Search - Gatchaman Collection 5 (Volumes 7, 8 and 9) on DVD

From here on out, they're all FIVE stars--even if you're jus

Thomas D. Feeps | Virginia Beach, VA | 02/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Well, this review is a little premature; I've seen all the original episodes with subtitles, but my "super-saver shipping" pre-order is taking over a week to arrive. Amazon buyer beware, I guess. That said, I have the whole collection to date and will say that in the 48 ADV episodes I have seen, the voice-acting has been adequate to good, the commentaries have been poor to great (and tending to be better on the later disks), and the extras have been generally phenominal.

Short review: The highlights of this set are the Red Impulse (RI) episodes (51-54) which reveal RI's connection to Ken, and serve to fuel Ken with rage for the next 50 episodes. This also marks a turning point in the entire series, as the focus tends more toward Joe (G-2), since he is the more complex and interesting character. Jun befriends a man who may or may not be a member of Galactor's "Black Birds" (evil counterparts of the science ninja team) in ep 56, and episodes 57 and 60 both take fairly well-thought out looks at redemption; 57 focuses on a Galactor sniper, while the protagonist in 60 actually becomes an honorary G-6.

The episodes:

49) The Camera Mecha Shutterkiller: A Jinpei episode, whichs highlights his determination. 3 stars.

50) The Dinosaur Skeleton Torakadon: The team travels to Inderia and uncovers a galactor plot when Ken notices a coin is actually a map. 3 stars... maybe...

51-54) The Rotation Mecha Kataroller, The Secret of the Red Impulse, Farewell Red Impulse, Gatchaman Burns with Rage: I don't know if it's the time (1970's) or Japanese culture, but we see what Red Impulse was willing sacrifice in his quest to destroy Galactor, and the consquences his choices had on Ken. It made me finalize my decision that he's a jerk, but one does have to respect his devotion to duty. Red Impulse's sacrifices have series long ramifications for Ken, and explain Ken's behavior in the later series (Gatch II and Gatch F), when Ken becomes the hot-tempered shoot-firster. Good stuff. Four stars.

55) Death Defying mini-submarine: Galactor has a punch of "pollution bombs", Ken almost dies by these, and in the end the sea is saved by Galactor cleaning capsules. 2 stars. Sorry.

56) The embittered Bird Missle: The surprisingly under-used Black Birds are personalized with Koji, whom Jun develops a relationship with. The Black Birds are mean-motorscooters, and it's great to get a glimpse of the man behind the mask. 5 stars.

57) The Evil White Sea: Gatchaman's version of Shawshank Redemption, with Mike the sniper. 5 stars.

58) Mekabutta from Hell: Another episode of the series that's good on it's own, but more fascinating because of what it reveals about early 1970's Japanese culture. The episode is about a potential energy source that won't cause pollution, and we see Ken's rage burn once again it. As a whole though, this series is about technology. The series proposes that technology is not inherently good or bad, but rather a tool. Galactor uses it for evil (Giant Turtle Mecha), while Gatchaman and the ISO use it for good. I can just see the creative staff dreaming up a world in which pollution can be eliminated, energy is limitless, and the standard of living is high enough for everyone to enjoy leasure time. As a country who imposed isolation on itself for over 100 years, they then rapidly "westernized" itself to a major military power who for a time conquered half the globe. A nation which had vowed death before dishonor found itself signing an unconditional surrender in Tokyo bay, and rapidly reorginized itself into one the most prosperous democracies in history. Just about all of this, was based on technology. Very interesting. Four star episode.

59) The Secret Mecha Factory: Where does Galactor build all those crazy mecha? Hmm... 3.5 stars.

60) Science ninja team G-6: A semi-amnesiatic Galactor helps the team to strike a blow back at Katse. 4 stars.

Sorry that I couldn't wait to comment on the extras, but I hope SOMEBODY will.

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