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The voice of Phantom F. Harlock, in the pre-title sequence over the Stanley Witch, was played by Ishihara Yuujiroo, one of Japan's best-known modern actors, and is his only performance in an animated film. When he died, several years ago as of this writing (1993), it's said that practically person in Japan worthy of being called an actor attended his funeral.
Baoh is a genetically-engineered parasite which feeds upon a living host, locating itself inside the host's brain. The host also becomes known as a Baoh. Dr. Kasuminome utilized genetic-engineering to manipulate the cellular structure of the Baoh parasites. The latest generation of his Baoh parasites can live in a host in a variety of environments.
Takachiho Haruka was born on Nov. 7th 1951 in Nagoya, as Takekawa Kimiyoshi(autonym). He graduated in social science from Hosei University in 1975 and established Studio Nue in 1972 when he was still a student, to work as an Anime producer and scenario writer. He has served as the SFWJ's executive secretary. His debut as a writer was "Crusher Joe: Wakusei Pizan no Kiki" (Crisis on Planet Pizan) in 1977. In 1980, Mr. Takachiho won the Seiun Award (Japanese short story) for "DirtyPair no Dai Boken" (The Great Adventure of the Dirty Pair) and in 1986, he was given the Seiun Award (Japanese novel) for "DirtyPair no Dai Gyakuten"(The Dirty Pair Strike Again).
One of the opening animation sequences is an adaptation of a scene from the first episode of the TV series, and shows how Kyosuke and Madoka first met. Her red straw hat got caught by a sudden breeze, and Kyosuke caught it while counting the stairs up to his new apartment building. This led to his first argument with Madoka, when he said there were 100 steps, and she insisted there were only 99. He finally compromised by saying he would settle for 99.5 steps.
"Kimagure Orange Road", an immensely successful manga comic feature created by Matsumoto Izumi, ran as a weekly series in the "Shuukan Shoonen Jampu" (Weekly Youth Jump) between 1984 and 1988. The story focuses on love and friendship, with lots of added silliness and slapstick comedy.
The series title is a complicated play on words, the result of the project's convoluted preproduction. The original story creators at Studio Nue and Artland initially named their project, "Battle City Megaload/Megaroad." The double pun refers to the ship's massive civilian population and long space journey. According to Chief Director Ishiguro, the producer for the sponsor was a fan of Shakespeare, and insisted on naming the series and ship "Macbeth" (pronounced "Makubesu" in Japanese). Studio Nue and Artland regrouped and proposed the title "Makurosu," or "Macross" when written in English. Along with its similarity to Macbeth's Japanese pronunciation, the finalized title also retained the first title's connotation.
Two of the main characters are fictional descendants of actual historical figures. Inspector Zenigata is the seventh-generation descendant of the famous Edo-Period detective, Zenigata Heji, and Ishikawa Goemon is the thirteenth-generation descendant of the notorious samurai-turned-bandit Ishikawa Goemon, who, when caught, was boiled in oil for his crimes.
About the title: the usual term for biker gangs in Japanese is "Boosoozoku," which translates as "Wild Rider Gang." Substituting "Baku" (Explosive) for "Boo" (Violent) results in "Bakusoozoku," or "Extremely Wild Rider Gang." We have colloquialized this as "Bomber Bikers of Shoonan."
Approximately 800 episodes of the Hissatsu series were produced through March of 1991. During the most successful seasons, when the show could boast ratings of nearly 30%, certain phrases and dialogues from the shows entered the everyday vernacular! Because of its popularity, many specials and several movies (the latest one is scheduled to premier during summer of 1998!) were made.
The Razor ("Goyoukiba") takes place in Edo, Japan, sometime during the middle of the Tokugawa Era (approx. 1603-1868, also called Edo Period), the period named for the 15 generations of Tokugawa Shogun (Military Overlords) that ruled the nation, maintaining a relatively static society, for over 250 years. This period of military-rule is characterized by its relatively peaceful order overall, clear division of the social hierarchy, extravagance by the privileged classes, isolation from the West, a lot of convoluted treachery, and many important cultural and intellectual advances.
The Spirit of Wonder is a series of manga stories written and drawn by Tsuruta Kenji. Only one has as yet been animated, but several of the original mangas will soon be released in English form by Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus.
