Let's Watch: Beast King GoLion!

[rocklobster]

It seems I made a bad choice doing a Let's Watch for Asura Cryin. I'm still doing the thread, but I recently learned that Crunchy Roll and YouTube are now showing Beast King GoLion, the anime World Event Productions bowdlerized and turned into what we know as Voltron: Defender of the Universe. (or at least, the best half of it anyway) This anime will always have a place in my heart because it was the first one I ever saw, although at the time I didn't know what Japanese animation was. All I knew was, it had robot lions turning into a bigger one, and to my 8-year-old mind, that was awesome. When I became a more serious fan, I wanted to know just what the original version was like. Now I have my chance. And so do you, if you decide to participate. We will start on Wednesday. (BTW, I probably won't make too many comparisons between Voltron and GoLion, because I want to consider them completely different.)

[Atria35]

*sad face* I can't do this one. Too many shows up my sleeve, plus we're winding down for Spring Break (tests! Midterms! Some in the same week!). Have fun!

[ShiroiHikari]

I'd do this but I've already seen GoLion and I have a bunch of other series I'm in the middle of. But I might drop in from time to time to make a post.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

This is one of those that I will get around to eventually but not at the moment.

Side note, rock: since this is a let's watch thread, I don't think we have to put anything in spoiler tags. People know what they are getting into when they open threads like this (as if anyone who isn't watching will read). Plus it gets annoying, dragging the mouse over every post.

But yeah, I'll catch up at some point soonish.

[rocklobster]

OK, no spoiler boxes this time.
Episode 1: “Escape from Slave Castle”
In the future, Earth has been ravaged by nuclear war. Survivors are captured by an evil alien race of the Galran Empire led by the ruthless King Daibazaal to work as slaves or fight in a deadly arena. Five captured Earthlings: the fearless Captain Akira “Chief” Kogane, the silent Takashi “Quiet” Shirogane, the strong Tsuyoshi “Hothead” Seidou, the reckless Isamu “Moody” Kurogane and the small but crafty Hiroshi “Shorty” Suzuishi, will attempt to escape the dungeons of Castle Galra before they are again forced to fight in the arena or worse, turned into massive Beastmen monsters.
Thoughts: Ugh. The theme songs are so out of place. I prefer the trumpeting fanfare from Voltron. Gee, Daibazaal kind of reminds me of Caligula. He's even got an outer space version of the "bread and circuses" historians famously criticized Caligula with. I can see why they left this out. And Hiroshi sounds even more girly than he did when we called him Pidge. (For the record, Pidge/Hiroshi was my favorite cast member) Daibazaal's slave ship kinda seems like a more sinister version of Arcadia from Captain Harlock. (Of course, I didn't know they were going for that as a kid. I didn't see Harlock until about a couple years ago.) Part of me actually wishes they kept the dark mood in our version, but alas, the PTC thinks kids can't handle dark stories (though that never stopped Don Bluth during his good period). Oh, and way to spoil things in the ending song's animation.
All in all, not a bad way to start a show.

[ShiroiHikari]

I like the GoLion opening song. It's fun.

The first five or so episodes of this show are surprisingly dark. The Galra are pretty horrible.

[rocklobster]

Ep 2: “The Ruined Phantom Planet”
After escaping Castle Galra, the team crash lands on the mysterious planet of Altea. Inside the ruins of a once beautiful castle, they find the last surviving occupants in former military strategist Raible and the beautiful Princess Fala. With guidance from the ghost of her deceased father King Raimon, the Princess believes these five strangers are destined to uncover the secret of “GoLion” an incredible weapon of defense and the last hope against the Galran Empire.
Thoughts: Is it just me or are the nicknames goofy? Oh, and in our version, Raible was the king in Raimon's place. Is it just me or do the smaller ships remind you of something from Star Trek (They seem like more colorful Romulan Warbirds) And I see what Voltron did: they edited the first part and combined it with this episode for the first part of its five-part pilot. Clever. (Note: sarcasm)Here's something I noticed right away: the robot lions seem to represent the five classical elements. Kinda like Captain Planet.

[ShiroiHikari]

Yeah, the lions each have an element. The weird thing about GoLion is that it seems to be almost sentient. They talk about it like it once moved and acted of its own volition and that's why it was sealed away. Don't they say something about that at the beginning of each episode actually?

