Hi all! I figured someone should point out that today, October 1st, is the 43rd anniversary of the premiere of Gatchaman on Japanese TV. Not only that, but today is also the 37th anniversary of the premiere of Gatchaman II, the 21st anniversary of the release of the first volume of the OAVs. Quite a day for our heroes, so take a moment to celebrate! James

Wow! Thanks for reminding us, James! Happy anniversary, Gatchaman!

PARTY TIME!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY GATCHAMAN

Woo hoo!

Yay!!!!!!!

It is a day that shall live in infamy... uh... wait a minute... Okay, I'll just join the party at the Snack J...

Whoo!!! Come to think of it, I wonder what kind of alcohol does everyone drink. I'd say Ken is a teetotaller or perhaps a beer drinker, Joe drinks midrange whisky - not too cheap and not too snobby, Jun cosmopolitans, Kir Royal or Mimosa, Ryu Kirin or Yebisu beer, Nambu sake, and Kentaro Washio shōchū. Oh, and the finest of red wines for Katse-sama, of course (and maybe some vodka). High-class whisky for Anderson, sherry for Pandora and children's tears and his underlings' suffering for Sōsai.

Hi all! Ummm... You do realize that none of the Ninja Team are of legal drinking age, don't you? The legal drinking age in Japan is 20-years-old. Sure, it can be fun to joke about, but really, none of them ought to be drinking anything alcoholic. Besides, would you really want a drunk ninja being the one your life relies on in the middle of a Gallactor attack? James

In some places soldiers who aren't drinking age are legally allowed to drink. That whole putting your life on the line but can't have a beer thing. I always figured if the team drinks it would be right after a rough mission since Galactor probably doesn't strike again that night or the next day (not that it could never happen). Outside of that maybe they have just 1 drink so they're not toasted.

In the UK, technically only Ken and Joe are legally old enough to buy alcoholic beverages, but Ryu and Jun are allowed to drink in licensed restaurants with a meal. Even Jinpei would be permitted to drink in the privacy of his own home (provided an adult purchased it of course).

Well at the start of the series Ken and I think Joe are supposed to be about 18, so it means they'd be 2 years from being able to legally drink in Japan.

I'm with James on this one. They're legally too young to drink and not *officially* part of the military, and they're all responsible enough to not drink while on duty... which is all the time. Besides, we all know Katse enjoys red wine, and his decision-making abilities are questionable.

Happy Anniversary! It's so hard to believe we're all into something that old. All the team had to do was visit Germany - when I was there from 2000-2003, drinking age was 14 and you could buy cigs at 16.

(This sure took an unexpected turn.) Firstly, if I offended anyone with my alcohol-related comment, then I apologize. It was for the sake of entertainment with them being above the drinking age in mind. Secondly, it is really hard to imagine four of the five ninjas as under the legal drinking age, considering they routinely kill people, even if it's for the sake of greater good and protecting humankind and whatnot. Besides, there is the whole Snack J thing. Jun is supposed to be 16, I believe, and there is no way a 16 years old would be able to be in charge of such an establishment, no matter how hard would Nambu bend the law for her. I did advanced HAACP exams few years back, so I know the thousand and one rules you have to uphold in order not to have your pub/restaurant/hotel closed down. And half of her time she's away training or fighting crime. Besides, putting HAACP aside, there is the accountancy, rent, electricity bill, water bill and so forth, and so forth. (Not that I have anything against her being in charge of Snack J.) If Jun was 16 in 1972, that would make her right about 59 this year, so lets just imagine an elegant veteran Jun sipping vermouth on stage while singing enka. Like this

Everyone's imagination takes them in different directions. Plus, comments like this give us something interesting to talk about.