Jetter Mars
Encyclopedia
is an anime
and manga
series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
. Originally planned by Tezuka as a color remake of the original anime adaptation of his popular manga series Tetsuwan Atom, unfavorable circumstances during the pre-production phase of the project led him to abandon it temporarily and create Jetter Mars instead. Although it remains as one of Tezuka's lesser known works, it gained a large following and is fondly remembered.
for some time. He wanted to produce a color anime adaptation for his landmark manga Tetsuwan Atom, (known to western audiences as Astroboy), but due to the financial distress of Mushi Productions, the copyrights on some of his characters were in limbo. Due to the deadline imposed on Tezuka by Toei to produce the new series, he wasn't able to secure the copyrights to his characters on time, which forced him to compromise his original project and redesign it somewhat, reworking it conceptually and visually to some extent.
Tezuka then redesigned Atom slightly, and renamed him as Jetter Mars. Some aspects of Atom's original story are taken and used as the origin of Mars, such as him being created as a powerful android in the image of a boy. Two scientists are involved in Mars' creation, one conceiving him as a combat instrument and the other opposing that purpose, conceiving him as an instrument for peaceful pursuits. This element mirrors the disagreement found in the characters Dr. Tenma and Dr. Ochanomizu in Tetsuwan Atom. Some other borrowed concepts can be found across the series.
Some storylines in the episodes of Jetter Mars were remakes of classic and beloved stories Tezuka wrote and drew in his Tetsuwan Atom manga, such as The Artificial Sun and The Last Day on Earth. The series was beautifully animated, and in the Tezuka tradition, it showcased many of his characters from his various manga works in different roles.
In the same manner he wrote and illustrated his Tetsuwan Atom manga, Tezuka stayed away from graphic violence in Jetter Mars, although the typical traits of his works are also present in it, such as the importance of moral values, humanity and strong emotiveness.
The series was received by Japan's population with mixed feelings, as some wanted the original Tetsuwan Atom and some accepted Jetter Mars wholeheartedly as a different character, as it was intended to be. This made Tezuka lose interest in the series and it finished with 27 episodes produced. Having successfully secured the copyrights on all his characters once again, Tezuka founded Tezuka Productions
a few years later, and was able to produce the color anime adaptation of Tetsuwan Atom as he wanted initially, which became a hit, much in the same way as the original anime adaptation from the 60's.
, to use to define the cast of Jetter Mars. He created a few of the characters specifically for the series, such as Mars and Melchi, and the vast majority of the cast was classic and well-known characters from Tezuka's works, playing various roles. In the picture to the right, it is possible to identify many of Tezuka's characters, from left to right: Daidalos, Shunsuke Ban aka Higeoyaji and Tezuka himself in the upper row; Inspector Tawashi, Rock Holmes and Marukubi Boon in the middle row; and Tamao, Shibugaki, Spider, Chief Nakamura, HamEgg, Acetylene Lamp, Ken'ichi and Hyōtan-tsugi in the lower row; among some others.
The following list describes the characters featured more prominently during the series:
: The protagonist of the series. A powerful robot built in the image of a boy, he has a body that can be used for destruction of cataclysmic proportions, and a near-human artificial intelligence. He finds himself often in the predicament of choosing to use his gifts for pacific or destructive purposes.
: Mars' non-speaking younger brother, with the body of a baby. Endowed with tremendous physical strength, his only word is (a word invented by Tezuka with no real meaning), which he always utters after displaying his power.
: A robot made in the image of a young girl by Dr. Kawashimo. She possessed powers that enabled her to restore destroyed robots and machinery. Protector of Mars and Melchi, and "daughter" to Dr. Kawashimo.
: Creator of Jetter Mars' incredible artificial intelligence and heart, and creator of Miri and Melchi. Opposing fellow scientist Dr. Yamanoue, he desired Mars to live a life of good purpose and peace.
: Creator of Mars' body. He designed him as a machine for war, and thus named his creation after the roman god of war
. Mars looked up to him as his father. He disappears after being buried during atomic tests and is left for dead.
: In many of his works, Tezuka drew himself as a character, immersed in the universe of his creations, and interacted with his characters. He included himself also in Jetter Mars, appearing as friend and advisor to Mars.
and : Two cartoony little characters, that appeared whimsically in nonsensical situations, as comic relief. Tezuka's signature, they appeared in all of his works, be it manga or animated, as they were a form of dialogue between Tezuka and his readers, developed during the years. Hyōtan-tsugi usually appeared falling in front of a character at the most inappropriate of times, and getting kicked out angrily by them, and Spider usually appeared in moments of tension, repeatedly uttering his trademark phrase, , roughly "Here ta meet ya!". Additionally, Hyōtan-tsugi appeared in each episode during the opening intro and end credits sequences.
