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Japanese name(s):
Science Ninja Squad Gatchaman, Catchaman II, Gatchaman F
English name(s):
The Battle of the Planets & G-Force & Eagle Riders (original Gatchaman from ADV)
Overall description of edits/changes:

Various video edits, additional characters added, OPs and EDs changed, and sex changes/splits.
The original series was actually brought over twice as 'The Battle of the Planets' and then later redubbed with a differnt stroyline (but still inaccurate to the oriignal) as 'G-Force'. Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F were combined to make 'Eagle Riders'.
NOTE:
ADV is releasing the orignal Gatchaman uncut on DVD.
DETAILED REPORT

Reviewed by:

NOTE: Due to the age of this show, many details are done from memory and from various sources. Not all have been personally verified by the reviewers.
Jim Lazar (Webmaster/animeprime.com)
Mike Breen (Gatchaman '94 OVA information)
Angela Porter (additonal info on TV series)

Date reviewed/updated:
Saturday, June 5, 2004 10:58 AM
North American company releasing title:

Battle of the Planets and G-Force (Gatchaman TV series): Unknown
Eagle Riders (Gathcaman II and F TV series): Saban
Gatchaman '94 OVA: Urban Vision
Orignal Gatchaman uncut: ADV

Japanese version that North American version is based on:

Gatchaman TV series: As originally broadcast on Japanese television
Gathcaman II and F TV series: As originally broadcast on Japanese television
Gatchaman '94 OVA: As released on Japanese home video
Original
Gatchaman uncut: As originally broadcast on Japanese television


 Description of what effects the edits/changes had on the original story/plot (opinion)

Battle of the Planets & G-Force: Major impact on original story and characters. Changing the mutant into brother and sister and adding completely new characters changed this story at a fundamental level. (Although it has been a LONG time since I've seen this show, so my source's and my own memories may be hazy).

Eagle Riders:Various changes to the story and plot.

Gatchaman '94 OVA: The English sub did not alter the story/plot, but the English dub changes did alter the overall story and made it much more childish than the original was intended to be.

Original Gatchaman uncut: Not edits are expected in this new uncut release.


 Detailed description of video edits

Battle of the Planets and G-Force were both derived from the original Gatchaman series.

Battle of the Planets: Various edits for time, content, and story changes were made to the video. One major change is the inclusion of entirely new characters (such as 7-Zark-7 and 1-Rover-1 which were added as filler for plot exposition.

G-Force: Various edits for time, content, and story changes were made to the video.

Eagle Riders: Various edits for time, content, and story changes were made to the video. Eagle Riders was derived from the 2 follow-up Gatchaman TV series, Gatchaman II
and Gatchaman F.

Gatchaman '94 OVA: No video changes reported.

 Detailed description of opening and ending changes
BotP & G-Force & Eagle Riders: New opening and endings were created for the North American Version.
 Detailed description of English subtitle changes

All TV series: No English subtitle versions available.

Gatchaman '94 OVA (information from Mile Breen):

  • All references to the ship being the "God Phoenix" were removed. Even in
    the sub, it's called the Phoenix.
  • Aside from the conspicuously missing "God" from the ship name, The sub
    translation is a bit too literal at times. "Soosai X-sama" was translated
    as "President X," for example. But they don't actually change any of the plot
 Detailed description of English dub changes

In the original, Zoltar was a mutant who could shift from male to female at will.

BotP: In the edited North American version 'they changed him/her into two characters: Zoltar (male Zatze) and his sister, Mala (female Katze).

G-Force: Reportedly, the dub was not accurate to the original story/plot. The episodes which dealt with Katse's dual gender
were not translated so although the character appeared as both male and female, there was no attempt to explain it.

Eagle Riders: Again, the dub was reportedly not accurate to the original story/plot.

Gatchaman '94 OVA (information from Mile Breen):

I only saw the first volume before I returned it in disgust and exchanged
it for the subbed version, so a lot of this comes from memory. There some
other stuff that I actually got off of UV's web site. Interestingly, they
swap the names (click on "Jimmy" and they tell you about "Jimpei").

