機甲創世記モスピーダ / Genesis Climber MOSPEADA

600 minutes of pure 80's fun.

Today's entry will take us back to our "Animé for the retired & soon-to-be-dead" audience that visits our place frequently. The undeniable success Super Dimension Fortress Macross had when it came out in 1982 generated a list of followers & imitators, some worth remembering, some worth forgetting.

Background

機甲創世記モスピーダ AKA Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (literally "Armored Genesis MOSPEADA") is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series broadcasted from 1983 to early 1984 through Fuji TV in Japan. While the series features a fair amount of original characters and plot, some people think it borrowed a few features from the above mentioned SDF Macross.

MOSPEADA stands for Military Operation Soldier Protection Emergency Aviation Dive Armor, one of the transformable motorcycle-armors the series features. The other primary mecha featured in the show is the three-form transformable fighter called the Armo-Fighter AFC-01 Legioss, which is somewhat similar in design to the VF-1 Valkyrie from  you already know who. 

Amazing mechanical designs.

Shinji Aramaki knows what he's doing.

The original working titles for MOSPEADA were: "Descent Machine Soldier Vector" (very similar to Armored Trooper VOTOMS) , "Super Immortal Fortress Reflex Point" (Really?) and "AD Patrol", which had nothing to do with what years later would become the prequel OVA to Bubblegum Crisis. The main character designs were created by Yoshitaka Amano, who would later gain renown for his character artwork for the Final Fantasy series. 

Each of the Japanese episode titles contains a musical reference. This style of titling would later be used by Cowboy Bebop. 

Mechanical designer Shinji Aramaki came up with the transformable motorcycle-powered exoskeleton design while working on the Diaclone series (which later became part of that franchise still selling toys). When riding his Honda VT250 250 cc motorbike he thought to himself that it was the right size for a person to wear. The bike design was inspired by the Suzuki Katana. The black and white stripes on the Legioss and VR ride armor are a tribute to the Allied invasion stripes in World War II. 

The incidental music was composed by Joe Hisaishi, who would later gain renown for incidental music for the movies of Hayao Miyazaki, though it is accidentally credited, because of a misreading of the name characters, to a "Yuzuru Hisaishi." MOSPEADA is the first anime series to have a jazz-based theme song (Blue Rain)
 

Our heroes are watching every move the Inbit make.

Fucking humans! you polluted the Earth!

Story 

In the 21st century, Earth's pollution problems result in the development of a new hydrogen fuel called "HBT" as an alternative to fossil fuels, while mankind colonizes Mars. In 2050, a mysterious alien race called the Inbit invades Earth. Unable to fight off the Inbit, Earth becomes desolate with only a few pockets of human beings scattered throughout the planet. Many of the refugees escape aboard a few remaining shuttles to seek shelter on the Moon. The Inbit set up their main base of operations on Earth, called "Reflex Point", in the Great Lakes area of North America. 

However, the Mars colony, dubbed the Mars Base, does not forget about the plight of Earth. Troops are sent in to fight the Inbit from the Moon, only to fail miserably. The Inbit do not attack Mars and show no interest towards the other planets. Surprisingly, the aliens show no hostility towards humans unless they are directly provoked. The Inbit can also sense the presence of HBT and use of the fuel is limited under their supervision, as HBT is a common component in weapons technology. Mars Base becomes a gigantic military factory, producing vast amounts of advanced weaponry and trained troops. In 2080, Mars Base sends in the next wave of troops called the Earth Recapture Force - but it is virtually destroyed despite a technological advantage including the deployment of transformable mecha.
 

Houquet won't take your shit.

Amazing fan artwork by Suppa Rider.

Mars Base deploys the Second Earth Recapture Force three years later but suffers a similar fate as the first fleet. Legioss pilot Stick Bernard turns out to be the only survivor as he crashlands in South America, but his fiancée, Marlene, is killed in the chaos. A holographic recording of Marlene given to Stick just before the operation began gives him the strength to move on and avenge her death. In his quest to reach Reflex Point, he meets the other main characters of the show, forming a group of ragtag freedom fighters in a quest to rid the planet of the Inbit.
 

As the plot unravels, the purpose of the Inbit invasion is revealed: to find a suitable place to evolve into more complex beings. However, the Inbit do not know that their endeavor actually threatens to cause the extinction of both humans and Inbit and thus, it is up to Stick and his group, with the help of humanoid Inbit (Aisha and Solzie), to convince the supreme ruler of the Inbit, the Refless, to flee from Earth. 

The Blu Ray looks so clear, you can see the animation cells margins.

Did I mention how much I love Houquet Et Rose?

Review

If you weren't a kid living in Japan in 1983, chances are you were like me, and like millions of "Japanimation" craving fans from countries outside of Asia. So? The very first time you watched Genesis Climber MOSPEADA was in 1985 in the brand new Harmony Gold epic Animé saga Robotech. The series produced by Carl Macek (love him or hate him, he was there) used MOSPEADA as the third and final act of their westernized view on Animé. So, "The New Generation" was 機甲創世記モスピーダ's official introduction to the world, outside of Asia. 

Plot wise & character wise the modifications made by Harmony Gold were minimal. The only notorious changes were basically scenes that were censored due to graphic violence, nudity or revealing moments that would have us 80's kids complaining "wait! that's not how you write his name!". The other big change made was the fact they replaced the entired original soundtrack in order to help us get a sense of continuity between the three original Animé (the two others being SDF Macross & SDC Southern Cross). Sadly, the music from the three original series is far better than what Harmony Gold went for instead. 

Moving on with the review, I can tell you, seasoned fans have already seen the original Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, and while it may seem like an obscure Animé from the 80's to some, well, like many other old Animé and Cartoons, they're still selling toys, which means there's an audience that refuses to let go of the fond memories this little 25 episode adventure created.

The extra cool looking Legioss.

The MOSPEADA. Don't leave home without it.

I remember back in the 80's hating having to go to school in the afternoons. My sorry schedule never gave me the chance of watching The New Generation from start to finish. I had, and still have this neighbor friend who'd go to school in the morning, so he would tell what I missed right after school. So not only did The New Generation become a frustration but, the whole rising Animé scene turned me into an obsessed fan looking for ways to quench my Animé thirst in some of the most obscure ways a primary student can think of: Skipping classes!!!! There were a couple of times were I said "Fuck it! I'm watching Robotech no matter what" so while that didn't become a norm, I'd still find other ways to skip classes. Imagine how great I felt when I got the flu, or a stomach ache, or whatever symptom! because it was the chance of at least watching one or a few episodes I'd never watched before. Moreover, my family hired a math tutor to, you know, help me raise the bar in the subject and, well, I fucking hated the shit out of him too! The schedule was a whole hour lesson at the same time Robotech would air! Argh! This sadness would follow my sorry ass for around four years. Robotech was such a big thing back then, reruns were mandatory, but I was destined for failure. Once my school shift was moved to the morning section, the reruns were fucking done. I seriously contemplated suicide back then, LOL.

Moving on from the Robotech version of today's review, I can pretty much assure you, Genesis Climber MOSPEADA is one of the best mecha Animé from the early 80's. People have criticized the series as being "episodical", "lacking in character development", "rushed" and even "childish". To each his own, even if they're wrong. 

You're never too busy to not appreciate flowers.

GTFOD in style.

First, MOSPEADA is not episodical. Everything taking place in an episode, will immediately affect the following episode. The same can be said about character development. There are episodes where we learn the background story of the main characters, revelations from the Inbit and even the stories of other characters that have suffered the Inbit invasion in first person. However, I kinda agree with the "rushed" label some people have assessed this Animpe. Nevertheless, there were a lot of excellent Animé that fell into the same category. While the reasons behind it may vary, it usually has to do with running out of budget or kids not buying the toys/kits anymore. The first 20 episodes feel like there's a very long distance from where our heroes start the quest, and yet the final episodes speed the action up quite a bit. Still, I don't think that's a bad thing. Characters have grown enough, and their mission has to end some time.

Now, let's take a close look at the main characters:

Stick Bernard (Voiced by Bin Shimada): A 20-year-old Mars Base lieutenant who becomes stranded on Earth as the Inbit obliterate the defenses of the Second Earth Recapture Force. As a result of the overwhelming force of the Inbit, Stick's fiancée, Marlene, is killed when her ship attempts to land on the planet surface, leaving Stick angry and bitter. Even after he gathers his freedom fighters together, he often allows his hatred and blind fury towards the Inbit to distract him from the responsible decision-making his friends know he is capable of. In the end, however, he finds his peace again as he becomes aware of his growing feelings for Aisha, despite her Inbit background. 

Ray (Voiced by Hisao Ōyama): A 17-year-old scavenger who plays the role of the historian, optimist, and wisecracker of the group. Originally, Ray was a loner who actually enjoyed teasing the Inbit as they chased him around the territory, but he joins Stig in order to deal a serious blow to the invaders. Extremely resourceful and with a good intuition, Ray is the first in the group who gradually manages to figure out important clues about the Inbit's true nature. He is a huge fan of Yellow Belmont until he learns that the female singer is actually a man. Over the course of the series, he develops deep feelings for Houquet, but she is slow to warm up to his affections.
According to the show's creators, Ray is partially telepathic. In earlier versions of the storyline this was much more predominant. However it is still present in the series as it was made, which explains the bizarre hallucination that he has at one point (which revealed several true facts of the Inbit's history and purpose) and his inexplicable understanding of what the "genesis pit" they fell into was for. 

Can't see a man about a dog without the Inbit fucking around!

Well, uhm, you know, there's a bed & sheet section in this mall.

Mint La Bule (Voiced by Sanae Miyuki (credited as Miyuki Muroi)): A spirited and precocious 13-year-old girl who was abandoned by her parents. She tags along with the group in order to find a husband, but ends up becoming part of the team. Often considered an annoyance to the rest of the group, Mint is nonetheless loved by her fellow freedom fighters, and proves herself valuable to the mission on several occasions. Her trademark attire is the E.T. cap that she wears. It is not known whether the E.T. stands for the science fantasy movie of the same name or something else.

Houquet et Rose (voiced by Mika Doi): A 16-year-old former motorcycle gang member and girlfriend to gang leader, Romy. She was severely beaten and abused by a rival gang when they cornered her away from her group. Houquet initially fights for the helpless and refuses an alliance with Stick, but joins the team after realizing that she would be stronger with them than without them. Eventually she comes to respect her companions enough that she offers to sacrifice herself in order to save the others. She eventually falls in love with Ray, but for most of the series is unable to open her heart and express her feelings to him.

Annoying as fuck.

Useful as fuck.

Jim Warston (Voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura): A 32-year-old maintenance mechanic. Jim initially comes off as the "stupid lunk" of the group, but is soon revealed to be quite intelligent. Jim was once a member of the Mars Base forces, but deserted after failing to save a friend from the Inbit. Though he labeled himself a coward and often sees himself as a liability to Stig's team, the team is quick to object to this, noting Jim's courage and dependability during their repeated encounters with Inbit forces.

Yellow Belmont (Voiced by Mine Matsuki and Hirotaka Suzuoki): A 22-year-old soldier from the Second Earth Recapture Force. Now disguised as a female singer (thanks to his bishōnen appearance) in order to hide from the Inbit and certain locals, Yellow has made quite a name for him/herself as an entertainer, but upon meeting Stick and his friends, Yellow decides to help free Earth from the Inbit. His ability to completely change both his physical appearance and personality (in the Japanese version, this also included his voice) adds to the team's ability to infiltrate towns and cities in order to gather supplies or complete missions. His stage name in Robotech was Yellow Dancer.

Jem's favorite singer.

Me bad guy, me kill.

Aisha (Voiced by Miki Takahashi): A female Inbit changed into humanoid form as part of an experiment to adapt the Inbit to Terran conditions. (In Robotech, she was given the name Marlene by Scott (Stig) and the others, named after his old fiancée, because when they first met her, they were unaware of her real name.) Suffering from amnesia when Stig's group finds her, she gradually develop human feelings and sympathies, and ends up falling in love with Stig.

Refless (Voiced by Noriko Ohara): Supreme ruler of the Inbit. Her only goal is to terraform the Earth in order for her race to take it over. Considers humans to be genetically and socially worthless.

Solzie (Voiced by Waka Kanda): Another female Inbit transformed into humanoid form. Accidentally encounters Yellow as he is bathing in a waterfall, and the encounter leaves her resolve shaken as she slowly begins to fall in love with him. Eventually, she becomes the first Inbit to independently sympathize with the human cause.

Battlar (Voiced by Hōchū Ōtsuka): The sole male Inbit in the series changed into humanoid form. Unlike Aisha and Solzie, Battlar's experiences with Stig's team leaves him angry and insulted. His repeated defeat in combat by Stig causes Battlar to make his mission of stopping Stig's group a personal vendetta.

Aisha is not shy.

Fantastic original artwork.

Plot wise, MOSPEADA is slightly different than Robotech. There's no protoculture here, no admiral Rick Hunter coming to Reflex Point, and most of the deleted scenes are either comical fourth wall breaks, mild nudity and a tad of graphical violence. However, some plot details are different. First, the Inbit aren't THAT bad. They're actually looking for a fit environment to evolve into their ultimate form, unaware in the process they may end up wiping out the species already on Earth. You see, the real reason behind mankind leaving Earth is because of pollution. Also, they ran out of fuel, so the HBT was developed on Mars as an alternative to fossil fuels. So while, a lot of humans were conquering space, the ones that stayed home were caught off guard and outnumbered when the Inbit invasion took place. Sadly, the Inbit can easily detect HBT vehicles and weapons, so the surviving mankind go south most of the time they want to fight their invaders. Last but not least, Rey doesn't say "get a job!" and Stick doesn't name Aisha after his dead girlfriend because that's fucking creepy.

While some may think this Animé borrows a few aspects from SDF Macross (idol singer, three mode transforming mecha, alien invasion, love confusing aliens, etc) my answer to them is simply, no! MOSPEADA is its own thing. However, like Macross, MOSPEADA has a fantastic soundtrack. One of the best ever recorded in the early 80's if I might add. Yellow Belmonte has a varied selection of songs that go from R&B, to funk, to soul, to Blues, to rock and to 80's synth pop. Please! do yourself a favor, and buy this fantastic vinyl!

Don't trust this guy.

This lady works for The Sun newspaper.

Overall, seasoned fans have probably seen the show many, many times. Fans have probably replaced their DVD set with the high definition Blu Ray box set, and Robotech fans, well, they have replaced their DVD sets with newer DVD sets, LOL. Is it worth watching? abso-fucking-lutely.

Bonus pictures of my MOSPEADA Toys and Vinyl soundtrack:

The original Gakken toys.

Spinning the original soundtrack.

Stay tuned for more! Check our video section below!

 Here's the opening:



Here's the ending:



Lonely Soldier Boy live with Andy Koyama (original singer) boy! this song is in my top 5 Animé songs of all time!



A fan made tribute to Shinji Aramaki (sadly featuring the Robotech soundtrack)



Gakken & Imai MOSPEADA TV ads:



The opening made completely on MS Paint:



The Korean opening:



Fans covering the legendary opening theme: