Bad Birthday Party/Evildoing of the Emperor

When Golion was released in 2008, I remember one review I read complained that the main characters were all just archetypes (just look at their nicknames!).  I thought that was a strange thing to criticize--as long as whoever was doing to criticizing had been exposed to a fairly wide variety of anime.  Because most characters in anime are stock characters.  Male protagonist type A3 (young, sullen boy with mysterious, traumatic past) and female protagonist type B1 (cold, distant, but efficient young woman who gradually warms up to the protagonist over time).  Or, male protagonist type C2 (headstrong boy with prodigious piloting skills) and female protagonist type G7 (energetic, positive girl with unknown past).

I was having a conversation today with a friend who is newish to anime who was exclaiming that every anime he sees now has a character that's basically the same personality or character design as Misato from Evangelion.  Stock characters.  Plus, there's a principle of anime and manga, for which I forget the Japanese term, which is often translated as stable cast.  That's why all of the protagonists in Go Nagai's series look like Kouji Kabuto.  Or why there are so many series that aren't explicitly Super Sentai, but sure look like them (our very own Golion, Saint Saiya, Samurai Troopers Yoroiden).  And why the crews of Space Battleship Yamato and of the Rugger Guard (from Dairugger) all have the same hairstyles and facial types--except the captains.

Bad Birthday Party

This is one of my favorites.  It introduces a planet that comes back later in another of my favorites, we actually see for the first time that Zarkon has other planets in his dominion, and the Robeasts at the end are kinda neat-looking.

We open not on Planet Doom (for once!) but out in the electrical field surrounding the planet Nimon, where they make Nimonium.  We learn this from a voiceover posing as a message from planet Doom.  And we hear that tomorrow is Zarkon's birthday.  On the surface of Nimon, Doom soldiers and the human Prince Tabor (Zarkon's nephew) are driving the prisoners to complete a special project.

Two young slaves, Tal and Jai, begin complaining about the garbage brought as food to the starving slaves.  The two youths decide they need Voltron (which is millions of miles away on Arus--jeez, read a little astronomy--MILLIONS IS TOO NEAR!!!)

That night, the Doom soldiers are having a pre-party party.  Jai commandeers a Doom ship.  The guard captain sends a pursuit flight.  Jai is caught in a meteor shower as the ships open fire on him.  His stolen ship takes a few hits and crashlands on Arus--right in the moat surrounding Castle of Lions.  The team looks over him after the crash.

Prince Tabor is upset at the escape.  The guard captain has an idea about handling the situation.  He addresses the slaves, telling them that the escapee is dead.  On planet Doom, outside the castle, Zarkon reminds us that Nimon was conquered by him.  And he complains about his fool nephew who let someone escape who might bring Voltron.  Haggar suggests he torture 100 slaves for the one that escaped.  Zarkon then stands up, and the robots cheer.  And we get footage from the first episode.

In the Castle of Lions lounge, the team discusses their guest.  Lance says he looks like he might be one of the desert weirdos on Nimon.  Well, he doesn't say that, but he does comment on his turban and "funny" clothes.  Oh, the eighties.  At least he's not from Karbombya.  Keith announces the spaceship is from Zarkon.  They're all set to help his oppressed people.  Coran brings up a view of . . .a solar system?  And Nimon is . . . one of the neighboring planets?  Huh.

Jai enters the control room and is distraught that they may not rush out to help his people immediately.  Keith listens and shakes his head, in sympathy.  Allura seems swayed.

Zarkon arrives on Nimon with Yurak and Haggar--and he drove in style.  This is the first time he see his personal command ship.  He sees the statue Tabor has built in his honor.  The Doomites have a serious H.R. Giger influence.  Apparently, there are some lazy slaves pretending to be sick over whom Zarkon walks.  He threatens Tabor about the escaped slave.

The team drops into their shuttle bay.  Hunk is carrying Jai.  Keith drops in last, asks if they're ready.  Lance runs at him and throws a punch Keith catches.  He tells Lance to save his energy.  Then they launch and for Voltron.  The dynotherms sequence is a little off in this episode. 

They enter the meteor storm outside Nimon.  It's just another rock concert.  Ol' Volts gets klunked by a couple of meteors, but they activate thermoblasters (fire from the yellow lion) and melt their way through.

On Nimon, Zarkon is sitting on a throne overlooking the desert.  No, wait!  There are people buried up to their necks in the sand.  Zarkon says this is punishment for a slave's escape, and the robots will practice their swordsmanship.  Tal is among them.  However, Voltron makes it just in time to hack the statue of Zarkon apart and drop it in front of the robots.  Zarkon has Yurak . . . threaten Tabor with a sword.  Zarks, Haggar, and Yuri flee to the ship.  Voltron lands and . . . chases off the robots.  Jai and Tal then reunite.

