Japanese animated TV series
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Cover of the 2011 DVD Box set of
Emotion the Best: Sengoku Majin GoShogun
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Genre
| Mecha
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Created by
| Takeshi Shudo
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Directed by
| Kunihiko Yuyama
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Produced by
| Yoshiaki Aibara
Hiroshi Kat?
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Written by
| Takeshi Shudo
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Music by
| Tachio Akano
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Studio
| Ashi Productions
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Licensed by
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Original network
| Tokyo Channel 12
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Original run
| July 3, 1981
?
December 28, 1981
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Episodes
| 26
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Directed by
| Kunihiko Yuyama
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Produced by
| Sh?ichi Onodera
Yasur? Yamaga
Hiroshi Kat?
Masaru Umehara
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Written by
| Takeshi Shudo
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Music by
| Tachio Akano
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Studio
| Ashi Productions
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Released
| 24 April 1982
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Runtime
| 63 minutes
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Directed by
| Kunihiko Yuyama
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Produced by
| Hideo Ogata
Hiroshi Kat?
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Written by
| Takeshi Shudo
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Music by
| Tachio Akano
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Studio
| Ashi Productions
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Licensed by
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Released
| 27 April 1985
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Runtime
| 90 minutes
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GoShogun
(
??魔神ゴ?ショ?グン
,
Sengoku Majin G?Sh?gun
)
is a
super robot
anime
series created by
Takeshi Shudo
. It was produced and aired in 1981 in Japan, with a movie special released in 1982 and a film sequel,
GoShogun: The Time Etranger
or
Time Stranger
, in 1985.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Its title has been variously translated into English as "Demon God of the War-Torn Land GoShogun", "Warring Demon God GoShogun", and "Civil War Devil-God GoShogun", but in the US and parts of Europe it is primarily known as
Macron 1
, the title of its North American adaptation.
[4]
The
GoShogun
series and its film sequel,
The Time Etranger
, were both written by
Takeshi Shudo
and directed by
Kunihiko Yuyama
. The series is noted for its witty dialogue and lighthearted parody of its own genre conventions.
[5]
[6]
[7]
The Time Etranger
shifts away from the original genre, leaving the robot aside entirely to focus on the strong and complex heroine. It has been praised for its serious tone, psychological intensity, and handling of mature themes.
[8]
[9]
[10]
Original story
[
edit
]
The story is set in the early 21st century, in which a covert evil organization, Dokuga, led by lord NeoNeros, holds near total political, economic, and military control of the world. Dokuga agents try to forcibly recruit a brilliant physicist, Professor Sanada, who sets off a suicide bomb rather than let Dokuga acquire his secret research. His son Kenta becomes Dokuga's next target, but is saved by his father's colleague and taken on board a teleporting fortress, Good Thunder. Teleportation is enabled by a mysterious form of energy, called Beamler, which was discovered by Sanada. The same energy also powers a giant battle robot, GoShogun, which is operated by three pilots. The crew of Good Thunder travels the world, repeatedly fighting off NeoNeros's forces with GoShogun and often hampering Dokuga's influence on the local level, whether by destroying their bases and businesses, assisting popular rebellions, or by averting environmental disasters. On at least one occasion, GoShogun pilots must team up with Dokuga's three chief officers against a common enemy to prevent the destruction of them all. This sets the stage for an eleventh-hour reversal, in which the three Dokuga generals side definitively against NeoNeros with the GoShogun team.
Over the course of the series it is revealed that Beamler energy originates from a meteorite fragment found on the site of the
Tunguska impact
. It was sent to Earth by a supernatural power and was activated when humans attained the technological capacity for space exploration, to test whether humans are worthy of engaging with civilizations from other planets. Beamler's development is closely connected to Kenta, who in the end becomes the incarnate form of the energy and the representative of the earth's collective soul, including not only living things, but also newly sentient robots and machines. NeoNeros turns out to be a negative, evil form of the same energy. After defeating him, Kenta takes GoShogun into space.
Episodes
[
edit
]
Adaptations
[
edit
]
North America
[
edit
]
In 1986,
Saban Entertainment
combined footage from
GoShogun
and
Ak? Dai Sakusen Srungle
(
Great Military Operation in Subspace Srungle
or
Mission Outer Space Srungle
), a similar show produced by
Kokusai Eiga-sha
, to form
Macron 1
. Taking two (or more) unrelated series and re-editing them to appear as one storyline was common practice in adapting anime series to American television, as the number of episodes in a typical anime frequently fell short of the minimum number required for five-days-a-week syndication in the US market (65). Aside from
Macron 1
,
Voltron: Defender of the Universe
,
Robotech
, and
Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years
were also stitched together in this manner. The combined series
Macron 1
was produced and released in the United States, using the same voice cast as
Carl Macek
's
Robotech
adaptation.
In the US version, test pilot David Chance is accidentally transported into a parallel universe controlled by a tyrannical organization called GRIP, led by Dark Star. This allows GRIP to send their forces to Earth, leaving Dark Star's cyborg henchman Orn as deputy in the alternate universe. Fighting against GRIP are two teams comprising "Macron 1": the first (from the
GoShogun
footage) battles against Dark Star's legions on Earth; Beta Command (from the
Srungle
footage) is working to overthrow Orn. The main focus is on the Macron team on Earth, with Beta Command appearing sporadically.
The
Macron 1
adaptation made use of the so-called "
Miami Vice
formula" introduced a year earlier by the eponymous primetime series, incorporating contemporary pop music into the action scenes. Notable musical adaptations included "
Beat It
", "
Shout
", "
Safety Dance
", and "
The Heat is On
".
Discotek Media
released the series on subtitled-only DVD in November 2017.
[11]
Central Park Media
had licensed the
Time Etranger
film and released the film twice on DVD.
[12]
Discotek has also licensed the film and released it on DVD and Blu-ray in June 2017.
[11]
Europe
[
edit
]
Around the same time as the US adaptation, Saban released another version of the series in several European countries, also under the title
Macron 1
. This version, however, did not incorporate any footage from
Srungle
or the parallel-universe angle, making the international
Macron 1
a more straightforward adaptation of
GoShogun
, though still heavily edited. In Italy the series was broadcast earlier, in 1982, as
Gotriniton ? Goshogun
, and was a direct translation of the Japanese original, without recutting. In France, the first few episodes of
GoShogun
were released under the title
Fulgutor
.
This was the first anime series broadcast in Soviet Union.
Characters
[
edit
]
Good Thunder Team
[
edit
]
- Captain Sabarath
(v.b.
Osamu Kobayashi
): Captain of Good Thunder and senior advisor of the GoShogun team; colleague of the late Professor Sanada. Depicted as bald, wearing tinted glasses, and smoking cigars; pragmatic and generally unemotional. Probably named after
Telly Savalas
, whom he resembles in appearance. Renamed
Dr. James Shegall
(v.b. Ike Medlick) in
Macron 1
.
- Shingo Hojo
(v.b.
Hirotaka Suzuoki
): Young team leader and gunman who pilots the jet King Arrow, which docks in GoShogun's chest. He is in charge of GoShogun during battle, voice-activating its launch, the docking of the three jets, and various attacks. Stoic, serious, and a little stiff, but brave and level-headed under pressure. Prior to the events of the series, lost his fiancee in a Dokuga terrorist attack. Renamed
Jason Templar
(v.b.
Cam Clarke
) in
Macron 1
.
- Remy Shimada
(v.b.
Mami Koyama
): Female pilot of the jet Queen Rose, which docks inside GoShogun's left leg. She is in charge of the smaller robot TriThree, voice-activating its assembly, movement, and attacks. Smart, spunky, and beautiful, but unlucky with the opposite sex. Formerly a secret agent in France. Knowledgeable in art; hopeless in the kitchen. Renamed
Kathy Jamison
(v.b.
Lisa Michelson
, then wife of
Gregory Snegoff
) in
Macron 1
.
- Killy Gagley
(v.b.
Hideyuki Tanaka
): Pilot of the third jet, Jack Knight, which docks inside GoShogun's right leg. A former gangster from New York, nicknamed the "Wolf of Bronx", he is tough, street-smart, and something of a jokester. Has a knack for throwing knives, an eye for the ladies, and is writing an autobiography. Renamed
Scott Cutter
(v.b.
Kerrigan Mahan
) in
Macron 1
.
- Kenta Sanada
(v.b.
Y?ko Matsuoka
): The son of Professor Sanada, the scientist who discovered Beamler and built Good Thunder and GoShogun. Ten years old at the start of the series, highly inventive, but initially a slacker and troublemaker. Over time, he develops a paranormal ability to communicate with machines and robots, as well as with spirits of the earth's ecosystems, and finally becomes the living embodiment of Beamler energy. Renamed
Nathan Bridger
(v.b.
Barbara Goodson
) in
Macron 1
.
- Father
(v.b.
Yuzuru Fujimoto
): Good Thunder's super-computer and AI, programmed from the mind of Professor Sanada. At times, overrides commands from Sabarath to follow the Professor's instructions and ensure the passing of Beamler energy from one stage of development to the next. Renamed
Hugo
(v.b.
Steve Kramer
) in
Macron 1
.
- OVA
(v.b. Satomi Majima): Kenta's robot tutor and caretaker, who becomes more like a mother to him. Renamed
ND-2
(v.b. Ted Layman) in
Macron 1
.
- TriThree
: Small robot formed by the assembly of the three jets, piloted by Kathy, renamed
MacStar-1
in
Macron 1
.
- GoShogun
: The eponymous robot of the series, renamed
MacStar
in
Macron 1
. Its weapons include a gigantic axe, an
energy sword
, and a photon bazooka. GoShogun can fire laser-like beams from its eyes and other parts of its body. Its most powerful weapon, called GoFlasher, consists of five energy missiles launched from the robot's upper back, giving its head a semi-divine aura. Initially, GoFlasher has a purely destructive power, but as Beamler develops, this power becomes an animating one, giving sentience to enemy robots, which then choose to self-destruct rather than continue fighting.
Dokuga Crime Syndicate
[
edit
]
- NeoNeros
(v.b.
Yuzuru Fujimoto
): The evil leader, renamed
Dark Star
(v.b. Ike Medlick) in
Macron 1
. A menacing figure on a dark throne, he is always shown in shadow, and his true form is not revealed until the finale.
- Leonardo Medici Bundle
(v.b.
Kaneto Shiozawa
): One of three chief officers of NeoNeros, specializing in intelligence, espionage, and intrigue. Appears as a dandy prince with long blond hair, usually holding a rose or a glass of red wine; judges everything on the basis of beauty or lack thereof, and goes into battle with classical music playing on loudspeakers. Over time, develops a romantic interest in Remy. His first and second names are based on
Leonardo da Vinci
and
Lorenzo de Medici
. In
The Time Etranger
, he is portrayed as a latter-day
samurai
, preferring the
katana
to other weapons. Renamed
Prince Eharn
(v.b.
Gregory Snegoff
) in
Macron 1
.
- Suegni Cuttnal
(v.b.
Sh?jir? Kihara
): Second henchman of NeoNeros, responsible for military strategy. Portrayed as an older-looking, one-eyed pirate, usually with his pet crow sitting on his shoulder. He runs a business selling his own brand of
tranquilizers
("Cuttnalizers"), which he himself consumes frequently, by the handful. His other legitimate businesses include
Disney
-like amusement parks.
The Time Etranger
gives greater prominence to his role as a pharmaceutical scientist and later as surgeon general. Renamed
Captain Blade
(v.b.
Mike Reynolds
) in
Macron 1
.
- Yatta-la Kernagul
(v.b.
