Gatchaman Episode 81 – Duel on Galactor Island

Sorry this posting is a little late. Madhouse going on at home this week.. and next... so not so much internet time.

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Gatchaman Episode 81 – Duel on Galactor Island



We see a set of ornately scrolled iron gates, amongst trees and flowers. A strangely dressed man approaches, looking through the gate.



Is he hip? Is he hot? Is he happening? Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these are the ‘in’ clothes on BC Island! (Oops, sorry if I gave the episode’s locale away. It’s in the title, after all.)



Frankly, the golf cap is what has me !

The man opens the gate, which is unlocked, walking inside. This is revealed to be a cemetery. The man approaches one of the graves and kneels down to examine it.



“May the spirits of Giuseppe Asakura, and his wife Katerina, rest in peace forever.” the man says. His voice is familiar, but not the tone, which is reverent and hushed, befitting the setting.



The man sits on the ground, and appears lost in thought. He doesn’t hear a man approaching from behind until he calls out.



“Are you a relative, young one?”

The person asking the question is an old man with a cane. In a bizarre way, the silhouette of his hair and hat remind me of Gel Sadra in Gatchaman II.



“No.” the man says quickly, standing up. “Looks like this isn’t the grave I’m looking for.” He waves his hand, using the force, and the old man wanders off, looking for droids.

Oops, sorry, wrong universe…

In fact, the man doesn’t wander off, but quickly flips his cane around. It’s clear that there’s a camera lens in the handle, and we hear a ‘snapshot’ sound.

“I feel sorry for the guy under this grave.” the old man says, moving closer now that he has his evidence. “He was a big boss in Galactor who ruled the Island here ten years ago, but he was assassinated.” The young man seems surprised to hear this.



The old man smirks to himself.

“Even a big Galactor boss like him met a pathetic end, and now it’s been ten years since his death, but no one has ever visited to put flowers on his grave.” the old man observes. “Fate meant for you to stop by. Won’t you leave some flowers on the grave, Sir?” But the young man is walking away.

“Sorry, but it’s really none of my business.” the young man lies.

As he exits the graveyard, we see that the old man’s cane has a communications device installed as well. He begins to use it.

“This is 707 on BC Island.” he says. “A suspicious-looking man just showed up at the gravesite.”



“Understood.” replies an unfamiliar voice. “Send pictures of his face to Headquarters right away.” As we hear these orders, we see the strangely-dressed young man getting into a blue car.

“All right. I put a tracer on his car as well.” 707 agrees.

“Stand by until you hear from us again.” the voice orders. “Over and out.” The old man removes the film from his cane. Yes, it’s such a high tech cane that it has a roll of film!



I imagine that if they were making this episode today, 707 would be uploading the pictures immediately to Galactor Archives Traitor Wiki.

“Just who is that guy?” the old man wonders.

Now we see snowy mountaintops, and the narrator fills us in.

“A microfilm taken by the gravekeeper was immediately sent to an anxiously awaiting Berg Katse.” We can now see a lake within the snowy mountains, and a home sitting on the shores of the lake. It looks a lot like the house in which a kidnapped Rumi Borombo was held… but I thought that building had been destroyed?



“So, a mystery man!” Katse says, turning.



“Yes, Sire!” reports a goon. “707 on BC Island has just transmitted us a photo of him.”



Katse examines the photo.



Check out that stylin’ ascot! I’ll bet Katse is jealous of this man’s style. Now I know where they got the inspiration for OAV Nambu!

“Hmmm… this man looks just like Giuseppe Asakura.” Katse notes.



“And that’s what’s strange. I thought he didn’t have any surviving family members, my Lord.” the goon replies.



“You’re right, he shouldn’t.” Katse answers. “Ten years ago, both his wife and only child were killed by Galactor.”



“So could he have been a tourist who just happened to be walking by?” the goon wonders.

“No, I doubt that. It’s obvious this man is disguising himself, and he’s not doing a very good job of it, either.” Katse smirks. And Katse should know, being the master of disguises!

“Ah… how did you figure that out?” asks the astounded goon.

“I’d be back at the car wash if I couldn’t figure that one out, Melvin.” Katse sneers. “Disguises are my specialty!” The subs say ‘Wearing disguises is my specialty. I’d be ashamed if I couldn’t figure that out.’ While that gives more character to Katse, I think I prefer the humor in ADV’s line.

“I confirmed the death of Giuseppe and his wife myself, but never saw the child’s body.” Katse says, walking out onto a balcony and staring at the snowy mountains.



“Sire, if I’m correct, 705, who’s the current Mayor of BC Island, confirmed the body of the child.” Melvin offers.

“Hmm… what does this mean?” Katse wonders. “All right, I’ll go to BC Island too. I’d like to ask 705 in detail about what happened back then.” Katse decides. All I can say is, Giuseppe Asakura must have been important for Katse to concern himself with this matter directly.

