''Space Gundam V'' (스페이스 간담브이) (sometimes spelled ''Space Gandam V'') is a South Korean animated film directed by Kim Cheong-gi, released on July 21, 1983. Despite its title, the series is not related to ''

Mobile Suit Gundam , also known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is an anime television series, produced and animated by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting ...

''. It is known for incorporating an unlicensed version of the VF-1J Valkyrie of '' Macross'' fame and the heroic elements of ''

Brave Raideen is a super robot anime series. Produced by Tohokushinsha, Asahi News Agency and Bandai Namco Filmworks, Soeisha (later renamed as Sunrise), it aired on TV Asahi, Nihon Educational Television (now TV Asahi) from 4 April 1975 to 26 March 1976, ...

''. The series is currently available on DVD in South Korea.

Background

During the 1970s and 1980s, the South Korean government implemented a ban on Japanese media, including newspapers, magazines, movies, television programs and

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

. It was within this period that Korean animation was in its infancy. Many examples of early Korean animation incorporated unauthorized uses of Japanese anime characters and likenesses. For example, ''Space Black Knight'' featured characters that looked exactly like

Amuro Ray is a fictional character introduced in Sunrise's 1979 anime series ''Mobile Suit Gundam''. Amuro is a mechanic who becomes the pilot of the mecha known as RX-78-2 Gundam to protect himself from the Zeon forces invading his space colony during the ...

, Char Aznable,

Sayla Mass This is a list of fictional characters from the 1979 Japanese science fiction anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam''. Earth Federation Amuro Ray is the son of Tem Ray, the project leader for the Earth Federation's Project V, whi ...

and

Dozle Zabi This is a list of fictional characters from the 1979 Japanese science fiction anime television series ''Mobile Suit Gundam''. Earth Federation Amuro Ray is the son of Tem Ray, the project leader for the Earth Federation's Project V, whi ...

of ''

''. In ''Space Gundam V'', the protagonist mecha was an unlicensed version of the VF-1J Valkyrie from '' The Super Dimension Fortress Macross''. Unlike the original ''Macross'' version - which portrayed the Valkyrie as a realistic combat mecha, ''Space Gundam V'' was presented as a Super Robot with quasi-mystical powers that battled a villainous entity on every episode. Much like the Super Robot shows ''

Invincible Super Man Zambot 3 is a Super Robot anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yoshitake Suzuki, featuring character design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and produced by Sunrise. It was first broadcast on Japanese TV in 1977. The series lasted for 23 episodes. Stor ...

'' and ''

Trider G7 is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Sunrise that aired from 1980 to 1981. It was also referred to as "''Trider G7''", "''Unchallengeable Trider G7''", "''Tryder G7''", "''Bird Attack Tryder G7''" and "''Unrivaled Robot Tride ...

'', the robot was piloted by a pre-teen boy. Notable villains included a giant rat and a winged devil. ''Space Gundam V'' received international notoriety when clips of the series surfaced on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The series has been commonly panned by anime fans as being a ripoff of ''Macross'', as well as ''Gundam'' due to its name. The show's crude animation has also been the subject of ridicule among viewers.

Toys

The ''Space Gundam V'' toy was a Korean copy of the Takatoku Toys 1/55 VF-1J Valkyrie, right down to the original's box artwork.Macross World Forums - 1/55's revisited
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Background

Toys

References

See also