Review: ADV Gatchaman Box Set 1

Released by: ADV Films
Release Date: June 16, 2005
Price: $44.98 suggested retail price; sale prices may vary
Contains: Episodes #1-12 + bonus disc
Languages: Japanese, English subtitles, English dub
Region: 1 (US)
Extras:

• Episode commentary
• Profile of Ken: Text character bio of Ken the Eagle
• Character Sketches: Ken, his plane, and his boomerang.
• Model sheets from the episodes on the disc
• Audition Footage of Leraldo Anzaldua (Ken's voice actor)
• Interview with Leraldo Anzaldua
• Interview with Charles Campbell (ADV Director)
• "And We Were Watching..." Text on what was airing on American TV when Gatchaman premiered in Japan.
• Alternate Ending Credit Sequence
• "Unused" Ending Credit Sequence with Sponsor Message: These credits were used with #82
• Gatchaman Modellock Commercial
• The Origins of Tatsunoko Productions, mini documentary

Here are my thoughts:

Production Pros:

• Excellent cover art by Alex Ross (thumbnail at the top of the page)
• The sound has been remastered in stereo, which is a real treat. Previous releases of the original Gatchaman series were mono only. This sounds much better on home theater systems.
• I like the little quotes that appear before the menu. Those are fun.
• The voice actor interviews, commentary and extras are articulate and mostly accurate (though someone should tell Brian Jepson that Isao Sasaki is still alive and not related to Kim Praus).

Production Cons:

• There are no chapter titles on the DVD covers or inserts in the DVD cases. The DVD menu only lists episodes by a number--not title. How do you pick the episode you want to watch? Well, you could always print out my episode title page, but there should be more information on the DVDs themselves.
• The menus on the DVDs are not that interesting and don't perform their intended function: to inform the viewer of the content and let the viewer choose the desired options. Rhino's BotP menus, with scene clips from each episode," did a much better job. The theme music in the background can be annoying after several repeats--an instrumental choice would be better.
• The Tatsunoko history video could have done with some photos of Tatsunoko's studio and staff members, and even some clips of prior productions such as "Ketsudan" and "Kurenai Sanshiro" to add substance to Gatchaman's Japanese background. There's so much more to Tatsunoko than Gatchaman and Speed Racer

Translation/Voice Pros:

• The subtitles are accurate. The dubs use a little "creative license" and slang to match the mouth movements, but don't depart from the original too much.
• I agree with the English voice choices for most of the characters (mainly our heroes).

Translation/Voice Cons:

• The English narrator is far too zealous, and his over-the-top delivery tips the series from campy into ridiculous. The Japanese narrator is much more low-key, both in content and delivery, which helps balance the series better. Also, I see no need for the English narrator to bellow out the episode titles as well as the name of the show during the eyecatcher. The sub already says "Gatchaman" and the title says, "Gatchaman," so you don't need the narrator screaming, "GATCHAMAN!" as well.
• The English voices for Berg Katse and Sosai X do not fit the characters. Katse sounds like a scratchy cross between Keye Luke's Zoltar and the voice of Mallanox from Eagle Riders, and there's no hint of the self-centered yet sinister drama queen that Katse can be. X's voice is little more than computer effects and loses the emotion of the original.
• Overall, the dubs still have the problems with mispronunciation that most mainstream anime dubs have. At least Ryu is not pronounced, "RYE-you" like it might have been.
• I don't like the slang in the dubs. Stuff like "Cool your jets" and "Roger that" clash with "Stay frosty" or, "This sucks." And it will sound as silly (if it doesn't already) as "Hang loose" did in Battle of the Planets. Also, if the dubs are going to be creative with the dialogue, they should also deal with some of the awkwardness brought about by direct Japanese translation: Jinpei's use of "Big brother" doesn't sound as odd as "Aniki," and a simple, "Good luck, team" would have been better than Nambu's stilted, "I pray for your success" ("Seikou wo inoru")

Overall, I am very pleased with the box set, and highly recommend it.

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