Gun Frontier
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| Gun Frontier | |
|---|---|
| ガン フロンティア | |
| Genre | Western |
| Manga | |
| Authored by | Leiji Matsumoto |
| Publisher | |
| Serialized in | |
| Original run | – |
| No. of volumes | |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | |
| Studio | |
| Network |  TV Tokyo    Animax |
| Original run | – |
| No. of episodes | |
Gun Frontier (ガン フロンティア) is an anime series based on a 1972 manga by Leijii Matsumoto. It is one of the many Matsumoto manga to feature a different version of Captain Harlock who is depicted, this time, as a gunslinger in the wild west. The manga, Gun Frontier is also the first appearance of Tochiro Oyama, another mainstay character of the Leijiverse. In this story, Tochiro is presented as the main character and Harlock is his sidekick.
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[edit] Plot Summary
It is a harsh and barren wasteland, where the weak aren't allowed to dream. It is also a sacred land for true men, for there is no place a man can feel more alive. This is the Gun Frontier. Sea Pirate Captain Harlock and the errant samurai, Tochiro arrive in the United States on the Western Frontier. Along with a mysterious woman they meet along the way, the two friends challenge sex rings, bandits, and corrupt sheriff. They are searching for a lost clan of Japanese immigrants, and they will tear Gun Frontier from end to end until they find it.
[edit] TV Broadcasting
This series began airing in Latin America and Brazil through Animax in July 5th 2006, being scheduled on Wednesdays at 8:00 am (Mexico Central Time); the Spanish dubbing was done in Mexico and the series title was changed in the dubbing to "Frontera sin Ley" (Lawless Frontier). By the time of this update (July 7th 2006) the Animax website has not updated its schedule, to reflect the changes made to the shows which are being broadcasted at 8:00 am (Mexico Central Time), thus keeping the schedule which was updated at May 2006.
[edit] Characters
Tochiro Oyama is the main character. He is one of the survivors of Samurai Creek, a town of Japanese immigrants who were mysteriously all slaughtered, with only a few exceptions. Tochiro's purpose is to find the scattered remains of his people, no matter who or what he has to destroy to find them. Tochiro uses a Shikomizue very skillfully, but has awful aim with his gun, which is often poked fun at throughout the series.
Westerner Frankiln Harlock Jr. (Also Herlock) is a sea captain turned gunslinger. He owes his life to Tochiro, and therefore takes him to America on his ship. Harlock is a master gunman, a quick draw like no other, and sharp as a tack. He is very loyal to Tochiro. He is also quite enigmatic and silent, often grumbling and dismissing any mention of the past. Harlock has an x-shaped scar on his cheek, which is later revealed to be from a sword duel he and Tochiro had on Harlock's ship while they were still enemies. This is important to note because this makes Gun Frontier the show taking place in the "Leijiverse" where any character named Harlock had an explanation of the scar (They all have the same scar in the same place, causing some to believe that it was hereditary)
Shinunora (Also Sinunola, likely a nickname) is a woman who joins Harlock and Tochiro at the end of the first episode. Beautiful and capable, she's not the damsel in distress as she is very good at using manipulation to get out of traps and get what she wants (It's revealed later in the series that she is an expert on human behavior). It also comes to Harlocks attention that Shinunora gets close to the pair so that she can spy on them and report back to the mysterious "Organization that guides the world" but in truth, she eventually is warmed by Tochiro's struggle and uses her position as their tracker to protect them instead. Her real name is never mentioned, except by a man named Baron De Noir F. Tat Endale (Always referred with his full name and title) who is believed to be her husband. He mentions that the first two syllables of her name are prounced "On-ray", but is cut off and her real name is never mentioned again.
Darkmeister is the leader of the "organization" that wants desperately to kill Tochiro and his people, making him the main villain of the series. Almost nothing is known of his past, or very much at all of his present. He is introduced very later in the series, for good reason. He is a mastermind, preying off people's weaknesses to accomplish his goals. He plans to use Tochiro's people for their ability to craft incredible steel (known as Star-Dust steel) to create a new Industrial Revolution and hold absolute power.
[edit] Trivia
- In the Leijiverse, there have been planets with towns modelled somewhat after the Wild West. In Galaxy Express 999, one of them is called Gun Frontier. Another such planet appears in Cosmo Warrior Zero.
- Gun Frontier, in sharp contrast to other Leijiverse stories, is more of a comedy adventure than drama. Rather than the brooding tragic-heroic figures depicted in films such as Galaxy Express 999, Arcadia of My Youth, and the 1978 Space Pirate Captain Harlock series, Tochiro and Harlock are depicted here as a bumbling duo in the tradition of the buddy film.
