Genesis Climber Mospeada
Encyclopedia
is an anime
science fiction
series created by Shinji Aramaki
and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan
. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor, one of the transformable motorcycle-armors the series features. The other primary mecha featured in the show is the three-form transformable fighter called the Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss, which is somewhat similar in design to the VF-1 Valkyrie
variable fighter
from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
.
area of North America.
However, the Mars colony, dubbed the Mars Base, does not forget about the plight of Earth. Troops are sent in to fight the Inbits from the Moon, only to fail miserably. The Inbits do not attack Mars and show no interest towards the other planets. Surprisingly, the aliens show no hostility towards humans unless they are directly provoked. The Inbits can also sense the presence of HBT and use of the fuel is limited under their supervision, as HBT is a common component in weapons technology. Mars Base becomes a gigantic military factory, producing vast amounts of advanced weaponry and trained troops. In 2080, Mars Base sends in the next wave of troops. Although equipped with more technologically advanced equipment and transformable mecha, the entire armada called the Earth Recapture Force is destroyed.
Three years later, Mars Base launches another attack called the Second Earth Recapture Force. One of the troops is Lieutenant Stick Bernard. The strike force is slaughtered in Earth's orbit. Stick's fiancée Marlene is killed and he crashlands in South America. At first, Stick is sorrowful and depressed at Marlene's death. After seeing a holographic recording of his dead betrothed, Stick swears an oath of vengeance
. In his quest to reach Reflex Point, he meets the other main characters of the show, forming a group of ragtag freedom fighters in a quest to rid the planet of the Inbit.
As the plot unravels, the purpose of the Inbit invasion is revealed: to find a suitable place to evolve into more complex beings. However, little did the Inbits know that their endeavor actually threatens to cause the extinction of both humans and Inbits and thus, it is up to Stick and his group, with the help of human-like Inbits (Aisha and Solzie), to convince the supreme ruler of the Inbit, the Refless, to flee from Earth.
) (Bin Shimada
): A 20-year-old Mars Base lieutenant that becomes stranded on Earth as the Inbit obliterate the defenses of the Second Earth Recapture Force. As a result of the overwhelming force of the Inbit, Stick's fiancée, , is killed when her ship attempts to land on the planet surface, leaving Stick angry and bitter. Even after he gathers his freedom fighters together, he often allows his hatred and blind fury towards the Inbit to distract him from the responsible decision-making his friends know he is capable of. (Rand) (Hisao Ōyama): 17-year-old scavenger. He is the historian, optimist, and wisecracker of the group. Originally, Ray was a loner who actually enjoyed teasing the Inbit as they chased him around the territory, but he joins Stick in order to deal a serious blow to the invaders. Extremely resourceful, Ray is a huge fan of Yellow Belmont until he learns that the female singer is actually a man. Over the course of the series, he develops deep feelings for Houquet, but she has trouble openly reciprocating them. (Annie "Mint" LaBelle) (Miyuki Sanae (credited as Miyuki Muroi)) : A spirited 13-year-old who was abandoned by her parents. She tags along with the group in order to find a husband, but ends up becoming part of the team. Often considered an annoyance to the rest of the group, Mint is nonetheless loved by her fellow freedom fighters, and proves herself valuable to the mission on several occasions. Her trademark attire is the E.T. cap that she wears. It is not known whether the E.T.
