Combat Mecha Xabungle

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Combat Mecha Xabungle

Cover of the first DVD box set for Xabungle.
戦闘メカ ザブングル
(Sentō Meka Zabunguru)
Genre Space Western, Military science fiction, Real Robot, Mecha, Drama, Comedy
Anime television series
Directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino
Studio Nippon Sunrise
Network Nagoya TV, TV Asahi, Animax
Original run February 6, 1982 – January 29, 1983
Episodes 50
Anime film
Xabungle Graffiti
Directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino
Studio Nippon Sunrise
Released July 9, 1983
Runtime 84 minutes

Combat Mecha Xabungle (戦闘メカ ザブングル Sentō Meka Zabunguru), infrequently called Blue Gale Xabungle, is a mecha anime television series by Sunrise, and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It was broadcast on the Nagoya TV and TV Asahi networks at 5:30 PM each Saturday from February 6, 1982 through January 29, 1983. Promotional toys were produced by Clover. It also had a compilation movie called Xabungle Graffiti, which added a few minutes and a whole-new ending to the series.

Overview

The planet Zola is separated into a number of different cultures. Most prominent of these are the Innocent, with their mastery of highly-developed ancient science and technology, and the resilient and adaptable Civilians who rely on the Innocent for replacement technology and things that need to be mechanically-produced. The Innocent use their multiple contacts with various Civilian groups to keep them at odds with each other, and maintain their own narrow mastery of power.

Prominent among the above mentioned means of production are Walker Machines, ubiquitous vehicles with vaguely humanoid silhouettes, which Civilians use for such various purposes as mining, transport of persons and goods, construction, and combat.

While many, if not all Walker Machines are armed to a degree, purely combat-oriented Walker Machines are a rarity, and it was one such rare variety of Walker Machine that a young Civilian named Jiron Amos, prompted by his new acquaintances, the Sand Rats, decide to liberate for his own use. Using the stolen combat machine, revealed to be a Xabungle-type Walker Machine, Jiron soon gets himself and his allies into (and out of) all sorts of trouble, which make for an entertaining romp across the desolate planet Zola, where things are not as simple and innocent as they first appear to be. Eventually a showdown is forced between Jiron and his allies and the forces of the Innocent.

Plot Summary

A young man named Jiron Amos is found in the desert by a group of bandits known as the Sand Rats (Rag, Blume, Dyke and Chill). Jiron hopes to steal the Walker Machine Xabungle from the local trader Carrying Cargo so as to use it to take revenge against the Breaker who killed his parents, Timp Sharon. After kidnapping Carrying's daughter, Elchi, she agrees to help them steal a Xabungle from her father's landship, the Iron Gear. Timp convinces a rockman named Groggy to attack the Iron Gear, and during the attack Carrying is killed. Elchi takes charge of the Iron Gear, in possession of the transporter's license that belonged to her father. Her father's top Breaker, Kid Horla hopes to marry Elchi and gain the license, but she rejects him and he flees.

Following orders from the Innocent, Timp recruits several other Breakers and traders to defeat the Iron Gear including Gavlet Gablae and Bigman but they all fail and are killed. Running low on supplies, the Iron Gear heads to an Innocent dome to exchange blue rocks, a form of currency, for supplies. Although they are initially rejected, an Innocent overseer named Biel appears and agrees to make the trade. Jiron and his pursuit of Timp cause multiple battles inside the dome and during one such attack Jiron ends up destroying the dome, forcing Biel and the others to depart. During the battle, Timp fakes his own death causing Jiron to believe he has gotten revenge.

The Iron Gear comes under attack from Kid Horla, now working for Biel and in possession of a landship. Following passage over the Mud Sea, where the Iron Gear is confronted by the mysterious Hanawan, Elchi departs the Iron Gear, falling in love with a man named El Condor who is soon killed in a battle with Horla. Rag also departs the Iron Gear and falls in love with a subordinate of Horla's who also dies. Timp tricks a trader named Karas Karas to battle the Iron Gear and he is eventually killed although his wife Greta makes it out alive. The Iron Gear battles Biel, now living in another Innocent dome and Jiron steals the Walker Machine Gallier, which he pilots for the rest of the series.

Jiron meets a woman named Toran Milan, and through her influence the Iron Gear and its crew start working with an organization named Solt that rebels against the Innocent. Around this time Elchi is captured by the Innocent. Biel delivers her to a fellow overseer named Billam, but is demoted and abandoned. Elchi is put under an intense level of brainwashing by the Innocent, who cause her to desire the Iron Gear's destruction and Jiron's death. Solt's power continues to grow, although Jiron frequently clashes with its leader, Katakam. Katakam methods aren't respected however and when everyone believes him to have been killed, he disappears from view, enabling Jiron to take on leadership of Solt.

The Innocent continues to send Breakers after the Iron Gear, including Greta, Kid Horla, the returned Timp and even Elchi herself, who is provided with a land ship identical to the Iron Gear. During an attempt to rescue Elchi, Biel is killed, but not before revealing the truth about the Innocent to Jiron and the others, that the Innocent have created the civilians as a race that will be able to live in the harsh environment on their planet. Jiron and Solt hope to meet up with Innocent leader Arthur Rank, although his influence has been significantly reduced through the efforts of the villainous Kashim King.

Jiron and the others are able to capture Arthur Rank, who agrees with them that it is now time for the Innocent to relinquish their control of the planet. He broadcasts this message to all of the Innocent. Kashim continues to attack the Iron Gear and Solt, hoping to kill Arthur. Elchi is captured by the Iron Gear and through the sacrifice of Arthur her original personality is restored. The Iron Gear and Solt lead one final attack on the Innocent's stronghold, X Point. During the battle Kashim launches a series of missiles that cause heavy damage to Solt's forces. The Iron Gear smashes through the dome however and Elchi attacks Kashim in the Xabungle. Kashim fires off a missile that causes a chain reaction where another missiles topples over, crushing both him and Billam. The resulting explosion blinds Elchi. Jiron has one final battle with Timp, who flees. With Kashim killed, the Innocent's grasp on the planet has ended. Elchi runs away, thinking she will be a nuisance for everyone, but Jiron catches up with her and convinces her to return.

Cast

Note: Maria Maria was voiced by Ayako Kawasumi in the Xabungle game.

Production

  • Chief Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino.
  • Script: Soji Yoshikawa, Tsunehisa Ito, Yoshihisa Araki.
  • Storyboard: Kazuhito Kikuchi, Masakazu Yasumaru, Mitsuko Kase, Osamu Sekida, Toshifumi Takizawa, Yasuhiro Imakawa, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Yuki Suzuki.
  • Episode Director: Mitsuko Kase, Osamu Sekida, Ryoji Fujiwara, Yasuhiro Imagawa, Yuki Suzuki.
  • Music: Kouji Makaino.
  • Original creator: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino.
  • Character Design: Tomonori Kogawa.
  • Animation director: Akihiro Kaneyama, Masanori Yamada, Saburo Sakamoto.
  • Mechanical design: Kunio Okawara.
  • Mechanical Design Cooperation: Yutaka Izubuchi.

List of Walker Machines

  • Xabungle
  • Xabungle 2
  • Galliar
  • Gallop
  • Trad 11
  • Crab
  • Dugger
  • Promeus
  • Ottrich
  • Sendvead
  • Government
  • Caprico
  • Galabagos
  • Brockary
  • Durun
  • Legg
  • Phogg
  • Burun
  • VLKR

Theme Songs

Opening: Gale Xabungle (疾風ザブングル Shippū Zabunguru)

Ending: Dried-up Earth (乾いた大地 Kawaita Daichi)

  • Vocals: Akira Kushida (串田アキラ Kushida Akira)

Episode List

  1. I Live By Risking My Life!
  2. We got a Xabungle!
  3. Everyone's Got It Wrong!
  4. Why Do You Break The Law?
  5. Three's A Crowd!
  6. What Are You Up To, Jiron?
  7. Those Who Believe Are Saved
  8. Miss Never Misses!
  9. In The Field Blooms A Flower Named Maria
  10. Brave Women Are Frightening
  11. Chase Me! Chase Me!
  12. The Many Mysteries Of The Innocent
  13. A Great Destruction Leaving Nothing Behind
  14. Timp's Futile Resistance
  15. Covered In Mud And Desperate
  16. Sorrowful Elegy
  17. A Duel with Actors and Noh Theatre
  18. What's Wrong with Running Away from Home?
  19. Take Flight, Condor!
  20. Akon the Stud?
  21. Falling in Love, Being in Love
  22. Rag Broken in Pieces
  23. Rag, Come Back! To My Heart
  24. A Fierce Death Machine! Crying Kara
  25. A Big Battle of Two Reckless Fighters
  26. Chaotic Battle with the Innocent
  27. Sing the Song of the Warrior!
  28. The Innocent's Weakness
  29. Even the Innocent Can Get Desperate
  30. If They Get the Head, We're Done For
  31. Manipulating a Woman's Heart
  32. My Convenience is Your Convenience
  33. Never Ending Troubles
  34. Fatman's Feelings Fly Far
  35. Military Unit Discovered!
  36. Special Sneaking Mission!
  37. A Kaleidoscope of Women
  38. Dance, Elchi!
  39. Going Solo is No Go
  40. Katakamn, Ragged Into Bits
  41. End of Katakam
  42. Greta Howls
  43. Desperately Seeking Yop
  44. Take Care, Sir Arthur
  45. Stand Up to Face the Sun
  46. Sir Arthur Does his Best
  47. Awaken, Elchi!
  48. Once and Future Sir Arthur
  49. Showdown at X Point
  50. Everybody, Run!

External links

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