The is a trilogy of Japanese
Super Robot
Mecha, also known as giant robot or simply robot, is a genre of anime and manga that feature mecha in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; " super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and "real robot", where r ...
mecha anime
Mecha, also known as giant robot or simply robot, is a genre of anime and manga that feature mecha in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; " super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and " real robot", where ...
television series. The anime were broadcast by
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.[TX Network
TXN Network (TXN) is a commercial television network in Japan owned by TV Tokyo Corporation, a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Holdings, which itself is majority controlled by Nikkei, Inc. The "TX" is taken from the callsign of its flagship station ...]
) from 1981 to 1984, the 1980s trilogy was produced and animated by
Kokusai Eiga-sha
, is a dormant Japanese animation studio headquartered in Nemuro, Hokkaido, Japan. It is famous for its mecha anime throughout the 70s and 80s.
Due to the losses incurred in Super High Speed Galvion and the bankruptcy of its sponsor, Kokusa ...
(Movie International Company). In 2014, a fourth series was announced to be in production for a 2016 release, with the original creative and production team reunited after 30 years.
However the project was cancelled in 2019 following the death of its intended showrunner, Yu Yamamoto.
Shared concept
Each of the anime broadcast featured a team of robot pilots variably known as "J9", whose role changed from series to series. Each was also advertised as being the "robot anime version" of another popular fictional motif. In each series, the cast of heroes were voiced by
Kazuyuki Sogabe
Kazuyuki Sogabe ( (formerly ) ''Sogabe Kazuyuki'', April 16, 1948 – September 17, 2006) was a Japanese actor, voice actor, musician and narrator. During his life, he has been attached to Theatre Echo; he was attached to Aoni Production at the t ...
,
Kaneto Shiozawa
Toshikazu Shiozawa (, January 28, 1954 – May 10, 2000), better known by the stage name Kaneto Shiozawa (), was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. At the time of his death, he was attached to Aoni Production. He had a distinc ...
,
Katsuji Mori
is a Japanese actor, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is most known for the roles of Go Mifune (''Mach GoGoGo''), Joe Shimamura/009 (''Cyborg 009'' 960s
The 960s decade ran from January 1, 960, to December 31, 969.
Significant people
* Abd al-Rahman III caliph of Córdoba
* Otto I of Holy Roman empire
* Al-Muti caliph of Baghdad
* Al-Hakam II caliph of Córdoba
* Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah of Fati ...
, Ken the Eagle (''Science Ninja Team Gatchaman''), Jouji Mi ...
, and
Yōko Asagami
is a Japanese voice actress who is represented by Aksent. She is most known for the roles of (''Space Battleship Yamato'') and Saeko Nogami ('' City Hunter''). Her married name is .
Asagmi was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō. In 1952, she began to ...
.
Yū Yamamoto was head screenwriter for all three series, and Masayuki Yamamoto composed the theme songs for the trilogy, as well. Music was also an overarching motif in the series, with the
eyecatch
In broadcasting, a commercial bumper, ident bumper, or break-bumper (often shortened to bump) is a brief announcement, usually two to fifteen seconds in length that can contain a voice over, placed between a pause in the program and its commercia ...
always featuring the team leader playing some sort of musical instrument (Blaster Kid and a
double-neck electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
in ''Braiger'', Billy the Shot and a
keytar
A keytar (a portmanteau of ''keyboard'' and ''guitar'') is a keyboard instrument similar to a synthesizer or MIDI controller that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is held.
Overview
Though the ...
in ''Baxinger'', and Nukiuchi Rock and a
harmonica
The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...
in ''Sasuraiger'').
Yū Yamamoto later revealed that he had named the series after
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's flagship SL-J9
Betamax
Betamax (also known as Beta, and stylized as the Greek letter Beta, β in its logo) is a discontinued consumer analog Videotape, video cassette recording format developed by Sony. It was one of the main competitors in the videotape format war ag ...
video player, which at the time was out of his price range.
Series
*: Broadcast from October 1981 to June 1982, it drew inspiration from
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
's ''Hissatsu'' franchise of
jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...
. In the year 2111, Team Cosmoranger J9, with their giant robot Braiger which transforms from a flying car, protects the Solar System from different criminal syndicates that the police cannot handle, and must stop the leader of Nubia, Khamen Khamen, from succeeding in his plans in destroying Jupiter to create 30 new planets, which as a result would destroy the Earth.
*: Broadcast from July 1982 to March 1983, it drew inspiration from the popular fiction surrounding the
Shinsengumi
The was a small secret police organization, elite group of swordsmen that was organized by commoners and low rank samurai, commissioned by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was ac ...
. In the year 2711 (600 years after the events of ''Braiger'' and the destruction of Jupiter), the Solar System is mostly peaceful under the Bakufu government, but it remains lawless. The J9-II team is formed to protect the peace of this new era using their giant robot Baxingar that transforms from cosmic motorcycles.
*: Broadcast from April 1983 to January 1984, it drew inspiration from ''
Around the World in Eighty Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...
''. In the year 2911 (200 years after the events of ''Baxingar''), a gambler makes a bet with a criminal syndicate boss that the now 50 planets of the Solar System can be each be visited within a year. He then forms the JJ9 team to travel the Solar System on a space train for the bet, fighting the syndicate's minions with their robot Sasuraiger.
*: This series was planned for broadcast in 2016, and would have taken inspiration from the classic Chinese literary work ''
Water Margin
''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...
''. Yū Yamamoto and Masauki Yamamoto had already wrote and composed the series' theme song and were in the process of auditioning the cast and the theme song singer. Yū Yamamoto stated that he wished to bring back "original anime", as in having no manga (or video game) to base it off of, as he believed this practice of adapting from a manga is detrimental to new screenwriters. It was also intended to be canonically unrelated to the original trilogy, but would have had a certain "J9 taste" to it.
Characters for ''Jinraiger'' were designed by artist Kanhou Murase. Following the death of Yamamoto, the project was cancelled in 2019.
Broadcast in other countries
* Italy:
Rai 2
Rai 2 is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's second television channel, and is known for broadcasting '' TG2'' news bulletins, ta ...
References
{{reflist
Mass media franchises introduced in 1981
TV Tokyo original programming
Super robot anime and manga
Animated television franchises
Trilogies
Science fiction franchises