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Transmute Jun Transmute Jun is a Female
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Yes, I know this is a bit early, but I'm leaving for the airport in less than an hour, so I'm posting this about 36 hours early. Springie and CD will be posting my episodes over the next couple of week (they already have my writeups in their hot little hands). By the time you read this, I'll be in London...

*****

Gatchaman Episode 35 - Burn Desert Fires

 

Jeeps are parked on a hillside, their occupants watching a nearby palace. Men run up a cobblestone walkway in the dark. A lone man watches from behind nearby bushes. He bears a strange resemblance to Ken, only his face is more... rugged. He's not so 'pretty' as Ken.

 

The group of men who ran up the path is now gathered in front of the palace. They are wearing turbans and short tunics. Between the clothes and the palace, everything has a Northern African/Middle Eastern feel. The men are getting guns ready, in preparation for an attack.

But before they can attack, lights turn on, and soldiers on the palace ramparts fire their guns. The men below are taken by surprise.

Cut from BOTP:

 

Not-So-Pretty-As-Ken jumps behind a pillar, taking out his own gun and firing at the soldiers. He kills some of them, but he alone is not enough to turn the tide of this battle.

Now Not-So-Pretty-As-Ken orders the men below to retreat.

 

A nasty laugh comes from a lighted window at the palace. The owner of the nasty laugh shouts out that the men below are surrounded.

"Do you really think you can escape, Prince Ali?" Mr. Nasty-Laugh asks.

Ah, Not-So-Pretty-As-Ken is Prince Ali! Does that mean he's really Aladdin under a spell cast by a blue genie? Oh wait, wrong story...

In any case, the soldiers have jeeps now, and they turn on their headlights, proving that Prince Ali and his men truly are surrounded, and backed up against a wall.

"Father!" Ali shouts.

"How dare you call me 'Father' after you have defied me?" shouts Mr. Nasty-Laugh, pushing open his window. He's a big guy with some incredibly hairy eyebrows. Yikes!

 

"I have disowned you!" Ali's father shouts, and his soldiers begin shooting again.

Ali's men shoot back, but they are clearly outmatched.

Looking more like Ken than ever, Ali calls again to his men to retreat.

 

The Prince personally covers his men as they run to the wall, climbing over it.

"Don't worry about me! Hurry!" he calls to his men as they leave, proving that he is a 'good guy'. After all, we know that 'bad guys' never care about the fate of their men, right? Wink

A surprising number of Ali's men actually live to get away.

Ali jumps to the top of the wall. And proving that soliloquy is a free action (you'll only get that joke if you are a gamer or a fan of OOTS) Ali makes a speech.

"The next time we meet, Father, only one of us will walk away!" he declares.

The narrator cuts in, telling us that Doria has always been a peaceful country, but that all changed when oil was discovered there. Since then, Doria has been entangled in conspiracies and bloody massacres. The King of Doria wishes to monopolize the oil industry for his own profit. However his son, Prince Ali, disgusted with his father's behavior, wants to overthrow him. Ali has the citizens' support. This conflict between father and son has escalated into a bloody civil war.

Prince Ali and his supporters make it back to their hideout: a series of old underground temples next to a massive stone statue of...

 

Yep, a bird. And not just any bird... a phoenix. Legend has it that an evil King was defeated by a messenger from the sun: a phoenix engulfed in fire. This legend inspired the people, and they worship the phoenix as a god. Dun dun dun... can you say, 'foreshadowing'?

Prince Ali speaks to his men.

"It has been said that somewhere in this world there are champions of justice and peace who call themselves the Science Ninja Team."

 

Ali explains that the army and police are controlled by his father. Ali's forces are not powerful enough to fight them. Other countries will not help them since Ali is, after all, a rebel. But Ali is certain the Science Ninja Team will understand his suffering, and he will ask them for help.

And now we cut to the stock footage of the daily Crescent Base Fish Parade.

The narrator tells us that Dr. Nambu has received a telegram from Prince Ali, requesting help.

A telegram? I am ROFL 2 at this idea! Not a phone call, not an email, but a telegram? I can just see it now.

Dr. Nambu... STOP
Prince Ali of Doria requests help... STOP
Must overthrow my father... STOP
Send Science Ninja Team... STOP
Will throw in free turbans for all... STOP


So Nambu gets his telegram. But this is the picture we see.

 

Yep, apparently Nambu gets his telegrams via headphones. Not only that, Nambu is too sophisticated to actually wear the headphones. Oh, no. He has to casually hold the headset next to one ear. Don't want to mess up that carefully coiffed head of hair, do we?

In any case, Nambu immediately dispatches the Science Ninja Team to help.

Okay, I know this isn't Star Trek, and there's no Prime Directive, but it seems to me as if Nambu is being a little hasty here. He's sending the Science Ninja Team out to help rebellious forces who want to overthrow the rightful King of a country because of a telegram? What would the UN say about that? Seems fishy to me...

In any case, despite my concerns, I am watching stock footage of the God Phoenix launching from the Crescent Coral Base.

Every notice how the Fish Parade is always gone when the God Phoenix is launching?

Five whole minutes into the episode, and we finally see our favorite ninjas.

Ken tells the others that Doria is one of the 'few remaining countries still using a monarchial system of government'.

 

Jinpei heard that 6 months ago, the whole country was placed under martial law. Jun asks Ken if he knows what the Prince said to Dr. Nambu in his telegram. She's hoping for that free turban. I can tell. After all, she needs to spice up her civilian uniform!

 

Ken doesn't have any details, but Ali is asking for the assistance of the Science Ninja Team. Apparently, that's enough for Ken.

It is? Really? Wow! Someone just has to ask? Um, Ken, I could use some help with this big heavy box over here. Could you come and assist me? Pretty please? Angel1

"This could get kind of dicey." Joe points out. "Whatever's wrong is Doria's problem, and we shouldn't stick our beaks in it."

 

Bad bird analogy aside, I agree with Joe. Plot-wise, I'm having a really difficult time believing that this is truly something the Team would just jump up and do without further investigation.

Ooh, and Ken agrees with me too!

"We can't just lend a hand to either side, especially without knowing the truth." Gatchaman declares.

 

Ryu comments that other world powers are supposed to be getting involved in this situation as well.

 

Jun thinks it's tragic if a World War could start because of something so insignificant.

 

Obviously Jun isn't well-versed in history. Many wars have started because of grabs for resources, or even more 'insignificant' reasons.

