X-Bomber

Infobox Television
show_name = X Bomber


caption = "X Bomber" LD-Box released in Japan
show_name_2 = flagicon|United Kingdom Star Fleet flagicon|France Bomber X flagicon|Argentina Bombardero X
genre = Tokusatsu, Sci-fi, Fantasy
creator = Go Nagai
developer =
presenter =
starring =
voices = Toshio Furukawa as Shiro Ginga
Shigeru Chiba as Bongo Heracles
Mami Koyama as Lamia
Banjo Ginga as Emperor Gozma Hidekatsu Shibata as Gen. Kuroda Mikio Terashima as Dr. Ben Naoki Tatsuta as Bigman Lee Norio Wakamoto as Capt. Custer Reizo Nomoto as Kozlo Rihoko Yoshida as Bloody Mary Katsuji Mori as Capt. Halley Yuji Mitsuya as PP Adamsky
narrated = Yuzuru Fujimoto
theme_music_composer = Kyoji Yamamoto
opentheme = Soldier in the Space
endtheme = The Drifting Galaxy
country = flag|Japan
language = Japanese
num_seasons = 1
num_episodes = 26
list_episodes =
producer = Kimio Ikeda
executive_producer = Kimio Ikeda Keisuke Fujikawa
location =
camera = Ryuji Kawasaki
runtime = 22-26 minutes
network = Fuji TV
picture_format =
audio_format =
first run =
first_aired = October 4 1980
last_aired = March 28, 1981
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related =
website =
imdb_id = 0307741
tv_com_id = 11319

nihongo|"X Bomber"|Ｘボンバー|Ekkusu Bonbā is a marionette tokusatsu TV series. Created by manga master Go Nagai, the show, produced by Cosmo Productions and Jin Productions, aired on Fuji TV from October 4 1980 to March 28, 1981, with a total of 26 episodes (counting the pre-series pilot episode). This show was billed in Japan as being filmed in "Sūpāmariorama" (スーパーマリオラマ), a puppeteering process similar to Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation works.

This show is basically a cross between Nagai's "Getter Robo" and "Star Wars". Just like "Getter Robo", the show's protagonists ride three vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Big Dai X, the show's robot, is more similar to the kind seen in the popular "Super Sentai" series than your average Nagai robot.

Two relatively unknown manga were also created in 1980. One was drawn by Naoki Kamohara and published in the magazine Monthly Shonen Jump by Shueisha from 1980-06 to 1980-08, and the other was drawn by Makoto Ono in the magazine TV-kun by Shogakukan from 1980-11 to 1981-04.

The show's opening and ending theme songs ("Soldier in the Space" and "The Drifting Galaxy", respectively) were performed by the Japanese pop-rock group, Bow Wow (later known as Vow Wow), while Kazutaka Tazaki (of Baja Revolution) and Nakayuki Sakuraba (of Adbaloon) provided additional music for the show.

tar Fleet

"X-Bomber" was renamed "Star Fleet" and dubbed by English speaking actors for broadcast in the UK. The show was broadcast there on Saturday mornings and it first aired on the 30th October 1982. Due to its broadcast slot, the advertisements shown before, during and after each episode frequently included children's Public Information Films.

Drawing heavily on diverse influences such as "Star Wars", Japanese Anime and Gerry Anderson's various "Supermarionation" series, the show ran for twenty-four half hour episodes (twenty-five in Japan - two of the episodes being edited together for the English version). Despite comparison to many of Anderson's creations "Star Fleet" differed in two important ways. Where as "Thunderbirds" used puppets suspended from strings, Star Fleet's were controlled from below by the use of rods, hence puppets are only seen from the waist up. The exception to this rule was the 1983 Anderson series Terrahawks, which used a similar rod control system. Secondly, Thunderbirds was written around a different story each episode featuring largely the same characters, but with a clear conclusion. "Star Fleet" by contrast had a much darker central story with sub-plots and new characters being introduced in each episode.

The English version's theme song was composed by Paul Bliss of The Moody Blues, and was later famously covered by Queen member Brian May and Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen. This was released under the name "Star Fleet Project".

Plot outline

The year is 2999 and the Earth is at peace following the Space Wars. The tranquility of the human race is ensured by Earth Defense Force (EDF). Shortly before the turn of the fourth millennium, the peace is broken by the appearance of a gigantic alien battle cruiser. Powerless to defend itself, the EDF's Pluto base is completely destroyed and the evil Commander Makara reveals that the same fate awaits the Earth unless the mysterious F-Zero-One is handed over to her.

Oblivious to the existence of F-Zero-One, and fearful of Makara's terrible retribution, the EDF presses into action an untested, incomplete weapon, codenamed "X-Project", from its hidden moon-base. The X-Project is revealed to be a powerfully-armed spacecraft named "X-Bomber".

The series then follows the adventures of the crew of the X-Bomber, namely Doctor Benn, Shiro Ginga (Shiloh Hagen in the dub), Bongo Heracles (Barry Hercules in the dub), Bigman Lee (John Lee in the dub), PPA (Perfectly Programmed Android), Lamia and her guardian Kirara, as they discover the nature of the F-Zero-One and try to protect it from the increasingly desperate and unstable Makara and her demanding overlord, the 'Imperial Master'.

Availability

The original Japanese version of the series was released in its entirety on DVD in 2002. The boxset also contained one of two compilation movies created from "Star Fleet", in English with Japanese subtitles.

In the UK, only three video tapes were ever released of "Star Fleet". The first and rarest one contained episodes 4 and 5 of the series. The other two were compilation movies entitled "The Thalian Space Wars" and "Space Quest For F-01". The series has not been repeated on UK television since the late 1980s.

In Bulgaria the "The Thalian Space Wars" and "Space Quest For F-01" tape was released by Multi Video Center with Bulgarian dub.

In the US, 8 video tapes were released which also contained compilations of the series' episodes, albeit in a less-drastically edited format.

As of 2008, the English-language version of the series is to receive a DVD release in the United Kingdom by Fabulous Films Ltd. Enoki Films Inc, the original rights holders to "Star Fleet", have awarded the distribution rights to the UK distributor Fabulous Films. For the first time ever the English language version of Star Fleet will be officially available on DVD. Fabulous Films have confirmed that despite online websites confirming specific release dates, no date has actually been confirmed as yet. Fact|date=August 2008

Amongst the extras for the set will be an interview with anime/manga legend Go Nagai. It is also hoped that interviews with both Paul Bliss and Brian May will be included.

Fabulous Films have also confirmed that both the picture and sound are currently in the process of being remastered ahead of the DVD release.

It is possible to obtain VCD copies on Ebay. These are usually taken from the American Tapes and tend to be of poor quality.

External links

*imdb title|id=0307741|title=X Bomber
* [http://www.sfxb.co.uk SFXB: "Star Fleet" / "X-Bomber" Homepage]
* [http://www.xbomber.co.uk "X-Bomber" Game Project]
* [http://www.starfleetxbomber.com F-Zero-One: "Star Fleet" / "X-Bomber" site]
* [http://www.fabulousfilms.co.uk "Fabulous Films-the distributors" site]
* [http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=85472 "X Bomber"] at allcinema
* [http://www.mazingerz.com/SF/XBOMB.html "X Bomber"] at the "World of Go Nagai" webpage
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4635 "Super Space Machine X Bomber"] at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia