GoShogun
Encyclopedia
was a super robot
anime
series produced in 1981 and aired in 1982 in Japan
. It is variously referred to in English
as "Demon God of the War-Torn Land GoShogun", "Warring Demon God GoShogun", "Civil War Devil-God GoShogun" and "Macron 1".
Eventually the son, Kenta, learns that he is actually an alien. In the end, Neo Neros' three officers side against him with the GoShogun crew. After he is defeated, Kenta takes GoShogun into space, back to his home planet.
combined footage from GoShogun and Akū Dai Sakusen Srungle (Great Military Operation in Subspace Srungle or Mission Outer Space Srungle), a similar show produced by Kokusai Eiga-sha, to form Macron 1, which portrays the Srungle characters as being part of another branch of the organization fighting evil in a parallel universe. Taking two (or more) unrelated series and re-editing them to appear to take place in the same continuity was a somewhat common practice of the day for importing anime series to American television, as the number of episodes of a typical anime frequently fell short of the minimum number required for five-days-a-week syndication in the US market (65); besides Macron 1, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Robotech
, and Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years
were also stitched together in this manner. The combined series was produced and released in the United States by Saban
, using the same voice cast as Carl Macek
's Robotech adaptation.
The US version involves test pilot David Chance travelling into a parallel universe under the tyrannical control of an organization called GRIP, led by Dark Star. Chance's entrance into the other universe allows GRIP to send their forces to Earth, leaving Dark Star's cyborg henchman Orn to remain in control in the alternate universe. GRIP is opposed by the two teams of "Macron 1," the first led by Dr. Shegall and his team on Earth (from the GoShogun footage), while in the alternate universe Chance organizes a band of rebel warriors, Beta Command, to combat and overthrow Orn (from the Srungle footage). The Beta Command members were given much less screen time than the Earth team.
The western adaptation used heavily the "Miami Vice formula" introduced a year earlier, of incorporating contemporary music as background sound specially during the action scenes. Notable musical adaptations included "Beat It
," "Shout
," "Safety Dance," and "The Heat is On
."
an countries as well. This version also used the title Macron 1, but did not incorporate any footage from Srungle and thus removed all references to Beta Command and the parallel-universe angle, making the international Macron 1 effectively a straight adaptation of GoShogun. In Italy it was broadcast under the name Gotriniton-Goshogun, il dio della guerra. In France a video of the first episodes was released under the name Fulgutor.
in a car crash and her friends gather at her bedside to try to lend her their strength. In a dream, they are all trapped inside of a city where it is ordained that in several days they will die, but they fight back and Remy manages to survive. This movie is the only form of GoShogun that has been seen by many American anime fans, as it is the only part to have been officially released on DVD
there.
Super Robot
is a term used in manga and anime to describe a giant robot or mecha, with an arsenal of fantastic super-powered weapons, extreme resistance to damage unless the plot calls for it, sometimes transformable or combined from two or more robots and/or vehicles usually piloted by young, daring heroes,...
anime
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....
series produced in 1981 and aired in 1982 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...
. It is variously referred to in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "Demon God of the War-Torn Land GoShogun", "Warring Demon God GoShogun", "Civil War Devil-God GoShogun" and "Macron 1".
Original story
A meteor strikes the Earth and is found to emanate a powerful new energy called Beamler, which is used to power a battle robot, GoShogun, and a teleporting fortress, Good Thunder. The Docougar Crime Syndicate, led by crime lord Neo Neros, tried to steal the secret technology from Professor Sanada, the inventor of GoShogun. But when cornered by Docougar henchmen, the inventor committed suicide, dying rather than let them acquire the technology. His son Kenta is become Neo Neros next target, but he is saved by the crew aboard Good Thunder, who travels the world fighting Neo Neros' forces with GoShogun.Eventually the son, Kenta, learns that he is actually an alien. In the end, Neo Neros' three officers side against him with the GoShogun crew. After he is defeated, Kenta takes GoShogun into space, back to his home planet.
North American adaptation
In 1985, staff in the USAUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
combined footage from GoShogun and Akū Dai Sakusen Srungle (Great Military Operation in Subspace Srungle or Mission Outer Space Srungle), a similar show produced by Kokusai Eiga-sha, to form Macron 1, which portrays the Srungle characters as being part of another branch of the organization fighting evil in a parallel universe. Taking two (or more) unrelated series and re-editing them to appear to take place in the same continuity was a somewhat common practice of the day for importing anime series to American television, as the number of episodes of a typical anime frequently fell short of the minimum number required for five-days-a-week syndication in the US market (65); besides Macron 1, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, 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...
, and Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years
Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years
Captain Harlock and the Queen of a Thousand Years is an animated science fiction television series produced by Harmony Gold USA. The series was created by Carl Macek by combining footage from Leiji Matsumoto’s Captain Harlock and Queen Millennia anime series.This is the second time the 1978 Captain...
were also stitched together in this manner. The combined series was produced and released in the United States by Saban
Saban
Saban Entertainment , was a worldwide-served independent American television production company formed in 1984 by music and television producers Haim Saban and Shuki Levy as "Saban Productions", a U.S...
, using the same voice cast as 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:...
's Robotech adaptation.
The US version involves test pilot David Chance travelling into a parallel universe under the tyrannical control of an organization called GRIP, led by Dark Star. Chance's entrance into the other universe allows GRIP to send their forces to Earth, leaving Dark Star's cyborg henchman Orn to remain in control in the alternate universe. GRIP is opposed by the two teams of "Macron 1," the first led by Dr. Shegall and his team on Earth (from the GoShogun footage), while in the alternate universe Chance organizes a band of rebel warriors, Beta Command, to combat and overthrow Orn (from the Srungle footage). The Beta Command members were given much less screen time than the Earth team.
The western adaptation used heavily the "Miami Vice formula" introduced a year earlier, of incorporating contemporary music as background sound specially during the action scenes. Notable musical adaptations included "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
," "Shout
Shout (Tears for Fears song)
"Shout" is a song by the British band Tears for Fears.Written by Roland Orzabal and Ian Stanley and sung by Orzabal , it was the band's eighth single release and sixth UK Top 40 hit, peaking at #4 in January 1985...
," "Safety Dance," and "The Heat is On
The Heat Is On (Glenn Frey song)
"The Heat is On" is a song written by Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey and recorded by Glenn Frey, from Faltermeyer and Forsey's soundtrack of the popular 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop.-History:...
."
European adaptation
Around the same time frame as the US adaptation, in 1985, Saban translated and aired the series in several EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries as well. This version also used the title Macron 1, but did not incorporate any footage from Srungle and thus removed all references to Beta Command and the parallel-universe angle, making the international Macron 1 effectively a straight adaptation of GoShogun. In Italy it was broadcast under the name Gotriniton-Goshogun, il dio della guerra. In France a video of the first episodes was released under the name Fulgutor.
Good Thunder Team
- Father: Good Thunder's main computer. Programmed from the mind of GoShogun's creator, Professor Sanada. Renamed Hugo in Macron-1.
- Captain Sabarath: The advisor of the GoShogun crew, has a bald head and smokes cigars. Probably named after a resemblance to Telly SavalasTelly SavalasAristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Birdman of Alcatraz...
. Renamed Dr. James Shegall in Macron-1.
- Shingo Hojo: A gunman who pilots a jet, King Arrow, that docks in GoShogun's chest. Renamed Jason Templar in Macron-1.
- Killy Gagly: Pilots a second jet, Jack Knight, which docks inside GoShogun's right leg. Renamed Scott Cutter in Macron-1.
- Remy Shimada: Female pilot of Queen Rose, which docks inside GoShogun's left leg. Renamed Kathy Jamison in Macron-1. The character of Remy is intended to be a grown up version of Minky Momo, they both have the same voice actor Koyama Mami, they do have the same mindset, speech-patterns and emotions.
- Kenta Sanada: The son of the creator of GoShogun. He is actually an alien who can talk to machines, and studies to become Shingo's copilot. Renamed Nathan Bridger in Macron-1.
- OVA: Kenta's robotic tutor. Renamed ND-2 in Macron-1.
- TriThree: A fairly small robot formed by the combination of Queen Rose, King Arrow and Jack Knight, which is piloted by Remy.
- GoShogun: Referred to as MacStar in Macron-1, this is the main robot this cartoon is all about. He has a gigantic axe, an equally gigantic energy sword and something like a bazooka as parts of his weaponry. His eyes can fire energy beams, and he's capable of launching energy missiles from his backpack. This 5 beams weapon is called GoFlasher, and changed over the time in the series giving it a semi-divine aura.