[rocklobster]

Yeah, they mentioned that too. And since the goddess looks like an angel, Voltron left that out too.
Episode 3
“A Ghost and the Five Keys”
Under the wicked advice of his mystical advisor Witch Honerva, the evil King Daibazaal sends a Deathblack Beastman monster to the planet of Altea to search for the missing Earthlings. But the team is ready to fight back as they search for the last key to the fifth robot lion of GoLion! Will they find the missing key before the Kingdom of Altea is wiped out once and for all?
Hey, we get our first giant monster for Golion to fight! And Shorty's a ninja? Well, he is quite nimble in this episode. And we get to see our first look at some of the stock footage for forming Golion! Why is it the first time you see this, it looks great, but when they do it the rest of the show, you get impatient?

[rocklobster]

Episode 4: “Resurrection of the Legendary Giant”
Having been seemingly defeated by King Daibazaal’s giant Deathbeast, the GoLion team must regroup and convince Princess Fala’s mice to surrender the last remaining key to form the invincible warrior known as GoLion. When the evil Galrans return to finish the fight, the legendary GoLion returns and the team has brought the Kings Sword Jyuohken with them to finish the fight!
Thoughts: Is it just me or does Fala remind you of the Disney Princesses of old with her ability to talk to animals? Heck, she even vaguely resembles Aurora/Briar Rose from Sleeping Beauty! Now I see why the dub named her that! And I didn't know the lions could be attacked during formation! Did the campy music have to be used as fight music? UGH!

[ShiroiHikari]

If you don't like "campy music", definitely stay away from pretty much every pre-1980s anime series. Especially super robot shows!

Also, lol space mice.

[rocklobster]

Oh I like campy music sometimes. It's just this is a dark show, and I feel the music should match the mood they're going for. If you have campy music and death/destruction, it doesn't really "work."
Episode 5
“Fortress for the New Struggle”
Summary: With the return of GoLion, the universe once again has hope against the evil Galran Empire, but the residents cannot be convinced to join the resistance. Daibazaal sends a new and more powerful Beastman nicknamed “Death Hell” to destroy GoLion once and for all. The battle is on as Princess Fala joins the fight and transforms the decaying Castle Altea into the incredibly fortified Castle Gradam!
Thoughts: If I recall correctly, the castle was part of the toy line that accompanied Voltron. (Yes, there was a toy line. It was the 80's, almost every cartoon had a toy line) It even had the guns and chutes for the pilots to get into their lions. Fala was actually good in this episode. I'm beginning to like her better than her sexist counterpart in our version.

[rocklobster]

Ep 6: Episode 6
“Death of Shirogane the Hero”
Summary: With the Kingdom of Altea restored, the heroes begin to distribute food to the war-torn citizens only to walk into a dangerous trap of the Witch Honerva. Using a Beastman known as Galcia, she manages to kill the Blue Lion pilot “Quiet” Shirogane! How will they battle the monster Galcia without the ability to form GoLion?
Thoughts: Shirogane! NOOOO! OK, time for a rant. Anyone who saw Voltron knows this was dramatically changed in the US version. Shirogane (or Sven as he's known in our version) doesn't die in Voltron. Instead, they hastily tell us in the next episode that he's being healed on another planet. This is something I despise about TV cartoons. Why is it ok for Disney to kill Bambi's mom, or Don Bluth to kill Littlefoot's mom, but we must shield children from the very thought of death if it's a TV cartoon? I mean, for example, look at the Teen Titans' cartoon. The main villain isn't called Deathstroke, he's called Slade because even having "death" in your name is taboo. (Oh and in the original version of the Judas Contract storyline, Terra dies. She's not turned to stone, she DIES!) To me, this is unacceptable. Why? Because death is a part of life, and I don't think children should be shielded from it. You cannot possibly go through life without having someone close to you die. And death isn't always the result of violence, so even that excuse is moot. (Now I understand shielding children from graphic violence, but that's different.)
Anyway, is it just me, or does Shirogane's death seem like a poor excuse for shock value? I mean, we're given next to no background on these characters. I'm sorry, but this isn't one of the most effective death scenes for me. Yes, it's tragic, but I've seen more effective ones, mostly because we got to know the character first. Shirogane's just "the quiet one." And besides, if you look at the ending credits, you already get a spoiler because you never see him in battle gear, you see Princess Fala instead. It ruins the surprise. In fact, he's not in the sequence anywhere!

[rocklobster]

Episode 7
“The Beautiful Princess' Battle”
Summary:With the absence of Blue Lion pilot Shirogane, Princess Fala is determined to learn how to pilot the mighty Robot Lion and take his place alongside the GoLion team! Her returning nanny Ms. Hys thinks otherwise, but her skills will soon be put to the test when Galra General Sadak unleashes a Beastman upon the villagers of Altea!
Thoughts: One of my gripes about Voltron was the fact that the Princess was treated so chauvinistically in a futuristic society. It just didn't seem right to me. I was never one for chauvinism, even as a kid. Oh jeez, she even got spanked? She's a grown woman! God, I hate her nanny. And why is this episode even necessary? As I stated quite a few times, we already know she takes Shirogane's place thanks to the end credits.

