| Genesis Climber MOSPEADA | |
Promotional art showing the Legioss transformable mecha, the MOSPEADA transformable motorcycle, Yellow Belmont, Houquet et Rose, Ray and Mint Labule. |
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| 機甲創世記モスピーダ (Kikō Sōseiki Mosupīda) |
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|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure, Mecha, Military Science Fiction |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Katsuhisa Yamada |
| Written by | Kenji Terada, Sukehiro Tomita |
| Studio | Artmic, Tatsunoko Productions |
| Network | Fuji Television |
| Original run | 2 October 1983 – 23 March 1984 |
| Episodes | 25 |
| Original video animation | |
| Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive | |
| Directed by | Katsuhisa Yamada |
| Written by | Sukehiro Tomita |
| Studio | Artmic, Tatsunoko Productions |
| Released | 21 September 1985 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (機甲創世記モスピーダ Kikō Sōseiki Mosupīda) (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor, one of the transformable motorcycle-armors the series features. The other primary mecha featured in the show is the three-form transformable fighter called the Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss, which is somewhat similar in design to the VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross.[1]
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In the 21st century, Earth's pollution problems result in the development of a new hydrogen fuel called "HBT" as an alternative to fossil fuels, while mankind have colonized Mars. In 2050, a mysterious alien race called the Inbit invaded the Earth. Unable to fight off the Inbits, Earth becomes desolate with only a few pockets of human beings scattered throughout the planet. Many of the refugees escape aboard a few remaining shuttles to seek shelter on the Moon. The Inbits set up their main base of operations on Earth, called "Reflex Point", in the Great Lakes area of North America.
However, the Mars colony, dubbed the Mars Base, does not forget about the plight of Earth. Troops are sent in to fight the Inbits from the Moon, only to fail miserably. The Inbits do not attack Mars and show no interest towards the other planets. Surprisingly, the aliens show no hostility towards humans unless they are directly provoked. The Inbits can also sense the presence of HBT and use of the fuel is limited under their supervision, as HBT is a common component in weapons technology. Mars Base becomes a gigantic military factory, producing vast amounts of advanced weaponry and trained troops. In 2080, Mars Base sends in the next wave of troops. Although equipped with more technologically advanced equipment and transformable mecha, the entire armada called the Earth Recapture Force is destroyed.
Three years later, Mars Base launches another attack called the Second Earth Recapture Force. One of the troops is Lieutenant Stick Bernard. The strike force is slaughtered in Earth's orbit. Stick's fiancée Marlene is killed and he crashlands in South America. At first, Stick is sorrowful and depressed at Marlene's death. After seeing a holographic recording of his dead betrothed, Stick swears an oath of vengeance. In his quest to reach Reflex Point, he meets the other main characters of the show, forming a group of ragtag freedom fighters in a quest to rid the planet of the Inbit.[2]
As the plot unravels, the purpose of the Inbit invasion is revealed: to find a suitable place to evolve into more complex beings. However, little did the Inbits know that their endeavor actually threatens to cause the extinction of both humans and Inbits and thus, it is up to Stick and his group, with the help of human-like Inbits (Aisha and Solzie), to convince the supreme ruler of the Inbit, the Refless, to flee from Earth.[3]
[Robotech adapted names in brackets]
The English-subtitled MOSPEADA DVD released by Harmony Gold and ADV Films uses the inaccurate names (such as "Stig" Bernard, Mint "Rubble", Houquet "Emrose", and Jim "Austin") derived from fans on Robotech.com and the Robotech Art I book.
| Japanese Air Date |
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA Episode |
Robotech: The New Generation Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 1983.10.02 | 1. Prelude to the Offensive (襲撃のプレリュード Shūgeki no Pureryūdo) | 61. The Invid Invasion |
| 1983.10.09 | 2. The Broken-Hearted Girl's March (失恋少女のマーチ Shitsuren Shōjo no Māchi) | 62. The Lost City |
| 1983.10.16 | 3. Showdown Concert at High Noon (真昼の決闘コンサート Mahiru no Kettou Konsāto) | 63. Lonely Soldier Boy |
| 1983.10.23 | 4. Survival Song Feeling (気分はサバイバル・ソング Kibun wa Sabaibaru Songu) | 64. Survival |
| 1983.10.30 | 5. Live Inn Plunder Operation (ライブ・イン・強奪作戦 Raibu In Gōdatsu Sakusen) | 65. Curtain Call |
| 1983.11.06 | 6. Support Girl Blues (突ッ張り少女ブルース Tsuppari Shōjo Burūsu) | 66. Hard Times |
| 1983.11.13 | 7. Fallen Hero's Ragtime (亡き勇者のラグタイム Naki Yūsha no Ragutaimu) | 67. Paper Hero |
| 1983.11.20 | 8. Jonathan's Elegy (ジョナサンのエレジー Jonasan no Erejī) | 68. Eulogy |
| 1983.11.27 | 9. Lost World Fugue (ロスト・ワールド遁走曲 Rosuto Wārudo Tonsōkyoku) | 69. The Genesis Pits |
| 1983.12.04 | 10. Requiem of the Battlefield (戦場のレクイエム Senjō no Rekuiemu) | 70. Enter Marlene |
| 1983.12.11 | 11. Lullaby of Distant Hope (遠い希望のララバイ Tōi Kibō no Rarabai) | 71. The Secret Route |
| 1983.12.18 | 12. Fortress Breakthrough Boogie (要塞突破ブギ Yōsai Toppa Bugi) | 72. The Fortress |
| 1983.12.25 | 13. Sandstorm Playback (砂嵐プレイバック Suna-arashi Pureibakku) | 73. Sandstorm |
| 1984.01.08 | 14. Mint's Wedding March (ミントの結婚行進曲 Minto no Kekkonkōshinkyoku) | 74. Annie's Wedding |
| 1984.01.15 | 15. The Ballad of Breaking Up (仲間割れのバラード Nakamaware no Barādo) | 75. Separate Ways |
| 1984.01.22 | 16. Trap Reggae (トラップ・レゲエ Torappu Regē) | 76. Metamorphosis |
| 1984.01.29 | 17. White Night Serenade (白夜のセレナーデ Hakuya no Serenāde) | 77. The Midnight Sun |
| 1984.02.05 | 18. The Nature of Old Soldier's Polka (老兵たちのポルカ Rōhei-tachi no Poruka) | 78. Ghost Town |
| 1984.02.12 | 19. Forte of the Glacier City (氷河都市のフォルテ Hyōga Toshi no Forute) | 79. Frost Bite |
| 1984.02.19 | 20. Birthday Song of the Night Sky (夜空のバースディ・ソング Yozora no Bāsudi Songu) | 80. Birthday Blues |
| 1984.02.26 | 21. Arpeggio of Murder (殺しのアルペジオ Koroshi no Arupejio) | 81. Hired Gun |
| 1984.03.04 | 22. New York Bebop (ニューヨーク・ビーバップ Nyū Yōku Bībappu) | 82. The Big Apple |
| 1984.03.11 | 23. Black Hair's Partita (黒髪のパルティータ Kokuhatsu no Parutīta) | 83. Reflex Point |
| 1984.03.18 | 24. The Dark Finale (闇のフィナーレ Yami no Fināre) | 84. Dark Finale |
| 1984.03.25 | 25. Symphony of Light (光のシンフォニー Hikari no Shinfonī) | 85. Symphony of Light |
The instrumental music was composed by, and all music was arranged by, Joe Hisaishi, who would later gain renown for scoring the movies of Hayao Miyazaki. MOSPEADA is the first anime series to have a jazz-based theme song (Blue Rain).
Malaysian indie band Hujan made a cover of the opening song, with the same title Lonely Soldier Boy. The lyrics are translated from Japanese into Malay (except for the chorus, of which was preserved) and was included in the band's album.
The original working titles for MOSPEADA were: Kouka Kihei Vector ("Descent Machine Soldier Vector"), Chou Fumetsu Yousai Reflex Point ("Super Immortal Fortress Reflex Point") and AD Patrol: the story of city police where the main character rides a transformable bike that changes into his partner. The main character designs were created by Yoshitaka Amano, who would later gain renown for his character artwork for the Final Fantasy series.
Each of the Japanese episode titles contains a musical reference. This style of titling would later be used by Cowboy Bebop.
Mechanical designer Shinji Aramaki came up with the transformable motorcycle-powered exoskeleton design while working on the Diaclone series (which later became part of Transformers). When riding his Honda VT250 250 cc motorbike he thought to himself that it was the right size for a person to wear. The bike design was inspired by the Suzuki Katana. The black and white stripes on the Legioss and VR ride armor are a tribute to the Allied invasion stripes in World War II.
Artmic and Tatsunoko Production produced and released MOSPEADA a year before Tatsunoko produced The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross (1984). Robotech set the story of its "New Generation" adaptation of MOSPEADA after its "Robotech Masters" adaptation of Southern Cross. Most of MOSPEADA's animation (with edited content and revised dialogue) was adapted for Robotech: The New Generation, the third saga of the Robotech series. In Robotech, the Inbit became the "Invid" of the "Third Generation" (also featured in Robotech II: The Sentinels) and the advanced space forces are the returning Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) that left before the "Second Generation" of Robotech on Earth. Earth's Defense Forces were decimated in the previous saga. Unlike the Invid in the adapted Robotech, the Inbit in MOSPEADA had nothing to do with the Robotech Masters (their sworn enemies in Robotech) and they were just looking for a good planet on which to evolve and reach perfection. Likewise, the REF forces under Admiral Hunter's command that Bernard frequently referred to were troops from the Mars and Jupiter bases which harassed the Inbit, though they were playing a "leave alone" system with humans on Earth.
The transformable VR series of Armor Cycles became the VR series of Veritech Cyclone motorcycles; transformable Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss became the Alpha Veritech VF/A-6; the transformable Armo-Bomber AB-01 Tlead became the Beta Veritech VFB-9. Like Macross and The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was cut and fitted to be part of the Robotech continuum by Harmony Gold and Carl Macek. Character names were generally altered without major changes in characterization, making MOSPEADA the least altered series of the three. Incidentally, it is also the series that has seen the most usage in the expanded universe of Robotech II: The Sentinels and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, especially in terms of character, mecha, and ship designs. Unlike Macross, which is owned by Big West, Harmony Gold is free to utilize elements from the Tatsunoko-owned MOSPEADA. Southern Cross's elements are not used due to its lack of popularity among fans.
After the original run of the television series, an OVA music video titled Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive was exclusively released in Japan in September 1985. The music video consisted of both old and new footage. The story of Love Live Alive chronicled the events after the ending of MOSPEADA, featuring Yellow Belmont as the main character.
The music video focused on Yellow's concert and also on his flashback of past events.
MOSPEADA Complete Art Works. Shinkigensha, 2009
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