Genma Taisen review: Exploring the epic story and profound themes

The appeal and evaluation of Genma Taisen

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

March 12, 1983 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toho Towa

■ Eirin Number

110834

■Frequencies

135 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Shotaro Ishimori and Kazumasa Hirai

■ Director

Rintaro

■ Production

Animation Production: Madhouse Production: Kadokawa Haruki Corporation

■ Story

The destroyer of the universe, Genma, is approaching the Earth. Having received a message from the cosmic consciousness Froy, Luna, a princess and esper of Transylvania, begins a battle to protect the Earth together with Vega, a cyborg soldier who is also fighting Genma. Luna plans to gather psionics (people with psychic abilities) from all over the world to fight against Genma. One of them, a high school student named Higashi Jou, is completely unaware of his own abilities, but Vega's provocation causes his psychic powers to blossom. However, he is mentally immature and closes his heart to Luna, who tries to persuade him to join the battle to protect the universe. But the enemy mercilessly appears before him...

■Explanation

A collaboration between science fiction writer Hirai Kazumasa and manga artist Ishinomori Shotaro, this is one of a series of science fiction works that began as a manga serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine." It is the first film adaptation of the Genma Taisen series. It is based on the story from volumes 1-3 of the Kadokawa Bunko edition and the Shonen Magazine edition, with an original ending, and is depicted as a story that is complete in itself. It is the first "Kadokawa Animation Film" by Kadokawa Pictures (Kadokawa Haruki Corporation), and one of the feature films from the early days of Madhouse, when Otomo Katsuhiro first participated in animation production and actually produced it for the first time.

■Cast

・Azuma Jou/Furuya Toru・Luna/Koyama Mami・Vega/Emori Toru・Azuma Michiko/Ikeda Masako・Froy/Miwa Akihiro・Genma Daioh/Sato Masaharu・Cafu/Hozumi Takanobu・Zambi/Nagai Ichiro・Samedi/Takiguchi Junpei・Sawakawa Junko/Pan Keiko・Eda Shiro/Shiozawa Kaneto・Sony/Hayashi Yasufumi・Tao/Harada Tomoyo・Yogin/Kai Ryuji・Assassin/Tanaka Hideyuki・Salamander/Utsumi Kenji・Female astrologer/Shiraishi Kayoko

■ Main staff

・Produced by: Haruki Kadokawa, Shotaro Ishinomori・Original story: Shotaro Ishinomori, Kazumasa Hirai・Producer: Susumu Aketagawa・Screenplay: Makoto Naito, Chiho Katsura, Mamoru Masaki・Anime character design: Mamoru Masaki, Katsuhiro Otomo・Director: Rintaro・Animation director: Takuo Noda・Cinematography: Iwa Yamaki・Music director: Keith Emerson・Music: Nozomu Aoki・Art director: Takamura Mukuo・Art: Kazuo Oga, Tadao Kubota・Animator: Yoshinori Kaneda・Sound recording: Ichiro Tsujii・Editor: Osamu Tanaka・Assistant director: Susumu Ishizaki

■ Main Characters

A high school student who was the first to come into contact with Luna Higashijo. He can use psychokinesis and other abilities. His various experiences help him grow into a powerful psionic warrior.
Luna: The first princess of the Transylvanian Kingdom. A girl with telepathic abilities. She gathers psionic warriors to protect the Earth from the "Genma".
・Vega A cyborg warrior who once fought against the "Genma" for 200 years. He has been asleep for 2,000 years. To protect the Earth, he fights against the "Genma" again.
・Michiko Higashi Joe's older sister. She loves Joe deeply and is like a mother to him. She is attacked by the phantom demons Zambi who are targeting Joe's absence...
・Floy is an energy life form of cosmic consciousness. He tells Luna that the hand of death of the Great Demon King, the destroyer of the universe, has reached out to the Milky Way galaxy.
The Genma Daioh is an energy lifeform that continues to destroy the universe. In just a billion years, countless nebulae and other things have disappeared.
Kafu: One of the Genma who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Earth Destruction Operation. He has powerful psychokinesis and strong regenerative abilities.
・One of the Genma who targets Joe and his friends in order to hunt down Zambie Espers. He has the ability to possess humans. He possesses Junko and attacks Joe.
・One of the phantom demons who targets Joe and his friends in order to hunt down Themedie-espers. He has the ability to possess humans. He possesses Chief O'Reilly and captures Sonny.
Junko Sawakawa: Joe's ex-girlfriend. She is possessed by a Zambi who wants to use her body to attack Joe.
・Shiro Eda A friend of Joe. He gets into a fight with Joe when he discovers his psychic powers. Later, he meets Joe again in an unexpected place...
Sonny Link: A black boy with teleportation abilities. He is saved by Luna and the others and joins them as a psionic warrior.
A psionic warrior appears before Joe, who is heading to Mt. Fuji, after hearing the telepathic message sent by Taorna to the whole world. A Hong Kong girl with the ability to predict the future.
A psionic warrior who heard the telepathy that Yogin Luna sent to the whole world and appeared before Luna and her friends in New York. An old man who lives in the Himalayas.
A psionic warrior who appeared before Joe after hearing the telepathy sent by Asanshirna to the whole world. A young Arabian nomad who teaches Joe how to use his psychic powers.
A psionic warrior who heard the telepathic message sent by Salamander Luna to the whole world and appeared before Luna and her friends in New York. A male Indian.
A female astrologer: A woman who foresees the arrival of the powerful ruler of darkness, "Genma," who continues to destroy the universe, and predicts its destruction.

■ Theme songs and music

・TM
・"Children of the Light"
Lyrics by Tony Allen Music by Keith Emerson Singer by Rosemary Butler

The appeal and evaluation of Genma Taisen

"Genma Taisen," released in 1983, is an anime film based on the original work by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, and is known as the first "Kadokawa Animation Film" produced by Kadokawa Haruki Corporation. This work had a major impact on the anime industry at the time, and is particularly regarded as a work that symbolizes the dawn of the Madhouse studio.

The story of "Genma Taisen" depicts the battle between the "Genma", the cosmic destroyer who tries to destroy the Earth, and the psychics who oppose it. It is an epic tale in which Transylvanian princess Luna and cyborg soldier Vega play a central role, gathering psionicers (psychics) from around the world to fight against the Genma. In particular, the process in which high school student Joe Higashi realizes his psychic powers and grows will deeply move viewers.

The appeal of this work lies above all in its epic scale and deep themes. While it depicts a cosmic-scale battle, the growth and conflicts of each character are carefully depicted, evoking strong empathy in the viewer. In addition, the contrast between "destruction" and "creation" symbolized by the existence of Genma raises deep philosophical questions throughout the work.

Director Rintaro fully demonstrated his talent in this work, achieving both visual beauty and depth of story. In particular, the visual expression of the phantom demons and the intensity of the battle scenes surpassed the technical standards of the time, leaving a strong visual impact. In addition, Katsuhiro Otomo's participation in the character design was also a hot topic, and his unique touch breathed fresh air into the entire work.

Musically, the music direction by Keith Emerson and the music by Nozomi Aoki add to the atmosphere of the film. The theme song "Children of the Light" in particular will capture the hearts of viewers with its beautiful melody and lyrics that are fitting for the epic story.

The cast is also impressive, with popular voice actors from the time such as Toru Furuya as Tojo, Mami Koyama as Luna, and Toru Emori as Vega. Their performances express the emotions of the characters realistically, adding depth to the story. In addition, unique voice actors such as Masaharu Sato as King Genma and Akihiro Miwa as Froy round out the supporting cast, raising the quality of the entire work.

"Genma Taisen" has been highly acclaimed since its release in 1983, and its value remains unchanged to this day. In particular, it is considered a milestone in science fiction anime and is loved by many fans. This work is also an essential part of Madhouse's history, symbolizing the studio's growth and development.

Furthermore, this work influenced the entire anime industry, and had a major impact on the production of later science fiction and action anime. In particular, it established a new style in terms of character design and visual expression, influencing many creators.

"Genma Taisen" is a work that deserves high praise in all aspects, including story, characters, visuals, and music. It is a work that should be watched by anyone who likes science fiction and action anime. It is also recommended for those who want to enjoy visual expressions that exceeded the technical standards of the time and deep themes.

This work is not only appreciated as entertainment, but also as a work that raises deep philosophical questions. In particular, the contrast between "destruction" and "creation" symbolized by the existence of Genma deeply moves viewers. In addition, the growth and conflicts of each character are carefully depicted, evoking strong empathy in the viewers.