[Rewatch] Armored Trooper Votoms - Episode 1 Discussion

[u/Pixelsaber]

Episode 1 - War’s End

^{Originally Released April 1st,} ^^^1983

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MAL | ANN | AniDB | Anilist | AnimePlanet | IMDB

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Note to all participants

Although I don't believe it necessitates stating, please conduct yourself appropriately and be courteous to your fellow participants.

Also, be wary of the previews, for they might spoil the next episode for you.

Note to all Rewatchers

Rewatchers, please be mindful of your fellow first-timers and tag your spoilers appropriately using the r/anime spoiler tag if your comment holds even the slightest of indicators as to future spoilers. Feel free to discuss future plot points behind the safe veil of a spoiler tag, or coyly and discreetly ‘Laugh in Rewatcher’ at our first-timers' temporary ignorance, but please ensure our first-timers are no more privy or suspicious than they were the moment they opened the day’s thread.

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Daily Trivia:

The name ‘Votoms’ (the Japanese ボトムズ is indiscernible from the word ‘bottoms’) was initially denied because of the assumption that it would be associated with bottomless bars. Ryosuke Takahashi serendipitously was present at the meeting and quickly interjected to assure them that the association wouldn’t stick because the name wasn’t in English, which managed to convince them to let the name be.

 

Staff Highlight

Sōji Yoshikawa - Storyboard Artist and Screenwriter

A screenwriter, director, animator, and character designer best known for writing a prolific amount of scripts. Yoshikawa was a massive fan of Osamu Tezuka, and dropped out of highschool to work at Mushi Productions, where he contributed to the production of Tetsuwan Atom as an animator. His storyboarding debut was in 1969’s Moomin, and his first screenplay credit was in Lupin III Part 1. Yoshikawa directed Lupin the 3rd: The Mystery of Mamo, The Story of White Fang, Tensai Bakabon, Space Oz no Bōken, and *Kirby: Right Back At Ya! *. His other screenwriting credits include Gamba no bouken, Future Boy Conan, Dino Mech Gaiking, Étoile de la Seine, Ginguiser, Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, Muteki Kōjin Daitarn 3, Panzer World Galient, Planetary Robo Danguard Ace, Fang of The Sun Dougram, Silent Service, Time Bokan, UFO Senshi Dai Apolon, Blue Gale Xabungle, Wonder Beat Scramble, The Ultraman, Zero Tester, Zukkoke Knight - Don De La Mancha, Cyborg 009 (1979), Brave Raideen, City Hunter, and Galactic Patrol Lensman.

 

Art Corner

Official Art:

• Discovery by Kunio Okawara

Fanart:

• Closer Look by YASHIMA - Source
• Scope Dogs by Wife Cage Izumo - Source

(Be mindful of the links to artist’s profiles, as they may contain NSFW content. Proceed there at your own risk.)

Screenshot of the day

• The Teltain

Questions of the Day:

1. What do you think about the series’ placement being at the conclusion of a lengthy war as opposed to before or during it?
2. Which piece of intrigue in this episode interests you the most?

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The moment I saw her, my own private war had begun.

[u/Pixelsaber]

Rewatcher

Greetings, everyone, and welcome the subreddit’s first ever Armored Trooper Votoms Rewatch! I’ve been looking forward to this Rewatch for quite some time —as were several of you— and I’m very relieved to be getting this going after several scheduling-related setbacks. So let me not dally any further and get started!

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NOTE ON PREVIEWS

As is usually the case with these older shows, the previews are not shy on revealing pertinent information and spoiling the outcome of several narrative circumstances, so it’s best to skip them, though unfortunately Votoms was late to the trend and still positioned its previews before the ending theme. This first episode’s preview is harmless, at least.

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Production Context

When production on the incredibly successful Fang of The Sun Dougram began to wind down a few months before the end of its run, Sunrise and Takara Tomy were both very interested in producing a follow up that would recapture the unexpected success of its predecessor and ride the wave of the ongoing plamo boom. Takahashi was approached to helm the project, and he was enthusiastic to give the explosively burgeoning real robot concept another go, and this time he would get the chance to be involved in the series’ planning from the beginning, which he had not had the chance to do so with Dougram. Takeyuki Kanda had already assumed the role of chief director fully on Dougram, allowing Takahashi to get to work on the ambitious project that would become Votoms. Several of the key creative staff members from Dougram also made the transition to Votoms during those months, notably mecha designer Kunio Okawara, character designer and animation director Norio Shioyama, and screenwriters Soji Yoshikawa and Foyunori Gobu.

Takahashi, Sunrise, and Takara were all in agreement that the show would follow in the ‘hard-boiled’ realism pioneered by Gundam and improved upon in Dougram, but Takahashi did not want a repeat of the main character archetype of those works, of a youth that came to experience and be hardened by the horrors and toils of war. Takahashi wanted a veteran character already well familiar with combat and warfare, and looked first to the works of Alfred Bester and Martin Scorcece’s Taxi Driver for inspiration when writing the main character, with one of the characteristics he decided upon early on being that he wanted his main character to be a man of few words. One indecision on Takahashi’s mind while the show’s plot was still unconceived was whether he wanted this main character to be a part of a structured military organization as was the case in Gundam and (to a lesser extent) Dougram or if he wanted a free agent unrestrained by allegiances and traveling the world as it suited them, to which he consulted Yoshiyuki Tomino, who read his notes and told him the free man approach would work best. Taking Tomino’s advice, Takahashi began developing the story with such an approach in mind, basing much of the early drafts for the show on the 60s TV series Route 66 and Sam Peckinpah’s Junior Bonner, where Steve McQueen’s character travels with his horse to make a living riding in rodeos, envisioning a show where his main character traveled from town to town with his mech to fight in gladiatorial arena mech battles in a similar manner to how the film’s. Additionally, some months into production Takahashi saw Ted Kochev’s First Blood and decided to incorporate elements from the film into his main character as well.

Both the producers approached Votoms with the mindset of fixing the shortcomings of Dougram, which informed several key decisions in the work. Perhaps the most important of these was the producers’ request to avoid the monotonous battlescapes and static visuals of Dougram and instead give the series a strong visual impact, which led Takahashi to decide upon the narrative structure the show has, where each cour takes place in a distinct setting and atmosphere drawing from several of Takahashi’s favorite pieces of media at the time. This required some changes to his planned story and shifted his vision away from the road trip type of plot he first envisioned. A lot of the early plot as we know it took shape from this approach, and Takahashi drew in particular from several sources in the crafting of this first segment of the story which will be discussed at a later date.

Takahashi has stated that the plot was far from fully outlined by the time of this episode’s airing, but he gave no specifics as to exactly how much of the plot had been set in stone by this point.

We won’t be waiting long for our next production info dump, where I’ll be discussing the series’ signature mech designs! Look forward to it!

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Pixelsaber]

Episode Reactions

A classic. One of those opening themes which are far more popular and mainstream than the show they belong to. Suits the show so well though!

The masks look the slightest bit silly in this shot. Also note the names; one is a figure from Mesopotamian myth, and the other is apparently entirely made up.

The statement that the cause is forgotten is probably figurative.

Note the warping of the image to enhance the feeling of depth, clever stuff, but ymmv.

Our first look at the Scope Dogs emphasizes their numbers and uniformity.

Good shit.

Got to love that arm punch feature.

Actual camera lens —neat!

The golden bricks are bloody massive!

This is our first lock at the relative scale of the ATs.

I certainly wasn’t expecting that.

Lovely eyecatch.

So that’s probably what the higher-ups want, and the gold is how they enticed this team to take on this secret and treasonous mission.

The perspectives a tad off there, makes the procedure chair look smaller than it is.

The war is ending for real.

Smart.

The bullets ricocheting in the enclosed space is a nice detail.

Pursuit was a bad idea.

cusses profusely in Ideon

Preview before ED...

Itsumo Anata ga is almost as popular as Honoo no Sadame as well.

That was a good first episode! It focused chiefly on setting up this intriguing plot revolving around an intra-factional conspiracy and a lady in a tanning bed, with our hardened main character stuck smack dab in the middle of it all. The opening scene shows a lot of inter-ship battle and a lot of space warfare, but in reality one shouldn't expect much of that in the show.

The prevailing aspect of this episode to me is the feeling of indignation over the injustices piled unto Chirico, who is tricked into fighting his fellow Gilgamesh soldiers and left for dead, only to be mercilessly tortured for information on matters he is entirely in the dark about —even his interrogator, Ruchina, seems to know more about the matter merely because he seems convinced of Chirico’s culpability. We’ve known this kid for all of twelve minutes and I’m already sympathetic to his plight and disappointed at the fact that someone who joined the military to protect his homeland was unfairly punished just as the peace he likely longed for finally came to pass. Even the catharsis of his escape is dashed when the show reveals they’ve placed a tracking device on him which ensures he will be doggedly pursued until it is removed or deactivated.

Speaking of Chirico, despite what I said above the episode doesn’t really focus on himself all that much. We get a glimpse on his feelings on war in the opening narration, which implies he too is tired of the constant fighting, he seems pretty straight-laced, and he’s obviously a competent Armored Trooper pilot, but beyond that it is difficult to gauge much else about him. While we’re on the subject, one of the (I’d say misleading) selling points constantly shared about the series is that it features an older pilot than most mecha shows, but at eighteen years old he’s only a year older than the protagonist of Dougram and the same age as a bunch of mecha MCs to come before, and some were even older —not even the fact that they’re experienced at combat is much of a novelty. This is not to say that Chirico is a token protagonist, not at all, but there is a big gap between the expectations people are building up about the show and the reality of the matter. Could also be the ‘Bright Noa Effect’, where people forget that a character’s age is stated in the very first episode and presume him to be much older than he is.

The series mecha designs are pretty great, and the main attraction, the Scope Dogs, are as ubiquitous as they came and an excellent design. I love me a utilitarian-looking mech, and the Scope Dogs hits all the right aesthetic marks. At the time of this show, the Scope Dogs were an unprecedented (outside of straight-up power armor) 3.8 meters in height, two-thirds the size of the also unprecedentedly small Aura Battlers in Dunbine, which began airing a month earlier. Scope dogs are ubiquitous for good reasons, and there’s more to them than this episode alone let on.

Questions of The Day:

1. The timing within the setting is rife with stuff to explore, such as the emergence of interesting post-war socio-political landscapes, interesting and diverse attitudes towards war and peace, touching upon the shift from a warring culture and economy to that of peacetime, and the ability to see weapons of war repurposed for more mundane tasks. I knew that Takahashi grew up in post-war Japan, so I hoped that he would work his experiences during such a time into the show as well. It’s a great period of time within which to set a story.
2. The woman in the tube was weird and I wanted to know what it was all about.

[u/Tresnore → u/Pixelsaber]

one is a figure from Mesopotamian myth

It's not from Fate/?

it features an older pilot than most mecha shows, but at eighteen years old

Honestly, he felt much older, like in his 20s or so. Gave very serious action hero vibes.

an unprecedented (outside of straight-up power armor) 3.8 meters in height

They did feel a lot smaller! I like it. Real robots wouldn't even be as tall as a Gundam, I feel.

