Features:
Description:
The early anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-74) aired in the U.S. in two very different versions: much of the violence was excised and the comic Artoo-Detoo-esque robot 7-Zark-7 added to Battle of the Planets (syndication, 1978); the darker G-Force (Turner Broadcasting, 1986) was closer in tone to the original Gatchaman. All three series depict the adventures of five teenagers incongruously clad in bird suits. Gatchaman is set on Earth; Planets supposedly takes place in outer space, but the geography, animals, and cities are still Earth's. The stories diverge significantly: in episode 5 of Gatchaman, the main characters are saved from enemy flying saucers by the mysterious "Red Impulse," who announces, "We will meet again." In Battle, they're saved by "fighters from Mir," but they still get credit for defeating the "renegade aliens." Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and up: Violence in Gatchaman and G-Force; profanity in Gatchaman. --Charles Solomon
|
