Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Chapter: A review of the profound story and fascinating characters

Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Chapter - Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Chapter - All-round evaluation and recommendation

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

March 26, 2010 Episode 1: Udo (March 26, 2010)
・Episode 2/Kumen (2010/04/23)
・Episode 3/Sansa (2010/06/25)
・Episode 4/Nurgelland (2010/07/23)
・Episode 5/Cocoon (2010/09/24)
・Episode 6: Infanti (2010/10/27)

■Release and sales

Bandai Visual

■Frequencies

24 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 6

■Original Story

Original story by Hajime Yatate and Ryosuke Takahashi

■ Director

Ryosuke Takahashi

■ Production

Animation production cooperation: Answer Studio Production: Sunrise Production: SUNRISE

■Works

© Sunrise

■ Story

It has been 26 years since the TV series ended.
The latest in the OVA series depicting the sequel!!
I want to see that guy, that guy, and that guy

*Quoted from Amazon

■Explanation

Vanilla, Cocona, and Goto. The official sequel to the series follows the three as they travel across the Astragius Galaxy in pursuit of the missing Kiriko.

*Quoted from the Sunrise official website

■Cast

・Vanilla Bertler / Shigeru Chiba / Cocona Bertler / Yoko Kawanami / Boulud Gout / Kousei Tomita / Le Shakko / Kazunari Masamune / Kiriko Cuby / Hozumi Goda / Pol Potalia / Sho Hayami / Luminal / Mitsuaki Madono / General Gangnam / Daisuke Kusunoki / Sophie Fadas / Nana Yamaguchi / Goby / Ichiro Nagai / Tedaya / Minoru Yada / Zeno / Ryuji Nakagi / Priest / Shiro Goou / Juno / Miki Nagasawa / Stevia・Bertler/Kuwashima Houko・Pepple Bertler/Toriumi Katsumi・Soltio Bertler/Toyama Akio・Shugal Bertler/Oda Toshimitsu・Xyrel Bertler/Noda Junko・Cyclo Bertler/Kamiyo Chie・The Mysterious Assassin, Nextant/Ishii Koji・Vyacheslav da Montewels/Saka Osamu・Goran Päälsen/Otsuka Norio・Narration, Jean-Paul Lotsina/Ginga Banjō

■ Main staff

・Planning / Uchida Kenji, Kawashiro Kazumi・Original work / Yatate Hajime, Takahashi Ryosuke・Series composition / Itou Fuyuji・Character design / Shioyama Norio・Mechanical design / Okawara Kunio・Art director / Nomura Masanobu・Color setting / Kuriki Shiho・CGI director / Hatada Hiroyuki・Director of photography / Takahashi Kentaro・Editing / Seyama Takeshi・Sound director / Urakami Yasuo・Music / Inui Hiroki, Maejima Yasuaki・Chief animation director / Takeuchi Kazuyoshi・Art setting / Ii Zou・Assistant art director / Chimoto Yuta・Design works / Moriki Yasuyasu・Monitor graphics / Takahashi Kentaro, Saito Shinji, Tanno Hiromi・Title logo design / Umino Daisuke (DABHAND)
・Editing Assistant / Rie Matsuhara ・Music Producer / Noboru Mano ・Music Production / Sunrise Music Publishing Co., Ltd. ・Music Production Cooperation / Borderline Inc. ・Sound Production / AUDIO PLANNING U
・Recording studio: APU MEGURO STUDIO
・Mixer: Hisashi Yamamoto ・Assistant Mixer: Takaaki Uchiyama ・Sound Effects: Masahiro Shoji (Fizz Sound Creation)
・Planning: Shunsuke Ijiro ・Production: Kengo Abe ・Public relations: Makoto Shibuya, Takatake Koido, Yuji Hirooka ・Official website management: Tomoko Uchida, Takuma Kiuchi, Shinya Kaneda (For You LLC)
・Promotional cooperation: Osamu Nagashima, Tsunetoshi Koike, Hiroyuki Nishioka ・Animation production cooperation: Answer Studio ・Animation producer: Haruhisa Yamaji ・Producer: Teishiki Tsukada (Sunrise), Ken Okawara (Bandai Visual)
Director: Ryosuke Takahashi Produced by: Sunrise Produced by: SUNRISE

