#244 : Andromeda Stories

Who says life can’t exist on other planets? I mean the whole universe is alive in it’s own way! Case in point, in the galaxy of Andromeda we visit the planet of Astria… and in even even finer scope, the Cosmoralian Empire. This medieval Arabic inspired civilization is about to witness a royal wedding between it’s king and new queen. A lovely start for all of the planet’s population. But as life is a cycle of rise and fall, situations and circumstances will quickly change as we begin Andromeda Stories.

Originally a manga featuring the writing of Ryu Mitsuse and the artwork of Keiko Takemiya, Andromeda Stories would find it’s way into the world of animation in 1982 via Toei Animation. Takemiya is familiar to me as she is the  creator of To Terra, or Toward the Terra, a futuristic dystopian tale concerning the concepts of individuality, freedom and choice as well as a mechanized technocratic society. Andromeda Stories is very similar thematically, though much more action oriented. And you can’t forget the additions of body snatching alien machines, a bad-ass female samurai (Il), a mysterious scientist (Koof) and the savior hero born of the royal lineage of Cosmoralia (Jimsa) who would eventually have to go into exile for a time. A very familiar hero archetype with yet another face… thank you Joseph Campbell. … oh yeah and I forgot about Jimsa’s twin sibling born of that same union, which is apparently a bad omen? What happened to this twin? I am not saying a word… 

Science fiction’s beauty, when done well, is in its ability to depict contemporary social commentary through a fantastic alternative circumstance which allows for blurring the edges in a subtlety of intelligent protest. While Andromeda Stories is very centered on a technological invader, the bigger meaning is in the unconscious following of a system in total blind ignorance. The mechanical invaders rob those who they connect with of their complete freewill, thus becoming robots themselves, LITERALLY. The majority of the population become mindless, or more so as I stated before, unconscious. We see drones who blindly concede acquiesce in return to receiving the promise of happiness and eternal bliss. 

Unable to reason, those under the system’s spell become cogs in the machine fulfilling the desires of another with no regard towards the consequences of themselves, or others. Still there are glimpses of hope, even though as the story progresses things get very desperate. Looking beyond the above average story, this plot has so much depth from its core subject matter that it can’t be ignored. Even the characterization is strong. In particular the main cast, or those I see as the main cast: the hero, the female samurai and that mysterious scientist. Slowly we watch the development of our reluctant hero grow into a state of maturity. And as for the other two, we gradually learn about who they really are and the skeletons hiding in their respective closets. It’s these three that made Andromeda Stories, at least for me, an enjoyable watch. 

Rewatches are often needed as at times it can be years since my last viewing… memory can only go so far sometimes. Even after this most recent viewing I needed yet another watch as this one off TV special moved at times quite quickly. In my opinion it could have been better told as a short TV series as there are a lot of elements that can get rushed or confusing. Just as I was about to rewatch again I discovered that Andromeda Stories was dubbed into English as well and released on VHS… so I gave that a shot to help tie up loose ends and see if there are any differences in the process. Retitled Gemini Prophecies, it is very faithful to the original, even including the cheesy soundtrack. Notable additions for the dub version include a lot of renaming and early plot spoilers that ruin a few surprises later revealed in the original Japanese version. Plus, in typical American fashion for dubbing back in the day, there has to be a narrator to fill in the quieter scenes. I am mixed on that one, but either way, Andromeda Stories is a solid piece of science fiction that ends into ironically a new beginning… and I’m not giving away any hints on what that could be 😉

#243 : Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston Well

Sequels, common place for being completely unoriginal (so much so now a days with endless releases of large franchise properties, anime and otherwise), or perhaps a followup chapter to something from before. An epilogue perhaps. Often a sequel can give extra closure, an alternative perspective, or something completely out of left field.  For Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston we have a little of all three.

After the total all out massacre of the original 1983 TV series, the question remained what happened to the fantasy land of Byston Well? Aura Battler Dunbine was a show I enjoyed dearly in terms of the medieval European like scenery, the organic insect like mecha designs blessed by a supernatural (if not metaphysical) connection between their pilots, the intense passionate drama and the cast of heroes, villians and everyone else in between. It is in my opinion one of Sunrise’s best mech shows from the 1980s and one of four shows I hold dearly by creator Yoshiyuki Tomino (the other three being original Gundam, Zeta Gundam and Ideon). So why not make a small release three episode OVA as a sequel… ok, well what further tales does the land of Byston Well have to share?

Almost more of the same except this time 700 years in the future. Wow then perhaps this is a side story because that is quite  a distance from the original? That’s until we learn of one survivor from the previous wars, the brilliant and conniving Shot Weapon (yes that’s his name, lol). And there is also one Ferario of Silky/Silkie Mau, who bears a very similar name, if not the same (seems the spelling goes back and forth between both series?), to another of Byston Well’s mystical cast members. Ferario is a fancy word for basically a fairy (I like it) and little Silky, at the very beginning of episode 1, has been caught by our main protagonist Shion… who bears a similar name and appearance to TV series main man Sho Zama. Hmm, interesting an interesting tidbits of info, what’s next? Well you have a coming conflict between two factions, piloted mecha, a captured princess, an evil warlord, a little backstabbing and most importantly the coming of the next ‘holy warrior’ to pilot the Dunbine.

While the plot is very generic in many ways, can’t expect much from three episodes… eh actually I do, lol… I found the story to be sort of interesting and kind of dull. The artwork on the other hand is very enjoyable for my love of cel drawn animation. OVA’s usually have a little more budget than a TV series and this is a good example except sometimes it can fell a little stiff and rigid. The designs on the other hand are gorgeous if not almost post apocalyptic, no no, more ancient looking. The world of Byston Well seems more lush and magical this time round, if not more grounded… and again, ancient. The titular mecha Dunbine and the landscape itself, seems fossil-like now. A nice touch indeed! After all seven centuries have apparently passed.

Perhaps no where near the radar for many of you, this OVA for me was worth the minor effort since this is like a second ending to a TV series I loved… I had to try it since it’s an 80s anime!… afterall, that’s what I essentially do here! Of course there are those side stories released later like Wings of Rean and Garzey’s Wing, which I don’t have much interest in watching. The clips of Garzey’s Wing are enough for me for a general laugh. And can you believe to this day I still have not seen Garzey’s Wing proper. Perhaps that is best. Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston on the other hand is a good short sojourn back into Byston Well that is by no means a joke, but not something I may go back to… maybe. Though didn’t Cham Huau survive from the TV show? That would have been an interesting story to see what happened to her.

#236 : Bionic Six

They say nothing is stronger than family… and for many people this concept rings true. But for some of us family is not so much an ideal of coming home, more like an endless suffering. Yet we all in the end want to have that feeling of coming home to parents and siblings and having a nice meal around the table feeling comfortable. Be it reality or animated, there are places to return… to feel the warmth of being welcome to stay. In terms of 80s cartoons there is a great example of this, that also functions as an awesome superhero show. Do you remember Bionic Six?

What if you mixed the premise of The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman with The Incredibles? Or maybe the senate fighting of Gatchaman with warmth of My Neighbor Totoro? That’s how I see Bionic Six, a show I have not seriously watched since it was first on syndicated broadcast back in 1987. Oh sure I caught an episode from time to time, but as far as fandom all I know was that I really remembered this show as a favorite of mine way back then. Yet ironically I did not follow up much after that. I forgot a lot of the plot line, the premise, etc. All I remembered were a couple of the characters names, the title of the show and it was for an 80s cartoon, animated extremely well. Sadly, most of the video footage I find of Bionic Six is in poor shape.

Have you seen the intro for Bionic Six? Perhaps one of the best examples of short animation from the 1980s? To no surprise the name of TMS, or Tokyo Movie Shinsha, is credited as a co-producer of the show. I have numerous times gushed my love for this studio and for one of it’s star directors who happens to appear in the credits, Osamu Dezaki. Every episode is A-Grade beautiful, no cheapening out for visual budget. Bionic Six may not officially be anime, but like Galaxy Rangers (which was also animated by TMS), this was the closest thing we got here in the West that could pass in many ways as anime with the look and feel. A half-anime, or distant cousin could be the categorization. 

Remember I mentioned this is a family show as well as a superhero title? The family in question that are the heroes of Bionic Six are the Bennetts. A mixed family including dad, Jack; mom, Helen; and kids Eric, Meg, J.D. and Bunji (the last two being adopted), they are via the help of Professor Sharp and the “miracle of modern science” the ultimate sentai squad, the Bionic Six. BIONICS ON! With the help of cybernetic technology the family becomes Bionic-1, Mother-1, Sport-1, Rock-1, IQ and Karate-1 respectively. After all isn’t stopping bad guys the ultimate family bonding experience?

Their main nemesis are the followers of one Dr. Scarab, including the corrupt Doctor himself… “HAIL SCARAB!” They are an oddball collection with names like Glove, Mechanic, Klunk, Chopper and the elusive Madame-O, they are fun in terms of being “the bad guys”, but they are way too monster-like in a cartoonish way. I often wonder if this ‘evil’ group was recycled later into shows like Captain Planet and the Planeteers? Many toy related shows of the era were very similar in terms of plot and tone, basic good guys vs. bad guys, but I think the inclusion of a family dynamic makes Bionic Six stand out. It was perfect for television and if production was  was tweaked slightly, this could have been great for primetime as after all… bad cartoons only appeal to blind consumption of products and great cartoons can often times tell a visual story better than anything live action… just my opinion. 

There is one thing that does scare me about the overall legacy of Bionic Six. It has nothing to do with the show, but more about the idea that science and technology can make us humans ‘better’. As a fantasy adventure Bionic Six is brilliant, but the promise of superpowers, or being connected to, or blindly trusting technology to solve issues can become a dangerous addiction. Apparent convenience is great, so long as it works as promised… and promises can be easily broken. Science and technology and even governments and institutions cannot cure everything and often times create more trouble than it deserves. Humanity and each human being, flaws and all, is in the end perfect. There is no need to be ‘better’, just be you.

“You see, the reason you want to be better is the reason why you’re not.”
– Alan Watts