We were your enemies, but at least we were not Nazis.They were also pretty bitter about the A-Bomb too, so despite the evil acts they committed (according to my Mandarin teachers) they never let their defeat settle very well. According to WWE Classics of Demand, it would seem that the Japanese felt victimized when it was all over, hence the evil American gimmicks.
Perhaps it was not a victimization, rather, they were just the losers of a sporting event. This would explain how they rose back to an economic power, and also developed a strong sense of nationalism after a great defeat.
If this is true, it easy to see how they developed animes like Kishin Corps. and Super Atragon to show how the great nation of Japan was never, ever the bad guys.
Volume 1 - Volume 2
Super Atragon is definately an anime made out to be a tale of epic proportions, so it would seem pretty easy to make fun of. By no mean is this a bad mini series despite a character with the name Go (at least for the thrifty Dub fan) may confuse you at some points. It's actually turns out to be something so good that you want to make few wise cracks out of respect to it, especially with the name our hero. There is no way each tape in the series should cost $30 a piece, but it is one that is definitely worth seeing. I also think A.D.V. Films may have played a part in why I bought this by showing a preview for it on every other Neon Genesis Evangelion tape kinda like brain washing.
Zero Hour to Extinction
Is it an early spring for the Southern Hemisphere, or is their the possibility something is melting the South Pole? To find the answer, the U.N. sends an exhibition to confirm the existence of a giant column that is producing microwaves. After the exhibition has been attacked, the U.N. decides to counter attack with two nuclear missiles which proves ineffective. In retaliation, giant ring start attacking the U.N. fleet by crushing them in their center and bending energy beams. Go and Annete are seperated after the counter attack, and Go awakens to see that he aboard a the Ra, a ship that is hidden inside an ice berg. Is this ship the only way to defeat this new enemy, and is Annete even alive after the first attack?
This anime does live up to all the attention given to it. The soundtrack is magnificent, the story does a great job combinig history and modern sci-fi, and the animation is matches the quality of these elements. Of course, the villainess could have been drawn a little better. With every preview I saw I thought she was a guy. Still it does seem to try pushing everything really far which makes it so much fun to give it a little MST3K treatment.
If your not interested in explotion filled sci-fi, the total concentration of the action may not be for you. SA does tries to cater to the audience that needs the total Michael experience. When one examines plot, WWII, unknown, invincible enemy, unusual technology, high body count, for war nuts or RPG fans its something they have to see. For if you like MST3K, you will be able to tolerate it when it goes over the top.
Volume 2
The U.N. Forces and the Ra seem to be trying in vain to stop indivual cylinders from going into space. If they complete a ring around the Earth, microwaves will cook the Earth. Fortunately, the Ra has found is a radio signal that is transmitted to each cylinder to direct it, so if they could lure the roaming source to them they should be able to stop the apocolypse. As they are waiting for the attack and as Annete prepare to face Avitar, Go is told the truth about his grandfather, father, the Ra, Annete, and her rival Avitar who represents a subterainian race that wants to destroy the surface humans. So now the Ra has to deal with Avitar, and the U.N. who refuses to allow the Ra to fight independently.
I don't know if my plot summary makes the episode sound elaborate or simple, but by the end of it, we receive one of the best climaxes to a series ever. Some of the Go Annete relationship is over done. You may want to have a trash can nearby for the under water scene, but it's still done better than any of the physical romance in Titanic (If you want to see James Cameron's best film, see The Terminator). The action sequences are well done with even some HK cinema elements tossed in. The rivalry between Avitar and Annete is almost as good as the one between Guld and Isamu from Macross Plus. The best thing about the series now is that it is now a single video, so now all can see it and give Super Atragon the respect it deserve.
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