MovieChat Forums > Kagaku ninja tai Gatchaman (2005) Discussion > Berg Katse (SPOILER)

Berg Katse (SPOILER)

posted 18 years ago by TheSolarSailor
30 replies | jump to latest

Well, we all know the plot that unfolds around Berg Katse, that he was actually twins at birth merged into one being by Leader X. As a result, he has the ability to morph back and forth between genders, seemingly becoming completely male or completely female at will. He is known as the Lord of Galactor, but also as the mysterious female commander, as well as being able to impersonate other females effortlessly.

I just find the whole idea fascinating...not due to the subject matter, per se, but rather due to the fact that they did this back in 1972! It just seems like a subject matter that would be controversial for childrens programming so long ago, though I honestly have no idea on how Japanes culture viewed such subjects back at that time. I think it obvious that this was a idea the creators had from the beginning, seeing that Berg is seen throughout the series with connections and allusions made to the link between he and the mysterious female commander...not to mention his lip gloss! I would love to know what inspired such a character to begin with, for certainly he was the most memorable villain of all three series, at least according to what I have read about Gel Sadra and Count Egobossler from the following series!

Berg was kind of ruined in the 1994 OVA Gatchaman in my opinion. Seeing that there wasn't time to develope his or anyone elses character, they felt the need to address this plot point simply by making Berg overly feminine. If that is all they could do, I think this plot point should have been dropped completely. As presented, it comes across as a distraction and adds nothing to the story. The dubb makes this evern worse, voicing Berg with a low, effeminiately sultry voice. At least the original Japanese voice didn't do that.

As a child watching Battle Of The Planets, I was always bothered by the episode about the abominable snowman where Zoltar (Berg Katse) gets his mask ripped away and it is revealed that he has long flowing blond hair. It was even speculated that he was really a girl! My all time favorite bad guy couln't be a girl!!!! Of course, this was never elaborated on or addressed further, for such ideas were deemed inappropriate here in America back then. It just left me confused. I was even more confused by the version of him presented in the OVA, but then I finally researched and discovered the true Gatchaman history and everything finally made sense. From that point on, Berg became a far greater villain in my eyes, one with a unique and interesting backstory!

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

Hey DFJ!
How ya been?

I'm currently collecting Gatchaman, based on an interest in those half-remembered Sandy Frank adapted episodes. I remember the long flowing blond hair, and was perversely delighted.

There's another that I seem to remember, where Jason/Joe was seeing the mysterious Spectra/Galactor woman romantically. When it was revealed that she was in fact Zoltar/Katse, he came close to committing suicide. Do you recall anything like this?

I'm only about midway thru the Gatchaman '72 episodes, and I haven't encountered these yet.

Berg Katse isn't the only sexually ambiguous villain in old anime. Star Blazers had Leader Deslokk, who was gradually revealed as gay.

It's great that the American adaptions didn't conceal the truth about these characters, 'tho, given the state of things, I can't imagine why not.

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

I'm afraid the episode you speak of doesn't exist, at least not in the manner you remember it. There were a couple of episodes with Joe and women who were involved with Gallactor; #27, "Gallactor's Witch Racer," and #70, "United! Death Girls." The former features a blond racer named Lucy who was willing to turn over information to Joe regarding the location of Gallactor's Headquarters once they had finished a race. The latter involves a beautiful brown-haired girl named Maya whom Joe is attracted to, but who turns out to be part of Gallactor. What you're remembering might be part of one of these episodes, or elements from both merged together. Neither Lucy nor Maya survive their episodes, and while Joe is saddened by their deaths, he is not driven to near-suicide by either. At no point does Joe have a romantic involvement with the Lady Captain.

Also, Leader Desslok was never "revealed to be gay." The character may have had a voice that was amazingly similar to the one Kaneto Shiozawa used for Berg Katse in the Gatchaman OAVs, but that did not make him gay. As a matter of fact, the Japanese voice for Desler was the more typical deep, gruff voice you'd expect for such a character.

James

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

Sandy Frank Enterprises did not option all of the Gatchaman episodes, and I think that a number of them were fused together to create storylines different from the original.

You're probably right - I remember the Battle of the Planets episodes imperfectly. I am still working my way through the original Gatchaman episodes, and from around Episode 75 onward, I'm noticing a difference in the quality. It's as though they were hitting their stride. I'm at 'Dr Finger' at this point, and I'm really impressed. None of what I'm seeing would have been considered suitable viewing, by American cartoon standards.

