UFO Warrior Dai Apolon
UFO Warrior Daiapolon | |
![]() Screenshot from UFO Warrior Daiapolon | |
UFO 戦士ダイアポロン (Yūfō senshi daiaporon) | |
---|---|
Genre | Mecha |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | |
Written by | Chikara Matsumoto Noboru Shiroyama Seiji Matsuoka Sōji Yoshikawa Takao Koyama |
Studio | Eiken |
Original network | TBS (part 1) Tokyo 12 Channel (part 2) |
Original run | April 6, 1976 – February 24, 1977 |
Episodes | 47 |
UFO Warrior Daiapolon (UFO戦士ダイアポロン, Yūfō Senshi Dai Aporon) is a Japanese mecha anime television series that was produced by Eiken. There were 47 episodes aired at 25 minutes each. It is also known as "UFO Senshi Dai-Apolon", "UFO Soldier Dai-Apolon", "UFO Robo Dai-Apolon", "Daiapolon", "Shadow World".
Synopsis[]
The series is about a 16-year-old boy Takeshi who recently formed an American football team at the Blue Sky orphanage. One day the game is interrupted by a light in the sky. Takeshi discovers he is the son of the king of the planet Apolon, spirited away to Earth by his father's retainer Labi to avoid death at the hands of General Dazaan. He turns out to have special energy abilities which can control UFO saucers from a base under the ocean floor. His friends Miki, Matsuo and Goro also become pilots. They magically change into their uniforms every time they yell U! F! O!. There are three robots: Header (Head); Trangur (Trunk) and Legger (Leg). They combine into a larger and powerful robot called Daiapolon. Through a solar-powered process known as "body fusion", activated by the "Key Energy" device placed inside the boy's chest, Takeshi can "grow" in mass and become a giant humanoid, thus "wearing" the Daiapolon as a kind of cybernetical armour.
Development[]
The anime was loosely based on the manga Galactic Warrior Apolon by creator Tetsu Kariya (which also created the manga Oishinbo) and illustrator Shigeru Tsuchiyama (serialized in Weekly Shonen King, which also serialized the first run of the Galaxy Express 999 manga). That manga featured a 15-year-old orphan called Akira. Although there are UFO scenes in the manga, it did not have the American football or super robot elements, and the enemies were demons with the power of the 108 Stars of Destiny.[1] It was unusual for the football element to be added, since the sport was barely even recognized as an amateur sport in Japan in the mid 1970s. It may just be a coincidental blend to add variety to the super robot genre.
English release[]
Five episodes were combined and dubbed in English to create a re-edited movie called Shadow World. The setting was changed to California and the names of the protagonists were changed to American ones, although Dai Apolon and some of the villains kept their names. This movie was released on video in 1986.
Voice actors[]
Character | Original | English |
---|---|---|
Narrator | John Mayer | |
Takeshi/Terry | Akira Murayama | |
Goro/Grey | Gregg Berger | |
Miki/Mickey | Kazue Komiya | |
Matsuo/Mark | Sachiko Chijimatsu | Mona Marshall |
Hideki/Harold | ||
Principal/Ms. Johnson | ||
Giraniku/Garano | Shōzō Iizuka | Paul Ross |
Joketsu/Josephine | Kazuko Sawada | |
Emperor Dazan | Toshiya Sugita | |
Rabi/Largo | Junji Chiba | John Mayer |
Staff[]
- Screenwriter
Takao Koyama
Soji Yoshikawa
- Creator
- Design
Toyoo Ashida - Animation
Toyoo Ashida - Music
References[]
- ^ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia: Revised & Expanded Edition. Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5
External links[]
- Super Robot info
- Detailed review of the English language release
- UFO Senshi Daiapolon (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- UFO Senshi Daiapolon II (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- 1976 anime television series
- 1977 Japanese television series endings
- Eiken (studio)
- Super robot anime and manga
- Tokyo Broadcasting System Television original programming