■ Main Characters

Vanilla - He was a black market dealer in the town of Trauard, but met Kiriko and became friends with him. As a mood maker, he soothed the hearts of Kiriko and his friends.
Cocona Bertler: A war orphan from Udo, she was all alone, but she lived a lively life. She was attracted to Kiriko, but she eventually married Vanilla.
・Boulouz Gouto He was once a Battling impresario and a leader in the underworld of Udo. He provided Kiriko with various forms of support, such as preparing an AT.
Le Shakko: A mercenary from the long-lived Quent people. He fought alongside Kiriko in the Kumen Civil War, and later became a trusted ally.
Sophie Faddus: Having lost her family in the Hundred Years' War, she hated the Red Shoulders, Kiriko. Even now that she has lost her eyesight, she lives in the desert of the planet Sansa and runs a scrap metal business.
Viacheslav da Montevels: He became the Pope of the Martial Order, even making his own daughter Titania his next in line. However, now that the authority of the Order has been lost, he has lost his energy.
Jean-Paul Rotchina: He served Wiseman as God's Eye, but after God's death he became absorbed in compiling records of Kiriko at the Martial Order.
Kiriko Cuby: After defeating the psychic Wiseman, he was put into cold sleep with Fianna, but was woken up to be used in a power struggle within the Martial Order.
Juno: Once the son of God, he was cast underground.

■ Main robot items

Scope Dog: Still the most common AT in the Astragius Galaxy. Many different custom versions have been developed.
・Purple Bear: An AT with a distinctive face. The stereo camera enables 3D vision, making it particularly good at close combat.
- Strong Bucks Armored AT. Nicknamed for its 100mm armor thickness, this heavyweight AT is a show-off.
・Belzerga (WP)
An AT made by artisans exclusively for the Quent people. It has a pile bunker combined with a shield and a number of other unique functions.
・Scope Dog Red Shoulder Special A fully armed Scope Dog that reproduces the AT ridden by the vampire unit Red Shoulders. Just like the one Kiriko and the others customized, even the paint job on the shoulder has been reproduced.
・Strike Dog: A powerful PS-exclusive machine developed by the secret society. During the Kumen Rebellion 30 years ago, it was used by Kiriko's rival Epsilon.
・Standing Tortoise: Categorized as an H-class unit like the Diving Beetle, this unit is large in size and prioritizes firepower. It is deployed in the capital defense of the Republic of Kumen and in the guards of the President of Potalia.
・Standing Tortoise The Potalia aircraft is a Tortoise exclusively for the President, with gold trimmings on various parts. With the exception of goggles and other equipment that have been adjusted for the Potalia, its performance is the same as the standard aircraft.
・Diving Beetle In addition to its muddy ground suspension, it is equipped with a full range of underwater equipment and can remain submerged for up to two hours. Currently, it is mainly used by General Kangnam's rebel army in Kumen.
An AT uniquely deployed by the Eldspine Martial Order. It can fire a harpoon (hapune) from the ropespite equipped on the left shoulder to hold back enemies, or use it like a winch to pull or hang from high places.
・Belzerga The most basic design of the Belzerga, with no Praetorian firearms, roller dash mechanisms, or complex sensor systems. Equipped with a spear with a pile bunker and a huge shield, it excels in the ancient Quent tactics of changing dense formations in various ways.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1/Udo (2010/03/26)
・Episode 2/Kumen (2010/04/23)
・Episode 3/Sansa (2010/06/25)
・Episode 4/Nurgelland (2010/07/23)
・Episode 5/Cocoon (2010/09/24)
・Episode 6: Infanti (2010/10/27)