Docooga Crime Syndicate
- NeoNeros: The evil leader, renamed Dark Star in Macron-1
- Leonardo Medici Bundle: One of the three underlings of NeoNeros. Appears to be a dandy prince, usually holding a rose or a glass of red wine in his hands. His first & second names are based on Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
& Lorenzo de Medici. Renamed Prince Eharn in Macron-1.
- Yatta-la Kernagul: A synthetic human with blue skin, and second henchman of Dark Star. One of his driving ambitions is to open a chain of fried chickenFried chickenFried chicken is a dish consisting of chicken pieces usually from broiler chickens which have been floured or battered and then pan fried, deep fried, or pressure fried. The breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior...
restaurants called "Kernagul's Fried ChickenKFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
" and a hamburgerHamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
chain called "KerDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
". He's shown to have achieved this dream in The Time Etranger. Renamed Lord Jeraldan in Macron-1.
- Suegni Cuttnal: third and last of the three hechman of NeoNeros. He is portrayed as an older looking pirate, usually wearing a crowCrowCrows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
(whose mood often mirrors his own) on his right shoulder. He is addicted to tranquilizers, and even sells his own brand of them, called "Cuttnalizers." Renamed Captain Blade in Macron-1.
- Mother: Docooga's super computer
- Kerna: Kernagul's personal robot, mainly function as his personal boxing practice, when he's lost temper. Although server as a comic relief, he also plays a major role towards the end of the show.
Sequel
A surrealistic follow-up movie, known as The Time Étranger or Time Stranger was set forty years after GoShogun TV series. In it, Remy is rendered catatonicCatatonia
Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
in a car crash and her friends gather at her bedside to try to lend her their strength. In a dream, they are all trapped inside of a city where it is ordained that in several days they will die, but they fight back and Remy manages to survive. This movie is the only form of GoShogun that has been seen by many American anime fans, as it is the only part to have been officially released on DVD
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
there.
Trivia
- GoShogun is one of the first robot anime to parody other robot series and poke fun at the genre conceits. Two of the more obvious examples are Kernagul, whose greatest ambition is to own a chain of fast food restaurants, and an enemy robot modeled after the RX-78-2 Gundam in episode 22 named Doshard, which, when granted sentience by GoShogun, declares that it does not want to fight any more and destroys itself.
- The GoShogun team and mecha make several appearances in the Super Robot WarsSuper Robot Warsis a series of tactical role-playing video games produced by Banpresto, which is now a Japanese division of Namco Bandai. The main feature of the franchise is having a story that crosses over several popular mecha anime, manga and video games, allowing characters and mecha from different titles to...
series with various enemy robots including Debiza (episode 4), Dogab (episode 6), Godneros (episode 18), Doshard (episode 22), and the GoShogun doppleganger GoNagurl (episode 23) as well as the three Docooga ships and their fighters, the impactors. - In Super Robot Wars Alpha 2 and Super Robot Wars Alpha 3Super Robot Wars Alpha 3for the PlayStation 2 is the last game in the Alpha series. The 3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha, or simply, Alpha 3, contains one of the largest casts to ever be placed together within a Super Robot Wars game...
, Leonardo Medici Bundle's ship has "The Blue DanubeThe Blue DanubeThe Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau, Op. 314 , a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866...
" as its default background music. This song is being played by enormous speakers, and is the only situation in which Elzam V. Branstein (a.k.a. Rätsel Feinschmecker)'s theme "Trombe!" has been overridden. - In Minky Momo, another anime produced by Ashi Production and directed by Kunihiko YuyamaKunihiko Yuyama' is a Japanese director of anime films, television, and video series. His best-known work involves Pokémon productions. Other anime he has directed include Kimagure Orange Road: Summer's Beginning, Plawres Sanshiro, Wedding Peach, and the adult-oriented Weather Report Girl.Developing an interest...
, the heroine has a mecha that resemble Goshogun and also has similar theme song.
External links
- Site "Macron 1" information about "Macron 1", "Sengoku Majin Goshogun", "Gotriniton" and "The Time Etranger". Video, audio.
- Sengoku Majin GoShogun - aka Gotriniton, Fulgutor or Macron One fansite used to be goshogun.com, holds a lot of information and media
- GoShogun section at Encirobopedia
- Sengoku Majin GōShōgun by Takatoku Toys A great article on the GoShogun toys by Erik Sjoen from ToyboxDX.com
- Macron 1 review at Anime Game's Bargain Bin Anime Reviews
- GoShogun: The Time Étranger article