Gatchaman Vol. 1: The Legend Begins
Synopsis
In the 21st century, the evil organization Galactor has its sights set on global conquest. Their use of tyrannical terrorism and high-tech mayhem has the world in the clutches of fear! The only thing standing in the way of complete global dominance is the International Science Organization (ISO) and its chief scientist, Professor Kozaburou Nambu. Dr. Nambu’s primary weapon in the fight for freedom is his top secret experiment: the five kids who make up the Science Ninja Team. Bird, go!
Review
Let us go back, back, waaaay back to a time period in which the anime titled Gatchaman was the best thing to happen in anime. This show somehow delivers an old school feeling that refreshes your mind. And guess what? The English track is not bad at all! It is probably the best that I have heard in a while. I guess English dubs always work for old anime, because they do not look much different from American cartoons.
The animation of Gatchaman compared to the anime today is like night and day, but that is of course, expected due to the time period in which it was created. ADV Films does a nice job in getting Alex Ross (known for his works on DC and Marvel Comics) to do the DVD covers for this release. Man it is awesome how they look, I’m salivating over it. Even though Gatchaman might be old, but it is an anime that deserves respect for its accomplishments built up over the years. Everyone has seen or heard it; hence it was a piece that helped get anime out there.
This series is very cool. I loved the fact that each episode connects to each other like the next link on a chain. It creates an atmosphere so that you do not get lost out in La La land or whatever. The action of Gatchaman can be funny at times, because of the strange things they do, but hey, if that is what people digged back in the day, then it is fine with me; I certainly got a few good chuckles over it.
Gatchaman is a classic no matter how you look at it. It was nice to have an opportunity to appreciate this uncut version of this anime. For the Gatchaman fans, this is a must have. For the casual fans, this is a you should check it out title, not a you shall check it out title.
The Breakdown
Gatchaman is a nice break from all the typical modern day anime. As I have mentioned earlier. Gatchaman is a great refreshing experience and a great show overall.