Now we see a peaceful-looking island.

“BC Island is so small that you can drive its perimeter in three hours.” the narrator tells us. “It’s famous as a summer retreat with a ‘summer island atmosphere’, but beneath that veneer, it’s an island of evil under the total control of Galactor.” And sure enough, we see an evil-looking pink sports car zooming toward a city. Could it be the car of Galactor’s ‘Lady Commander’? She’s going riding on the Freeway of Love in a pink Cadillac…



“Also known as…” dun dun dun…” Galactor Island.” the narrator finishes.

Sure enough, the pink sports car pulls up to a red carpet, and men come rushing out to greet it. The driver steps out… and it’s Katse! Driving a pink car… I think that’s a hint! (says sexist me… )



Katse walks right into the building and into a conference room with an incredibly long table. At one end is seated a man who is presumably 705, the Mayor of BC Island.

“Thank you so much for coming, Lord Katse!” 705 says.

“Mayor, I understand you were the one who reported the death of Giuseppe’s child, are you not?” Katse gets right down to business.



“That is correct, Lord Katse.” 705 says, bowing. This is quite an accomplishment, since he’s still sitting down.

“You’re absolutely sure?” Katse asks smoothly, sitting down himself at the other end of the incredibly long conference table.

“Yes, Sire!” the man answers calmly, but he’s sweating bullets. “A medical doctor was present at the time and confirmed the death.”



“What medical doctor? Are you telling me the child died at a hospital?” Katse asks sharply.



“Yes, Sire.” 705 confirms. “You ordered us to assassinate Giuseppe for betraying Galactor, along with all of his family members. And following those orders to the letter, we shot Giuseppe and his wife to death on the beach, and blasted their child with a bomb! But the child was still alive, and just as we were about to finish him off, people heard the commotion and started gathering round. Right then, a traveling scientist, who claimed to be a licensed doctor, came upon the scene and took George to the hospital.”

We see a few flashbacks of a Devilstar arm about to shoot, and then an image of the doctor carrying the child.



Hmmm… that’s a familiar color of suit jacket…

“That man examined the child?” Katse questions.

“Yes, Sire.” 705 responds hastily. “And a week later, George died.”

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A goon whistles and even more men come running. The young man hides, and the goons go past.



I love the reflection of the goons in this shot!



The goons leave, and now we see that the man is in an empty room that looks like it hasn’t been use in a long time. A sagging punching bag hangs from the ceiling. The young man walks over and grabs its chain. Dust falls off.

“Nothing’s changed. Everything is just like it was, ten years ago.” the man notes.



He punches the bag experimentally, and more dust comes flying out.

“I knew you’d come here.” says a voice, startling the man.



“George Asakura… a.k.a. ‘Bad Boy Joe’.” It’s the priest from the steps.



And yes, in case you hadn’t already figured it out, he has just confirmed that this hip and happening young man is actually Joe!

“I’ve been waiting for you. Don’t you recognize me, George?” the priest asks. “It’s me, Alan! The same kid who used to punch that bag with you! Never thought I would, but I always hoped to see you again.”

Joe turns away, without answering.

“Officially you’re dead, you even have a grave at the public burial ground, but I always believed you were alive out there, somewhere.” Alan keeps talking. “Galactor dug up your grave just recently. All they found was a coffin weighted with a bunch of rocks, which is as much as I expected all along.”

Wait a freaking minute here! How long has Joe been on this island? Galactor dug up the grave ‘just recently’? That makes it sound like it was days ago, not just hours ago! Wow…

The hip and happening young man removes his hip and happening clothes…



And indeed, it is Joe!



“Giorgi!” Alan shouts.

“Hi Al.” Joe replies.



I get the feeling that some of the conversation was cut, because suddenly both men are going outside.

“The Maguey blooms only once every fifty years, and it’s bloomed this year.” Alan says, indicating one of the flowers nearby. “It’s a sign of hope people call the ‘Century Plant’, but I can’t shake this ominous feeling.”



Perhaps the ominous feeling Alan can’t shake is that a ‘century plant’ should bloom every hundred years, while this one blooms every fifty…

“Well look where you’re living, Alan!” Joe replies. “This island is the Devil’s land.”

“Right after you disappeared, I was saved by a priest from a church.” Alan reveals. “He took me in and I started going to school. Now I’ve taken his job as the church’s priest.”

“Yeah? I’m really impressed.” Joe says.



“I’ve been working hard so that the kids on this island won’t end up like we once were: stealing, setting fires and fighting… all those past doings are things I’m ashamed just to remember.” Still, it says a lot for his friendship with Joe that Alan is happy to see him, despite those memories.

“I guess we made our share of trouble back then, huh?” Joe notes.



