ON VOLTES V AND MARCOS
pat...@my-dejanews.com
dedikeyted tu yu ol. And to stop the crap from flying around this ng....
Balisong anak ng laser sword ni VV --------------- If you spent those early
Friday evenings (c. 1978-1980), tuned in to GMA (Where you Belong!), singing
to: "Tato eh aya shi ga huto tomo...", munching to your Purefoods hotdogs,
and after thirty minutes, waiting in suspense for the next episode while
humming to "Oyani hagureta, hinado rimo, Itsukawa, Yashashii...", you can
relate to this...
To the Armstrong Brothers, Steve, Big Bert and Little John, Mark Gordon, Jamie
Robinson, Cruiser One, Bomber Two, Panzer Three, Frigate Four, Lander Five and
Voltes Five, May You Rest In Peace...
_________________________________________________
The Marcos family has persistently and vehemently denied the charges against
the late President Ferdinand Marcos. They deny that he had anything to do
with the human rights violations committed during his administration. They
deny that he stashed government funds in secret Swiss bank accounts. They
deny all accusations hurled at the former president. But there is one charge
they can not deny, one act to which all of us who were kids in the seventies
bore witness: Marcos killed Voltes V.
What the Bozanians with all their flying metal monstrosities could not do,
Marcos did. The Voltes bazooka, ultramagnetic tops, and the all-powerful laser
sword were vaporized with a swipe of Marcos' pen.
Voltes V was not the only victim of that presidential directive; Mazinger Z,
Daimos, other Japanese robot cartoons and videogames were also blasted
intononexistence. Marcos cited incidences of violence among children--kids
hitting each other with plastic swords, among other deadly activities--as the
reason for banning robot cartoons and videogames. He said violent cartoons
bred violent children. Marcos' critics said the banning of Voltes V was
merely a decoy to divert public attention from the president's other
activities.
Outlawing the television broadcast of a Japanese cartoon devoted to
annihilating the enemy may not sound like such a terrible thing, but to the
kids of the seventies, Voltes V was not just a cartoon. It was a daily
ritual, it was practically a religion. To appreciate the magnitude of Marcos'
decision, imagine what might've happened if President Ramos had banned Mari
Mar a few weeks before the final episode. Picture the chaos which could have
ensued if FVR had prevented the audience from finding out whether Mari Mar
and Sergio would get back together.
The Voltes V audience never found out what happened to Steve, Mark, Jamie the
token girl, Little John, Big Bert, Dr. Armstrong, or Prince Zardoz. As TODAY
special reports editor Roby Alampay pointed out, we are a generation without
closure. We were too young to protest when Voltes V and company were knocked
off the air, but we did not forget.
This injustice lived on in our collective memory, where it rankled, festered,
and grew. And we bided our time. We gathered our forces. We waited for the
opportunity to strike back at those who had summarily executed something we
loved. That opportunity came in February 1986.
If Marcos had not banned Voltes V, the EDSA Revolution would not have taken
place.
On K-Lite, we conducted a discussion on Japanese robot cartoons with resource
persons Carlo Herman (who can sing and do the sound effects of all the robot
shows), Roby, and Budjette and Brandy Tan of Alamat Comics. I had
underestimated the enduring popularity of Voltes V. Talk about a generation
without closure: we were swamped with phone calls and beeper messages from
people who wanted to know how Voltes V ended.
"What became of Zul?" asked one listener, referring to the horned, bald
sycophant of the evil Prince Zardoz.
"He tried to betray the Bozanians so he was dehorned," Carlo explained.
"That was a terrible punishment because he could never be horny again."
"Zul was not dehorned," another listener insisted, "He committed suicide by
diving into the sun."
"No, that was Prince Ullrich, leader of the Bremen, and that was in Daimos."
"What I want to know is, why did Voltes V have to try those ultramagnetic tops
when the laser sword could beat everybody? Why didn't they just cut to the
chase and whip out the laser sword?"
"Because if they did the series would've ended in two days."
"Who did Jamie wind up with?" Nobody knew the answer.
Another listener wanted to know how many generations separated UFO Grendaizer
from Mazinger Z. This led to a long, complicated explanation from Budjette on
the ancestry of UFO Grendaizer.
"Didn't you think Mazinger Z was cute?" Carlo said. "It looked like an
airconditioner." I always thought Voltes V looked like a chicken.
"That Aphrodite A was a wimp. After she had fired off those boob missiles, she
had no more powers."