stands for the science fantasy
movie of the same name or something else. (Rook Bartley) (Mika Doi
): A 16-year-old former motorcycle gang member and girlfriend to gang
leader, Romy. She was severely beaten and taken advantage of
by a rival gang when they cornered her away from her group. Houquet initially fights for the helpless and refuses an alliance with Stick, but joins the team after realizing that she would be stronger with them than without them. Eventually she comes to respect her companions enough that she offers to sacrifice herself in order to save the others. Falls in love with Ray, but is unable to open her heart and express her affection to him. (Jim "Lunk" Austin) (Tomomichi Nishimura
): A 32-year-old maintenance mechanic. Jim initially comes off as the "stupid lunk" of the group, but is soon revealed to be quite intelligent. Jim was once a member of the Mars Base forces, but deserted after failing to save a friend from the Inbit. Though he labeled himself a coward and often sees himself as a liability to Stick's team, the team is quick to object to this, noting Jim's courage and dependability during their repeated encounters with Inbit forces. (Lance "Lancer" Belmont) (Mine Matsuki)/(Hirotaka Suzuoki
): A 22-year-old soldier from the Second Earth Recapture Force. Now disguised as a female singer (thanks to his bishōnen
appearance) in order to hide from the Inbit and certain locals, Yellow has made quite a name for him/herself as an entertainer. But upon meeting Stick and his friends, Yellow decides to help free Earth from the Inbit. His ability to completely change both his physical appearance and personality adds to the team's ability to infiltrate towns and cities in order to gather supplies or complete missions. His stage name in Robotech was Yellow Dancer. (Ariel/Marlene
) (Miki Takahashi
): A female Inbit changed into humanoid form. In Robotech, she was given the name Marlene by Scott (Stick) and the others, named after his old fiancée, because when they first met her, they were unaware of her real name. (Regess) (Noriko Ohara
): Supreme ruler of the Inbit. Her only goal is to terraform the Earth in order for her race to take it over. Considers humans to be genetically and socially worthless. (Sera) (Waka Kanda): Second female Inbit to be transformed into humanoid form. Accidentally encounters Yellow as he is bathing in a waterfall, and the encounter leaves her resolve shaken. (Corg) (Hōchū Ōtsuka
): Third Inbit to be changed into humanoid form. Unlike Aisha and Solzie, Battlar's experiences with Stick's team leaves him angry and insulted. His repeated defeat in combat to Stick causes Battlar to make his mission of stopping Stick's group a personal revenge.
The English-subtitled MOSPEADA DVD released by Harmony Gold
and ADV Films uses the inaccurate names (such as "Stig" Bernard, Mint "Rubble", Houquet "Emrose", and Jim "Austin") derived from fans on Robotech.com and the Robotech Art I book.
Ending theme:
The instrumental music was composed by, and all music was arranged by, Joe Hisaishi
, who would later gain renown for scoring the movies of Hayao Miyazaki
. MOSPEADA is the first anime series to have a jazz-based theme song (Blue Rain).
Malaysian indie band Hujan made a cover of the opening song, with the same title Lonely Soldier Boy. The lyrics are translated from Japanese into Malay (except for the chorus, of which was preserved) and was included in the band's album.
, who would later gain renown for his character artwork for the Final Fantasy
series.
Each of the Japanese episode titles contains a musical reference. This style of titling would later be used by Cowboy Bebop
.
Mechanical designer Shinji Aramaki came up with the transformable motorcycle
-powered exoskeleton
design while working on the Diaclone
series (which later became part of Transformers). When riding his Honda VT250
250 cc motorbike he thought to himself that it was the right size for a person to wear. The bike design was inspired by the Suzuki Katana
. The black and white stripes on the Legioss and VR ride armor are a tribute to the Allied invasion stripes
in World War II.
and Tatsunoko Production
produced and released MOSPEADA a year before Tatsunoko produced The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
(1984). Robotech set the story of its "New Generation" adaptation of MOSPEADA after its "Robotech Masters" adaptation of Southern Cross. Most of MOSPEADAs animation (with edited content and revised dialogue) was adapted for Robotech: The New Generation, the third saga of the Robotech
series. In Robotech, the Inbit became the "Invid
" of the "Third Generation" (also featured in Robotech II: The Sentinels
) and the advanced space forces are the returning Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) that left before the "Second Generation" of Robotech on Earth. Earth's Defense Forces were decimated in the previous saga. Unlike the Invid in the adapted Robotech, the Inbit in MOSPEADA had nothing to do with the Robotech Masters (their sworn enemies in Robotech) and they were just looking for a good planet on which to evolve and reach perfection. Likewise, the REF forces under Admiral Hunter's command that Bernard frequently referred to were troops from the Mars and Jupiter bases which harassed the Inbit, though they were playing a "leave alone" system with humans on Earth.
The transformable VR series of Armor Cycles became the VR series of Veritech Cyclone motorcycles; transformable Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss became the Alpha Veritech VF/A-6; the transformable Armo-Bomber AB-01 Tlead became the Beta Veritech VFB-9. Like Macross and The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
, Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was cut and fitted to be part of the Robotech continuum by Harmony Gold
and Carl Macek
. Character names were generally altered without major changes in characterization, making MOSPEADA the least altered series of the three. Incidentally, it is also the series that has seen the most usage in the expanded universe
of Robotech II: The Sentinels
and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
, especially in terms of character, mecha, and ship designs. Unlike Macross, which is owned by Big West, Harmony Gold is free to utilize elements from the Tatsunoko-owned MOSPEADA. Southern Crosss elements are not used due to its lack of popularity among fans.
The music video focused on Yellow's concert and also on his flashback of past events.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series created by Shinji Aramaki
Shinji Aramaki
is a Japanese anime director and mechanical designer, born in Fukuoka Prefecture. He was a member of Artmic.He is noted for work on powered exoskeletons and his mecha and CG design on several anime series.-As director:...
and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor, one of the transformable motorcycle-armors the series features. The other primary mecha featured in the show is the three-form transformable fighter called the Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss, which is somewhat similar in design to the VF-1 Valkyrie
VF-1 Valkyrie
This article is about a fictional vehicle; for the fighter squadron see VF-1.In the fictional Macross Japanese anime series and its English adaptation Robotech, the first mass-produced variable fighter or veritech fighter is called the VF-1 Valkyrie.-Background:The VF-1 was created by the...
variable fighter
Variable fighter
A Variable Fighter is a series of fictional transforming aerospace fighter mecha primarily designed by Studio Nue's Shoji Kawamori for the animated series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and later related projects...
from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
.
Story
In the 21st century, Earth's pollution problems result in the development of a new hydrogen fuel called "HBT" as an alternative to fossil fuels, while mankind have colonized Mars. In 2050, a mysterious alien race called the Inbit invaded the Earth. Unable to fight off the Inbits, Earth becomes desolate with only a few pockets of human beings scattered throughout the planet. Many of the refugees escape aboard a few remaining shuttles to seek shelter on the Moon. The Inbits set up their main base of operations on Earth, called "Reflex Point", in the Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
area of North America.
However, the Mars colony, dubbed the Mars Base, does not forget about the plight of Earth. Troops are sent in to fight the Inbits from the Moon, only to fail miserably. The Inbits do not attack Mars and show no interest towards the other planets. Surprisingly, the aliens show no hostility towards humans unless they are directly provoked. The Inbits can also sense the presence of HBT and use of the fuel is limited under their supervision, as HBT is a common component in weapons technology. Mars Base becomes a gigantic military factory, producing vast amounts of advanced weaponry and trained troops. In 2080, Mars Base sends in the next wave of troops. Although equipped with more technologically advanced equipment and transformable mecha, the entire armada called the Earth Recapture Force is destroyed.
Three years later, Mars Base launches another attack called the Second Earth Recapture Force. One of the troops is Lieutenant Stick Bernard. The strike force is slaughtered in Earth's orbit. Stick's fiancée Marlene is killed and he crashlands in South America. At first, Stick is sorrowful and depressed at Marlene's death. After seeing a holographic recording of his dead betrothed, Stick swears an oath of vengeance
Oath of vengeance
In Mormonism, the oath of vengeance was an oath that was made by participants in the Endowment ritual of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between about 1845 and the 1920s, in which participants vowed to pray that God would avenge the blood of the prophets Joseph Smith, Jr...
. In his quest to reach Reflex Point, he meets the other main characters of the show, forming a group of ragtag freedom fighters in a quest to rid the planet of the Inbit.
As the plot unravels, the purpose of the Inbit invasion is revealed: to find a suitable place to evolve into more complex beings. However, little did the Inbits know that their endeavor actually threatens to cause the extinction of both humans and Inbits and thus, it is up to Stick and his group, with the help of human-like Inbits (Aisha and Solzie), to convince the supreme ruler of the Inbit, the Refless, to flee from Earth.
Characters
[Robotech adapted names in brackets] (Scott BernardScott Bernard
Scott Bernard is a fictional character from the third Robotech Series: The New Generation. He is a young man, who is somewhat reluctant but a leader at best. He is a skilled pilot and was set to marry the woman he loved Marlene Rush. However, Marlene is killed in the battle with the Invid...
) (Bin Shimada
Bin Shimada
is a Japanese voice actor. He is currently affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.-References:* Nakagami, Yoshikatsu et al. "You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle". Newtype USA. pp. 48–49.-External links:...
): A 20-year-old Mars Base lieutenant that becomes stranded on Earth as the Inbit obliterate the defenses of the Second Earth Recapture Force. As a result of the overwhelming force of the Inbit, Stick's fiancée, , is killed when her ship attempts to land on the planet surface, leaving Stick angry and bitter. Even after he gathers his freedom fighters together, he often allows his hatred and blind fury towards the Inbit to distract him from the responsible decision-making his friends know he is capable of. (Rand) (Hisao Ōyama): 17-year-old scavenger. He is the historian, optimist, and wisecracker of the group. Originally, Ray was a loner who actually enjoyed teasing the Inbit as they chased him around the territory, but he joins Stick in order to deal a serious blow to the invaders. Extremely resourceful, Ray is a huge fan of Yellow Belmont until he learns that the female singer is actually a man. Over the course of the series, he develops deep feelings for Houquet, but she has trouble openly reciprocating them. (Annie "Mint" LaBelle) (Miyuki Sanae (credited as Miyuki Muroi)) : A spirited 13-year-old who was abandoned by her parents. She tags along with the group in order to find a husband, but ends up becoming part of the team. Often considered an annoyance to the rest of the group, Mint is nonetheless loved by her fellow freedom fighters, and proves herself valuable to the mission on several occasions. Her trademark attire is the E.T. cap that she wears. It is not known whether the E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
stands for the science fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
movie of the same name or something else. (Rook Bartley) (Mika Doi
Mika Doi
, née is a veteran voice actress who was born in Sendai.-Anime:* Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple * Air Master * Aura Battler Dunbine * Canvas 2 ~Niji Iro no Sketch~...
): A 16-year-old former motorcycle gang member and girlfriend to gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
leader, Romy. She was severely beaten and taken advantage of
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
by a rival gang when they cornered her away from her group. Houquet initially fights for the helpless and refuses an alliance with Stick, but joins the team after realizing that she would be stronger with them than without them. Eventually she comes to respect her companions enough that she offers to sacrifice herself in order to save the others. Falls in love with Ray, but is unable to open her heart and express her affection to him. (Jim "Lunk" Austin) (Tomomichi Nishimura
Tomomichi Nishimura
is a Japanese voice actor who works for Arts Vision. He is most known for the roles of the narrator of YuYu Hakusho, Anzai-sensei , Shibaraku Tsurugibe , and Jamitov Hymem...
): A 32-year-old maintenance mechanic. Jim initially comes off as the "stupid lunk" of the group, but is soon revealed to be quite intelligent. Jim was once a member of the Mars Base forces, but deserted after failing to save a friend from the Inbit. Though he labeled himself a coward and often sees himself as a liability to Stick's team, the team is quick to object to this, noting Jim's courage and dependability during their repeated encounters with Inbit forces. (Lance "Lancer" Belmont) (Mine Matsuki)/(Hirotaka Suzuoki
Hirotaka Suzuoki
was a Japanese voice actor and actor from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University.His best known roles include Mobile Suit Gundam , Captain Tsubasa , Saint Seiya , Dragon Ball Z , The Transformers , Ranma ½ , Rurouni Kenshin , Pokémon...
): A 22-year-old soldier from the Second Earth Recapture Force. Now disguised as a female singer (thanks to his bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
appearance) in order to hide from the Inbit and certain locals, Yellow has made quite a name for him/herself as an entertainer. But upon meeting Stick and his friends, Yellow decides to help free Earth from the Inbit. His ability to completely change both his physical appearance and personality adds to the team's ability to infiltrate towns and cities in order to gather supplies or complete missions. His stage name in Robotech was Yellow Dancer. (Ariel/Marlene
Ariel (Robotech)
Ariel is a fictional character from the third Robotech chapter The New Generation and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles...
) (Miki Takahashi
Miki Takahashi
is a seiyū and singer born on September 19, 1961 in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Together with her friend Chika Sakamoto, she participated in the third incarnation of the radio show Animetopia...
): A female Inbit changed into humanoid form. In Robotech, she was given the name Marlene by Scott (Stick) and the others, named after his old fiancée, because when they first met her, they were unaware of her real name. (Regess) (Noriko Ohara
Noriko Ohara
is a Japanese voice actress. She is currently represented by Production Baobab. Her son is Sunrise animator .She is most well known for the roles of Nobita Nobi , Doronjo , Conan , Peter , and Oyuki and Claudia LaSalle from Super Dimension Fortress Macross...
): Supreme ruler of the Inbit. Her only goal is to terraform the Earth in order for her race to take it over. Considers humans to be genetically and socially worthless. (Sera) (Waka Kanda): Second female Inbit to be transformed into humanoid form. Accidentally encounters Yellow as he is bathing in a waterfall, and the encounter leaves her resolve shaken. (Corg) (Hōchū Ōtsuka
Hochu Otsuka
, also known by the his stage name , is a Japanese voice actor from Okayama Prefecture, affiliated with the talent management firm Crazy Box. He is the official Japanese dub-over artist for: Gary Oldman and Jean-Claude Van Damme....
): Third Inbit to be changed into humanoid form. Unlike Aisha and Solzie, Battlar's experiences with Stick's team leaves him angry and insulted. His repeated defeat in combat to Stick causes Battlar to make his mission of stopping Stick's group a personal revenge.
The English-subtitled MOSPEADA DVD released by Harmony Gold
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
and ADV Films uses the inaccurate names (such as "Stig" Bernard, Mint "Rubble", Houquet "Emrose", and Jim "Austin") derived from fans on Robotech.com and the Robotech Art I book.
Episode list
| Japanese Air Date |
Genesis Climber MOSPEADA Episode |
Robotech Robotech (TV series) Robotech is an 85-episode adaptation of three different anime television series made between 1982-1984 in Japan, the adaptation was aired in 1985. Within the combined and edited story, Robotechnology refers to the scientific advances discovered in an alien starship that crashed on a South Pacific... : The New Generation Episode |
|---|---|---|
| 1983.10.02 | 1. | 61. The Invid Invasion |
| 1983.10.09 | 2. | 62. The Lost City |
| 1983.10.16 | 3. | 63. Lonely Soldier Boy |
| 1983.10.23 | 4. | 64. Survival |
| 1983.10.30 | 5. | 65. Curtain Call |
| 1983.11.06 | 6. | 66. Hard Times |
| 1983.11.13 | 7. | 67. Paper Hero |
| 1983.11.20 | 8. | 68. Eulogy |
| 1983.11.27 | 9. | 69. The Genesis Pits |
| 1983.12.04 | 10. | 70. Enter Marlene |
| 1983.12.11 | 11. | 71. The Secret Route |
| 1983.12.18 | 12. | 72. The Fortress |
| 1983.12.25 | 13. | 73. Sandstorm |
| 1984.01.08 | 14. | 74. Annie's Wedding |
| 1984.01.15 | 15. | 75. Separate Ways |
| 1984.01.22 | 16. | 76. Metamorphosis |
| 1984.01.29 | 17. | 77. The Midnight Sun |
| 1984.02.05 | 18. | 78. Ghost Town |
| 1984.02.12 | 19. | 79. Frost Bite |
| 1984.02.19 | 20. | 80. Birthday Blues |
| 1984.02.26 | 21. | 81. Hired Gun |
| 1984.03.04 | 22. | 82. The Big Apple |
| 1984.03.11 | 23. | 83. Reflex Point |
| 1984.03.18 | 24. | 84. Dark Finale |
| 1984.03.25 | 25. | 85. Symphony of Light |
Theme Songs
Opening theme:-
- Vocals: Andy
Ending theme:
-
- Vocals: Andy and Mine Matsuki
The instrumental music was composed by, and all music was arranged by, Joe Hisaishi
Joe Hisaishi
, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
, who would later gain renown for scoring the movies of Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
. MOSPEADA is the first anime series to have a jazz-based theme song (Blue Rain).
Malaysian indie band Hujan made a cover of the opening song, with the same title Lonely Soldier Boy. The lyrics are translated from Japanese into Malay (except for the chorus, of which was preserved) and was included in the band's album.
Production Staff
- Character Designer: Yoshitaka AmanoYoshitaka Amanois a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
- Co-creators, Mechanical Designs: Shinji AramakiShinji Aramakiis a Japanese anime director and mechanical designer, born in Fukuoka Prefecture. He was a member of Artmic.He is noted for work on powered exoskeletons and his mecha and CG design on several anime series.-As director:...
& Hideki Kakinuma - Producer: Masatoshi Yui
- Musical Director: Joe HisaishiJoe Hisaishi, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
- Opening animation: Yoshinori KanadaYoshinori Kanadawas an influential Japanese animator originally from Nara, Japan. He is best known for his popular 1984 work Birth, one of the first original video animations released in the market. Though he did not create many character designs, he was famous for his character animation skills...
Production Notes
The original working titles for MOSPEADA were: Kouka Kihei Vector ("Descent Machine Soldier Vector"), Chou Fumetsu Yousai Reflex Point ("Super Immortal Fortress Reflex Point") and AD Patrol: the story of city police where the main character rides a transformable bike that changes into his partner. The main character designs were created by Yoshitaka AmanoYoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
, who would later gain renown for his character artwork for the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series.
Each of the Japanese episode titles contains a musical reference. This style of titling would later be used by Cowboy Bebop
Cowboy Bebop
is a critically acclaimed and award-winning 1998 Japanese anime series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, written by Keiko Nobumoto, and produced by Sunrise. Its 26 episodes comprise a complete storyline: set in 2071, the series follows the adventures, misadventures and tragedies of five bounty...
.
Mechanical designer Shinji Aramaki came up with the transformable motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
-powered exoskeleton
Powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
design while working on the Diaclone
Diaclone
Diaclone was a toyline by Takara Toys launched in 1980. It consisted of transforming vehicles and robots piloted by miniature, magnet-shoed figures spun off from the prior Microman toy line that were in turn called an Inch-Man....
series (which later became part of Transformers). When riding his Honda VT250
Honda VT250
The VT250 or Spada MC20 was a Honda motorcycle built between late 1988 and the end of 1989.The Spada's handling was enhanced due to its "CASTEC" cast aluminium frame, which is 5 kg lighter and over 30% stiffer than the previous steel version...
250 cc motorbike he thought to himself that it was the right size for a person to wear. The bike design was inspired by the Suzuki Katana
Suzuki Katana
The original Suzuki Katana was a then-novel sport motorcycle designed in 1979–1980 by the southern Bavarian firm of Target Design at the request of Suzuki of Germany specifically for their market....
. The black and white stripes on the Legioss and VR ride armor are a tribute to the Allied invasion stripes
Invasion stripes
Invasion stripes were alternating black and white bands painted on the fuselages and wings of World War II Allied aircraft, for the purpose of increased recognition by friendly forces during and after the Normandy Landings...
in World War II.
Adaptation For The Robotech Universe
ArtmicArtmic
Artmic is a defunct Japanese design studio formed in 1978. It went bankrupt and was liquidated in 1997...
and Tatsunoko Production
Tatsunoko Production
, often shortened to , is a Japanese animation company. Founded in October 1962 by acclaimed anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida along with his brothers Kenji and Toyoharu...
produced and released MOSPEADA a year before Tatsunoko produced The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
was the third Japanese animated series released under the "Super Dimension" moniker by the sponsor Big West. This 1984 science fiction robotic mecha series followed Super Dimension Fortress Macross created by Studio Nue with Artland and produced by Tatsunoko, and Super Dimension Century Orguss ,...
(1984). Robotech set the story of its "New Generation" adaptation of MOSPEADA after its "Robotech Masters" adaptation of Southern Cross. Most of MOSPEADAs animation (with edited content and revised dialogue) was adapted for Robotech: The New Generation, the third saga of the Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
series. In Robotech, the Inbit became the "Invid
Invid (Robotech)
The Invid are a fictional alien race in the Robotech storyline. They appear in the New Generation portion of the series, which uses the animation of the unrelated Japanese series Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, so their on-screen behavior and appearance matches the antagonists of that series, called the...
" of the "Third Generation" (also featured in Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels was an attempt by Harmony Gold USA to continue the original 1985 Robotech television series. Only three episodes were ultimately animated before the project was canceled in 1986, and a feature-length film was released from footage taken from the completed episodes...
) and the advanced space forces are the returning Robotech Expeditionary Force (REF) that left before the "Second Generation" of Robotech on Earth. Earth's Defense Forces were decimated in the previous saga. Unlike the Invid in the adapted Robotech, the Inbit in MOSPEADA had nothing to do with the Robotech Masters (their sworn enemies in Robotech) and they were just looking for a good planet on which to evolve and reach perfection. Likewise, the REF forces under Admiral Hunter's command that Bernard frequently referred to were troops from the Mars and Jupiter bases which harassed the Inbit, though they were playing a "leave alone" system with humans on Earth.
The transformable VR series of Armor Cycles became the VR series of Veritech Cyclone motorcycles; transformable Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss became the Alpha Veritech VF/A-6; the transformable Armo-Bomber AB-01 Tlead became the Beta Veritech VFB-9. Like Macross and The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
was the third Japanese animated series released under the "Super Dimension" moniker by the sponsor Big West. This 1984 science fiction robotic mecha series followed Super Dimension Fortress Macross created by Studio Nue with Artland and produced by Tatsunoko, and Super Dimension Century Orguss ,...
, Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was cut and fitted to be part of the Robotech continuum by Harmony Gold
Harmony Gold USA
Harmony Gold is a television production and distribution company established in 1983. It is best known as the “creator” and main distributor of the anime series Robotech. It also partially dubbed the Dragon Ball series in the late 1980s....
and Carl Macek
Carl Macek
Carl F. Macek was an American writer and controversial anime pioneer and producer of the 1980s and 1990s.-Robotech and Harmony Gold USA:...
. Character names were generally altered without major changes in characterization, making MOSPEADA the least altered series of the three. Incidentally, it is also the series that has seen the most usage in the expanded universe
Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
of Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels
Robotech II: The Sentinels was an attempt by Harmony Gold USA to continue the original 1985 Robotech television series. Only three episodes were ultimately animated before the project was canceled in 1986, and a feature-length film was released from footage taken from the completed episodes...
and Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles is the 2006 animated sequel to the 1985 Robotech television series. It was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.- Plot :...
, especially in terms of character, mecha, and ship designs. Unlike Macross, which is owned by Big West, Harmony Gold is free to utilize elements from the Tatsunoko-owned MOSPEADA. Southern Crosss elements are not used due to its lack of popularity among fans.
Love Live Alive
After the original run of the television series, an OVA music video titled Genesis Climber MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive was exclusively released in Japan in September 1985. The music video consisted of both old and new footage. The story of Love Live Alive chronicled the events after the ending of MOSPEADA, featuring Yellow Belmont as the main character.The music video focused on Yellow's concert and also on his flashback of past events.
External links
- MOSPEADA.Com - Harmony Gold's official MOSPEADA website