Bismark (anime)

For Western version of Sei Jūshi Bismarck, see Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.
Bismark
星銃士ビスマルク
(Sei Jūshi Bisumaruku)
Genre Space Western
Anime television series
Directed by Akira Shigino
Masami Anno
Produced by Yoshitaka Suzuki
Written by Mitsuru Majima
Music by Osamu Totsuka
Studio Studio Pierrot
Network Nippon Television
Original run October 7, 1984 – September 29, 1985
Episodes 51
Related works

Star Musketeer Bismarck (星銃士ビスマルク Sei Jūshi Bisumaruku), also known as simply Bismark,[1] is a Japanese animated television series created by Studio Pierrot.

The series aired on Nippon Television from October 7, 1984 to September 25, 1985, totaling 51 episodes. In 1986, the rights to Bismark were sold to the United States company World Events Productions (WEP). WEP reorganized and rewrote the series, incorporating both original episodes and creating six new ones before releasing it under the name Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.[2]

Plot

In the distant future, humanity has explored beyond Earth and colonized both the inner and outer planets of the Solar System. In order to protect the colonies and maintain law and order in the solar system, the Earth Federation Government (EFG) was created. Soon, many settlers started to resent the EFG's and its sphere of influence, straining the relationship between the central government and the colonies.

While a strained peace was being forged between Earth and the colonies, a race of non-human creatures known as Deathcula invaded the System. Without provocation, they attacked the colonies and killed many of the colonists. The EFG quickly realized that the Deathcula were technologically superior and their forces were hopelessly outmatched. In order to have a chance at survival, Dr. Charles Louvre developed a transformable starship known as the Bismarck.

Knowing that an advanced team of specialists were required to operate the Bismarck, four individuals came together and were charged with keeping the outer colonies safe from further Deathcula attacks.

Characters

Bismarck team

Shinji Hikari (輝進児 Hikari Shinji)

At 17 years old, Shinji Hikari is the Japanese team leader. A motoracing driver, Shinji is optimistic, full of energy, and is more than a little hot-headed and impulsive (the classic Anime hero). Because of his flying abilities, he follows his father’s footsteps in becoming a military pilot. But a problem with authority leads to Shinji’s dismissal. He takes up racing, and eventually becomes the youngest champion of all time. Personally, Shinji is less successful with women, becoming nervous whenever they are around. This does not prevent him from eventually becoming romantically involved with Marianne Louvre, as they have known each other since childhood.

Voiced by: Yoku Shioya

Richard Lancelot

Richard Lancelot is an 18-year-old Scottish agent assigned to the Bismarck team by the English Royalty's special intelligence division. He is generally depicted as being a gentleman with a cool head for tactics and decisions. Richard is an expert with both swords and horses, and is described as "legendary" for his skills and marksmanship. Having great pride in his Scottish heritage, Richard is also proficient at the bagpipes, and yearns to return home to his girlfriend, Sincia.

Voiced by: Bin Shimada

Bill Willcox

Bill Willcox is a famous 16-year-old American jet pilot and sharpshooter, and holds an almost infallible accuracy with firearms. When his parents were killed by the Deathcula, Bill devoted his life to avenging them, and this feeling continues even after becoming part of the Bismarck team. The jokester of the group, Bill is a friendly and disarming charmer, and somewhat of a loner. He is also an outrageous flirt, making mostly unsuccessful passes at nearly every woman he meets.

Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue

Marianne Louvre

Marianne Louvre is the 15-year-old daughter of Professor Charles Louvre, is of French nationality and is the engineer who led the construction of the Bismarck. A computer genius, Marianne was the chief envoy from the colonies to Earth. When the Deathcula attack, she calls on the colonies to join the EFG. During this meeting between the colony leaders, Marianne is chosen to join the Bismarck team, much to the pleasure of her father. Marianne is very technically minded, and most often helps her teammates from her station aboard the Bismarck. A brave girl, she's normally quite repulsed with the idea of killing anyone, even Deathcula. Marianne and Shinji have known each other since childhood, and soon become romantically involved.