Leader Desslok was gay, I'm certain - and I'm unsure why you're not. Perhaps we each saw what we wanted to. It has little to do with effeminate voices, though perhaps the English voice casting was meant to emphasize something more understated in the Japanese.

You're not one of those who think that in order for Alexander the Great to have slept with men, he'd have had to have been a big nelly, are you?

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

Actually, Sandy Frank did option the entire 105 episode Gatchaman series, despite having only used 85 of them in the Battle of the Planets run, and a different set of 85 for the G-Force run. The ADV release came not through Tatsunoko directly, but through Sandy Frank, who did then and does now hold the international rights for all 105 Gatchaman episodes.

If you were to rewatch all 85 episodes of BotP, you would find that, with one notable exception, the episodes did not make use of footage from other episodes to create new storylines. Tne one exception was the episode "Conway Tape Tap," which was supposedly made from Gatchaman episode #101. In truth, only about 13 minutes of that episode made it into the BotP version. The rest was made up of extra long scenes with 7-Zark-7 and the final minutes of the episode "Decoys of Doom" tacked onto the beginning as though we came in right as G-Force was finishing a mission. Yes, the episodes from the latter part of the series that were in the BotP run were edited, and rewritten to make them acceptable to 1978 TV standards, just as they were for the entire run of the series, but they did not cobble together footage from various episodes to create new stories. On the other hand, there are plenty of episodes of Eagle Riders that did just that...

As for Leader Desslok, I know I'm right, you'll believe you're right, and nothing I can say will change your mind. Regarding Alexander the Great, there you're just being insulting, and that deserves no further comment.

James

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

Do you have access to all 85 of the Battle of the Planets? I am aware of only the few released thru Rhino, together with their Gatchaman originals (that was what interested me in the original). Apart from these, I haven't seen an episode of BotP since probably '83. But you seem to be very familiar with them.

I'm not trying to be antagonistic with you - I was just trying to find out where you stand, and why.

Duane

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

Not to speak for him, but he most likely does have them all or has at least seen them. They were available on 8mm film reels that fans possessed back in the day, and they were later spread within the fan community in a bootleg VHS version. About ten years ago, I acquired most of the series on bootleg VHS and they were quite good quality for what they were. There are also plot synopsis listings on various websites that detail the episodes, so if you are familiar with Gatchaman, you can pretty well piece together what episodes were utilized in BOTPs. Pretty much, they were basically parred down episodes and not a mixture. Sabban's Eagle Riders is the series that chopped things up and played mix and match, utilizing scenes from both Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter.

* * * *

OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

Actually, way back when, it was the early days of when VCRs were becoming a common household appliance, and most of the episodes of Battle of the Planets that were available were those that were recorded off-air by various fans. The film transfers that started turning up by bootleg tape dealers didn't come along until much later. Those guys made use of the 16mm prints (Not 8mm) that TV stations were getting rid of when they stopped airing the series. Admittedly, if you could find someone who was closer to the source of the original transfer, you could get some good copies of episodes, in many cases superior to the off-air recordings that had been traded among fans for years, but the trick was finding someone who had a good recording. Of course, these days it's better to simply try to get either the U.K. or Australian DVD releases.

James

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

Well, I threw out those VHS tapes I had of Battle of the Planets, but they were made from the 16mm prints and were good quality (I meant 16 mm in my first post, not 8, LOL). Still, with the episodes on DVD now and the death throws of VHS, I didn't want them anymore.

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

Yes, I do have all 85 episodes of Battle of the Planets, and I've had them for quite some time, as well as all the episodes of the three Gatchaman TV series, the movie, and the OAVs. Unlike many, I am not someone who loved this series as a kid, forgot about it until I was an adult, and am dealing with fragments of memories from the series, and trying to gleen information from various websites. I've been an active fan of this series starting when it was first airing in the 1970s, falling in love with it as a teenager in 1978 and never losing interest. I realize that most fans don't have my background, so I usually try to help by share the information I have when it seems appropriate.

If you have a code-free DVD player, it might interest you to know that the complete run of Battle of the Planets has been released in the U.K. and in Australia. The U.K. set was an all-in-one box, and can be found relatively inexpensively if you do a bit of looking. The Australian release had the series spread over five box sets, and are usually a bit more expensive. The major difference between the content of the two comes in the form of the bonus material. Quite frankly, the U.K. bonus material is awful, and barely worth the time, while the Australian release has the best selection of bonus material released thus far. If it's just the episodes you're after, go for the U.K. release, you'll save money. If you want the episodes and good bonus materials spend the extra and get the Australian release. Of course, if you don't have access to a code-free DVD player, buying either won't do you any good.

James

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

Fortunately, region-free players are easy to come by here. Thank you for the info... though I've become so enamored of the original Gatchaman that I'm not sure I want to go back to BotP.

I'm about to start watching Volume 17, with only one more to go. Tell me, does the series have a resolution at the end?

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

The series resolves quite nicely, but leaves the door open to Gatchaman II. You'll love Volume 18!

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

Actually, I'm a little ill at having seen it. I am unaccustomed to seeing the deaths of characters I've known since I was a kid. I'm still digesting it.

Ken, upon witnessing his longtime adversary's suicide, "Katse."

It's as though he regretted it as much as I.

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

"Actually, I'm a little ill at having seen it. I am unaccustomed to seeing the deaths of characters I've known since I was a kid. I'm still digesting it"

I don't know if Gatchaman II will ever be released here in America or not, but we haven't seen the last of Joe. Even Katse is referred to from time to time.

"Ken, upon witnessing his longtime adversary's suicide, "Katse."

It's as though he regretted it as much as I"

It showed Ken's own compassion and humanity. Regardless of his own rage, he is not a cold hearted killer like Joe is. Remember, Ken felt sorry for Katse after learning the details of the life he had led. He doesn't make excuses for Katse's actions, but at least understands why he became what he did. Also consider what Ken had just witnessed. He just watched Katse be abandoned by what could be considered a parental figure in Leader X. Ken is compassionate, and it makes his character all the stronger.

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

I'm just curious, since you are someone who went into the end of the series cold, without having read about it beforehand on any of the numerous websites for the series, what kind of ending were you expecting? And, now that you've had a couple of days to reflect on the finale, do you feel it was better than, worse than, or about what you expected it to be?

Obviously, there's no wrong answer here, I'm just asking your opinion. Like I said, I'm curious.

James

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

You might well characterize my approach to the series as cold, since all I really remember is BotP (I think the last episodes I watched were around '82). But the ending wasn't altogether unknown to me. I did peek, as it were, at a couple of sites on the web. But actually seeing it happen was different.

I've been thinking alot lately about the way American series in general, and cartoons in particular, are treated, and the way they end. Until Hill Street Blues in the 80's, no major character was ever allowed to die. Series generally suffered the fate of cancellation without resolution. So the Lost in Space Robinson Family remained in limbo; the Enterprises's five year mission went on and on. There's only a couple of examples I can think of where series had an ending: The Fugitive, and The Prisoner. But overall, television viewing without resolution inculcated the impression that beloved characters never died. So you can imagine the shaking up one can get from viewing an uncut anime, where tragedy is an art.

I need to go back and watch the last episodes again. I just haven't returned to it yet.

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] Poisoned_Dragon1964 17 years ago

No remarks, James?

El sueño de la razón produce monstruos.

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

Not really. I asked for your opinion, and you articulated it quite well. I really wasn't looking for a debate, just your views.

You are quite right, though, regarding the way the vast majority of series were left unended prior to the 1980s. Even series that knew they were coming to a close, like the Dick Van Dyke Show, didn't make a specific "finale" like they would have today.

At the time Gatchaman was being produced in Japan, it was still somewhat uncommon for series to have an actual finale, even though the studios knew well in advance when the series were ending. Certainly there were some that produced endings, and they were just starting to become the norm (At least for dramas), but there were still plenty of series that had open-ended final episodes. The idea that you would have what happened with Joe, a main character in the series, was virtually unheard of, hence part of the reason why that ending made such a lasting impact on the audience.

James

[–] In_Correct 12 years ago

jbl-12:

What?! You have the MOVIE?! like the one that was made right before Gatchaman II? Was it ever released in English? I doubt it, but what about subtitles? All right... did they ever release it AT ALL?! If they did, let me know where I can buy a copy. And if I can't find it, could you just send me a copy of yours? I don't mind if it is only in Japanese. I love this series so much it is worth learning Japanese.

This series should have been brought to the U.S. more as-is, and been given many awards for its excellent animation, backgrounds, music, and writing. and not this extreme censorship. This series is VERY educational, and U.S.A. loved education in the 1970s.... but they also thought that censoring violence was much more important, despite no known child ever eating the Cookie BOX, furniture... (I am talking about the movement to put Cookie Monster on a diet, which is actually a RECENT event....isn't that sad that we are still censoring?!) and also I doubt any kid has thrown pianos, safes, and anvils onto people.

I don't mind ADV's exaggerated voice characterization of Katse. Gatchaman's character designs appear to be more western-influenced or at least global influence. ADV simply put voices that matched the characters. The villains often look goofy and it makes sense to have voices that match. All the buck-teethed villains sounded like doofuses. They even did this for background characters, such as a security guard on a ship and also that hippie. Now as for Leader X's voice? I MUCH prefer the original. Katse's voice being less evil-sounding makes him a comic villain which is just as good as a scary villain. Leader X is plenty scary but his ADV voice is more of a "scary" stereotype.

Battle Of The Planets was criticized by religious people for Katse worshiping Leader X? So THAT is why they called Leader X "Computor" in G-Force. lol.

I liked the scene in the last episode when Katse hated being ripped off, that Leader X was taking out all of his frustations on Katse and that Katse could not stand being a mutant anymore. And since Leader X told all of them that Earth was going to be destroyed, the machine could not be shut down, and then he jumped into the lava. I liked when Ken was sympathetic towards him because ...well at first I thought the because they fought each other SO OFTEN, and that BOTH sides were so desperate to rip each other's masks/costumes off to figure out who they were ...that they had almost built a friendship. and another reason why Ken would be so shocked is that if somebody jumps into lava it would certainly surprise me! And Ken also simply realized that Katse was just as much of a victim of Gallactor as anybody else because Leader X was truly malevolent and yet the rest of Gallactor trusted their bosses because they thought that being with Gallactor would give them power but it costed their lives instead.

So Katse was that Ant captain? If I remember correctly Katse did not appear in that episode and the Ant captain did not die in the end. That makes perfect sense that the Ant guy is Katse.

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[–] jbl-12 12 years ago

Hi all!

What?! You have the MOVIE?! like the one that was made right before Gatchaman II? Was it ever released in English? I doubt it, but what about subtitles? All right... did they ever release it AT ALL?! If they did, let me know where I can buy a copy. And if I can't find it, could you just send me a copy of yours? I don't mind if it is only in Japanese. I love this series so much it is worth learning Japanese.

Yes, the movie has been released on home video -- four times legally and several bootlegs that I know of. The first legal release was a Japanese VHD Videodisc release in the mid-1980s (VHD was a disc format similar to, but not the same as, the RCA Selectravision disc format). The second legal release as a 2002 Japanese limited edition release as a bonus premium for people who had bought all 27 DVDs of the Gatchaman TV series and mailed in the proof of purchases from those discs. That release was limited to 1,000 discs. The third legal release was a 2006 Japanese general release on DVD, finally making the movie easily available to fans. It is this release that most of the bootlegs are taken from. The fourth legal release was a 2007 French release of the movie. The French version duplicated the Japanese general release, but included a new French dub of the film along with the original Japanese audio tracks. It also included optional French or Dutch subtitles.

The various bootlegs have usually been made in Taiwan or Hong Kong, and usually have optional Chinese subtitles. There has been no official English language release.

You can find the legal releases on either Amazon Japan or Amazon France, and the bootlegs turn up on eBay regularly enough, if you wish to look for them.

So Katse was that Ant captain? If I remember correctly Katse did not appear in that episode and the Ant captain did not die in the end. That makes perfect sense that the Ant guy is Katse.

Yes, that was Katse in the ant guy costume. That was one of the few times when he wore a different uniform (Another being in episode #7, when he was disguised as 'Katsenberg').

James

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

Hey Poisoned_Dragon. I've been fine...fighting the good fight, haha! I didn't know you shared an interest in Gatchaman, what episodes are you to I too remembered the show through my memories of Battle of the Planets, and was perplexed by the new 1994 OVA about ten years ago when I first accidentally came across it. It was so very different, yet reminded me of that old Sandy Frank favorite from my childhood. It piqued my curiosity about Gatchaman, leading to my becoming a huge fan of the original.

