Before "Voltron" came into being, before "The Transformers" were built, before "Battle of the Planets" reached Philippine shores, there was VOLTES V! I remember in mid 1977, I was little back then and my younger brother opened the T.V. for Hanna-Barbera's "Laff-Olympics", what we saw changed Philippine primetime viewing; Planet Earth was in danger as hundred thousands of spiky-looking flying saucers deployed by a giant skull-shaped spaceship with a Cinderella's Castle on it's head begins to ravage cities. The leader of this group of evil aliens was a young man in tights, green pelt robes and with long red hair. Atop his head, were two ox-like horns and he was called Prince Zardoz (Prince Heinnel) This Prince Zardoz flattens every building in his path using his squadron of spiky saucers and demonic looking robot giants called "Beast Fighters". The armies of the Earth were no match against his evil cosmic legions. But on a small, bird-shaped island stands this cool looking space defense base called Camp. Big Falcon. This strange looking defense base had a large training center were five mysterious young people trained harshly and after this, they were commanded to pilot five giant space-military vehicles that combines and transforms into a really super cool colossal cybernaut called VOLTES V (pronuonced as VOLTES FIVE) that sports many weapons like the Ultra-Electro Magnetic Tops, Chain Knuckles, Ultra-Electro Magnetic Beam and an arsenal of lethal missiles and projectiles! Voltes V polishes off its enemies using the TEN-KU-KEN; SWORD OF HEAVEN; a tensile strength giant sword that cuts an enemy beast fighter in V-shape half (A feat obviously copied by Voltron) Seeing this stuff, both me and my younger brother were "hooked" and so other kids in the Philippines in those times. Created by Saburo Yate (who also created Combattler V , Daimos and sorry to say, Golion) "Voltes V" was the epitome of everything "anime" and super robots way back in 1978. Heck, the whole country went crazy over Voltes V. Thousands of novelty items were on sale from beach wares to giant posters, coloring books, food utensils, Food maker sponsors (Purefoods), plastic and die-cast mini toys (Mattel's Shogun Warriors.) boot-leg items to school supplies. Even the local music industry cashes-in over Voltes V's song. Novelty songs such as "Voltes V ay Tandaan" by the Voltes Gang, "Voltes V Tito, Vic and Joey version", the "Voltes V English version", "Voltes V/Mazinger Z remixes" by Vicor Music Corp. Then I remembered some enterprising folks manufacturing Voltes V stickers illegally (There was a sole distributing firm called Questor International who is responsible for "original" Voltes V stuff) Then came the BIG Toys; Bandai's Poppinca created the 13 inches tall Voltes V die cast "transformable" toy that can Volt-In (combine) and transform into the powerful ultra-electro magnetic super robot, complete with weapons and the Sword of Heaven. (I had one like this with me) Soon, Bandai released the newest VOLTES V incarnate; the Chodenji Machine Voltes V SOUL of CHOGOKIN; very articulate transformable die-cast figure that cost around 15,000.000 Php-Phew...that's a lot of money!) Why was "Voltes V" been so popular here n the Philippines?... Unlike its predecessor Golion (Voltron) VOLTES V was an emotional cartoon. This animated sci-fi action spreads like a raging wild fire that caught the fantasy and imaginations of Philippine youth! A cartoon unlike the slapstick U.S. made for T.V.s like "Wacky Races", "Stop the Pigeon", "Mission Magic", "Fantastic Voyage", "Casper" etc. It was the first cartoon in Philippine Television that never shied away from death (4 important characters in the series died.) The series featured the anguish and torments of the weak, human sentimentality, the longing for a parent and the respect for elders. The series never stressed individuality as other U.S. cartoon seem to imply but it emphasize on "TEAM" work and the defense of one's homeland is a noble and desirable act! I remember U.S. teenaged cartoon characters in those times, always had this semi-rock band every before each episode ends. Not in "Voltes V" were the teenaged Earth Defenders were thrown into a military boot-camp like environment and their coordinator took away all their personal belongings for a better fighting performance. VOLTES V was the story of five young Earth Defense Agents with different destinies. Three of these characters were the "Go" brothers (Kennichi, Hiyoshi and Daijiro) their mysterious father, Prof. Kentaro Go was once La Gour: A Military and robotics genius from planet Boazania's Ministry of Science. Planet Boazanina was an evil and powerful planet that had an unfair social structure; those born with horns are the nobility and those without horns were the slaves. La Gour was one of the nobility, but in a freak of nature, he was born without horns. His parents did everything they can to hide this malady, even to the extent of creating fake horns so people will never know. La Gour excelled at the top of his class. He mastered the art of military engineering and he was destined to become an heir to the Boazanina Imperial throne. In the midst of his studies, he had seen how the nobility treated the non-horned slaves and he vowed to change all of this after he succeeded the imperial throne. After graduating, La Gour learned of the new Boazanian target of conquest, Planet Earth. He was against it but he was ignored by the Boazanian councils. He married the girl of his dreams Luceria. She bore him a healthy baby boy they named Zardoz. It was a great joy for La Gour who was destined to become the new Boazanina Emperor, but luck suddenly changed its course: Prince Zanbasil, a rival to the throne tried to dig La Gour's past so to expose any irregularities and knock him off the Boazanian Imperial Race. He discovered La Gour's faked horns and thus succeeded for the throne. Poor La Gour was thrown into the dark dungeons with the slaves. La Gour endured the hardships of labors with the slaves. But he was shattered when he heard the news of his young wife dying inside a Boazanian prison. He had no news about his baby boy. La Gour swore to get back at Zanbasil. He secretly trained slaves to unite and fight. La Gour planned an uprising which failed. His allies, the slaves prepared a powerful stellar escape ship for him to get away from his pursuers. La Gour wandered aimlessly through space until he crashed landed on Planet Earth. He was recovered by a young Astronomer by the name of Mitsuyo. She was beautiful and she reminds him of his dead wife Luceria. He married Mitsuyo and had three sons namely Kennichi, Daijiro, Hiyoshi. He changed his name to Kentaro Go then warned her that a powerful Boazanina Invasion will take place after 18 Earth years. Mitsuyo mobilized her colleagues for support. Immediately, Prof. Kentaro Go start creating the most powerful defense system for Planet Earth in the name "Project Hercules" thus, VOLTES V was born. But Kentaro was mainly a pacifist. He will never risk any death and destruction to occur on his new home so he decided to leave Planet Earth and go back to Boazania and try to bargain with Zanbasil. He never returned 18 years after, Prince Zardos reached the Earth and tried his best to wipe out humanity he failed cause The Ultra-Electro Magnetic VOLTES V and the VOLTES TEAM were always ready as our planet's last recourse. From Voltes V, comes other super robot shows like Mazinger Z, Daimos, Mekanda, UFO Grandaizer, Jeeg, Balatack, Danguard Ace, Striker Force, Kyodain, GO Rangers, Getta Robot, Jack Q, Star Zinger. Lately, there was Battle of the Planets, then The Transformers, Macross and finally Voltron. But Voltes V's adventures were cut short by the late president Ferdinand Marcos; the former dictator stressed that Voltes V along with its other super robot show counter parts were violent and inappropriate for kids. So with a whiff from a presidential decree, Voltes V and company were taken off the air. A Victim of Marcos' Martial Law and Crony capitalism, speculations were made about the true nature of the banning of Voltes V; there are those who said that one of Marcos' Cronies had a pet show (an American Educational show) which could not compete with the ratings of Voltes V. Others suggest that the ending of Voltes V shows La Gour and Voltes V spear heading the great revolutionary forces of slaves through Zanbasil's Celestial Castle may be used by Marcos' enemies as a signal to topple his regime. Anyway, Voltes V was re-aired after Marcos and his family fled the Philippines in 1985. Sure enough, it was just like LaGour leading the people to freedom. For now, Voltes V is alive and well in the Philippines&The super robot had shown it's true might, for no other super robot shows survived the harsh brutalities of a despot's Martial Law. Even thou all were re-runs, Voltes V is here to stay! "Overland (Overland) and Oversea (Oversea) Onwards VOLTES V! .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Ddenji_Machine_Voltes_V Where do we find it? that sounds kinda good

Welcome to the group, Buddy! Nice to see a fellow Filipino here. So when are you going to regale us with BoTP arts?

Originally posted by Tengu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Ddenji_Machine_Voltes_V Where do we find it? that sounds kinda good

Actually it IS good. But aside from Japan and the Philippines, it didn't really hit it big outside of these regions, so you could only get copies of Voltes V here in the Philippines and Japan (although I heard that even there, it's no longer available). As Buddy had mentioned, we anime fans at that time considered this anime to be THE show that has led to the toppling of a dictator. Not surprising, since the show tackled battling oppressors/conquerors and solidarity of family and nation (or the world) against evil. Needless to say, to those of us who were suffering from the greed and evil of the Marcos Regime, Voltes V really hit a chord among Filipino viewers. HOWEVER, you still cannot compare it with Gatchaman, especially since it does borrow elements not just from Gatch (I mean, you have one cute leader, a hot-headed second in command, a pretty girl, a hefty guy and a kid as members of the team), but from the popular robot shows at that time. It's just that the timing of the anime's airing was JUST RIGHT for it to become a timeless classic in my country. (Frankly, I liked BoTP and UFO Grendaizer more than Voltes V though.) But I must admit that I really liked the female lead Megumi though. She's kick ass like Jun, but NOT as a flirty. Thank goodness!

Thats a shame, Animes that topple dictators are hard to come by

Originally posted by Tengu Thats a shame, Animes that topple dictators are hard to come by

Very, very true.

Its good to see a new face around here!!!

Well, I'm not competeng Voltes V against Gatchaman...heck, I LOVE both shows, I really liked both Jun Shiratori and Megumi Oka (Jun is the flirty one and Megumi is the cute yet dangerous one but both are sexy!) and I even thought of a cross over bettween the Voltes Team and the Gatchaman team as heroes against a common goal; Destroy Voltron and the Galaxy Alliance LOL!

Chodenji Mashine VOLTES V Height 58 meters Max: Speed : Mach 20 Category: Combining Multi-Functioning Earth Defense Machine Cybernaut. Power: Intense Ultra Electro Magnetic Energy.

Looks suspiciously like the original Octomus Prime to me

Well, Voltes V was created by Saburo Yate many years before Optimus Prime or any robots in the "Transformers" Universe came into being...

I remember the time where a second cousin of mine who hates Voltes V told me about Voltorn and it's supposed "improvements" compared to Voltes V. That faggot clearly only tries to infuriate me but I took his words more seriously and made a little research myself about Voltron. Here's what I've found out: Obviously, Voltron copied most of the concepts in Voltes V and none of these concepts were polished and improved after being added to the Voltron series. These concepts were merely "copy pasted" and then added some cosmetics to show as originals. 1. The Five Man team Concept- Voltron can get away with the reason that most Japanese sci-fi, be these as live action or animated, utilize the Five man team approach for their team heroes. 2. The "Gattai" Concept- Again, Voltron can use this reason since there are scores of giant robot series that's being formed by multi-functioning machines or smaller robots long before Voltes V came into being. 3. The Giant Sword/final weapon concept- Clearly this is Voltes V's original (I.e. Voltes V's Ten-ku-ken or Den-ku-ken since "Den" means lightning or fire.) The two Voltron shows imitated this as "The Blazing Sword." 4. The VOLT in Voltes V's name. (It was so obvious that Voltron took Voltes V's name because of the five man team concept, Gattai Concept and the Giant sword final weapon concept.) Supposed a fight erupts between Voltron and Voltes V; who will be vanquished and who will be victorious? Let's scrutinize this objectively: 1. The Skills and abilities of both teams: There are no mentions of what kind of combat training the Voltron Force had under went in the academy. In regards to the Voltron episode I've seen so far, they were never subjugated under strict, harsh and extreme trainings. Let's take the Voltron Force's skill at face value; they were trained as space explorers. Perhaps, they can thoroughly navigate through deep space and they can handle the controls of different space craft under Galaxy Alliance specifications. That's because they are Space Explorers! The Voltes Team on the other hand, was highly skilled Earth Defense Agents. (Voltes V vol.1: Invasion from Outer Space) they are disciplined in such military and oriental combat skills as Karate, Judo, Kendo, Marksmanship and Ninjitsu. General Oka, one of Camp. Big Falcon's elderly base commander was a Ninja master. Further more, the Voltes Team most likely to use their martial arts skills to Voltes V's deadly counter attacks (Voltes V vol.4: To Catch a butterfly) More so, the Voltes Team underwent harsh and murderous training sessions under Dr. Sanjuki where they learned the lethal "Spin-Fly Technique". (Voltes V vol.9: The need for rigid training.) I strongly believe that between the Voltes Team and the Voltron Force, the Voltes Team in this aspect had the upper hand. 2. Weapon Comparison of the Two super robots: Voltron was known to carry an array of space weapons against the "Robeasts" from Planet Doom. (Note: Robeasts are giant monsters that looked like giant clay creatures and lumbers mindlessly like drunken frat boys.) *Voltron Eye beam *Voltron Cross-beam *Voltron Kick *Voltron Shield *Voltron Wing Attack *Voltron Lion Head attack *a variety of Voltron Missiles * The Voltron Blazing Sword On the other hand, Voltes V sports an arsenal of Ninjitsu-based super weapons against the "Beast Fighters" from Planet Boazania. (Note: Beast fighters are sentient giant robot monster-war machines from Boazania. They are mostly covered in heavy armors, they can think, plan an attack and some of them are skilled in archery and swordsmanship.) *Chain Knuckles *Finger Missiles *Grand Fire *Voltes Kick *Voltes Bazookas *Ultra-Electro magnetic Tops *Ultra-Electro magnetic Beam *Ultra-Electro Magnetic Whip *The Big V Sword (Den Ku ken.) But before Voltes V could use the Den-ku-ken, the great sword unleashes a powerful "Ultra-Electro Magnetic Ball." This mighty ball of energy engulfs, weakens the armors and paralyzes the strongest of Voltes V's opponents. Thus, Voltes V can easily bring down the Den ku ken at the trapped opponent and destroy it with ease. As an addition, Voltes V can even release several of the Ultra-Electro Magnetic Balls in rapid successions. One can just imagine how Voltron could fair against something like the Ultra-Electro Magnetic ball. 3. Human sentimentality in both shows: Most episodes of Voltron I've seen, contains no dramatic display of human sentiments what so ever. Yes, the Japanese of Voltron (Golion) had one of the Voltron members die. But in the "tampered" U.S. version, the character Sven retired from service. (Talk about dedication) The animated series even had a Disney- wannabe ambiance embodied by Space mice, beautiful princesses, castles and keeps and evil witches. There is nothing in this animated show that I can relate to: No sufferings of slaves, no uncertainties and indecisiveness among the main characters, no cries of anguish among the war victims. What's even cornier is the fact that every time a Voltron episode starts to close, a character religiously proclaims Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Then they made this "Voltron in 3rd Dimension"; a computerized rendering of Voltron. This does not help at all. All I could see are animated action figures and a 30 minute commercial of a rehashed robot toy for kids to nag at their parents to buy. Sadly, I can only level Voltron with other corny cartoons like He-Man, Thunder Cats, Scooby-Doo, the Herculoids, Thundar the Barbarian, Denver-the Last dinosaur and the Gobots. Missing one or fifteen episodes of Voltron means nothing, really. Voltes V was a different ball game all together: The animated series was a tear jerker among youngsters and a quaint source of inspiration for older viewers. Voltes V highlights human sentimentality and emphasize the notion of the defense of one's homeland, is a noble and desirable act. Unlike other cartoon series in those era, Voltes V depicts the cruelty and barbarity of a mighty alien invasion force over the suffering Boazanian slaves and conquered Earth people altogether. The Voltes team were not "puppets" or mere mechanical components of Voltes V; The team had their own differences, feelings and sensibilities towards their team mates, and to the other supporting characters. They are young human warriors who witnessed the death of their self sacrificing mother and longed the warm love of a long lost father

Oh, Voltron. "We are on a peaceful exploratory mission but we just happen to have this kick ass giant robot weapon on us!" Very reassuring, Im sure. (But then I have little sympathy with Botps `league of peaceful planets` who seem to depend on five long suffering teens to defend them from bullies.)

I'f you've read my fan fiction, "Voltes V versus Voltron: The Godaikin Wars," you'll see who's the real bully...specially Keith, who's calling the Voltes Team "gooks" and the Earth International Defense Force "Japs!"

Where is this?

http://godaikinwars.blogspot.com/ http://ultraelectromagneticmachine.blogspot.com/

"Toshou Daimos" was one of Tadao Nagahama's Super Robot story creations included in his "Robot Romance Trilogy" (Along with Voltes V and Combattler V). The series depicts the exploits of Kazuya; a young Earth defense Astronaut and martial arts pilot of the giant super robot, Fighting King Daimos, and Princess Erika of the Bhramin Invaders. Their story was like "Romeo and Juliet"; Kazuya and Erika were torn by the conflict between their love and their duty for their people. In the far future, a large refugee race called the Bhramins tries to befriend and request to live among humans. The Bhramin viceroy and the head of the Earth International Space Society was about to finalize the historic agreement when the Bhramin viceroy was poisoned and from this, hostilities have taken over the supposedly historic meeting. Because of this, the marching Bhramin beast warriors obliterated most of the cities of Earth. Coincidently, Kazuya has just returned from a space expedition and learned that the Earth was about to be conquered by the Bhramins. Kazuya found the legacy of his dead father, (the head of the Earth International Space Society) in the form of a powerful super robot called Toshou Daimos. Wasting no time, Kazuya unleashed the mighty Fighting King Daimos to face the advancing Bhramin invasion forces. Daimos, the ultra-megaton super robot starts as a super sleek space truck called "Tranzer". Ridding his road demon car, Tripper 75S, Kazuya enters the Tranzer and activates the Daimo-transformation. Powered by the mysterious dymo-light crystal energy, Toshou Daimos can perform lethal karate moves as easily as any human skilled martial artists can; a set of muscle connecting cords would attach to Kazuya's limbs and as Kazuya moves his karate strikes, so does the immense Daimos. Aside form this; Daimos was armed with several giant weapons like the Battle Button, Daimo-Whiplash, The Magnitou Blades, The Double Blizzard, Daimos Guns, Daimos Daggers, Freeze cannons, Daimos Missiles, Kick Blades, Daimos Shaft and the "Death lance Strike" where Daimos would use it's powerful fist to punch right through an enemy and blasting it to bits. After polishing off several Bhramin Beast warriors, Daimos encountered a beautiful yet mysterious girl fainting just beside a cliff. Kazuya was dumbfounded by her grace and beauty alone. Later, the girl was really Erika, princess and sister of the Vengeful Prince Ulrich, son of the poisoned Bhramin viceroy who tried to negotiate with the Earth Forces. Well, Daimos was cool not just because of the mechas and effects but because of the love story plot, it had. However, for me, Daimos has its drawbacks; Kazuya was blinded by his intense love for Princess Erika that from time to time, he fails to see the emotion involving those people whose loved ones were killed by the Bhramins. He was ready to say "Let's stop fighting with the Bhramins" just because he was deeply in love with Princess Erika and forgot to give justice to those earthlings slain in the battle.

After Voltes V, scores of other super robot shows invaded the Philippines. One of these was Leiji Matsumoto's "Dangard Ace" Danguard Ace starts off as an expeditionary space race for the newly discovered tenth planet of Promete. Although people had hoped to peacefully begin settlement there, disaster strikes as the first explorers are destroyed by a mutant-like self-proclaimed leader named Commissar Toppler who ventured towards the planet and declares himself Main Commisar of Promete. Using Promete's resources, Commisar Toppler with his ass-licking side kick named "Monico" commands a vast military force greater than that of Earth's. He warned the people of Earth to abandon all means of access to Promete and threatens those who would try to defy his orders a horrifying death. To seize Promete from Toippler's hold, the governments of Earth begin constructing massive star ships equipt with combat robots. But Toppler is able to attack and destroy all the different fleet and their battle robots, using his own army of "Mecha Satans" before they are completed, except for the "Jusdom" Space carrier, Japan's own battle/exploring vessel, guarded by the mighty Planet Robot Danguard Ace. The Mecha satan Forces sent by Toppler to attack the Jusdom carrier were destroyed because of the efforts of the enigmatic Captain Dan; Nothing is known of this mysterious man, save that he has previously worked as a mind slave to Commisar Toppler and Monico. Takuma Ichimonji, son of the man named Dantetsu Ichimonji, who betrayed the initial Promete exploration team becomes a Jusdom cadet at the Jusdom Carrier. Ichimonji hopes that he might restore his fathers honor by fighting against Commisar Toppler's forces. Well, the giant robot Dangard Ace had a sleek design and I remember longing to get my hands on the Popinca Toy of Dangard Ace. The Super Interplanetary Robot can transform itself by "shuffling" and re-attaching it's parts and forms the super cool defense star fighter "Satelizer." Dangard Ace had variety of weapons but it's most prominent armmament was the "Spartan Javelin". Unfortunately, Dangard Ace's story seem so "dragging" specially in those episodes where the Dangard Ace robot was still in the works. Another put doiwn was the introduction of "new" characters, one of them, is the corny "Tony Rocket". In my opinion, "Dangard Ace" was best with it's original characters... But it's a great show nonethless...

1978 marks the so-called "Japanese Animated Robot Invasion of the Philippines" Lead by the Ultra-Electro Magnetic Machine Voltes V, scores of other super robot shows begins to sprout up like mushrooms in different T.V stations. One of these shows was the obscured "Mekanda Robot" (Mechander Robot) The story of this series goes like this: The Valkyrian (Doron) Empire, hailing from the Ganymede system came to Earth in order to conquer it. Since extreme pollution had transformed the once, peaceful alien race into hideous space monsters, a Valkyrian military officer named General Ozmel already overthrew the ailing queen Medusa of Ganymede in the Magellan star cluster. Earth's defenses were no match; in a matter of days, almost the entire world fell under Doron's occupation. Professor Humbolt (Doctor Shikishima,) a brilliant Earth defense scientist created a huge mobile defense base called "The King Diamond"; a terran-bound galactic carrier capable of transforming itself into a huge baseball field to hide its whereabouts. Accompanied with his young and lovely daughter, Jenny Humbolt ( Mika Shikishima) Professor Humbolt places his last hopes for Planet Earth in his creation; a gigantic hyper-cybernaut code named "The Mekanda Robot": A giant automated power house capable of launching missiles, laser beams, shark torpedoes (complete with mechanical remoras) and other deadly projectiles, giant sabres and shields. The Mekanda Robot was formed when three sleek and colorful Earth Defense Machines namely Mekanda One, Mekanda Two and Mekanda Three integrates to form one massive Space machine called "The Mekanda Max." This Mekanda Max then inserts itself into a cavity bay behind the huge Mekanda Robot and in turn acts as a "battery" that activates the gigantic cybernaut. Without the Mekanda Max, the Mekanda Robot is nothing but an unmanned rocket. The Mekanda Max pilot squadrons are as follows; Jimmy Orion (The main young hero of the series) is the quiet, enigmatic pilot of Mekanda One. Marcus Vance (Kojiro Hachijima) is the hotshot pilot of Mekanda Two. David Humbolt (Ryosuke Shikishima) is Jenny Humbolt's brother and the pilot of Mekanda Three (Toraika B-3) The giant Mekanda Robot efficiently destroys every Beast Warrior the Valkyrians hurled against Earth, but a member of the Mekanda Max pilot squadron named Jimmy Orion is mysteriously connected with Queen Medusa (She is his mother) Frankly, the series had a promising plot but the production suffers great loss from bankruptcy and some later episodes use stock footages from earlier episodes (The pterodactyl enemy robot was used frequently as well as a parachuting Jenny Humbolt.) Mekanda Robot was another cult favorite among young fans in those years but not as intensely involved like Voltes V fans.

I remember coming across a peculiar transformable robot toy called "Dancougar" back in 1980. The Dancougar toy is very small in comparison to that of the Godaikin Voltes V, but the thing does pack with inventive ways to transform; It's body was consists of four machines that transforms into "vehicles" then, robot animals and then human-like robot warriors and combines to form the giant beast machine Dancougar. Dancougar made me curious; What is the story and who are the pilots of these strange robotic components since it never reached Philippine shores& Finally, the internet had answered my inquiries: Dancougar is the story of the "Zyusenkitai" or 'Cyberbeast Force" (or the Super Beast Machine Warrior Team or whatever.) a team of four, young Earth Defense team piloting the "Dancougar" and it's advance weapon defense systems against the "Muge Zorbados alien Empire". The Cyberbeast Force as follows: Shinobu Fujiwara- Shinobu is a highly skilled fighter pilot with steel reserves. However, he is also reckless and disruptive. A little bit of an anti-hero himself and has a not-so-hidden feelings for sara Yuki, the female member of the "Zyusenkitai force". Nevertheless, he does wear pink shirt every off duty. Sara Yuki- The only female member of the team, second ranking member of the Cyberbeast force; Sara was very sensitive and initiative at times but somehow, she is a weak character who is in love with a young man named Saphiro Keats; a man who wears eye shadows and was considered traitor against Planet Earth. Masato Shibiku- The youngest member of the Cyberbeast Force, enthusiastic and had a zest for life. As the series progresses, he developed friendship with a young American girl name Laura Sullivan. Ryo Shinobu- Trained extensively in the field of Martial Arts, he was the forth member of the "Zyusenkitai". Ryo is soft spoken and patient yet he was proud and most often, he comes in conflict with Shinobu. He is a combination of the 2nd in command loner and the big-guy fighter prevalent among 5-man team earth defense series. The Zyuzenkitai Machines- The Eagle Fighter - (Piloted by Shinobu) is a powerful Earth Defense fighter that transforms to a biped, warrior robot and the head of Dancougar. The Land Cougar- (Piloted by Sara) is a deadly Earth Defense all terrain machine that transforms from a tank-like conveyance, to a large, armored robot black panther and then a biped giant robot warrior, to the left foot of Dancougar. The Land Liger- (Piloted by masato) is a powerful Earth Defense land craft that transforms from a land machine to a biped giant robot, to a huge animal shaped cybernaut and then, becomes the right foot of Dancougar. The Big Moth- (Piloted by Ryo) The largest Cyberbeast force machine, the Big Moth transforms from a giant tank, to a colossal biped robot. Then, to a huge mechanoid mammoth and becomes the body of Dancougar.

Hello Gang, I just encountered a cute anime series by mistake. Nope, there no giant robots, monsters or super power monks with magic , no effeminate looking scene stealing male characters and no panty shots...it's called Azumanga Daioh and it's characters are really funny! Azumanga Daioh is a Japanese comedy manga written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was published by MediaWorks in the magazine Dengeki Daioh from 1999 to 2002 and collected in four tankMbon volumes. It is drawn as a series of vertical four-panel comic strips called yonkoma and depicts the lives of a group of girls during their three years as high-school classmates. It was adapted as an anime, Azumanga Daioh: the Animation, which was produced by J.C.Staff and aired from the week of April 8, 2002 until the week of September 30, 2002. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo, Aichi Television Broadcasting, Television Osaka, and AT-X in five-minute segments every weekday, then repeated as a 25-minute compilation that weekend, for a total of 130 five-minute segments collected in 26 episodes. The compilation episodes, which were the only versions to include the title and credits sequences, were released on VHS and DVD by Starchild Records;the five-minute segments can be distinguished by their individual titles. The cute characters The main cast of Azumanga Daioh consists of six schoolgirls and two of their teachers. Secondary characters include Kimura-sensei, a creepy male teacher with an unhealthy obsession with teenage girls, and Kaorin, a classmate with a crush on Sakaki. Chiyo Mihama A child prodigy, also known as Chiyo-chan, who is considered amazingly cute by the other characters. Through her, the series humorously explores the consequences of skipping five grades to tenth grade (the first grade in Japanese high school). She is a target of jealousy due to her intelligence and wealthy family. Chiyo's twin ponytails were used in several visual gags in both the manga and anime, such as flying wings in Osaka's daydreams. Tomo Takino An extremely energetic and competitive girl, despite being nonathletic and a slacker. Tomo's character is extremely impulsive and rarely considers the consequences of anything. Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara A grade-school friend and Tomo's general antagonist, Yomi as she is commonly known, is the title's voice of reason and straight man, carrying herself as the most mature and serious of the group. Though smart and athletic, she is constantly dissatisfied with herself due to her weight and is always trying various diets in an effort to become thinner. Sakaki A tall, soft-spoken girl uncomfortable with her height and busty physique. Her reticence is misinterpreted as mysterious, or cool. She is naturally athletic but she has no real interest in sports. Sakaki is, in reality, an emotionally sensitive person who holds a secret longing for cute things. She loves cats, but the neighborhood cats dislike her and her parents do not allow cats in their house because her mother is allergic. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga More popularly known by her nickname Osaka, Ayumu is a transfer student from Osaka. Tomo quickly chose for her the nickname "Osaka" contrary to Ayumu's behavior, which is different from what Tomo sees as the "typical" Osakan. Ayumu lacks the energy or motivation to dispute the nickname. She has a mind that works differently than other people, prone to daydreaming, absentmindedness, and non-sequiturs, but exceptional at answering very specific types of riddles. Kagura A girl who joins Yukari's class in the second year. Yukari selects her as a ringer to win the school athletic competitions. Originally in Nyamo's class and with little success in studies, she devotes her time to the swim team but is an all-around good athlete. She is genuinely nice to her classmates but is competitive and has a slight obsession with Sakaki, with whom she sees as an athletic rival due to Sakaki being a naturally gifted athlete with no training at all. She is also sensitive and prone to tears when she doesn't perform as well as she wants to, or at the thought of parting with her friends. ) Sensei Yukari Tanizaki The girls' English and homeroom teacher (class 3), with very unconventional methods and a close relationship with the class. Her students are casual enough to call her by her first name: Yukari-sensei, and even use the very informal and intimate name and title of Yukari-chan. She can be moody and, like Tomo, is incredibly impulsive and has a tendency not to think things through. Yukari has a rivalry/friendship with Minamo and attempts to prove that she is the superior teacher. Yukari is known for being an absolutely horrible driver with a car beaten entirely with dents. Yukari's driving skills are responsible for Chiyo-chan developing an occasional phobia to riding in cars. Sensei Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa A gym teacher at the girls' school. In the girls' first year of high school, she was the homeroom teacher of class 5. During their last two years, she was the homeroom teacher of class 2. She is an old high school friend and rival of Yukari, who occasionally refers to her by an old nickname of Nyamo despite Minamo's wishes to the contrary. Popular with the students, Minamo is nicer and in greater control of herself than Yukari, but, in moments of weakness, Minamo has proven that she can be just as vulnerable to losing control as is Yukari. She likes to gossip about Yukari to the students, but doesn't do so because Yukari has blackmail material on Minamo from back when they were students. My personal views about this anime series: Instantly, I was attracted to "Azu Manga Daioh" because it contains NO scene stealing male characters evident in such a genre; even the female teachers seems more concerned about their rivalry than looking for lovers.

I <3 Azumanga Daioh, I've got the DVD set and all four volumes of the Manga. You really should check out it's spinoff manga, Yotsuba. I found the English dub rather awkward though, I honestly don't understand where all the praise for it comes from. And I usually PREFER dubs. Fun fact: Kimura in Japanese is voiced by Koji Ishii who voices Joe in the Gatchaman '94 OVA. In English he's voiced by Andy McAvin who voices Nambu in ADVs English dub. Strangely funny considering Kimura's personality.

Goodness... Joe is in it too?...Wow you just gave me an idea for a Gatchaman Fanfiction...what if Gatchaman meets Azumanga Daioh?

Hello Gatcha-gang, Here's another anime series I happen to encounter by accident and really, it's a PANTY PARTY of Action I said... (Jun can really relate to this show I believe) Agent Aika, known in Japan as simply AIKa, is an adventure anime OVA series. It is about a Japanese woman named Aika Sumeragi who works as a salvager for companies that hire her, but gets caught up in a plot for world domination. Tokyo has sunk into the ocean, along with most of the world, during a large-scale land subsidence. Aika Sumeragi is a salvager who works for a small company run by a father and daughter tandem. Alas, the company isn't exactly successful, and money is needed desperately. Thus, Aika accepts the very dangerous job of acquiring an artifact called Lagu for a hefty sum. The boss' daughter Aida Rion joins Aika on this particular mission, and the two set off. Later on, Aika and Rion are captured by Rudolf Hargenan effeminate but over-sexed man who wants Lagu and Aika (and just about every pretty girl) for himself. Hargen commands a huge battleship manned exclusively by Delmos, a vast army of cute girls in mini-skirts (an example of what is often called "fan service"). Alongside Hargen is his obsessive sister Neena, who is jealous of Aika, as well as another salvager named Gusto, who's also after Lagu and has a crush on Aika as well. When Aika's special bustier (The Ultranate) is activated, she becomes a superhuman who can take on whole armies by herself. Aika Sumeragi 26 She is considered to be one of the best in the business. She was raised as a test subject by her scientist parents who died in the catastrophic earthquake. She was protected by the bustier made by her parents and thus survived. She was then picked up by Aida Gozo, who raised her, and later on she works in Gozo's office as a Salvager. Aika possesses a unique battle suit made out of "ultranate" shaped into a golden bustier that transforms her into a dark-skinned and blue-haired woman with supernatural strength and resilience. But she dislikes the perfection attained by the transformation and tries not to rely on it. Although not used in the anime, in this form she is called Shivie Aika. She is constantly fighting with Gust, who either tries to steal her bounty or hits on her. Aika will do anything to get the job done, even if it means sacrificing her morals. Rion Aida 18 She is Aika's salvaging partner and her Boss' daughter. Her mother divorced him after she was born. She wants to run the business better, but her father keeps to his policies. She does not like being left out of transactions nor having Aika do the work herself. Rion looks upon Aika as her real sister and yearns to become like Aika. Gozo Aida 51 He was an active industrial spy, but rode on the chance of the catastrophic earthquake and entered the salvaging business, setting up K2 Corporation, a Salvaging operation. He is Rion's father. He prefers to hold onto the old ways (cheapest price for the best service) and principles of doing business, which does little good to the business. His past with Aika goes far back. Michikusa Shuntaro 21 Graduated from the Salvager training school with barely passing grades, he joins K2 Corporation through a relative. His father is the president of a major salvaging company. He is a new character introduced in the second series. Cute-looking but totally air-headed, Michikusa is prone to dressing cutely as well (including donning Delmo staff uniforms on several occasions), and using a kappa doll and squeaky voice to try cheering up Rion when her mood is down, which earns him frequent beatings by Rion because he only succeeds in annoying her. Maypia Alexymetalia She is a "Class A" spy (who carries suitable business cards) employed by the government to retrieve information on Lagu by infiltrating Hagen's army dressed as a black Delmo. She runs into Rion and ends up following her. After having been abandoned by her employers and her subsequent rescue by Aika and her friends, she went freelance. She reappears in episode 7, where she joins Rion and company in their assault on the Delmo base. Gus Turbulence 24 He is the son of a company's president. Although he is well-off, he prefers to be independent and became a Salvager to earn his own name. At first look he may be a brash person, but is skillful. He'd like to have Aika to go out with him, but she refuses. He seems to end up in the right place to get the bounty. B.A. Bandora Gust's cyberpunk-styled partner, a veteran Salvager. May not always agree with him but helps him out anyway. Rudolf Hagen 31 Hagen was born as a genetically altered test tube baby, in the process he received superior genes. Because of that he yearns for superior women to impart the genes to his next generation. Hagen is the evil mastermind who, even though contracted by the military to find the Lagu, wants it for his own ends. He believes that Lagu is something the Earth produced to destroy the humanity that polluted it. He enjoys commanding his army, especially the bridge, and is passive but calculating. He plans to repopulate the Earth with his own progeny conceived with his Delmo staff. Neena Hagen 28 She is a test tube baby like Rudolf. It is unknown if she is the blood sister of Rudolf. Nevertheless she respects and loves Rudolf dearly to a level beyond siblings, and dislikes Aika for "seducing" her brother Rudolf. A sadistic character and unstable mood, she walks around in her bare essentials and makes sure the black Delmos are punished for failure. She later receives from Rudolf an Alternate Metal panty which allows her to transform to a powered-up form. However, the device fusing into her soon runs out of control, and she becomes a hideous monster. In this form she embraces and kills her brother and flees into space cradling his corpse. Her ultimate fate is unknown. The Delmo Corps, also referred as the Delmogen is an army of pretty ladies assembled by Professor Hagen for the purpose of propagating his genes; they also function as Hagen's private army. Some of them work ordinary jobs like guides and waitresses, but on top of that they are also involved in espionage activities. Even after Hagen's defeat, the Delmo Corps still functions. With its aim to capture Aika to avenge Hagen and to study the alternate metal, they become the main antagonist in the second series. White Delmo: Officer class and Hagen's personal bodyguards. They are responsible for the smooth operations of the ship. Captain/Commander The unnamed chief commanding officer of the Delmo is a beautiful green-haired woman highly accomplished in military and reconnaissance work. After Hagen's demise she took command of the Delmogeny and continues to seek revenge on Aika and her entourage. She distinguishes herself from her subordinate commanders by wearing two patches with a white H on her uniform's collar. She is a responsible officer who is very concerned with the welfare of her troops, and has a love relationship with her (also unnamed) second-in-command. Adjutant The second-in-command in the Delmo Corps. She is very loyal and cares very much for the Captain, with whom she has a lover's relationship. She participated in Operation "Silver Wild Grapevine", where she played the role of the head of the air base. Golden Delmo: Special operations task force. They carry out special missions. Bianca The operative in charge of Operation "Golden Apple". She wanted revenge for one of the Delmo (a personal friend) who died during the events in series one. She plans to humiliate Aika by using a woman disguised as a man to toy with Aika's feelings, then capture Aika alive. She uses a retractable sleeve-blade in melee combat and has a hidden flame thrower on her right arm. Rie Petoriyacowa The child-like operative in charge of Operation "Silver Wild Grapevine". She had been studying Aika and had learnt how Aika fights. Aika was tricked into a pilot adaptibility physical examination, whereby Rie gathers physical data on Aika. Sania One of the two operatives that destroyed the K2 Corporation building. Her preferred weapon is a grenade pistol. Tonia One of the two operatives that destroyed the K2 Corporation building. Uses claws on both hands in melee combat. Blue Delmo: Elite infantry class. They carry weapons and perform duties such as piloting or defending the ship against intruders. Valarie/Pierre Valimore A bishMnen woman who took part in Operation "Golden Apple". She volunteered to be the one to disguise herself as a man. Black Delmo: Infantry class, in charge of carrying out simple missions, mass-attacking in melee, and the administration of the ship. Pink Delmo: Mechanics and engineers also seen operating heavy weapons, from tanks to battleship guns. Personally, The Agent Aika series featured stuff thoroughly devoid of common sense: The Neena Hargen character piloted a supersonic jet only in lingeries...I know expert pilots have to wear special flightsuits to counter the different G-Forces involved in high speed flights. Plus, girls wearing too mini skirts (why bother skirts) really now, I believe Aika was made for the mild "perverts" in all of us...

"When Aika's special bustier (The Ultranate) is activated, she becomes a superhuman who can take on whole armies by herself... She was raised as a test subject by her scientist parents who died in the catastrophic earthquake. She was protected by the bustier made by her parents and thus survived. She was then picked up by Aida Gozo, who raised her, and later on she works in Gozo's office as a Salvager." Aika sounds like an interesting character, and one who has some things in common with Jun from Gatchaman. I'd never heard of this anime before, but it sounds like it could be worth a watch (although panty flashes do nothing for me!)

After "Agent Aika" I encountered yet another Action Packed, Panty-Flashing Japanese anime series titled "Najica Bl;itz tactics" Najica Hiiragi is a noted perfumer for CRI Cosmetics, famous for being able to identify over 500 scents. As the series began, she is struggling to finish "The Day Series" (a series of scents modeled after the days of the week), trying to find the perfect scent for the final perfume, "Sunday". Secretly however, Najica is actually a field agent for CRI's Intelligence Bureau, an agency unknown to the public (and even to most of its own employees for the sake of their own protection). She is an expert markswoman with her preferred weapon; the Stechkin APS, an old Russian firearm with selective fire (auto and semi-auto) and a wooden holster that doubles as a shoulder stock. The twenty round magazine is loaded with non-lethal plastic bullets. Najica is also an expert helicopter pilot, and she has a custom-modified Mil Mi-35 Hind assault helicopter with remote control and advanced avionics. Najica's first mission in the narrative is to recover a Humaritt (android) codenamed "ZZZ" and referred to as "Lila" (who was to be used as the sex toy of a bi-sexual countess), Najica becomes suspicious when CRI Intelligence is contracted by Shinba Industrial to recover more lost and possibly rogue Humaritts; especially since most of them are in the hands of criminals, revolutionaries, guerillas or terrorist groups. Her suspicions increase when Lila is assigned to be her partner, even though Najica insists she be allowed to continue working alone. As time goes on however, Najica begins to trust Lila, even if Lila's lack of social graces make her wince. Soon however the two's bond is tested when they face the creator of the Humaritts and her ultimate plan... Perhaps the program's greatest appeal is its sexiness. Najica Blitz Tactics is deliciously naughty throughout, and almost every time a female character is depicted she is shown from an angle that allows her bosom, posterior, or crotch to fill most of the screen. There is, however, no nudity in the series, and its light-hearted voyeurism is concentrated on showing off the forms of its female characters as these are revealed beneath their clothing. The director is particularly interested in displaying his characters' panties. In fact, Najica Blitz Tactics contains more panties than most human beings will see elsewhere in a lifetime.

A new anime series is in town and aired every 7:00 pm in Studio 23. The title is GUN x SWORD The story is set on the "Planet of Endless Illusion", a place where rogues of all sorts gather. The protagonist, Van, travels the world searching for a man with a clawed right hand who killed his bride. He is joined by several other travelers along the way, each linked to the clawed man by a personal loss. The Characters VAN - (A name derived from a motor vehicle) A tall, lanky wanderer of few words clad in a dark swallowtail suit. His speech is slow, laconic, and unhurried; but when hearing news referring to the clawed man, his disposition shifts to extreme anger. He acquires many titles throughout his travels. Wendy Garret Van's first traveling companion. She is searching for her missing brother Michael. Offers to become Van's bride in episode 1. Carmen 99 A mysterious and self-sufficient mercenary introduced in episode 2. The '99' in her name is the size of her bust, in centimeters  thus, Carmen 99  but her birth name is Carol Mendosa. Ray Lundgren A withdrawn and ruthless Armor pilot, introduced in episode 5, whose wife was killed by the Man with the claw hand. Joshua Lundgren Ray's younger brother. Joshua is upbeat, talkative and sociable. His main asset is his technical skill, being able to repair numerous everyday items, analyze armor weaknesses, and even setup timed explosives. Priscilla A pink-haired girl who meets Van during an armor tournament. She later joins his company on their quest. The Claw Man The primary antagonist and the subject of Van and Ray's hatred. The Armors Saudade of Sunday Pilot: Michael Garret Saudade of Sunday was retrieved from the sunken ruins of a city in episode 10, therefore, it is the only Original Seven armor without a satellite station. When it is in its compact form it has the appearance of a gigantic bayonet. In humanoid form it sprouts several large wings which functions as large solar panels, thus allowing Saudade to function without continuous refueling as the other armors. Saudade wields a large sword with a gun at the hilt which fires energy beams. Saudade is later launched into space and to the moon as part of the Clawed Man's scheme, but calculations showed that there was a 20% chance of it colliding with Dann of Thursday's base, and the satellite was destroyed because of it. Later, Saudade also destroyed Diablo of Monday's satellite station when it was reentering the planet, after Dann used it to recharge. A battle between the two armors ensues, interrupted by an explosion brought about by the Claw's plan. Saudade was the first to reenter the Endless Illusion's atmosphere in episode 24, in pretty good condition. It launches into another attack against Dann when the latter returns and threatens the Birthday and the Clawed Man. In the second and final confrontation, Dann of Thursday slashes a V into Saudade and destroys it, much to Michael's disbelief, since Saudade of Sunday was supposed to be the most advanced of the Originals. Diablo of Monday Pilot: Gadved In appearance, Diablo is a bulkier version of Van's armor Dann of Thursday and appears in episode 12, where Gadved fought Van. It appears to be slightly stronger than Van's armor, although it is unknown if this due to Gadveds longer experience in piloting or the Diablo itself. In its compact form it resembles a giant axe and it therefore wields a large axe with a long shaft (a halberd) in its human form. It was defeated by Dann of Thursday with Van's greater drive and conviction. Later near to the end of the series Dann of Thursday used Diablo's satellite to repair itself after Saudade of Sunday destroyed Dann's storage satellite while on its way to the Moon. Diablo's satellite station was destroyed when Saudade of Sunday was reentering the planets surface. Mets� of Tuesday Pilot: Woo Mets� is a slender armor which first appears in episode 15, where it does battle with Van and his armor Dann. In its compact form, Mets� takes the shape of an enormous lance, wielding a Rapier in humanoid form. During the first battle, Dann is no match against Mets� due to Van's inexperience in using the mech's electromagnetic shield and other capabilities. However, in the rematch, Van finds the strength he needs to bring forth Dann's potential and destroys Mets�, along with its pilot. Mets� also means forest in Finnish. Dahlia of Wednesday Pilot: Fasalina Dahlia is Fasalina's unique armor which she reveals in episode 20. In its compact form it is shaped as a three-part staff and accordingly wields a similar weapon in humanoid form. Dahlia is very agile and has speed to match, despite its appearance. Fasalina controls it by swinging around a pole installed in the cockpit of the armor, which is also her staff. Dahlia possesses some unconventional weapons as it can fire a burst of its own blue blood-like liquid against the enemy armor, effectively binding them since the liquid solidifies on contact. Another unique weapon is its ability to create organic tendrils (presumably also made from the same blue fluid) from its chest for close range combat. It can also fire rocket missiles for long range combat, and even use camouflage to evade or surprise an enemy, as Dahlia looks very much like a large flower. During its fight with Dann of Thursday it was almost destroyed until it was kicked out of the way by the Eldorado Five. However during its second fight, Ray and Vulcan destroy her mech's arm and body with Vulcan's guns at point-blank range, thereby crippling Dahlia forever. Dann of Thursday Pilot: Van Dann is Van's armor, built along the same lanky statures as Van himself. In compact form it resembles a giant sword and thus wields a huge sword in humanoid form, which again can be split into two smaller swords. A giant blade is mounted on its back, and can spin to allow temporary flight. Dann is one of the few armors which possesses no long range attacks, and it depends entirely on Van's movements and swordmannship in order to inflict damage on its opponents. In the beginning of the series, Van has not learned to activate all of Dann's power yet, but by the last episode he has discovered how to utilise Dann's electromagnetic shield, which greatly improves Dann's odds against a long range-attacking opponent. Later towards the end of the series Dann's satellite station was shot down by Saudade of Sunday during its rocket to the moon because of the chances Saudade might have collided with the satellite station,therefore stopping Dann from repairing itself after its battle with Dahlia of Wednesday. Dann later repairs itself using Diablo of Monday's satellite station which is later destroyed by Saudade of Sunday. In the end, Dann is stored in another of the remaining satellites, though is not mentioned which one. Most unusual is its ability to heal injuries or illnesses that Van has, including hangovers, once he enters the cockpit. Furthermore, Van's combination of natural piloting ability and the armor implants he received allow Dann to reach a state called Overflow. This allowed Dann to harness the liquid metal of the Prison Planet Destroyer to form a gigantic blade. Sin of Friday Pilot: Carossa Sin, along with its sister armor Sen, differs from the other Original Seven because it has a nonhumanoid structure. In its compact form it is in the shape of a tonfa, while in its battle state, it is hunched backwards with large hind legs and a tail. When battling it wields a tonfa which can morph into different weapons. Sin and Sen can combine into a single Armor to increase their attack and defense, but can just as easily separate again. It can also fire energy beams. It is destroyed along with its pilot by Vulcan's beam howitzer. Sen of Saturday Pilot: Melissa Sen is Sin's sister armor, but smaller. In its battle state it is more humanoid than its sibling but the head is very alien looking. In its compact form it resembles a chakram, which is also its weapon when in battle form. The chakram is a deadly ring which can be thrown against an enemy and pierce its armor and will return to its owner like a boomerang. Sen can interlock with Sin to a single armor, where Sen resides in the interior and bottom section, protected by the stronger and bigger Sin. Like Sin, it can fire energy beams. It is destroyed by Vulcan's beam howitzer.

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I'm definitely going to have to check out that GunXSword sometime. It's great to have a Rent Anime account I actually dig this thread of yours. Keep it up man!

Yo Cain, Gun X Sword is a real cool anime...and I've finished the entire series...First, the bad guys rained the poor lanky Van with trash talk everytime the odds seems to favor the baddies...but as the show progress, Van shoved it all down their throats! Van's a drifter, like a cowboy desperado searching for justice

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Ok Gatchaguys, a new hard kicking anime's in our town and the tile is FULL METAL ALCHEMIST... And it's currently featured in TV 5 every Friday at 7:30 pm Edward and Alphonse Elric are two alchemist brothers searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, a powerful object which would allow them to recover their bodies (which were lost in an attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy). Born in the village of Resembool from the country of Amestris ( Amesutorisu?), the two brothers live there with their parents. Their father, Hohenheim, leaves home for unknown reasons and years later, their mother, Trisha Elric, dies of a terminal illness leaving the Elric brothers alone. After their mother's death, Edward becomes determined to bring her back through the use of alchemy, an advanced science in which objects can be created from raw materials. They research Human Transmutation, a forbidden art in which one attempts to create or modify a human being. However, this attempt fails, ultimately resulting in the loss of Edward's left leg and Alphonse's entire body. In a desperate effort to save his brother, Edward sacrifices his right arm to affix Alphonse's soul to a suit of armor. Some days later, an alchemist named Roy Mustang visits the Elric brothers, and he tells Edward to become a member of the State Military of the country to find a way to recover their bodies. After that, Edward's left leg and right arm are replaced with automail, a type of advanced prosthetic limb, created for him by his close family friends Winry Rockbell and her grandmother Pinako. Edward sets out to become a State Alchemist (Kokka Renkinjutsushi?), an alchemist employed by the State Military of Amestris, which infamously annihilated much of the neighboring country of Ishbal's population in the past decade. Becoming a State Alchemist enables Edward to use the extensive resources available to State Alchemists, but it also turns him into what they call a "dog of the military". His more friendly relationship with Roy Mustang however, whom he reports to and who recruited him, allows the brothers freedom to search for the Philosopher's Stone as part of Edward's research, as each State Alchemist is expected to independently research new things which may be of a use to the State Military of Amestris. The brothers set off in search of the Philosopher's Stone as a means to restore their bodies. Throughout their journey, they meet many antagonists, including those who are willing to do anything to obtain the Philosopher's Stone; Scar, one of the few surviving Ishbalans, who seeks vengeance on the State Alchemists for the destruction of his race; and the homunculi, a group of human-like creatures who carry pieces of the Philosopher's Stone inside themselves, and from it derive the ability to survive almost any harm. As the story progresses, Edward and Alphonse discover the vast expansion of Amestris was the result of the homunculi, who created and secretly control the State Military. The homunculi and much of the high-ranking military officers are commanded from behind the curtains by the creator of the homunculi, a man simply known as Father, who gained immortality by using a copy of Hohenheim as his new body centuries before the series' timeline. He plans to use Amestris as a gigantic transmutation circle, possibly to transmute the entire country into the Philosopher's Stone. When Edward and Alphonse discover Father's plans, they set out to defeat him along with other members of the State Military. Personal views: This anime is so radical that it has atheistic elements in it...My younger brother loves it cause he's an honest to ghod atheist.

Re-Panty Peaks in Voltes V Yo Gatchamarie You can always look at the beginning of this thread for a full Voltes V line up>

In fact I did some time ago! I was more than happy to unexpectedly encounter another enthusiast of Voltes V in this site as even here, at my country, not many people know about it! Thanks for the summary Buddy ... it surely brought me back some good memories!

Originally posted by BuddyParaiso Ok Gatchaguys, a new hard kicking anime's in our town and the tile is FULL METAL ALCHEMIST... And it's currently featured in TV 5 every Friday at 7:30 pm

After Gatchaman, Fullmetal Alchemist is my favourite anime and I still rewatch bits of it now and then. I too highly recommend it. Roy Mustang is my favourite character in it. If I couldn't get Joe (or Ken) I'd happily settle for Roy!

Is this only just coming out with you? I have had the pleasure of watching it a couple of years ago. Hmmmm, maybe it was only two winters ago. Any ways, they have pulled it now for other anime shows, but I do miss it. I was really enjoying it, even when the station started showing it in reruns. The TV station ran the full series of shows, then showed the movie and then went back to the half hour eps. Not to spoil it for you, but I so wanted to see everything be successful for the boys.

O.K. guys...Full metal Alchemy really rocks and I'm planning to buy the whole DVD series...About Gun X Sword, I've bought the whole DVD series and really liked the Bokinni and Final episode of the anime...

I have just purchased the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed series. I know it is an old series but I just ran across a few eps the other day and decided I needed to see more.

Hi all!

I know it is an old series

Not that old, only 2002/2003, with a sequel that ran from 2004/2005. James

Originally posted by tatsunokofan Hi all!

I know it is an old series

Not that old, only 2002/2003, with a sequel that ran from 2004/2005. James

Was it (Is it) really 02/03? I would have said late 90's. And okay when I said old I had realized it was not as old a Gatchaman or any of the cartoons we watched as children. I just meant old in comparison to the shows that are out and on TV for kids today. For instance Ben 10, Sponge Bob and Bakugon.

Gundam, I'm not so fond of Gundam but hey, rumors has it that Saburo Yate the creator of Voltes V, co-produced (or co-directed) the Z-Gundam movie. (1980's) I'm not so sure. The only Gundam stuff I had is the hard plastic MSZ 006 perfect change toy (Not a model kit)