Joe announces that they are crossing into Doria's airspace.

 

Is it just me, or is Joe's visor extra 'horizontal' today?

Ryu gulps nervously as he catches Ken's attention.

 

The Dorian Air Force has come out to greet the God Phoenix!

The leader of the Air Force jets broadcasts to the God Phoenix.

"This is a warning." the Dorian pilot says. "Do not enter Doria's airspace. We will shoot you down where you fly!"

Everyone is surprised by this 'greeting'.

 

Ken responds, telling the Air Force that they were called by Prince Ali. The God Phoenix is not invading Dorian airspace.

 

But the answer is the same. The God Phoenix is told that they have one minute to make a landing or leave.

"This is crazy!" shouts Ken.

 

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Ryu continues flying into Doria, and the Air Force follows, moving behind the God Phoenix. The leader of the Air Force says that there is an 'unidentified aircraft entering Dorian airspace'. So... they don't recognize the God Phoenix? I guess the Science Ninja Team isn't that famous, then!

The Dorians shoot missiles at the God Phoenix, and Ryu easily avoids them.

 

But the Dorian Air Force is persistent, and they continue attacking, this time, from in front.

Joe steps forward with a suggestion. Wait for it... it's....

"Shake them up a little with a Bird Missile!"

 

You can see what Ryu thinks of this suggestion by the look on his face!

"Don't do anything stupid, guys. They aren't Galactor." Ken reminds Joe.

 

Wait... did Ken just call Joe stupid?

Joe ignores the insult and asks Ken what they're supposed to do, then.

 

"I've got an idea, Joe." Ken says condescendingly. "Just go back to your station."

You know, I've seen Joe hit Ken for less than this. Being insulted and then talked down to in the space of a few seconds? Yikes!

But amazingly, Joe does what he's been told. I guess he's in a good mood today.

The Air Force has lost the God Phoenix, and they suspect they have hidden in the clouds. And at that moment, something shoots out of the clouds.

 

Yep, the Science Ninja Team have wasted no time in pulling out their big trick, and capitalizing on Dorian legend in the process!

The Air Force recognizes the Firebird shape, and cannot keep up. It is too fast for them. So they withdraw and notify the King at once.

At the rebels’ hideout, the guards see the Firebird streaking through the sky. They recognize it as a phoenix, and assume that their God has heard all of their wishes. He brought them a miracle.

Ali is astounded, but orders his men to chase it in their jeeps.

The God Phoenix now sits upon the desert sands of Doria.

 

Inside, everyone appears to be exhausted.

 

Ken sighs with relief.

 

"Man, that was rough!" Jinpei whines. "That's the first time we've ever done the Firebird that long! I'm beat!"

 

Ken tells Jinpei not to 'wig out', and reminds him that it was the only way they could enter the country safely.

Jun asks if Ken has figured out how to contact Prince Ali.

 

Ken sheepishly admits that he hasn't thought about that yet.

 

Joe points out that they can't just walk up to him, or they'll be put under arrest for trespassing.

 

For some reason, Ryu senses something odd, and he decides to press a buttons to activate the viewscreen on the God Phoenix.

 

Once they can see, it is apparent that there are men in jeeps in the desert, waiting outside the God Phoenix.

"They've got us surrounded, Ken." Ryu notes. "So much for getting in safely."

Outside, Prince Ali waits for his long-lost (but prettier) 'twin' to appear...

 

Inside, Joe is thinking that the force looks too weak to be the royal army. Jun thinks they are guerillas.

 

Ken thinks that they’re waiting for the Science Ninja Team to move, so he decides to go out and talk to them. Gatchaman emerges on the hull of the God Phoenix.

"Tell us who you are, stranger!" Ali calls. "Are you affiliated with the King?"

 
Wait a minute... Ali summoned the Science Ninja Team, and he doesn't recognize Gatchaman when he sees him? There's something wrong here.

"We're here by the request of Prince Ali." Ken replies. "We're the Science Ninja Team!"

Ali is overjoyed, and he brings the Team back to rebel headquarters. He apologizes for startling them. Ali is very familiar with the work of the Science Ninja Team, but this is the first time he's ever seen the God Phoenix.

 

Ken replies that he knew there was a civil war, but he had no idea that Ali was leading the resistance.

 

Ali admits that he is fighting to overthrow his father, the King. Ken sharply asks why Ali would do that. Ali explains that his father was a 'dearly loved monarch' until about 6 months ago, when he started monopolizing the oil industry. Ali couldn't let him get away with something so selfish.

"So you formed a guerilla army..." says Joe.

 

Ali reminds the Team that Doria was 'decades behind in modernization' until oil was discovered. Ah... that explains the telegram!

The Prince studied abroad and learned how to use the oil profits to transform the desert into farmland. But his father had changed by the time Ali came home.

Ken can't believe that a parent and child would put each other's lives at risk over something so trivial.

Ali stands up angrily, confronting Ken.

 

"My father has been trying to kill me!" Ali announces.

"That's ridiculous!" Ken shouts. "There's no reason that a father and son should ever be at war!"

 

Boy, Ken sure has awfully strong feelings about fathers and sons, doesn't he? Hmmm.... Wink

Ali says that he refuses to let Doria suffer because of his father.

 

He leaves, with nothing truly settled.

Outside, Ali stands on a cliff, looking out at the palace in the distance, and the city that surrounds it. Ken approaches from behind. Neither of them notices a strange aircraft moving through the sky.

"So you're going against your father, no matter what?" Ken asks.

"I have no choice." Ali replies. "Right now my father is blinded by his greed for oil profits."

 

Ken suggests that Ali talk to his father one last time. The King is sure to come around eventually.

 

But before Ali can respond, a massive plane comes up from underneath the cliff!

 

The plane sends Ken and Ali running.

 

The plane is covered in small spheres. The spheres drop to the ground and explode. They are bombs!

Ken and Ali get a good look at the 'plane', which is more like a strange flying centipede with a propeller in front.

 

More bombs drop, and Ken and Ali.... do nothing. Nothing. They sit there and watch.

 

After dropping only a few bombs, the strange plane turns around and leaves. No one stops to wonder why this is.

And with that mystery, we head for a commercial break!

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When we return, the King is in a room speaking with his advisor. A soldier is telling him that Prince Ali has arrived at the palace, and he wishes to speak with his father. And he is accompanied by a 'strange foreigner'.