I was very young when BOTP's was on. You know, the whole "eww, girls are gross" days, LOL. Hmm, I never really outgrew that, did I? Anyhow, it really bothered me that they inferred that Zoltar was a girl. That was the equivalent to George Lucas revealing in a Star Wars sequel that Darth Vader was really a woman, turned into a mechanical man! Can you imagine??? It would have been horrible for any kid back in the day, ruining the awesomeness of Vader. Now, I can appreciate the plot for what it is, but it was confusing when I was so young. Ahh, the 1970s!

Keep in mind that the villain, Berg Katse, was also seen in different costumes from time to time, such as the Episode 6 "Galactor's Giant Air Show" as the pilot of that destructive Red Baron-esque pilot, or the Ant Commander in an early episode I cannot recall. Sometimes, the fact that it is really Berg gets lost in translation as they give these different looking characters different voices.

I have never watched much anime, to be quite honest, so I am unaware of other characters who are sexually ambiguous or gay. Whatever the case, I find it amazing that these things are perfectly acceptable in other cultures while being so taboo as children's entertainment here in the states. Was Star Blazers shown here in America and/or did they steer away from such revelations about similar characters. All Battle of the Planets ever gave us was the long blond hair incident and left it at that.

jbl already accurately addressed the issue with Joe and the girlfriend, so I won't repeat it.

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] jbl-12 17 years ago

I'd say there's no argument that Berg Katse was indeed the best of the three villains. Gel Sadra and Egobossler had their merits and were interesting in their own right, but Katse was far and away the more fascinating character!

I've never seen anything that said exactly where the idea for Katse being mutant that could change his gender came from, but I can confirm that they did indeed have this planned from the beginning. In an early outline for the characters, they used various actors as a physical model to give people a rough idea of what the character looked like, and for Katse the model was Kim Novak. They also had the design of the Lady Captain done before the series started, despite the fact that she didn't actually appear until the 29th episode!

I don't believe the mixed gender thing was an much of a big deal in Japan as it would have been here in the states. A cultural difference, I suppose. Regardless, it's not as though they made it a major point throughout the run of the series. It was pointed out as the series went along, certainly, but was only a main plot element in a couple of episodes. And Katse wasn't the only one like that in anime series of the time; in Mazinger Z there was Baron Ashler, who was literally half-man/half-woman, divided right down the middle.

You're right that the OAVs do fall flat when it comes to characterization. I'm sure much of that was due to the time constraints of the format, but it really did reduce all the characters, not just Berg Katse, to cardboard cutouts of their former selves. The OAVs did try to address Katse's ambiguous gender issues by the use of the voice actor who portrayed him. The OAV Katse's actor, Kaneto Shiozawa, was well known for his skills at giving characters slightly effeminate voices, which worked well for Katse. It's a shame that there wasn't enough depth to the rest of the material to give him the support he deserved.

James

[–] TheSolarSailor 17 years ago

jbl, I have watched a few episodes concerning Gel Sadra from Gatcahaman II (I have a VHS bootleg of good quality consisting of episodes 48, 50, 51, and 52, end of series). I can see that she wasn't very interesting until the end, where her origins and connection to Dr. Pandora were revealed. Count Egobossler sounded more interesting, though I have only seen him in the first four episodes of Gatchaman Fighter, hardly enough time to form a real opinion of him. Still, from what I've read, they definitely tried something different with him.

Thanks for the information on Berg's gender shifting being an idea from the beginning. I suspected as much, seeing that it all played out effectively with no contradictions, but it is nice to know more facts on the matter (Kim Novak, Female Commander, et al).

Yes, I know the gender thing wasn't a major plot point, but you know as well as I that more than a hint of it here in America would have caused parents to go ballistic. This is still a nation that gets in an uproar over Janet Jackson's nipple, LOL! I think that even hinting at the issue in the OVA was a mistake, seeing that it wasn't elaborated on at all and came off as mere eccentricity for the sake of being eccentric. You are right, however, that everyone suffered in that particular version!

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OK, so what's the speed of dark?

[–] grendelkhan 15 years ago

Actually, at the time the series was made in Japan, there were several manga series that involved gender swaps or gender masking. There are stories in Japanese literature involving characters hiding as the opposite gender. So, while not necessarily a fetishistic aspect, it was a literary device. In anothe popular series, Ranma 1/2, one character swaps gender, while another transforms into a panda bear. So, Berg Katse was not necessarily unique in Japan, even for the time.

I still remember when I first heard about the supposed gender of "Zoltar". I had seen sporadic episodes of BOTP, when visiting relatives, and didn't see a larger run of the series until the 80's, when WTBS carried it on cable. I came across an article in Starlog magazine, which discussed Japanese anime, especially tv series syndicated in the US. It stated that Zoltar was female. I later came across information that disputed this, until it was cleared up on fan sites on the internet. Personally, I liked the idea that the villain was female, but the true mutant aspect was even more interesting. It actually casts a more sympathetic light on Katse, as he/she was driven mad by Sosai X's manipulation.

I personally prefer Keye Luke's vocal interpretation to the original Japanese and later G-Force and ADV versions.

[–] TheSolarSailor 15 years ago

Thanks for the history on the gender swapping issue of the anime world! Interesting stuff.

Speaking of Starlog, I recall reading an article about Battle of the Planets when I was young, where it mentioned the reason for it's not being shown anymore being because religious groups objected to what appeared to be the villain worshiping a strange god.

I remember my own puzzlement over the gender issue when I was a kid, though I couldn't have understood what was really going on. I didn't know the truth till after the OVA's came out and reminded me of Battle of the Planets, to which I looked online to find out more about what in the world Gatchaman was.

* * * *
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

[–] adamwarlock 14 years ago

Interesting topic. I watch BotP as a kid, never saw G-Force which I thought was a completely different show! I'd heard from another fan that Katse was both male & female which also left me confused until I finally saw the newly released full versions. Glad it's all clear now after 30+ years!

The English dub of the ADV versions has Katse acting way too fey. I wonder if there is an inflection in the Japanese version. I can't heard one but I don't know what sounds "gay" to a Japanese audience. One kind of gets the impression that a male/female hybrid was being seen as a bad thing, something that would drive one crazy. I wonder if there was a gay rights movement in Japan in the 70s.

[–] grendelkhan 14 years ago

It's not so much that being male and female drives him insane, but the competing personalities and the effects of the mutation. It's stated that Sosai X combined the two and amplified their native intelligence to make him/her a super genius. The side effect of this was driving Katse insane, which is also why his plots tend to fall apart.

I can't speak with any authority about homosexuality in Japan, but the culture does seem to be a little more open to it than the West. However, so much of that is intensely private in Japan. There are districts which cater to the sex trade, away from mainstream society. They are seen to serve their purpose and are allowed to operate with relatively little interferance. It is considered permissable for a buisnessman to visit these clubs and houses and enjoy himself, then return to his regular life afterwards. Most of my reading on the subject is outdated, so I don't know if that still holds true.

The gender bending is mostly literary. In fact, the US seems to be the Western country with the biggest hangups about the subject. Drag is a regular feature in British pantomime and part of the tradition of Shakespeare. The rest of Europe seems to be pretty blase about it, as well. Germany's cabarets were filled with female impersonators. The US can't seem to shake its Puritanical origins, despite Rupaul and movies like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and To Wong Fu. One of the few exceptions I can think of, in American comics, was Madame Fatale. This was a character from Quality Comics, in the 1940's. Madame fatale was actually a male actor who disguised himself as an old woman to track down the kidnappers of his niece or daughter. He continued to use the identity to fight crime, but there were relatively few stories. the character has a single panel cameo in James Robinson's "The Golden Age", from DC, and a mention in the first issue of Robinson's revived JSA. Robinson is British, so his use, albeit limited, is les shocking.

I once read a column by comic book writer Peter David that discussed an incident at a comic convention, that I thought could be used for an interesting mini-series, with Madame Fatale in mind. At this particular convention, there was a volunteer dressed as Catwoman, as seen in Batman Returns (it was around the time of the movie release). The volunteer looked fantastic in the costume and was getting praise and requests for photos from fans and the people at the DC booth. Everyone thought it was great, until someone at DC learned that the volunteer was actually a man. This person was also a drag performer and was very good, though he did not portray Catwoman as anything other than the character; no over-the-top voice or mannerisms, or anything you might see in a drag show. The convention organizers asked him to leave, which he did without raising a fuss. David and others felt that they overreacted and wondered what would have happened if the person turned around and bought a ticket to re-enter.
David included a photo of the person and you would swear it was a woman. That made me think about the Madame Fatale character and Berg Katse. What if a transvestite decided to fight crime in drag? If done seriously, it could be used to explore all kinds of things, from gender identity to stereotypes, to the nature of heroism. The problem is that niether DC or Marvel would be willing to take a chance. DC has been better with the topic of homosexuality and gender identity, but mostly reserves it for their more mature Vertigo line. Marvel has had several missteps, with the Northstar coming out and mixed reaction to the Rawhide Kid mini-series of a few years ago.

