The door opens, and the flowers push inside, but Jun doesn't see them, as her back is to the entrance.

"I figured you'd come back, Jinpei." she says, clearly thinking that the Swallow has returned. "I know you don't like the rain."

When there is no answer, Jun speaks again, telling Jinpei to close the door so that the water doesn't get in.



But a strange reflection appears in Jun's water glass...



She quickly stands up and turns, only to see a massive flower inside of the Snack J!



Its tendrils lash out, but Jun jumps up and grabs the ceiling.



The flower jumps up to grab her, but Jun flips away.



She dashes outside, and gasps in horror.



Many more flowers are surrounding her!



Again, the flowers lash out at her with their tendrils, but Jun jumps up and to the top of her roof. The moment she gets there, she swings her left arm around.



Bird go!





This is super cool in slow motion. You can see the shimmering light of her helmet surround her head and then transform. Her legs are almost as cool.



The Swan is ready for battle!



Jun lands in front of the flowers.



Then lashes out with her yo-yo.





Another cool feature of this scene is that you get to see just how the yo-yo works. Jun uses her thumb to press the finger ring, and an electric charge shoots down the wire.



Needless to say, the flowers explode.

We cut to a darkened room, where Dr. Nambu is giving a slideshow. No, not the Powerpoint variety, but the old-fashioned projector with that little clicky thing that you have to hold in your hand. Oh, this so reminds me of high school...



He's showing pictures of cells of the 'monster that attacked Jun'. According to Nambu, it's a form of plant life.

"Man, what the hell were we thinking? I mean, Jun is a woman." Ken says, like he suddenly forgot that she wasn’t a man. "We shouldn't have left her alone like that!"



But Jun isn't placated.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that patrolling was just a convenient excuse for you guys to go out and play without me." she snaps.

"Don't be stupid!" Jinpei shoots back. "We did patrol in the rain! Why don't you trust us, anyway?"



Nambu pointedly ignores this exchange, and moves to the next slide. It is a rough drawing of one of the flowers.

Jinpei's jaw drops, and Nambu explains that it's Jun's drawing of the monster.

"That's a horrible picture!" Jinpei laughs nastily. "Is it a flower, or is it an octopus?"



"Shove it, Jinpei!" Jun finally loses it. "So what if I'm not an artist? Don't be a jerk!"



Again, Nambu pointedly ignores the exchange, moving to the next slide. It is a labeled diagram of a similar-looking flower.

Ken is shocked, asking what it is.

Nambu explains that it's a rendering of an ancient flower called a Jigokiller. It grew on Earth's surface during prehistoric times, and was thought to feed only on insects. But Nambu has learned that this carnivorous plant fed on dinosaurs too.

Jinpei exclaims that the reason girls get attacked (and not men) is because girls are dumb like the dinosaurs.



Jun is clearly not impressed with this hypothesis.



Ken wants to know why they haven't seen any flowers at the crime scenes, if the Jigokillers are causing all of this. Dr. Nambu doesn't have an answer.



Just as an aside... if the Jigokillers only eat women, why does the title of this episode call them people-eating flowers?

Ryu is afraid that every girl on Earth will disappear.



Jinpei thinks that's great, because it would be 'great not to have a chick like Sis hangin' around'.

"You idiot!" Ryu replies. "I meant, no one will ever be able to find a bride!"



Again, Nambu shows remarkable restraint in ignoring this off-topic conversation. Instead, he presses a button, raising a wall panel. He tells the Team that he has something that could help, but it would be impossible to ask every woman in the world to wear one.

Everyone moves up to get a closer look.



Jun asks what it is.



Nambu replies that it is an 'indestructible suit created for deep sea trips'. But it is still a prototype. Jun appears thoughtful.

That night, it rains again, and the door opens on the Snack J's surprisingly large garage.



Jinpei asks what Jun is doing, as she shouldn't be going out in the storm.

She tells him that she's going to capture a Jigokiller.



"Why don't we all go? Trying to act butch doesn't suit a lady!" Jinpei exclaims. You know, for wanting Jun to act like a 'lady', Jinpei sure is acting nothing like a 'gentleman'.