"But Mazinger Z needed those missiles to fly," Roby pointed out. "She would
fire them, and he would hang on to them." A subsequent question about Star
Rangers elicited a spontaneous a capella choral rendition of the theme from
that show.
Today's superhero cartoons are more sophisticated than Voltes V; they're also
more ambiguous. They are darker and truer to life--the good guys don't always
emerge triumphant, and sometimes you can't tell the good from the bad. Yes,
kids learn that nothing is simple, there is no black and white, and you
can't trust anyone. But they don't get any great urge to be good, either.
That is the beauty of Voltes V. We need to see the forces of good kick the
crap out of the forces of evil.
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum
Tonyong Gago
maging presidente ng Voltes V fans club... hehehehehehehe....
John J. Cristobal
> Friday evenings (c. 1978-1980), tuned in to GMA (Where you Belong!), singing
> to: "Tato eh aya shi ga huto tomo...", munching to your Purefoods hotdogs,
...Right after being subjected to the ending strains of Orly Mercado's
"Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko."
> and after thirty minutes, waiting in suspense for the next episode while
> humming to "Oyani hagureta, hinado rimo, Itsukawa, Yashashii...", you can
> relate to this...
>
> To the Armstrong Brothers, Steve, Big Bert and Little John, Mark Gordon, Jamie
> Robinson, Cruiser One, Bomber Two, Panzer Three, Frigate Four, Lander Five and
> Voltes Five, May You Rest In Peace...
Let's not forget Camp Big Falcon, Dr. Armstrong, Dr. Smith, Dr. Hook, as
well as the pilot of the mechanical eagle (who was that guy anyway??)
You folks probably still have some old, tattered issues of Questor,
the sleek, official fanzine of those classic mechas. Lots of school kids
must have traced their sketch of Voltes on that and bragged the next
day to their classmates about their "creation." And how about those
2-foot high die-cast robots with spring-action weaponry? I heard that
they're a collector's item in Japan.
And... the stickers!! Those glossy, sectioned, 8.5" x 11"-sized sheets
depicting your fave robot in action was the craze at that time. Many a
schoolboy's lunch money was spent purchasing those colorful, 2-Peso
stick-ons. Just looking at those made a boy's imagination take flight.
John
----------------------------------------------------------------------
John J. Cristobal jjcri...@hotmail.com
MariaClara
hope you continue to post... ayl biheyb i pramis.
~ ~ 8
Q Q MC
-
katip...@hotmail.com
> Sa ngalan ng Voltes V at ang aking mga kapwa fans nireng series. dis is
> dedikeyted tu yu ol. And to stop the crap from flying around this ng....
>
> Balisong anak ng laser sword ni VV --------------- If you spent those early
> Friday evenings (c. 1978-1980), tuned in to GMA (Where you Belong!), singing
> to: "Tato eh aya shi ga huto tomo...", munching to your Purefoods hotdogs,
> and after thirty minutes, waiting in suspense for the next episode while
> humming to "Oyani hagureta, hinado rimo, Itsukawa, Yashashii...", you can
> relate to this...
>
> To the Armstrong Brothers, Steve, Big Bert and Little John, Mark Gordon, Jamie
> Robinson, Cruiser One, Bomber Two, Panzer Three, Frigate Four, Lander Five and
> Voltes Five, May You Rest In Peace...
<gupit>
Wow! Nakakanostalgia! Aba't hindi lang naman mag lalaki ang naaddict sa anime.
Pati kaming mga babae nakinood din ng Voltes Five at Daimos.
Nagbalik daw ang Candy-Candy recently, about 2 or 3 years ago, sa Japan. O baka
naman tsismis lang ito. But I've seen pics of Candy-Candy and gang in the Newtype
Magazines I have (like a whooole shelf full of Newtype Mags).
Sino ba rito ang nakakaremember ng Ron-Ron The Flower Angel? Yun pa naman ang
pinakapeyborit ko sa lahat ng anime noon.
Oh yeah, I did visit that site with the Voltes Five ending and beginning theme
songs (in MP3). If you want it, email and I will gladly send both to you via email
or FTP. Wow!!! Trip talaga!
-- Paula
lollipop
>
>Wow! Nakakanostalgia! Aba't hindi lang naman mag lalaki ang naaddict sa anime.
>Pati kaming mga babae nakinood din ng Voltes Five at Daimos.