“We used to use this rundown building as our hangout.” Alan recalls. And on that mournful note, we have a commercial break. Solid Gold Ken certainly stands out on BC Island!

When we return, Joe and Alan are still talking.

“So, George, what’s brought you back?” Alan asks.

“I came to visit my parents’ gravesites.” Joe reveals.



“Is that really all, then?” Alan wants to know. “Are you sure you didn’t come back to get revenge for your parents, George?”

Joe doesn’t answer.

“If that’s the reason, then please, don’t go through with it.” Alan asks quietly. His words seem to have an impact on Joe.



But then Joe notices some Galactors running through the Maguey.



“Just leave the island!” Alan goes on, unaware of the danger. “I don’t know what you’ve been doing all these years, but it’s no use fighting Galactor in this town by yourself. Even the Mayor and police are corrupt here.”



“It’s too late.” Joe replies. “They already don’t mean to let me leave this island alive.” He runs off, leaving a startled Alan behind.

“George!” Alan calls.



As soon as Joe gets down the hill, the Galactors are shooting. I guess they heard Alan calling him ‘George’? After all, Joe isn’t wearing his hip and happening clothes anymore.

Joe dives behind a Maguey plant to avoid the gunfire, then comes leaping out.



Needless to say, the goons are taken by surprise.





After the quick, ugly fight, Alan approaches.



“Look, I’m glad I got to see you again, Alan, now take care!” Joe says, before running off.

“George, come to the church if you need help!” Alan calls after him.

“Meanwhile, at Crescent Coral Base…” the narrator fills in, “Ken told Dr. Nambu about Joe’s past, which he learned while diving in the Marine Satan.” Yep, we’re connecting back to yet another earlier episode. Neat, innit?

“I see. How could I have been so blind?” Nambu berates himself.

“That’s just wild! Joe’s a child of our worst enemy!” Jinpei exclaims.



“Jinpei, Joe’s our friend!” Ken berates him. “His parents are his parents. Enough said, all right?” And Ken should know, having a less-than-perfect dead parent of his own.

“Well I know that! I didn’t mean it in a bad way!” Jinpei retorts.



“That must have been really tough on Joe.” Ryu empathizes.



“I visited BC Island ten years ago, on the way back from attending an academic conference.” Nambu adds in his part of the story. “That’s when I found out about the existence of Galactor, because they were after Joe’s life, so I took him off the island.”

“He went back to the island!” Jun is horrified.



“Exactly.” Ken agrees, turning to Nambu. “I think so too. What do you think?”



“I think we need to take this opportunity to crush BC Island and its Galactor training facilities.” Nambu declares. “Science Ninja Team, move out! Prepare to launch the God Phoenix!”

“Roger!”



Of course, by this time, goons are shooting at Joe from every which way.



Joe hides behind barrels. One is hit by a bullet, and fuel comes out. Joe turns over the barrel, rolling it into the building where the goons are hiding, out. He shoots it, and it explodes, taking out the Galactors.





I thought they disproved that on Mythbusters?

Cut from BOTP:



Oh, wait… this entire episode was cut from BOTP. It never made it into the run. And it wasn’t part of G-Force either.

Joe hides behind a building and prepares for the next attack.



But he only has one bullet remaining in his revolver.

“Guess I’ll save the last bullet for someone special.” he smirks. Oh, Joe, how romantic!



“Joe didn’t think he could destroy the organization on BC Island alone,” the narrator reveals, as Joe walks away, “but he knew that it was his fate to keep on fighting until the day when all of his haunting memories could vanish into the past.”

Sure enough, goons are watching Joe walk through the marketplace.



But they don’t go unnoticed.



Joe dives behind a table, and the grenade misses him. Civilians passing by aren’t so lucky. Next thing we know, Joe is running.

“Damn it!” he swears.

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Jinpei, Jun and Ryu burst in, their belt buckles reversed by the morning sun!



And there’s a big fight inside the church!





Goons are ready…



But Ryu takes care of it.



Ken does his own fancy moves.





When all of the goons are down, the Team surrounds Joe.



“Joe!” Ken calls.

“He’s bleeding badly, Ken. We’ve got to get him help!” Jun says tearfully.

“Leave me alone…” Joe mutters. “The blood I’m bleeding now is Galactor blood that’s been stagnating inside my body, and I want to bleed all of it out, so I can be clean at last.”



No one notices Alan entering the church.

“Joe…” Jinpei says mournfully.



Alan has picked up one of the rifles from one of the dead goons.

“Which one of you is Joe?” he demands.



Everyone is startled.



“You must be the Science Ninja Team. I want to know which one of you is known as Joe the Condor.” Alan says angrily. “Spit it out! I want to know which one of you dregs of humanity murdered my precious fiancé!”

“Alan, no! Alan!” Joe calls out.



“Maybe you were right, George!” Alan says. “Seeing you crazed with a thirst for revenge set my hatred on fire!”