Jun says that she has to do this alone, because the monsters are only interested in girls.



Jun tells Jinpei not to worry, because she is 'totally protected by an indestructible deep sea suit'. She pulls it from her skin to prove it.





Jinpei wants to know if Jun stole the suit from Nambu.



"Quit trying to make me sound like a criminal!" Jun says angrily. "I'm testing out the trial version for the Doctor!"



Then she zooms off on her motorcycle.

Jinpei simply stares after her for a moment.



So what does he do? Does he contact the others?

Nope. He jumps into his own car and decides to follow her.

"With her out looking for trouble, old Jinpei will have to watch her back!" he shouts, taking off into the rainy night.



Hey, he leaves the garage door open! I guess he picked up that bad habit from Ken...

Out in the park, the Jigokiller flowers grow from small weeds into giant flowers, fed by the rain. Jun speeds through the area on her bike.



She doesn't see the flowers following her through the trees above her. One of them reaches down and grabs her from off of her moving bike.



The riderless motorcycle crashes. The Jigokiller that captured her contemplates Jun for a moment.



Jun struggles as it tries to lower her into its mouth.



Jinpei arrives on the scene and gasps in horror.



Just in time to see Jun eaten by the Jigokiller!







The edges of the 'mouth' close around Jun's head.

__________________

There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

Jinpei protests that they can't do this, because Jun is trapped inside one of the flowers.


"What do you mean?" asks Nambu, surprised.

"He thinks the Jigokillers got her." Ken explains.

I have a lot of problems with these two lines. How can Nambu be so surprised? Didn't anyone report what had happened to Jun? Even if they hadn't, didn't Nambu notice that Jun was gone? Or even that his prototype protective suit was missing?

And what is with Ken and his 'he thinks that' line? Ken all but agreed that Jun had been taken by the flowers, when the guys were talking in the park. Why else was he out looking for her? Is he trying to cover his butt with Nambu?



Meanwhile, Jinpei is repeating his story, this time adding that Jun was wearing the protective suit, so that means that she's still alive.

"How would we ever be able to identify the flower that's eaten Jun, out of so many millions?" Nambu asks. "It's impossible."



So, this is his justification for burning the flowers, even if Jun is inside. Rather cold-hearted, if you ask me. I can see him making this decision, but he isn't at all emotional or distressed about it.

The fields of Jigokillers seem to mock them.



And in one of the flowers...



Inside, Jun is hoping that Ken can help her. But she can't get her hand free to use her bracelet.



"Know what?" asks Ryu, sitting down on the grass. "I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna help you kill Jun."



Wow, I am really impressed. When it comes down to it, Ryu is willing to stick by his principles.

"Right!" Joe quickly agrees. "Even if it is for the sake of saving ten million lives, we can't just let Jun die."



But Ken isn't looking at any of them.



"Fine! Then none of you have to bother!" Ken spits out. "This bird can fly solo!"



Everyone is shocked!



Joe runs over and punches Ken in the jaw!





Ken falls to the ground, and Joe glares at him.

"Come on! What kind of a man are you?" Joe shouts. "Are you just going to let her die?"



Everyone rushes over.



"I'm the leader of the Science Ninja Team." Ken thinks to himself. "Even if none of you feel that you can do it, it's my duty."



Ken gets up and walks away, and the others, as if they know what he is thinking, bow their heads.

It always bothered me that Joe is so angry, and willing to punch Ken out to prevent him from burning the flowers, and then a few seconds later he just lets Ken walk to his plane. That's quite a change of heart in a few seconds!

Ken goes to his Cessna and takes off, while the others watch.





As Ken takes off, we get a long shot of the field, and we can see the God Phoenix parked nearby the others.

Ken flies through the air, whispering 'I'm sorry', and thinking of Jun, laughing and calling to him.



Ken literally has Jun on his mind...



(Sorry... I just had to include that screenshot... )

A tear slips down Ken's face, and he silently begs Jun for forgiveness.



It is Ken's duty to protect the Earth, and he will do so, even if it means Jun's sacrifice.

Ken presses a button on his dashboard, and the fuel from his plane empties, spreading over the flowers.



