The appeal and reviews of "Space Wars": A must-see science fiction anime masterpiece

Space War - Uchuuenbandaisenso

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

July 26, 1975 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toei Animation

■ Eirin Number

23864

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Go Nagai Dynamic Productions

■ Director

Yugo Serigawa

■ Production

Toei Animation

■ Story

Prince Duke Freed, whose home planet Freed was destroyed by the army of King Yaban, escaped the enemy's pursuit and arrived on Earth, where he lived peacefully under the name of Daisuke Umon. However, the evil hand of invasion finally reached Earth, and Duke, knowing that if he returns to his original form, he will never be able to return to Daisuke Umon again, boards the UFO robot Gattaiger to protect the Earth and confront the invading army.

■Explanation

This was one of the works from the "Toei Manga Matsuri" that was released in July 1975. It incorporated elements of "Flying Saucers (UFOs)," which were popular at the time, into a robot anime. It was an original anime that became the prototype for the TV anime "UFO Robot Grendizer." As a result, some of the music and story were used in "Grendizer."

■Cast

・Duke Freed/Daisuke Umon/Isao Sasaki・Princess Teronna/Noriko Obara・Hikaru Makino/Minori Matsushima・Gorou Makino/Mari Shimizu・Kozo Makino/Hiroshi Otake・Genzo Umon/Yasuo Hisamatsu・Captain Blackie/Kenji Utsumi

■ Main staff

・Production / Tomonori Imada・Planning / Ken Ariga, Toshio Katsuta・Original story / Saqur Byrne・Original work / Go Nagai, Dynamic Productions・Screenplay / Shozo Uehara・Music / Shunsuke Kikuchi・Art director / Fumihiro Uchikawa・Art setting / Tadanao Tsuji・Animation director / Akira Iino・Direction / Yugo Serigawa

・Theme song "Fight! King of the Universe"
Lyrics by Yasutomi Yasugo Music by Kikuchi Shunsuke Vocals by Sasaki Isao, Korogi '73

・Sub-theme song "Burning Star of Love"
Lyrics by Yasutomi Yasugo, Music by Kikuchi Shunsuke, Vocals by Sasaki Isao, Corporation 3

■ Main Characters

Duke Freed / Daisuke Umon A prince whose home planet, Freed, was destroyed by the invading army led by King Yaban. He escaped to Earth and lives as Daisuke Umon.

Princess Teronnayavan's daughter and Duke's former lover. Commander-in-chief of the Earth Invasion Army.

・Makino Hikaru The daughter of the Makino Ranch where Umon Daisuke is staying.

・Gorou Makino Hikaru's younger brother.

Kozo Makino, Hikaru and Goro's father. He is the owner of Makino Ranch and a huge UFO enthusiast.

Genzo Umon, Director of the Umon Institute of Space Science. He protects Duke, who escaped from Planet Fried, and looks after him as his own son.

Captain Blackie is Princess Teronna's aide. A fighter.

■ Related works

Also showing: "The Homeless Child" from Little Remi and the Famous Dog Capi
・"Great Mazinger vs. Getter Robo G: Great Air Clash"
・"Kamen Rider Stronger"
・"Himitsu Sentai Goranger"
・"Go Robocon!! Happy Friends"
・"Wild Elsa"

Space War - Review

"Space Wars," which was released in July 1975, was shown as part of the Toei Manga Festival and is an original anime based on the original work by Nagai Go and Dynamic Productions. This work attracted attention as a robot anime incorporating elements of UFOs, which were all the rage at the time, and became the prototype for the later TV anime "UFO Robot Grendizer." Therefore, it is also worth noting that parts of the music and story were used in "Grendizer."

The story begins with Prince Duke Freed, whose home planet Freed was destroyed by the army of King Yaban, escaping to Earth and living peacefully as Umon Daisuke. However, as the evil hand of invasion reaches Earth, Duke decides to return to his original form and pilots the UFO robot Gattaiger to fight the invading army. This story follows the typical pattern of a robot anime depicting heroic self-sacrifice and courage, but the addition of a new element of UFOs gives it a fresh feel.

In terms of the cast, Sasaki Isao plays Duke Freed/Umon Daisuke, and his powerful voice and emotional expression add depth to the work. In addition, many popular voice actors of the time, such as Obara Noriko as Princess Teronna and Matsushima Minori as Makino Hikaru, participated in the production, bringing out the charm of the characters. In particular, the theme song "Fight! King of the Universe" and the secondary theme song "Burning Star of Love", sung by Sasaki Isao, are important elements that liven up the atmosphere of the work.

The main staff includes some of the most famous staff members who supported Toei Animation at the time, such as director Yugo Serigawa, screenwriter Shozo Uehara, and composer Shunsuke Kikuchi. Kikuchi's music in particular effectively enhances the film's tension and emotion, and has the power to capture the hearts of viewers. The visual quality, created by art director Fumihiro Uchikawa and animation director Akira Iino, is also high, giving a sense of the technical level of the time.

The setting of the main characters is also interesting. Duke Freed is a prince whose homeland was destroyed, yet he has chosen to live a new life on Earth, giving him a sense of humanity. Meanwhile, Princess Teronna is Duke's former lover, but she is also in a complicated position as the commander-in-chief of the invading army and thus in conflict with him. The relationships between these characters add depth to the story and draw the viewer in. Furthermore, Duke's interactions with people on Earth, such as Makino Hikaru, Makino Goro, and Makino Kozo, also play an important role in portraying his humanity.

Other works shown at the Toei Manga Matsuri, such as "Little Remi and the Famous Dog Capi: A Homeless Child" and "Great Mazinger vs. Getter Robo G: Aerial Clash," are not to be missed. These works were a major event for children at the time, and the appeal was that they could be enjoyed all at once at the cinema. There were also collaborations with special effects works such as "Kamen Rider Stronger" and "Himitsu Sentai Goranger," making the content appealing to a wide range of people.

Recommendation

"Space Wars" was released as part of the Toei Manga Festival in 1975, and is a work that skillfully incorporates the trend of the time, UFOs and robots. In particular, it is not to be overlooked that it became the prototype for the later "UFO Robot Grendizer". Although the story follows the typical pattern of a robot anime, the characters' humanity and relationships are deep, and it has the power to draw viewers in. In addition, the performances of the voice actors including Sasaki Isao and the music by Kikuchi Shunsuke also enhance the appeal of the work.

The reasons why I recommend this work are as follows:

• Historical value : This work was the prototype for "UFO Robot Grendizer" and is an original anime work based on the original work by Nagai Go and Dynamic Production, so it has great historical value.
• Appealing characters : The humanity and relationships of characters such as Duke Fleed and Princess Teronna are portrayed in depth, drawing viewers in.
• Musical appeal : Kikuchi Shunsuke's music and the theme song and sub-theme song sung by Sasaki Isao enhance the atmosphere of the work and have the power to capture the hearts of viewers.
• Visual Quality : The visuals are of high quality, with art director Uchikawa Fumihiro and animation director Iino Akira showing the state of the art at the time, making for a visually appealing production.
• Collaborations with related works : There are collaborations with other Toei Manga Matsuri works and special effects works that were shown at the same time, making it appealing to a wide range of people.

For these reasons, I highly recommend watching "Space Wars" because it is a work of great historical value that reflected the trends of the time, and because of the appeal of its characters, music, and the high quality of its visuals. Also, by enjoying it together with the other works and related works that were screened at the same time, you will be able to experience the atmosphere of the Toei Manga Festival at that time.