“Alan!” Joe calls, getting up, despite his wounds.



But Ken stands up and blocks Joe’s move.

“I’m Condor Joe. What do you mean to do to me, Preacher?” he lies.

“Kill you…” Alan growls, cocking the gun.



“No, Alan, don’t!” Joe shouts.



A shot rings out… but it is Alan who falls.



And it is Joe who is the shooter… with his last bullet that he ‘saved for someone special’.



“Alan, I…” Joe can’t believe what he has done. “Why… with only one bullet in my revolver… why did I have to use it against you, Alan? God, Alan, why?”

“Joe,” Ken says, retrieving the gun, “it looks like this priest knew who Joe the Condor was. You see, this rifle doesn’t have any ammo in it.”



Joe can’t believe what he’s hearing. He killed his friend for nothing!



“You idiot!” he yells. “What does your death accomplish? You’re not like me; this island needs you! Were you just trying to convince me to forget about revenge, even at the cost of your own life? Why did you do it? Al!”



And the funeral march plays as we pan out on this terrible scene.



“The funeral service for Father Alan was a somber, but well-attended affair.” the narrator reveals. “Islanders who had feared Galactor up until then stood up bravely and flocked to the church.”

“Look at those people down there, Joe.” Ken says. “Father Alan’s efforts weren’t meaningless. By the time those kids grow up, Galactor will be gone from this island.”



“Why, Alan? What made you pick up the gun?” Joe asks himself. “I don’t get it!”



“I don’t know. We may never understand.” Ken bows his head. “Was it because he found out that Joe the Condor, the one who killed his fiancé, turned out to be his childhood friend? Or was he trying to tell us that the fight we say is for justice can also be unforgiveable and meaningless?”

At this same time, 705 is reporting to Katse.

“Yes, Sire, please accept my deepest apologies.” the Mayor is saying into his phone. “I will take complete responsibility for this.”

The God Phoenix takes off, and as it does, we can see that the Mayor has taken his own life.



The happy shupa trumpet music plays, but it doesn’t feel right for this episode, somehow.

The death of Father Alan was a jolting shock to the Science Ninja Team. It taught them the difficulty of fighting in the name of justice, and taught Joe the emptiness of revenge.

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Great write up TJ. I'm wondering if Alan may have been an Episipalian (sp?) priest. They are very similar to Catholics, except I believe that they can marry and I do believe they allow women into the priesthood, too.

Or it doesn't say when Alan took his vows, it might have been after his fiancee died.

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Perspective Alters Reality

You've done a marvelous recap on such an important episode, packed with so much information, TJ! I sincerely wish to join Nuni in expressing my gratitude for your continuous effort.

This episode is one during which I could feel that sense of macabre anxiety when watching it ... the same kind of sense I feel when watching a mafia-related movie! The screenshot displaying the Mayor's dangling hand after committing suicide describes exactly this thought!

UW ... I agree with your assumption. Catholic priests' ordination does, generally, take longer to be attained. They generally reach this goal in their early thirties, assuming they start their studies early. Taking into consideration that Alan must have had the same age of Joe, this theory is surely not one that could fit well in the story. At least, also as far as my knowledge. So, I also agree with TJ that there must have been some lack of knowledge about Christianity. Looking over this fact, I also like the idea that Alan decided to take his vows after the death of his fiancee.

TJ ... LB's fic, "Children of Galactor", was the first thing that came to my mind when remembering this episode, too! She has done a wonderful job in entwining the three interlinking characters, that is Joe, Alan and the Devilstar, and come out with more than plausible explanations!

What I also like is the continuity of the story, and the referrals, between episodes. The writers have done an awesome job with the plot. They seemed to know well where they were going, envisaging the final bunch of episodes.

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

Great recap, TJ, and thanks for plugging my fic!

My solution to the "why would a 'priest' (presumably therefore Roman Catholic) have a fiance?" and "isn't he awfully young to be a priest?" problems was to turn Alan into a Protestant and ignore the implications of the word "priest" (like you, I assumed some possible unfamiliarity with the nuances of Christian clerical terminology on the writers' part). "Priest" is used in the Anglican/Episcopalian church, but I've always gone with the assumption that BC Island is in the vicinity of Italy, so there likely wouldn't be too many Anglicans around. In the end, I went with the church being Waldensian -a branch of Protestantism going back several centuries in Italy (with a tradition of lay preachers).

( http://www.chiesavaldese.org/eng/indexen.php )

In an area where Roman Catholicism would, presumably, be prevalent, it would also explain why the Mayor says "that church never really fit in here anyway."

I probably thought too much about this. (Can you tell my main history field was Reformation Europe?)

If I had to weed the whole first series down to 20 not-to-be-missed episodes, this would be one of them! The subbed version is on youtube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2RK02VAj8c

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