■ Related works

・Armored Trooper Votoms ・Armored Trooper Votoms VOL.I STORIES OF THE ATVOTOMS
・Armored Trooper Votoms VOL.Ⅱ HIGHLITS OF THE ATVOTOMS
・Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder・Armored Trooper Votoms: Udo・Armored Trooper Votoms: Qumen・Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle・Armored Trooper Votoms: Sansa・Armored Trooper Votoms: Quent・Armored Trooper Votoms: Red Shoulder Document: The Roots of Ambition・Armored Hunter Mellow Link・Armored Trooper Votoms: The Brilliant Heresy・Armored Trooper Votoms: The Pailsen Files・Armored Trooper Votoms: The Movie・Armored Trooper Votoms: Case;IRVINE
・Votoms Finder ・Armored Trooper Votoms: The Lonely Shadow Returns

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Fate of the Flame ・Lyrics by Ryosuke Takahashi ・Music by Hiroki Inui ・Singer by TETSU

・ED1
・It's Always You・Lyrics by Ryosuke Takahashi・Music by Hiroki Inui・Singer by TETSU

■ Evaluation and recommendation

"Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Arc" is an OVA series that depicts the aftermath of the 1983 TV series "Armored Trooper Votoms," and was released in 2010. This work is a long-awaited sequel for fans, and it was an emotional event for many viewers to see the story of Kiriko, Cuby and their friends unfold again after 26 long years.

The story of this work depicts the journey of Vanilla, Cocona, and Goto, who are searching for Kiriko after his disappearance, as they travel through the Astragius Galaxy. While the absence of Kiriko is felt, the content also reaffirms how great his influence was. In particular, the growth and changes of each character brought about by Kiriko's absence deeply moves the viewer.

The character portrayal is also excellent, and the relationship between Vanilla and Cocona in particular gives a sense of the bond that has been built throughout the series. Vanilla's role as a mood maker and Cocona's feelings for Kiriko are depicted, allowing the viewer to empathize with their humanity. Gouto's presence as a support character is also outstanding, and his past and present actions add depth to the story.

Don't miss the mechanical design. ATs (Armored Troopers) such as "Scope Dog" and "Belzerga" are symbols of the series, and the introduction of custom variations and new units meets the expectations of fans. In particular, the "Scope Dog Red Shoulder Special" is a reproduction of the unit that Kiriko and his friends once rode, which is a touching moment for fans.

Music is also an important element that enhances the appeal of this work. The opening theme "Fate of the Flame" and the ending theme "Always You Are" enhance the atmosphere of the story with TETSU's powerful voice and Hiroki Inui's composition. These songs help immerse the viewer in the story.

Director Ryosuke Takahashi is one of the original creators of the series, and his vision is reflected in this work. Takahashi's direction carefully depicts the emotions of the characters and the development of the story, deeply moving the viewer. Another factor that enhances the quality of this work is the reunion of the staff who supported the series, including series composer Fuyuki Ito, character designer Norio Shioyama, and mechanical designer Kunio Okawara.

Taking advantage of the OVA format, this work carefully depicts even the finer details that could not be depicted in the TV series. Each episode depicts a different planet and situation, allowing viewers to feel the vastness and diversity of the Astragius Galaxy. Also, even though it is a compact six-episode series, the story unfolds at a steady pace, so viewers won't get bored.

Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Arc is a must-see for fans of the series, and will appeal to new viewers as well. While it makes the absence of Kiriko felt, it also reaffirms just how big of an influence he was, and it fully complements the series' appeal with character growth and change, mechanical design, music, and more.

The recommended points are as follows:

• For fans of the series, the film is moving in that, while its viewers will feel the loss of Kiriko, it also serves to remind them just how great his influence was.
• The characters' growth and change are carefully depicted, allowing the audience to empathize with their humanity on a deep level.
• The mechanical design is excellent, and new aircraft and custom variations of the AT, which is symbolic of the series, are introduced.
• Music adds to the atmosphere of the story and helps immerse the audience in the story.
• Thanks to direction by Takahashi Ryosuke and the reunion of the staff who have supported the series, this is a high-quality production.
• Taking advantage of the OVA format, it carefully depicts details that were not included in the TV series.

All told, Armored Trooper Votoms: Phantom Arc is a must-watch for fans of the series, and will appeal to new viewers as well. Be sure to watch this film and enjoy the vastness and diversity of the Astragius Galaxy, and the story of Kiriko and her friends.