Daisuke G?ri
): A synthetic human with blue-green skin, and third henchman of NeoNeros, responsible for combat operations. Crude, brutish, and has severe anger management issues. One of his driving ambitions, however, is to open a chain of
fried chicken restaurants
called "
Kernagul's Fried Chicken
" and a
hamburger
chain called "
KerDonald's
". He is shown to have achieved this dream in
The Time Etranger.
Renamed
Lord Jeraldan
(v.b.
Robert V. Barron
) in
Macron 1
.
- Dr. Jitter
(v.b. Mikio Terashima): Scientist working for Dokuga, responsible for inventing destroids intended to destroy GoShogun, as well as other weapons and technological tricks. Often complains about insufficient funding. Renamed
Dr. Fritz
(v.b. Gregory Snegoff) in
Macron 1
.
- Mother
(v.b. Satomi Majima): Dokuga's super-computer, counterpart to Father.
- Keruna
: Kernagul's stress-relief robot, mainly functioning as his personal punching bag during outbursts of anger. Typically a source of comic relief, Keruna also plays a pivotal role towards the end of the show. Renamed
Clarence
(v.b. Ted Layman) in
Macron 1
.
Destroids
[
edit
]
- Tester Robo
: Appears in episode 2. Powers include an electric head laser, a 6-tube missile launcher in each pectoral, scanners, and flight.
- Debiza
: Appears in episode 4. Power include flight, eight ensnaring tentacles each armed with a missile launcher, a cannon hidden in the nose, and laser resistant armor.
- Interception Robots
: Appear in episode 5. Powers include flight, lasers from the eye, and launchable fists on wires
- Castler
: Appears in episode 5. Powers include flight, three head horns, abdomen homing missiles, and an ax.
- Dogave
: Appears in episode 6. Powers include flight, a pair of 6-tube rocket launchers on the front, an 8-tube rocket pod in each wing, and six laser cannons in the lower section.
- Fire Muscat
: Appears in episode 7. Powers include flight, dividing into balls, and a tail blade.
- Scratchers
: Appear in episode 8. Powers include flight, a pair of launchable claws, a frontal electric laser, an underside drill., and an energy cannon under each rear fin.
- Diamond Mine Guardian
: Appears in episode 9. Powers include flight and pelvis missiles.
- Chandela
: Appears in episode 10. Powers include flight, dual wing turbines that fire energy beams and can detach, underside crystal blades, electric surges, and a needle that fires lasers in the underside.
- Guerilla Robots
: Appear in episode 11. Powers include swimming, eye and tail lasers, and anti-metal acid upon self destructing.
- Scorpia
: Appear in episode 11. Powers include flight, bladed legs, and a tail napalm gun designed to plant bombs.
- Docuum
: Appears in episode 13. Powers include flight, a mouth laser, a pair of 9-tube missile launchers in the torso, a pair of energy cannons on each side of the body, four clawed limbs that constrict upon detachment, and a pair of drills in each retractable limb.
- Spectrum
: Appears in episode 14. Powers include flight, an underside searchlight that analyzes machines, gatling gun arms, a pelvis flamethrower, and electric surges.
- Zyclone
: Appears in episode 15. Powers include burrowing, a sword stored on the back, energy balls from the fists, and energy rings from the hands.
- Missile Warrior
: Appears in episode 18. Powers include flight, head lasers, a 5-tube rocket launcher for each hand, and a pair of missiles in the abdomen.
- Datsuma
: Appears in episode 19. Powers include flight, swimming, and a torso heat beam.
- Disc Bion
: Appears in episode 21. Powers include flight, underside capture rings that absorb teleportation energy, four internal capture claws, and a body tractor beam.
- Doshard
: Appears in episode 22. Powers include flight, forehead beams, and heat resistant armor. Was given a double sided lance called the
Dosherval
in the Super Robot Wars games.
- Gonagurl
: Appears in episode 23. Powers include flight, a Nagurl Bazooka on the back, and electric eye lasers. Was given a Nagurl Saber in the
Super Robot Wars
games.
- Turn Flasher
: Appears in episode 25. Powers include levitation, beamlar absorption, and firing lasers from its core that can control machines.
