Director: Kenji Nakamura.
Starring: Daisuke Namikawa, Maaya Uchida, Ryota Ohsaka, Corey Hartzog, Jessica Calvello, Ty Mahany.
Running Time: 288 minutes
Certificate: 15
Gatchaman first started life way back in the 1970s, and is better known in the west as Battle Of The Planets. There have been many iterations of Gatchaman over the years, ranging from loosely connected anime shows to live-action movies and so on. Therefore you must forgive my ignorance of being absolutely clueless on the franchise with the latest offering, Gatchaman Crowds, being my first exposure to this world.
Set in Tokyo, the series follows a series of superheroes known as Gatchamen, who seemingly protect the world from alien invasions. However, once a new recruit, Hajime, joins the force, things begin to change. Hajime is at first presented as naive, but quickly shows that her bubbly, cute approach to the alien threat may actually be worthwhile. She ends up talking to one of the aliens, and reveals that it is actually a very sweet being. It’s fun to see an established group of heroes have a mirror held up to them so early on, and it offers something very different.
Also unique is the world in which the show is set. Many people are connected via a social networking game which rewards points for helping out people in real life. The app is also used for information sharing, and as an extension of a social life rather than a replacement. This is emphasised by Hajime’s collage group. The unbiased way in which the social media app is presented is thankfully refreshing, and we also see the darker side once an evil alien being abuses it.
The set-up and the universe are great, but some of the main characters let the show down. Especially in the excruciating English language dub. I usually switch tracks between episodes, to get a feel for both versions, but I had to refrain from watching the English dub as Hajime and the main antagonist both had very annoying voice-overs. It also didn’t help that the English language dub stereotypes two of the three crossdressing characters with painfully flamboyant vocals.
For the most part, Gatchaman Crowds is a rather smart look at an exaggerated contemporary lifestyle. Throwing aside superheroics earlier on is a clever move that serves the series well. With bright and bold colours bringing the world to life, and expertly crafted animated sequences, in its Japanese version, the show is truly marvelous.
[usr=4]Gatchaman Crowds is released on DVD and Blu-ray from 27th April.
