Casshan
Casshan | |
Casshern DVD cover art | |
Genre | Science fiction |
---|---|
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Hiroshi Sasagawa |
Produced by |
Tatsuo Yoshida Kenji Yoshida Ippei Kuri |
Written by | Takao Koyama |
Studio | Tatsunoko Productions |
Licensed by | |
Network | Fuji TV |
Original run | October 2, 1973 – June 25, 1974 |
Episodes | 35[1] |
Casshan, also known in Japan as Neo-Human Casshern (æ–°é€ äººé–“ã‚ャシャーン ShinzÅ Ningen KyashÄn), is an anime series created by Tatsunoko Productions in 1973, which was based on a serialization of Kodansha’s Terebi Magazine and Akita Shoten’s Boken Oh.[1]
The Casshern franchise also includes a 1993 original video animation titled Casshan: Robot Hunter, and a 2004 live action adaptation titled Casshern. In October 2008, a reboot of the franchise Casshern Sins premiered. In anticipation of the upcoming series, a DVD box set of the original series, Neo-Human Casshern Complete DVD-Box "All Episodes of Casshern", was released in Japan on September 24, 2008. Casshern also appears in Tatsunoko Fight and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars as a playable character.[2][3] At Anime Expo 2013, Sentai Filmworks announced that they had signed a deal with Tatsunoko to release some of their catalog, with Casshan being confirmed as one of the characters involved.[4] Sentai Filmworks released the series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States on March 4, 2014.
Plot
Tetsuya Azuma (æ±é‰„也 Azuma Tetsuya), also known as Casshern, is an android with a human consciousness, also known as a neoroider (äººé€ äººé–“ JinzÅ Ningen, lit. "artificial human"). Tetsuya turned himself into an android to hunt down and destroy the robots that have taken over the world.
His biological father, Dr. Kotaro Azuma, was the inventor of the automatons that were originally intended to serve humankind. However, the first android, BK-1, was struck by lightning and went out of control. Despite great efforts to stop it, BK-1 used its great strength to escape from the castle. After some time, it renamed itself Buraiking Boss (often mistranslated in English as "Black King Boss"; the name is derived from ç„¡é ¼ or burai, meaning rogue or brute, using the symbols for "trust" and "nothing," but phonetically "Bu Rai" can mean "Lightning Man" or "Lightning Warrior," so the name fits with his background). The Buraiking Boss then built a robot army against mankind. The robots mutinied en masse when they logically concluded that the good of the Earth's ecosystem required the destruction of the human race.[5][6]
Casshern and his robotic dog, Friender, join forces with a beautiful girl named Luna Kozuki to battle the robots led by the Buraiking Boss.[7] Friender can transform itself into a tank or a jet aircraft and actively helps Casshern fight the robot army. Casshern has great strength and agility, but he is not armed, except for a pair of strange pistols, which are used more like rockets than weapons. While the robots are huge and robust machines, almost all of them have an antenna on top of their heads; ripping it off usually causes them to explode, so they are relatively vulnerable. Casshern can usually destroy the robots with his bare hands, dispatching a great number in any given battle.
However, Casshern also has some weak points. His body must be re-charged with solar energy and cannot sustain very long battles without risking low battery power. Luna started out as being totally harmless, until her father built an electromagnetic pistol, which was easily capable of destroying the robots.
Characters
- Casshern (ã‚ャシャーン KyashÄn)
- Voiced by: Ikuo Nishikawa
- The protagonist of the series, Casshern is an android — the union of Tetsuya Azuma's consciousness with an invincible body. His body features a number of unique android functions, including superhuman speed, agility and strength, an opening and closing face mask, a golden crescent-shaped solar panel on his forehead and waist-mounted pulsar propellers that can also be used as weapons.
- Luna Kozuki (上月 ルナ KÅzuki Runa)
- Voiced by: Emiko Tsukada
- A beautiful 15-year-old girl who fights alongside Casshern. Like Tetsuya's, her father is a scientist, and she is essential in the battle against the Android Army, due to her Electromagnetic Field Gun.
- Midori Azuma (æ± ã¿ã©ã‚Š Azuma Midori)
- Voiced by: Reiko MutÅ
- Tetsuya's mother, who had been captured by the Android Army and had her data transferred into the body of Swanee (スワニー Swanī), a swan-type robot pet kept by Buraiking Boss. She observes the actions of Buraiking Boss and appears before Casshern as a hologram to offer support to her son.
- Kotaro Azuma (æ± å…‰å¤ªéƒŽ Azuma KÅtarÅ)
- Voiced by: Masato Yamanouchi
- The genius scientist who invented androids in hopes of helping mankind, and ironically became the architect of mankind's doom.
