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Japanese animated TV series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
GoShogun (戦国魔神ゴーショーグン, Sengoku Majin GōShōgun) 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 Étranger 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]
| GoShogun | |
Cover of the 2011 DVD Box set of Emotion the Best: Sengoku Majin GoShogun | |
| 戦国魔神ゴーショーグン (Sengoku Majin GōShōgun) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha |
| Created by | Takeshi Shudo |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Produced by | Yoshiaki Aibara Hiroshi Katō |
| Written by | Takeshi Shudo |
| Music by | Tachio Akano |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | Tokyo Channel 12 |
| Original run | July 3, 1981 – December 28, 1981 |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Anime film | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Produced by | Shūichi Onodera Yasurō Yamaga Hiroshi Katō Masaru Umehara |
| Written by | Takeshi Shudo |
| Music by | Tachio Akano |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Released | 24 April 1982 |
| Runtime | 63 minutes |
| Anime film | |
| The Time Étranger | |
| Directed by | Kunihiko Yuyama |
| Produced by | Hideo Ogata Hiroshi Katō |
| Written by | Takeshi Shudo |
| Music by | Tachio Akano |
| Studio | Ashi Productions |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | 27 April 1985 |
| Runtime | 90 minutes |
The GoShogun series and its film sequel, The Time Étranger, 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 Étranger 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]
The story is set in the early 21st century, in which a covert evil organization, Dokuga, led by lord NeoNeros, holds near total world domination through political, economic, and military control. 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.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Goshogun, Take Off!" "Goshogun Hasshinseyo" (Japanese: ゴーショーグン発進せよ) | Directed by : Kunihiko Yuyama Storyboarded by : Rei Hidaka | Takeshi Shudo | July 3, 1981 |
| 2 | "Try-3’s Fierce Fight" "Gekito Toraisuri" (Japanese: 激闘 トライスリー) | Junji Nishimura | Takeshi Shudo | July 10, 1981 |
| 3 | "Little Fighter, Go!" "Ritoru Faita GO" (Japanese: リトルファイターGO) | Directed by : Hisataro Oba Storyboarded by : Kunihiko Yuyama | Yuji Watanabe | July 17, 1981 |
| 4 | "A Dangerous Prank" "Kiken Naitazura" (Japanese: 危険ないたずら) | Directed by : Kuniyoshi Inui Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Yuji Watanabe | July 25, 1981 |
| 5 | "The Hellish Fantasy Land" "Jigoku no Fantaji Rando" (Japanese: 地獄のファンタジーランド) | Directed by : Hisataro Oba Storyboarded by : Tetsuro Amino | Takeshi Shudo | August 1, 1981 |
| 6 | "The Monster With Flashing Eyes" "Hikaru Me no Akuma" (Japanese: 光る眼の悪魔) | Directed by : Kunihiko Yuyama Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Shozo Yamazaki | August 7, 1981 |
| 7 | "Friends in the Hidden Base" "Kakushi Toride no Nakamatachi" (Japanese: 隠し砦の仲間達) | Junji Nishimura | Kunihiko Yuyama | August 14, 1981 |
| 8 | "Goshogun Cannot Return" "Goshogun Kikan Sezu" (Japanese: ゴーショーグン帰還せず) | Directed by : Hisataro Oba Storyboarded by : Rei Hidaka | Shozo Yamazaki | August 21, 1981 |
| 9 | "The Diamonds Burn Out" "Diamondo wa Moe Tsukite" (Japanese: ダイヤモンドは燃えつきて) | Junji Nishimura | Yuji Watanabe | August 28, 1981 |
