One of the very few great mecha classic of the 80s.  Personally, I never watched it.  Or should I say never the chance to watch.  It was never broadcasted in my home country.  I don’t know for what specific reasons it’s left out.  It’s an utter shame as sources indicated to me that the series was so good that it’s ranked the same level of outstanding recognition as Gundam and Macross achieved.  After reading them, I’m guessing they’re right.

It’s that nostalgically good.

Series’ them said to be more futuristic. It’s heavy militaristic material that many fans didn’t find that most appealing.  Rather they would go for something less realistic but more emphasis on fantasy-like elements ie like mixing a bit of super robot characteristics into the real robot series.  And it’s true.  Many prefered that.  At least that’s what I’m aware of, after reading a few forums around.  Anyhow, here’s what I’ve gathered from Wikipedia.org and MyAnimelist.com.

Synopsis

The series followed a main character named Chirico Cuvie (Kiriko Kyuubi), a former special forces Armored Trooper pilot and former member of the Red Shoulder Battalion, an elite mecha force used by the Gilgamesh Confederation in its war against the Balarant Union—both interstellar nations within the distant Astragius Galaxy. Gilgamesh and Balarant had until recently been locked in a century-old galactic war whose cause was long ago forgotten. Now, the war is ending and an uneasy truce has settled.

Chirico Cuvie is suddenly transferred to a unit engaged in a suspicious mission, unaware that he is aiding to steal secrets from what appears to be his own side. Chirico is betrayed and left behind to die, but he survives, is arrested by the Gilgamesh military as a traitor, and tortured for information on their homeworld. He escapes—triggering a pursuit extending across the entire series, with Chirico hunted by the army and criminals alike as he seeks the truth behind the operation. He is driven to discover the truth of one of the objects he was assigned to retrieve in that operation: A mysterious and beautiful woman who would become his sole clue to unraveling the galactic conspiracy.

The main characters of the series take their names from the Greek alphabet. Chirico, (Japanese transliteration, “Kiriko”), is from the Greek letter “chi” (Χ). Fyanna (Fuiana) is from Greek letter “phi” (Φ), and Ypsilon (Ipushilon) from the Greek letter “upsilon” (Υ).

Here’s the opening theme video.

Characters:

“As the central character around which Votoms revolves, Chirico Cuvie is haunter by two pasts – one he cannot remember and another he cannot forget. He has no memory of his life prior to his 10th year, in which he lived on the planet Sunsa with adoptive parents who found him in a refugee center and were studying his unusual healing abilities – until they were killed in the first of many enemy invasions. Chirico witnessed their deaths, and survived burns that would have killed an ordinary human … but over the subsequent years, he proved himself to be far from ordinary. Enlisting in the Melkian army as an Armored Trooper pilot, Chirico distinguished himself in many battles against the Balarant and was transferred at age 16 to the elite Red Shoulder Battalion. There, he was scrutinized by the commanding officer, Colonel Yoran Peruzen. Peruzen had been watching Chirico for many years, and had become convinced that Chirico’s miraculous recuperative powers made him unkillable; a supreme survivor. After nearly ending Peruzen’s life, Chirico was thrown into the final battle of Sunsa. He wasn’t supposed to survive it … but he did. This was the battle that brought the Hundred Years War to an end, and the Red Shoulder Battalion was disbanded soon after. In the last ditch effort to rid himself of Chirico, Peruzen transferred him to General Albert Killy’s rogue unit for the raid on Lido. Killy’s men were instructed to kill Chirico during the operation, but Chirico’s unusual abilities made him more difficult to eliminate than anyone could guess. Caught up in events completely beyond his control, however, Chirico became a renegade – haunted both by Killy’s agents and the Melkian army. Waiting only to uncover the lies and conspiracies that surround him, Chirico makes his way across the galaxy to find him destiny. His incredible stamina and resourcefulness are the result of his unknown heritage. When this truth is uncovered, nothing will ever be the same again.” “Beautiful and mysterious, she is at the center of the conspiracy that nearly cost Chirico his life on Lido. She is many things to many people, and her evolution through various identities changes her from a living weapon to a human being. As “Proto-One,” she is the deadly killing machine she was designed to be as the first Melkian Perfect Soldier. As “The Phantom Lady,” she is a figure of mystery on the streets of Uoodo City. Chirico later gives her the name “Fyana,” and from that point she begins to develop as a person with genuine emotions. Genetically engineered by the Melkian army, her enhanced fighting abilities make her as deadly as she is captivating. What no one could have foreseen, however, was that when she first awoke in Lido and saw Chirico, her destiny would be forever linked with his. From Lido, she is abducted by the Secret Society and later sent against Chirico in battle. When she meets him face to face for the second time, she feels a strong attractions to him which eventually inspires her to defect from the Secret Society and join him on the run.”

“Her dependency on the radiation of jijirium for re-energization leads to dangerous conditions when she cannot find appropriate regenerative facilities, but when in top from she is an excellent, refined soldier, highly skilled in many forms of combat. As indicated by his codename, Ypsilon is the second Perfect Soldier, having been “born” after Proto-One. She was with Ypsilon during his awakening in the underground sections of the former Red Shoulder base on Melkia. She gave him his name, and he formed an immediate attachment to her as would a child to its mother. She first attempted to teach him gentleness, but his pre-programmed killing nature emerged despite this, much to be pleasure of Albert Killy and the other masters of the Secret Society. Under the later tutelage of Borough and Prince Kanjelman in Kummen, Ypsilon matures as a warrior. His genetically-engineered combat skills are honed to perfection, and unlike Proto-One, he remains fiercely loyal to his commanding officers. Emotionally, however, Ypsilon is still very much a child. Arrogant and egocentric, he sees himself as the ultimate in human evolution. From his first encounter with Chirico Cuvie, Ypsilon becomes obsessed with killing him, convinced that Chirico has poisoned the mind of Proto-One … and only his death will end her “confusion” about whom she really loves. This obsession increases from one bloody battle to another throughout Kummen and all the way to their final showdown on Sunsa.”

“Coconna grew up as an orphan in Uoodo City, managing to hold onto her innocence despite the crime and corruption of the streets. She tags along with Gotho and Vanilla, constantly looking for her own profit margin and throwing in her services whenever she can. She develops a searing crush on Chirico early in the series and often has to push her reluctant companions to help him when he is in trouble. Her brashness (and screeching volume) tests everyone’s patience until later episodes when she becomes useful despite her constant complaining and argumentative nature.”

Mecha Units

ATM-09-ST Codenamed ScopeDog. One of the mass-produced medium-class armored mech used by Gilgamesh Confederation to beat the Balarant Union.

ATM-09-SA Codename Scopedog II.  An upgraded version of Scopedog 1.

There’s still a lot about Votoms I don’t know really know. So this is by far the most incomplete Armored Trooper Votoms I could compile. So there’s more to contribute here in the future.

While the new Votoms trailer release is under way, let us give ourselves a recap on Votoms TV series.

It’s a strange fact. But…

I never actually get to watch the series during the 80s. They must have been broadcasted in other countries but never in my back to my home country of Malaysia…. Or perhaps it never occurred to me that it was broadcasted for a long while and I wasn’t even aware of it.

Whatever the reason was, I’m glad to know it’s available for Generation Mech fans like us to get use to remembering what the series ever looked like actually….

So here’s the video footage of the series for those who wish to recap…

The original opening.

Whilst I went online reading more about this, I encountered this detailed info from online American otaku site.

In U.S. anime fandom, many point to Mobile Suit Gundam (whichever incarnation may be currently available) as the premiere series combining politics and mecha combat. However, for nearly as long, though not quite as popular, there has been a franchise in Japan that is very extensive and more focused on the ground aspects of mecha combat, while often telling pretty good stories to boot. That franchise is Armor Trooper Votoms, which originally started as a 52 episode TV series and has since spun off into several side stories. Although the primary focus of the Import Report section is meant to look at new shows not released in America, the current show in question is geared towards long-time followers, so we’ll take a look at the original series which has been released here as a primer for the current installment.

Armored Trooper Votoms

The series takes place in the distant future, when humanity has spread to various parts of the galaxy. The story begins at the tail end of a hundred year-long war between the Gilgamesh and Balarant star systems which has devastated population and resources. The emergence of robotic suits called VOTOMs (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense and Maneuvers) changed the course of the war and an uneasy cease fire was eventually reached.

It is at this point we are shown a group of Gilgamesh soldiers in Votoms breaking into a military space station. One of them, Sgt. Chirico Cuvie, is following orders to the best of his ability having just transferred to this particular unit. Chirico is a bit horrified to discover the station belongs to HIS OWN army, but he continues to follow orders. When he asks about the true objective of the mission, the rest of the squad simply tells him to stand guard after the initial break-in, and cut off his frequency. Through a series of mishaps, Chirico winds up in an empty chamber where a single capsule is stored. The capsule opens to reveal a strange glow surrounding a nude female, who instantly turns to stare at Chirico. It’s at this point the rest of the squad appears, saying the capsule is their true objective. Chirico is ordered back outside, but just as he leaves, one of the squad leaves a bomb in his path and the resulting explosion knocks him out.

Chirico wakes up in an interrogation chamber where he’s being repeatedly tortured and asked about the break in, as well as something called “The Prototype.” He tells all he knows about the squad’s activities, but can’t convince the inquisitor that he knows nothing more. The inquisitor, Captain Rochina, decides to take the prisoner back to his homeworld Melkia for further interrogation. Chirico is less than happy to be there since ¾ of the population has been wiped out and the dejected survivors have crowded in a place called Voodo City.

Chirico endures all manners of suspicion, betrayal, and recaptures over the course of this story arc. He eventually gains a small set of friends but not without emotional and physical cost, having to deal with enslavement in a labor camp, arena mech combat, and a large bounty offered for his capture or death, not to mention former squadron members who’d like to silence him forever.

This struggle is part of the reason I’ve grown to like Armored Trooper Votoms. They don’t make mech shows like this anymore. Hell, they didn’t even make them much in the 80’s when this was made. Many of them followed the plot model of Mobile Suit Gundam, focusing on teens who were finding themselves and trying to get better or more powerful as the series progressed. Chirico though is an established soldier who demonstrates skill and resourcefulness right from the start. He’s a bit fallible but fights through his troubles with conviction. As I experienced this story, I really wanted to see him get to the bottom of the conspiracy around him and get revenge. Chirico doesn’t have time to do the angsty whining bit; he’s too busy kicking ass. Casual viewers might dismiss Votoms as just another big robots anime, but focus and development of the main character instead of his weapons is what makes this a compelling show.

I also liked how the mech combat is done differently than many similar series of that decade. In works like Aura Battler Dunbine and Heavy Metal L-Gaim, pilots would battle each other and become practically invincible in their special suits, absorbing all kinds of damage with not much consequence. Votoms works completely the opposite way in that ground soldiers will simply see a mech as just one big target they can destroy with 3 or 4 well placed shots, and a suit’s longevity will depend on the skill of its pilot. Outside of Mobile Police Patlabor, I can’t think of any other anime which treats combat mecha in this way, as this adds an element of vulnerability to the harsh world series creator Ryosuke Takahashi (SPT Layzner, Gasaraki, Hi No Tori) put together here.

I got to reading a bit more about that world in the extras section of the disc, where PDF files on the DVD-ROM section were placed. Combined with the informative director’s commentary on, I was satisfied with the background materials this set provided (Thank you, Tim Eldred!), though I would’ve liked to have seen clean opening and closing sequences on here such as other importers have placed on their classic anime collections. This is honestly a minor quibble though.
I also liked the video and subtitle quality of the episodes. It’s especially nice when you consider the first time Central Park Media released Votoms on DVD (with assistance from Image Entertainment), they placed 3-4 episodes per disc, the video quality (though decent) had no real enhancement, and the subtitles were larger and hard coded on the picture. This re-mastered version you are reading about places 13 episodes on 2 DVDs, but with bolder picture coloring and removable subs. The audio remains the same, but this is good in my view because of late, when audio has been redone on classic anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Robotech, the foley have been completely changed to weak-as-hell modern effects completely different from the 80’s originals. So in terms of overall presentation, I have to say CPM did some pretty nice work with this set.

Source: Otaku US Magazine

Image Sourced from HB.qq.com

Within less than 3 weeks to go before its official release date, I ran into this Chinese post a while back.  It’s about how they expressed their view of bringing the good ole’ classics back into the TV sets.  Back to where it all began!

Here’s excerpt of the chinese article of what the article said.

From leading film production company, Cinematoday news, comes a television broadcast of classic mecha series lasted “Armored Cavalry Votoms” (1983 – 1984), which is recently released.   Its works are done and overlooked by Takahashi Ryosuke, Igarashi Purple Zhang, heavy Tiandun Division, Otsuka Tian Ting-style animation and other key staff fully played.  Serving as the main animation direcotyr Mr. Tsukada, who’s also the co-producer for  “Armored Cavalry Votoms Case: IRVINE“, “Votoms Viewfinder” and “Armored Cavalry Votoms“.  These three works will still be based on the original animated view of its original animation works, in the past based on the story that are not part of Jiemi further decryption. However, it will be part of the series  series of that represents a whole new dimension of depth that they’ve never done before, and the audience will find this very engaging and are eagerly looking forward to the show. The crowd get a sense that the old Votoms  production team with its superb production technology and performance techniques are proven to be a promise for audience to appreciate all the elements of human emotions that are moving and uplifting (which they originally wanted to do in the first place).

Source: HB.qq.com

Just read exciting news!

Sunrise is going to bring back one of the great 80s classic mecha anime show back into this modern century.

Armored Trooper Votoms is here! THEY’RE BACK!

A new promotional video of this classic series is out!

And after a while, I was browsing for it on Youtube yesterday…  And lo and behold, I found it!

This is fantastic! And with only less than 30 days to go, it’s going to be one heck of an exciting ride to relive the essence of 80s great anime classics!!^^

Source: ANN.com, Youtube.com