"Goodbye, Jun." Ken thinks to himself, as more tears appear. "I'll leave a piece of me with you. I'll use the fuel from my beloved plane to free us from this terror."

Wow, as goodbye presents go... fuel from his plane? Okay...

The Cessna's engine stops running, and Ken does a loop. I'm not kidding. In a plane without a working engine, that is gliding only, he does a loop. I'm not sure that's technically possible without crashing, but then, we all know that Ken is an excellent pilot.

Ken is in deep emotional pain.



He contacts Nambu on his bracelet, telling him that 'it's time to set these bastards on fire'.

Now I just want to remind you all of something. At this point in the series, the G-1 has no weapons. How is Ken planning to burn the Jigokillers? There has been a lot of fan speculation that he planned to kill himself by crashing his plane into the flowers, and there is certainly nothing in this canon episode to dispute that theory. IMHO, it seems rather likely, but then, who knows? Maybe Ken had a flamethrower in the back of his plane that we never saw.

But before Ken can do anything and answer our questions about his intentions, Joe's voice comes over Ken's bracelet.

"We'll take care of that, Ken!" Joe says.

Ken is surprised to hear from Joe. He turns his plane right-side-up again, coming out of his loop. Remember, the plane has no gas, and the engine has stopped, and Ken is just gliding his Cessna. Fortunately, the God Phoenix is right behind him, in case Gatchaman can suddenly no longer bend the laws of physics.



"We can't let you go down alone. We're a Team and we have to stick together." Joe says.



"That's right! And as teammates, we will stand by you, no matter what happens." Ryu adds.

Joe orders Ken to get out of the way, because he is going to 'shoot them a couple of Birds'.



Joe presses the infamous red button, and a Bird Missile lands in the flowers, exploding and causing them to burn. Thanks to Ken's gasoline being spread everywhere, the flames move quickly.

Again, I am completely flummoxed by Joe's actions. He punches out Ken, then lets him leave knowing full well what Ken is going to do, and then a few moments later Joe himself is shooting the Bird Missile. WTH???

Of course, I have my theories (worked with in my fanfic). It only makes sense to me if Joe somehow knows that Ken is thinking of committing suicide with his plane, and is trying to stop him. That fits in with the arrival of the God Phoenix. But I'm willing to listen to alternate explanations as to Joe's strange behavior.

And while I am pondering this, the Jigokillers thrash and burn.



Jinpei stares beseechingly at the flames, asking Jun to stay alive. He promises that he won't ever talk back again. Well, he did behave badly at the beginning of this episode, so I guess this is Tatsunoko’s way of putting in a moral to be grateful for what you have and not take it for granted.



"Just please don't die! I couldn't live without you, Sis!" Jinpei says mournfully.

Inside the Jigokiller flower, Jun struggles and moans.

In a hidden base, Katse gets the news that Nambu is torching the Jigokillers. Katse laughs, calling Nambu a fool for thinking he can destroy them.



And indeed, Katse is right. Spores are released from the burning flowers. The spores spread on the wind, carrying the Jigokiller contagion elsewhere in the world.

The Science Ninja Team watches the flowers burn.



Ken is overcome, and he screams out in pain.

"Jun!!!!!"

I won’t even mention the fact that ADV decided to change this in the dubs. Grumble, grumble…



But despite their grief, the Team must go on...

__________________

There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

After a commercial break, it’s time for Zark’s pacing session! 1-Rover-1 has joined him today.



Zark tells us that Chief Anderson’s plan ahs backfired. Notice how it is the Chief’s plan that backfired, and not Zark’s plan. Princess has disappeared, swallowed up by one of the giant alien flowers.

“I feel terrible about it!” moans Zark. I guess he’s worried he won’t have any more panty flashes to zoom in on while looking at his monitor.

1-Rover-1 barks, to show that he feels badly about Princess’ disappearance as well. Everyone does. Even Keyop is blaming himself!

“But we don’t know where to look for her, exactly.” Zark explains. “Now that it’s stopped raining, the giant flowers have shrunk back to small, harmless buds!”

