Gatchaman Episode 37 "Renzilla, the Electric Monster"

Gatchaman Episode 37 - Renzilla, the Electric Monster



A helicopter flies over snowy mountaintops. In an icy valley, surrounded by mountains, lies a lake. The narrator tells us that this is Lake Mountaintop. A flying dragon that survived the Ice Age is hiding in its depths. It is usually frozen solid throughout the seasons of the year, however this year the icy lake has melted into flowing water.

Inside the helicopter, a man studies the suddenly not-frozen lake.



And he brought his dog with him! What kind of dog would you bring to snowy mountaintops? Why, a St. Bernard, of course!

I'm looking for the little barrel they're supposed to carry on their collars, but all this dog has is a golden tag.



The man is Dr. Miwa, and he is studying the lake, hoping to use it to generate solar energy. When he heard the news that the lake was no longer frozen, he rushed to investigate. He is taking pictures of the area.

"I've never seen the lake like this." he says, as the dog howls.



But one of his pictures turns up something very interesting!



The dog's name is Taro, and he begins barking. Other helicopters are surrounding Dr. Miwa's helicopter!



"We're in trouble, Boy." Miwa says grimly.

The other helicopters begin broadcasting loudly enough for the Doctor to hear them.

"Welcome Dr. Miwa!" they say. "Our Master, Lord Katse, is expecting you!"

Miwa quickly realizes that these helicopters are from Galactor. Not too surprising, given what you saw with your camera, is it Doctor?

"This is an order from Lord Katse. You have no choice but to come with us!" the Galactors demand.

Miwa pulls on his stick, lifting his helicopter up and away from the Galactor helicopters.

"You can't get away! Resistance is futile!" the Galactors shout. I'm wondering if the ADV scriptwriter was a fan of the Borg.

But Miwa doesn't listen. He opens the door to the cockpit.



Then he gives Taro the camera, in the dog’s mouth.

"Deliver it to Nambu." he orders. "Go!"

Well, at least Miwa knows Nambu, and knows where the information he has would best be sent.

Taro jumps from the helicopter, and the Galactor helicopters begin shooting at the dog.



Hey, these helicopters are piloted by goons! I'm wondering if they're cold. They're in the mountains, and Miwa is wearing a super thick coat and enclosed in his helicopter. These goons are out in the open and have no special warm clothing.

And perhaps because they are cold (or perhaps because they are goons) the shots all miss Taro, who simply rolls down a hill in the snow.

Seeing that Taro survived this, the goons begin shooting again. Taro jumps, but misses, sliding off a cliff, the camera still in his mouth.



The dog falls down into the crevasse, a canine whimper echoing behind him.

Miwa is distraught, and allows the goon helicopters to lead him away. But no one sees that Taro has survived. He barks after the departing helicopters, the precious camera lying by his side.

We cut to the Crescent Coral Base, where fish swim by in their ever-present parade. Inside the base, a green-gloved hand catches a pair of bolas.



Ah, it's Jinpei of the amazing color-changing gloves!



The Swallow complains that Nambu is late. Jinpei really wants to meet the Doctor's 'special guest'.

A loud bark sounds, and Jinpei is so shocked that he hits himself in the head with his bolas.



Then he leaps into a surprised Jun's lap.



A large St. Bernard approaches the Swallow. It's Taro!

"Oh man! He's coming for me! Help me, please!" Jinpei screams in fear.



So, let me get this straight. Jinpei loves bugs and whales, but puppies and dogs are on the 'do not care for' list.

"Jinpei, what's the matter with you? It's just a dog!" Jun says calmly.



"G...g...g...g... good doggie..." Jinpei gibbers, in a vaguely Keyop-ish manner.

I have to say, this little scene strikes a personal chord with me. I, like Jinpei, have a deathly fear of dogs, and I can completely sympathize with his reaction, because this is pretty much what I do whenever a dog comes near me. At the same time, I can appreciate Jun's calm reaction, because it's how I wish I could be. But instinctive fear is a terrible thing to overcome.

Nambu calls the dog Taro, and Taro leaves Jinpei unmolested.

Ken isn't scared of Taro, but he is so surprised to see that the 'special guest' is a dog that his upper lip drains of all color!



Jinpei is so relieved not to have the dog near him anymore that he falls off of Jun's lap.



Nambu tells the Team that Taro belongs to Dr. Miwa, a world-famous solar energy research scientist. Taro is so special to Miwa that Nambu was surprised that the dog delivered Miwa's latest results. Nambu shows the Team what Miwa sent. We even get to see the 'filmstrip countdown'!



Notice how the screen has just 'appeared' in front of the door through which Nambu and Taro entered.

First, Nambu shows the pictures of Lake Mountaintop, which has great potential to produce powerful solar energy. It could possibly even surpass nuclear power.

"But how can that lake make solar energy?" Ryu wants to know. Thanks for asking, Ryu, because I was wondering the same thing!



Fortunately, Nambu has a helpful diagram.



The lake stays frozen throughout the year. If the ISO uses its surface as a polarization lens, then the sunlight can be stored, and converted into solar energy.

Jun thinks this is a wonderful invention.



But Nambu points out that the project has yet to be completed. Dr. Miwa has disappeared. Apparently, he rushed out of the research center when he heard about the lake being unfrozen. Remember, the lake has to be frozen solid for the solar energy project to work.

Ken wonders if someone is trying to interfere with Miwa's research.



"I think it may be more sinister than that!" Nambu replies. "I think that someone is trying to produce powerful destructive energy, by stealing the Doctor's research!"

Of course, by this point in the series, we all know who is behind anything like this.

"Galactor's at it again!" Jinpei shouts.



"Galactor?" Jun gasps.



Nambu agrees. Only Galactor would do this. And to confirm his assessment, Miwa's picture of the Galactor base in the lake comes on the screen.

The picture on the screen shifts to an image of the real underwater base. The eyes on the devil logo are windows, and through one of them we see goons lounging around.



Obviously these are some overworked goons. Clearly they're ready to be promoted to 'ninja-fodder' status.

The inside of the base glows with bright, powerful conduits stretching down seemingly endless metal tube-corridors. This looks like a solar energy project to me!

In another room, a bruised Miwa is rudely awoken by goons. He is face to face with Berg Katse.



Katse shows Miwa images on a monitor. We see a mecha dragon flying through the sky.

__________________

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

After a commercial break, a pair of devil logo double doors opens to reveal Renzilla. Katse is observing the preparations for the mecha's next mission, but then he leaves to go report to X.

X wants to know if Renzilla has been perfected. Katse says that everything is complete. Well, nearly everything. All they're waiting on is Dr. Miwa's solar energy. Then they will be able to control the entire planet.

"Well done, Berg Katse." X says, and Katse smirks as he bows and thanks Sosai.

Meanwhile, Jun is trying to blow apart the glass wall.

"That must be a super thick piece of glass!" she says sadly. "My Yo-Yo Bombs aren't even scratching it!

"Well how about I give it a whirl?" asks Jinpei, twirling his bolas.



Ken and Joe are just sitting on their butts. Yes, really.



"It's not going to work. We've done all we can." Ken says. When did he pick up such a defeatist attitude?

"We can at least try!" Jinpei urges. "I mean, we can't stay locked up in here forever!"



Even Joe is disgusted by Ken's attitude.



But Ken pulls out a device from his wings.



"If Taro is still alive out there, I can call him back to us with this device." Ken says, pressing the button.

Wait a minute.... how long has it been? Why didn't Ken use this device right away?

"But what if he's dead, huh?" Jinpei wants to know.



"If it's been less than an hour, this device will trigger a mechanism implanted in his brain, and resurrect him." Ken explains. Okay, so now I'm really wondering... if there's a time limit, why didn't Ken activate this device right away?

We see a brief shot of a seemingly-dead Taro washed up on the shore of the lake. We zoom in, and a silhouette of his head appears, highlighting the mechanism in his brain. It kind of looks like one of those mini-bombs, which the Ninja Team carries in their belt pouches. It sparks and activates.



And Taro awakens.

"I think I'm getting a response!" Ken says.



"But I don't understand! Why didn't you tell us about this device earlier?" Jinpei wants to know. Good question! I am waiting eagerly for the answer to fill up this little plot hole...

