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| Yes, another space team and their toys. |
They say the mecha genre is dying. They say a lot of things, don't they? Today's magnificent entry will take us back to our beloved Giant Robot/Mecha genre ,so popular in the late 70s, and so massive in the 80s. Economy in Japan was blooming, and animation studios were working day and night to deliver a tremendous catalog from the most varied genres to all ages audiences from all over the world.
The giant robot genre premise of having a team of teenagers piloting the most awesome transforming/non-transforming robot, sold as much as Coca-Cola does even today. Then, with Mobile Suit Gundam, a more realistic take on the genre was born, and people would call it the "mecha genre". This time the robots would need maintenance, and even repairs that would have them non-operational for most of an episode. The Late Yuzo Yamamoto, who created the J9 trilogy (Braiger, Baxinger, and Sasuraiger), and worked in the above mentioned Gundam, was also a creative force in today's post: 亜空大作戦 スラングル / Mission Outer Space / Gorilla Force.
Gorrilla Force, or "Comando Especial Gorila" as I've originally experienced it in my home country decades ago, is yet another story of a team of brave men and women with a set of special skills, and fantastic vehicles to fight corruption in space.
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| Sexy is much more than her name implies. |
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| Secret information is still kept in cassette tapes. |
Obscure
Now, it's amazing how obscure this 1983 Animé is even today with all the global access the internet has given us. First of all, the synopsis you google are all describing the Macron 1 Animé that combined Go Shogun with Srungle into a single show in 1986. Common practice back then due to TV syndication.
the correct synopsis for Mission Outer Space Srungle is as follows: In the 26th century humanity has colonized the stars and settled in the Garrick Space in a special area known as the Outer Space Zone. This special area is in between two stars that conveniently have oxygen and gravity. Humanity has built a large city known as Garrick Space Town and inhabits many asteroids in the area as well and is protected by the United Garrick Space (UGS) and the Garrick Police. However the large evil organization known as Crime disturbs the peace; however Doc Mandy of the Garrick Police has gathered six pros and created Gorilla Force to oppose Crime.
Gorilla Force crew is led by Captain Chance, who was previously a member of the Galac Police graduating from the Galac Space police academy and leading a special team in the past. Chance works a lot on collecting the data and is cool and composed. Jet is the marksman of the team and previously graduated from the military academy he forms a friendship with Super Star. Super Star is the expert pilot of the team, Sexy is the explosive expert and ends up naked a lot in the show and she’s not shy about it at all, Babyface despite his large intimidating appearance is a very gentle person and a mechanics expert, Magician is the espionage expert on the team and the oldest member he can pull of magic which is the only way to describe his ability to turn into anyone despite body shape and fit right in. The team chemistry reminds me of The A-Team, which also premiered in 1983 in the US, but of course, that's nothing but a mere coincidence.
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| Sexy would always rip her clothes after battle. |
More than meets the eye
The tone of Srungle is that of an adult audience. Espionage, corruption, blackmail, graphic violence, space narcs, politics, nudity, death, death of important characters, you name it. All themes that now may seem like nothing, but back then even the Animé industry refrained from going all in in order to reach wider audiences. Another element that set a realistic perspective in this futuristic world is that all their vehicles, including the Srungle transforming robot, need repairs. While this concept was introduced earlier in the above mentioned Mobile Suit Gundam, it added the extra tension that would make you jump out of your seat and root for the team once they were ready to go into battle.
On the other hand, each member of the team not only have their own particular set of skills, but also different personalities that would sometimes make tasks easier, more difficult, and sometimes reveal their past and struggles. While the show seems to have an episodic narrative, don't be fooled! Each story, and every character counts! Our team progresses one step at a time in the battle against Crime. Which brings me to that frequent critic of "why would you name your super secret organization crime?" In Japanese, the word hanzai (犯罪) has no phonetic resemblance to the English word.
Another important element that plays a major role during the 53 episode run of this animation, is the fact that our characters visit different worlds with episodic pace. This serves a purpose with us, the viewers: We're experiencing a larger world where corruption has expanded to the farthest places in the universe. Very much like the original Star Wars trilogy implied.
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| Our dedicated team of experts. |
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| Team work is greatly appreciated by the Gorilla force. |
Tough competition
By 1983 the mecha genre was well established in Japan. On the other hand, the Western world was still a few years from experiencing it in full power. Some people attribute the "Western robot fever" to The Transformers (1985), which one way or another were deeply linked to what was going on in Japan. A year earlier Voltron was already on TV offering a formula that a year later would be reprised by Harmony Gold and their beloved Robotech. Nevertheless, Srungle was released partially in 1986 in the US as part of the above mentioned Macron 1 series, and it would later be seen in full form in Latin America in 1991. While the series seem obscure to some, it was quite popular in South America, being re-run in 1995, 2004 and 2017 respectively.
Sadly, the animé experience would take longer for Western audiences to catch up, and since the toy industry was tightly related to the latest cartoon craze, not every great animé from the 80s premiered simultaneously outside Japan. After all, the 80s had amazing American cartoons as well. Thundercats, Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, Jem & The Holograms, Silverhawks, to name a few, and they all sold thousands of toys, and some still do today. Srungle did have a toy line as well, with transforming vehicles and model kits, but Clover, the company producing the toys, went bankrupt halfway during the production of the series. What's ironic about this is that Clover produced the first toys for Mobile Suit Gundam. TV moguls may have been too busy worrying about which cartoon was Toyetic, and which one wasn't, as to pay attention to every Japanese animation being imported back then. Besides, multicultural openness would take some years to reach out to everyone.
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| The disgusting leader of Crime. |
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| Srungle in full attack mode. |
Worth the watch
Living in the 21st century is great. No longer do you need to wait for your local TV station to air your favorite shows. Moreover, there's no need to go to your friend that knows a friend that made him a copy of the latest unsubbed OVA. The internet changed everything! Even access to information of obscure Anime can be found, if you know where to look. In addition, most of these shows have been remastered and released on DVD and Blu-Ray with subtitles, and audio tracks in your language of choice. Again, thanks to the internet you don't need to fly to Japan to get a physical copy. Western companies have also made the effort to release local versions of a vast catalog of Animé from decades past.
Some people tend to say that once you've seen a mecha animé, you've seen them all. Although there are shared elements in the genre, there are some notable differences in some of them. Srungle arrived a bit too late in the "Japanimation" fever. A lot of people dissed the show and called it derivative, formulaic, and so on and so forth. This show was made in 1983! even before other shows that people label influential, groundbreaking and practically "the show that brought Anime outside of Japan". Unfortunately, like a vast list of Animé from the 80s, there were no official releases outside of Japan until decades later. Moreover, there were neither English dubs nor subbed releases of the series. Even today, the official Japanese Blu-Ray does not feature an English track or subtitles. Of course, you can find bootleg releases that have fansubs. The show is also on youtube in TV quality but, only in Spanish and Italian. Today, could be a good day to practice your foreign language skills.
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| Enter Dolly the PG-13 version of Sexy. |
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| Gorrilla Force 2.0 |
Please, hear me out
Srungle is the story of a politically charged special force that serves a government that took centuries to build up a peaceful civilization in space. Commitment is a strong word for the team. The first story arc ends by episode 26, and boy what a ride it is! The team not only loses their boss Doc Mandy, but also Sexy is crippled and Superstar sacrifices himself to let the rest of the gang escape enemy fire while abandoning their headquarters. Moreover, there is a path the show never really explores by the second half: What if the bad guys were only trying to recover what was once theirs? Humanity's arrival to subspace may have meant that they encountered Volklazer's people and had to make the "necessary adjustments" to settle in. I guess, we'll never know.
The death of important characters was always a plot twist that may have seem unexpected or shocking for Westerners, but for the Japanese it was just another Sunday ice cream truck passing by. New characters, Sugar & Dolly are not exactly a carbon copy of their former, and a character return from the death will also shake the team dynamics.
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| With Sexy out of action, her "battle damaged" scenes ended. |
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| Super makes the ultimate sacrifice. |
Not the same magic
Nostalgia is a bit of a tricky word. Shows that you swear were magnificent masterpieces the likes of Shakespeare's greatest plays, would have you falling asleep and take the best nap of your life once you've become a fully functioning adult. I say this, because timing is definitely of essence, when our memory decides to add that extra value just because we experienced it in our long gone childhood where responsibilities were non-existent. That flavor from the past is what is missing in Srungle, and many other animé that took years to make it overseas. So, can you watch , a 42 year old show you've barely heard of? Adult criticism can be severe, while your inner child would always take a lighter read from your past. Try watching a Masters of the Universe episode without falling asleep, I dare you. Nevertheless, here is where Mission Outer Space Srungle excels. Episodes matter. There are no random enemies never to be seen again. Crime is such a gigantic organization, that on any episode you'll find nuances that will directly lead into the conclusion of the show. The destruction of the Crime base proved brutal, and the retaliation was even worst. Our heroes not only lost their home, but also key team members. Exhaustion and desperation could be felt in every animation cel from episode 25 and 26.
So?
The mecha genre is not for everyone, and we know it. Regardless of all the things I can write here, it's a matter of personal choices. Older people like me, would certainly be a tad more driven into Anime with robots and space dogfights, but the Anime audiences have changed and there is no one-size-fits-all choice. I for one, think Mission Outer Space Srungle while offering mostly the same experience that other shows from around the same time do, you get better animation quality for 1983 standards. Also, the nature of the show isn't episodic. Consequences do have an impact on following stories as above mentioned. Moreover, characters are not stereotyped. Every character gets the chance of displaying its skills, thus making it clear why they're needed in the team. Even Sexy has a job to do. Her occasional nudity occurs randomly and is nothing but moderate fanservice. Another thing I think it stands out, is the fact that you don't get the impression Srungle is a one man show. The more episodes you watch, the more difficult it is to say "this is Jet's anime". The team dynamic is to blame. They work as a unit, and that means you root for the whole team, instead of a single hero, like it happens with other similar shows where it is clear a main character is essential for a team to work. 53 episodes may be a bit too much, tough.
Original Japanese Opening:
