GIANT ROBO THE ANIMATION - The Day the Earth Stood Still Episode. 4 Twilight of the Heros The Victory Bell Has Yet to Ring The Hidden Secrets of the B.F. Organization, part 1 The Terrifying Destroyers, the Magnificent Ten The specially gifted ones who undertake destruction and massacre in countries all over the world. "ESP", "Combat Martial Arts", "Mechanical Manipulation Techniques", "Intellect"...wielding menacing abilities in a myriad of fields, these people who obey the will of the mysterious Big Fire are consequently referred to as Agents. And leading those Agents, in charge of their operations, are Albert and the other members of the Magnificent Ten. A gathering of more miraculous special abilities is not possible on this Earth. They must all have surpassingly good accomplishments as leaders, and must all have strong devotion to Big Fire. Recently, one of their number, The Dazzling Cervantes, was defeated by the lowest-ranking member of the International Police Expert's Nine Great Lords of Heaven, and because his successor has not yet come to light, the Magnificent Ten is now nine in number, but this required the utmost of efforts on their part. In the upcoming Episode. 6, all the remaining members will appear and show their abilities. How will they who constantly make a mockery of the International Police Organization, act? Please look forward to it. Hanzui (the Demon of Confusion)[1] ------------------------------- The best student of senjutsu under Rashinjin-sensei of Jiizan. In short, he is like one of Kusonshou's (that is, Issei Doujin's) siblings, but breaking the restriction he left the mountain, and because of his participation in the B.F. Organization has been pronounced anathema. He is the person that Issei Doujin was sent to pursue, but in terms of both ability and nerve Hanzui is far, far more powerful. Of course, his greatest strength is senjutsu. However, he has acquired various other abilities besides, and has gained ever more in power. Indeed, he could be called the paragon of the Magnificent Ten. (The Fabulous) Fitzcarraldo --------------------------- A confident man who wields the power of vacuum. In Episode. 6 when the Magnificent Ten all muster for battle, he will appear in an all-out battle with Chief Chuujou. By the way, Director Imagawa wants you to really look forward to the time when unleash their techniques. Kawarazaki (the Agitator) ----------------------- The oldest member of the Magnificent Ten. Quiet and well-mannered, it is a mystery why a man such as he would join the B.F. Organization. He uses strong telekinesis as a weapon, but also possesses two other special powers. One of them will be revealed in Episode. 6. However, he has thusfar not used his other ability at all, and it is conjectured that he's saving it as his trump card. Yuuki (the Twilight) -------------------- Has the ability to control any living being, including birds and beasts, and have it do his bidding. In the comics version, his magnificent fight with Ko- Enshaku is the result of a long-standing vendetta against Tenki of the International Police Organization, who he wants to defeat with his own hands. Mask the Red ------------ A masked ninja who has mastered Arayuru-jutsu[2]. Among the Nine Great Lords of Heaven of Ryouzanpaku is a person possessing the same powers (who will not appear in this series), with whom Mask the Red is a fated rival. Controlling a mysterious robot called Big Gold Eye, the two of them attempt to hinder and defeat Robo and Daisaku in Episode. 6. Survey Postcard Q&A Director Imagawa Candidly Answers Your Questions! ------------------------------------------------- - Director Imagawa Looks like Miyake Hirokazu Hyougo Prefecture, T.I., male You probably saw the picture of Director Imagawa that was in an issue of B-Club from around a year ago, didn't you? But since there are lots of people who probably didn't see it, here we reproduce the picture of Mr. Miyake Hirokazu for you to compare against. [pictures] We leave it up to you to decide whether or not they're similar (smiley) Bandai Visual's Matsumoto - Waaaaaaaaa SHOCK!!!! Ivan is...!! How can he die in only the third episode...!!!! Kumamoto Prefecture, H.M., female I've also heard from several other people, saying, "Isn't he still alive somewhere?" But indeed, he completely died at that time. And I've also had people say to me, "Wasn't Albert's response at that time too cold?" But that wasn't "coldness", it was male chivalrousness. Without being too presumptuous or too meek, Ivan knew his place and died having fulfilled his duties as a man and as a member of the Organization, saying "I leave the rest to you". And Albert, understanding his thoughts, accepted it all. I wanted to put this sort of universally satisfying end into "G.R.", in the hopes that everyone could be made to feel a bit of the flow of masculine romance. - I'd like to see Giant Robo on the big screen. Kanagawa Prefecture, S.A., male I'll ask my older brother to leave me his fortune when he dies. (laugh) I actually got an in-room projector, and when I saw "G.R." with it I was really glad I did (smiley) But of course I'm not saying you should go and buy the same, so if you have the chance to participate in one of the events where they're projecting it, please drop in. Not only do you get to enjoy it with other fans, but whenever they're projecting it they usually set up bass-capable speakers, and the sound just can't be compared to the video release. Mind you, there's talk on the production side of wanting to make a theatrical version of it (not that this has been decided on or anything). This sort of thing is all up to you folks, so we're counting on you. - Why did the characters spelling "To Be Continued" go away? Aichi Prefecture, T.U., male To be quite honest, I had no idea that that "To Be Continued" would be _this_ popular (I got lots of other letters about this too). Actually, the telop for the words "The Battle Continues..." for the last scene for Episode. 