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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
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Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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29-09-2009 23:36
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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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Hi all!
| quote: | | Going out on a limb here, and deducing that the Gatchafencer was 'inspired' by Voltron or some other anime series. |
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Well, Voltron (Or, more specifically, Go Lion and Dairugger XV, the two series that were used to create Voltron) weren't an inspiration for anything in Gatchaman Fighter, since they weren't produced until after Gatchaman Fighter had finished airing (1981 for Go Lion, 1982 for Dairugger XV).
Regardless, the notion of giant robots carrying swords goes back to at least Great Mazinger in 1974. From that point on, edged weapons of some sort (Swords, axes, and the like) became the norm for robots. For the first few years, these weapons were but one part of the arsenal used by the various robots, as the writers mixed things up so that the robots did not continually use one weapon to defeat their foes.
That pretty much changed once Combattler V came along in 1976. In that series, the number of times Combattler V defeated his enemies without using the Super Electromagnetic Spin can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Since the series was a success, that pattern was followed quite closely in subsequent robots series like Voltes V, Godsigma, and Albegas, as well as the aforementioned Go Lion and Dairugger XV. It didn't take too many years for the notion of a robot always winning his battles by using a powerful sword to become a cliche.
Now, I would suspect that much of this repetitious pattern is the fault of the sponsors, in particular the toy manufacturer Popy. They were a major sponsor on many of the robot series. In the first half of the 1970s, the main sponsors for these shows had the right to examine and approve the stories in the series that they were sponsoring, and they would make note of items in the stories that they would like to see changed so that the show would be more appealing to their target audience. The studios would usually try to modify things somewhat to make their sponsors happy, but the final say on things was still with the studios.
By the latter half of the 1970s, the economic situation had changed so that the studios really needed the support of their major sponsors, and the sponsors knew it. Being one of the biggest sponsors for these shows, Popy used their position to "request" that studios use designs that they wished to use for upcoming toy lines, and to "suggest" that certain elements be emphasized in the stories -- for example, having the robot use that shiny sword that came with the toy in every episode. The studios knew that they pretty much had to do what the sponsor wanted if they wanted to stay in business, even if it meant stifling their creativity, so those robots used those swords in every episode.
By the time that Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter were being produced, Tatsunoko was in the same situation that studios like Toei and Tokyo Movie Shinsha were in, where the sponsors were in the drivers seat. Popy wanted bird-themed vehicle toys for the series, so Tatsunoko complied, and probably used designs that were at least partially created by Popy. R2-D2 was popular, so Gatchaman II needed a cute, merchandisable robot too, so we got Pimer.
By the time we got to Gatchaman Fighter, Popy had apparently tired of the bird theme, but certainly liked Star Wars! They probably presented the Star Destroyer-inspired design of the Gatcha Spartan to Tatsunoko as a fait accompli. Star Wars is also the obvious influence for the Gatchaman Fencer (Not Gatchafencer, by the way), allowing Popy to release their very own light saber toy without having to pay 20th Century Fox a licensing fee!
Popy would also be the place I would lay the blame for the repetitious method by which the Iron Beasts were destroyed at the end of so many Gatchaman Fighter episodes. It's not that the Tatsunoko staff didn't want to do something different, or that they were inspired by what they were seeing every week in robot shows like Dartanius and Tryder G-7, it's that they were stuck in the same Popy-controlled trap that the staff of those other shows were in.
| quote: | | It's not good when the merchandizing gets in the way of everything else. |
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I agree wholeheartedly.
James
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01-10-2009 17:18
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Barrdwing
Exalted Member
I am a Zark.
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Registration Date: 11-08-2008
Posts: 232
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05-10-2009 02:26
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[SIZE=1]
Even as a kid, I could tell that those shows were only there to sell toys! Ugly toys, at that. What is it about the toy merchant connection that immediately drains a cartoon of anything resembling story development or innovation? Or, heaven forfend, character development? While it's true that some shows since then have managed to overcome that handicap and find a balance, most of the stuff I saw in the 80's was just awful. 
Yup, there are a lot of in-jokes in that story. I had fun . . . figured it would give folks a chuckle, and hopefully not earn too many of these 