Ambush At Jupiter

Ambush at Jupiter
Here we go, on to season 2 of Star Blazers.  They even updated the theme song!

It's been a year since the Cosmo DNA rejuvenated the Earth.  But a new threat approaches.  A comet that devours every natural satellite it encounters--it's the home of the Comet empire.  We see carriers deploying fighters as ground installations fight back.  Are these ground installations on Earth?  Or some other target planet?  Must be a different planet, as a mushroom cloud wipes out the place.

The comet emperor Zordar and his daughter Invidia drule drool over the renewed Earth.  Zordar and his nobles? Commanders?  Whoever--plot to invade Earth.  Then Desslok arrives and Zordar greets him warmly.  Desslok quizzes--oh, they're generals--on their strategy.  The General outlines their plan.  There are several forces deployed, one moving in to Earth, one disrupting Earth's energy.  They even have a couple divisions in reserve for Desslok to command.

Desslok tells them they've overlooked the Star Force.  The Comet Empire doesn't consider the Star Force a credible threat, and point out that even the Earth government doesn't believe in the usefulness of the Star Force.  Desslok warns them . . .

The Argo is out on patrol at the edge of the solar system as mining and energy installations are being established throughout the planets.  Wildstar is in command of the Argo, and is approaching Earth after a year on patrol.  Homer teases Wildstar about Nova, who is working at a hospital on Earth.

We go live, to Nova at the hospital.  And, IQ 9 is there.  And his head falls off.  Nova gazes out a window as the robot leaves, and we get a neat transition from Earth sky to Argo flyby.

Wildstar's radar operator picks up three UFOs.  Wildstar starts to dismiss them as cargo ships, but they're unrecognizable.  Wildstar orders Homer to get updates from Earth.  Their transmissions are . . . jammed!

The Comet Empire ships launch missiles at the rear guard ships.  The damaged escort ship tells Wildstar that they'll land for repairs.  The enemy ships fire on the Argo.  Wildstar rushes to the hangar and launches in his fighter.  Hello, hotblooded hero.  It's been a while.

Wildstar engages two of the ships (they look like horseshoe crabs).  The speed of the enemy ships impresses Wildstar--then Homer calls him back--their energy systems are overloading.

Two Comet Generals discuss this energy overload.  And gloat.  And they mock Desslok.

The Argo crew is attempting to stop the energy overload.  Sandor calls from Earth, telling them to cut off power transmission--but it's not coming from Earth.  Sandor resorts to physically cutting the receptor circuits.  Then IQ 9 arrives and his head falls off again.  Urgh.

Sandor's men had picked up a transmission just before the power surge.  Nova is concerned that it's affecting ships in space.  Like Derek on the Argo.

Wildstar and Homer wonder about the planes, the damage, and the power surge.  They resolve to return to Earth.

The comet empire discusses the source of the transmission--a client planet was trying to warn Earth.  Zordar dismisses the threat/  Desslok speculates that the Star Force will launch a rescue mission, and Zordar places him in charge of the operation against the Argo.

The Argo approaches the Earth, but the pilot . . .  can't find a parking spot.  Or get ahlod of ground control.  Then another ship appears on their radar--a new Earth ship.  Wildstar has Homer warn them out of the Argo's way, but the radio is still out.

I think these ships made the colonizing trip to Glorie from Libertie.  The captain of the new ship calls the Argo a tub.  This turns into a game of chicken.  Argo has the right-of-way, but the new ship doesn't want to lose their test results.  And the captain freaks out when he realizes Wildstar is in charge.  The Argo holds its course.  The two ships just barely miss each other.  Homer reports that they've lost two coats of paint.  The two crews relax, and Wildstar loses his mind and starts laughing.  The rest of the bridge crew joins in.

On Earth, Sandor repairs IQ 9, who leaves for a date with a lady robot.  The Argo prepares to land.  But, the message they've received will . . . do things.  To other things.

Look forward to it!

The Battle at Pluto

So, here goes Star Blazers.  I'm kind of excited about watching this for the first time.

The Battle at Pluto

Damn, that's a catchy theme song.  There's something about the 70's . . .  I will admit to having a preference for the 70's/early 80's art style over, oh, say 1990 to now.  Blame Tranzor Z (which I definitely drew imitations of far more than Voltron--probably 'cuz it was easier to imitate that Volts or Robotech.  Anyway.