Voiced by: Chie Kōjiro

Charles Louvre

Professor Charles Louvre is a scientist on Ganymede, and the father of Marianne Louvre. A well-respected politician, he founded the Bismarck Team during the second Deathcula attack in order to fight the Deathcula, and decided to use the most powerful arm of the EFG, the Bismarck robot, to defend the area around Ganymede. Louvre personally chooses Shinji Hikari as team leader.

Voiced by: Hiroshi Ito

Deathcula

Deathcula are aliens who, after destroying their own planet in an internal war, transferred on the planet Metheus. Unfortunately, this planet was also dying, so the Deathcula chose to leave it and conquer the Solar System. Their technology is quite advanced, and their society is one of discipline and obedience. Physically Deathcula look and act like humans, except that they have pointed ears and canine teeth. Due to this similarity, Deathcula are easily able to infiltrate and imitate humans.

Hyuza

Hyuza is the chancellor of the Deathcula, and is a tall, frightening cyborg with a demonic death mask for a face. Hyuza lost his body in the battle of Saturn 15 years ago, when Shinji's father destroyed his spacecraft. He transferred his brain in the main computer of Hell’s Paradise, and then connected it to a mechanical body, becoming a cyborg. Cold and cunning, Hyuza wishes revenge toward humans so badly that he chooses as one of his plans the idea to smash Hell’s Paradise into Earth, even if this means killing himself and his people as well. His most trusted commanders are Perios and Gustav, but nevertheless Hyuza keeps them under tight control. Voiced by: Seizō Katō

General Perios

Perios is called from Andromeda by Hyuza himself, becoming Hyuza's most trusted subordinate. Perios is a cold, self-centered strategist, is a great pilot and sharpshooter, and is good at manipulating others. He is extremely ambitious, fears no one and is overly tenacious. During the war, Perios become Bill's most dangerous rival.

Voiced by: Hirotaka Suzuoki

General Zatola

Zatola wears a grotesque helmet, and as one of the main rivals of the Bismarck Team is the commander who orchestrates the Ganymede invasion. He receives legions of soldiers for battle, and his directives come from Hyuza himself. On occasion he can be seen infiltrating the human colonies. He seems to fear Hyuza, but is also quite loyal to him.

Voiced by: Banjō Ginga

Songs

Opening theme
"Mystery CALL ME" (不思議CALL ME Fushigi CALL ME) by MIO
Ending theme
"Galaxy Dream" (夢銀河 Yume Ginga) by MIO

Adaptation

When purchased by WEP in 1986, the studio reorganized and rewrote the series, and incorporated six newly written and animated episodes into the original Bismarck story before releasing it in 1987 under the name Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs. Saber Rider ran for 52 episodes between 1987 and 1988.

In Saber Rider, the majority of the action is moved out of the solar system and into the rest of the galaxy. As opposed to a private group of four, the characters were written to be a small portion of a major military enforcement group known as the Star Sheriffs. Scenes of the main characters relaxing at a night club or bar and drinking alcohol were explained as "visiting a soda shop". Also, since showing death on American cartoons was much less accepted at that time, the Outriders were shown to "jump" back to their own dimension when defeated.

Shinji’s name was changed to Fireball, and he had a crush on April Eagle (Marianne). Richard’s name was changed to the titular Saber Rider. Bill became Colt and was part of a traveling rodeo until tragedy struck, after which he joined the Star Sheriffs. Marianne was renamed April Eagle, and became a former tennis pro whose three love interests were Saber Rider, Jesse Blue, and Fireball. Professor Charles Louvre was renamed Commander Eagle, and was the leader of Cavalry Command and the Star Sheriffs.

The Deathcula became The Outriders. In the new storyline, the Outriders were humanoids who come from another dimension called the Vapor Zone. They wanted to conquer mankind and control the universe unhindered, thinking the human dimension has much more to offer than their own. When an Outrider was shot or wounded, they did not die, but rather "dimension jump", a process where they vanish and return to their home dimension to reform.

Hyuza was given the name Nemesis, and his story was altered so that he was the evil genius in charge of the renegade Outriders and the mastermind behind their insidious schemes. Perios became Jesse Blue, a promising cadet at Cavalry Command until he fell in love with April Eagle during a training exercise. When April rejected his advances, he turned against the Star Sheriffs and cultivated a personal grudge against Saber Rider, ultimately becoming a fugitive, and joining forces with the Outriders. Zatola was known as Gattler.

The American animation used for the extra six episodes of Saber Rider was visibly different from the Japanese animation. Though the basic character designs remained the same, the style was vastly different from the original character art by Shigeru Kato. These new episodes were made to help enforce the changes made to the series, such as enforcing the "Western" theme with Cowboys and Indians, expanding on the Cavalry Command military structure, as well as showing visual evidence of Outriders reforming in their home dimension.

Episodes

Star Musketeer Bismark Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs
1 宇宙の冒険野郎 1 Star Sheriff Round Up
2 俺とあいつとあの野郎 4 Iguana Get To Know You
3 小さな名保安官 7 Little Pardner
4 デスキュラ・スパイを撃て！ 8 Brawling Is My Calling
5 激突！！ 荒野の決戦 16 Show Down At Cimarron Pass
6 美少女エリスの秘密 19 Sole Survivor
7 小さな愛の物語 20 Legend Of The Santa Fe Express
8 謎のスペース・ホース 9 Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away
9 明日への戦い 27 The Hole In The Wall Gang
10 ガニメデの鬼将軍 22 Famous Last Words
11 老いたる不死鳥 23 Sharpshooter
12 星空のクリスマスカロル 24 The Monarch Supreme
13 死神キッド 21 Snake Eyes
14 白銀の決闘 29 Snow-Blind
15 ラスト・シューティング 5 Little Hombre
16 よみがえる騎士道 10 The Castle Of The Mountain Haze
17 君の手で村を守れ 30 Tranquility
18 地獄から来た聖者 41 The Amazing Lazardo
19 秘密暗殺計画を暴け 42 I Forgot
20 危険な来訪者 X —
21 恐怖のロボット・ショー 6 Greatest Show On The New Frontier
22 爆発！！ 死のレース 28 The All Galaxy Grand Prix
23 キャプテン・ホリデー X —
24 四つ葉のクローバー 12 Four Leaf Clover
25 猛撃！ ブラスター・パルス 37 Born on the Bayou
26 ガニメデ最後の決戦 25 Gattler's Last Stand
27 新たなる決意 ACT-1 35 The Challenge (1)
28 新たなる決意 ACT-2 36 The Challenge (2)
29 再会、そして旅立ち 14 What Did You Do On Your Summer Vacation?
30 戦え！ 平和のために X —
31 アンドロメダから来た男 15 Jesse Blue
32 デスキュラ・ハンター 26 Dooley
33 幽霊戦隊を叩け！ 31 Bad Day At Dry Gulch
34 虹に願いを! 43 Lend Me Your Ears
35 女戦士チルカ 40 Jesse’s Girl
36 ジュノー星救出作戦 X —
37 50%の賭け 38 April Rides
38 わんぱくWARS！ 39 The Walls Of Red Wing
39 魔のレト星フィールド 33 Sneaky Spies
40 真心が見えた時 32 Snowcone
41 恐竜の星 11 Oh Boy! Dinosaurs!
42 大要塞接近！ X —
43 デスキュラの秘密 44 Born To Run
44 星の神話 45 The Legend Of The Lost World
45 奪回！ ルヴェール博士 46 The Rescue
46 ビスマルク解体！ 47 Eagle Has Landed
47 戦士の復活 48 Cease Fire
48 ハイパーフォトン砲発射！ 49 Alamo Moon
49 ヘルペリデスを撃破せよ！ 50 The Nth Degree
50 ヘルペリデス脱出. 51 Who is Nemesis?
51 夢銀河 52 Happy Trails
X — 2 Cavalry Command
X — 3 Jesse's Revenge
X — 13 The Highlanders
X — 17 The Saber And The Tomahawk
X — 18 All That Glitters
X — 34 Stampede

References

  1. ↑ "Bismark." Studio Pierrot. Retrieved on February 10, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs". Otaku USA. Retrieved 2010-08-04.

External links

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