- Friender (フレンダー FurendÄ)
- Voiced by: ShÅji KatÅ
- Originally Tetsuya's pet dog, Lucky (ラッã‚ー RakkÄ«), its data were used to revive it as Friender after it was killed. In order to support Casshern, it can transform into a jet, submarine, tank, or motorcycle, and is even able to breathe flames. Friender is a brave robotic dog capable of standing up to the Android Army alone.
- Buraiking Boss (ブライã‚ング・ボス Buraikingu Bosu)
- Voiced by: Kenji Utsumi
- The antagonist of the series, originally BK-1, the first android created by Dr. Azuma. He was designed to help bring the human race and the robots together, but he was struck by lightning and rebelled, renaming himself Buraiking Boss. He leads the Android Army in a plot to conquer the Earth.
- Barashin (ãƒãƒ©ã‚·ãƒ³)
- Voiced by: Kazuya Tatekabe
- A muscular high-ranking member of the Android Army.
- Arkborn (アクボーン)
- Voiced by: Ryuji Nakagi
- A lanky high-ranking member of the Android Army.
- Sagrey (サグレー)
- Voiced by: Osamu Kato
- A short high-ranking member of the Android Army.
Episodes
- "An Immortal Challenger" (䏿»èº«ã®æŒ‘戦者 Fujimi no ChÅsensha)[8]
- "Stake Victory on the Moonlight" (月光ã«å‹åˆ©ã‚’ã‹ã‘ã‚ GekkÅ ni ShÅri wo Kakero)
- "Find Tomorrow in the Ruins" (廃墟ã®ä¸ã«æ˜Žæ—¥ã‚’å«ã¹ Haikyo no Naka ni Ashita wo Sakebe)
- "Channel Anger into the MF Gun" (ï¼ï¼¦éŠƒã«æ€’りをã“ã‚ã‚ Emu Efu JyÅ« ni Ikari wo Komero)
- "Don’t Blow Out the Flame of Battle" (戦ã„ã®ç¯ã‚’消ã™ãª Tatakai no TÅ wo Kesuna)
- "Raging Wind Friender" (疾風フレンダー ReppÅ« FurendÄ)
- "An Oath to the Hero Kikero" (英雄ã‚ケãƒã¸ã®èª“ã„ EiyÅ« Kikero he no Chikai)
- "The Roar of the Wild Beast Robot" (野ç£ãƒãƒœãŒå ãˆã‚‹ YajÅ« Robo ga Hoeru)
- "Concerto in the Flames of War" (戦ç«ã«éŸ¿ã‘å”奿›² Senka ni Kagayake KyÅsÅkyoku)
- "Stake Life in the Desert of Death" (æ»ã®ç ‚æ¼ ã«å‘½ã‚’ã‹ã‘ã‚ Shi no sabaku ni inochi wo kakero)
- "Statue of the Demon" (悪é”ã®è™šåƒ Akuma no KyozÅ)
- "The Iron Train of Evil" (é‰„ã®æ‚ªå…šåˆ—車 Tetsu no AkutÅ Ressha)
- "Android 5, the Robot of Betrayal" (è£åˆ‡ã‚Šãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆäº”å· Uragiri Robotto GogÅ)
- "The Town That Doesn’t Need Casshan" (ã‚ャシャーン無用ã®è¡— KasshÄn MuyÅ no Machi)
- "Puppy Runs for Vengeance" (復è®ã«å犬ã¯é§†ã‘ã‚‹ FukushÅ« ni Koinu wa Kakeru)
- "Swanee’s Wings of Love" (スワニー・愛ã®ç¿¼ SuwanÄ« Ai no Tsubasa)
- "The Robot Lullaby" (ãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆåå®ˆæŒ Robotto Komoriuta)
- "Giant Elephant VS. Andro Force" (巨象対アンドãƒè»å›£ KyozÅ Tai Andoro Gundan)
- "The Clown Robot of Terror" (ææ€–ã®ãƒ”エãƒãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆ KyÅfu no Piero Robotto)
- "Casshan Gets the Death Penalty" (æ»åˆ‘å°ã®ã‚ャシャーン Shikeidai no KasshÄn)
- "Robot Hijack" (ãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆãƒ»ãƒã‚¤ã‚¸ãƒ£ãƒƒã‚¯ Robotto Haijakku)
- "Runaway Robot, Romeo" (脱走ãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆãƒ»ãƒãƒ¡ã‚ª DasshÅ« Robotto Romeo)
- "Great Escape from the Robot Factory" (ãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆå·¥å ´å¤§è„±å‡º Robotto KÅjÅ Dai Dasshutsu)
- "Bounder Robot’s Challenge" (ãƒã‚¦ãƒ³ãƒ€ãƒ¼ãƒ»ãƒãƒœã®æŒ‘戦 BaundÄ Robo no ChÅsen)
- "Immortal Casshan" (䏿»èº«ã®ã‚ャシャーン" Fujimi no KasshÄn)
- "Casshan's Secrets" (ã‚ャシャーンã®ç§˜å¯† KasshÄn no Himitsu)
- "The Missing MF Gun" (消ãˆãŸï¼ï¼¦éŠƒ Kieta Emu Efu JyÅ«)
- "The Calvary of Anger" (怒りã®é¨Žé¦¬éšŠ Ikari no Kibatai)
- "High-Heat Robot Neotaros" (高熱ãƒãƒœãƒ»ãƒã‚ªã‚¿ãƒã‚¹)
- "The Premiere Robot Terminators" (ãƒãƒœé€€æ²»ãƒŠãƒ³ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ¯ãƒ³ Robo Taiji NanbÄ Wan)
- "The City That Creates Newly-Made Men" (æ–°é€ äººé–“ã‚’é€ ã‚‹è¡— ShinzÅ ningen wo tsukuru machi)
- "The Electric Punch of Tears" (æ¶™ã®é›»å…‰ãƒ‘ンムNamida no DenkÅ Panchi)
- "Swanee in Danger"! (ã‚¹ãƒ¯ãƒ‹ãƒ¼å±æ©Ÿä¸€é«ª SuwanÄ« Kiki Ippatsu)
- "Casshan VS. Robot Ace" (対ãƒãƒœãƒƒãƒˆã‚¨ãƒ¼ã‚¹ Tai Robotto Ä’su)
- "The Greatest Showdown on Earth" (åœ°çƒæœ€å¤§ã®æ±ºæˆ¦ ChikyÅ« Saidai no Kessen)
Title romanization
When Streamline Pictures adapted the OVA remake series to the American market, they romanized the title "kyashÄn" (ã‚ャシャーン) as "Casshan." "Casshern" is the romanization used in other countries, and is used as the romanized title of the film adaptation and the American release of Casshern Sins.
Legacy
In Vanquish, developed by Platinum Games, the art style is based on Casshern. In one of the boss fights the main character drills through a robot by spinning in place at high speed, similarly to Casshern. Concerning the game's development, director Shinji Mikami is quoted as saying:
"I was inspired by Casshern, so I wanted to make a game like that. If I went ahead and made the exact game I wanted, it probably would have been like Casshern, where you punch and kick the entire way through. But obviously if it were a game with only punching and kicking, I already did that with God Hand. So, I'm done with that, something else now. So this time he wanted to make a game where you defeat robots with guns. So now, you're going at it with guns, but he wanted to make sure the feeling of speed is still there, that was really important to him, so that's why he introduced the element of the sliding boost."[9]
In addition, the protagonist of Vanquish has a facemask that periodically comes off to show his human side, much like Casshern himself. According to one of the game's character modelers, Yoshifumi Hattori, a support robotic companion dog was designed to fight along with the main character, including transforming into ability-enhancing armor. Although this dog was successfully modeled, it was cut from the finalized version of the game, along with another female android partner character.[10] Raiden from Metal Gear Solid 4 is also dressed like Casshern.
See also
- Robot Hunter Casshern - A four-episode OVA produced in 1993, released in English as Casshan: Robot Hunter.
- Casshern - A 2004 live-action tokusatsu film adaptation.
- Casshern Sins - A 2008 anime series and franchise reboot.
References
- 1 2 "タツノコプム- æ–°é€ äººé–“ã‚ャシャーン" [Tatsunoko - Casshan]. tatsunoko.co.jp. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "NEW ‘CASSHERN’ SERIES ANNOUNCED". wizarduniverse.com. Wizard Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
- ↑ "New Casshern Anime Tentatively Titled Casshern Sins - News". Anime News Network. June 19, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ↑ "Sentai Filmworks Signs Deal with Tatsunoko Production (Updated) - News". Anime News Network. July 4, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ↑ ã€Žç ´è£æ‹³ãƒãƒªãƒžãƒ¼ã€. Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- ↑ ã€Žç ´è£æ‹³ãƒãƒªãƒžãƒ¼ã€. Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- ↑ "Tatsunoko Pro". Tatsunoko.co.jp. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ↑ ã€Žç ´è£æ‹³ãƒãƒªãƒžãƒ¼ã€. Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
- ↑ Gilbert, Ben (June 28, 2010). "Interview: Shinji Mikami on Vanquish, evolving game dev locales and ... punching fools". Joystiq. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
- ↑ "Vanquish almost had a transforming robot dog, female android partner". QJ.net. August 5, 2010.
External links
- ShinzÅ Ningen KyashÄn at the Internet Movie Database (TV series)
- Casshern at the Internet Movie Database (Live-action movie)
- Shinzo Ningen Casshan (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia (TV series)
- Casshern (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia (Live-action movie)
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