Armored Trooper Votoms
Encyclopedia
is a 52-episode anime
television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi
and Sunrise
, featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara
. The series originally aired in Japan from April 1, 1983 to March 23, 1984 on TV Tokyo
. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi's previous hit series, Fang of the Sun Dougram
, VOTOMS continued the trend towards hard science
in the mecha
anime sub-genre. The televised series focuses on the story of stoic Armored Trooper pilot Chirico Cuvie and his quest for answers after a sudden betrayal leaves him on the run from his own military. The series was supplemented by numerous original video animation
releases, and also inspired a number of spin-off works whose media ranges from serialized light novels to video games.
Chirico is suddenly transferred to a unit engaged in a suspicious mission, unaware that he is aiding to steal secrets from what appears to be his own side. Chirico is betrayed and left behind to die, but he survives, is arrested by the Gilgamesh military as a traitor, and tortured for information on their homeworld. He escapes, triggering a pursuit extending across the entire series, with Chirico hunted by the army and criminals alike as he seeks the truth behind the operation. He is especially driven to discover the truth of one of the objects he was assigned to retrieve in that operation: a mysterious and beautiful woman who would become his sole clue to unraveling the galactic conspiracy.
The main characters of the series take their names from the Greek alphabet
. Chirico, (Japanese transliteration, "Kiriko"), is from the Greek letter "chi" (Χ), Fyana (Fuiana) is from Greek letter "phi" (Φ), and Ypsilon (Ipushiron) from the Greek letter "upsilon" (Υ).
). Soldiers and combat vehicles alike are equipped with missiles and projectile weapons; only large spaceships have energy weapons, and then only in small numbers. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper
(also known as AT, described in a derogatory term as a 'tin can with a machine gun'), a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. They are known alternately as VOTOMS (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS).
ATs are rugged, simple machines equipped with one or two weapon systems, usually a light automatic cannon and a rocket
or missile
pod. They stand between three to four meters tall, with the pilot occupying most of the chest area and the head. Batteries are used to energize a special liquid called Polymer Ringers Solution in the limbs' "muscle cylinders" to emulate a range of human-like motion. Polymer Ringers Solution is highly flammable and breaks down over time, requiring regular replenishment for ATs that do not have Polymer Ringers Solution Purifier systems (typically housed in armored backpacks). ATs can be readily maintained in the field and can even be put together from spare parts using little more than a simple workshop. Unlike other mechas in other series at the time Votoms came out, the Votoms are more or less walking tanks as they can not fly or transform.
ATs have simple internal computer systems that allow them to operate in a semi-autonomous or "rabbit" mode without a pilot. Pilots may also prepare a "mission disk" in advance of deployment which is then inserted into the cockpit computer. The mission disk is used to store information relating to maneuvers that the pilot anticipates will be necessary, such as using the evaluation of an opponent's tactics to prepare against him. The pilot activates the mission disk at the appropriate time and the AT's execution of pre-programmed maneuvers then becomes faster when the pilot needs them. This allows the pilot to pay more attention to the battle and react faster as a result.
Ending: Itsumo Anata ga (Always You)
For a limited time the Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen game included a Red Shoulder Custom model. Chirico also figures in the Sunrise Eiyuutan (Sunrise Heroes) game for the PlayStation 2
role-playing game
. VOTOMS also has its own official role-playing game, developed by R. Talsorian Games and using the Fuzion
system.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi
Ryosuke Takahashi
is a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, and producer. He is among Sunrise's most renowned and noted directors, with his work epitomizing much of Sunrise's work in the 1980s, pioneering the real robot genre, with such noted works as Armored Trooper Votoms, Fang of the Sun Dougram and several...
and Sunrise
Sunrise (company)
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
, featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara
Kunio Okawara
is a mechanical designer in the Japanese anime industry. A mechanical designer is similar to a character designer, but the design is for robots, ships, and other mechanical items found in a particular show. Okawara was the first in the industry to be specifically credited as a mechanical designer...
. The series originally aired in Japan from April 1, 1983 to March 23, 1984 on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi's previous hit series, Fang of the Sun Dougram
Fang of the Sun Dougram
is a 75-episode anime television series, created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise, and aired in Japan from October 23, 1981 to March 25, 1983 on TV Tokyo...
, VOTOMS continued the trend towards hard science
Hard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
in the mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
anime sub-genre. The televised series focuses on the story of stoic Armored Trooper pilot Chirico Cuvie and his quest for answers after a sudden betrayal leaves him on the run from his own military. The series was supplemented by numerous original video animation
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
releases, and also inspired a number of spin-off works whose media ranges from serialized light novels to video games.
Plot
The series followed a main character named Chirico Cuvie, a special forces Armored Trooper pilot and former member of the Red Shoulder Battalion, an elite force used by the Gilgamesh Confederation in its war against the Balarant Union—both interstellar nations within the distant Astragius Galaxy. Gilgamesh and Balarant had until recently been locked in a century-old galactic war whose cause was long ago forgotten. Now, the war is ending and an uneasy truce has settled.Chirico is suddenly transferred to a unit engaged in a suspicious mission, unaware that he is aiding to steal secrets from what appears to be his own side. Chirico is betrayed and left behind to die, but he survives, is arrested by the Gilgamesh military as a traitor, and tortured for information on their homeworld. He escapes, triggering a pursuit extending across the entire series, with Chirico hunted by the army and criminals alike as he seeks the truth behind the operation. He is especially driven to discover the truth of one of the objects he was assigned to retrieve in that operation: a mysterious and beautiful woman who would become his sole clue to unraveling the galactic conspiracy.
The main characters of the series take their names from the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
. Chirico, (Japanese transliteration, "Kiriko"), is from the Greek letter "chi" (Χ), Fyana (Fuiana) is from Greek letter "phi" (Φ), and Ypsilon (Ipushiron) from the Greek letter "upsilon" (Υ).
Technology
Except for its starships and medical technology, the VOTOMS universe is fairly low-tech (and is often described as hard science fictionHard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
). Soldiers and combat vehicles alike are equipped with missiles and projectile weapons; only large spaceships have energy weapons, and then only in small numbers. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
(also known as AT, described in a derogatory term as a 'tin can with a machine gun'), a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. They are known alternately as VOTOMS (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS).
ATs are rugged, simple machines equipped with one or two weapon systems, usually a light automatic cannon and a rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
or missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
pod. They stand between three to four meters tall, with the pilot occupying most of the chest area and the head. Batteries are used to energize a special liquid called Polymer Ringers Solution in the limbs' "muscle cylinders" to emulate a range of human-like motion. Polymer Ringers Solution is highly flammable and breaks down over time, requiring regular replenishment for ATs that do not have Polymer Ringers Solution Purifier systems (typically housed in armored backpacks). ATs can be readily maintained in the field and can even be put together from spare parts using little more than a simple workshop. Unlike other mechas in other series at the time Votoms came out, the Votoms are more or less walking tanks as they can not fly or transform.
ATs have simple internal computer systems that allow them to operate in a semi-autonomous or "rabbit" mode without a pilot. Pilots may also prepare a "mission disk" in advance of deployment which is then inserted into the cockpit computer. The mission disk is used to store information relating to maneuvers that the pilot anticipates will be necessary, such as using the evaluation of an opponent's tactics to prepare against him. The pilot activates the mission disk at the appropriate time and the AT's execution of pre-programmed maneuvers then becomes faster when the pilot needs them. This allows the pilot to pay more attention to the battle and react faster as a result.
Storyline chronology
- OVAOriginal video animation, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Red Shoulder Document: The Roots of Ambition (レッドショルダードキュメント 野望のルーツ) - set roughly a year prior to the TV series - OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Pailsen Files (ペールゼン・ファイルズ)
- OVA Armor Hunter MellowlinkArmor Hunter Mellowlinkwas a twelve episode anime OVA spinoff of Armored Trooper Votoms. It takes place in the same universe as Votoms, but the two stories are entirely independent of each other....
(機甲猟兵メロウリンク) - starts four months prior to the TV series - TV Anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS episodes 1-13, Uoodo storyline
- OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Last Red Shoulder (ザ・ラストレッドショルダー)
- TV Anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS episodes 14-27, Kummen storyline
- TV Anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS episodes 28-39, Sunsa storyline
- TV Anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS episodes 40-52, Quent storyline
- OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Battle Of The Heterogeneous Species (ビッグバトル Big Battle) - set during the one-year gap in the TV series
- TV Anime Armored Trooper VOTOMS End of episode 52, Quent storyline
- OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Shining Heresy (赫奕たる異端) - set 32 years after the television series
- OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Alone Again (孤影再び) - begins 3 months after the end of Shining Heresy
- OVA Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Phantom Chapter (幻影篇)
Cast
| Japanese Cast | |
|---|---|
Secret Society
|
| Japanese Cast cont'd. | |
|---|---|
Gilgamesh
Red Shoulders
Kummen
Veela
|
| Japanese Cast cont'd. | |
|---|---|
Balarant
Quent
Others
|
Theme songs
Opening: Honoo No Sadame (Destiny of the Flames)Ending: Itsumo Anata ga (Always You)
- Lyrics: Ryōsuke TakahashiRyosuke Takahashiis a Japanese anime director, screenwriter, and producer. He is among Sunrise's most renowned and noted directors, with his work epitomizing much of Sunrise's work in the 1980s, pioneering the real robot genre, with such noted works as Armored Trooper Votoms, Fang of the Sun Dougram and several...
- Composition and Arrangement: Hiroki Inui
- Performed by: Tetsurō OdaTetsurō Odais a Japanese composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter.In the 1990s, Oda composed a number of hit songs such as B.B.Queens' "Odoru Pompokolin", Zard's "Makenaide", and Noriko Sakai's "Aoi Usagi"....
Video games
VOTOMS has appeared in numerous video games since the series' original airing. None of them have seen release outside Japan.- X68000: Dead Ash
- PC8801NEC PC-8801The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
: Black Unicorn - PC-9801PC-9801The NEC PC-9801, part of the PC-98 series, is a Japanese 16-bit microcomputer manufactured by NEC.- History :It first appeared in 1982, and employed an 8086 CPU. It ran at a clock speed of 5 MHz, with two µPD7220 display controllers , and shipped with 128 KB of RAM, expandable to 640 KB...
: Votoms: The Real Battle - Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
: Votoms - The Battling Road - PlayStation: Blue Sabre Knights
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen
- PlayStation: Brave Saga (as a guest character)
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms Lightning Slash
- PlayStation: Armored Trooper Votoms Steel Force
- PlayStation: Brave Saga 2 (as a guest character)
- Dreamcast: Sunrise Eiyuutan (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
: Sunrise Eiyuutan 2 (as a guest character) - WonderSwanWonderSwanwas a line of handheld game consoles produced in Japan by Bandai between 1999 and 2003. It was developed by the late Gunpei Yokoi's company Koto and Bandai...
: Harobots (as a guest character) - Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
: GB Harobots (as a guest character) - Game Boy Color: Brave Saga Shinsou Astaria (as a guest character)
- PlayStation 2: Soukou Kihei Votoms / Armored Trooper Votoms
- PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
: Super Robot Wars Z2: Hakai-Hen
For a limited time the Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen game included a Red Shoulder Custom model. Chirico also figures in the Sunrise Eiyuutan (Sunrise Heroes) game for the PlayStation 2
Role-playing
VOTOMS was a direct inspiration for the Heavy GearHeavy Gear
Heavy Gear is a game universe published since 1994 by Canadian publisher Dream Pod 9. It includes a tabletop tactical wargame, a role-playing game and a lesser known combat card game...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. VOTOMS also has its own official role-playing game, developed by R. Talsorian Games and using the Fuzion
Fuzion
Fuzion is a generic role-playing game system created by the collaboration of R. Talsorian Games and Hero Games. Fuzion is a combination of the Interlock System, , and the HERO system...
system.
Spin-offs
- Armor Hunter MellowlinkArmor Hunter Mellowlinkwas a twelve episode anime OVA spinoff of Armored Trooper Votoms. It takes place in the same universe as Votoms, but the two stories are entirely independent of each other....
(機甲猟兵メロウリンク), a 12-episode OVA series set in the same universe, but with a different story and characters. Loosely ties in with events that lead to the start of the main TV series. - Votoms Case;Irvine (ケース;アービン), an OAVOAVOAV is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Original animated video* Österreichischer Alpenverein * Object–Agent–Verb * Odour activity value...
that follows the story of Irvine Lester, a repairer of the tank-like robotic Armored Trooper (AT) mecha in the VOTOMS story world. - Armored Trooperoid Votoms Finder (ボトムズファインダー), an "alternate universeParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
" OAVOAVOAV is a three letter acronym that may stand for:* Original animated video* Österreichischer Alpenverein * Object–Agent–Verb * Odour activity value...
that centers around Aki Tesuno, a Bottoms guard for scrap salvagers and a pilot of a robotic mecha called an At or Altro (as opposed to VOTOMS' trademark Armored Trooper mecha).
External links
- Episode Synopsis
- Official Roleplaying Game
- Votoms Then and Now Otaku USAOtaku USAOtaku USA is a bimonthly magazine, published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle from an American perspective...
- THEM anime review
- Armored Trooper Votoms Series Overview
- Mania vol 1 review
- Mania vol 7 review
- Mania vol 8 review