: One of Tezuka's most recognizable characters in his Star System, he appeared playing non-praiseworthy roles, as usual for him.
1.
2. Single Releases
Original concept, creator: Osamu Tezuka
Planning: Kōji Bessho (Fuji TV), Takeshi Tamiya
In charge of production: Kiyoshi Ono (first season), Kichirō Sugahara (final season)
Series composer: Masao Maruyama
Script: Masaki Tsuji, Shunichi Yukimuro, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Masaru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Chief Director: Rintarō
Producers: Sumiko Chiba, Noboru Ishiguro, Wataru Mizusawa, Masami Hatano, Katsutoshi Sasaki, Yugo Serizawa, Jihiro Taizumi, Rintarō
Character Design Supervisor: Akio Sugino
Animation Supervisors: Akio Sugino, Toshio Mori, Satoshi Jingu, Wataru Mibu, Tsuneo Kashima, Toyō Ashida
Graphic Designer: Liang Wei Huang
Art: Shohei Kawamoto, Liang Wei Huang, Tadao Kubota
Photography: Masaaki Sugaya
Editing: Masaaki Hanai
Audio Director: Ryōsuke Koide (Arts Pro)
Recording: Hideyuki Tanaka
In collaboration with production: Mad House
Production: Fuji TV, Toei Animation
Music: Nobuyoshi Koshibe
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....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
. Originally planned by Tezuka as a color remake of the original anime adaptation of his popular manga series Tetsuwan Atom, unfavorable circumstances during the pre-production phase of the project led him to abandon it temporarily and create Jetter Mars instead. Although it remains as one of Tezuka's lesser known works, it gained a large following and is fondly remembered.
Development
Unlike the vast majority of Osamu Tezuka's characters, Jetter Mars wasn't first published in comic book form, written and illustrated by Tezuka. In 1977, Tezuka's animation studio Mushi Productions faced bankruptcy, leading Tezuka to work as an animation director for Toei AnimationToei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
for some time. He wanted to produce a color anime adaptation for his landmark manga Tetsuwan Atom, (known to western audiences as Astroboy), but due to the financial distress of Mushi Productions, the copyrights on some of his characters were in limbo. Due to the deadline imposed on Tezuka by Toei to produce the new series, he wasn't able to secure the copyrights to his characters on time, which forced him to compromise his original project and redesign it somewhat, reworking it conceptually and visually to some extent.
Tezuka then redesigned Atom slightly, and renamed him as Jetter Mars. Some aspects of Atom's original story are taken and used as the origin of Mars, such as him being created as a powerful android in the image of a boy. Two scientists are involved in Mars' creation, one conceiving him as a combat instrument and the other opposing that purpose, conceiving him as an instrument for peaceful pursuits. This element mirrors the disagreement found in the characters Dr. Tenma and Dr. Ochanomizu in Tetsuwan Atom. Some other borrowed concepts can be found across the series.
Some storylines in the episodes of Jetter Mars were remakes of classic and beloved stories Tezuka wrote and drew in his Tetsuwan Atom manga, such as The Artificial Sun and The Last Day on Earth. The series was beautifully animated, and in the Tezuka tradition, it showcased many of his characters from his various manga works in different roles.
In the same manner he wrote and illustrated his Tetsuwan Atom manga, Tezuka stayed away from graphic violence in Jetter Mars, although the typical traits of his works are also present in it, such as the importance of moral values, humanity and strong emotiveness.
The series was received by Japan's population with mixed feelings, as some wanted the original Tetsuwan Atom and some accepted Jetter Mars wholeheartedly as a different character, as it was intended to be. This made Tezuka lose interest in the series and it finished with 27 episodes produced. Having successfully secured the copyrights on all his characters once again, Tezuka founded Tezuka Productions
Tezuka Productions
Tezuka Productions is a company created by Osamu Tezuka. His son, Makoto Tezuka has the goal to extend Tezuka's manga series with new issues and publish posthumous works...
a few years later, and was able to produce the color anime adaptation of Tetsuwan Atom as he wanted initially, which became a hit, much in the same way as the original anime adaptation from the 60's.
Plot
The storyline is set in the year 2015. Two scientist, Dr. Kawashimo and Dr. Yamanoue, have created a robot with advanced capabilities. Dr. Kawashimo created his miraculous artificial intelligence, making him almost human, while Dr. Yamanoue created the robot's body, endowing him with astoundingly powerful weaponry.Characters
As expected from Osamu Tezuka, he put his "character acting company", known as Star SystemOsamu Tezuka's Star System
Over the course of his career, Osamu Tezuka reused the same characters in different roles in different stories. The way that Tezuka used the characters in his "star system" can be seen as somewhat analoguous to a film director frequently casting members of a regular "stable" of actors in different...
