I got this email from Brian Jepson (no, I don't 'know' him but I emailed him once to let him know about the Gatchaman fan groups) who did the voice of Joe on the ADVs. This is what he said. ***** So, I just heard from my friend that used to be my director/recording engineer at ADV Films that he wants me to come back and record Joe's voice for the Gatchaman OVA series that came out in the 1990's! I'm going down to Houston this coming week to record the episodes. It's going to be like old home week. I don't know much about the 90's series, but I googled it and saw a few stills from the series, etc. I'll let you know when and where it comes out when it's done. ***** I will let you know if/when I hear back from him!

Very interesting .... I look forward to hearing what response you get when you hear back!

Same here!

SWEET! I really like Brian's voice for Joe- and he really seems to be a legitimate Gatch fan! That's exciting!

They're going to re-release the 90's OAVs is the impression he's giving me. Why would they redo the voices on the English version?

Originally posted by Becky Rock Why would they redo the voices on the English version?

Maybe somebody's re-translated the dialogue...

Oh, you mean Ken won't tell Joe 'Not bad for a beginner?' anymore?

Now, I didn't say that! But I wouldn't be surprised if someone comments on how Jun spends most of her time jiggling instead of toweling off when she gets out of the pool.

I haven't heard back from him since, but I will post here if I do!

I wonder if the live-action movie coming out has gotten some people thinking there'll be a renewed interest in Gatchaman? I'm guessing this is all related to what Tatsunokofan posted here: http://gatchamania.net/thread.php?threadid=4294&sid=

Hi all! At the Anime Boston convention this last weekend, Sentai Filmworks announced that they would be releasing the Gatchaman TV series and the OAVs on DVD and Blu-ray this October. From the sound of things, they're going to be releasing the entire series in a single set, coupled with the OAVs. The OAVs will also see a separate DVD-only release. Sentai Filmworks is a subsidiary of Section 23 Films. Section 23 is, in essense, ADV Films under a different name. When ADV shut down, most of its key people and licenses went to the newly formed Section 23. The long and short of this is that the Gatchaman episodes that Sentai Filmworks will be releasing will likely be a reissue of the ADV Gatchaman release, paired with the Urban Vision OAV release. Considering the prices that many of the later ADV volumes are selling for these days, this could be a great boon for anyone who missed out on the ADV releases. One thing that is currently unclear is whether the Blu-ray release will be a remastering of the series using HD masters, as was done for the Gatchaman Blu-ray release in Japan, or if it will simply be an upconversion of the SD DVD material to Blu-ray. James

If this Sentai is releasing both the OAV and the ADV Gatchaman DVDs as well, maybe they want both of them to have the same dubbed voices, and are reuniting the voice actors who did the dubbing for ADV? Brian Jepson is my favourite English-speaking voice for the Condor, so I think this is good news!

I would agree, Brian did an awesome job for Joe, and it's great to see that he will be voicing the Condor again! And I'm excited to get the new BluRays...

I found this and thought it was worth a mention...this guy named James Villanueva is supposedly a professional over at Deviant Art and he posted some images of Ken's birdrang. He also lists a ccopyright for Sentai Filmworks. Don't know if it means anything, but it caught my attention... Here's what he says about it: "A 3D print model project of the Gatchaman Birdarang suggested to me by :ishiro2549a: In theory the rubber band should open the wings when the switch is pressed. I left some room for a microswitch in case an LED were added for the eyes. Have not 3D printed it yet, bills come first. Gatchaman Birdarang (c) Sentai Filmworks"

That looks super cool! I love his ideas!!!! Thanks so much for sharing that, Springie!

Interesting. I guess they can use the 3D printers to reproduce all kinds of things, but it is expensive. I can understand his wanting to pay some bills first.

Not anymore. The prices have plummeted over the last two years. Expect to see them in your lair by 2015...

Not this lair. I'm lucky to use a computer. I've got to figure out how to download or upload (don't know the terminology) my son's picture to sign him up for his SAT test. Apparently a picture ID isn't enough anymore.

Originally posted by Becky Rock I've got to figure out how to download or upload (don't know the terminology) my son's picture to sign him up for his SAT test.

When you're sending it off, you're uploading (like sending your prayers up to heaven.) When you're receiving, you're downloading (like blessings come down from heaven.) Does that help?

That's so cool, Springie ... thanks for sharing! Am so excited with all of this new Gatchaman related stuff! The interest in our beloved show is really escalating!

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Becky Rock I've got to figure out how to download or upload (don't know the terminology) my son's picture to sign him up for his SAT test.

When you're sending it off, you're uploading (like sending your prayers up to heaven.) When you're receiving, you're downloading (like blessings come down from heaven.) Does that help?

LOL, I just think of it as to/from/ the computer. If it's coming from the computer, it's downloading, and if it's going to the computer, it's uploading. You've certainly got a more spiritual take on it, EW!

That does make much more sense. Thanks EW!

EW, I will remember that...it really helps!

Glad I could help! (I'm not that spiritual, per se, but that's what it took to get the differences to stick!)

Just an FYI for those interested: The new Gatchaman Complete Blu-ray/DVD set and the OVA's had been slated for release on October 29th, now Amazon is stating the release date is December 10th. However, I've seen it on other sites still listed as coming out on the 29th, but just wanted to post that the release date might have changed. We'll have to see what happens I guess.

Looking forward to it, no matter when it is!

Me too, TJ. It'll be nice to have a full Gatch I collection! (At least it'll complement my BOTP set. LOL).

I got the redone OAVs for Christmas, but due to family visiting this afternoon was the first time I had a chance to sit down and watch it. It's been a couple of years since I had seen the original OAVs, so my memory may be a bit faulty, but overall I found this new version to be a vast improvement. They had the original cast from the ADVs, for the entire Science Ninja Team and Nambu and Katse (not sure about Red Impulse). Even better, you could tell from the voices that the cast had matured. Jun and Ken in particular didn't sound so 'young' and 'immature' in their roles, and they all sounded good. The only voice I felt that was 'worse' was Edwin Neal, as he did not give Katse that 'madness' in his acting that I had come to expect and love from the ADV versions. However they had a female voice for Katse in female/hermaphroditic form, which IMHO really enhanced that aspect of the character. I believe they did this as well in the Japanese version of the original OAVs? But now the English version has it too. It was clear that they made an effort to link the OAVs more to the original Gatchaman series, using a bit more of the original series music than I recalled, and calling the characters by their original names (no more 'Jimmy', 'Rocky' or 'Solaris'). Also, they used 'BC Island' (where the second-in-command of the island was named 'Alan') for the power generator island, and 'Cross Karakorum' for the main headquarters, which I do not recall from the original OAVs. I really appreciate these nods to the fans of the original series! Now I know there are those out there who turn up their noses at the ADV dubs, but I enjoy them (for the most part - like all animation, the voices have their ups and downs). For fans of the ADV dubs, they threw in a couple of lines, such as 'Cool your jets!' and 'What the cheese?' which had me giggling. Overall, I truly enjoyed watching the OAVs again, and they seemed all new to me with the 'familiar' voices - more like an extension of the original series than something totally different. So I would give them a big thumbs up! So yeah, IMHO the redone OAVs are well worth buying, even if you already have the first version.

Hi all! It's nice to see a review of this. I've had my copy of them for several weeks now, but haven't had any time to watch them.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun However they had a female voice for Katse in female/hermaphroditic form, which IMHO really enhanced that aspect of the character. I believe they did this as well in the Japanese version of the original OAVs? But now the English version has it too.

Yes, this was how it was handled in the Japanese version as well. The male Katse was voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa, and the Lady Katse seen in Volume 2 of the OAVs was voiced by Ai Origasa.

Originally posted by Transmute Jun It was clear that they made an effort to link the OAVs more to the original Gatchaman series, using a bit more of the original series music than I recalled, and calling the characters by their original names (no more 'Jimmy', 'Rocky' or 'Solaris'). Also, they used 'BC Island' (where the second-in-command of the island was named 'Alan') for the power generator island, and 'Cross Karakorum' for the main headquarters, which I do not recall from the original OAVs. I really appreciate these nods to the fans of the original series!

Names such as Alan, BC Island, and Cross Karakorum were used in the Japanese versions of the OAVs, and were not an addition made by Sentai. Keeping the original names for characters like Jinpei, Ryu, and Katse, though, was a wise decision. Urban Vision never should have changed them, but they were insistent upon putting their own stamp on their productions. Having not watched them yet, I obviously can't say for certain, but it seems unlikely that Sentai added any additonal music than what appeared in the original OAVs. In the originals, Volume 1 stuck strictly to the new music created by Maurice White and Bill Meyers, but Volumes 2 and 3 added music from both the first Gatchaman TV series and the Gatchaman movie. While generally forgotten now, the reasons for the use of this existing music were neither for nostalgic nor artistic. Instead, they were included strictly for commercial reasons. You see, the OAVs were released by Nippon Columbia, who had handled the release of all Gatchaman-related songs and music since the TV series went on the air in 1972. With the release of the OAVs, Nippon Columbia decided that the time was ripe to reissue on CD the Gatchaman BGM Collection (With music from the TV series), the Gatchaman Symphonic Suite (With music from the Gatchaman movie), and the Gatchaman Original Soundtrack (A drama album taking audio segments from the TV series to highlight important moments from the show), all of which had been originally released in LP record format in the 1970s and early 1980s. To help promote the sale of these CDs, the OAVs used music from the TV series and the movie, rather than relying entirely on new music from White and Meyers. James