Well that would make it easier[/i[ to find Princess, wouldn’t it, because clearly Princess has not shrunk to fit within a ‘small harmless bud’? You just have to find a flower that’s still big! Sigh…

“I’m going to try everything!” Zark insists. “If only I could zero in on Spectra’s hidden base…”

And of course, Spectra [i]has to have a hidden base.

“Those alien spores need water to germinate, and I’m sure the unusual rains we’ve been having are caused by Spectra!” Zark says.

That last part isn’t too far-fetched, BTW. In the Orion episode (episode 36 for BOTP) Spectra was controlling the planet’s weather and water supply. So it’s previously been established that they have this kind of technology.

The remaining members of the G-Force Team are at the park. Now I want to point out that we saw Jinpei collapse next to the flowers… but they didn’t attack him. In BOTP they never limit the flowers to attacking women only, so it seems odd that they just left Keyop behind.

“So you’re saying that some flower just swallowed Princess up?” Tiny asks Keyop.

“Saw it…” Keyop does a gulping burble.

“It wouldn’t have happened if we’d been along.” Jason grumbles.

“Princess wanted to go it alone, Jason.” Mark explains. “For some reason, that synthetic protective skin seems to work best on women!” Ooh, ooh, ooh! I know the reason! It’s Zark’s interest in the ‘female form’…

We cut to a shot of Princess’ hand sticking out of a giant flower, in a field full of giant flowers. So much for Zark’s theory about all of them having shrunk.

“Help me!” Princess screams in her mind. “Somebody help me! Help me…”

Meanwhile, Keyop is recounting his story in the park.

“Came up under me!” he broops. “Tossed car!”

“Keyop, you should have called us!” Tiny berates him.

“Didn’t have time!” Keyop explains.

“Keyop did all he could.” Jason agrees.

“We’ve got to find her.” Mark says. This is the first thing he’s done all episode that I’m actually cheering for.

“But where?” Keyop asks.

Mark sees strange weeds on the ground, and picks one up to examine it.

“Well?” asks Jason.

“Just say the word, Commander!” Tiny adds.

“We wait.” Mark replies. What? What’s wrong with this guy? Why isn’t he out looking for Princess? That massive field of giant flowers that she’s in can’t be that hard to find!

“We make Zoltar tip his hand.” Mark says. Oh great. So now Princess is a pawn in his little chess game with Zoltar. Niiice…

Meanwhile, Zoltar is somewhere awaiting a report from Captain Morlok. When he makes contact, Morlok says that the ‘invasion is proceeding according to plan’.

“You have secured an adequate water supply?” Zoltar asks.

“Indeed. We’ve tapped into their main reservoir.” Morlok confirms.

Zoltar now contacts the Tracking Station, speaking with a man named Graves. The Spectran Leader tells Graves to deploy the Armed Motorized Units.

“Converge on G-Force! Intercept at Sector Z!” Zoltar orders. Just wondering… how does Zoltar know where G-Force are/will be?

Meanwhile, the guys are taking Keyop’s buggy and Princess’ bike back to base. Mark stops, and Jason asks if he needs help.

“No. I think they’re some of Spectra’s Goon Squads.” Mark replies truthfully. “Go ahead. No problem. I can handle them.”

So rather than enact a Ken Washio deception, the dutiful Commander tells Jason exactly what’s going on. And he sounds cheerful about it, too!

“Good luck!” Jason waves, as the buggy drives off. I guess he doesn’t begrudge Mark a little goon-bashing.

Well, Zoltar’s Armed Motorized Units turn out to be goons on motorcycles.

“Follow the Leader, boys!” Mark shouts, turning around and driving right over their heads. The goons turn around and follow, pulling out their guns. But Mark stops and one goon hits his tire, falling over.

Suddenly, Mark is driving again, off the road and down a hill and into a meadow. The goons follow.

Mark smiles slyly and… hops back up onto the road to drive away. I guess he lost the goons in the tall grass?

And why isn’t anyone concerned that the goons are attacking Mark when he is in civvies? Shouldn’t Mark be worried about their secret identities being blown?

We see Chief Anderson in the lab. Zark says that the ‘biophysical composition of these alien flower creatures has eluded them’. The Chief is working day and night on the problem, and the pressure is mounting. They must find a way to rescue Princess!

And… if I may ask… what are you doing about it, Zark?

Mark is flying in his Cessna when the Chief calls. He wants Mark to meet him at Cypress Cove. When Mark gets there, he is shocked to see that the entire hillside is covered with flowers.

Mark lands his plane, gets out, and runs to the Chief, who is already there.

“I need your help, Commander, on a very delicate decision.” Anderson says.

“Tough spot, Commander.” Tiny adds.

“Have to firebomb… flowerbeds!” Keyop exclaims, adding some bombing sound effects rather than his usual burbles.

“Forget it, Chief!” Mark says firmly. “We’re not bombing those flowers until we get Princess out of there!” Okay, now my ‘shipper heart is going pitter-pat!

“Hear me out first.” the Chief asks. “We must destroy those flowers, or Earth is doomed!”

“No way!” Jason insists. “I want no part of t! Not until we find Princess!”

“By then it will be too late.” Anderson replies calmly. “I know how you all feel, but our duty comes first. We must destroy these flowerbeds!”

“No! Princess may still be trapped in one of those flowers!” Jason protests.

“Looks like we… don’t have much of a choice, Jason.” Mark says. Whoa! This is quite the instant turnaround! I think there’s more to this than meets the eye…

“It must be done quickly, before the next rain scatters more spores.” Anderson insists. Mark turns away, refusing to look at anyone else.

“You will fly your plane over those flowerbeds, Commander.” the Chief orders. “Empty your fuel tanks over them. The Phoenix will be waiting. When you finish, the flowerbeds will be ignited.”

Okay, maybe it’s just me, but I think the Chief is a hard-hearted SOB in this scene. After all, Princess is his foster-daughter, and he’s showing no emotion at all that she might be going to die as a result of his orders. I can understand his decision, but the cold, calculating way in which he makes it and explains it really angers me. I was a little less PO’d at Nambu, because the whole idea that Jun might have been in there was news to him, and we found out later that Nambu was convinced that the protective suit would save her from the fire.

In any case, Mark isn’t answering.

“Find someone else to fly the Phoenix!” Tiny protests by sitting down.

“That goes for me too, Mark.” Jason adds. “There has to be some other way! There just has to be!”

Mark stands alone in silence for a few moments, before finally turning to face the others.

“We have no choice.” he says. “The flowers must be destroyed.” Everyone appears shocked to hear him say this, even Anderson!

“We swore an oath to defend Earth against all invaders.” Mark thinks to himself. “That is what we’ve been trained for, that is what we must do!”

Suddenly, instead of standing, Mark is kneeling on the ground. (Needless to say, they cut the part where Joe punches Ken and rages at him.) Mark gets up and walks sadly to his Cessna, while the others hang their heads.

Mark takes off, spreading the gasoline from his fuel tanks over the flowers. He thinks about Princess, in civvies and in Birdstyle. She calls happily to him in his mind, and he sheds a tear.

“I had to do it, Princess.” he thinks to himself. “I know you’d understand. We swore an oath. We’re G-Force.”

Mark grimaces, raising his bracelet to his mouth and reporting.

“Fuel tanks empty. I’m going down! Impact will ignite!”

Unlike Gatch, this strongly implies to me that the ‘impact’ Mark is talking about is his plane crashing into the ground. It seems to be a much stronger implication that he’s going to commit suicide to start the fire.

“Come in, Mark. We’re waiting!” comes Jason’s voice.

“It was hard for them to do it, but they knew Mark was right!” Zark’s voice cuts in, as we watch the Cessna loop around the Phoenix.

“Rear hatch just closed.” Jason reports. “Mark made it, he’s inside!”

“We’re over the flower fields now. Shall we wait for him, Jason?” Tiny asks.

“I’ll take full responsibility.” Jason replies grimly, pressing the ominous red button.

The missile ignites the field, and the flowers burn.

“So!” exclaims Zoltar, from his unknown location. “You think you have destroyed my flowers, G-Force, but you are wrong! Fire cannot destroy them! You can only release more spores!”

And sure enough, we see the flowers releasing more spores.