Captain Avatar (I'm gonna primarily use the SB names over SBSY.  'Cuz I'm a lazy American) laments the decay of Earth, and the narrator takes it from there, explaning that the Gamilons are bombarding Earth with radiation bombs, and the Earth population has sought refuge underground.  Now, Captain Avatar is commanding the lone defense force remaining at the orbit of Pluto.

The radar operator picks up the approaching Gamilon fleet: battleships, destroyers, and escorts.  Avatar watches out the bridge windows as the Gamilons close in.  He orders battle stations, and artillery to standby.  The Gamilons transmit an order to surrender.  Avatar responds that they're idiots.  Artillery ranges in . . .

The Gamilon fire a beam barrage the just misses.  Avatar orders his men to fire--it's a direct hit, but damage is negligible.  The return attack from the Gamilons cuts Avatar's fleet to little molten bits. 

An unidentified craft at very high speed zooms in from beyond the solar system and closes on Mars.

On Mars, two soldiers are sent to investigate the craft, which ejects a capsule before crashing.  Derek Wildstar and his companion receive the order to investigate.  They take a kinda neat-looking shuttle or fighter (oh, his companion's name is Venture) and find the wreckage of the unknown ship.  Wildstar's piloting bothers Venture/  They explore the wreck, then Wildstar sees a woman collapsed on the Martian surface.  Wildstar picks up her body, and she drops a red device. 

Back at Pluto's orbit, Avatar's fleet is quickly being reduced to nothing.  A missile ship closes on a Gamilon ship fires and . . . scores a kill.  Alex Wildstar, the CO of missile ship 17 sees the damaged flagship.  Aboard it, Avatar asks after the status of the rest of the fleet.  Just their ship, and the missile ship.  Avatar orders the retreat--better to live to fight another day.  His ship peels off, and he orders Wildstar to follow him.  Wildstar takes his missile ship to hold off the Gamilons against Avatar's orders.

Missile ship 17 is surrounded by Gamilon ships and pounded by beam weapons, launching missiles all the while.  Then it explodes dramatically.

On Mars, Venture and Wildstar are ordered to board Avatar's returning ship and take it back to Mars.  They dock with Venture's ship, bringing the red device with them.  Derek is dismayed that there are no other ships, not even his brothers.

Avatar broods on the Gamilon threat.  His ship returns to an underground landing bay.  Wildstar and Venture debark and take an elevator, discussing the progressive radiation poisoning of Earth.  Venture gives Wildstar his sympathy over his brother's death.  Leaving the elevator, they find Avatar, and Wildstar introduces himself, and then accuses Avatar of leaving Alex behind.  Avatar apologizes, then leaves.

The two take a flying car through a tube and are still discussing Avatar and Alex.  Then they take an escalator to headquarters, and a scientist identifies the device as a message capsule.  Leaving the lab, they walk past a woman who apparently resembles the woman they found on Mars.  They ogle her unabashedly.  Then the doctor runs down the hall trying to wrangle a pig.  The doctor identifies her as Nova, a nurse.  Then a robot appears, tells them that the weirdo is Dr. Zane.

Captain Avatar is recovering in his hospital bed when he gets a call that the message found on Mars has been analyzed.  The robot eavesdrops.

Nova sees Wildstar moping in the rec room.  Venture tells her about his brother, then the robot appears, chases Nova out of the room, and tells them the message has been analyzed.

The message is from Starsha, from the planet Iscandar.  She has sent plans for the wave motion engine, that will enable them to jump to Iscandar, and she can give them the Cosmo DNA that will restore Earth to its pre-radiation self.

Avatar is planning to take a ship using the engine when a Gamilon force approaches the wreckage of the battleship Yamato.  Wildstar and Venture commandeer a fighter to confront the Gamilons/  They also speculate on the importance of the Yamato . . .  They attempt to engage the Gamilon scoutship, but their engines overheat and they crashland.  They see the ruins of the Yamato and wonder why such a rusting hulk is so important.  So does the narrator . . .

Did anyone else think certain aspects of the underground civilization of Earth think it resembled Galveston's underground cities?  Particularly the yellow aircar and the tube highway?

Space Explorers Captured/Escape From Demon Castle

I'm going to combine the commentary and analysis, for the most part.

Space Explorers Captured

Our heroes approach planet Arus, under attack by Zarkon.  Only, they're not our heroes.  They're the Vehicle Voltron Air Team.  Yeah, I said I wouldn't discuss the obvious changes, but this is different.  I remember from a few interviews with the World Events Productions staff that they were initially going to tie the two (or three) Voltrons together more tightly, but ultimately gave up early on and just did all Lion episodes, and then all Vehicle episodes.  That may have been because the Vehicle episodes got too complicated to realistically complete on time--I'll discuss my thoughts on that when we get to them (errant sun/lost asteroid belt/nuclon waste--WHY IS PLANET DRULE EXPLODING?!?!?!?!).

Anyway.  Scenes from later episodes, Dairugger, and the actually destruction of Earth all edited together to make our five space explorers approach Arus (where all the people are safe in their underground shelters!) and get captured by Yurak.  And his robots.

(I'll get this out of my system, honest).

Ah, the "danger approaching" music.  I'm pretty sure I hummed Voltron's background music until my early teens.  No wonder I didn't date until college.

Now, Galaxy Garrison.  Two Voltrons, woven together.  Until it got too hard.

Galaxy Garrison discusses the Voltron Force, and now Yurak's slave ship (did he switch from his Black Rooster of Death ship to the Skull Galley?  har har, I know.  Edits).  Every know the Voltron Force here.  And what they're there for.  I accepted that as a seven-year-old.  It seems a bit odd now.

They introduce Zarkon, Haggar, and the arena now. Whenever I hear Jack Angel (Zarkon) in any other 80s cartoon role, I laugh, because I can only think of Zarkon.  And Astrotrain.

This introduction of Zarkon isn't quite the mockery I remember.  He's far more bumbling as the series continues, but he seems pretty ruthless here.  And Yurak--NOT QUITE whipping and stabbing slaves.  The slaves are driven into the arena, and, um, real bad hurt by the Blue Robeast.  Then Zarkon calls for the Space Explorers, who discuss escape plans.  And their Zarkonian slave tattoos.

Pidge jumps abou 30 feet to a window, looks down at the Robeast eating bone soup.  "Put the bones in a bone-bag."  They discuss ways to escape, and Lance is a jerk to everyone.

Zarkon sure is set on having them fight the Robeast, like NOW.  And then, guards come to check on them, see they're sleeping, and . . . move on?  Let them rest, so they fight better?  Um, the Doom gladiator gig is a lot more easy-going than some outfits I've been in!!

Of course, they're not asleep, their sneaking.  Sneaking their way out the window, to take the Doom vulture express.  It is nice of Castle Doom facilities management to leave rocks and ropes just hanging around the dungeon. They bend the bars, get out, and Hunk is afraid of heights.  Well, him and Silverbolt (leader of the Arielbots).  Was this a weird 80s character-flaw thing?

And, they catch vultures and reach the ground.  Which is a pile of bones.  The most they explicitely say about being on a carpet of human/alien remains is Keith's "I sure hate to think what this place means."

They make it to the lightly guarded spaceport ("Daddy, why is that robot yawning?"  "Shaddup and get back under the house.  Why are you watching this trash!"
Robot guards attack them with throwing swords.  And then with slashin' swords.  But are no match for Galaxy Garrison hand-to-hand combat training.

They get to the bridge (?), or cockpit (?), or driver's seat of the Doom slave galley.  And it's apparently fusion powered.  And they intentionally ram Castle Doom.  Which Zarkon thinks is a bomb.  Well, he's starting to be bumbling.

Yurak takes off in the Assault Rooster of Doom (honestly, I kind of like these ship designs, but this thing has a comb!).

The Assault Rooster bombards the slave ship.  They start to tumble off course before returning fire, to no avail. They plummet through a space-thunderstorm, and get blown away by a lightning bolt.  The burning ship falls toward a planet until a tunnel of light stops their fall.  The light is coming from a winged lion statue (I've wanted a statue like that sucker in front of my house ever since.  Actual black lion inside it is optional).

Now Keith tells us Voltron's origins--after all Voltron and Arus are the reason they're out there.  Which is kinda convenient, right?  They escaped right back to the planet they were captured from?

And Haggar is responsible for Voltron being disassembled into five lions.  When was this?  Just recenty?  Because twenty minutes ago these five guys just watched Zarkon invading Arus.  Was that the endgame after Haggar disabled voltron?  Keith's narrative seems to imply it was long in the past, though.

And now, for something completely different (yet the same).

Escape from Demon Castle

Here we start right off with the legend of Golion.  And it's pretty undeniably ancient.  It was the goddess of the universe, not Haggar/Honerva who disassembled him and dropped him on Altea (the narrator even says "several thousan years have passed"). 

A quick word about the music--when I first got this series in 2008, I watched it with one of my anime friends who's too young to have either seen the original Voltron run or the one on Cartoon Network.  And she refused to let me fast forward through the openings of any episode because she liked dancing to the music.  And I kinda feel the same way.  One of the reasons I like the late 70s/early 80s anime is the funk soundtrack.  For every series (the Ideon is another show with a danceable score).

This episode was probably th most radically changed for Voltron, structurally speaking.  After we get Golion's origin, we go right to Sadak on the great Slave Galley.  And he's torturing slaves.  Damn, hasn't even gotten them to Galra to put them to work, and he's beating them.  Yeah, the Galra folks are much more ruthless than their Doom counterparts.

I really like this introduction of Daibazaal.  Here's the classic bored despot--I've conquered everything worth conquering.  Isn't there anything to amuse me?  Something about this scene makes me think of a Chinese folktatle.  "Little did he know that the despot would get his wish."  Yeah, Golion'll keep him all kinds of interested.

We now meet the future Golion pilots.  I also prefer that they're nobodies here.  Just some more slaves (who've already fought in the gladiatorial arena) mouldering in the dungeons.  I also like that they've been here for a while.  The Voltron timeline--they get there, get assigned to a room, and break out immediately--is too rushed for my clearly advanced and adult tastes.

The fight with the deathblack beastman is awesomely brutal.  The dismembered slaves, lying in their own blood, cursing Galra with their dying breaths . . .  Oh, yeah, those are willies on your spine!

Now, through flashbacks, we find out how the five got to Galra--oh, that was EARTH in the throes of a nuclear war?  Complete with still images of people being irradiated.  That music playing behind this scene is haunting in every moment in which it appears.

Our Space Explorers were on some "school trip" in a spaceship when Earth decided to annihilate itself.  I do kind of like how, y'know, Earth was clearly on the brink beforehand, but here are some schoolkids (?) going about their space business when war breaks out.  That's how it goes--I remember reading an interview with the death metal band Benediction, who were playing a concert in Yugoslavia when the country decided to fragment.  They were playing in an open-air venue and could see explosions from artillery in the night.  That's the kind of thing this makes me think of.

Still the same weirdness--rocks and rope in their dungeon room, allowing them to escape.  Although, since not everyone on the planet knows who they are and wants them in the arena immediately, the guards checking on them while they pretend to sleep makes a little more sense.

Yup, they get onto the exterior of the castle, and Seidou is still afraid of heights.  So weird.  They again take the vulture express to the Pit of Skulls.  And Seidow shows his noble side, desiring vengeance on Daibazaal for all the massacred slaves.  Kurogane is just as much a jerk as Lance was.  Maybe more.

And, the sprint to the spaceport--which Kogane saw while he was on work detail.  Just a throw away line, but it adds to the sense that they've been there for a while.

Again with the throwing swords.  And the inexplicably apt fighting.  I will admit, the sound editing for this series is weird for Toei (were they breaking in a new editor?) but I still love the weird old mecha anime sound effects.

This time, they seem to crash into the castle accidentally.  And instead of "We've been hit by a bomb!!" Daibazaal just chews some scenery.

A word about the Galrans--are all the different looking people just different ethnicities?  Like you've got the purple ones like Sadak and Daibazaal (and eventually Sincline), some of whom have hair, and then you've got the dark grey or black ones like the guards and the arena spectators.  And cybernetics.  Like Sadak and his lieutenant.  Are those implants that light up all Tron-like on Sadak's uniform?  And what's with his eye?!  And in a later episode, I seem to remember a weapons port or something in Sadak's lieutenant's chest.

Same space battle, mostly one-sided, and then the slave galley is eased down on a gentle glide over a mysterious planet, with a mysterious castle, with two mysterious people.  I wonder which was more effective, the mystery, or the urge American kids felt to stick around just to see what this Voltron guy was all about?

I couldn't honestly tell you, because I first saw the middle of episode 4--I didn't really know the opening story until reruns.  Oh, the horrors!

That's it for today!