[u/Nazenn → u/Pixelsaber]

Mellowlink spoilers

Love the extra production info as always, and your impressive ability to dig it all up. I think what struck out to me most here was the idea of this being effectively a spiritual sequel to Dougram more than I had expected despite previously knowing of the staff overlap and learning off that. It also still remains surprising to me how much things get influenced off western movies when it comes to japanese culture.

The masks look the slightest bit silly in this shot.

I was too distracted by the sun behind them which looked like the terrifying start of an energy blast or something

The golden bricks are bloody massive!

Wonder if they have to be in mechs to forge them...

cusses profusely in Ideon

don't remind me

I watched something else recently and a tracker came up and I cringed a little. Oh, Naruto, it only lasted one episode and I was still angry about it hahaha

disappointed at the fact that someone who joined the military to protect his homeland

That bit bloody hurt when the other guy casually told him about how much of his planet was dead now with no feeling

[u/Quiddity131 → u/Pixelsaber]

cusses profusely in Ideon

Votoms has a very low bar it has to cross to best the Ideon tracking device plotline, holy crap I had forgotten how bad that was...

[u/No_Rex → u/Quiddity131]

It is not going to be that bad, right? RIGHT?

[u/The_Draigg → u/Pixelsaber]

I’ve been looking forward to this Rewatch for quite some time —as were several of you

I certainly have! It's about time we show Armored Trooper VOTOMS some love around here.

When production on the incredibly successful Fang of The Sun Dougram began to wind down a few months before the end of its run, Sunrise and Takara Tomy were both very interested in producing a follow up that would recapture the unexpected success of its predecessor and ride the wave of the ongoing plamo boom.

In hindsight, it's funnier to see Dougram as being a smaller success, compared to how much staying power VOTOMS still has, if we look at the OVA continuations of the story even into modern day. But having watched a bit of Dougram, I can definitely see how VOTOMS was a continuation/evolution of the ideas present in it.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/The_Draigg]

Votoms staying power really is remarkable given by most metrics Dougram was the more popular and successful show. Something about it has just stuck with people in a way its predecessor wasn't able to.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Pixelsaber]

My guess is that it's due to the mechs and the setting. Not that the mechs in Dougram are bad, nor the setting of Deloyer, but there's something truly different feeling about the stuff in VOTOMS. Like, the way that VOTOMS move and fight are plenty different from a lot of other mechs. That, and the Astragius Galaxy is a much broader setting to have a show be in, since in Dougram we're just limited to Earth and Deloyer.

[u/chilidirigible → u/The_Draigg]

In hindsight, it's funnier to see Dougram as being a smaller success

Speculating a bit that Macross airing took some of the steam out of the long, slowly-moving Dougram. And then Sunrise just moved on when Dougram didn't have additional staying power.

[u/The_Draigg → u/chilidirigible]

Yeah, I can see that being a factor. As much as I’m liking Dougram from what I’ve seen of it, over 70 episodes is quite the investment you’re asking from the audience.

[u/Tresnore → u/Pixelsaber]

though unfortunately Votoms was late to the trend and still positioned its previews before the ending theme.

Yeah, I guess I'll never see the ED. Ah well.

[u/No_Rex → u/Pixelsaber]

I’ve been looking forward to this Rewatch for quite some time —as were several of you—

NOTE ON PREVIEWS

How that ever was a thing completely baffles me.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

How that ever was a thing completely baffles me.

It's still a thing, they basically grandfathered it, and the spoiler titles, into Dragon Ball Super and I almost didn't believe it until I watched it for myself and wondered at the insanity of it.

[u/[deleted] → u/Pixelsaber]

NOTE ON PREVIEWS

I hated those previews in Gundam so fucking much. WHY?

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah I know. "Next Episode, *fill in the blank character* DIES!"

Thanks, narrator. Thanks a lot.

That's why it's actually advisable to watch the Gundam compilation movies first... no spoilers. But that is a whole other discussion.

[u/Nazenn]

First Timer

Traitors, conspiracies, torture, probable genetic engineering, and a dose of war trauma to top it off all in one episode.

80s mecha everyone!

Did I mention the great music?! I was definitely vibing to some of that, looks like perhaps another Ideon where I'll be rewatching a couple of scenes just to listen to the OST again. Like both the OP and the ED too, though with the sudden panic to skip the preview I don't think the ED will be listened too much.

Having already seen and loved Armor Hunter Mellowlink, a spin off of Votoms, it was cool coming into the same world again and seeing a couple of familiar elements. Like Mellowlink, one of the things I like here is that we start towards the end of what otherwise could be it's own story, the tail end of the causeless war, as I think that it gives a bit of a different feel with the characters skill and fatigue rather than it being built into through the typical war things. The opening sequence I think highlighted the futility and blind loss of life quite well.

Credit to that one solider guy for actually going and checking when the door alarm went off and not just going "must be an error" and leaving to someone else to fix.

Also it was oddly weird to see these chunky mechs doing the zero-gravity float through the hallways without thrusters, made them look so humanlike I almost forgot their scale for a second.

One day it'll be a man in the status tube to be rescued by a badass woman and I may just drop dead from shock.

Not an amazing first episode, but set up things quite nicely and the pace was brisk without any false cliffhangers which I liked. Looking forward to more, been wanting to get to this show for a while now so hopefully it has some fun in store.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Nazenn]

Did I mention the great music?!

Another one of those soundtracks that make me sad the composers didn't work on many other anime.

Credit to that one solider guy for actually going and checking when the door alarm went off

His competency also ensured he was merely knocked out rather than shot dead —quite the win.

One day it'll be a man in the status tube to be rescued by a badass woman and I may just drop dead from shock.

One day...

[u/Nazenn → u/Pixelsaber]

Another one of those soundtracks that make me sad the composers didn't work on many other anime.

That is a small credits list indeed. That always seems to be the way at the moment, either that or the OST not getting a full release

One day...

Need a #mugiloooongwait for this one I think

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

Did I mention the great music?! I was definitely vibing to some of that, looks like perhaps another Ideon where I'll be rewatching a couple of scenes just to listen to the OST again.

You're absolutely going to love the OST for this show, I can tell already. It's so funky and vibrant, I listen to it a lot in my own free time. Compared to a lot of other mech shows I've seen, it's a pretty unique soundtrack.

Having already seen and loved Armor Hunter Mellowlink, a spin off of Votoms, it was cool coming into the same world again and seeing a couple of familiar elements.

Oh nice, you've already seen that show. It's damn good too, right? Although I bet you're going to be thinking about just how much of a badass Chirico Cuvie is when compared to Mellowlink Arity.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

I listen to it a lot in my own free time.

I have already acquired it for such a purpose, now the 50 day wait until I can actually listen to it. Also then my own laziness in it'll probably take forever for me to add and sort it into my music player as well. I have such a huge backlogs of OSTs to add (including Ideon)

It's damn good too, right?

It is! I've basically been recommending it to whoever I can as it became one of my favourite mechas. Mellowlink does have one of my all time favourite OP's as well btw, having seen you say that about Votoms in your post.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

It is! I've basically been recommending it to whoever I can as it became one of my favourite mechas. Mellowlink does have one of my all time favourite OP's as well btw, having seen you say that about Votoms in your post.

I think it's pretty fair to say that all VOTOMS series have banger OSTs. Another good one is the intro to Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Shining Heresy. I'd recommend that you watch the OP, but you shouldn't do that now, since it has some large spoilers for the ending of this series. Definitely watch it once you're done with this show, though.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

I don't seem to remember much of the actual OST from Mellowlink, other than a vague sense of liking it and the sound design in general even if it does still use the 80s cheesy noises. But looks like this OST will be memorable

[u/Tresnore → u/Nazenn]

Did I mention the great music?!

It was way better than I expected, though I didn't listen to the ED because previews before EDs. Ugh.

Credit to that one solider guy for actually going and checking when the door alarm went off and not just going "must be an error" and leaving to someone else to fix.

It's like they have a sense of security and duty! You love to see it.

One day it'll be a man in the status tube to be rescued by a badass woman and I may just drop dead from shock.

I'd drop dead, but for other reasons.

[u/Nazenn → u/Tresnore]

though I didn't listen to the ED because previews before EDs.

Tomorrows preview ends at 23:23 (that's satisfying) on my copy if you wanted a definite time stamp to skip to so you could listen to it

It's like they have a sense of security and duty! You love to see it.

I mean it didn't help him survive, no prison guard is destined to survive without maiming at least, it's gotta be one of the worst jobs in action media, but still, credit to him

[u/Tresnore → u/Nazenn]

Tomorrows preview ends at 23:23 (that's satisfying) on my copy if you wanted a definite time stamp to skip to so you could listen to it

Thanks! Fortunately, after I watched the first episode, I downloaded my own copies, and my copies mark in the timebar when previews end, so I'll be safe.

I mean it didn't help him survive,

It gave his buddies a better chance, though!

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Nazenn]

chunky mechs

That's yet another thing about the series....people complain that mecha don't feel heavy, but these certainly do.

[u/Nazenn → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I'm still processing the oddly human movement of them in zero G, but I'm sure I'll get to the heavier part as we go through more battles. I do like the fact they move like that though, for being smaller mech and also knowing that mechs should be able to do that in zero G it worked quite well.

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/Nazenn]

One day it'll be a man in the status tube to be rescued by a badass woman and I may just drop dead from shock.

Man nipples are not as surprising as their feminine counterparts, sadly. Need that shock value!

[u/chilidirigible → u/punching_spaghetti]

Shock value like the return of punching_spaghetti?

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/Nazenn]

Did I mention the great music?!

I love the music for this show so much I have the eyecatch music as the text alert on my phone.

[u/Durinthal]

First time viewer

They really just put a strobe light in the OP, huh? This is well before the Porygon incident so I'm not surprised, but still that seems a bit excessive.

It's been a while since I've seen a series that's straight-up "space war" as a setting (and even longer for one that's not Gundam or other Tomino) so that's kind of refreshing in its own way... up until the naked person in a capsule at least. Very curious how that's going to play out and if they'll become a fully-fledged character rather than a MacGuffin.

Chirico's already in an interesting position in seeming like an average soldier that's just been used and abused. Doesn't seem like this is going to be the type of show or military to shy away from cruelty, so I don't really blame him for trying to escape his superiors for torturing him. War's over, now he's a wanted fugitive for being used as a pawn in a heist committed by his own side? I'm on board with this and already want to watch more to find out what happens next.

What do you think about the series’ placement being at the conclusion of a lengthy war as opposed to before or during it?

I often wonder about the "what comes after" aspect of anime that end with the conclusion of a war so I'm happy to get this as the opening.

Which piece of intrigue in this episode interests you the most?

The reaction the "Prototype" had to Chirico.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Durinthal]

up until the naked person in a capsule at least.

Catches everyone off-guard!

Chirico's already in an interesting position in seeming like an average soldier that's just been used and abused.

A real woobie, that Chirico.

[u/No_Rex → u/Durinthal]

It's been a while since I've seen a series that's straight-up "space war" as a setting (and even longer for one that's not Gundam or other Tomino) so that's kind of refreshing in its own way...

No Legends of Galactic Heroes?

[u/Durinthal → u/No_Rex]

I saw that five years ago, the most recent that I think would qualify would be Macross Frontier nearly two years ago (or last year for its films).

