is a 1983
Mecha anime
Mecha, also known as giant robot or simply robot, is a genre of anime and manga that feature mecha in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; " super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and " real robot", where ...
television series produced by
Sunrise
Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon.
Terminology
Although the S ...
, loosely based on
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's novel ''
Deux ans de vacances'' (Two Years' Vacation).
It was officially drafted by
Yoshiyuki Tomino
is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the ''Gundam'' anime franchise.
Early life and family
Tomino was born on November 5, 1941, in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, to an old family of regio ...
, the creator of ''
Mobile Suit Gundam
, also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...
'' and planned by both
Takeyuki Kanda (who also serves as its director) and Hiroyuki Hoshiyama. It aired at both
MBS
MBS may refer for:
People
* Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
* Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia
* Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...
and
TBS from October 21, 1983, to September 8, 1984.
Plot
In the far-flung future of 2058, hostile alien forces (collectively known as the "Astrogaters") attack the human colony at Clayad, the third planet of the Ypserlon system, which is located 43
light year
A light-year, alternatively spelled light year (ly or lyr), is a unit of length used to express astronomical distance, astronomical distances and is equal to exactly , which is approximately 9.46 trillion km or 5.88 trillion mi. As defined by t ...
s away from Earth. Because of this, the colonists on Clayad are evacuated from the planet by the human military. During the confusion, some of the human children become stranded from their parents and escape in the training combat space ship, the Janous. With the help of the ship's defense systems, they manage to arrive at Belwick, the fourth planet of the system, where other humans supposedly live. However, upon arriving they discover that the colony at Belwick had already been destroyed by the enemies too. Learning to pilot the VIFAMs and other mecha, the 13 children decide to escape to
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
by themselves.
On their way to Earth, they discover a damaged alien ship piloted by a friendly Astrogater. From him they learn that one of the children is actually an alien as well; their parents have been captured and taken to the Astrogater home planet Kukto's artificial satellite, Tuat. After numerous battles with Astrogaters (or Kuktonians as they call themselves), and receiving some help from Earth military forces, they manage to reach Tuat. One of the children is captured and taken prisoner on Tuat where he learns that there is a rebel faction among the Kuktonians and effects an escape with the help of the imprisoned rebels. After liberating the alien prisoners, the children learn that their parents have been moved planet side to Kukto, where they make an attempt to rescue them.
Characters
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Production
The series was conceived by ''
Gundam
is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks), the franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name "Gundam". The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with ...
'' creator
Yoshiyuki Tomino
is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, songwriter and novelist best known for creating the ''Gundam'' anime franchise.
Early life and family
Tomino was born on November 5, 1941, in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, to an old family of regio ...
and directed by Takeyuki Kanda. It included mechanical designs by artists
Kunio Okawara
is a mecha designer in the Japanese anime industry.
He was born and currently lives in Inagi, Tokyo, where he works out of a studio in his home.
He was one of the pioneering mecha designers in Japan and established the profession of 'mecha des ...
(who previously designed
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
for the ''
Mobile Suit Gundam
, also retrospectively known as ''First Gundam'', ''Gundam 0079'' or simply ''Gundam '79'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Nippon Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Na ...
'' anime series) and
Mamoru Nagano, as well as character designs by the late
Toyoo Ashida (famous for his work in ''
Magical Princess Minky Momo'').
The show's intro theme, "Hello Vifam", was composed and sung by Japanese artist David Mann, with lyrics by Jeanette Mann, and performed by the
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
band TAO. The theme is one of the first Japanese anime title songs written entirely in
English.
''Galactic Drifter Vifam'' premiered in Japan on
Japan News Network's television stations (including
MBS
MBS may refer for:
People
* Mohammed Ben Sulayem (born 1961), president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
* Mohammed bin Salman (born 1985), crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia
* Mohan Bikram Singh (born 1935), Nepales ...
and
TBS) between October 21, 1983, and September 8, 1984.
After the TV series, four OVAs were released. The first two were recaps. The third OVA is a side story that takes place during the TV series. The fourth OVA is an epilogue.
An interquel series, , aired on MBS and several independent stations between March 21, 1998, and October 3, 1998.
The first series was also later re-run in Japan on
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...
on December 23, 2006.
Video game
There was a
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
adaptation,
also entitled ''Ginga Hyoryuu Vifam'', released by
Bandai
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered ...
for the
MSX
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...
computer platform in 1984.
It was an
action game
An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and ...
and
space combat simulator that uses 3D
wire-frame graphics.
The game allowed the player to explore
open space while switching between three monitors, each one displaying a different perspective. The first monitor displays a
top-down perspective
A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...
used mainly for navigation, the second monitor displays a
first-person perspective which can be used to explore through space or engage enemies in
first-person shooter
A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
combat, and the third monitor is used for servicing the player's mecha.
The game also implemented an early
physics
Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...
where approaching a
planet
A planet is a large, Hydrostatic equilibrium, rounded Astronomical object, astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets b ...
's
gravitational field
In physics, a gravitational field or gravitational acceleration field is a vector field used to explain the influences that a body extends into the space around itself. A gravitational field is used to explain gravitational phenomena, such as ...
pulls the player towards it; if the player gets caught in a
gravity
In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...
field, they must
accelerate out of the gravity field in a close-up view. The game also uses a
radar
Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
that displays the relative positions of the player and enemies as well as the destination.
References
External links
*
Official site*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ginga Hyoryu Vifam
1983 anime television series debuts
1984 anime OVAs
1985 anime OVAs
1998 anime television series debuts
Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming
Mecha anime and manga
Sunrise (company)
Bandai Namco franchises
Real robot anime and manga