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Starship Troopers (OVA)
Encyclopedia
is a six part anime
OVA produced by Sunrise
/Bandai Visual
and released in 1988. It is based on the book Starship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein
that was published in 1959.
, an Asia
n Filipino
in the novel, is a blonde White Argentine in the OVA. The main character in Paul Verhoeven's 1997 film Starship Troopers
is the same ethnicity as in the OVA series, despite the two productions being otherwise unrelated.
However, unlike the 1997 film edition the most prominent link the anime
has to the original book are the inclusion of powered armor
and drop pods that were absent in the film—though even in this regard there are many liberties taken in their function, usage and appearance. For example, the principal weapons of the Mobile Infantry in the novel were flame throwers, missile launcher
s sometimes firing small-scale tactical nukes
, and backpack-mounted grenade launcher
s as well as numerous utilities. By contrast, the OVA features a variety of machine guns as primary armaments, with flamethrowers and the aforementioned missile launchers acting as supplementary weapons. Another difference is that the alien antagonists of the OVA were bipedal polyp
-like creatures possessing tentacles and integrated biological weapons capable firing globules of a sticky explosive compound at high muzzle velocity
. The creatures were never named in the OVA, nor were their intentions or social structure analyzed, though individual creatures were observed combining to form colony structures. This stands in stark contrast to the tool-using pseudo-arachnids
of the novel.
of Studio Nue
originally designed the mobile infantry powered armors in the OVA for a Japanese edition of the novel in the early eighties. A mecha based on this design also appears on the DAICON III and IV Opening Animations
from 1981 and 1983, a few years before the OVA was released.
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....
OVA produced by 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...
/Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
and released in 1988. It is based on the book Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
by Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
that was published in 1959.
Production
This production is considered the "most faithful" to the original novel's plot, despite the fact that many liberties were taken with the characters and the original book's themes. For instance, RicoJuan Rico
Juan "Johnnie" or "Johnny" Rico is the protagonist of Robert A. Heinlein's 1958 science-fiction novel Starship Troopers. He also appears in the films Starship Troopers and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder , and in the television series Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles.-Biography:In Starship...
, an Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
in the novel, is a blonde White Argentine in the OVA. The main character in Paul Verhoeven's 1997 film Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers (film)
Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction film, written by Edward Neumeier , directed by Paul Verhoeven, loosely adapted from Starship Troopers, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is the only theatrically released film in the Starship Troopers franchise...
is the same ethnicity as in the OVA series, despite the two productions being otherwise unrelated.
However, unlike the 1997 film edition the most prominent link the anime
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....
has to the original book are the inclusion of powered armor
Powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
and drop pods that were absent in the film—though even in this regard there are many liberties taken in their function, usage and appearance. For example, the principal weapons of the Mobile Infantry in the novel were flame throwers, missile launcher
Shoulder-launched missile weapon
A shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-launched missile or man-portable missile is a projectile fired at a target, small enough to be carried by a single person, and fired while held on one's shoulder...
s sometimes firing small-scale tactical nukes
Tactical nuclear weapon
A tactical nuclear weapon refers to a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations. This is as opposed to strategic nuclear weapons which are designed to menace large populations, to damage the enemy's ability to wage war, or for general deterrence...
, and backpack-mounted grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....
s as well as numerous utilities. By contrast, the OVA features a variety of machine guns as primary armaments, with flamethrowers and the aforementioned missile launchers acting as supplementary weapons. Another difference is that the alien antagonists of the OVA were bipedal polyp
Polyp
A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are approximately cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the body...
-like creatures possessing tentacles and integrated biological weapons capable firing globules of a sticky explosive compound at high muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
. The creatures were never named in the OVA, nor were their intentions or social structure analyzed, though individual creatures were observed combining to form colony structures. This stands in stark contrast to the tool-using pseudo-arachnids
Bug (Starship Troopers)
The Bugs are an extraterrestrial race in the novel Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, its film adaptation , sometimes also referred to as the Arachnids, although this is a misnomer, as the aliens are not related to Earth arachnids...
of the novel.
Mecha Design
Kazutaka MiyatakeKazutaka Miyatake
is an anime designer known for the mechanical design of the Macross TV series and a number of its continuations from Studio Nue, of which he is a founding member. He has also contributed to the mecha design of other series such as Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.-Mechanical Design:Kazutaka Miyatake...
of Studio Nue
Studio Nue
Studio Nue is a Japanese design studio formed in 1972 by Naoyuki Kato, Kenichi Matsuzaki, Kazutaka Miyatake, and Haruka Takachiho...
originally designed the mobile infantry powered armors in the OVA for a Japanese edition of the novel in the early eighties. A mecha based on this design also appears on the DAICON III and IV Opening Animations
DAICON III and IV Opening Animations
The DAICON III and IV Opening Animations are two short, anime, 8 mm films that were produced for the 1981 DAICON III and 1983 DAICON IV Nihon SF Taikai conventions. They were produced by a group of amateur animators known as DAICON Film, who would later go on to form the animation studio Gainax...
from 1981 and 1983, a few years before the OVA was released.
Episode list
- 1. Johnny
- 2. Hendrick
- 3. Maria
- 4. Greg
- 5. Cherenkov
- 6. Carmencita
External links
- Starship Troopers at Gears Online
- Uchu No Senshi at the IMDB
- http://www.trooperpx.com/AFS/AFS01.html
- http://www.trooperpx.com/AFS/AFS02.html