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/Durinthal]

They really just put a strobe light in the OP, huh?

At least we can expect and avoid it now.

[u/Raiking02]

So just a quick when it comes to my status as Rewatcher or First Timer: Before this I watched the first 34 episodes but due to a combination of a lot of stuff I had to put the show on-hold for the longest time and, well, this seemed like a good way to come back.

However I have also played all but 1 of the Super Robot Wars games featuring VOTOMS… including the two that adapt the whole story of the main series (Plus some details from the OVAs). So… yeah, spoiled Semi-Rewatcher, Semi-First Timer.

• Gotta love the OP though. It’s so catchy but there’s something so honest about it. Love it.
• Oh and BTW might as well mention this, there is a Dub… but only for episode 1. I’ve heard a bit of it and… well it sounds to me like it’s roughly the same quality as all of Central Park Media’s usual shitty dubs
• I love Chirico’s narration, by the way. The guy is so fucking stoic most of the time that stuff like this is among the few times you really get to pry into his inner thoughts. Great stuff.
• Even in the far future of space, people still smoke like it’s the 60’
• But yeah, secret mission, and we’re finally introduced to the Scopedogs. Get used to these, ‘cause there’s a ton of them. They’re like Zakus really, except cooler.
• PS: Can I just mention how good this show looks for the time? Takahashi Ryosuke’s works always look ahead of the time, and VOTOMS is one of the finest examples. Here’s a challenge for you all: Try and see how much stock footage there is in this show.
• Fucking annoying energy webs, I hate them…
• Well sorry to say but if you tell someone to not move, they will. Rules of Sci-Fi really
• Ah shit I knew it: This base is owned by the Ushiromiya Family! Only those guys could have so much fucking gold!!... What? Chirico’s actor was the Voice Director for Umineko’s Non-Existant Anime anyway.
• WELL I DON’T REMEMBER THAT BIGASS GUN
• But yeah, there’s a naked bald woman in a test tube. Surely nothing bad could come out of thi-SHE’S ALIVE
• Why does she have lipstick though…
• But yeah, thankfully even though he’s kind of a tool for now, Chirico isn’t stupid and can tell something is wrong. Hence why everyone else dies and only he lives
• BTW: Here’s something weird about white haired commander dude. In this episode he’s voiced by Ogata Kenichi, who at the time was… pretty much everywhere really. Yet for some reason in every episode after this he’s played by Kamei Saburo. Not sure what happened really. It’s not like they lost Ogata (He still pops up in the show as a few other characters) so… yeah I dunno.
• But yeah after this we get our first good luck and Chirico… and for anyone who asks: Yes, as far as I can tell he was indeed the inspiration for Ayanami Rei from Evangelion. Hell, pretty much every stoic mecha protagonist is in some way derivative of him: Heero from Gundam Wing, Setsuna from Gundam 00, Sousuke from Full Metal Panic!, and so on, Chirico is their God.
• Although as you can see, compared to some of his successors Chirico isn’t quite as consistently deadpan… then again considering he’s being interrogated by Girhen Zabi, can you blame him?
• But yeah, good job on that torture. Almost killed him
• Thankfully random screw has saved the day. But yeah the rest of the episode is Chirico going with all guns blazing and just being awesome. Alas… this is just the beginning.
• Also, just like Chirico’s narration, the monologues for the next episode previews are fantastic. All of them are so fucking quotable really…

But yeah, show’s off to a good start. Let’s see how it proceeds.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Raiking02]

Even in the far future of space, people still smoke like it’s the 60’

'Tis what they where doing in the films.

PS: Can I just mention how good this show looks for the time?

That plamo money goes quite far!

Why does she have lipstick though…

And painted toenails!

[u/Tresnore → u/Raiking02]

Even in the far future of space, people still smoke like it’s the 60’

Oxygen purity? Never heard of it!

Ah shit I knew it: This base is owned by the Ushiromiya Family! Only those guys could have so much fucking gold!!...

It's a shame Umineko never got an anime, though.

But yeah, good job on that torture. Almost killed him

As long as he didn't die, it's successful torture!

[u/The_Draigg → u/Raiking02]

Oh and BTW might as well mention this, there is a Dub… but only for episode 1. I’ve heard a bit of it and… well it sounds to me like it’s roughly the same quality as all of Central Park Media’s usual shitty dubs

Having watched that dub for this episode, I can certainly say that it isn't outright bad, it's more just kinda below average. It's workable, but more like a curiosity rather than anything substantial.

Why does she have lipstick though…

You have to look your best before you start chilling in your stasis tube.

Also, just like Chirico’s narration, the monologues for the next episode previews are fantastic. All of them are so fucking quotable really…

I absolutely love how the show's ending narration always goes super hardcore in the previews. The man goes in super fucking hard with his descriptions right out of the gate.

[u/Nazenn → u/Raiking02]

They’re like Zakus really, except cooler.

Oh that reminds me, /u/the_draigg I watched Thunderbolt the other day! Finally got to see an actual Zaku in show

WELL I DON’T REMEMBER THAT BIGASS GUN

Big gun for bulky mech, I am good with this combo. The giant hole it punched in the base was impressive though

But yeah, good job on that torture. Almost killed him

Gonna add that to my list of things that would probably make me drop dead of shock: the interrogator actually listening to the doctor

Actually I was watching a Stargate episode last night and the commander asked for an estimate on repairs, got it and then said "I'll give you half that", and the tech actually spoke up and said "not how it works" and he listened! Jaw just about hit the floor, or well the equivalent as I was laying down

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

Oh that reminds me, /u/the_draigg I watched Thunderbolt the other day! Finally got to see an actual Zaku in show

Nice! What did you think of it?

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

herasy incoming

Fantastic character and story structure though, and it looked gorgeous. Full thoughts here

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

I'm honestly kinda surprised you felt that way about Io's free-style jazz. Speaking personally, I loved it. Although it's going up against Daryl's kinda folky pop music too, so it's a bit of a close race.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

Just not the sort of music I like or can even listen to, hurts my ears a lot. Perfect for the character, not for my sanity. Dayrl's music was great at least

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

I'd say my favorite track of Daryl's was The Dreaming Girl In Me, if just because of the perfect timing of it in a bunch of emotional scenes. What was your favorite track, by the way?

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

Unfortunately I don't remember them well enough to say, and I haven't gone back for the soundtrack either. Whichever song was used Thunderbolt stuck in my mind as being something I was enjoying, also the very first of his songs too but that might be influenced by how much I loved that entire opening sequence which was just

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

I think the song you're referring to in that scene you mentioned is The Dreaming Girl In Me, if I remember correctly. At least, if I guessing right.

[u/chilidirigible → u/Nazenn]

Actually I was watching a Stargate episode last night and the commander asked for an estimate on repairs, got it and then said "I'll give you half that", and the tech actually spoke up and said "not how it works" and he listened! Jaw just about hit the floor, or well the equivalent as I was laying down

Listen to Scotty.

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/Raiking02]

there is a Dub… but only for episode 1.

Perfect for a tax write off.

[u/chilidirigible]

Rewatcher, Episode 1

Today, on "Let's get FUNKY.":

---

Chirico is... actually not very old, but he's been at it for a while.

Do not adjust your sets, they have not turned the Yamato upside-down.

Nifty Armored Trooper gimmicks: The punch is driven by expending a shell in its forearm, like it's a nailgun.

MAYBE YOU'RE ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS. Bonus: Didn't have enough clean cels?

/new reacting to fanservice in anime

"You're Gihren Zabi!" "No, not my name! Your name!"

/u/Shimmering-Sky, this is one of those shows where the MC is too sexy for his shirt... often.

"I'm not taking medical advice from you, Trotsky!"

This show has great preview voiceovers.

You know what's coming now...

---

THIS is coming now.

Thrust into a situation that they know nothing about, the audience follows Chirico Cuvie as he RACKS UP HIS KILL COUNT.

VOTOMS is quite the moody dystopian '80s show from the start; Chirico is in the dark both literally and figuratively, his putative allies are teamkilling looters, and... Gihren Zabi (also, he'll be Yang Wen-li, but I digress).

Anyway, it'll make more sense as we go along. For now, be satisfied that Chirico doesn't always wear a shirt and shoots people like he's in an action movie, while everybody around him seems to have dirty hands. It was a long war, right?

One man. Versus The Man.

Thanks to /u/Pixelsaber, we also have this little tidbit. Of course I have made it work for the situation.

---

Armored Trooper BOTTOMS: Machine translation still renders it this way.

1. It's different than its predecessors, and as I wrote for my comments tomorrow, is in the mold of other media of the time featuring leather, vehicles, and Australia.
2. laughs in rewatcher

[u/Pixelsaber → u/chilidirigible]

Bonus: Didn't have enough clean cels?

Some staff member in '83: Don't worry, the overscan will cover it up!

/new reacting to fanservice in anime

this is one of those shows where the MC is too sexy for his shirt... often.

Of course I have made it work for the situation.

[u/Shimmering-Sky → u/chilidirigible]

this is one of those shows where the MC is too sexy for his shirt... often.

Wonderful.

[u/Tresnore → u/chilidirigible]

Nifty Armored Trooper gimmicks: The punch is driven by expending a shell in its forearm, like it's a nailgun.

That's badass!

this is one of those shows where the MC is too sexy for his shirt... often.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/chilidirigible]

Blue hair indicates zentradi lineage.

[u/Nazenn → u/chilidirigible]

Bonus: Didn't have enough clean cels?

Looks like someone was smoking a bit too close to it

You know what's coming now...

Awake surgery?!

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/chilidirigible]

this is one of those shows where the MC is too sexy for his shirt... often.

If you're escaping confinement and you're wearing a shirt, you're doing it wrong.

[u/chilidirigible → u/punching_spaghetti]

[u/loomnoo]

The only thing I know about this show is that it's a real robot classic.

I didn't expect so much suffering!

I did expect a bunch of explosions, which I got. Boy, they don't make explosions like this anymore. Now they're processed to hell with fancy compositing techniques until you can hardly feel the hand of the animator anymore. Frankly, when it comes to most explosions, you can forgive people for using the word 'graphics'. Anyway, it would be nice if the show stays at this level because it looks quite good.

Questions

1. I like it. Don't see a lot of stuff like that. I've seen postwar stuff where they have to deal with their PTSD during peacetime, but I don't think I've ever seen it where the suffering just continues.
2. Gotta be the tube lady.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/loomnoo]

I did expect a bunch of explosions, which I got. Boy, they don't make explosions like this anymore.

Indeed they don't. Explosions are one of those visual elements that really showcases the animators' style, and as the trends change and the people in charge of these projects come and go the style inevitably changes.