3 made its way all the way to the production steps, but because we wanted to make doubly sure that the last scene's subtitle "Converge on Shanghai..." had its impact, I exercised creative privilidge and axed it. But since it was more popular than I had imagined, I'll try to include it if at all possible in future episodes. - Director Imagawa! If you kill Albert-sama, _I_ will never forgive you!![3] Toukyou Prefecture, C.O., female He is the motive force behind this story, and has an important role to play in the "G.R." world. Please hang on until the last episode to see whether he dies or not. The whole scenario is all planned out already. And that pronouncement is _awesome_!! (smiley) - There are rumors that "G.R." will be discontinued. Are they true? Aichi Prefecture, T.S., male Don't worry. That won't happen. However, depending on the state of affairs as things unfold, it's possible that the arrangements may change a bit. - Imagawa-sensei!! If you keep eating a pack of Sorarame a day, you'll get gall stones. Ishikawa Prefecture, N.M., female Thank you (laugh) As a token of my appreciation, I'll give you a "Director's Thank-You Stone"[4]. (I'm lying. I wouldn't really do that!) - Director Imagawa, please come to Oosaka and give a talk. I'd love to hear it. Oosaka Prefecture, T.T., female Yes, I'd love to come and give a talk in Oosaka, where I was born and raised. Please ask the people at Bandai Visual, who are in charge of all the events. - Why was Uraenus able to move inside the Anti-Shizuma Field? Nagasaki Prefecture, R.K., male Uraenus was outfitted internally with innumerable Shizuma tubes, and was able to move by using them one after the other. However, no matter how many are loaded inside, there must be _some_ limit, and the reason Ivan said "There's no time to waste" is because it would shut down as soon as it exhausted its supply. So you ask, "Then why did it stop moving in Episode. 2". This was because that time was entirely outside what was planned for, and the system had not yet been set up to run that way. - Are Daisaku and Ginrei lovers? Tochigi Prefecture, Y.F., male Actually, Ginrei already has a lover. It's a character who shows up in the story, so please try to guess. - With Daisaku the Lad riding in one hand, it's harder for Giant Robo to fight, and the shock should mean instant death for Daisaku the Lad. Just checking. Tottori Prefecture, K.S., male Certainly, that's one area where the fun of anime is in conflict with reality. However, please think of this as something that was done to increase the enjoyment of the work as anime. - I want to see Youshi the Blue-Faced Beast's feminine side. Will we get to see it? Hokkaidou Prefecture, T.I., male I tried to show that part of her in this Episode. 4, but what did you think? - In Episode. 3, I feel like Director Imagawa's vigorous cinematography was somehow missing. I hope to see more of the Experts in physical action. Saitama Prefecture, Y.K., male "G.R." is a show with both physical and mecha stuff, and I thought Episode. 3 would have been the very core of that, but... - Will any beautiful female characters besides Ginrei show up in the future? Kanagawa Prefecture, M.M., male Albert's daughter will appear. Heh heh heh, definitely look forward to it. - How did Daisaku get his hands on Giant Robo? Make a side story or something! Hiroshima Prefecture, K.K., male The next episode, Episode. 5 is scheduled to show precisely that, so please hang on a bit longer. I also intend to show the fight between Robo and GR-2. - I wanna see Chief Chuujou's killer powers right now!! By the way, are any of the robots that show up in the opening credits going to appear in the show? Ooita Prefecture, C.O., female You'll get to see Chief Chuujou's fight in episodes 6-7. In any case, he's AWESOME!! Also, 2 or 3 of the robots from the opening credits are scheduled to show up in the latter parts of the series. - I really like the motion from when Robo descends, that happens at the same time as the Tetsujin silhouette in the opening. The appearance of the other enemy robots in the opening is also good. Please let Gyaron appear in the next opening. Actually, the first time I realized that it looked like the opening to Tetsujin was when I was in the middle of checking the visual continuity. After I was finished drawing it, I went "Wait! Could this be...?!" So I went and put in that elongated shadow afterwards. Maybe it's just because I like that scene and have that image very deeply implanted in my heart. And, Gyaron you say! That's great, I'll put it in if I have the chance. - Please let Kyan Yu and Chang Fei or some of the other warriors from the "Romance of Three Countries"[5] appear among the International Police Organization. Ishikawa Prefecture, K.A., male They won't appear in this "The Day the Earth Stood Still", but when I was writing the scenario for "Birth" around the time of the creation of the series, I drew in a character named Chang Fei who let Daisaku escape from the B.F. Organization's base. - Each episode of Giant Robo is shorter than the one before it. If this keeps up, I can't help but be worried about how long the final episode will be. Ibaraki Prefecture, T.F., male Let's take a look at the running time for the whole series! Ep. 1 = 55 min., Ep. 2 = 35 min. (44 mins. including the digest), Ep. 3 = 39 min., Ep. 4 = 45 min. (planned), Ep. 5 = 45 mins. (planned), Ep. 6 = 45 min. (planned), Ep. 7 = 50-55 min. (planned). Check it out! It's not getting shorter at all! Bandai Visual, Matsumoto - A character I like dying is one of the things I hate. I'm always in a cold sweat while watching Taisou every episode. It looks like he'll really be in danger in the next episode. Please don't kill him. Mie Prefecture, F.S., female I'm sorry, my condolences. But he dies here as a "man". However, it's not the case that he won't appear in the story at all hereafter. So please don't say "I'm not buying any more!" - Isn't Rinchuu going to show up? Oosaka Prefecture, M.Y., female I've gotten a lot of letters about him, but because of a certain major reason he's not going to appear. If I have a chance to show something about that reason in a later episode, I think you'll understand. Also, I really enjoyed this cut [picture] you drew on the other side, especially Issei Doujin. The staff also liked it a lot. Everyone, please feel free to send in cuts and stuff too. Thanks. (Those who want their full name to appear may indicate so in the comment area of the survey card.) Chapter/Tracks[6] ----------------- Side 1 1. Opening Title 2. Opening - Main Title 3. Retrospective, the Boy's Rampage, Leading to the Breakdown in the Sky, Unto the Menace of the Motionless Giant Monster Sphere 4. Titled, "Twilight of the Heros, The Victory Bell Has Yet to Ring" 5. Calming with Leadership, Taisou's Decision Premonition of Separation, Youshi Decides 6. The Giant Monster Sphere Destroys Shanghai and Offers Captives, The Boy is Taken By Kusonshou's Plan 7. Chuujou, Praying For the Boy in Ryouzanpaku; Go Yo, Attempting to Assuage Him with Supposition 8. Terror of the Magnificent Ten, Pursuit to Recapture, Silver Bell, With Powers to Shake Heaven and Earth 9. Genya, Speaking For Big Fire; The Magnificent Ten Hold Their Doubts in Silence 10. Good Men, Entering into Criticism; the Tragedy, Once More 11. Eye Catch (A-type) Side 2 12. Eye Catch (B-type) 13. The Boy Stands Still, Deciding His Will, Becomes the Action of the The Iron Armored One 14. Taisou, Bearing the Burden of the Twilight; The Magnificent Ten, Anger Unceasing Despite the Circumstances 15. Go, Apologizes and Invites Danger in Ryouzanpaku; Ginrei, Embarrassed by her Circumstances 16. The Black Whirlwind, Consumed by Regret, Changes Positions; Enshaku Spreads Despair Throughout the Chip 17. The Silver Bell, Struck By a Trembling Voice From the Past; The Evil Scientist Appears 18. Ginrei, As If In A Dream, Considers the Life and Death of the World; Go, Prostrated Before the Force of the Tragedy 19. The Blue Faced Beast, locked in combat with Enshaku; Issei Initiates Separation and is Thrown Down into the Air 20. Genya Acquires the Black Attache Case; A Giant Hand Tries to Hinder His Treachery 21. Youshi's Spirit Journeys to the Heavens; Ginrei, Until the Advent of Her Brother 22. Dark Clouds Down the Road, Hiding the Next Episode 23. Ending 24. Preview Translator's Notes ------------------ [1] Hanzui's title is pronounced "Konsei Maou". The second word is clearly "demon" or "devil", but the first word is more troublesome. Written with the kanji for "mingle" and "world", it is apparently not an established word in modern Japanese. Its closest Japanese homophones mean "synthetic", but if the word is taken to be Chinese it would mean "turmoil, confusion, obscurity". The best I could come up with for this was "Demon of Confusion", though I'm still not one hundred percent satisfied. Apparently, at the request of the licensor, his title was changed to "Dark Messiah" for the translated version of Giant Robo...this is sort of a shame in my view. See the GR2_linernotes for a note on senjutsu. [2] "Arayuru" means "each and every". Thus, "Arayuru-jutsu" may be rendered as "Anything-Goes Technique". [3] This line is delivered in exactly the same dramatic mode of speech that one would expect one "main character" in a story to use toward another main character. Ah, if only more people could actually speak like this in real life... ^_^ [4] Imagawa is making a (truly awful ^_^) pun. He says that he is going to give her "Kansha no Ishi", which would normally mean "thoughts of gratitude". However, he wrote it with "kansha" ("one who directs") and "ishi" ("stone"), in reference to her admonition. ^_^ [5] "Kyan Yu" is listed in O'Neill's Japanese Names dictionary as a specific Chinese reading for this name. Chang Fei is the modern Mandarin reading for the other character. These two, along with Ryu Bi, pledged their life together in the Peach Garden, saying that "Though we were born on separate days, may we all die on the same day." All this comes out of a very famous part of the "Romance of Three Countries". [6] These are all written in a older dialect of Japanese, giving a very classical feel and making it that much harder to render the stuff into English ^^;;;