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is a Japanese
military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters who are members of a military organization involved in military a ...
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
series produced by
Nippon Sunrise , previously and still famously known as Sunrise Inc., is a Japanese animation studio founded in September 1972 and is based in Ogikubo, Tokyo. Its former names were also Soeisha, Nippon Sunrise and Sunrise Studio. Its primary division, , is ...
, created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi and featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi's previous series, '' Fang of the Sun Dougram'', ''VOTOMS'' continued the trend towards hard science in the
mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the mean ...
anime subgenre. The series was supplemented by numerous
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA ...
releases, and also inspired a number of spin-off works whose media ranges from serialized
light novels A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language ...
to
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. The TV anime was originally licensed by the now-defunct Central Park Media who released the series on DVD and VHS. Currently, it is licensed by Maiden Japan, a unit of Section23 Films, who also released all OVAs other than ''Armor Hunter Mellowlink''.


Plot

In the Astragius Galaxy, the Gilgamesh and Balarant nations had until recently been locked in a century-old galactic war whose cause was long ago forgotten. Now, the war is ending and an uneasy truce has settled. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper, a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. Both the Armored Troopers and their pilots are also known as VOTOMS (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS). However, since Armored Troopers have extremely thin armor, and use a highly combustible liquid in their
artificial muscle Artificial muscles, also known as muscle-like actuators, are materials or devices that mimic natural muscle and can change their stiffness, reversibly contract, expand, or rotate within one component due to an external stimulus (such as voltage, cur ...
, their pilots have a very low chance of survival, and are commonly referred to instead as "Bottoms", the lowest of the low ("Votoms" and "Bottoms" are written and pronounced the same way in Japanese). The series follows a main character named Chirico Cuvie, a special forces Armored Trooper pilot and former member of the Red Shoulder Battalion, an elite force used by the Gilgamesh Confederation in its war against the Balarant Union. Chirico is suddenly transferred to a unit engaged in a suspicious mission, unaware that he is aiding to steal secrets from what appears to be his own side. Chirico is betrayed and left behind to die, but he survives, is arrested by the Gilgamesh military as a traitor, and tortured for information on their homeworld. He escapes, triggering a pursuit extending across the entire series, with Chirico hunted by the army and criminals alike as he seeks the truth behind the operation. He is especially driven to discover the truth of one of the objects he was assigned to retrieve in that operation: a mysterious and beautiful woman who would become his sole clue to unravelling the galactic conspiracy.


Development

Ryōsuke Takahashi conceived of VOTOMS after watching the American film '' Junior Bonner'', in which the main character travels across towns performing rodeo shows, which gave Takahashi the idea of creating a story in a post-war setting, with mechs fighting each other for sport. Although several authors have noted similarities between Chirico and Steve McQueen, who played the main character in ''Junior Bonner'', Takahashi stated that Chirico was not modeled after anyone in particular.


Anime


''Armored Troopers VOTOMS'' (TV series)

A 1983 52 episode anime television series.


Cast

* Hozumi Gōda as Chirico Cuvie * Kazuko Yanaga as Fyana *
Kōsei Tomita was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo Prefecture who was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab. He voiced Doraemon in the first half of the original 1973 '' Doraemon'' series. He voiced Shunsaku Ban, also known as M ...
as Bouleuse Gotho *
Yōko Kawanami Yoko may refer to: People * Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko * Yoko Gushiken (具志堅 用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer * Yoko Taro (横尾 太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game ...
as Coconna * Shigeru Chiba as Vanilla Vartla * Issei Masamune as Ru Shako * Kyonosuke Kami as Ypsilon * Yūsaku Yara as Maj. Gimual Iskui * Kenichi Ogata as Maj. Serge Borough, Albert Killy * Akio Nojima as Aaron Schmittel * Issei Futamata as Gurran Schmittel *
Shunji Yamada is a Japanese former actor, voice actor and narrator from Mikasa, Hokkaidō. He switched from going by his real name, Shunji Yamada, to going by Keaton Yamada in the 1980s. He is currently represented by Remax. On December 5, 2020, it was annou ...
as 2nd Lt. Kudal Conin *
Banjō Ginga , sometimes credited as his real name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator who was born in Kofu, Yamanashi. Ginga is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is married to voice actress Gara Takashima. Known for his deep baritone voic ...
as Cap. Jean-Paul Rochina


''The Last Red Shoulder''

is a 50-minute OVA released on August 21, 1985. The storyline takes place after the Woodoo storyline in the TV series. It details Chirico meeting with his old comrades in his old military unit, and their plan to get revenge on General Pailsen.


''The Big Battle''

A 1986 60-minute OVA. Takes place near the end of the series. The storyline features Chirico and his comrades participating in a mecha gladiatorial match.


''The Red Shoulder Document - Origin of Ambition''

, released as just ''Origin of Ambition'' by Maiden Japan, is a 60-minute OVA released in 1988. The storyline serves as a prequel to the main series and especially ''The Last Red Shoulder''. It details Chirico's time in the Red Shoulder elite military unit and his encounters with General Pailsen.


''Armor Hunter Mellowlink''

is a twelve episode
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
action OVA series spinoff of ''Armored Trooper Votoms''. It premiered on November 21, 1988. It takes place in the same universe (and time, and in some episodes, almost the same places) as ''Votoms'', but the two stories are entirely independent of each other. ''Mellowlink'' is the story of a soldier whose unit is sacrificed on the battlefield for reasons unknown. Although he was not meant to survive, the main character, Ality Mellowlink, manages to survive only to be framed for a crime he did not commit. Mellowlink escapes his captors and begins hunting down his former commanding officers, both to get revenge for his dead platoon members and to find out the nature of the conspiracy that led to their death. The series is available for download on Bandai Visual's official website and the Japanese DVD boxset was released on December 6, 2006. The series was previously issued twice on laserdisc, once as six individual volumes, and once as a three-disc box set along with the two soundtracks.


''Brilliantly Shining Heresy''

is a 5-episode OVA series released in 1994. It is a sequel to the original TV series.


''Pailsen Files''

is a 12-episode OVA series that was released from October 26, 2007 to August 22, 2008. It was also released as a feature film on January 17, 2009. It is a prequel to the main series and a sequel to ''Origin of Ambition''.


''Phantom Arc''

, released as ''Genei ~ Phantom Arc'' by Maiden Japan, is a 6-part OVA series that was released from March 26, 2010 to October 27, 2010. It is a sequel to the original TV series and ''Shining Heresy''.


''Case; Irvine''

''Armored Trooper VOTOMS Case;Irvine'' ( ケース;アービン), an OVA that follows the story of Irvine Lester, a repairer of the tank-like robotic Armored Trooper (AT) mecha in the VOTOMS story world.


''Votoms Finder''

''Votoms Finder'' ( ボトムズファインダー), an "
alternate universe Parallel universe often refers to parallel universes in fiction, a self-contained separate world, universe or reality coexisting with the real world, which is used as a recurring plot point or setting used in fantasy and science fiction. Parallel ...
" OVA that centers around Aki Tesuno, a Bottoms guard for scrap salvagers and a pilot of a robotic mecha called an At or Altro (as opposed to VOTOMS' trademark Armored Trooper mecha).


''Alone Again''

, released as ''Chirico’s Return'' by Maiden Japan, is a 2011 50-minute OVA that serves as sequel to the ''Shining Heresy'' and prequel to the ''Phantom Arc''.


Games


Video games

''VOTOMS'' has appeared in numerous video games since the series' original airing. * X68000: ''Dead Ash'' * PC8801: ''Black Unicorn'' * PC-9801: ''Votoms: The Real Battle'' *
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in ...
: ''Votoms - The Battling Road'' *
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
: ''Blue Sabre Knights'' *PlayStation: ''Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen'' *PlayStation: ''Brave Saga'' (as a guest character) *PlayStation: ''Armored Trooper Votoms Lightning Slash'' *PlayStation: ''Armored Trooper Votoms Steel Force'' *PlayStation: ''Brave Saga 2'' (as a guest character) * Dreamcast: ''Sunrise Eiyuutan'' (as a guest character) * PlayStation 2: ''Sunrise Eiyuutan 2'' (as a guest character) * WonderSwan: ''Harobots'' (as a guest character) *
Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...
: ''GB Harobots'' (as a guest character) *Game Boy Color: ''Brave Saga Shinsou Astaria'' (as a guest character) *PlayStation 2: ''Soukou Kihei Votoms / Armored Trooper Votoms'' *
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...
: ''Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-Hen'' (as a guest character) *PlayStation Portable: ''Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-Hen'' (as a guest character) *PlayStation Portable: ''Super Robot Wars OE'' (as a guest character) *
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
/
PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita, or Vita) is a handheld video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, and in North America, Europe, and other international terri ...
: ''Super Robot Wars Z3: Jigoku-Hen'' (as a guest character) *
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
/
Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a tablet that can either be docked for use as a home console or used as a portable device, making it a ...
: ''Super Robot Wars T'' (as a guest character) For a limited time, the ''Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen'' game included a Red Shoulder Custom model. Chirico also figures in the ''Sunrise Eiyuutan (Sunrise Heroes)'' game for the PlayStation 2.


Role-playing

''VOTOMS'' was a direct inspiration for the '' Heavy Gear''
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
. ''VOTOMS'' also has its own official role-playing game, '' Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Roleplaying Game'', developed by R. Talsorian Games and using the
Fuzion ''Fuzion'' is a generic role-playing game system created by the collaboration of R. Talsorian Games and Hero Games. The rights to Fuzion are jointly held by Mike Pondsmith of R. Talsorian Games, along with Steve Peterson and Ray Greer of Her ...
system.


References


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

*
Episode Synopses
* {{Sunrise OVAs 1983 anime television series debuts 1983 manga 1985 anime OVAs 1986 anime OVAs 1988 anime OVAs 1994 anime OVAs 2010 anime OVAs 2011 anime OVAs Anime with original screenplays Bandai Namco franchises Central Park Media Family Soft games Fictional weapons Kodansha manga Maiden Japan Mecha anime and manga Military science fiction Real robot anime and manga Sunrise (company) Takara video games TV Tokyo original programming Video games developed in Japan Hard science fiction Fiction about space warfare Military fiction