The remaining members of G-Force and Anderson are on the ground, watching the fire. Strangely, Mark is still in civvies. Did he dock the Cessna with the Phoenix in civilian mode? I wasn’t aware that was even possible.

Mark stares at the flames, throws his head back, and shouts. Well, it looks like he shouts. But what comes out is a whisper.

“Princess…”

__________________

There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

A great recap! This episode certainly does have a lot of things to speculate about...

I'd always interpreted Joe's actions at the reservoir as a case of him impulsively "acting first/thinking later" -his gut reaction to the idea of burning the field is anger, but upon seeing that Ken, the leader, is really determined to do it, he then falls into line (albeit rather quickly) out of loyalty to Ken. I'd also assumed that Ken, contacting Dr. Nambu from his plane, was expecting Dr. Nambu to do something to ignite the field of jigokillers (as the whole "burn them" plan was devised by him). That said, I really like the idea that Ken could have been planning to ignite the field by crashing his plane and killing himself, and that Joe is aware of this! It adds so much more depth and drama to the whole scene. Granted, a Ken who would be unable to live with himself knowing he'd killed Jun is still the same Ken who said, in her presence, that he sometimes forgets she's a woman, but I agree that when he goes off on his own to attack the goons that were following them on the road, he seems to be seeking an excuse to privately vent a lot of emotions that involve Jun...

I agree that there is a somewhat disturbing lack of communication between the Team and Dr. Nambu here, though. They should have told him about Jun being swalllowed by a jigokiller, and he should have told them more about the protective suit's capabilities! But then, that might have diffused all the enjoyable angst!

Thanks for the recap! Great job ladies!

I do like how this episode shows Ken's feelings about Jun. That is so rare in this series. I totally hate ADV dubbing Ken saying "Galactor!" instead of "Jun!"--I don't know what they were thinking but it doesn't fit with the emotions being conveyed in this episode.

I think in this episode this is the first time we hear the Gatchaman whistle. I'm sure James can confirm or deny this. Can hardly wait for the next recap!

__________________
Old age is a high price to pay for maturity.

Hi all!

Ebony, I just posted it...those comments are all from TJ...but I agree about the quick change of heart...and Dr. Nambu, too...those communication skills are completely missing here...wonder if Jun had been around, then the communication skills between the team and Nambu would have been better?

I also notice that they tend to think of weapons as gifts...in this case "fuel from his beloved plane" is seen as a gift...and later on...Jun gives Ken a bomb as a "present from me"...and even later...Joe gives Ken his weapon when Ken and Jun go off on a mission (episode 101)...and finally ...Ken gives Joe his boomerang to think of "as his heart" when Ken leaves Joe behind to die in the last ep...

imagine what Christmas must be like for them...

__________________

There is no problem that cannot be solved with time, patience, and a judicious amount of high explosives.

quote:

Originally posted by Springie Ebony, I just posted it...those comments are all from TJ...but I agree about the quick change of heart...and Dr. Nambu, too...those communication skills are completely missing here...wonder if Jun had been around, then the communication skills between the team and Nambu would have been better? I also notice that they tend to think of weapons as gifts...in this case "fuel from his beloved plane" is seen as a gift...and later on...Jun gives Ken a bomb as a "present from me"...and even later...Joe gives Ken his weapon when Ken and Jun go off on a mission (episode 101)...and finally ...Ken gives Joe his boomerang to think of "as his heart" when Ken leaves Joe behind to die in the last ep... imagine what Christmas must be like for them...

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

Yes please, Springie! Christmas is already in the air!

__________________
To be or not to be a gatchamaniac - that's the dilemma!

THANK YOU Springie for posting this episode for me!

I agree, a Christmas pic would be awesome! Maybe for the November issue of Birdscramble?

Glad you guys liked this one. It's an episode that gets used a lot in fanfic (TJ raises a guilty hand here) but I think that's because there is so much that is unsaid and behind the scenes. It certainly is an episode that seems to live on in the minds of everyone who has seen it, no matter what version.

And good point James, about firing the missile when the G-1 wasn't aboard! Perhaps Dr. Nambu had pre-wired the God Phoenix for this eventuality...

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