G-Force: Guardians of Space

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G-Force (Guardians of Space)

Format Japanese animation, Science Fiction, Super Sentai
Run time 22 minutes
Creator Fred Ladd (Producer, Voice Director)
Starring Sam Fontana
Cam Clarke
Barbara Goodson
Jan Rabson
Gregg Berger
Bill Capizzi
Country United States
Network TBS; (1986); Cartoon Network (1995-1997, 2000); The Anime Network (2004)
Original runs 1986 – ;
January 2,1995 – 1997
No. of episodes 85 (1986)


G-Force: Guardians of Space (official title: G-Force) (1986) is the second of three English adaptations of Tatsunoko Production's 1972 Japanese animated television series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, following Sandy Frank Entertainment's initial 1978 effort Battle of the Planets and preceding ADV Films recent 2005 attempt, known as just Gatchaman. With G-Force, Sandy Frank Entertainment collaborated with Turner Broadcasting to create a newer, more faithful translation of Gatchaman for a new audience, and such a translation was made possible with the relaxed television standards of the 1980s, a luxury that the more Star Wars-themed Battle of the Planets did not enjoy.

Contents

[edit] Summary

An excerpt from The Best of G-Force DVD:

Five teen-age champions! The evil aliens Galactor and Computor, along with their armies of androids and giant monster machines, want to take over the Earth! Galactor will stop at nothing to complete his goal, but fortunately Earth has G-Force - a team of five youngsters willing to lay down their lives to protect the planet! Join Ace Goodheart, Dirk Daring, Agatha June (Aggie), Pee Wee, and Hoot Owl (Hooty) as they fight to keep the Earth safe!

[edit] Overview

Logo and title screen.
Logo and title screen.

During the early-to-mid 1980's, Sandy Frank Entertainment's Battle of the Planets (or BotP) was gradually being phased off the air after a successful number of years in national syndication. Television stations began relegating the show to obscure or early morning timeslots (as typically done with older programming and/or programming on its way off the air) before dispensing of it altogether. During this period Ted Turner's cable network TBS (then known as "SuperStation WTBS") also aired the show on their channel (albeit in a slightly more edited form, with cuts for time constraints), and by 1984 WTBS was more or less the exclusive home of BotP before they too dispensed of it around 1985, effectively ending Battle of the Planets lengthy run on U.S television.

With Battle of the Planets having run its course and still holding the domestic rights to the first Gatchaman series, Sandy Frank continued to market BotP wherever they could while seeking ways to continue making use of their license. They then began negotiating with Turner Broadcasting (who was the last to air BotP on a wide scale on their TBS network) to see if they were interested in creating a newer, more faithful adaptation of Gatchaman, which would be easier to accomplish with the newly relaxed television standards of the Reagan era-1980's, the same forces that cracked down on most if not all violent and controversial elements on TV shows and animation throughout the 1970's which is why Battle of the Planets was so sanitized compared to the original Gatchaman. The two companies eventually came to a mutual agreement, and began collaborating on a new adaptation of Gatchaman in which Sandy Frank provided all of the necessary film, sound and print materials while Turner would do all of the actual work themselves.

To help develop this project, Turner enlisted the help of Fred Ladd, a pioneer in the field of translating and distributing Japanese animation in the U.S (with famous works such as Astro Boy, Gigantor & Kimba the White Lion, under his belt) to produce and oversee the adaptation, which would come to be known as G-Force (the same title given to the collective group of protagonists in Battle of the Planets, which in turn would be used for the same purpose on the new version), a naming decision which later proved to cause more harm than good. Unlike Battle of the Planets which enjoyed the luxury of a multi-million dollar budget coupled with some of the best talent the animation industry had to offer, G-Force was produced on a much smaller budget and scale across the board (which included talent pools and production facilities/tools), a handicap that was ultimately reflected on the final product.

[edit] Changes & additions in the adaptation

For Turner's G-Force, none of Battle of the Planet's original elements (such as 7-Zark-7, 1-Rover-1, the concept of space travel and space battles and all of the added American footage) were retained, preferably replaced with a more accurate translation of the original Gatchaman series with far less alterations. Most of the violence, deaths and plot remained intact, only edited or covered up (via added dialogue) if it was too explicit (such as deaths via firearms and overly violent means and violence between team members). An additional music score was also in the works for G-Force, which would've replaced the score that Hoyt Curtin composed for BotP (the purpose of both being to fill in silent gaps in the original Gatchaman's soundtrack and supplement it's existing music score) but those plans fell through due to budget constraints, and only a single piece of background music (excluding the new opening/closing theme) was able to be afforded (a repetitive synth instrumental that filled in almost every silent gap in the Gatchaman soundtrack).

Unlike Battle of the Planets which bounced around the original Gatchaman episode order and adapted them as the producers' saw fit, G-Force followed the original Gatchaman episode order for its entire run, only skipping Gatchaman episodes 81 (due to strong content, also dropped from BotP) and 86 (for unknown reasons). However, only the first 85 of Gatchaman's 105 episodes were adapted for G-Force (the same amount of episodes adapted for Battle of the Planets coincidentially) and as a result some important plotlines are left unresolved as the adaptation ended in a cliffhanger. The reasons behind this decision are not clear and/or known, but the original Gatchaman series did feature stronger violence and content towards its end so that may be a hint.

On the creative side, the original Gatchaman character names and terms were once-again re-tooled and Americanized in G-Force for the convenience of the English-speaking market, as they first were with Battle of the Planets years earlier. Despite the existence of BotP's set of English names and terms, G-Force's producers came up with their own set in an attempt to stray away from the previous adaptation as much as possible and avoid any potential confusion between the two. From Battle of the Planets to G-Force, the heroes' names were changed to Ace Goodheart (Mark), Dirk Daring (Jason), Agatha June (Princess), Pee Wee (Keyop), Hoot Owl (Tiny), and Dr. Brighthead (Chief Anderson), while the main villains were re-named Galactor (Zoltar) and Computor (The Great Spirit) respectively.

Some other notable changes:

- In G-Force the Pee Wee character remained mostly identical to his original Gatchaman counterpart Jinpei, as opposed to Battle of the Planets which drastically altered the Jinpei character from a typical 10 year old to Keyop, a young android/test tube experiment with a speech impediment.

- In Gatchaman and Battle of the Planets, the two primary antagonists (known as Berg Katse/Zoltar & Sosai X/The Great Spirit respectively) shared a strictly subordinate/master relationship, which was changed to more of a master/consultant relationship in G-Force, with Galactor (Berg Katse) becoming the master and Computor (Sosai X) now relegated to his consultant. The reasons for this (rather pointless) change are unknown.

[edit] Production Staff

Owned and distributed by: Sandy Frank Entertainment (formely marketed by Turner Program Services and King Features Entertainment, whose rights reverted back to Sandy Frank in 2003)

Producer: Fred Ladd

Voice Director: Fred Ladd

Additional Music Composer/Music Editor: Dean Andre

Videotape Editor: Kurt Tiegs

Post-Production: Bruce Austin Productions


[edit] Team variations across different versions

The re-naming of the various characters and terms in G-Force are highlighted as follows (in correspondence to their Gatchaman equivalents, among others):

Gatchaman Battle of the Planets G-Force Eagle Riders OVA (Dub) Rank Bird Uniform Weapon Mecha Japanese seiyū Voice actor (BOTP) Voice actor (G-Force) Voice actor (OVA Dub) Voice actor (Eagle Riders)
Ken Washio Mark Ace Goodheart Hunter Harris Ken the Eagle G1 Eagle Razor boomerang Airplane Katsuji Mori Casey Kasem Sam Fontana Eddie Frierson Richard Cansino
Joe Asakura Jason Dirk Daring Joe Thax Joe the Condor G2 Condor Pistol Race Car Isao Sasaki Ronnie Schell Cam Clarke Richard Cansino Bryan Cranston
Jun Princess Agatha June ("Aggie") Kelly Jenar June the Swan G3 Swan Yo-yo Motorcycle Kazuko Sugiyama Janet Waldo Barbara Goodson Lara Cody Heidi Noelle Lenhart
Jinpei Keyop Pee Wee Mickey Dugan Jimmy the Falcon* G4 Swallow Bolo Dune Buggy Yoku Shioya Alan Young Barbara Goodson Mona Marshall
Ryu Nakanishi Tiny Harper Hoot Owl ("Hooty") Ollie Keeawani Rocky the Owl G5 Owl Piloted the team Mecha, "GodPhoenix" Shingo Kanemoto Alan Dinehart Jan Rabson/Gregg Berger Richard Epcar Paul Schrier
  • Although he was obviously the Swallow, Jimmy called himself the Falcon.

[edit] Other character variations across different versions

Gatchaman Battle of the Planets G-Force Eagle Riders OVA (Dub)
Dr. Kozaburo Nambu Chief Anderson Dr. Benjamin Brighthead Dr. Thaddeus Keane Dr. Kozaburo Nambu
ISO Director Anderson President Kane Anderson Cmdr. Todd Director Anderson
Red Impulse /
Kentaro Washio		 Col. Cronos Red Impulse Harley Harris Red Spectre
Berg Katse Zoltar Galactor Lukan Solaris
Sosai (Leader) X O Luminous One /
The Great Spirit		 Computor Cybercom Lord Zortek
Galactor Planet Spectra Galactor or Galactor's men Vorak
Gel Sadra
(Gatchaman 2)		 Mallanox

[edit] Identity change variations across different versions

Gatchaman
Identity change command		 Battle of the Planets
Identity change command		 G-Force
Identity change command		 Eagle Riders change command OVA change command (English)
Bird, Go! Transmute! G-Force, Transform! Eagle Mode, NOW!
Ken Eagle One Transform
Joe Shapeshift, Condor
June Swan Mode, Now
Jimmy Falcon Tracker Activate

[edit] Debut & Reception

The revamped G-Force premiered as a "test run" on Turner's own TBS network in 1986 and ran for just a week before mysteriously disappearing afterwards. The reasons for this are still unclear and/or unknown, but it wasn't on long enough for viewer receptions or higher-ups to even gauge its viability as some have indicated. Some sources say that G-Force was created solely for overseas syndication (and not U.S consumption) and that the purpose of the TBS "test run" was to clear a contractural agreement and also list the show as having "aired" in the U.S to help it sell around the world. Regardless of whether this was true or not, the show was syndicated internationally in the following years, finding a decent following abroad while the U.S was left without any incarnation of Gatchaman for years.

Almost a decade later, Cartoon Network, another of Ted Turner's networks and still in its infancy was in dire need of newer and fresh programming, which conveniently provided an opportunity for G-Force to make its (proper) U.S debut as Turner still had a stake in the show at the time. G-Force premiered on Cartoon Network on January 2nd, 1995, and went on to air in its entirety this time around via weekly rotation. The show did modestly rating-wise and developed a small following, but neither were on the scale that "Battle of the Planets" had and enjoyed in its day. More infamous was the mass confusion and backlash that occured upon G-Force 's premiere. Many who recalled and were fans of its predecessor Battle of the Planets were confused and completely thrown off upon watching G-Force (due to both being culled from the same material, Gatchaman and prominently using the name "G-Force"), assuming it was an altered version of BotP at first and not a newer, entirely separate adaptation of Gatchaman. The new production was lambasted and poorly-received by fans of Battle of the Planets and to a lesser extent Gatchaman who criticized its voice acting and new character names, preferring their Gatch/BotP equivalents. The most common complaint amongst fans and new viewers alike was the distracting synth instrumenal that played in the background of every episode, a result of the aforementioned budget constraints. These flaws proved to be enough for some to overlook G-Force's good qualities and avoid the show altogether, and all this among other factors (such as Cartoon Network not yet having a strong national presence) resulted in G-Force failing to be as successful as Battle of the Planets was.

By 1996 Cartoon Network shunted the show to late nights and weekends only, and it lingered there for a while until they cancelled it sometime in mid-to-late 1997, marking the last time G-Force has aired in its entirety in the US to date. Since its Cartoon Network stint, the show has made brief re-appearances in 2000 (on Cartoon Network's late-night "Toonami Midnight Run" block) and again in 2004 (on ADV's "The Anime Network"), never airing more than a handful of episodes.

[edit] G-Force on Home Video

Due to its obscurity and unpopularity, paired with the fact that ADV's recent uncut and unedited Gatchaman release has made its original purpose redundant, G-Force is unlikely to receive a full series or boxset release as its Battle of the Planets breathren has received (in the U.K at least). To date only a handful of G-Force episodes have been released on home video, totaling to just 13 of its 85 episodes when adding up all of the ones in the following DVD releases:

  • The Best of G-Force (Region 1 NTSC DVD released on September 28, 2004): A compilation DVD featuring seven random G-Force episodes, mostly out of episode order.
  • Battle of the Planets Volumes 1-6 (Region 1 NTSC DVDs released between 2001-2002): The first six volumes of Rhino's Battle of the Planets release contain one episode of G-Force per volume as "extras" (Episodes 1-6, in the same order as the respective volumes). After Volume 6 this practice was stopped.

The fate of the show itself is uncertain, as it remains shelved for what seems like an indefinite amount of time. However, just as there is a market and following for shows such as Battle of the Planets & Robotech despite releases of their original versions (Gatchaman [1] and Macross [2] respectively) being readily available, there too is a following for G-Force albeit on a much smaller scale than the former two.

[edit] Trivia

  • Episodes 18 ("The Whale Submarine") & 87 ("Galactor's Deadly Trap") of G-Force served as the two pilots for the adaptation, and are unique amongst the rest of it's episodes for having replaced all of the original Gatchaman music with new music composed by Dean Andre, which was part of the proposed additional music score that would've replaced Hoyt Curtin's score for Battle of the Planets. Due to budget constraints, the new score wasn't utilized beyond the pilots and left on the cutting room floor, with the rest of the episodes retaining the Gatchaman score and supplementing it with the sole synth instrumental that was able to be afforded.
  • The aforementioned synth track that was played throughout the show is actually a stripped-down rendition of the opening theme to the show. Incidentally, most of the new music that was exclusively played in the pilots turned out to be variations of the opening theme as well, a testament to how tight G-Force's budget was. However, some sources indicate that earlier versions of the two pilots (unavailable to the public) contained a more varied score than the final broadcast versions.

[edit] External links

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