[rocklobster]

Go Lion » Episode 8
“Stolen Blue Lion”
A dashing visitor known as Bambara shows up and impresses all but “Moody” Kurogane. The team considers giving him a chance to pilot Blue Lion but when a cobra attack in the night is blamed on King Daibazaal, no one suspects it could originate from this mysterious new stranger whose Galran roots are soon to be revealed…
Thoughts: Another unnecessary episode. Come on! We know Fala is the Blue Lion Pilot. Enough toying with us. What's wrong with having a girl on the team? Every sentai team has one and this is really nothing more than an animated sentai show. I knew the dude was obviously evil. He's got white hair (OK, yes there are good dudes with white hair. But usually white hair=evil: Sephiroth, anyone?) And why does someone never do something about that cat?

[rocklobster]

Episode 9
“Girl of the Land of Evil”
SummaryAn Earth girl names Lisa is rescued by the team after being shot down by the Galran forces. Lisa explains she escaped from Castle Galra which earns “Hothead” Tsuyoshi’s sympathies as he had a sister about her age. It is soon discovered that Lisa has psychic powers and is nothing but a saboteur for the evil Witch Honerva to destroy the Castle Gradam from the inside!
Thoughts: Okay...why is Princess Fala the only person who understands mouse speak? I guess we're going to get into the "Monster of the Week" format for now. I felt sorry for Lisa. You kind of got the feeling that she was an unwitting pawn. If I recall correctly, in the edited version, Lisa didn't sell her soul of course. Can't have a religious reference after all.

[rocklobster]

Episode 10
“Secret of the White Lion”
Summary: A majestic white lion appears to Princess Fala in a dream when she intercepts as the spirit of her mother. When she follows this symbolic creature in real life she finds herself at the mercy of the with Honerva who transforms the lion into a Beastman named Lian which traps the rest of the team as well. Can Raible and Hys save the day inside the Blue Lion?
Thoughts: Let's just hope that Hys doesn't make a habit of this day-saving thing.
The last thing we need is her going action nanny.

[rocklobster]

Episode 11
“The Red Rain of Hell”
Summary:A deadly rain of blood soaks the Alteans who panic at this apocalyptic symbol as it triggers a river of flames which the lions of GoLion must extinguish. This leads to a hostage stand-off situation where “Shorty” enlists the help of a village child to fool General Sadak and rescue the rest of the team who must battle a giant Deathbeast known as Guirus.
Thoughts: Looks like Emperor Daibazzal might be finally realizing the "make my monster grow" strategy only goes so far. Here's another episode that's making me wonder why WEP thought this would be a good idea to dub. Oh well.

[rocklobster]

Episode 12
“Evildoing of the Emperor”
Summary:King Daibazaal has conquered the planet of Jarre forcing the inhabitants to create a statue honor of his 500th birthday. When two young slaves escape to Altea, the GoLion team spring into action and must battle twin Deathbeasts and attempt to liberate the planet from the grip of the Galra Empire.
Man, forcing the inhabitants to erect a statue. Ego much?

[rocklobster]

Episode 13
“Introducing Beautiful Honerva”
Summary:Princess Fala’s aunt, Queen Elena has seemingly returned to Castle Gradem but with a colder personality than Raible remembers. The mice are suspicious as well and when the with Honerva’s demon cat Jaga shows up they realize it is a trap. Can Shorty and the team convince Fala in time before she is assassinated?
Thoughts: I try so hard to like Fala, but it doesn't always work. Oh sure, when she's in Blue Lion, she's a pretty competent pilot, but she tends to pick up the idiot ball. Doesn't she realize how intuitive those mice are?

[rocklobster]

Episode 14 “The Crown Prince of Hell”
Summary:After numerous failures by General Sadak, Emperor Daibazaal is about to execute the failed commander when Daibazaal’s son Prince Sincline returns from his bloody conquests of other planets. Sincline is disturbed by rumors of GoLion’s return and goes to attach Altea directly but is quickly infatuated by the beauty of Princess Fala. Sincline takes on Kogane in a one-on-one battle as Sadak is turned into a Deathbeast and attempts to destroy GoLion himself!
Thoughts: Hey it's Prince Lothor! I loved this villain! So that's what his real name was: Sincline. Get used to this guy folks. He's much better than Daibazzal in my opinion.

[rocklobster]

Episode 15
Episode 15: “Give Me Your Princess”
Summary:Princess Fala has been training inside Black Lion as she attempts to earn the respect of the other GoLion team members. Meanwhile, Prince Sincline launches an all out attack, demanding Altea surrender Fala or be destroyed. Fala surrenders herself to Sincline to avoid his wrath on her people but is rescued by Kogane who is injured in the battle. But will the team be able to destroy the Beastman “Blockgod” and defend against the Galran onslaught?
Thoughts: Man, Prince Sincline's quite the lech. I'm surprised they were able to get some of his actions past the radar back in the day. If I recall, they did show him with his harem in our version too.

[rocklobster]

Episode 16
Summary:“The Legendary Bridge of Love”
Princess Fala must choose one of the boys to reenact a celebration of the legend of a “love bridge” which connected the kingdom of Altea and Helena. “Hothead” gets the nod but the ceremony soon becomes a battle as Prince Sincline is determined to run the festivities with his Deathbeast “Galgo”. Will Princess Fala become another trophy in Prince Sincline’s harem?
Thoughts: Personally, I always shipped Fala/Aurora with Kogane/Keith. And when will Sincline take a hint? I also like the fact that now the different lions have fight songs. We've heard one for the Black Lion and now one for the Blue Lion.

[ShiroiHikari]

Sincline will NEVER take a hint. The guy is pretty much insufferable the entire time.

[rocklobster]

Considering the way he tends to treat women, that's probably a good thing for Fala.
Episode 17: “Challenge from Space”
[Summary] Planet Altea has long-standing rivalry with Planet Heracles that turns deadly when King Heracles conspired with Emporer Daibazaal to join forces and destroy Planet Altea. Heracles offers up his strongest son, Samson, to be turned into a Deathbeast and destroy GoLion. But during the battle, Sincline betrays Heracles and becomes infatuated with Princess Amue who bears a striking resemblance to Fala, and captures her. Her brother Prince Alor seeks the GoLion’s help in rescuing her and taking down the Galra Empire once and for all.
Thoughts: Kinda surprised there was no "princess switch" plot this time. This would've been a perfect one for it. And that sure was a surprise that the Jyuhoken didn't work!

[rocklobster]

Episode 18“Footsteps in the Forest of Fear”
Summary:Emperor Daibazaal is near death and the only cure, according to Honerva, is with the blood of a young girl. Prince Sincline goes to Altea and corners Fala by transforming the forest into monstrous trees which combine into a Beastman named Treeder who battles GoLion. Sincline decides to put his father out of his misery by offering him a poisonous formula but will it work?
Thoughts: Sincline, you sly dog. Just too bad your plan didn't work. But did you have to take it out on that poor scientist? Don't you know how hard it is to find good henchmen?

[rocklobster]

Episode 19: “The Mystery of Ghost Castle”
Summary:An earthquake on Altea reveals a legendary hidden castle which Shorty is sent inside to investigate where he finds some frightened local children. When Honerva’s cat Jaga is spotted inside the group realizes it’s all a trap! It’s up to Kogane and the rest of the GoLion team to stop Honerva and take down the Beastman!
Thoughts: Shorty, just because your kid-sized doesn't mean you have to put kids in danger. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. And what do you know, Green Lion has a fight song too!

[rocklobster]

Episode 20: “Goodbye, Earth”
Summary:The GoLion team defies Raible and returns to Earth only to find it a shell of its former self and hours away from total destruction. Prince Sincline attacks them on Earth and almost succeeds only to be thwarted by Princess Fala. After the destruction of Earth and a battle with Beastman Batolda, Fala encourages them to think of the Planet Altea as their new home.
Thoughts: Gee, this is what happened to Earth in the future. Why am I not surprised. This was a good episode, actually.

[rocklobster]

Episode 21: “Altea's Sister Planet”
Summary:A captured Princess Amue is determined to escape from Sincline’s dungeon. With some help from the GoLion team she is able to but things get complicated when Honerva disguises herself as Amue which leads to a prisoner exchange with Princess Fala. It’s up to Kogane to brave a blizzard and take on Sincline himself!
Thoughts: It was nice to see Amue again. And I was wondering when the Princess Switch trope was going to occur. It's interesting that the Blue Lion doesn't seem to care who pilots it.

[rocklobster]

Episode 22: “Phantom Space Flowers”
Summary:Mysterious seeds fall from above and cause the Altean people to become deathly ill. Doctor Gior confirms the cure lies on the Planet Amazon. Moody takes the Blue Lion to the planet where he inadvertently offends the native princess Aimee and has to battle the King of the Amazons and a Galra trap set by Honerva and Sincline! Will Moody be able to survive and save both planets?
Thoughts: Oh brilliant. Send the tempermental pilot to handle the negotiations. I'm kidding. I thought this was a good episode. It's about time they gave the spotlight to Moody.