. Nambu got some of the SNT technology from aliens. He could have learned about alien cultures from these races.
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Posted by gatchamarie on 22-02-2010 at 19:45:
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Surely he wouldn't have had any problems if the exchanged brain had been that of either a female or a male!!! There could have been some different and interesting tendencies though, according to what the brain's owner had been used to be inclined do during his/her life!
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 22-02-2010 at 21:28:
Hi all!
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If you were to re-read some of the earlier posts in the Nambu thread, you'd remember where that came from. In my write-up on nambu, I said the following:
As far as the notion that Nambu received the transformation technology from aliens goes, that idea has its roots among the series staff. Rei Kozumi, the "SF Consultant" for the series, whose job was to make sure the SF elements in the series were at least somewhat plausible, explained in an interview that ppeared in "Fantastic TV Collection Vol. 1 - Gatchaman," published in July of 1978:
"As a point of scientific consistency, if I was left scratching my head over something, it was none other than the main idea of the transformation. The thing with it was, no matter how you looked at it, it was beyond the level of Earth science on hand in the background.
I thought that perhaps good spacemen, who were critical of the "Governor" who ran Gallactor, might have secretly presented Dr. Nambu with the technology, but in the end this never made an appearance. I thought it was a good idea."
James
Posted by clouddancer on 22-02-2010 at 21:52:
Thank you for reposting that James. I find it interesting that you said it in the Nambu thread and that thread has popped up again just recently. I wonder if there is some hidden scheme going on in the background of this board. 
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 22-02-2010 at 22:24:
See what I get for not rereading old threads? 
Thank you for reposting, James. I am glad that I recalled what you had said correctly.
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Posted by UnpublishedWriter on 22-02-2010 at 23:42:
Remember that by this time, the show's producers still hadn't decided that X should be an alien. Which leads us to wondering how Nambu knew about extraterrestrials. But resolving issues like these is what fanfiction is for.
Dead brains can't be revived. Especially after ten years. So this episode makes no sense from that standpoint.
I noticed, while doing my own reviews, that BotP scriptwriters could be rather sloppy. What sort of time constraints did they work under, and how many worked on a script?
The voice actors probably couldn't do much with their dialogue, even if they noticed inconsistencies. And I'm sure Alan Dinehart would have noticed the inconsistency in his lines. He was stuck with it.
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Posted by lborgia88 on 23-02-2010 at 03:44:
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It occurs to me that Galactor did send that Scorpion mecha to the moon in episode 9 and Galactor does use spaceships in Gatch II, even if they don't seem to be going anywhere except the Moon or Mars.
Maybe we can assume that some time in the first series, Galactor sent out another space ship and that the ISO was aware of it somehow? It could have been cruising around somewhere in the vicinity of Earth or Mars, and just happened to encounter a BEM that was traveling through our solar system, looking for new places to be aggressive.
Unlike BOTP, Gatchaman is so very Earth-centered and doesn't mention any aliens or other planets (until near the very end of the first series, regarding Leader X and Selectrol) so this "BEM" explanaton of Dr. Nambu's really comes out of nowhere!
Posted by tatsunokofan on 23-02-2010 at 03:53:
Hi all!
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They were under the gun right from the start. The series didn't get the final go-ahead until the summer of 1978, and work on the episodes beyond the pilot didn't begin until late July or early August, with the premiere set for mid-September. So, work was pretty frantic for the 6~7 months the series was in production.
Most of the scripts were handled by at least two people; the initial writer who worked from watching the Japanese episodes in a Movieola and a so-so translation of the script provided by Tatsunoko. Then the final draft of the scripts would be done by Jameson Brewer, who had to make sure the dialogue matched the dialogue length as dictated by the visuals and that nothing that would cause problems remained from the original story and visuals.
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They might not have had a chance to notice any. Usually they didn't see the script before they were at the studio for the recording sessions. At that point, they were only concerned with getting their lines recorded so the next actor could get into the booth, not with the flow of the story. Since the actors recorded their line individually, not as a group, it's not like anyone heard the entire story in a coherent fashion as it was being recorded.
James
Posted by UnpublishedWriter on 23-02-2010 at 04:45:
A voice actor could still notice contradictions in his or her lines. Although, with those time constraints, they could not have done much about it.
That does explain some of the vocal mismatches we see in the series.
At the same time, the actors often did astounding work. Keye Luke could be quite impressive delivering Zoltar's lines. Given more time and better conditions, he could have been even more frightening.
And some of the episodes they chose must have been subject to many a meeting and memo. People die, and there's no Zarking around that.
With all that last-minute work going on, it's no wonder the scripts sometimes read like bad episodes from 1950s SF television shows.
Still no excuse for some of the Zarking.
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