But we don't get an answer. Instead, we cut to a shot of Taro running across the snow. What a cop out!

Taro jumps through the same entrance he came through before, but this time he sneaks by the goons on guard, not attacking anyone until he gets to the goon guarding the Ninja Team.

The guard goon screams in horror, and Ken turns around.



Taro is attacking the guard!



"Listen, you Tiptoe! All it takes is one order from me and that dog will rip you wide open!" Ken threatens. I don't know why Ken calls him a 'tiptoe'. I listened to this multiple times and still couldn't figure out what ADV was trying to get in there.



"I suggest you let us out of these glass walls if you want to save your sorry hide!" Ken adds, as Taro gets closer.



The guard replies that he can't do it, because if he does, he'll be executed. So Ken says he'll give the order. Finally, the goon agrees. He pulls a lever...



Okay, why couldn't Taro just pull the lever? Seems pretty simple to me...

We cut to the sunrise over Lake Mountaintop, accompanied by the 'hopeful sunrise' music. But I don't get it. Taro just recovered from death and ran to the base during daylight hours. Did it really take all night for him to enter the base, threaten the goon and release the Ninja Team? I guess he was just a little slow, after dying and resurrection and all.

The prism at the bottom of the lake sparkles, and Renzilla rises into the air. Inside the base, we see Katse watching over Miwa's shoulder as he works.



"Well, it looks like the sun's cooperating with our plans, Doctor, almost as if it's wishing Renzilla a happy beginning!" Katse says.

Miwa quietly begs forgiveness from Nambu and Gatchaman, for allowing himself to be coerced by Galactor.

Goons report that everything is ready for activation, and the 'prism is solarizing'. The solar beam reflection angle is at 0.088. The countdown begins at 16 seconds, while Katse watches smugly.



There's even a visual countdown on the monitors!



But as it gets to 1, a boomerang flies through the air and strikes the control panel, causing it to explode!



Cut from BOTP:



The boomerang goes around the room again, slitting goon throats as it passes. A pair of bolas wraps itself around a rifle, disarming a goon.

"Oh no! It's Gatchaman!" shouts one of the goons, as the weapons return to their owners.



Cue big fight scene.

Everyone gets in on the act, including Taro!











Taro has a joyful reunion with Miwa, much to Katse's disgust.



Ken spots Katse across the room and throws his boomerang.



The boomerang gets close enough to slice off Katse's mask!





Remember, when this episode was created, it was only meant to air on TV once. There were no VCRs, or ability of the audience to run this frame by frame. This entire thing takes about a second, and in that respect it's a horrible tease to viewers who were eager to see Katse's true face.

That being said, there are hints here. Katse's face looks very feminine in this last shot. But take a look at this next one, as he covers his face from view.



Definitely a manly body!

The unmasked Katse flees the room. The Condor places a Time Bomb in a control panel.



Remember they used these in the Whale episode and we wondered if we'd ever see them again? Well here they are!

Then the Condor flees the scene.



The bomb explodes, cutting the power. Random goon bullets fly everywhere.

Katse is now in a different control room, still trying to hold his mask together. He orders the goons to go after the Science Ninja Team immediately, because the prism can't be controlled without Dr. Miwa.



We cut to goons on snowmobiles, racing through the area outside the base.



The Science Ninja Team is on the run with Dr. Miwa! Look, he's riding in Ken's sidecar!





Notice that once again, Taro is fast enough to keep up with the speeding vehicles.

Miwa asks Gatchaman to forgive him. Even though he was threatened, Miwa never should have sold his soul to Galactor.



Ken says that it's okay, because Galactor can't control Renzilla without Miwa.

__________________

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

The God Phoenix tries to escape, but it is caught, and begins to glow orange. Inside, everyone is in agony.



Ryu reports that they're at 2,800 degrees.



Remember, the God Phoenix can only withstand 3,000 degrees. But in case you've forgotten, Ken reminds us all.



Notice how Ryu and Ken seem to be insubstantial here? It's a neat effect, showing how the solar energy beam is trying to pull their matter apart, like it did to the goons on snowmobiles.

Miwa crashes to the floor, but no one is in any condition to help him, especially not Jinpei.