| 10 | "The Terrifying Secret of Beamler" "Osorobeshi Bimura no Nazo" (Japanese: 恐るべしビムラーの謎) | Directed by : Kunihiko Yuyama Storyboarded by : Rei Hidaka | Takeshi Shudo | September 4, 1981 |
| 11 | "Flowers For You" "Hanataba wo Kun ni" (Japanese: 花束を君に) | Junji Nishimura | Takeshi Shudo Yuji Watanabe | September 11, 1981 |
| 12 | "Montmartre, Land of Goodbyes" "Wakare no Montomatoru" (Japanese: 別れのモンマルトル) | Directed by : Hisataro Oba Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Takeshi Shudo Kaoru Kinoshita | September 18, 1981 |
| 13 | "Clash in the Underworld" "Ankokugai no Gekito" (Japanese: 暗黒街の激斗) | Directed by : Kunihiko Yuyama Storyboarded by : Rei Hidaka | Yuji Watanabe | September 25, 1981 |
| 14 | "OVA Alone" "Hitori Bocchi no OVA" (Japanese: ひとりぼっちのOVA) | Directed by : Junji Nishimura Storyboarded by : Rei Hidaka | Yuji Watanabe | October 5, 1981 |
| 15 | "The Queen of the Hot Sands" "Nessa no Ojo" (Japanese: 熱砂の女王) | Directed by : Makoto Nagao Storyboarded by : Hiroshi Kuzuoka | Sukehiro Tomita | October 12, 1981 |
| 16 | "Farewell, Days of My Youth" "Saraba Seishun no Hibi" (Japanese: さらば青春の日々) | Kunihiko Yuyama | Takeshi Shudo | October 19, 1981 |
| 17 | "Good Thunder in Great Danger" "Guddo Sanda Kiki Ippatsu" (Japanese: グッドサンダー危機一発) | Junji Nishimura | Shozo Yamazaki | October 26, 1981 |
| 18 | "Kenta Pilots Goshogun" "Kenta Goshogun ni Noru" (Japanese: ケン太 ゴーショーグンに乗る) | Directed by : Hisataro Oba Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Yuji Watanabe | November 2, 1981 |
| 19 | "Crush the Secret London Base" "Tatakae! Rondon Himitsukichi" (Japanese: 叩け! ロンドン秘密基地) | Directed by : Makoto Nagao Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Sukehiro Tomita | November 9, 1981 |
| 20 | "Satellite Broadcast" "Uchu Chukei Kore ga Dokuga da" (Japanese: 宇宙中継これがドクーガだ) | Kunihiko Yuyama | Takeshi Shudo | November 16, 1981 |
| 21 | "The Emperor’s Intrigues" "Kotei no Inbo" (Japanese: 皇帝の陰謀) | Hisataro Oba | Yuji Watanabe | November 23, 1981 |
| 22 | "Grounded! A Mystery From Below" "Fujo Chitei Kara no Nazo" (Japanese: 浮上 地底からの謎) | Directed by : Kunihiko Yuyama Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Takeshi Shudo | November 30, 1981 |
| 23 | "Good Thunder on the Loose" "Boso Guddo Sanda" (Japanese: 暴走グッドサンダー) | Junji Nishimura | Takeshi Shudo | December 7, 1981 |
| 24 | "Crush the Ocean’s Enemy" "Umi no Kana wo Tatake" (Japanese: 海の敵を叩け) | Hisataro Oba | Takeshi Shudo | December 14, 1981 |
| 25 | "Countdown to the Final Fight" "Kessen Byoyomi Kaishi" (Japanese: 決戦 秒読み開始) | Directed by : Makoto Nagao Storyboarded by : Masamune Ochiai | Takeshi Shudo | December 21, 1981 |
| 26 | "The Neverending Journey" "Hate Shinaki Tabidachi" (Japanese: 果てしなき旅立ち) | Kunihiko Yuyama | Takeshi Shudo | December 28, 1981 |
In 1986, Saban Entertainment combined footage from GoShogun and Akū 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 Étranger 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]
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 the Soviet Union.[citation needed]
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 Étranger.[13]
A surrealistic follow-up film, known as The Time Étranger 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.
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