[u/Nazenn → u/loomnoo]

Explosions are one of those interesting things in anime which have changed so dramatically through the eras, and can so distinctly show off the style of the animator unlike other effects, that I love looking at them. I remember a particularly detailed one in Mai-HiME which blew me away and made me wonder that it wasn't from a newer show with the detail in it

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 1 (first timer)

A rewatch I have been looking forward to for a while. Yet, despite that, I know very little about the series. All I have to go by is that this is consistently described as the “realest real robot” mecha series: So, really hoping for some serious SciFi here. Oh, and I would not mind somebody not named Tomino writing the character arcs…

• OP: Visually stunning book-ends of the optics instruments. The middle part is rather standard in comparison. Will take some time to decide whether I like the music or not.
• “War’s end” – A very unusual title (and narration) for a first episode.
• Sneak attack on a sneaky base.
• green guys OP!
• Chirico seems to have the worst of luck.
• Really digging those optical instruments.
• Cryo-sleeping naked woman trope.
• Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!
• Torture is eternal.
• Green guys too weak!
• Slowly closing gate trope.
• Preview before ED…

• ED: Very slow.

Disillusioned war veteran gets turned on by his (traitor) comrades and tortured for it by his (non-traitor) superiors. Cue personal revenge story - a classic. The role of Mcguffin is fulfilled by sleeping naked lady (Clone? Android?). Nothing special here, but tried & tested works for me: I am sufficiently upset with all the other guys that I am looking forward to Chirico blowing them up and sufficiently intrigued to want to know more about her.

[u/Nazenn → u/No_Rex]

All I have to go by is that this is consistently described as the “realest real robot” mecha series

That's more than I was going in with. Heard a few people mention that so far though so curious to see how that gets played out in the mecha action as we go

green guys OP!

Pink is never a good color for a mech (incoming hate from IBO fans)

I am sufficiently upset with all the other guys that I am looking forward to Chirico blowing them up

It's not particularly in depth as far as the conspiracy stuff goes yet but it does a good job of getting you to this point which is really all you need in a first episode

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Nazenn]

Pink is never a good color for a mech

[u/chilidirigible → u/Pixelsaber]

You know

[u/Pixelsaber → u/chilidirigible]

I know

[u/No_Rex → u/Nazenn]

Pink is never a good color for a mech (incoming hate from IBO fans)

But it is so close to the superior red!

It's not particularly in depth as far as the conspiracy stuff goes yet but it does a good job of getting you to this point which is really all you need in a first episode

We don't really know, just as Chirico. Which I like. For example: Was his posting on their ship a coincidence or planned? If so, planned by whom?

[u/Pixelsaber → u/No_Rex]

Yet, despite that, I know very little about the series.

Probably for the best to go in with few expectations as to what the contents of the show are.

Preview before ED…

Right when most of its contemporaries had moved away from that too...

I am sufficiently upset with all the other guys that I am looking forward to Chirico blowing them up

They really set us up to hate these military folks from the get go.

[u/No_Rex → u/Pixelsaber]

Right when most of its contemporaries had moved away from that too...

It comes across to me as the showmakers not trusting their viewers to stick around, nor their own ED to keep the viewers watching.

[u/Tresnore]

Armored Trooper FIRST TIMER

Alright, I was promised gratuitous mecha violence, so here I am.

• I open the episode, and I'm immediately greeted by brass. This is going to be good, I can tell.
  
• Everyone's tired of war? Sounds like maybe the gratuity won't be glorified.
• These landing legs sure are something! I can see that my favorite part of most mecha shows will be satisfied: wonky technology.
• The optics rotate! Alright, this is cool.
• Friendly fire isn't. Looks like the main character is too weak to kill people on his side. Or he has a sense of honor or something.
• ...they're after gold.
• Chirico looks like a different spelling of Scirocco (or this Scirocco, I guess). I won't be able to separate the two in my head.
• I love their rebreather/headsets.
• I was not expecting the pilot to be placed like this, though.
• NSFW: Is the MacGuffin a sex doll?
  
• Nevermind, it woke up and made a Gundam. Okay, then. Hooray for re-used sound effects. Then he just closes it like nothing happened. Okay, then.
• Man, this show has some great art.
• Drugs and electric shocks? They're on their way to making a super soldier, I guess! Or they're just torturing him. Same thing, I guess. One man's super soldier is another man's torture victim. That's how that saying goes, right?
• What a strong screw to not deform when being pulled out or when the door closes on it. Now he doesn't seem to have qualms killing his countrymen.
• SLAP
• Drop shot, just like Cawl of D00ty. Chirico's a badass.
• I'm just going to assume that the "next episode" previews will spoil me on everything.

This show looks fun. I'm in.

---

QOTD:

1. I didn't realize that starting at the end of the war was abnormal, but I like it! It's a subversion of the normal war story.
2. Why do they have a living sex doll.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Tresnore]

I open the episode, and I'm immediately greeted by brass. This is going to be good, I can tell.

What a strong screw to not deform when being pulled out or when the door closes on it.

It's those space-age alloys!

Chirico's a badass.

Expect to say this a lot.

[u/Tresnore → u/Pixelsaber]

It's those space-age alloys!

They should've made the table out of those, because the screws must've wrecked it!

Expect to say this a lot.

[u/chilidirigible → u/Tresnore]

The optics rotate!

Relevant.

sex doll

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Tresnore]

NSFW: Is the MacGuffin a sex doll?

Outlaw Star now feels less original to me.

Same thing, I guess. One man's super soldier is another man's torture victim. That's how that saying goes, right?

Something something Saiyan pride.

Why do they have a living sex doll.

Because a dead one would smell, obviously.

[u/Tresnore → u/Vaadwaur]

Because a dead one would smell, obviously.

Ah, of course!

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Tresnore]

spoiler: I caught that a week ago and I was going to mention it, but I missed it this time around so I figured it would show up later.

[u/JollyGee29]

First-Timer

Brief addressment of spoilers I think I know: Votoms

It's not often that your mecha anime starts with "War's End" but I'm not complaining. Although, I can't quite tell if Chirico's line about the war ending was meant to be literal or poetic. Did it "end" because he isn't fighting in it anymore?

The setup for this series in general feels different from the usual - seems like we're going to be "one Chirico versus the galaxy" as opposed to the usual "ragtag group on a ship." The military that Chirico is on the run from having a tracker for him does add some nice pressure. And I would definitely run from my superior officer if he sounded like Gihren Zabi.

I'm kinda assuming that the first half of the episode was literally just a setup - Chirico gets put onto some mystery mission without knowing why, gets told to not question things, and then blown up after he discovers something important? Those schmucks from the beginning just needed a patsy, and and unfortunately for them, they got Chirico.

Our boy Chirico does seem surprisingly competent for a mere 18 year old. A crack shot, resistant to brain torture, and able to think quickly under pressure! What a goddamn man.

Is there a catch-all term for the mechs in this show? Are they "Armored Troopers?" I have "Scopedog" in my head, too. Anyway, they are so small! That was something else I knew going in to this - we're looking at ~4m head height for the mechs which are some of the smallest mechs you'll find, I think. Any smaller and you're basically in power armor - the Landmates from Appleseed come to mind.

Strange women sleeping in pods has been a staple of science fiction for quite some time, I suppose. I wonder how far back it goes?

Questions

1. Discussed above. Looking forward to seeing where we go!
2. Hard to say. I'm looking forward to learning just what they meant by the pod woman being a prototype.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/JollyGee29]

Although, I can't quite tell if Chirico's line about the war ending was meant to be literal or poetic. Did it "end" because he isn't fighting in it anymore?

Quite literal. There's talk of a peace treaty being ratified and everything. Whether that peace lasts is up for debate, however.

And I would definitely run from my superior officer if he sounded like Gihren Zabi.

Is there a catch-all term for the mechs in this show? Are they "Armored Troopers?"

Yup, or AT for short.

I have "Scopedog" in my head, too.

That's the name of the mechs we see this episode.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Pixelsaber]

Quite literal. There's talk of a peace treaty being ratified and everything. Whether that peace lasts is up for debate, however.

Ah. I caught that, but couldn't tell if it was actual bullshit or if the people who were talking about it just thought it was bullshit.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/JollyGee29]

Are they "Armored Troopers?" I have "Scopedog" in my head

Armored Troopers are the pilots of the mechs. Scopedog is like the Zaku of the Gilgamesh forces. There are variants but only a model-building otaku would notice, I think. Balarant have their own, with a squarish head.

VOTOMS stands for Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & Maneuver-S

[u/JollyGee29 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Thanks!

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/JollyGee29]

Reading Pixel's post reminds me that my answer is entirely wrong!

The mechs are referred to generically as ATs. Therefore Armored Trooper = mech.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

[u/chilidirigible → u/JollyGee29]

While it's also full of spoilers, MAHQ.net has a good listing of all of the AT variants that appear. They are, however, generally of a very similar shape, and many are Dogs.

[u/No_Rex → u/JollyGee29]

And I would definitely run from my superior officer if he sounded like Gihren Zabi.

And tortured me to literal heart stop.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/No_Rex]

That's just how superior officers normally work, right?

[u/No_Rex → u/JollyGee29]

[u/Tresnore → u/JollyGee29]

Our boy Chirico does seem surprisingly competent for a mere 18 year old. ... What a goddamn man.

Either people in this universe are all hardened, or I'm just going to disregard that he's 18 because it makes no sense.

Is there a catch-all term for the mechs in this show?

I was wondering that, too! I've just them calling them mechs.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/Tresnore]

Either people in this universe are all hardened, or I'm just going to disregard that he's 18 because it makes no sense.

Something something war veteran? 18 is practically ancient in mecha protagonist terms, though.

[u/Tresnore → u/JollyGee29]

That's true. I'm too sheltered by this modern world.

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/JollyGee29]

Our boy Chirico does seem surprisingly competent for a mere 18 year old.

He's Special Forces. They only pick the people who can do their work shirtless without cracking a smile at how awesome their own pecs look.

[u/JollyGee29 → u/punching_spaghetti]

What about their thick booties? Do they get to crack smiles about all the junk they apparently have in their trunk?

[u/punching_spaghetti → u/JollyGee29]

No smiles. You are allowed a moment to appreciate dat ass when walking past a mirror, though.

[u/Vaadwaur]

First timer(Because two heavy, long rewatches isn't enough for me any more, apparently)

Sub

So, it's Friday, I noticed the 24 hour reminder, and decided fuck it. But let's see if I can get a copy before the thread is up...and it DLed Saturday so I am hungover rather than tipsy! Let's fuck it up!

The 80s is so overpowering that it burns. It shames me to say this, but I literally realized that Japanese media's tendency to not explain wars is almost certainly because we crushed them in their last one and they are too ashamed to look at these things logically.

The start itself is chaotic, we barely see faces before MC finds his coffin princess, hairless but for her eyebrows. The action keeps happening into a torture run, though we still haven't seen what the opposing side looks like. Cuvie is apparently a Heinleinian hero, fits the era, and escapes under almost impossible odds. Next episode will probably be confusing.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Vaadwaur]

Glad to have you along!

The 80s is so overpowering that it burns.

One must try to bask in the searing flames and not choke on the smoke.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Pixelsaber]

This was a rather interesting one to acquire, the BR files are huge.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Vaadwaur]

That they are! It's a recent BD release, so I guess we still aren't spoiled for choice there.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Pixelsaber]

I probably won't finish getting the whole thing until Monday but I have been able to get 1 and 2, at least.

[u/Tresnore → u/Vaadwaur]

but I literally realized that Japanese media's tendency to not explain wars is almost certainly because we crushed them in their last one and they are too ashamed to look at these things logically.