, to use to define the cast of Jetter Mars. He created a few of the characters specifically for the series, such as Mars and Melchi, and the vast majority of the cast was classic and well-known characters from Tezuka's works, playing various roles. In the picture to the right, it is possible to identify many of Tezuka's characters, from left to right: Daidalos, Shunsuke Ban aka Higeoyaji and Tezuka himself in the upper row; Inspector Tawashi, Rock Holmes and Marukubi Boon in the middle row; and Tamao, Shibugaki, Spider, Chief Nakamura, HamEgg, Acetylene Lamp, Ken'ichi and Hyōtan-tsugi in the lower row; among some others.
The following list describes the characters featured more prominently during the series:
: The protagonist of the series. A powerful robot built in the image of a boy, he has a body that can be used for destruction of cataclysmic proportions, and a near-human artificial intelligence. He finds himself often in the predicament of choosing to use his gifts for pacific or destructive purposes.
: Mars' non-speaking younger brother, with the body of a baby. Endowed with tremendous physical strength, his only word is (a word invented by Tezuka with no real meaning), which he always utters after displaying his power.
: A robot made in the image of a young girl by Dr. Kawashimo. She possessed powers that enabled her to restore destroyed robots and machinery. Protector of Mars and Melchi, and "daughter" to Dr. Kawashimo.
: Creator of Jetter Mars' incredible artificial intelligence and heart, and creator of Miri and Melchi. Opposing fellow scientist Dr. Yamanoue, he desired Mars to live a life of good purpose and peace.
: Creator of Mars' body. He designed him as a machine for war, and thus named his creation after the roman god of war
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
. Mars looked up to him as his father. He disappears after being buried during atomic tests and is left for dead.
: In many of his works, Tezuka drew himself as a character, immersed in the universe of his creations, and interacted with his characters. He included himself also in Jetter Mars, appearing as friend and advisor to Mars.
and : Two cartoony little characters, that appeared whimsically in nonsensical situations, as comic relief. Tezuka's signature, they appeared in all of his works, be it manga or animated, as they were a form of dialogue between Tezuka and his readers, developed during the years. Hyōtan-tsugi usually appeared falling in front of a character at the most inappropriate of times, and getting kicked out angrily by them, and Spider usually appeared in moments of tension, repeatedly uttering his trademark phrase, , roughly "Here ta meet ya!". Additionally, Hyōtan-tsugi appeared in each episode during the opening intro and end credits sequences.
: One of Tezuka's most recognizable characters in his Star System, he appeared playing non-praiseworthy roles, as usual for him.
Episode list
The series had 27 episodes, each lasting 24 minutes approximately. Broadcasted by Fuji TV, on Thursday nights. As with all Tezuka's works, the series made use of his Star System cast technique, featuring many of his characters from previous works (manga or animated) as guests performing various roles. The following list includes the episode title, airing date and guest characters.| Episode # | Title | Guest character | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mars is born, year 2015 |
Faitan | February 3, 1977 |
| 2 | Counterfeiting robot gang |
none | February 10, 1977 |
| 3 | Why is Mars crying? |
Mad Mask | February 17, 1977 |
| 4 | Goodbye, little brother! |
Tack | February 24, 1977 |
| 5 | Talent, the greatest robot in history |
HamEggs | March 3, 1977 |
| 6 | The girl that came from the star of dreams |
Dori | March 10, 1977 |
| 7 | Missing Miri |
Skunk Kusanagi | March 17, 1977 |
| 8 | Where did dad go? |
No.1, No.2 | March 24, 1977 |
| 9 | Lamp, the space trader |
Acetylene Lamp | March 31, 1977 |
| 10 | My lil' brother's name is Melchi |
Dr.Spice, Mrs. Tabasko | April 7, 1977 |
| 11 | Freshman Mars |
Mason | April 14, 1977 |
| 12 | Jam Bond, Secret agent |
Jam Bond | April 21, 1977 |
| 13 | Honey, robot exchange-student |
Honey | April 28, 1977 |
| 14 | The vampire from outer space |
Kuroro | May 5, 1977 |
| 15 | Melchi likes Mouster |
Mouster | May 12, 1977 |
| 16 | Zaza, the wandering planet |
Zazians | May 19, 1977 |
| 17 | The samurai robot from the seventh year of the Tenpō era |
Yumi, Samurai robot | June 2, 1977 |
| 18 | Resurrect, ancient robot |
Daidalos | June 16, 1977 |
| 19 | Mars' first love |
Agunea, Marukubi Boon | June 23, 1977 |
| 20 | Mars becomes a young boss |
Black, Dr. Jin | June 30, 1977 |
| 21 | Mighty Robot Joe |
Joe Asnaro | July 7, 1977 |
| 22 | Android Lullaby |
Mayumi | July 21, 1977 |
| 23 | The wandering robot |
Adios | July 28, 1977 |
| 24 | Miri, alone again |
Saromi | August 18, 1977 |
| 25 | The wolf-boy from space |
none | September 1, 1977 |
| 26 | Adios returns |
Dr. Kuromaru | September 8 , 1977 |
| 27 | The flight beyond tomorrow! |
Sari | September 15, 1977 |
Manga Adaptation
The anime series also was adapted into a few manga issues published as one-shot stories, based on the storylines shown in the anime. They weren't written or illustrated by Osamu Tezuka, but by various licensed artists. The issues are listed as follows:- Televiland Comics Issue
- One-shot story illustrated by Shigeto Ikehara, published in the first issue of the magazine in 1979.
