Home Entertainment Laser swords, flaming spaceships and a "Bump of Chicken" are all to be found in this crazy trailer for GATCHAMAN

Laser swords, flaming spaceships and a "Bump of Chicken" are all to be found in this crazy trailer for GATCHAMAN

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gatchaman-team

It is a well known fact that approximately 73.4% of the world’s crazy comes from Japan. And most of that is transported to the world via anime and game shows involving people running into stuff. One of the examples of the former was groundbreaking cult favourite 70’s anime, Gatchaman (aka G-Force aka Battle of the Planets), which is now getting a live action adaptation nearly 40 years later.

The first trailer for Gatchaman is now out, and while I understand very little of what’s being said, it looks like the love-child of Power Rangers and Transformers, which should at least make it entertaining.

While these “live-action anime” films are always terribly hit and miss, with most producing stylish and cool visuals but completely skimping on the story, this is being directed by Toya Sato who also did the 2005 live-action version of emotional wringer Grave of the Fireflies. Hopefully Sato brings more the story than just flaming phoenixes and J-Pop songs mysteriously named “Bump of Chicken” (Yes, that’s the one that just suddenly starts playing halfway through the trailer). And with the heritage that Gatchaman has – the first anime to successfully adopt many of the American superhero cartoon characteristics, and also the first show to utilize that five member team angle that would get copied by countless other shows to follow – there are quite a few fans who will be wanting this one to be perfect.

Although I can only vaguely recall seeing episodes of Gatchaman (Science Ninja Technique FTW!), I grew up with anime shows like Saber Rider, Voltron, and can still vividly remember watching them while having to listen to the English dub via simulcast on Radio2000 (and if the last part of that sentence means absolutely nothing to all of you, then clearly I am really old), and those memories would probably have played out a lot differently had it not been for Gatchaman.

And just because I can, here’s the opening of the original anime.

Gatchaman opens in Japan on August 24, 2013, while no further international release dates have been set yet.

Last Updated: June 24, 2013

5 Comments

  1. G-Force, now that was a childhood we had together!! I was always divided between G-Force and Robotech.

    Reply

  2. jGLZA

    June 24, 2013 at 13:57

    I will watch the crap out of this!

    Reply

  3. James Francis

    June 24, 2013 at 14:13

    I kept thinking of Casshern. But for some reason I now want to find Guyver again…

    Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      June 24, 2013 at 20:29

      Guyver really hasn’t aged well, with some parts now really looking like a bad episode of Power Rangers,

      Reply

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