Project BLUE Earth SOS Review: A moving story about environmental issues

"Project BLUE Earth SOS": A scientific adventure story revived after half a century

"Project BLUE Earth SOS" is a TV anime series that aired in 2006, based on Shigeru Komatsuzaki's picture book "Earth SOS." This work is a science adventure story that is recreated using the latest video technology, based on the original work published more than half a century ago. Six 60-minute episodes were broadcast once a month on AT-X and other broadcasting stations. This article will take a closer look at the appeal, background, characters, mechanics, and evaluation of this work.

story

In the year 2000, humanity was ushering in a glorious era, harnessing a dream energy called the "G-Reaction Engine." However, mysterious and bizarre incidents were occurring one after another all over the world, and the truth of these incidents was hidden from the public. The United Nations established a top-secret Earth defense organization, the Labyrinth Engine, to investigate the cause and confront the threat. Meanwhile, the story unfolds as two boys, Billy Kimura and Penny Carter, who happen to work with the Labyrinth Engine, fight against mysterious aliens.

Commentary

The original work is "Earth SOS," a masterpiece by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, who is known for his plastic model packaging art and mecha designs for special effects movies. The work is characterized by its innovative story, the aliens drawn by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, and the intricate designs of mecha and weapons, and it gave a fresh surprise and excitement to boys at the time who had an admiration for future science. Now, half a century later, it has been revived with the latest video technology by some of Japan's leading animation creators.

cast

The voice actors for the main characters are as follows:

• Billy Kimura: Akino Watanabe
• Penny Carter: Mitsuki Saiga
• Lotta Brest: Ryo Hirohashi
• James: Yuji Ueda
• Captain Clayton: Masaru Ikeda
• Dr. Albert Brest: Shinji Ogawa
• Emery: Sayaka Ohara
• Mysterious Girl: Hikasayama Ami
• UN Secretary-General Freeman: Katsumi Suzuki
• United Nations Commander Horner: Takehiro Koyama

Main Staff

Many talented staff members participated in the production of this film.

• Original author: Shigeru Komatsuzaki ("Earth SOS" published by Futabasha)
• Director: Tensai Okamura
• Series Composition: Ryota Yamaguchi
• Character design: Tokuyuki Shochiku
• Set design: Hoshichi, Ariaki Okada
• Mechanical design: Shinji Aramaki, Jin Fukuchi
• Art setting: Akihiro Hirasawa
• Art director: Jun Okabe, Satoru Kuwahara
• Color design: Michiyo Iriomote
• Director of photography: Masaki Nakamura
• Edited by: Tsuyoshi Imai
• Music: Michiru Oshima
• Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
• Producers: Kazuo Shimizu, Muneyuki Kanbe
• Animation production: A.C.G.T.
• Produced by: Project BLUE Production Committee (Amuse Soft Entertainment, AT-X, Memory Tech, IMAGICA Imageworks, Toshiba Entertainment, Genco)

Main Characters

The main characters of this work are as follows:

• Billy Kimura: 14-year-old second generation Japanese-American. He is the heir to the Kimura Group, which has assets of $200 billion, and is a genius who graduated at the top of his class from the Royal University of London at the age of 14. He is a confident man who lives surrounded by his own inventions, and lives with his parents and a butler in the penthouse of a skyscraper towering over the central district of the Metropolitan. He doesn't like dogs.
• Penny Carter: 14 years old. She lost her parents in an accident at an early age, but received a scholarship and graduated from Massachusetts at the top of her class. She is a hardworking genius. She is not very sociable and has a firm tone of voice, but she is naturally kind and considerate of others. She lives in a university dormitory with her dog (Washington) and mainly travels by bicycle.
• Lotta Brest: 13 years old. Daughter of the world-renowned scientist Dr. Brest. Having been raised as a lady, she is polite and has a refined way of speaking. However, she lost her mother at an early age and her father is busy with work, so she is good at general housework such as cooking. She is childhood friends with Billy, as their parents are also related.
• James: He was an ace pilot in the Air Force, but five years ago he went missing during a flight test of the Trickster, an aircraft equipped with a G-reactive jet engine, leaving behind the words, "A rainbow... flying saucer..."
• Washington: Penny's pet dog. She is the only family Penny has as she is orphaned. She is smart, obedient to Penny, and helps her in many situations.
• Captain Clayton: A veteran soldier. He is investigating the cause of the flight test accident five years ago. He has a strong relationship of trust with James.
• Dr. Albert Brest: Lotta's father. A world-renowned scientist, he founded the top-secret Earth defense organization "Labyrinth Agency" to protect the Earth from mysterious invaders.
• Emery: Lotta's tutor. He is actually an agent of the secret organization "Labyrinth Agency" and is tasked with protecting Dr. Brest's daughter Lotta from invaders.
• Mysterious Girl: A beautiful girl who frequently appears in front of Penny and Billy. She appears suddenly and disappears leaving behind a mysterious message.

Main Robot Items

The main robots and items that appear in this work are as follows.

• Sky Knight: A state-of-the-art fighter jet equipped with a G-reaction engine developed by the Labyrinth Organization for use in aggression against Earth. Equipped with a secret weapon, G-discharge. For use in atmospheric combat.
• Helmet Worm: A mysterious invader's flying saucer that shoots strange rays.
• Comet: A passenger plane equipped with the latest G-reaction engine. Owned by Kimura Airlines.
• Inazuma: A dream bullet train equipped with a G-reaction engine that travels at 500km per hour. It connects the world capital Metropolitan and New York in 1.5 hours.
• Trickster: An experimental aircraft equipped with a G-reaction engine and piloted by James. It can fly at speeds of over Mach 9.
• United Nations Fighter: A conventional fighter jet owned by the United Nations.
• Lotta's Limousine: An air car driven by Emery. Equipped with various special equipment.
• Billy's 4WD: Owned by the Kimura family. Used by Billy. Driven by the butler.
• Air car: Runs slightly above the ground on the road.

subtitle

The subtitles for each episode are as follows:

• Episode 1: Mysterious UFO Attack! Sky Knight Takes Off! (2006/07/02)
• Episode 2: Fortress Island Appears! Metropolitan X in Danger! (2006/08/02)
• Episode 3: The Hand of Invasion! The G Reactor Doesn't Work! (2006/09/02)
• Episode 4: The Alien Trap! The Invincible, Please Respond! (2006/10/02)
• Episode 5: Extreme Offense and Defense! Solve the Mystery of Element X! (2006/11/02)
• Episode 6: Superweapon Deploys! Earth's Final Battle! (2006/12/02)

Theme songs and music

The theme songs and music for this work are as follows:

• OP1: ProjectBLUE Earth SOS Theme
  • Composer: Michiru Oshima
  • Arrangement: Michiru Oshima
• ED1: The Wind's Birth Cry
  • Lyricist: Emi Inaba
  • Composer: Hiroshi Sekita
  • Arrangement: Hiroshi Sekita
  • Sung by: solua

Evaluation and Impressions

"Project BLUE Earth SOS" is a science adventure story based on an original story from half a century ago, recreated using the latest video technology. As a result, it is a work that will bring both nostalgia and freshness to fans of the original. The story is simple, about fighting invaders from space, but the personalities of the characters and the design of the mechanics are appealing and have the power to draw viewers in.

In particular, the fact that the two main characters are boys, Billy Kimura and Penny Carter, makes it easy for young viewers to empathize with the story. The story depicts their growth and friendship, as well as their fight to protect the Earth, and there are many touching scenes. Another point that makes the story enjoyable is the element of solving mysteries that are revealed as the story progresses, such as the existence of a mysterious girl and the mystery of the G-reaction engine.

The mechanical design is also one of the highlights, with the designs of fighter planes and trains such as the Sky Knight and the Trickster faithfully recreating Shigeru Komatsuzaki's original work while being more realistically drawn using the latest technology. In particular, the battle scenes using the energy of the G-reaction engine are very impressive and provide plenty of visual enjoyment.

The music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this work, and the opening theme "Project Blue Earth SOS Theme" composed by Michiru Ohshima enhances the atmosphere of adventure and battle, while the ending theme "Wind's Newborn Cry" deepens the emotion of the story together with the singing voice of solua.

Recommendations and how to watch

"Project BLUE Earth SOS" is recommended for those who like science adventure stories and those who want to enjoy nostalgic anime. It is also enjoyable for those who are interested in mechanical design and music. It can be viewed on AT-X or purchased on DVD or Blu-ray. It may also be available on streaming services, so if you're interested, check it out.

This work is sure to be loved by many viewers as a science adventure story revived after half a century. Please experience Billy and Penny's adventure and growth, and their fight to protect the Earth.