Zarkon's ship lifts off.  Voltron pursues and strikes the thrusters.  Yurak, who's chilling with the guard captain, implores Haggar to do something.  Haggar launches a pair of robeasts who are supersized on the upper deck of the command ship.  They cross swords, and then the yellow and blue lions each bite one on the leg, causing them to tumble to the ground.  The robeasts get to their feet and throw their shields, which Voltron destroys with the blazing swords.  The green twin launches a missile at Voltron,which knocks him off balance.  The twins chase Voltron as he crawls on the ground, stabbing at him in a pretty cool sequence.  Voltron then takes the high ground and dispatches the robeasts (did I use the right dispatch?  Or is it despatch?)  Then Voltron poses on the pedastal formerly occupied Zarkon's statue while the people of Nimon cheer.  Then he flies back to Arus.

Evildoing of the Emperor

No "Voice of Doom" relaying a message to a planet here.  Just tense music and the narrator introducing us to planet Jarre (on the edge of the Great Dark Nebula).  We see a Galra base, a landing field with a Rooster Frigate, and a statue of Daibazaal.  We discover the people of Jarre are being whipped into building a monument to Daibazaal.  A slave passes out, begging for water.  The gaurd commander puts him in his place.  He has a few words with the Viceroy, who is apparently a puppet ruler native to Jarre.

Near sunset, the people of Jarre are scrabbling over a few drops of water when Galra guards bring a trough of bones and rotting flesh.  From other dead Jarriens.  Two youths plot to escape and bring Golion to Jarre.

That night, Galra troops enjoy some revelry--and native women--in a building that looks like a xenomorph hive.  The youth makes it past guards to a ship and escapes.  The ship is not identical to the one Lisa used when she tried to pose as a Galra-escapee, but close enough in basic layout that I like the way we have a general Galran design philosophy.  The kid (whose name I missed) gets beyond the rings of Jarre, but is then shot down by the Galra fighters.  The team finds him facedown in the moat.

The viceroy and guard commander discuss how to best deal with the situation.  On Galra, Daibazaal's troops are apparently wishing him happy birthday.  He is happy the viceroy is done preparing his monument--but Honerva dismisses him as a sycophant.

In Castle Gradam, the boy want to take Hys' cooking back to Jarre with him.  Fala assures him that Golion will go help, but Kogane says Golion can't make the journey to Jarre.  Jarre is the closest planet to Altea--but the boundary zone of the Great Dark Nebula is full of Galra's bizarre energy, preventing them from flying.  The boy makes an impassioned plea.  Fala vows to go, even if alone.  All but Kogane go with her.

Daibazaal's ship is a pretty slick design, I think.  It's got the skull motif and looks more . . . robust than the chicken ship.  Daibazaal is celebrating his 500th birthday--and the viceroy sets it up to he walks across the back of Jarriens.  This is the Chinese folktale monarch I enjoy watching.  He is displeased that these vermin have built his monument, and vows to dispose of them in an entertaining way.

This time, Kurogane takes a swing at Kogane 'cuz they think that he's going to try to stop them--however, he says he's outvoted 4 to 1.  And they launch the lions and form Golion.  The elevator version of the main theme accompanies all the gattaiing.  They fight their way through the Galra Uncanny Energy Field .  They go feet first (that's actually what Kogane says) using Grand Fire.

Same thing, the slaves are buried, soldiers will behead them.  Daibazaal offers fresh liver and thigh meat to the one who cuts the most heads.

Golion appears, and Sadak executes the viceroy.  The boy brings a package of food to his friend.

The Beastmen are named Twin Titan.  I like the photo-negative design they have using the red and green. This is overall a pretty good fight.  When he's struggling to his feet, Golion lops the hand off the green Titan.  Then takes the high ground and they're both history.

This episode is something of a departure from the formula.  It's the first we see of the Galra empire in the rest of the Great Dark Nebula.  And it looks like a real empire, to an extent.  There are Vichy governments who've capitulated to the tyrant for their own personal gain, etc.  What's also interesting about this episode is that, well, Galra has twice sent agents to Altea posing as someone else.  And yet, they seem to take the high road and initially take the boy at his word.  Fortunately, it turns out that he was actually an ally.  And the whole Voltron thing that the super robot is only for defense, never for attack.  Nope.  Not in Japan!  In the episodes where Raible resists taking him off the planet, it's because it leaves Altea open to attack.  But this episode is also the first in which Altea begins to make allies among other planets subjugated by Daibazaal.  That, to me, seems to be a major theme by the end of the series.