In many ways, Gatchaman was way ahead of its time, with its mature storylines and intriguing ideas. It spawned the Super Sentai genre, which resulted in the Power Rangers and influenced American artists, like Alex Ross. The clothes and hair may look dated, but the stories never do.

[–] GForce59 11 years ago

That "Battle of the Planets" episode kind of freaked me out as well. I was seven years old and was shocked that Zoltar may be a woman.

[–] w22nuschler 10 years ago

I am working my way thru the Gatchaman episodes right now. They are better uncut. I grew up on Battle of the Planets as a kid and loved it. Then, later I found out it came from a Japanese anime cartoon. I have done some reading on the characters and was shocked to read about Kattse. Was it ever mentioned in the original cartoon what he/she was? According to Wikipedia, he/she was a hermaphrodite(has male/female organs). I have not seen anything that mentions it in the original cartoon.

To me, it's kind of a freaky character for a cartoon. However, this cartoon is not really for children. I don't mind the viloence so much, but I would prefer there was not so much profanity. Also, calling their ship "god Phoenix" is not right.

Does anyone know if the 2 sequels following Gatchaman have been released uncut and english dubbed. I have only found cut episodes or uncut in japanese.

Also, I see the new Live Action movie will be released on 3-5-14. I wonder if it will be released in the States with an english dub.

[–] TheSolarSailor 10 years ago

I am working my way thru the Gatchaman episodes right now.

How far along are you?

Was it ever mentioned in the original cartoon what he/she was? According to Wikipedia, he/she was a hermaphrodite(has male/female organs). I have not seen anything that mentions it in the original cartoon

I assume you asking if it was mentioned on Battle of the Planets, as the original Japanese show covers this all quite well towards the end. In BOTP, it is never addressed except for one episode where Zoltar (Katse) finally gets his mask ripped off and long blond hair is exposed by the face is not seen due to interference from the Luminous One (Leader X), interference that allows the villain's escape. This was the first episode of Gatchaman to truly make heavy inferences (although there are subtle clues dropped much earlier in the series), though the only one that made it to BOTP. Many episodes from late in Gatchaman were never adapted due to content.

Also, calling their ship "god Phoenix" is not right.

It's a cultural thing and you are completely taking it out of context because of the use of the term "god" as it stands with your upbringing in your own culture. You need to learn to separate the two. There is nothing wrong with the term "Godphoenix" in a Japanese show.

Does anyone know if the 2 sequels following Gatchaman have been released uncut and english dubbed. I have only found cut episodes or uncut in japanese.

They have been dubbed by loving fans and made available on Youtube for your viewing pleasure. A quick Youtube search of "Gatchaman II" will yield results. Every episode is up, and I think the same folks have Gatchaman Fighter available as well. As for any sort of official release in English or with subtitles, there is none.

Also, I see the new Live Action movie will be released on 3-5-14. I wonder if it will be released in the States with an english dub.

There are no plans for a US release so far. Japan and Tatsunoko in particular aren't overly eager to share their shows. We never even got the uncut version of Godzilla for us at all until Gojira was FINALLY debuted on DVD in 2006 here in states, a total of 52 years after the original 1954 film premiered in Japan. Up till that point, all we ever got here was the watered down version with Raymond Burr. It was a great pleasure to finally see the film as it was meant to be seen, with all of it's themes and analogies in tact. I figured that the Gatchaman live action film would not see the light of day here for a long time, unless some fan gets a hold of a Japanese Bluray and dubs it for us, and then makes it available for illegal downloading, something I am not inclined to engage in. I'd love to see the live action film, but I seriously doubt we'll be getting a good subtitled or dubbed version any time soon.

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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] w22nuschler 10 years ago

Thanks for the detailed answers. I only have ten episodes left to go. I grew up on Battle of the Planets and I am now watching the uncut Gatchaman episodes. They are really good. Maybe the last 10 episodes will explain the Katse character more. I have done a lot of reading and know how it ends.

They had to bring Joe back in the sequels becuase it would not have worked without him. They always made a point in the show to point out how much stronger they were a team of five. They were not fully functinal without one of the team.