>
>Nagbalik daw ang Candy-Candy recently, about 2 or 3 years ago, sa Japan. O baka
>naman tsismis lang ito. But I've seen pics of Candy-Candy and gang in the Newtype
>Magazines I have (like a whooole shelf full of Newtype Mags).
Aba! At hindi rin naman mga babae lang ang naadict sa Candy-Candy.
Pati kaming magkakapatid na lalaki na puro macho gwapito ay lokong
loko sa Candy-Candy noon.
John J. Cristobal
> Haaay... oo nga JJ those were the days... kaya lang napansin ko... walang gaanong
> nag-tethread dito sa Voltes V threads... one conclusion though... most of these
> guys at the SCF are MAS GURANG NA SA ATIN!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA....
> HEHEHEHEHEHEHE... Walang maka-relate. Mga Tatang... sorry wala pang cartooons
> noong araw bwahahahahah!!!
Salamat sa midis, TG. Hehehe... huwag mo namang bistuhin ang mga edad nila.
Wala nga sigurong Voltes V noong panahon nila, pero mayroon namang
LVN at Sampaguita pictures.... :) :) (Right, Aling Maring???) Hehehe....
Teka nga... baka naman ayaw nila ng Voltes... Hetong mga naaalala ko noon:
1. Voltes V
2. Daimos
3. Mazinger Z
4. Vanguard Ace
5. UFO Grendaizer
6. Balatak
7. Mekanda Robot
8. Jeeg
9. Gaikin
10. Jetta Robot
... atbp. (sumunod na ang Voltron, Transformers, ...)
Yung iba naman na hindi robot...
- Candy Candy
- Heidi
- Nobody's Child (3D?)
- Ron Ron
...
Hehehehe.... O ano, TG? Tandaan mo pa lahat ito? Tanda ko pa lagi kaming
bumibili ng Yakult...yung ubos agad sa dalawang lagok. :)
John
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John J. Cristobal
jjcri...@hotmail.com
http://members.tripod.com/~xingxing
John J. Cristobal
work and stuff... Just found some time to visit the ol' Usenet stomping
grounds. Hope you and the family are doing fine up there at The City.
Regards,
John
Chibi: The Jilted Wonder
Steve, Mark, Little John, Jamie. Sino yung bata? (In a bragging
voice...) "Di ko lang pinanood ang movie version, kundi binili ko rin
yung vinyl plaka ng soundtrack!.....At may coloring books pa!" But
sadly, I never got the chance to get the Voltes V doll or model kit!
Don't forget Yamato, Macross, Remy (I'm not sure if this was the program
name, but it's about this apo and his lolo who travels across France --
faggy shows like this and Candy Candy (ngii!) replaced the robot shows
when they were banned. I hated Macoy since!). I'm happy I got exposed
to anime 2 decades before it became known here in the West (North
America).
Tandaan 'nyo rin ba yung Star Rangers? Obviously the precursor of
today's Power Rangers. Or "Sa Wakas". A Japanese live action dealing
with the apocalypse. I don't remember if it was dubbed in Tagalog or
not.
Yakult!?! "Made from the lab grown e-coli bacteria of Shirota's piss!"
Okay...I didn't drink my share of this....piss. May Daisy Fresh pa ba
saP.I.? Nutri bun (pronounced, nootreban)?
GERILYA
Koji Kabuto rules!!!! Natatandaan ko lang 4 out the 5 of Voltes:
Steve, Mark, Little John, Jamie. Sino yung bata? (In a bragging
voice...) "Di ko lang pinanood ang movie version, kundi binili ko rin
yung vinyl plaka ng soundtrack!.....At may coloring books pa!" But
sadly, I never got the chance to get the Voltes V doll or model kit! <<<
========================
Steve (on V5's head)
Mark (the arms)
Big Bert (torso)
Little John (hips, legs and thighs)
and I think it was Jane instead of Jamie (feet)
Steve, Big Bert and little John were brothers I believe.
Anyone remember the JAK-Q?
They're the next to Star Rangers
JAK-Q are four folks (3 guys 1 woman)
representing Jack of Diamond, Ace of Spades, King of Cloves
and Queen of hearts.
I also remember something like the "Adventures of Huck Finn"
or something, and the "Knights of the round Table" (or was that
King Arthur or Legends of Camelot or something) from which
when I saw the series of Anime called "The Legend of Arislan"
was a total reminiscent.
So far however, I still think "Ghost in the Shell" is still the best
I've seen.