The King moves over toward an oil painting, then presses a button next to it on the wall. Suddenly he is looking at a security camera!

 

Unlike the Prince, the King recognizes Gatchaman when he sees him. But he denies this when his advisor asks. The King says that he will meet with the Prince... alone.

When he soldier delivers this message, Ken tells Ali that this is his chance to 'make it all right, dude'.

 

"I will!" Ali replies angrily. He probably hates being nagged, or maybe he just doesn't like being called 'dude'. The soldier pats Ali down for weapons, and Ali protests self-righteously, saying that he is not a threat. He is there to meet with his father. Ali opens his cloak, displaying his front for the soldier to visually inspect. This is enough, and Ali is brought upstairs.

They arrive upstairs at the room where the King is waiting... but he's not alone.

 

But even before the door is open, the Prince is being treacherous as well! He pulls a gun out from his back, and keeps it hidden behind his cloak.

The door opens, and Ali kicks his escort soldier into the room, using him as a shield.

 

The escort soldier is riddled with bullets from the King's men.

Cut from BOTP:

 

Ken hears the commotion from downstairs, and decides to go up to investigate.

 

The soldiers watching him are not too happy about this, so Ken has to swing on the chandelier to get away.

 

Meanwhile, Ali is shooting at his father's soldiers. Ken arrives to find everyone but Ali and the King dead.

"Is this your answer to everything?" Ali growls, holding his gun menacingly. "Why? Why did you forsake your heart and allow your greed to blind you? It's a shame! I can't believe you! All I ever wanted to do was talk to you man to man, Father."

Keep in mind, this is coming from the guy who snuck in a gun and pulled it out before realizing his father had done the same trick.

The Prince pulls on the trigger...

"Please, don't shoot me!" the King cries out nervously.

"There's nothing you can say to redeem yourself!" Ali shouts. The King admits that 'it was wrong to take the oil profits' but then claims that the army and police revolted on their own. It's a crock, and Ali isn't buying it. He tells his father that he has shamed Doria.

"One of us is going to end up dead, Father!" he warns him. And then the King pulls out his most powerful card.

"You wouldn't kill your own father, would you?" he begs. "Remember, I am still your father, Ali!"

The Prince bows his head for a moment, then raises his gun to shoot anyway. But Ken screams out, "No!" and stops him.

 

"Let go! I must do this for the people of Doria!" Ali insists.

"Please don't!" Ken urges. "There has to be another way! You just can't kill your father!" The Eagle clearly has strong feelings about this kind of thing... and we're about to hear more.

 

"You don't understand how I feel!" Ali screams.

"Stop acting like a spoiled child!" Ken lectures. "Some people never get the chance to see their parents. My father was a pilot who went missing in the Southern Skies. He's been missing for ten years, and he's probably dead by now. But you know what? If he was alive, I'd give everything I had, just to see him, no matter what he'd become."

Not to spoil this episode or anything, but a certain someone is present for this entire speech, and if that certain someone had nearly the IQ they're supposed to, they should be able to make a good stab at Ken’s identity from this information.

I'm just saying, is all.

In any case, Ken's impassions plea works, and Ali falls to his knees.

 

The King, however, is not so moved, and he surreptitiously presses a button on the wall. The floor beneath Ken and Ali opens up, and they fall down into a dungeon.

 

"You are just an overgrown child!" the King laughs smugly. "Now wait there until the Grim Reaper comes for you!"

He shuts the door, and Ken and Ali are alone in the dungeon.

 

Ken apologizes for interfering, but Ali says he's glad Ken kept him from killing his father.

Ken explains that he was just trying to help.

 

"We've got to get out of here." Ken notes, raising his bracelet so that he can speak into it. "This is Gatchaman-in-the-Dungeon!" he says. What an opening line!

As Ken is talking to the God Phoenix, Ali stands up, only to find a skeleton pulling on his cloak!

 

Ali recoils in horror, and the skeleton collapses to the ground, falling into pieces. But one bony hand is wearing a ring...

 

Ali looks at the ring, saying that it is like the one his father wore. In fact, Ali is sure this is his father's ring! But Ali has no idea why this skeleton would be wearing his father's ring.

 

Okay, not to give away too many spoilers (on the slim chance that you haven't guessed what's going on) but I think this corpse is supposed to have been in the dungeon for about 6 months. Shouldn't it have a little more flesh still attached? And if not, it would likely be because bugs or rats ate it, in which case the bones would be scattered, not still sitting in perfect human position... methinks Tatsunoko was thinking of audience sensibilities here. This 'fleshless zombie' must be a coda on their 'bloodless bullet-riddling' philosophy.

Also, if Ali’s father wore this ring, why hasn’t Ali noticed by now that his father doesn’t wear it anymore?

Meanwhile, the King hears numerous voices shouting, and he asks what's going on. His advisor tells him that outside the people of Doria are besieging the palace, demanding Prince Ali's safe return. A long line of torch-bearing citizens snakes across the desert sands, as far as the eye can see.

How long have Ken and Ali been in the dungeon? The people sure are moving quickly to 'protest'.

The advisor notes that the King has 'changed quite a bit in the last six months'. Why, he's almost like a completely different person.

The King chuckles at this, pulling his mustache off of his face.

"As I have said before, I have nothing to gain from this country, or from its citizens. I was only interested in profiting from this country's oil reserves." he smirks. The King turns, dropping his coat to the floor, revealing blonde hair underneath...

 

Very long, blonde hair...

 

The advisor gasps. "But you are...!"

He can't finish his words, as he is quickly defenestrated. We now see the same horrifying thing that the advisor did...

 

Berg Katse!

Oh, the shock! My heart can't take it!!!

As an aside… look at this picture of the ‘female commander’ in episode 31:

 

Interesting similarity… Tatsunoko certainly was leaving hints, if one had the capability of recording and freeze-framing episodes! Which I don’t think most fans did, in 1972…

The strange plane with the spherical bombs rises up over the city surrounding the palace. It moves out toward the desert, dropping its deadly bombs on the Dorian citizens approaching the palace.

Inside the palace, Katse is sitting on the stairs with a gun.

"I've got a present for you from Galactor!" Katse laughs. "Citizens of Doria, I'd like you to meet, Moskon!"

And Katse gives another one of his near-perfect Joker impersonations.

 

"Man, you laugh like a hyena!" says a familiar voice. Needless to say, Katse isn't impressed with this sentiment.

 

"I've got to hand it to you. You sure fooled me this time!" the voice goes on. "Who'd have thought that I'd be the one saving your sorry hide?"

"I know that voice..." Katse mutters. "It's Gatchaman!"

"I've got to tell you, man, you really are a master of disguise." Gatchaman continues. "Heck, you even fooled Prince Ali!"

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"Where are you, Gatchaman?" Katse demands to know, reaching for his gun.

 

"Aw, is the Lord of Galactor getting a little panicked?" Ken taunts Katse. Katse yells at him to shut up, so Ken does... by throwing his boomerang at Katse's weapon.

 

Katse curses under his breath, cradling his wounded hand.

 

So where was Ken all of this time? Hanging upside down from the chandelier, of course!

 

Gatchaman jumps down to meet Katse.

 

This knocks the Galactor Leader down the stairs in a very undignified manner.

 

 

"Now that I know Galactor's behind this, I'm not holding back, Katse!" Ken declares with a friendly smile.

 

But Katse retorts that Ken is too late, and he can't stop the 'mighty Moskon', and all he can do is 'sit back and watch Doria be destroyed by Galactor'. In response, Ken chase after Katse.

 

Somehow, Katse is able to jump onto a swinging rope when he gets outside.

 

And of course, the rope is attached to his Devil Star ship.

 

Not content to let Katse get away cleanly, Ken throws his boomerang. A little rocket jet appears, shooting flames out the back of the boomerang.

 

The boomerang cuts Katse's rope, sending him falling down to the burning city below.

 

Ken is so pleased with himself that he does some fancy 'Ole West Gunslinger' twirling before he reholsters his weapon.

 

However, Moskon is still bombing the people and the city. Prince Ali is shouting orders to evacuate the city and shoot down 'that monster' immediately. I guess he's standing in for Zark, since this is Gatch. Wink

But of course the shooting rebels don't do much damage, and they receive a bomb dropped in their midst for their trouble.

Ken is suddenly on the Bridge of the God Phoenix, and Joe wants to... one guess... use the Bird Missiles on Moskon!

 

But Ken says they can't do that, because the mecha is covered in bombs, which could drop with the slightest shock. That could make an even bigger explosion, causing even more damage.

"Damn Berg Katse!" Joe swears. "That bastard would leave behind a monster like this!"

 

Ryu notes that Moskon follows wherever the people are running to.

 

This week, it's Jun's turn to make the startling, yet insightful, scientific deductions. She declares that Moskon must be floating using magnetic force. The antennae on either side of it must be keeping the balance between the north and south poles, to keep it afloat.

 

Ken immediately deduces that Moskon is reacting to the 'slight air currents caused by people and traffic below it'. Riiiight... and how did you figure this out, Ken?

 

So now that they know this, Ken orders Ryu to bring the God Phoenix right in front of Moskon. Sure enough, Moskon takes the bait and follows the God Phoenix.

 

Ken contacts Prince Ali on his... walkie talkie. Yep. The Prince is using a walkie talkie to contact the God Phoenix. Ali wants to know what they're going to do 'about that monster'. Ken says that the God Phoenix is going to lead it to an oilfield in the desert, and once it gets above the oilfield, Ali should shoot it.

 

Ali protests that if he does that, the oilfield will detonate and the God Phoenix will be dragged into the blast.

Ken only tells Ali that his father was a great man, and that Ali should continue this legacy to rebuild Doria into the great country it once was. Ken says that this may be the God Phoenix's last transmission, and they may never see each other again.

Ali uses one of the jeeps to follow the God Phoenix and Moskon out into the desert. And during this suspenseful moment that could potentially lead to their deaths...

Ryu casually asks Ken what he's thinking about.

 

Ken is startled, then sheepishly admits that he's thinking about his father.

 

The others aren't too pleased to hear this.

Ken was wondering: if his father were alive, and he was a villain like Galactor, would Ken be able to fight him?

An interesting question... Wink

The God Phoenix approaches an oil refinery in the desert (presumably next to an oilfield. Ali arrives on the scene, and shoots at Moskon.

The resulting explosion is massive, and the God Phoenix is quickly engulfed in the flames. Ali hangs his head in sorrow.

 

"I am so very sorry, Science Ninja Team!" he says. "You have given your lives to save my country."

Moskon lies in pieces on the ground, its bombs gone.

 

But something shoots out of the fire. It is an even brighter flame... in the shape of a Firebird.

 

"The Phoenix lives!" Ali cries in wonder.

The citizens of Doria gasp and point to the sky, watching in amazement. The narrator tells us that even if they never hear of the Science Ninja Team again, they shall forever pass down the legend of the Firebird that saved their kingdom: the Phoenix that led their country and their beloved Prince Ali to peace.

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BOTP Episode 45 – Demons of the Desert

Here, in Center Neptune, 7-Zark-7 has been given the all-important duty of monitoring the heavens, so alien invaders from outer space cannot carry out their plans of destruction and domination.

And most of the trouble comes from one source… the Planet Spectra, and its evil ruler, Zoltar! Zoltar is determined to exploit the resources of Earth, to rescue his own dying planet.

You know, he’s not really going about it the right way, but it is this aspect of Zoltar that gives me much more sympathy for him, than I feel for Katse. Zoltar’s purpose is noble, even if he is using unscrupulous means to achieve it.

“Why, he has even…” Zark says, but before he can finish the sentence, he turns.

 

“Oh, here we go again!” he chirps happily. Zark so loves to be needed.

Fortunately Zark is wearing his cape today, so he gets a chance to fly over to his monitoring station, all of two meters away.

Ah, it’s right where Zark has been anticipating trouble for some time: in the sheikdom of Aburra on the Persian Gulf. Some of the richest oil deposits on Earth are located there.

Zark has a special interest in all this. Tabul, the young Sheik of Aburra, recently spent time studying at Center Neptune, and became a close friend to every member of G-Force. Ooh, where do I sign up for that study program?

“And now, Tabul is in big trouble.” Zark confides. “His uncle, Ajeeb, has overthrown him, and the people of Aburra are very oppressed”. As opposed to ‘slightly oppressed’?

“Everything in my Mercury Vapor Detector tells me Zoltar is behind this.” Zark whispers in excitement. Because of course nothing terrible could happen on Earth without Zoltar being the case. Earth is a wonderful, happy place, where no one ever dies or does bad things without alien interference… And we won’t even mention the one episode with planet Urgos…

But I’m moving off topic.

“I hope we can help Tabul!” Zark says.

We see jeeps on a hillside, and men running down a cobblestone walkway. They have guns, but they are not fired. A young man who looks surprisingly like Mark (but not as pretty) steps out from behind a tree.

“Uncle Ajeeb!” he calls. Gee, he sounds just like Mark too! Maybe they’re related…

Ajeeb opens a window from the palace.

“Go at once, or I will have my men open fire, dear Nephew!” he threatens. He sounds a lot like the narrator, but without that ‘dramatic’ component to his voice.

Soldiers on the ramparts and in jeeps turn on lights, and suddenly Tabul’s men are running for the wall. I guess they’re afraid of the light. What are they, vampires?

“I do not know what has changed you, Uncle, but you are not the man I knew!” Tabul says. He now sounds like a childish Mark. Tabul jumps over the wall and leaves, driving off into the desert with his men.

Zark’s voice comes on as we watch this, and he tells us that before Tabul left to study at Center Neptune, Ajeeb was almost like a father to him. His greed for the oil changed him into this evil man who would steal the sheikdom from his own flesh and blood. Tabul will not rest until Ajeeb’s oppressive regime has ended. And that, dear friends, is our moral of the day. Greed is bad.

We see a stone statue of a phoenix… but no! Zark tells us that it is Balu, a winged dragon who is an ancient desert god.

Tabul’s men pray to Balu for help. But Tabul wants to make an appeal to his friends in G-Force. After all, they believe in the preservation of freedom everywhere’.

“With all respect to Balu, I must choose wisdom over superstition.” Tabul says. “I will make radio contact at once.”

Well, I guess radio is better than a telegram.

Far away, at Center Neptune, Chief Anderson has received the call, and has dispatched G-Force to the troubled area.

Onboard the Phoenix, Mark thinks it will be good to see ‘their old friend Tabul’ again. Keyop burbles meaninglessly about sand (seriously, I couldn’t figure out what he was saying after multiple rewinds). Princess says that they don’t forget their friends. Mark points out that Tabul is proud, and he would only ask for help if he were in real danger.

“Right!” agrees Jason. “And there’s no greater danger than facing greedy men who take what doesn’t belong to them.”

Repeat after me. Greed is bad. Greed is bad. Greed is bad.

Let’s see how many more times we are reminded of this during the episode.

Mark wonders what could have happened, because Tabul thought of Ajeeb as another father.

“Yeah, until he could get his hands no those oil fields.” says Tiny. Ahem… anyone actually counting? Wink

Princess points out that this is all guesswork, and they’ll find out what has happened soon enough.

Jason tells Tiny that he can ‘take her down now’. But as Tiny descends, he sees planes coming out of the clouds. We know they are dangerous, because exciting ‘encounter’ music begins to play.

Mark ignores the implications of the music, wondering if they could be friendly.

A voice that sounds like an extremely nasal Jason broadcasts into the Bridge.

“Turn back! You are flying over sovereign territory. We will fire if you do not comply!”

Well, I guess they’re not friendly.

Mark tells the planes that they are there at the request of Prince Tabul.

“You have had your warning, and there is no way you can evade us.” Nasal-Jason responds.

“We’re sure gonna try!” Mark challenges.

Ooh, Nasal-Jason has a name. He’s Commander Salim, and he orders the planes to fire their missiles. Tiny has no problem avoiding them, but its difficult flying with all of these planes on the Phoenix’s tail.

“Okay, let’s discourage them real fast!” Jason suggests.

“There are a few too many for comfort.” Mark says.

“What’s the matter?” Jason frowns. “Getting cautious in your old age?”

“It’s the way to reach old age!” Mark retorts. Then he tells everyone to get ready to transmute.

Sure enough, the Fiery Phoenix comes out of the clouds, and we’re treated to some ‘bonus footage’ of the team going through the maneuver.

 

 

 

“Attention, calling Base Headquarters!” says Commander Salim. “We’ve encountered what appears to be a fiery bird in the sky. Request instructions.”

And since those instructions are to ‘return to base at once’, they do.

Tabul sees the Fiery Phoenix and follows it with his men.

The Phoenix has landed. After far too many broops and burbles, Keyop asks where they are.

“Smack in the middle of the Arabian Desert.” Mark replies.

“If Tabul is in hiding, how are we going to let him know we’re here?” Princess asks. Well, the Fiery Phoenix streaking across the countryside was a good indication.

“We’ll just wait here until he finds us!” Mark smiles. Wow, what a plan. Just sit in the middle of the desert until you’re found. Sigh. No wonder they need Zark to give them directions all the time!

“This desert heat is getting the best of our Climate Effector.” Jason complains. “Tiny, let’s see what’s out there!”

Tiny turns on the viewscreen and… a line of jeeps goes across the sand.

“That doesn’t look like a welcoming committee to me.” Tiny observes.

“It’s Tabul!” Mark shouts.

“He doesn’t recognize the Phoenix.” Jason points out. This seems odd. So much for G-Force being his friends!

“Or he thinks it’s a trick.” Princess suggests.

“That sandstorm doesn’t help.” Mark says. “I’ll go out and let him see me.”

So let me get this straight. Tabul can’t see the Phoenix through the sandstorm, but he’ll be able to see Mark, who’s about a hundred times smaller, and wearing white?

Mark goes out onto the hull.

“Hey, Tabul, it’s Mark! G-Force has come to help you!” he shouts.

“That looks much like the Mark I know…” Tabul’s vision clears. “I can see now! It really is you!” he cries.

Wow, that sandstorm cleared up fast!

In Tabul’s hideout, Tabul says that Ajeeb has always been like a father to him. In case you didn’t hear it the first few times. Mark confirms that the change in Ajeeb occurred while Tabul was at Center Neptune.

Tabul says that his uncle must be ‘removed’. Like he was a piece of furniture. I guess, as non-violent BOTP viewers, we’re not supposed to contemplate what ‘removed’ means. Wink

“He exploits our people and refuses to share with them the riches of our oil fields!”

Repeat again… Greed is bad.

“Without these funds, the people will starve!” Tabul adds. Jason and Princess don’t look happy to hear this.

“Aren’t you in big danger?” Jason asks.

“It does not matter. My duty is to my people.” Tabul says. He doesn’t like to ask outsiders for help, but his uncle anticipates every move he makes. G-Force is his last hope.

“First thing I’d like to find out is just what, or who, is behind all of this.” Mark says.

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But before we can, we cut to a shot of outer space on a monitor. Zark’s voice tells us that Spectra has just launched a craft! It has left the Crab Nebula, and is headed ‘who knows where, on what evil mission’! The Galaxy Warning System will pick it up if it’s headed in Earth’s direction. Zark wonders what mischief Zoltar is up to now.

“It must be a very powerful UFO, because it’s traveling three times faster than the speed of light!” Zark tells us.

Now the ship is entering the Milky Way, and this makes Zark really concerned. And now it’s passing Saturn! Zark is afraid he’s got a problem on his hands. No doubt about it! It’s headed for Earth!

So, why isn’t Zark doing anything about it? All he’s doing is watching this darn ship. I don’t see him contacting anyone about it.

Zark’s Teleplotter tells him that the ship is headed for the Arabian Peninsula, right where G-Force is now! Finally Zark decides to alert Mark.

It is night, and Tabul is on a cliff, looking at the palace and the city. Mark approaches, telling Tabul that Zark just sent an alert.

“There is always an alert out here.” Tabul says grimly. “But what did your Master Robot say?”

Clearly, a course of study at Center Neptune includes sessions of brainwashing.

Mark tells Tabul that there is a strange alien spacecraft coming this way, and that it was launched from Spectra. He barely gets the word out before a strange plane-like mecha rises up from below the cliff.

Mark calls it ‘Zoltar’s latest attack ship’ and immediately jumps to the conclusion that it has something to do with Ajeeb’s takeover. Don’t ask me how Mark’s mind works. He has some amazing logical leaps…

Mark and Tabul scramble to get out of the way of the attack ship.

The men below stare at the ship. “Watch out!” they cry. But the ship does nothing, merely moves away. Yep, it showed up and displayed itself, only to leave without doing anything. For this, it traveled across the galaxy?

Before we can ponder this too much, we cut to a commercial break. When we return, Zark is doing his usual mid-episode pacing.

 

He contacted G-Force for a progress report, and things don’t look too good.

“Now that Tabul’s forces have been attacked by that strange spacecraft, we know Zoltar and Planet Spectra are behind the takeover of Tabul’s sheikdom.”

Um… attack? What attack? It was just a flyover. No bombs, no property damage, and certainly no one got hurt.

But hey, if they want to use this as justification that Spectra is involved, I guess I can bite.

But Zark wonders where Zoltar is hiding.

“He’s usually right on the scene of one of his sneak attacks, heading up his forces.” Zark points out. Now that’s not always true. Sometimes he leaves things to a CotW and monitors from afar. Ever think of that, Zark?

Zark decides to contact G-Force again (he just can’t make it more than a few minutes without hearing their voices) and flies the two meters across his room to do so.

“Of course, you know, a robot doesn’t perspire.” Zark says. “But I’ll tell you, this situation has certainly given me an upset Stomaflex and a flutter in my FOSDIC.” Uh, TMI, Zark…

In Ajeeb’s palace, a soldier is reporting.

“Our pilots could not believe their eyes!” he says. “They saw the plane transformed into a great fiery bird!”

“I see.” says Ajeeb, walking over to the wall and pressing a button. His wall painting disappears, to be replaced with an image of Mark and Tabul. I’m not sure how he knew to do this.

“It’s G-Force!” Ajeeb announces.

“Bring my nephew to me!” he orders. “I don’t care what pretense you use.”

The soldier goes downstairs to see Mark and Tabul.

“Your uncle is in a good mood. Maybe you can work things out, if you’re tactful.” he says. “Of course, you must come alone and unarmed.”

“This could be another of his tricks.” Mark says.

“Maybe.” Tabul replies, walking up to be patted down for weapons.

“I am unarmed.” Tabul says. The soldier says that he must be certain.

“You dare to call your Sheik a liar?” Tabul asks angrily. The soldier backs down.

They go upstairs… and for no reason at all, Mark suddenly throws a soldier to the floor. He swings on the chandelier and lands upstairs next to Tabul, who is crouched down in the hallway.

Tabul pulls out a gun! Oh… so he was a liar! I wonder what Zark’s ‘morality sensors’ make of that!

“Face to face, at last, Uncle.” Tabul says, standing up with his gun. “Shall I give you the same love and honor you have shown me? You do not deserve it! You’re a thief and a tyrant who brings suffering to our people!” And he begins to pull the trigger…

“Please, let me explain!” Ajeeb begs.

“No explanation is needed!” Tabul shouts.

“Remember those days when I used to carry you on my back? Your dear father…”

“My dear father?” Tabul interrupts. “You dare to speak his name after repaying his trust by robbing me of my birthright?”

Actually, just to be nitpicky… Ajeeb didn’t say the name of Tabul’s father. I was listening.

“Spare me, Nephew!” Ajeeb begs. “I shall make amends. You have my word.”

But Tabul isn’t buying it. He aims his gun again… but Mark rushes up to stop him from shooting.

“You came to help! Why do you stop me?” Tabul wants to know.

Because, Tabul, this is Sandy-Frank-Land, where no one gets hurt and there is never any serious violence. We can’t have you disturbing our peaceful existence by showing that humans might actually shoot each other!

Mark’s explanation is a little different from mine.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right.” he says pithily. “You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Let go, Mark! I know what I’m doing!” Tabul protests, and they struggle for the gun.

“I don’t think you do!” Mark says. “There are things going on here we don’t understand. If you kill Ajeeb, we’ll never know the answers! It’s not only your fate that concerns me, but that of the Earth as well. You know how important the oil resources of your country are. Please!”

I’m somewhat confused by all of this. How is killing Ajeeb preventing them from getting answers or using the oil resources? But it’s good enough for Tabul, who puts down his gun.

And seeing this, Ajeeb presses a button and sends Mark and Tabul falling down into the dungeon below.

“They say a fool is born every minute, and you, my friends, are the biggest fools of all!” Ajeeb laughs, before closing the door.

Mark says that Ajeeb is deceitful and cunning.

“Yes, and you played right into his hands.” Tabul points out. Way to guilt-trip the Commander of G-Force, Tabul!

“Only for the moment. Leave it to me, Tabul!” says the ever-confident Commander. He contacts Tiny in the Phoenix.

But a skeleton is grabbing onto Tabul’s cloak! Frankly, I’m shocked they left this in. I thought for sure it would be too gruesome for BOTP.

Tabul pulls on his cloak, while Mark yells ‘Oh no!’. The scene of the skeleton breaking apart as it hits the floor is cut (too scary?) but we see the ring fall off of the skeleton’s hand. Tabul picks it up.

“Mark, this is my Uncle Ajeeb’s ring! It never left his finger! At least… not while he lived…”

“Are you sure?” Mark asks.

“This ring! It was a gift from my father!” Tabul insists. “I would know it anywhere.”

But apparently, Tabul would fail to realize that his ‘uncle’ wasn’t wearing the ring anymore.

Back in the main palace, Ajeeb wants to know what news he is being ‘bothered’ with. His advisor tells him that trouble is on the way. People holding torches are streaming across the desert They are Tabul’s followers, worried about Tabul.

“The masquerade is over.” Ajeeb smirks, pulling off his mustache. “I agree you have a serious situation on your hands, and that’s exactly how I shall leave it: in your hands.”

“What?” screeches the advisor, as Ajeeb’s jacket drops to the floor and we see a glimpse of long, blonde hair. “Who… who are you?”

An image of Zoltar appears, but the advisor is nowhere to be seen. Needless to say, they cut the defenestration scene.

A moment later, Zoltar is sitting on the stairs in the palace.

“Oh Zoltar, how crafty you are!” he compliments himself. “Now all this beautiful oil will become the wealth of Spectra!”

“Take a break, Zoltar!” comes Mark’s voice.

“What’s that?” Zoltar frowns, looking around for the Commander.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Zoltar.” Mark says. “Just the two of us! There’s no way you’ll get out this time!”

Clearly Mark isn’t smart enough to realize that simply by saying that, he’s guaranteed that Zoltar will get away.

“Do I hear a G-Force voice?” Zoltar asks.

Yeah, Zoltar. It’s Princess. Or maybe Keyop. Doh2

“You not only destroyed Ajeeb, a good man, but by taking his place, you destroyed his good name as well!” Mark says.

Hold the phone! Is Mark actually admitting that someone died because of Spectra’s actions? A direct confirmation? Oh, the horror! I feel faint…

“Spare me the sad story!” Zoltar says, picking up his gun.

“That gun won’t help you.” Mark replies, throwing his boomerang. It knocks the weapon out of Zoltar’s hands.

Mark swings down from the chandelier and knocks Zoltar down the stairs. Of course, Zoltar runs away.

We see the ‘attack ship’ bombing the city. Tabul is shouting at his men to ‘get those aircraft guns working’! I think he means ‘anti-aircraft guns’, but I get what he’s trying to say.

“We must capture that man.” Tabul says.

What man? Why, Zoltar, who is getting away on a rope tied to his escape ship. And he actually gets away. Mark doesn’t cut his rope and send him falling.

Tabul’s men shoot at the attack ship and it drops bombs, but no one gets hurt. There is only property damage.

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Suddenly, Mark is back on the Phoenix.

“Zoltar bombed the center of the village.” Jason reports.

“It’s a last ditch effort.” Mark explains. “If he can’t win, he’ll destroy. Tabul was able to get the people out of the village in time.”

Wow! Tabul’s efficient! Even better than Zark! Maybe we could use him in future episodes!

“So Zoltar’s obvious target now will be the oil refinery.” Mark adds.

“There’s no way we can blow that ship up.” Jason says. “We don’t have the right missiles.”

I don’t get this. The right missiles? How many kinds of missiles are there? And wouldn’t the Phoenix carry some of all kinds, so that they’re available in situations like this? Heads are going to roll at Center Neptune when they get back!

“We could be a Judas Goat.” Tiny suggests. When Keyop asks what that is, Tiny explains.

“It’s the goat they use to lead the sheep into the slaughterhouse.”

“That’s a good idea, Tiny.” Mark says. “It’s worth a try.”

“There’s just one little thing.” Princess points out. “Who’s going to spring the trap?”

Mark says that he’ll contact Tabul. His men can follow on the ground, and they won’t need much firepower. If they hit a few of those exploding discs, then the chain reaction ought to finish it.

I won’t point out that we were already shown footage of Tabul’s men shooting at the ‘exploding discs’, and all they did was drop (before exploding).

Oh wait, I guess I just pointed that out. Wink

Tiny says that they took the bait, and Mark contacts Tabul.

“But Mark! The explosion could do much damage!” Tabul says into his walkie talkie.

“I know the risk.” replies Mark. “You may have to sacrifice either the refineries or the oilfields.”

“That is almost an impossible decision. The future of my people depends entirely on them!” Tabul protests.

Mark points out that refineries can be rebuilt, but losing the oilfields would be a calamity for the whole Earth. I completely agree, but if the choice is that obvious, why is Mark even putting the question to Tabul to begin with?

“We’re both on the same side!” Mark reminds Tabul. “Don’t let me down now. If not for yourself, for your country.”

“For G-Force!” Tabul growls.

As Tabul races across the desert, Zarks voice tells us that the plan is daring and requires sacrifice. Yes, we get it, Zark. But in case we don’t, Zark rehashes it again. If the ship is attacked over the refinery, the explosions from the refinery will ‘do in the enemy’.

Tiny asks what to do now, and Mark tells then that Tabul has decided to destroy the refinery. As if everyone else didn’t hear the entire conversation when it took place.

“Workers are in their bombproof shelters, but it’s going to be awfully tough for Tabul.” Mark says. Wow, he even thought about the oil refinery workers. What a great Commander!

Zark’s voice tells us that everything is working as planned, but Zark is going to advise Mark to transmute to Fiery Phoenix, so they can escape at the highest speed. Because Mark might never think of going to Fiery Phoenix by himself… like he did earlier this same episode.

In any case, Tabul shoots at the attack ship and it explodes, along with the refinery.

Tabul begs for forgiveness from his uncle. He makes a solemn vow that the refinery will be built anew.

The Fiery Phoenix appears, and all is well. Aburra is saved!

“May Allah protect you!” Tabul says, as he sees G-Force leave.

Zark reminds us that this is a really happy ending, because Tabul is taking control of his country, and the new refinery will be the ‘largest and most efficient the Earth has ever known’. Strange how he knows that only thirty seconds after the old one has been destroyed.

Zark arrives for a ten second oil break, remarking that tomorrow he is going to have his Ectostructure lined with solium. Just knowing it’s there will make him feel good. He likes to look his best, too.

 

And I am wondering why we needed to know this?

Zark reclines on his oil-changing platform.

“And if I’m going to be looking my best, why waste it?” he asks himself.

 

Suddenly, a transmission from Susan arrives.

“You buzzed, 7-Zark-7?” she asks. “I hope there’s no emergency.”

 

“No, no… nothing like that!” Zark replies quickly. “Well, I just wondered what you planned to do tomorrow night.”

Is this what he means by ‘not wasting looking his best’? Ewwwww…

“Why, stay right here at my station, just like I do day and night always.” Susan says smoothly. “What do you plan to do?”

I’ve got to give Susan credit. She sure knows how to shoot a guy… uh, robot… down!

“Look my best.” Zark brags. “Oh! Oh, my Transceptors remind me I’ll be staying here at my station, just like I always do, day and night.” He steals Susan’s line. That’s scary…

“And just like you do!” Zark adds. “Well, it was nice talking to you, Susan! Bye!”

“Bye, Zark.” Susan says, rather smugly, IMHO.

“I wonder if we’ll ever get to meet face to face…” Zark sighs.

Only in my nightmares…

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Great recap TJ, I just wonder if maybe Nambus head is much too large for the headphones.... Also, what frequency is the God Phoenix hooked up too, I would love to contact them with my walkie talkie.

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Gosh the Prince does look like Ken!!! (Cute, could he be Ken's long lost half brother, you know RI got around a bit...lol)

The only thing is teh Prince could have ahhh....paid the Swan some attention, a beautiful girl in a mini skirt and he doesn't even glance sideways...why are the men in this series so blind.

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Maybe its just the men who look like ken that are blind?

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quote:
Originally posted by Firebird
Maybe its just the men who look like ken that are blind?


It seems so! I ROFL 2 at the Not-So-Pretty-As-Ken nickname! And Ebony, your comment re RI having other siblings running around is not so far-fetched! In this episode RI is mentioned specifically by Ken though not being referred to by his name but as 'Dad' as Ken still doesn't know the connection. I think the terrain is being prepared for the unveiling of this connection in future episodes!

I even noticed that Ken must have been doing some research work every time (or almost) before embarking in a mission in some foreign country or place as he seems to know about local traditions which many times gave him a card to play!

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Another great recap of an episode I've never watched that much. Yes, the prince really does have a face similar to Ken's (though his hairstyle is more like Joe's perhaps) but for me, the prince will always look like an old grad school friend of mine! He had the same eyebrows, and very similar hair (then, his hair is short these days)

Heh, I'd forgotten just how much less-than-subtle father & son foreshadowing there is in this one...

I remember now, seeing this episode for the first time with my nephew, and we were really wondering how Berg Katse would survive falling that far, after Ken cut his rope, into a burning city... We figured Katse would survive, because the show needs its villain, but how?

As for the King's de-disguising into Katse, I had no idea that Katse was briefly in female form there! Cool find! This means that the gender switch can happen very fast, I guess, and also suggests that this ability to morph between genders is somehow linked to Katse's amazing talent at disguises.

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quote:
Originally posted by Transmute Jun


Obviously Jun isn't well-versed in history. Many wars have started because of grabs for resources, or even more 'insignificant' reasons.


She's too smart to waste her time studying history! Being a computer expert is a far, far more marketable skill! Laugh1

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Hi all!

I see that this was one of the episodes where ADV missed the meaning behind the name of the Gallactor Iron Beast. In case you never realized it, this mecha is actually a giant, flying ear of corn. Indian corn, to be exact. The bombs that it shoots out are corn kernels. So, the name of this mecha should be Moscorn, not Moskon.

quote:
Being a computer expert is a far, far more marketable skill!


Jun isn't the Ninja Team's computer expert, either. Don't forget, in 1973 (When this episode aired), no one really thought of computers as something that would be as ubiquitous as they are today, and that a combat team might need someone who is an expert in them. So no one on the team was charged with that particular task.

Instead, she is in charge with the handling and disposal of dangerous materials and explosives (Which is why she was the one who had to go with Ken when he snuck on board Turtle King in the first episode of the series, since they were trying to locate the stolen uranium).

James

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quote:
Originally posted by tatsunokofan
Hi all!
Jun isn't the Ninja Team's computer expert, either. Don't forget, in 1973 (When this episode aired), no one really thought of computers as something that would be as ubiquitous as they are today, and that a combat team might need someone who is an expert in them. So no one on the team was charged with that particular task.

Instead, she is in charge with the handling and disposal of dangerous materials and explosives (Which is why she was the one who had to go with Ken when he snuck on board Turtle King in the first episode of the series, since they were trying to locate the stolen uranium).

James


I find that really interesting and in some way think I should have known that. So can I ask James .....

Ken's role is as leader/decision maker for the team.
Joe's role is the gunner/ marksman.
Jun's role is explosives/ demolition and disposal of dangerous materials
Ryu was the pilot
(Or do I have all these roles basically incorrect.)

But what was Jinpei's role on the team? What did the creators decide his role should be? I have always wondered that.

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This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by clouddancer on 03-08-2009 at 22:04.
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quote:
Originally posted by lborgia88
I remember now, seeing this episode for the first time with my nephew, and we were really wondering how Berg Katse would survive falling that far, after Ken cut his rope, into a burning city... We figured Katse would survive, because the show needs its villain, but how?


Could be the off-screen occurrence of the Sosai-effect...

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Hi all!

quote:
Joe's role is the gunner/ marksman.


Actually, Joe's position is that of "Sub Leader" (What we would normally refer to as a "Second in Command"), not marksman. Fans want him to have the gunner role, but that was not officially his position.

quote:
But what was Jinpei's role on the team? What did the creators decide his role should be? I have always wondered that.


Embarrassingly, according to the series Planning, his role is officially that of Mascot.

James

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MASCOT!!?!
LOL

Well that does not help me any does it.
So I guess we could say this is a team of 4, and a mascot. Which kind of makes sense since Jinpei appeared when the show needed a bit of silliness or comedic relief.

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CD Jinpei's role is to be the smart alleck!

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thumbsup2 That is what I said, comedic relief...... and a lot of the time he pulls my Owl into it as well.

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