Movie Special
[
edit
]
The
GoShogun Movie
, released in 1982, is a combination of episodes 20 and 17 (in that order) from the original series. It includes a summary of key events, snippets from the daily lives and background stories of the characters, and advertisements for fictional products. The closing credits show images of the main characters as children. The last of these, young Remy, would later make an appearance in
The Time Etranger
.
[13]
The Time Etranger
[
edit
]
A surrealistic follow-up film, known as
The Time Etranger
or
Time Stranger
(1985), is set forty years after the events of the
GoShogun
TV series. The team has long since disbanded, and most of them have lost touch, but when Remy is rendered comatose in a car crash, her old friends and former enemies gather at her bedside to try to lend her their strength. Meanwhile, in Remy's dream, she and her five friends are in the prime of their lives, and are trapped in a mysterious desert city inhabited by hostile fanatics, who worship a god of fate. All six team members receive anonymous letters that ordain for each of them a brutal death within several days, with Remy set to die first. As they fight back against the forces of fate, Remy is haunted by increasingly disturbing visions of her foretold demise, as well as by flashbacks to her lonely and troubled childhood, designed to drive her to despair. It is notable that the feature-length sequel of a "giant robot" series barely makes any reference to the giant robot, except for a brief shot of a GoShogun-shaped charm on the rearview mirror of Remy's car and a museum devoted to the former exploits of the GoShogun crew. All the fighting in the dream sequence is done with
cold weapons
and common firearms, such as Remy's trusty
revolver
.
Video games
[
edit
]
- The GoShogun team and mecha make several appearances in the
Super Robot Wars
series with various enemy robots including Debiza, Dogave, Doshard, the GoShogun
doppelganger
Gonagurl, and the three Dokuga ships and their fighters, the impactors.
- In
Super Robot Wars Alpha 2
and
Super Robot Wars Alpha 3
, Leonardo Medici Bundle's ship has "
The Blue Danube
" as its default background music. This song is played on enormous speakers, and it is one of the few situations in which Elzam V. Branstein (a.k.a. Ratsel Feinschmecker)'s theme "Trombe!" is overridden.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"??魔神ゴ?ショ?グン(1981)"
.
allcinema.net
(in Japanese). Stingray
. Retrieved
5 December
2014
.
- ^
"??魔神ゴ?ショ?グン(1982)"
.
allcinema.net
(in Japanese). Stingray
. Retrieved
5 December
2014
.
- ^
"??魔神ゴ?ショ?グン Goshogun IN 時の異邦人(エトランゼ)(1985)"
.
allcinema.net
(in Japanese). Stingray
. Retrieved
5 December
2014
.
- ^
Erickson, Hal (2005).
Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003
(2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 517?518.
ISBN
978-1476665993
.
- ^
Michael Toole (2013-01-13).
"Etranger in an Etrange Land"
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
Michael Toole (2013-11-03).
"Reed All About It"
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
Benjamin Ettinger (2009-01-06).
"Dorvack & Dancougar"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-10-29
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
Justin Sevakis (2007-01-18).
"Buried Treasure: Time Stranger"
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
Toole, "Etranger in an Etrange Land".
- ^
Brian Cirulnick (2003).
"GoShogun: The Time Etranger (Time Stranger): Anime DVD Review"
. Archived from
the original
on 12 May 2014
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Discotek Licenses GoShogun TV Anime, GoShogun the Time Etranger Film"
. Anime News Network. March 3, 2017
. Retrieved
March 8,
2021
.
- ^
"Upcoming DVDs"
. Anime News Network. November 11, 2000
. Retrieved
March 3,
2017
.
- ^
Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy,
The Anime Encyclopedia, Revised & Expanded Edition: A Guide to Japanese Animation since 1917
(Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2006): 245?6.
[1]
External links
[
edit
]
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From 1975?2007 as
Ashi Productions
; from 2007?2019 as
Production Reed
; from 2019?present as
Ashi Productions
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TV series
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Films
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OVAs/ONAs
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