The appeal and evaluation of Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander: An anime that can be enjoyed by both children and adults

Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander - Looking back on the nostalgic OVA

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Toys

■ Release date

May 20, 1991

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■ Story

Four boys and girls, Takashi, Aki, Gakkun, and Miki, have become Earth Commanders. They use their super mecha to challenge Grogel, an enemy that hides underground and causes eruptions to destroy towns.

■Explanation

This original video animation was produced as an attachment to a toy and has the subtitle "Underground Aerial Battle". The toy on which the work is based is the "Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander" series by Tomy Co., Ltd. (now Takara Tomy). The setting of this toy series is the Earth in the near future, where the "Future Emergency Team Earth Commander", made up of elementary school children, fight against the evil organization Grogel, who is trying to invade the Earth.

This OVA was produced as part of the promotion for the "Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander" toy, which was released in 1991. The story and visuals are skillfully combined to bring out the best in the toy. In particular, the underground battle scenes would have been very fresh and exciting for children at the time. The mechanical designs of the toy are directly reflected in the anime, making for a strong visual impact.

This work is also noteworthy for its use of the OVA format. Unlike television series, OVAs allow for greater freedom of expression and tend to have denser stories. This work is no exception, unfolding a tense story in a short time. Furthermore, OVAs often offer higher quality visuals than regular television anime, and this work is no exception, boasting extremely high quality considering the technical standards of the time.

■Cast

・Takashi/Yoko Matsuoka・Aki/Eriko Hara・Gakkun/Tomoko Maruo・Miki/Yoshino Takamori・Rhyme/Naoki Tatsuta・Man/Masashi Hironaka

The cast includes many popular voice actors from the time. Matsuoka Yoko, who plays Takashi, in particular, captivated many fans with her crystal clear voice. Hara Eriko, who plays Aki, also leaves an impression with her powerful performance in the battle scenes. Maruo Tomoko, who plays Gakkun, excels at playing a character who calmly analyzes things, while Takamori Yoshino, who plays Miki, gives an excellent performance as a character who combines kindness and strength. Tatsuta Naoki, who plays Lime, plays a unique character with a humorous touch, adding color to the work. Furthermore, Hironaka Masashi's male role also demonstrates a strong presence as a villain.

■ Main staff

・Planning / Hagino Hiroshi・Producer / Yamazaki Takayuki・Original story / Taira Bunpei・Script / Matsuzaki Kenichi・Director / Tanahashi Ittoku・Character design / Oshima Yasuichi, Endo Eiichi・Mecha design / Fujishiro Harutoshi・Animation director / Takahashi Akinobu・Mecha animation director / Ohara Shohei・Art / Miyamae Mitsuharu・Sound director / Fujino Sadayoshi・Sound production / Audio-visual system・Editing / Tsurubuchi Tomoaki・Development / Tokyo Development Laboratory・Production cooperation / Lifework・Production / Tokyu Agency, Kyoei Promotion

The staff is made up of professionals from various fields. In particular, Hagino Hiroshi, the planner, and Yamazaki Takayuki, the producer, worked hard to make this project a success. Taira Bunpei, the original creator, successfully incorporated the worldview of the toys into the anime. Matsuzaki Kenichi, the scriptwriter, created a tense story in a short time, and Tanahashi Ittoku, the director, did his best to express the story visually. Oshima Yasuichi and Endo Eiichi, the character designers, brought out the best in the characters, and Fujishiro Harutoshi, the mecha designer, faithfully reproduced the toy mecha in the anime. Takahashi Akinobu, the animation director, and Obara Shohei, the mecha animation director, paid attention to every detail to improve the quality of the images. Miyamae Mitsuharu, the art director, realistically depicted the underground world, and Fujino Sadayoshi, the sound director, added depth to the work with his sound effects. Audio Visual Systems for sound production, Tsurubuchi Tomoaki for editing, Tokyo Development Laboratory for development, Life's Work for production cooperation, Tokyu Agency and Kyoei Promotion for production, all played their respective roles to improve the quality of the film.

■ Main Characters

・A boy who is a member of the Takashia Commander and is the leader.
A member of the Akias Commanders. A girl who excels in combat.
A boy who is a member of the Gakkun Earth Commander. He is in charge of analyzing situations and planning operations.
A girl who is a member of the Mikiarth Commander. She carries out rescue operations.
A member of the Lime Space Surveillance Agency. A green slime-like creature.

As for the main characters, each one is portrayed as unique and attractive. Takashi is impressive as he brings the team together as a leader and fights bravely. Aki is cool as he faces the enemy as a combat professional. Gakkun supports the team with his calm analytical skills, while Miki is a character who combines kindness and strength and engages in rescue operations. Raimu is a humorous character who provides laughter for the team. Seeing these characters work together to face the enemy gives children courage and hope.

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander" is an OVA created to promote a toy, but the content is very substantial. The story unfolds tensely in a short time, and the personalities of the characters are well-drawn. In particular, the underground battle scenes have a strong visual impact, making it a very appealing work for children. The cast and staff are also of high quality, and overall it can be said to be a very well-made work.

The first reason why I recommend this work is that it brings out the charm of the toys to the fullest. The mechanical designs of the toys are directly reflected in the anime, so children who own the toys will enjoy it even more. Also, because it is an OVA format, the story is dense and a tense development can be shown in a short time. Furthermore, the cast and staff are of high quality, and it is an extremely well-made work overall, so it will be enjoyed by adults as well as children.

The first recommendation for enjoying this work is to enjoy the underground battle scenes. They have a strong visual impact and are very appealing scenes for children. It is also important to enjoy the personalities of the characters. Takashi, Aki, Gakkun, Miki and Lime are each portrayed as unique and attractive characters, so you will be able to enjoy watching them in action. Furthermore, the quality of the cast and staff is high, and the work is very well-made overall, so you will be able to enjoy every detail.

Related information

This work was created as part of the promotion for the toy "Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander," so information about the toy is also important. The toy was released by Tomy Co., Ltd. (now Takara Tomy), and is set on Earth in the near future, where the "Future Emergency Team Earth Commander," made up of elementary school students, fight against Grogel, an evil organization that is trying to invade the Earth. The mechanical design of the toy is faithful to the anime, so children who own the toy will be able to enjoy it even more. Also, knowing the information about the toy will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the world of the anime.

Furthermore, since this work is in the OVA format, it would be a good idea to learn about the history and characteristics of OVAs. Unlike television series, OVAs allow for greater freedom of expression and tend to have denser stories. Also, OVAs often provide higher quality images than regular television anime, and this work is no exception, boasting extremely high quality considering the technical standards of the time. By learning about the history and characteristics of OVAs, you will be able to better understand the value of this work.

Conclusion

"Tomica Future Emergency Team Earth Commander" is an OVA created to promote toys, but the content is very substantial. The story unfolds tensely in a short time, and the characters' personalities are well-drawn. The underground battle scenes in particular have a strong visual impact, making it a very appealing work for children. The cast and staff are also of high quality, and overall it can be said to be a very well-made work. In order to enjoy this work, it is important to enjoy the underground battle scenes and the personalities of the characters, and by learning about the toy information and the history and characteristics of the OVA, you will be able to understand the value of the work more deeply.