Review: ADV Gatchaman Box Set 7

Box set 7 cover artReleased by: ADV Films
Release Date: June 20, 2006
Price: $44.98 suggested retail price; sale prices may vary
Contains: Episodes #73-84 + bonus disc
Languages: Japanese, English subtitles, English dub
Region: 1 (US)
Extras:



A trap? I don't know. They look like regular bananas to me.
--Ryu

The menu formatting hasn't changed from the previous boxes, so the same issues exist. I do appreciate that a printed sheet has replaced the "obi" slip of paper on the box. I have always found "obi" to be little more than an obstacle on Japanese media packaging and books.

This box theme is dedicated to Nambu, with the DVD label design in the color of his suit jacket and the DVD extras comprising his information and design sketches. The box cover and the art in the DVD jackets made previous appearances as Top Cow BotP comic covers.

Some comments about the dubs and extras: Some episodes are dubbed better than others, but by this point, it's clear to me who is having a good time with this show because it's coming through in their work. Edwin Neal (Berg Katse) is one of them--he never fails to ham it up with a bad pun or hilarious howl of outrage ("Where do they FIND these people?"). The goons and extras ("We, who are about to scream and die, salute you!") often employ the world's cheesiest accents. But they're having fun, and in the "Minions and Mayhem" episode commentary, they gush about how much fun they've been having on the show. Then there's Victor Carsrud (Ryu) with the New Jersey accent and the ad-libs: "Maybe I'm not cut out for this job--I'm big, I'm kinda slow, and then there's the gas..." And though I think George Manley (the narrator) can be heavy-handed on the show itself, he shines on the episode previews, where the hype and the truly evil in-jokes and puns can catch you unaware. When they're having a good time, I, as a viewer, am also having a good time.

Episodes: The theme of these two volumes is "secret identities and how to lose them." Here are the episodes where the secrets of the heroes Birdstyle transformations begin to get unlocked, and Ken, Joe and Jun repeatedly risk blowing their covers. Box 7 features one of the episodes, never before released in English, and it's one for the Joe fans. Highlight episodes of Box 7 include:

Volume 13:
Jun loses her shoe#73: "Pursue Katse!" At the end of an earlier mission (actually the mind-control episode), Dr. Nambu has ordered the team not to let Katse get away this time, and our heroes manage to "tree" him in a jungle filled with Galactor booby traps. This episode offers great art and action and best of all, pairs the unlikely duo of Joe and Ryu, who both learn something about each other this mission.
#74: "Secret of the Birdstyles" Who'd have thought losing a shoe could be so devastating? However, Galactor traces the shoe to Jun the Swan when said shoe fails to incinerate with the rest of the garbage picked from their giant mammoth mecha. Will Galactor's Operation Cinderella manage to pick the Swan out of the ugly ducklings? (Okay, okay, sorry. I've been listening to the dubbed previews for far too long.)
#76: "The Bracelets Exposed" This time, Joe feels the effects of Galactor's Megaziner Ray, which can knock a Science Ninja out of Birdstyle, and he has to warn the team. Meanwhile, Ken reunites with the rest of the Red Impulse team.
#78: "Mortal Combat! 5,000 Fathoms Beneath the Sea" Never released in Battle of the Planets, but released in G-Force as "Battle on the Ocean Bottom," this episode puts Ken and Joe in a deep sea submarine mission as Joe battles with the memories of his parents' deaths. Required watching for Joe fans!

Volume 14:
Joe's lousy disguise from #81#80: "Come Back! Boomerang" The Gatchaman's luck may have run out as he is captured alone during a Galactor attack. Katse displays a video of Ken being crushed by demolition equipment, and the rest of the team has to set aside their grief and either rescue or avenge him.
#81: "Duel on Galactor Island": This episode has never been released in English, and when the fighting begins, you'll see why. Joe goes alone to BC Island, where his parents were killed. Unfortunately, this island houses a major Galactor operation, and once he triggers their suspicions, the battle is on. Joe is clearly outnumbered and on the verge of losing his cover, and what's worse, meets an old childhood friend who tries to convince him, in the worst way, that revenge is futile. The dub in this episode sticks close to both the story and grim tone of the original translation.



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