My Cultural Diet

The evil Galactor organization, led by the enigmatic Leader X, is hellbent on taking over the world. The only ones who can possibly thwart their schemes are Gatchaman, aka, the Science Ninja Team, a group of five teens who fight with a mix of martial arts, scientific knowledge, and incredible, bird-themed technology. Given that Gatchaman: The Movie is actually a condensed version of the original 105-episode series, it’s surprising just how coherent it feels. Sure, it’s episodic at times, with Galactor hatching one evil, world-threatening scheme after another, usually involving giant robots of some kind, but that doesn’t make the movie any less enjoyable. Indeed, there’s something very G.I. Joe-esque about it — shadowy terrorist organization with elaborate uniforms led by a megalomaniac, heroes with codenames and unique abilities and tech, etc. — but Gatchaman is far more intense and violent than any cartoon I watched as a kid. People get shot, impaled, and/or sliced up, and nobody ever seems to parachute out of their plane just before it explores. (Not surprisingly, when Gatchaman was released in the States as Battle of the Planets in 1978, it was heavily edited.) Also, there’s no denying that the ’70s animation looks dated and uneven in places, but that doesn’t detract from its charm, and it’s easy to see its influence on later series like Super Sentai, aka Power Rangers.

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