You call it “Gatchaman,” I call it “Battle of the Planets”

It’s very fascinating to watch the evolution of anime.  In the 1960’s, Americans were introduced to anime with programs like Astro Boy and Gigantor and Speed Racer.  By the 1980’s, shows like Voltron and Robotech and Star Blazers took anime to new heights.  By the 1990’s, shows like Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon and The Big O and Cowboy Bebop proved that American audiences would truly appreciate Japanese animation – along with the Japanese storytelling.

So let’s spin back the clock to approximately 1972.  Back then, Tatsunoko Productions in Japan released a televised anime series called Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.  The show, featuring five costumed teenagers as they battled an evil terrorist organization that tried to subjugate Earth’s natural resources, was a runaway success on Japanese television.

So here’s the original introduction to Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. In case you’re wondering, the team is comprised of Ken, Joe, Jun, Ryu and Jinpei, as they battled the evil forces of the Galactor.  Yep, those are really big mechanized robots that are tearing the city apart.

Pretty inspiring anime opening, don’tcha think?

Sandy Frank thought so.  And in 1978, the American television producer purchased the American broadcast rights for all 105 episodes of the Gatchaman television series, and did a massive re-dub and re-edit (with some of Hollywood’s top voice talent) and released it as a syndicated show.

Oh yeah, and since “Gatchaman” wouldn’t have been a successful TV show name for American kids, he re-branded the program as Battle of the Planets.

And here’s the intro.  And if you’re curious, the team is now re-branded as Mark, Jason, Princess, Tiny and Keyop.  And this fearless fivesome are now battling an alien invasion from Planet Spectra, and are assisted by an R2-D2-like robot called 7-Zark-7.

I gotta tell you, Battle of the Planets definitely had its charm – even if every episode had nearly the same plotline over and over and over again.  But it was fun to watch.

So what happened a few years later? The entire show was re-dubbed and re-released one more time to American audiences, as G-Force: Guardians of Space. Sandy Frank re-edited his program to air on Ted Turner’s WTBS Superstation, with the show following the original Gatchaman plotline more closely.  The show aired on WTBS for about a week, then was pulled off the air.  A decade later, the show appeared on Ted Turner’s sister station, Cartoon Network.  And this time, the team is Ace, Dirk, June, Hootie and Peewee.

But no, folks, we’re not done yet.  In 1996, Haim Saban also was able to purchase the rights to two subsequent Gatchaman shows, Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter, and with that he created his own Americanized edition of the show.  Thus became Saban’s Eagle Riders, and in this iteration of the show, the good guys are Hunter, Joe, Kelly, Mickey and Ollie.  Only thirteen episodes ever aired in America; a full 65-episode run of the show was completed in Australia.

And then, in 2007, ADV Films released a fully re-dubbed version of the original Gatchaman series, this time calling it Gatchaman – with the entire 105 original episodes on 7 DVD’s. Here’s the trailer for that program. Be aware, though, ADV Films is no more; you may have to find this DVD collection on eBay.

Now why do I talk about a show that’s gone through as many iterations as this one?

Well, apparently there’s going to be ANOTHER iteration of Gatchaman – a CGI-animated version.  This teaser trailer was released in 2007 –

And this new teaser trailer was produced with a 2011 release date.

So 40 years after the premier of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, we may get to see the five flying costumed alien-fighting super-teens one more time. In 3-D, no less.

And as long as it doesn’t include cameos from 7-Zark-7, I’ll be a happy camper.