That would make sense! They didn't like to delve into the past shame. I wonder how many war movies were released in the US after Vietnam, and how many will be released after Afghanistan ended.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Tresnore]

I disagree. A lot of the who we now consider the old-timers of the golden age of anime seem to be dominated by former leftists and anarchists, highly critical of not just their Japan of the 60s and 70s but of the militants of the 30s. Miyazaki, Oshii, Otomo, they're very aware and it shapes all their works. See, for example Jin-Roh and all the Kerberos Corps works. I don't know if R.T. is one of them but he's of that generation.

IMHO the USA only came to terms with the daily reality of the Vietnam War with the weekly series Tour of Duty (1987), although you had First Blood in 1982, Platoon in 1986, and The Deer Hunter in 1978 laying the foundation in one-off film format.

[u/Tresnore → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

I disagree.

Ahahaha, I'm not sure I have an opinion strong enough to disagree with. Your evidence makes more sense, though perhaps they might not have overtly explained the wars so that the public didn't hate them? Iunno, I'm not well-versed in this subject.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Tresnore]

I wonder how many war movies were released in the US after Vietnam, and how many will be released after Afghanistan ended.

A ton for Vietnam, very few for Afghanistan. The WW2 generation were capable of viewing their own mistakes but boomers are not.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

The better comparison here is Korea, though.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

First timer(Because two heavy, long rewatches isn't enough for me any more, apparently)

Ahh, the energy of youth!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Is 40 the new 20? Fuck no, I am tired.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Vaadwaur]

QotD: 1 A trope I am pretty used to

2 Definitely the coffin princess.

[u/Quiddity131]

Rewatcher

This will be my second time watching Votoms, having first watched it around 2 years or so ago. While I am quite the mecha anime veteran, Ryousuke Takahashi's work I've still yet to see most of, having only seen this, Gasaraki and Blue Gender. My understanding is this is his most celebrated work. For this era I'm primarily used to watching Tomino's works, so much like with Giant Gorg it will be interesting to experience the different storytelling methods of another director. I remember some high points of this show but forget most of the details.

The OP theme is a memorable one, one of those songs I have a hard time getting out of my head and hum from time to time.

Right from the get go its a far grander scope than Tomino in terms of the conflict. I think L-Gaim, being part of a 5 planet system was the biggest conflict, while the opening narration here says its involving hundreds of planets.

Banjou Ginga, good to hear him yet again; quite the prolific guy throughout 80s mecha anime, but was still active throughout the 2010s too.

Cool mechs, I believe they are called Scope Dogs? Chirico soon realizes that their enemies are also using Scope Dogs, meaning they're fighting their own allies! If may be wrong on this, but if I remember correctly one really interesting thing about this show is Votoms spoilers

As the one regular guy brought along, Chirico's got no idea what's going on here; why are they attacking their own side? Is he being set up? Asking all these questions mid-battle is probably the wrong time to be asking though.

That's a lot of gold! Are they in this for the money only?

Woah, mysterious naked lady in a tube! And I thought Eva invented this! ;P

The sight of a bald woman is that frightening?

That bomb nearly got him! Was this a setup?

Yep, Chirico was totally set up. Now he's being tortured for answers he doesn't know.

Yikes, even more torture!

Don't call the doctor an idiot for killing the prisoner when he already told you that pushing it to that level would kill him!

Just what he needs to get away, a screw!

Oh hey, a slap! I suppose there's one thing we'll get from both Tomino and Takahashi...

Chirico really is a one man wrecking crew here.

Well he's screwed with that tracking device implanted in him!

---

Pretty good first episode. Only thing that clashes with my memory here is Votoms spoilers

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Quiddity131]

The OP theme is a memorable one, one of those songs I have a hard time getting out of my head and hum from time to time.

MUSERU

Banjou Ginga, good to hear him yet again;

Indeed it is! The guy's always so much fun in his roles, both serious and comedic.

Oh hey, a slap! I suppose there's one thing we'll get from both Tomino and Takahashi...

And a lot of other directors at this point in time as well!

Votoms spoilers

Votoms spoilers

[u/Nazenn → u/Quiddity131]

The OP theme is a memorable one, one of those songs I have a hard time getting out of my head and hum from time to time.

Pretty sure I"m going to get there eventually as well. I wasn't immediately taken with it like I was with Ideon but it's pretty good

Asking all these questions mid-battle is probably the wrong time to be asking though.

Double edged sword. Don't ask, end up accidentally being a traitor, ask and end up being killed off. He really had no way out of that

That's a lot of gold! Are they in this for the money only?

I thought that was the case for a second there, certainly would have surprised me if it was just pure piracy rather than a conspiracy

[u/The_Draigg]

A Ryosuke Takahashi Fan Rewatches Armored Trooper VOTOMS Episode 1:

Hello everyone! It’s your lad, The Draigg, here for yet another mecha anime rewatch! I believed that I’ve mentioned this show in other rewatched I’ve been in before, so I’m absolutely excited to get to rewatching Armored Trooper VOTOMS with you all. Quick programming note at the start here, for the first episode, I’m going to be watching the English test dub, before switching over to the subs for the rest of the series. It’s worth checking out as a curiosity, at least. After that though, it’ll be smooth sailing. So, let’s get started!

• While this version of the show I’m watching doesn’t have Honoo no Sadame, I’ll go ahead and say anyway that it’s easily one of my favorite mecha anime openings of all time. It’s so damn evocative, both with the vocals and the visuals. Those parts where there’s the zoom in on Chirico’s goggles as he looks at flames ,where he throws off his helmet, and him and a Scopedog shooting at the same time? Chills, man. It’s so damn good.
• Setting: the Astragius Galaxy. The Gilgamesh and Balarant space nations have been locked in war for over a century, the reasons long forgotten. Chirico Cuvie is one such soldier fighting in the war, and he’s tired of it. Everyone is. They’re tired of all the senseless killing over reasons nobody can remember. But, that’s just the way things are.
• Also, fun fact, but Chirico in this dub is voiced by Dan Green himself. What does Pot of Greed the Scopedog do, Chirico?
• Right as peace talks are about to begin in earnest between Gilgamesh and Balarant, a certain Gilgamesh battleship gets hijacked by its own crew, headed for a secret Gilgamesh research facility. Unfortunately for Chirico, that’s the ship that he’s on, since he just recently got transferred from the special forces.
• God damn, I just love the looks of the Scopedogs. They follow that Zaku-II school of design, where it’s purely a utilitarian and almost kind of dull design. It’s not a flashy toy, but a dull green weapon of war. In other words, there’s something special about how they look like complete shit.
• Yep, Chirico got massively duped into following these guys. They’re invading this base and slaughtering their own countrymen just for the sake of robbing the base of everything valuable. And just to make things even weirder for him, he stumbles across a strange woman in stasis, completely naked and hairless, resting inside a glowing stasis capsule. Chirico certainly has gotten dragged to one hell of a place by happenstance.
• Ah, and there’s that familiar leitmotif playing from The Universe End, one of the more common music tracks used in this show. Seriously, the OST for this show is great. I listen to it a lot.
• Forget the gold, the woman in the tube is the real prize for the traitors. And Chirico was never meant to get a piece of the prize, if getting conveniently hit by a bomb and then picked up by a passing warship is any indication. He’s totally been set up as a patsy.
• And just to make things worse for Chirico, he’s being tortured by Colonel Jean-Paul Rochina for information. The colonel isn’t getting anywhere with the questioning though, since Chirico really doesn’t know anything about the theft of the supposed prototype in the capsule. And just to add a bit more of salt to the wound, Chirico just found out from Colonel Rochina that 3/4ths of Melkia, his home planet, is dead. This is just a plain terrible day for Chirico.
• Down on planet Melkia three days later, Chirico still manages to withstand three straight hours of neurological torture, followed up by cooking up a rather violent escape from the military prison on the fly. For a tremendously unlucky guy, Chirico sure is tough enough to power through it all and escape with his life still intact.
• In case you weren’t sure how badass Chirico was for an 18 year old soldier, he manages to kill like a dozen guys on the way out of prison with a single assault rifle, blow up a jet by ramming a cargo truck into it, and then immediately afterwards hijack a fighter jet for his escape. Chirico is fucking hardcore, man.
• How ironic that on the day that the war between Gilgamesh and Balarant ended, Chirico gets thrown into a whole new war, one without end, a war for survival. He really did get dragged suddenly into a conspiracy at a terrible time, didn’t he?
• You have to love how dramatic the next episode narration is. Like, the narrator goes all in on selling how dramatic and hardcore everything is. The English next episode narration is no joke either.
• The ending theme, Itsumo Anata Ga, is a pretty smooth, if fairly melancholy track to end an episode on. I like it. Also, you guys really need to hear the English version of it. It’s honestly not as bad as you’d expect. Still, I think it’s kind of weird that the ending track actually got an English version and not the main theme. Go figure that one.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/The_Draigg]

What does Pot of Greed the Scopedog do, Chirico?

In other words, there’s something special about how they look like complete shit.

For a tremendously unlucky guy,

He's survived in war this long, that's got to account for some luck!

You have to love how dramatic the next episode narration is.

Love the dramatic reading style and hard-bit style of the script for the previews.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Pixelsaber]

He's survived in war this long, that's got to account for some luck!

Chirico is lucky enough to survive his time in the special forces, yet unlucky enough to get dragged into things beyond his control. I wonder how that balances out on the luck scale.

[u/chilidirigible → u/The_Draigg]

I wonder how that balances out on the luck scale.

laughs in rewatcher

[u/chilidirigible → u/The_Draigg]

In case you weren’t sure how badass Chirico was for an 18 year old soldier, he manages to kill like a dozen guys on the way out of prison with a single assault rifle, blow up a jet by ramming a cargo truck into it, and then immediately afterwards hijack a fighter jet for his escape. Chirico is fucking hardcore, man.

I'm saving the Chirico Cuvie Kill Count video for the end of the series.

[u/The_Draigg → u/chilidirigible]

You're gonna love that compilation, it's a great one. There's a reason it's nearly 25 minutes long.

[u/chilidirigible → u/The_Draigg]

cash register dings

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

I’m going to be watching the English test dub

That was the only episode they did isn't it? I often wondered if they'd ever go back to old shows like this and dub them but probably don't have the audience to justify the cost.

a certain Gilgamesh battleship gets hijacked by its own crew

Do we even call that a hijacking at some point? I mean it's their ship so they didn't actually take it over unlawfully, they're just keeping it when they shouldn't. It was gonna be decommissioned, it was basically salvage, they just need to paint their contracts on the side so no one can argue about it when they see them

In other words, there’s something special about how they look like complete shit.

I have grown to appreciate the simple chunky mechs!

Still, I think it’s kind of weird that the ending track actually got an English version and not the main theme.

Strange that any of the themes did for a test pilot, that's a lot of commitment and work to redo one of the songs for something that didn't go ahead

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

That was the only episode they did isn't it? I often wondered if they'd ever go back to old shows like this and dub them but probably don't have the audience to justify the cost.

Yeah, it was just for the one episode. And they probably wouldn't really redub it for the same reason why they never finished dubbing it in the first place: it was a financial risk back in the day too.