  • No actual footage was cut (with the exception of the music video on volume
    3, which was missing from the sub but included on the dub), so at least the
    possibility of a bilingual DVD is there.
  • First off, they changed the names. They kept Ken and Joe (probably
    because they were "American"), but changed Jimpei to "Jimmy," Jun to
    "June," and Ryo to (this is rich) "Rocky." Berg Katze was changed to
    "Solaris" (allegedly so that UV wouldn't offend Steve Katzenberg), and
    Soosai X was changed to something like "Lord Zartek" or something equally
    as Power-rangerish.
  • The subplot about Jun and Ken's attraction to each other was completely
    removed and replaced by completely different dialogue. When the team
    splits up to take out the enemy from different approaches, Ken takes Jun
    with him. In the original, Jimpei says "Way to go, sis," and Jun responds
    by bonking him on the head and saying, "Why you," or "Cut it out," or
    something like that. In the dub, Jimpei asks Jun to get him a
    souvenir. Jun *still* responds with the bonk and the "Cut it out."
  • Jimpei's "bird form" in the original was a swallow. In the dub, he's a
    falcon.
  • Galactor, instead of being a private, human terrorist group led by a
    single alien (Soosai X), were now *all* aliens, which would significantly
    alter later plot developments, as X's plan was to bring his chosen few to
    space with him while the Earth was "cleansed."
  • In the original, Joe's parents were Galactor agents who were assassinated
    for breaking with the organization. In the dub, they *added* a subplot
    about Joe being a Galactor alien. Apparently they made a big deal out of
    it, judging from the box copy of the third volume which went on and on
    about how Joe's "alien blood."
  • The Turtle King robot was renamed the "Dragon King" (even though it's
    clearly a turtle).
  • The Jupiter Ninjas in the dub are androids (aren't we a little old to be
    fooled by the android trick?) called the "Jupiter Death Brigade."
  • The Blackbird Ninjas are now called the "Blackbird Battalion." But at
    least they're human.
  • All references to the ship being the "God Phoenix" were removed. Even in
    the sub, it's called the Phoenix.
  • And in general, the plot was dumbed down and kiddified.
  • Aside from the conspicuously missing "God" from the ship name, The sub
    translation is a bit too literal at times. "Soosai X-sama" was translated
    as "President X," for example. But they don't actually change any of the plot.
 Detailed description of name and title changes
Battle of the Planets:

Ken Washio = Mark
Joe Asakura = Jason
Jun = Princess
Jinpei = Keyop
Ryu Nakanishi = Tiny Harper
Nambu = Chief Anderson
Berg Katse = Zoltar
Sosai X = Great Spirit / Luminous One

G-Force:

Ken Washio = Ace Goodheart
Joe Asakura = Dirk Daring
Jun = Agatha June
Jinpei = Peewee
Ryu Nakanishi = Hooty Hootowl
Nambu = Dr Benjamin Brighthead
Berg Katse = Galactor
Sosai X = Computor

Eagle Riders:

Ken Washio = Hunter Harris
Joe Asakura = Joe Thax
Jun = Kelly Jenar
Jinpei = Mickey Dugan
Ryu Nakanishi = Ollie Keeawanal
Nambu = Dr Thaddaeus Keane
Dr Pandora = Dr Aikens
Gel Sadra = Mallanox
Sosai X = Cybercon

Gatchaman '94 OVA: The English dub changed most of the character's names.


What you can do to get the unedited version (import and domestic)
Import version:
  • Currently the only way to get the complete and uncut Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F is by obtaining an import version from Japan (should be available on assorted home video formats from various sources).
  • ADV is releasing the orignal Gatchaman TV series uncut on DVD.
Corrections
June 5, 2004 - Added info about ADV's uncut release of the orignal Gatchaman.
December 16, 2000
- Added more information on the three differnt Gathaman series and how they were brought to North America.
August 9, 2000
- Added info about the Gatchaman '94 OVA and Eagle Riders dub.
July 18, 2000 - Added information about Science Ninja Squad Gatchaman also being redubbed as G-Force.
July 17, 2000 - Changed the information regarding the sex change of Zoltar. I had incorrectly mentioned that he was originally just a female that they made male. In fact, it appears he was a mutant that could shift sexes at will and they turned Zoltar into a brother and sister in the North American version instead. My thanks to Mike Breen for pointing this out.

This page last modified Saturday, June 5, 2004 10:58 AM PST

All content (columns, reports, stories, original artwork, HTML source, etc...) on this web site is Copyright 1998-2007 by Jim Lazar and animeprime.com unless otherwise specified.

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