Dancouga – Super Beast Machine God

Dancouga - Super Beast Machine God

First Blu-ray box set cover
超獣機神ダンクーガ
(Chōjū Kishin Dankūga)
Genre Mecha
Anime television series
Directed by Seiji Okuda
Produced by Yoshirō Kataoka
Hiroshi Kato
Masaru Umehara
Written by Keisuke Fujikawa
Music by Osamu Totsuka
Takeshi Ike
Studio Ashi Productions
Licensed by
Original network TBS
Original run 5 April 1985 – 27 December 1985
Episodes 38
Original video animation
Requiem for Victims
Directed by Seiji Okuda
Written by Hideki Sonoda
Music by Osamu Totsuka
Studio Ashi Productions
Released April 21, 1986
Runtime 90 minutes
Original video animation
Jūsenkitai Songs
Studio Ashi Productions
Released 1986
Original video animation
God Bless Dancouga
Directed by Seiji Okuda
Written by Hideki Sonoda
Music by Osamu Totsuka
Studio Ashi Productions
Released 15 April 1987
Runtime 80 minutes
Original video animation
Blazing Epilogue
Directed by Tatsuji Yamazaki
Written by Kenji Terada
Music by Takeshi Ike
Studio Ashi Productions
Released December 1989 – May 1990
Episodes 4

Dancouga - Super Beast Machine God (超獣機神ダンクーガ, Chōjū Kishin Dankūga) is a Super Robot anime television series. The English-language name chosen by its Japanese producers is God Bless The Machine Dancougar; its US VHS release uses the literal translated title. The show, from Ashi Productions, ran for 38 episodes from 5 April 1985 to 27 December 1985. The TV anime was licensed by Central Park Media under their Software Sculptors label in 1995, and was released on subtitled VHS.[1]

After the series ended, four original video animations were released. A sequel series, Jūsō Kikō Dancouga Nova (directed by Dancouga staff member and design supervisor Masami Ōbari), aired in Japan in 2007.[2]

Plot

Four soldiers (Shinobu Fujiwara, Sara Yuki, Masato Shikibu and Ryo Shiba) pilot the mecha Dancouga and fight to liberate portions of Earth from alien invaders known as the Muge Zorbados Empire. Dancouga is an example of the combining type of Super Robot. Unlike the traditional "component machines struggle against the monster of the week before combining and easily dispatching the monster" format, Dancouga does not combine until midway through the series and the Cyber Beast Machines were capable of effectively fighting their enemies. The main components of the Cyber Beast mecha were able to follow the emulation of evolution. The mecha began as four vehicles which could transform into animals (an eagle, cougar, tiger and mammoth, respectively) and humanoid robots before combining to form Dancouga.

Many of the Dancouga story elements revolve around religion (primarily Christianity, although the series also borrows from Taoist philosophy) and music. The theme of gods is present in most episodes.

Characters

Screenshot of four characters from the series
Dancouga commercial screenshot of (left to right) Sara Yuki, Masato Shibuku, Shinobu Fujiwara and Ryō Shiba

Mecha

Each machine used to form Dancouga is capable of changing to vehicle, animal and humanoid forms. When a mecha is in open mode, a barrier appears which makes it impenetrable to enemy fire. Triggering this mode utilizes the Aggressive System, which activates automatically when the pilot reaches a certain level of anger.

Episodes

  1. "Empire's Desire" (帝国の野望) (original air date 5 April 1985)
  2. "Get your Jyusenki" (吠えろ!獣戦機) (original air date 12 April 1985)
  3. "Reborn Shapirou!" (シャピロ!転生!!) (original air date 19 April 1985)
  4. "Aimed Jamming System" (狙われたジャミング) (original air date 26 April 1985)
  5. "The Man Came Last" (最後に来た男) (original air date 3 May 1985)
  6. "Maiden in the Battlefield" (戦場の聖少女) (original air date 10 May 1985)
  7. "A Kind of Hero" (小さな英雄) (original air date 17 May 1985)
  8. "Trapped Memories" (激戦!!思い出を囮に) (original air date 24 May 1985)
  9. "Hell Beast in Amazon" (アマゾン河の魔獣) (original air date 31 May 1985)
  10. "Legend of Knight" (騎士の伝説) (original air date 7 June 1985)
  11. "A Covering Fire of Enemy" (敵からの援護射撃) (original air date 14 June 1985)
  12. "Don't Wake up Megalosaurs" (目覚めるな恐竜) (original air date 21 June 1985)
  13. "Betray Town" (裏切りの町) (original air date 28 June 1985)
  14. "Street Fight" (ニューヨーク市街戦) (original air date 5 July 1985)
  15. "God Bless the Machine, Part 1" (獣を超え、人超え、いでよ神の戦士(前篇)) (original air date 12 July 1985)
  16. "God Bless the Machine, Part 2" (獣を超え、人超え、いでよ神の戦士(後篇)) (original air date 19 July 1985)
  17. "General Retire" (デスガイヤーの敗北) (original air date 26 July 1985)
  18. "Temptation" (神の国への誘惑) (original air date 2 August 1985)
  19. "Night Terror" (怪奇!!悪魔に消された部隊) (original air date 9 August 1985)
  20. "Southern Wind" (南風ハートブレイク) (original air date 16 August 1985)
  21. "The First Contact" (降りてきた死神) (original air date 23 August 1985)
  22. "Time Goes Around Still" (止まった時間) (original air date 30 August 1985)
  23. "Revenge for Murder" (殺人鬼への報復) (original air date 6 September 1985)
  24. "La Marseille" (凱旋門燃ゆ) (original air date 13 September 1985)
  25. "Trap!" (ヨーロッパ戦線の罠) (original air date 30 September 1985)
  26. "The Secret of Velieves" (黒騎士の秘密) (original air date 27 September 1985)
  27. "Gildorome's Decline and Fall" (妖星墜つ) (original air date 11 October 1985)
  28. "General Attack, Part 1" (獣戦基地総攻撃(前篇)) (original air date 18 October 1985)
  29. "General Attack, Part 2" (獣戦基地総攻撃(後篇)) (original air date 25 October 1985)
  30. "We Meet Only to Part" (戦場!出会い、そして別れ) (original air date 1 November 1985)
  31. "After His Death" (去りゆきし長官) (original air date 8 November 1985)
  32. "Target" (空からの強敵) (original air date 15 November 1985)
  33. "Capture The Intelligence" (飛べ明日へ!!将軍の子ら) (original air date 22 November 1985)
  34. "Long Goodbye" (故郷に別れの歌を) (original air date 29 November 1985)
  35. "Moon Is Hell" (月は地獄だ!!) (original air date 6 December 1985)
  36. "Harmony Love" (野望の崩壊) (original air date 13 December 1985)
  37. "Tell Laura I Love Her!" (暗黒の終焉) (original air date 20 December 1985)
  38. "Darkness and Ruins" (最後の咆哮) (original air date 27 December 1985)

References

  1. ↑ "Animessages - Message from the President". Animerica. Viz Media. December 1995.
  2. ↑ "New Anime, Official Websites and Trailers". Anime News Network. 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
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