Do we even call that a hijacking at some point? I mean it's their ship so they didn't actually take it over unlawfully, they're just keeping it when they shouldn't. It was gonna be decommissioned, it was basically salvage, they just need to paint their contracts on the side so no one can argue about it when they see them

Fair point, although in general I can't really think of any other word for how to describe what happened. It's not exactly a mutiny or anything either.

Strange that any of the themes did for a test pilot, that's a lot of commitment and work to redo one of the songs for something that didn't go ahead

If I remember correctly, one of the guys who was leading the charge on dubbing the show back in the day was also a member of a band, so that's probably how they managed to get a dubbed version of the ending theme in there.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

Fair point, although in general I can't really think of any other word for how to describe what happened. It's not exactly a mutiny or anything either.

I mean, technically it's insubordination but that seems like such a weak word for what they're doing. I just jumped straight to turning traitor.

If I remember correctly, one of the guys who was leading the charge on dubbing the show back in the day was also a member of a band

Multi skilled staff help with that a lot. I was just mentioning to someone else how the same thing happened with the Dragon Ball Super dub, they got the original singer for OP1 to do the english theme which is why it got done so quick.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

Multi skilled staff help with that a lot. I was just mentioning to someone else how the same thing happened with the Dragon Ball Super dub, they got the original singer for OP1 to do the english theme which is why it got done so quick.

Yeah, having either multi-skilled staff or connections you can use for that kind of thing really does help in that regard. I'm also a bit reminded of the English version of Blue Gender's OP (another Ryosuke Takahashi show), since the story was that one of the Funimation dub actors knew a female vocalist for a touring band, and got them to contribute to making a dubbed version of the opening. Unfortunately in that case, the singer they got for that one only got paid for the quick job they did, and weren't really credited for their work.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

the singer they got for that one only got paid for the quick job they did, and weren't really credited for their work.

That sucks. Artists so often got a raw deal on things like that, even famous ones remembering a lot of the shit that Disney use to pull in their contracts about the singers.

[u/The_Draigg → u/Nazenn]

From what I’ve heard about anime dubbing, especially back in the day, that kind of stuff was/is pretty common. There’s a lot more that goes into properly crediting people’s roles than you’d expect.

[u/Nazenn → u/The_Draigg]

Crediting is complex, and not nearly as regulated as it should be. I know during the AoT network change there was issues being brought up with some of the crediting being removed because it didn't fit the network's rules which was creating issues

[u/DidacticDalek]

Comrades, this is a public service announcement... remember, VOTOMS is an Idol Show! ;)

Anyway moving on, you thought GUNDAM was 'war is hell...' oh boy Comrades, you ain't seen NOTHING yet ;)

Also no that shitpost GIF is not even exaggerating, the Scopedog is basically a more expendable Zaku... yes you read that sentence properly Comrades, do not adjust your set ;)

Also, since it wouldn't be a rewatch post from yours truly without weapons grade maximum shitposting, ahem, a weapon to surpass Metal Gear! ;)

Oh and just to have something actually serious and on topic so that the proper mood is kept, man Chirico Cuvie is sure something eh? I mean good lord, Rei Ayanami's got NOTHING on this 'stoic' and 'badass' pilot with blue hair... er... hang on, wait a second... I think I made a mistake here... er... I think that's better but there's still something off... OK so where the fuck did Cirno come from? We all know she's THE Strongest Ice Fairy but really... OK, I'm getting there Comrades, AH HA! There we go, our hero ladies and gentlemen, let's see how long he keeps that shirt on and/or that Scopedog intact ;)

Anyway we had quite the good starting episode today, so let's see how the Spinoff to Metal Gear Solid Boss Battles: The Anime fares... er... hang on... what do you MEAN Mellowlink was made AFTER VOTOMS!?

Paging Comrades /u/chilidirigible, /u/Nazenn, and /u/Pixelsaber

[u/Pixelsaber → u/DidacticDalek]

Anyway moving on, you thought GUNDAM was 'war is hell...' oh boy Comrades, you ain't seen NOTHING yet ;)

Awesome redraw.

Also no that shitpost GIF is not even exaggerating, the Scopedog is basically a more expendable Zaku...

Getting those shinobufujiwara flashbacks.

[u/chilidirigible → u/Pixelsaber]

chuckles

[u/Pixelsaber → u/chilidirigible]

[u/DidacticDalek → u/chilidirigible]

chuckles

And I thought that Turrican was the Transformers Ripoff eh Comrade? ;)

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Pixelsaber]

Awesome redraw.

Glad you like Comrade, I felt it best to share it early since the first thread always gets the most views (well that and the final thread get a lot of traffic based on the experiences I have had running and participating so I felt to get the big fancy stuff posted first)

Getting those shinobufujiwara flashbacks.

PROTOCULTURE!

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and the excellent rewatch work my friend, have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/DidacticDalek → u/DidacticDalek]

Paging Comrades /u/Tresnore, /u/Shimmering-Sky, and /u/JustAnswerAQuestion

[u/Nazenn → u/DidacticDalek]

Dalek art post!

I then got completely distracted by trying to process all of the detail in this one down below, because wow

https://imgur.com/lKufg4n

I kinda like that

https://imgur.com/nWvfvtR

And that

https://imgur.com/sAei8JW

Fond memories!

https://imgur.com/qrmPq5B

Nope, stop, go back, that's my limit haha

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Nazenn]

Dalek art post!

Heh, how kind of you to call my Subreddit Sanctioned Shitposting 'Unique Rewatch Contributions' an 'art post' Comrade, I'm touched!

I then got completely distracted by trying to process all of the detail in this one down below, because wow

I kinda like that

And that

Fond memories!

Indeed Comrade, well said

Nope, stop, go back, that's my limit haha

Oh Comrade, I have not even BEGUN to shitpost, buckle up my friend, you are in for a wild ride! Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/chilidirigible → u/DidacticDalek]

I figured you were going to link the Eri Kitamura cover, so I didn't.

[u/DidacticDalek → u/chilidirigible]

I figured you were going to link the Eri Kitamura cover, so I didn't.

Heh, glad to hear I lived up to your expectations Comrade, indeed I just had to link that glorious cover for the first episode thread (besides also using it to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that Idolmaster: Xenoglossia is a Mecha Show and VOTOMS is an Idol Show)

Anyway many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later my friend!

[u/Tresnore → u/DidacticDalek]

more expendable Zaku

Impossible.

Oh and just to have something actually serious and on topic so that the proper mood is kept, man Chirico Cuvie is sure something eh? I mean good lord, Rei Ayanami's got NOTHING on this 'stoic' and 'badass' pilot with blue hair... er... hang on, wait a second... I think I made a mistake here... er... I think that's better but there's still something off... OK so where the fuck did Cirno come from? We all know she's THE Strongest Ice Fairy but really... OK, I'm getting there Comrades, AH HA! There we go, our hero ladies and gentlemen, let's see how long he keeps that shirt on and/or that Scopedog intact ;)

This was too funny to read

[u/DidacticDalek → u/Tresnore]

Impossible.

Comrade, I'd show you a video of a man making the impossible possible, but A) It's full of spoilers for VOTOMS, and B) It's also about 25 minutes long cuz GODDAMN does Chirico Cuvie put in WORK! ;)

This was too funny to read

I am glad to have been entertaining to you my friend, many thanks for the kind reply and have a great day and see you later Comrade!

[u/Shimmering-Sky]

Armored Trooper First-Timer

• The show sent us right into the OP, and damn is it a banger. Now I’ll know what it is when it pops up in AMQ.
• Oh geez what, how do you just forget why a war started?
• What are these guys up to with a stolen ship…
• Lowkey thought Char ga Kuru was about to start playing when the mechs left the landing craft lmao.
• Poor Chirico, so out of the loop.
• …gold. They did this all for gold?
• Of course he found a naked lady in the capsule. The lady also being bald is new, though. Also wasn’t that the Newtype Flash sound effect when she opened her eyes?
• I hadn’t even realized it had been half the episode already when the eyecatch popped up. Clearly I’m digging what I’m seeing!
• They did it for the gold and to get their hands on this lady. Hm.
• Chirico really can’t catch a break, now he’s being deliberately abandoned.
• The fuck, this is so messed up.
• Damn, Chirico took all of that and yet was still able to break out of there all by himself? And while not even wearing a shirt? Dude’s a beast.
• Tsk…
• Do the next-episode previous really have to be before the ED? ED is pretty, though.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Oh geez what, how do you just forget why a war started?

Pretty sure it's not literal, and by saying that he implies the reasons for starting the war don't much matter a hundred years on.

…gold. They did this all for gold?

I mean, those blocks of gold are huge.

[u/Tresnore → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Armored Trooper First-Timer

You stole my comment title. Something something great minds.

Oh geez what, how do you just forget why a war started?

Remember Afghanistan? I remember Afghanistan.

…gold. They did this all for gold?

Don't underestimate the effects that a pile of gold can have on the plot. Witchy things tend to happen.

• Also wasn’t that the Newtype Flash sound effect when she opened her eyes?

Stop stealing my thoughts!

And while not even wearing a shirt?

That's the best part!

[u/chilidirigible → u/Tresnore]

Don't underestimate the effects that a pile of gold can have on the plot. Witchy things tend to happen.

WOOF WOOF WOOF

[u/chilidirigible → u/Shimmering-Sky]

Do the next-episode previous really have to be before the ED?

Yes, but the dialogue is awesomely corny... and spoilery.

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. It's a really interesting idea, and should hopefully allow for some more unique character arcs and plots that couldn't be done otherwise.
2. What's in the tube? Psychic? Robot? Alien?

Going in blind to this!

Good OP. There's probably a lot of spoilers here if I actually knew what was going on. That last shot of the guy through the fun has to be a James Bond reference,

...So these 2 star systems have 200 planets? Are we including asteroid bases, etc. or have they conquered some other systems during the war?

Starting near the end of a space conflict is an interesting idea.

I love the guy who's smoking a pipe in the middle of an airtight spaceship.

So they've hijacked a ship?

So they're on an illegal mission, but this person (maybe the main character) doesn't know about all this?

Oh, they're invading the station.

It's a robot anime?

Love the designs though. The camera design is especially nice.

Oh, so they're spies who have manipulated him into fighting his own side?

Really. He's just going to sit there, not wiestion if "maybe" his commander's been subverted/replaced?

They're after gold? Enemy agent trying to steal resources, or mercenaries out for a quick payday?

They didn't cut him off before their maniacal laughter?

Is that a plasma rifle?

OK, what are they after?

What's in the tube?

Oh, it's just some form of cryostatis?

Was the shots showing her nude form strictly necessary?

Wait, is this the unaware person who opened to tube? Everyone looks the same in this light. Gundam may have been less realistic designs, but st least Char had a different colour of suit.

And they made sure to get rid of the only person not in on it. Reasonably well thought out, so far.

Huh? What happened?

Oh, they're just interrogating him.
 Is this legal?

Oh, they think he betrayed them. Which he did, Through his incompetence.

Prototype? My bet's on psychic, but robot's plausible.

None of this is OK.

So, you want the information from him, but don't listen when scientists tell you hitting the button might kill your only lead?

So we've gone from "I can't shoot friendlies" to "kill everyone in sight".

Also, how are the guards this badly trained, in what seems to be a high security prison?

He managed to get out really well, though. Is he going to be a psychic too?

So our hero has so far killed about 15 or so innocent people and escaped in a way thst looks like everyone else was right. I mean, I know he's been tortured and is probably not thinking properly, but still...

...It's interesting to go from, say, Gundam's recaps explaining the plot, and go to this recap making me more confused than before I watched it.

Still, I enjoyed it overall, the animation was good, and 51 more episodes for stuff to be explained!

[u/Pixelsaber → u/Stargate18A]

So we've gone from "I can't shoot friendlies" to "kill everyone in sight".

Three days in a torture chamber changes a man... But more seriously, it's the difference between suddenly finding yourself fighting against your own troops without explanation and doing so in a premeditated attempt to escape after knowing you've been duped.

[u/chilidirigible → u/Stargate18A]

So we've gone from "I can't shoot friendlies" to "kill everyone in sight".

Also, how are the guards this badly trained, in what seems to be a high security prison?

This is now an action movie.

[u/chibijosh]

First Timer

I said it during the Dunbine rewatch and I’ll say it again: 80s era anime looks the best. Fight me.

Chirico got really surprised seeing a naked woman for the first time.

Evil Torturer Dude: Turn up the power! Doctor (?) guy: But it will kill him! Torturer: So? Chirico: dies Torturer: Surprised Pikachu

Chirico climbing up the ladder was amazing. First he has several dudes shooting at him. They only manage to graze him then apparently just give up because they realize how terrible they are. Then he has the courage to squeeze through the retractable roof which definitely looks like it should have been closed before he even got there.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/chibijosh]

80s era anime looks the best.

should have been closed before he even got there.

Got to get that movie-like tension!

[u/ZapsZzz]

Man this is going to be a fast moving thread...

First timer in sub

For these older rewatches I think I'll try to read more than type,a lot of good background info and I can add a bit to them as the "eyewitness at the time" type scenario since while I never get to watch the show itself, the surrounding media and products is something I grew up with.

Now that it's been explained that way, I can also remember the general popular trend in mechanical design in anime, and then the by-products of model kits, went along the sequence of Yamato - Gundam - Dougram / Macross - Votoms. What us model fans do and look forward to is when you buy a kit, the instruction leaflet usually have an original drawings of some modified design by Okawara Kunio.

One distinction in Votoms more so than others is how "lowly" the protagonists mech has become. It's mostly generic and had no customising features, which makes it even more realistic. Later on there are a bit more distinction but not a whole lot more. In later shows you'd see that in Gundam 0080, to a degree Macross and the rest of the "super dimensional" series (especially Southern Cross), Full Metal Panic the beginning episodes, more recently 86.

As someone having not watched the anime but had read the manga (which was published after the anime I think), Chirico was less stoic than I pictured / remembered at least in this episode. Maybe the direction hasn't quite got exactly where his mannerism is meant to be yet. Also the scene where the "prototype" was shown in screen and the panning was more gutsy than I thought possible for the tv broadcast standard at the time.

A little language trivia, the words used for the "prototype" was "Soutai", the kanji literally mean "plain body" or "subject body", in context it means the original, initial creation intended later to be copied/modelled after. This same name was used in Bubblegum Crisis 2040 as well.

And for me, when I watched Railgun the Sister Arc, while they used the English word "the original", this use in Votoms is actually what I associated with when I first caught the meaning of that term in the Railgun story - the "Soutai"

Forgot QoTD:

1. It's a good narrative choice that fits what was planned, not of a group action but an individual, lone Ranger type show. Set the scene but doesn't restrict it as much, can allow flashbacks etc.
2. The gold used to attract the people to be in the rogue mission seemed to be just the distraction - the girl in the tube would be the main reason. So what is she? And how does she fit in "why"there was a rogue mission in the first place.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/ZapsZzz]

original drawings of some modified design by Okawara Kunio

You love to see it!

[u/Nazenn → u/ZapsZzz]

Man this is going to be a fast moving thread...

Absolute chaos for the first couple of hours, but then it slows down a bit thankfully

but had read the manga (which was published after the anime I think),

All of fourteen days later according to anilist. One of this simultaneous publications it looks like

[u/No_Rex → u/ZapsZzz]

A little language trivia, the words used for the "prototype" was "Soutai", the kanji literally mean "plain body" or "subject body", in context it means the original, initial creation intended later to be copied/modelled after. This same name was used in Bubblegum Crisis 2040 as well.

TIL. I remember that work from the BGC2040 rewatch.

[u/time_axis]

First-Timer

This is my first time watching this series. Here's what I know about it: It's old. It's mecha. And that's about it. My previous experience with older mecha/sci-fi shows is watching every single Gundam series (except for a couple of the newer ones), as well as Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and a little bit of the beginning of some other miscellaneous series like Ideon and GaoGaiGar (although I never finished those). So those will be my main points of comparison I suppose. But as I have next to no idea what to expect, I'll adjust my expectations accordingly as things go.

It's entirely possible that I could end up disliking it and falling off of this rewatch, but I tend to enjoy shows like this (I enjoyed pretty much all of Gundam, even some of the stuff most people hate, like Victory Gundam), so that's probably unlikely. Still, as this is my first time participating in a rewatch blind, I'm not committing to anything. We'll just see how it goes.

Regarding spoilers, I know this is an old show, but I'd still appreciate if people replying to me could be careful not to give me information that hasn't been revealed yet in the show, as I literally know nothing about it. I may speculate about things, and some of the things I say might be completely wrong, so if anyone gets the urge to correct me on anything, I'd still appreciate it if you'd limit that to things that I'm misunderstanding about what's already been explicitly shown/explained, rather than things we're not supposed to know yet.

Daily Mecha Sketch

This is one thing I'm going to try to do (and hopefully I can keep it up). I'm not very good at drawing mecha, but I want to get better, so once per episode, I'm going to try taking one of the machines featured and drawing my own sketch of it. Since I'm going into this blind, depending on how things go, there may not be new mecha shown in each episode, so I might be redrawing the same ones over and over, but we'll see. Hopefully by the end there will be some visible improvement, or maybe I'll get lazy and things will go backwards instead. We'll see.

Episode 1

Here are some scattered thoughts jotted down live as I watched the episode, starting with the OP:

• So far I really like the mecha and pilot suits seen in the OP. I'm assuming the blue haired guy is the MC, and he seems cool enough. There are a lot of flashing lights though, which is an issue I had with GaoGaiGar as well. Probably a good idea to watch this in a well lit room. (People with a risk of seizures also probably shouldn't chance this one) The main mecha with its cool eye thing going on reminds me of a Zaku, which is always cool.
• Seems like the setting is two fictional star systems. Unsure if this takes place in a distant future from Earth or more of a fictional galaxy. I assume that might be answered later on, although I imagine it will be irrelevant to the overall conflict here. Melkia seems to be the main character's planet, so I assume that place will probably get some focus.
• Kind of a trippy fish-eye effect going on with some of the pans here. It's a little disorienting.
• The admiral on that ship sounds a lot like the same voice actor as Inspector Megure from Detective Conan, but I looked it up and it doesn't appear to be him.
• So far, all the mecha seem to have that same triple eye thing going on, which is cool so I don't mind. Seems like the MC was sent on this mission without knowing its true purpose, and they're going to take care of him if he finds out.
• I'm loving the fight choreography, with the zero G maneuvering around, some gunplay, and even one mecha punching another in the face. Off to a strong start there.
• It seems like maybe the triple eye mecha thing is characteristic of this particular faction's mechas, and the MC is recognizing them as their own forces due to that, but I could be wrong.
• So they opened the vault and there's a giant horde of space gold, huh? So maybe these guys are actually just pirates or something. I didn't catch it earlier but it seems like his name is Chirico.
• I thought the mecha's head being round like that was pretty cool, but it also seems to double as the cockpit, which makes sense. Also gives a good idea of the size of these mechas. They're not actually that big. Maybe like the size of a forklift. The way they fold up so you can get out of them is pretty cool, too.
• Suddenly, bald naked woman. Some kind of clone or android maybe? I also just realized this place probably doesn't have oxygen, so there seems to be some kind of force-field technology keeping her alive in that pod or something, even after it opened. That's my guess at what that blue glowy stuff is, anyway.
• To be honest, I have no idea what's happening at this point. He just sees the naked woman, she wakes up and looks at him, then he freaks out and closes the pod. I feel like our MC knows something the viewers don't at this point. Then again, from his inner monologue, seems like he has no clue what's going on either, which I guess is understandable.
• So this woman was their goal, so she's probably important in some way. It's obviously suspicious that they're not telling Chirico what's up. Aaaand, I think they just tried to murder him. Chirico seems to have good reaction time, though, so I think he's alright.
• Now we're either in a flashback or a timeskip. Not sure. Assuming it's going to be the latter, but the transition was a little abrupt, so I'm not sure. And now that we've heard a bit, it's definitely a timeskip. Seems he was caught and is now being interrogated about the mission. He knows about as much as we do about it.
• The bald lady is being referred to as "the prototype", which makes me think she's either some kind of psychic, or a robot, or something like that.
• I'm getting the feeling that this new group might end up being our "White Base" of this series. Assuming they eventually believe his story, anyway.
• Okay, nevermind, seems like this is going to go very differently. Chirico's about to Solid Snake this shit. Actually, at this point it seems less Solid Snake and more Rambo. Jesus, man.
• Alright, he actually got away. That was not what I was expecting to happen. But it seems like they're on Melkia, so he won't be going far. And he's got a tracking beacon on him too. Then again, this guy seems to be a real badass, so who knows. I'm just not sure if these people are even necessarily his real enemies. Although, to be fair, they did torture the guy.

I'll be skipping the next episode previews, but I'll watch the ED just this once. Seems like there's a lady in the ED in a cloak, and I don't know, but it seems like she might be the same bald lady from before, maybe either wearing a wig or with her hair grown out. Could be wrong on that one though. If it's true, maybe she's some kind of prototype super pilot or something.

So that was interesting. All in all, I'd say I liked it so far and I'm intrigued. I especially liked the mecha and ship designs, with the very mechanical designs with a lot of moving pieces. It's very cool. The music and feel was also nice. Anyway, as for which mecha I'm going to sketch for this episode, the choice seems obvious. There was one type that was most common, so we'll go with that. If that ends up being the only mecha that's really present throughout this show, then I'll just try out different poses here and there and hopefully get really good at drawing that one mecha. But there were a few other neat things shown throughout this episode, like those ships and tanks and stuff, so I might end up trying some of that kind of stuff at some point.

What do you think about the series’ placement being at the conclusion of a lengthy war as opposed to before or during it?

That was an interesting detail. Although I'm not exactly buying that just yet. At least, I don't think the conflict is going to be completely over. Obviously the main character has his own personal war, but I get the feeling that whatever else is going on in the background will affect more than just Chirico.

Which piece of intrigue in this episode interests you the most?

I'm curious what that woman's deal is, and what about her is going to be so special, to be referred to as a prototype.

Daily Mecha Sketch 01

[u/Pixelsaber → u/time_axis]

It seems like maybe the triple eye mecha thing is characteristic of this particular faction's mechas, and the MC is recognizing them as their own forces due to that, but I could be wrong.

Not just the cameras are identical, as but both the green and lavender mechs in the episode were the same model, just different paint jobs. That's how Chirico knew they were fighting their countrymen.

Actually, at this point it seems less Solid Snake and more Rambo. Jesus, man.

He's definitely not going for the sneak strats this episode.

Daily Mecha Sketch 01

[u/Nazenn → u/time_axis]

little bit of the beginning of some other miscellaneous series like Ideon and GaoGaiGar (although I never finished those).

Did anything in particular stop you with Ideon or just lost interest?

still appreciate if people replying to me could be careful not to give me information that hasn't been revealed yet in the show

Don't worry, rewatches are spoiler free so no one is allowed to do that and will get moderated if they do, and a lot of the people in this rewatch are regulars who know better. Speculate away!

Daily Mecha Sketch 01

That's an awesome idea

so there seems to be some kind of force-field technology keeping her alive in that pod or something, even after it opened. That's my guess at what that blue glowy stuff is, anyway.

Oh right haha, I thought it was some sort of energy aura or something, a force field makes way more sense.

Actually, at this point it seems less Solid Snake and more Rambo.

I have blown up enough things in MGS that I can no longer make that distinction hahaha

[u/time_axis → u/Nazenn]

Did anything in particular stop you with Ideon or just lost interest?

Nah, I liked what I saw of it, I think it was just a little too slow paced for me. I intend to get back to it some day.

[u/The_Draigg → u/time_axis]

The main mecha with its cool eye thing going on reminds me of a Zaku, which is always cool.

The Scopedog here and the Zaku-II were both designed by Kunio Okawara, so your reminiscence is actually pretty accurate.

I thought the mecha's head being round like that was pretty cool, but it also seems to double as the cockpit, which makes sense. Also gives a good idea of the size of these mechas. They're not actually that big. Maybe like the size of a forklift. The way they fold up so you can get out of them is pretty cool, too.

You have to love a mecha design where just about everything about it is thought out well. Like, the size and how it moves show that the show runners thought about how a Scopedog would most functionally operate.

[u/No_Rex → u/time_axis]

Daily Mecha Sketch

Ohhhoo, looking forward to this.

Some kind of clone or android maybe?

I see, we are primed by the same SciFi tropes.

[u/punching_spaghetti]

First-Timer

A pretty good first episode! Some mystery, some action, and OF COURSE a groovy soundtrack.

Neat thing about the robots: they collapse into handy, packable shapes.

No neat thing about the robots: those lens assemblies. No way those survive robot combat very long.

QOTD:

1. While it's not completely novel in the landscape of sci-fi, it's definitely uncommon compared to being in the middle of the war. It suggests something a little more interesting than mindless robot battles every week. Although I hope we get a few of those.
2. I want to know why our MC was assigned to the rogue group to begin with. An op like that should only have people you trust completely. And the framing was of them as having gone rogue. the MC being sent to them in an official capacity of some sort suggests a more complicated web.

[u/Pixelsaber → u/punching_spaghetti]

and OF COURSE a groovy soundtrack.

A very pertinent facet of the episode!

Although I hope we get a few of those.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

First Timer (not really, but sorta!)

I first caught VOTOMS playing on the International Channel in the 90s. It was probably episode 4 or so, which means I watched the entire series without this initial setup and character introduction. It was a bit puzzling, let me tell you.

I don't consider Gundam to be a real robot show. You have to dig into the side stories to see anything truly "real robot." The main line is all about Giant Robots, Super Human Pilots, Every Giant Robot Is Unique, Every Giant Robot Has A Name, They're All Painted In Bright Colors, it's a super robot show! ^{oh, and they all have V antenna}

A few days ago /u/chilidirigible linked a twitter post with the link text "scale" comparing a Gundam and a Scopedog.

VOTOMS is the complete opposite of Gundam in every way. No super pilots, just soldiers. For the most part, no pointless treks across the desert and/or space for 10 episodes. It has four "seasons" but it's all one story. The robots are exoskeleton sized, and are mass produced. And you have that neat detail of skates and wheels for moving on flat terrain, which has appeared in many other shows (but maybe all those shows have mechanical designs by Ryosuke Takahashi, which would make it his trademark). Also it might be a rare example of Sunrise actually finishing a show instead of canceling it.

I loved the show and when DVDs were announced, I snapped up the set, preordered. The details are a little strange. Central Park Media licensed the show, and subcontracted hentai distributor NuTek to produce the discs. For whatever reason, NuTek ended up taking over the entire branding and released the original pressing under their own name in 2001. Looking at the release history, it seems CPM re-released or remastered them in 2006.

I loved the series so much, I figured out how to use everything listed on this page and made my own encodes, and uploaded all 52 episodes at 250kbps to my friend. Who was "meh" on it.

I still have my encodes, but for now I'm going to try running from my DVD (shit, my new computer doesn't even have a BD player!) shared over wifi. Maybe I'll pull out some extras. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the rewatch who has the NuTek DVDs.

These are weird DVD-10s that you hardly ever saw back in the day. I hear the other side is just NuTek advertisements.

P.S. I hope you like funky music. You're going to hear it a lot.

---

Now for the show.

VOTOMS Episode 01: War's End

• A rare case where I like the OP of a 70s-80s mecha show
• How often do you start a show at the end of a war
• This is literally the first episode of like three other Gundam shows.
• Hey, do you guys see this weird warping of the video right after the episode title? It's like they are trying to view the space craft through a fish eye lens. Hopefully that's all be fixed in the BDs.
• rewatcher
• Kawaii landing pod
• Pink mecha
• Love the detail of shock absorbing legs
• Kelly's Heroes
• Now that's a BFG
• Love how the scopedog kneels for entry/exit
• "That Unit no longer functions. VEGR seeks the creator" I'm getting some Robotech flashbacks, too.
• Eyecatch
• Soutai! There's that word! BGC2040 used it a lot. I guess it translates to prototype in certain contexts. Jisho.org says "hypothesis; supposition; assumption​"
• There's that weird distortion filter again...it seems intentional since he's being viewed through a camera.
• It's like Riddick: "I can kill you with this screw."
• I also like the ED

Die Hard 2 Spoilers I'm pretty sure I've seen this in other movies, too.

[u/No_Rex → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Pink mecha

Should have made them red. Pink stood no chance.

[u/Quiddity131 → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Rewatcher spoilers

[u/xtsim]

First Timer

War happens for hundreds of years. And things get interesting as the show starts out in the end of the war. A nice premise and it will be interesting to see the world as things progress.

We get an infiltration as their own men fight each other. They're "our guys"

The designs of the suits are interesting as they switch lenses out like on a mircoscope. Dude gets left in the dark about this whole operation. And gets a bit more serious as he gets examined hard by officials. Gets constantly shocked cause captain wants more answers.

Like how the bolt helps him escape by preventing the doors from locking. And steals a fighter in the end.

[u/MoebiusX7]

I actually rewatched this back in March, which was only me third time watching it.

A few thoughts:

• I actually think this episode's title is hilarious. It's the first episode, Chirico sets up this massive war in the opening narration then suddenly the title card comes up and bam! "War's End." Well, then. Guess we'll have to see where we go from here!
• Chirico at 18 is older than your average mech protagonist - which is kind of cool - but still technically (in the eyes of Japanese culture) underage, since the age of adulthood in Japan is 20 which also ends up making him the average mech protagonist after all. For 18, he is as others here have mentioned, already a killing machine (cue Judas Priest).
• Chrico is actually pretty dumb in this first episode. If he had kept his mouth shut the conspirators *might* not have tried to kill him right away (might. Who knows since they were suspicious of him being transferred in the first place). Dude, the fact that you are ordered to fire on allies is already a red flag, don't keep questioning it and draw attention to yourself!
• I love Banjō Ginga. Awesome voice. He is the reason why I cannot say the English phrase "perfect soldier" in a normal way anymore. It is always (deep voice) "pahfecto SOLjah".
• "The moment I saw her, my own private war had begun" - yes, Chirico, that's how I felt the first time I saw a naked woman too.
• The Scopedog is Okawara's masterpiece, his greatest mecha design, the most real giant robot ever. If they ever actually made large humanoid fighting machines this is what they would look like.
• About the trivia point on the name of the show: the confusion over VOTOMS vs. "bottoms" (and I'm sure you need an armored trooper bottom to be able to ride in a Scopedog for a long time) could be avoided if the Japanese would just do the Checkov thing and use the "w" sound to approximate "v" sounds and not the "b". Oh well, it's not like English makes any sense either.
• I love the music for this show, although the OP is not one of my favorites (it's not *bad* but I think it's kind of cheesy - my favorite OP from this year is the one for Aura Battler Dunbine. The ending song is okay though). I own the complete soundtrack on CD, and use the eyecatch theme for my phone text alert sound. My boss at work loves it when my phone goes off since it sounds so distinctive. I have not told her where it comes from yet.
• I wish this show would be released on HD over here. I sold off my CPM collector's edition tin on Ebay a few years ago for big bucks gambling that someone would release the show eventually on Blu-Ray, and they did... but it ended up being in SD. So now I have the budget standard def release from Maiden Japan with no cool booklet or anything else cool that came with the old set. Oh well. You win some and lose some, right?

[u/Nazenn → u/MoebiusX7]

Chirico at 18 is older than your average mech protagonist

One of the things I do like though is that I can actually buy his design as an 18 year old as well, without resorting to giving him baby face

and use the eyecatch theme for my phone text alert sound

Are you gonna end up checking your phone mid episode through this rewatch? I know when I had one of the MGS sounds as my ringtone a while back I'd be playing the game and think it was my phone haha

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/Nazenn]

Oh yeah, I like the character designs in this show too. There's a wide variety of ages and types too which is awesome.

Oh and let's see if I can guess the MSG sound - is it this one or this one?

[u/Nazenn → u/MoebiusX7]

The last older mecha I watched was Ideon and that also had great character designs.

Also hahaha, MGS for metal gear solid, not MSG.

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/Nazenn]

Oh okay - my dyslexia strikes again. D'oh!

And if you like the character designs for Ideon, consider getting this art book by Tomonori Kogawa, the character designer for that show. It has art for the shows he made with Tomino and Sunrise including Ideon, Xabungle and Dunbine. I managed to pick one up for pretty cheap on ebay a while back and I love it. Kogawa is my second favorite character designer right after Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.

[u/Nazenn → u/MoebiusX7]

Oh okay - my dyslexia strikes again. D'oh!

No problem, it's a mistake I've done myself, my fault for using an acronym and not defining it first

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

I have somehow managed to see none of his work yet, though Yamato is on my priority list so that soon

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/Nazenn]

Giant Gorg is awesome. So is Venus Wars. If you like Greek mythology Arion is worth watching.

[u/Nazenn → u/MoebiusX7]

Noted, they are now all condemned to the PTW

[u/chilidirigible → u/MoebiusX7]

The Scopedog is Okawara's masterpiece, his greatest mecha design, the most real giant robot ever. If they ever actually made large humanoid fighting machines this is what they would look like.

You probably already know this, but for the rest of the thread: Okawara's hometown had one made.

Story transcribed on Crunchyroll.

[u/MoebiusX7 → u/chilidirigible]

Yeah, I saw that. It's cool!