The ice on the lake (Hey, when did it refreeze? Just the night before it was water as a 'dead' Taro was washed up onshore!) begins to crack, and Renzilla explodes.



Katse can't believe what's happening!



Then the underwater base explodes. A massive mushroom cloud forms above the surface of the lake.



I guess this makes sense, since Renzilla was nuclear powered before being solar powered. So they must have left Renzilla's old nuclear reactor at the base.

The God Phoenix slowly turns back from orange to blue, and everyone onboard has survived.

Ken holds Dr. Miwa, and the Doctor opens his eyes. Everyone is glad to see that he is alive.





Ken tells Miwa that Galactor was defeated by their own creation.



"If you guys hadn't rescued Dr. Miwa, we would have been in some big trouble, my friend!" Ryu says to Ken. Ken agrees, but he points out that they never could have done it without 'one very special friend'.



"Taro..." Jun whispers.



"The only dog who was able to save the whole world." Ken adds.



Jinpei cries at losing the dog that once terrified him.



And the God Phoenix makes one last pass over Lake Mountaintop, as it heads for home.



The narrator says that the legendary lake now holds the remains of Taro, a dog who fought courageously, and died bravely. We are reminded that this is the Science Ninja Team's first 'hollow victory' they have ever experienced.

__________________

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

The G-Force Team comes across Orion, presumably in a reunion with Dr. Baxter. But it’s a cruel trick, and a glass wall comes down, shutting them off. Oops, sorry, it’s ‘an invisible barricade’.

“You are all sealed up tightly now!” laughs Zoltar’s voice. “Not even your invincible powers can break through my invisible shield! You’re like so many sour gherkins squeezed in a jar!”

Interesting choice of idiom… but I’ll chalk it up to Zoltar being from an alien planet and therefore not a native English-speaker.

Also, if their powers truly are ‘invincible’, they’d be able to break out, wouldn’t they?

“Pretty pickle!” broops Keyop. I guess he liked Zoltar’s phrasing.

“Now see how your ‘snow dog’ takes to the water!” Zoltar cackles, as the lake pours in.

Princess and Keyop scream out for Orion as the water rises, but Mark confidently says, “He’s gonna make it!”

Problem is, Mark is hanging his head and looking upset as he says this, so he’s clearly lying through his teeth.

Orion is washed out into the lake, and we’re off to a commercial break!

When we come back, Zark assures us that he saw Orion escape from ‘Zoltar’s cruel water tank’. Clearly the crisis is over, because Zark is on his way up to take a ten second oil break.

Zark says that Orion is a superdog, and more than a match for ‘those evil Spectran minds’. But for a minute there, if Zark had had a heart, it would have been in his mouth! If he had a mouth…

Zark admits that he feels guilty taking a ten second oil break while G-Force is still being held captive by Zoltar. 1-Rover-1 barks loudly, interrupting the break.

Rover is hungry again. Zark doesn’t like to see him snack between meals, but he gives 1-Rover-1 a wrench to chew on anyway.



“He’ll probably just run and bury it someplace.” Zark giggles, as Rover walks off.



Zark wishes that he would get a signal or a flash on his monitor screen to figure out what G-Force is doing to escape Zoltar’s base.



We see Princess trying to blow their way out.

“The Fuse Bomb didn’t even dent the invisible barrier!” she says. Um, if it’s invisible, how do you know if it is dented or not?

Keyop wants to try, but Mark says that Orion is out there somewhere, and he can help them. Keyop thinks that’s asking a miracle.

Mark pulls out a device, and apparently everyone already knows what it is.

“I’m afraid that’s wishful thinking, Mark.” Jason says.

Ooh, it’s a communicator! Mark talks into it, trying to contact Orion.

“Try barking!” Keyop suggests.

“I know he’s only a dog, but he has cerebonic powers just like us.” Mark explains. “Maybe I can reach him.”

Orion is lying washed up on the beach. He sure looks dead! But an electric impulse floods through the cerebonic implant in his brain and he wakes up. Mark says that he’s picking up Orion’s brainwaves. The Wonder Dog of Space is on their wavelength, and he’s coming. And we’re back to the Old West music as Orion runs across the snow!

Orion arrives in record time, growling at the guard in front of the invisible shield.

“Atta boy, Orion! Let him know what will happen if he doesn’t do exactly as we tell him!” Mark orders.

“His bite is meaner than his bark. Open that invisible shield now!” the Commander threatens the terrified goon.

“Zoltar will never forgive me if I do that!” the goon protests.

“Orion will never forgive you if you don’t!” Mark replies, as Orion growls viciously.

The goon pulls the lever to open the shields, and suddenly the sun is rising in the mountains. And the Space Vulture is now on its way to one of Earth’s major cities. Zoltar says that this is Baxter’s last chance.

“Never!” Baxter replies. “And I don’t believe you’d stop that flying monster anyway!” Hey, he’s a smart guy! No wonder he’s a scientist!

The goons activate the Space Vulture, and for some reason Dr. Baxter puts on a pair of headphones. A countdown begins, and Zoltar smirks. But as they reach ‘1’…

“Orion, go!” shouts the G-Force Team as one, and they leap into the room. Orion knocks a goon to the ground, biting his arm. Then he runs over to Baxter.

The G-Force Team disappears. Nothing has happened. And suddenly, Zoltar is inexplicably running out of the room with his hands over his face!

“See that they don’t escape!” he says, in a calm voice that is at odds with his hands over his face.

Next, we see Zoltar at another set of controls, his hands over his face.

“Our guidance system isn’t working, and you let G-Force slip through our grasp!” he berates his goons. Although how G-Force managed this, we have no idea.

“Activate all Robot Snow Units, and pursue G-Force!” Zoltar orders.

As you might have guessed, the Robot Snow Units are the goon snowmobiles. They are chasing the Team!

In Mark’s sidecar, Dr. Baxter thanks the Commander for his rescue, saying that Zoltar was trying to learn the secret of the Solar Reflector.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, Doctor.” Mark replies. “The Phoenix is still a long way off.”

Princess notes that the robots are gaining on them… fast!

Did you hear that? It’s been confirmed. All of the goons on snowmobiles are robots. Not people.

Mark orders Princess to get to Orion and cover him if she can.

“Big ten, Commander!” she replies, pulling up alongside the Wonder Dog of Space.

The Robot Snow Units surround the Spacemobile.

“One robot… disconnected!” says Jason, as he bumps his car into a snowmobile, sending it flying and crashing into other cars. It looks like the drivers might have gotten hurt… but it’s okay, because they’re robots, remember?

“Lights out!” says Keyop, but he doesn’t do anything else.

Princess sees helicopters flying overhead with a net.

“So now it’s Robot Choppers!” she exclaims. She stands on the back of her Galcticycle and holds up her hand, which has a blade on it. She jumps through the air and cuts the net in half, then flies back down to her vehicle. But the Robot Choppers don’t seem to crash.

“Hang on!” shouts Mark, as Dr. Baxter’s sidecar drifts away. We don’t see why this is happening, and I’m left with the vague impression that Mark purposely disconnected from it.

A robot from a snowmobile jumps into Baxter’s sidecar, but Orion jumps in to help. We see Orion attack in silhouette only.

“Princess!” shouts Mark.

“Mark!” shouts Princess. “Catch!” she cries, throwing out her yo-yo. Mark catches it and does his hang gliding thing, rescuing Dr. Baxter in the process.

But Orion and the robot goon and the sidecar go over a cliff.

Mark calls Tiny in the Phoenix for a pickup.

Back in the Spectran Base, a goon tells Zoltar that the ‘Space Vulture is waiting’.

“Destroy the mountains and forest! Then give the vulture full power, and send it after the Phoenix!” Zoltar orders. “G-Force must not escape with Dr. Baxter!”

Um, if the top priority is not letting G-Force escape, then why are you going after the ‘mountains and forest’ first, Zoltar? For that matter, I’m confused as to why Zoltar would want to destroy mountains and forest to begin with.

The sun shines, and a beam extends down from the Space Vulture to the lake. Dr. Baxter is explaining to the Team that this is Zoltar’s newest weapon, and it can destroy whole cities. The only way to stop it is to force the Spectrans to overload their Radial Projectors.

The Space Vulture’s eyes light up, and lava runs down the mountains from the resulting beams.

“How exquisitely evil!” Zoltar cackles. “Now order the Vulture to attack the Phoenix! We must not fail!”

“The Vulture is out of control! All systems gone!” warns a goon.

“The crew has already abandoned it!” reports another.

How nice. Even the Spectrans are going to escape the destruction of their own ship.

The Space Vulture’s circuits are overloading. It can’t withstand the powerful laser thrust!

“Patch in the Servo Circuits!” Mark orders. “The giant Space Vulture is attacking Spectra Headquarters!”

Okay, I guess the thing really is out of control if it’s attacking its own headquarters, and while the G-Force Team watches, no less!

But Tiny shouts that he can’t change course, and they’re locked in the Projector Beam of the Space Vulture! Mark tells him to kick in the Emergency Power Boosters.

“It’s suffocating!” Princess says, as the Team struggles to make it through the Beam.

“Yeah, and this is the Arctic!” adds Mark.

“The Phoenix can’t take much more of this, Mark!” a strangely insubstantial Tiny says.

“The Thermostatic Regulators, Tiny!” insubstantial Mark orders. “Turn them on!”

Back on the Spectran base…

“It’s attacking our own base! Order the crew to abandon!” Zoltar cries.

And now it’s safe for us to see the base and the Space Vulture blow up.

We didn’t see Dr. Baxter fall, but he’s unconscious and in Mark’s arms once the Beam goes away. The Commander reports that he has the Doctor’s pulse.

“Are you all right, Doctor?” Mark asks, as Baxter opens his eyes. “That was quite a jolt. We barely got through!”

“Not much left but a pile of junk on the bottom of the lake!” Tiny says.

“And Zoltar didn’t get the plans to Dr. Baxter’s Solar MagnaReflector.” Mark adds.

“But poor Orion!” says Princess, bowing her head.

“Maybe his cerebonic superpowers pulled him through.” Mark says optimistically.

“He’s a great dog! I know he made it… somehow.” Baxter agrees.

“Dog hero!” Keyop broops as he cries.

__________________

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

I posted this episode for TJ, since she's away cruising through Europe...so she gets all the credit for this wonderful write up!

I always liked this ep as a kid, and I was terrified that Orion would die. I thought he might make a great mascot for the team...and I was actually relieved when Zark informed us that Orion was ok! LOL

Imagine my horror when I saw the Gatch ep for the first time...poor doggie...RIP

__________________

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

Great write, TJ! Thanks for the posting, Springie!

I think the writers missed the boat by having Ken interact with the dog more than Joe. However, I do like the irony of Jinpie being afraid of dogs, but all other animals are okay (and of course if the writers had taken full advantage of it, Joe being a near opposite -- stop every thing for the dog, but don't let other animals interfere with the mission). I'm thinking Joe must have had a puppy before his parents died and that Jinpie must have been bitten or horribly scared while he was at the orphanage.

__________________
Perspective Alters Reality

I stand corrected. I did forget that moment, but remembered earlier when he was giving Ryu such a hard time for aiding bambi.

__________________
Perspective Alters Reality

Hi all!

I did think of one other item of note regarding this episode. This was one of two Gatchaman episodes that kids in Japan got to see in movie theaters back in 1973.

You see, during the school breaks in the spring, summer, and winter, it is common for movie theaters in Japan to run films aimed at kids. In the 1970s, the Toho Company provided theaters with blocks of films under the banner "Toho Champion Festival." These feativals were made up of a collection of episodes from popular anime and live action kids shows that were airing on TV at that time, capped off by a revival showing of a Toho monster film (Edited down so that they ran about 60 minutes). These were a great way to keep kids busy for about 3 hours -- even longer if they stuck around to watch some of the shows again.

During the Toho Champion Festivals in the summer and winter of 1973, episodes from Gatchaman were included in the line up. The summer festival had episode #22, "The Firebird Versus the Fire-Eating Dragon," and the winter festival included this episode. The episodes weren't redone and altered in any way, except for deleting the next episode preview.

I can't help but think how lucky those kids were, getting the chance to see Gatchaman on the big screen...

James

Bwahahahaha...you are so right on with that comment, Barrdwing! Why didn't I think of that before!

__________________

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

Hi all!