- Bōken-ō Manga Magazine Issue
- Illustrated by Rentarō Iwata for the defunct Bōken-ō manga magazine.
- Televi-Magazine Issue
- Illustrated by Kai Nanase and published in 1979.
- Chū'ichi Jidai Magazine Story
- Illustrated by Saisuke Hiraga, published from April to August, 1979. Short-story divided in five chapters.
Dvd Release
Jetter Mars was released by Avex on March 27, 2009, as a five-disc Dvd Box set which contains the complete series.Merchandise
Several records containing the musical score of Jetter Mars were released during the series run. These are listed as follows1.
- Jetter Mars only LP record, it contained several songs along a mini-drama. The songs included in the record:
2. Single Releases
- Several records containing single songs were released. These are listed as follows:
- Mars Single Record 1, included the songs:
- Mars Single Record 2, included the songs:
- Mars Single Record 3, a re-release of the first single record, it also included a track containing the sound effects of the anime:
- Mars Single Record 4, with the same content of single records 1 and 3, except it didn't include the sound effects track. It also contained a Drama track, with the voices and sound effects of the first episode of the anime:
- Drama track:
- Mars Single Record 5, its contents were practically the same as Single Record 4, only with some editing variations.
- Drama track:
- Mars Single Record 6, included the opening and ending songs of the Jetter Mars anime, along the theme song for the anime adaptation of Yumiko IgarashiYumiko Igarashiis a female Japanese manga artist and artist. She is a resident of Sapporo, Hokkaido. She is also the cousin of fellow manga artist Satsuki Igarashi; a member of Clamp....
and Kyoko MizukiKyoko Mizukiis one of the pen names of . She is a Japanese writer who is best known for being the author of the manga and anime series Candy Candy.Kyoko Mizuki won the Kodansha Manga Award for Best Shōjo Manga for Candy Candy in 1977 with Yumiko Igarashi....
's classic shōjo manga Candy CandyCandy Candyis a Japanese novel, manga, and anime series. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardlay is a blonde American girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long, curly hair, worn in pigtails with bows. Candy Candy first appeared in a prose novel by famed Japanese writer Kyoko Mizuki in...
:
Staff
Involved in the production of the series:Original concept, creator: Osamu Tezuka
Planning: Kōji Bessho (Fuji TV), Takeshi Tamiya
In charge of production: Kiyoshi Ono (first season), Kichirō Sugahara (final season)
Series composer: Masao Maruyama
Script: Masaki Tsuji, Shunichi Yukimuro, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Masaru Yamamoto, Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
Chief Director: Rintarō
Producers: Sumiko Chiba, Noboru Ishiguro, Wataru Mizusawa, Masami Hatano, Katsutoshi Sasaki, Yugo Serizawa, Jihiro Taizumi, Rintarō
Character Design Supervisor: Akio Sugino
Animation Supervisors: Akio Sugino, Toshio Mori, Satoshi Jingu, Wataru Mibu, Tsuneo Kashima, Toyō Ashida
Graphic Designer: Liang Wei Huang
Art: Shohei Kawamoto, Liang Wei Huang, Tadao Kubota
Photography: Masaaki Sugaya
Editing: Masaaki Hanai
Audio Director: Ryōsuke Koide (Arts Pro)
Recording: Hideyuki Tanaka
In collaboration with production: Mad House
Production: Fuji TV, Toei Animation
Music: Nobuyoshi Koshibe
Read also
- List of Osamu Tezuka manga
- List of Osamu Tezuka anime
- Osamu Tezuka's Star SystemOsamu Tezuka's Star SystemOver the course of his career, Osamu Tezuka reused the same characters in different roles in different stories. The way that Tezuka used the characters in his "star system" can be seen as somewhat analoguous to a film director frequently casting members of a regular "stable" of actors in different...
- Tezuka AwardTezuka AwardThe is a semi-annual manga award offered by the Japanese publisher Shueisha , under the auspices of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It awards new comic artists in the Story Manga category. Its counterpart award, Akatsuka Award, awards new comic artists in the Comedic Manga category...
- Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize