Stratos 4
Encyclopedia
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....
series by Studio Fantasia
Studio Fantasia
is a Japanese animation studio. It was founded on October 12, 1983 by Tomohisa Iizuka, then an employee of Tsuchida Production, 3 years before that company went bankrupt.Its headquarters are situated in Nerima, Tokyo.- OVA :...
and 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 directed by Takeshi Mori
Takeshi Mori (director)
is a Japanese anime director, storyboard artist, and script writer born October 10, 1963 in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University, Mori began working in the anime industry....
. Originally spanning a 13-episode anime TV series, which premiered across Japan between January 5, 2003 to March 30, 2003, the series was continued onto three OVA
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...
-series sequels, the first of which was released on 28 May 2004 and spanned 2-episodes, followed by Stratos 4: Advance, which spanned 6 episodes and was released on 25 March 2005, and Stratos 4: Advance Final, which was released on 22 September 2006 and spanned 2-episodes, respectively.
The series has been broadcast by the anime satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
network, Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
, across its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and other regions. The original 13-episode television series and its first subsequent two-episode OVA series were licensed for North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n distribution by Bandai's distributive unit across the region, Bandai Entertainment.
Story
Fifty years before the series begins, scientists learn that a group of cometComet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s will enter the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
on a collision course with Earth. The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
set up a two-tiered global defense system against the threat: the primary one being a space-based Comet Blaster group and the secondary being a ground-based Meteor Sweeper group. Most of the series takes place on an airbase
Airbase
An airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
on Shimoji Island
Shimoji, Okinawa
was a town located in Miyako District, Okinawa, Japan.On October 1, 2005 Shimoji was merged with the towns of Gusukube and Irabu, and the village of Ueno, all from Miyako District, and the old city of Hirara, to form the new city of Miyakojima, Okinawa....
in 2024, where Mikaze and her friends are tasked to defend the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from large fragments left over after a failed attempt by the Comet Blasters, who are based on one of seven space stations, to annihilate a comet. All is going well until a large meteorite crashes into a lightly populated island leading the girls on a run to find out the truth about the comets.
Locations
- Shimoji Island
- Shimoji airbase
- Control tower
- Hangars
- Runway
- Classrooms
- Simulator rooms
- Gym
- Kouchin Restaurant
- Boarding house
- Shimoji airbase
- Okinawa Island
- Agency building
- GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
Island- Andersen AFB
- TanegashimaTanegashimais an island lying to the south of Kyushu, in southern Japan, and is part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The island is the second largest of the Ōsumi Islands....
Island - Outer space
- Orbital Station #7
- Orbital Station #8
Technology
Some of the technological devices and systems used in Stratos 4:- Zero-Length Launch (ZELL) system, a TELARTransporter erector launcherA transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles...
truck-based method for runway-less takeoff of interceptor aircraft, similar to surface-to-air missileSurface-to-air missileA surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
launcher trucks - Rocket-Assisted TakeoffJATOJATO is an acronym for jet-fuel assisted take off. It is a system for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets....
(RATO), booster rockets fixed under the wings of the interceptors - Reaction Control SystemReaction control systemA reaction control system is a subsystem of a spacecraft whose purpose is attitude control and steering by the use of thrusters. An RCS system is capable of providing small amounts of thrust in any desired direction or combination of directions. An RCS is also capable of providing torque to allow...
(RCS), a system of puffers used to turn air- and spacecraft in very thin air and outer space - Lightweight Pressure SuitsPressure suitA pressure suit is a protective suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly at altitudes where the air pressure is too low for an unprotected person to survive, even breathing pure oxygen at positive pressure. Such suits may be either full-pressure or partial-pressure...
, special suits worn by crews for high-atmosphere and space flights
Vehicles and weapons
The aircraft used in the anime span from the 1950s to the present day. All spacecraft are fictional.Most aircraft are from the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era, retrofitted with modern powerplant
PowerPlant
PowerPlant is an object-oriented GUI toolkit, application framework and set of class libraries for Mac OS, created by Metrowerks. The framework was fairly popular at the height of the Classic Mac OS era, and was primarily used with CodeWarrior...
s, avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
and flight control systems. The anime demonstrates well a hypothetical joint-use of American, European, Soviet and Japanese technologies for the common goal of shooting down meteor debris and protecting the Earth.
Aircraft
| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| BAC British Aircraft Corporation The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with... TSR-2MS |
Very-high altitude interceptor | 8 | Shimoji Island's main interceptor aircraft. | |
| Yakovlev Yak-28 Yakovlev Yak-28 The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union. Produced initially as a bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting names Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro... MST |
Trainer aircraft | 4+ | Fictional aircraft, based on the Yakovlev Yak-28 Yakovlev Yak-28 The Yakovlev Yak-28 was a swept wing, turbojet-powered combat aircraft used by the Soviet Union. Produced initially as a bomber, it was also manufactured in reconnaissance, electronic warfare, interceptor, and trainer versions, known by the NATO reporting names Brewer, Firebar, and Maestro... . It is Shimoji Island's main trainer aircraft. The Yak-28MST is not used for weapons training, but only for basic flight lessons, navigation training and air show displays. |
|
| Raytheon Hawker 800 Raytheon Hawker 800 |-See also:-References:* Gunston, Bill. Hawker: The story of the 125. -External links:* * *... |
Business jet | 1 | Shimoji Island's main shuttle aircraft between the island and mainland Japan. | |
| CH-47 Chinook CH-47 Chinook The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s... |
Large transport helicopter | 1 | Shuttles the airbase staff between Shimoji Island and "some hot springs". | |
| C-17 Globemaster III C-17 Globemaster III The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout... |
Four-engined jet transport | 1 | Makes an unannounced landing at Shimoji airbase, carrying armed government troops as well as CEMA agents. | |
| SAC-0 "Stratos 0/4" |
Prototype interceptor spaceplane | 1 | A proposed spaceplane, based the (unbuilt) North American XF-108 Rapier Mach 3 interceptor, with nose design from the XB-70 Valkyrie. | |
| Sud Aviation Caravelle Sud Aviation Caravelle The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with... |
Jet airliner | 1 | The airliner flown by Mikaze's father. Carries the friends and families of the airbase's staff to the festival in episode 08. | |
| ??? aircraft (Magenta Magenta Magenta is a color evoked by light stronger in blue and red wavelengths than in yellowish-green wavelengths . In light experiments, magenta can be produced by removing the lime-green wavelengths from white light... -colored) |
Personal jet | 1 | The jet flown by Mikaze's older sister. Has a canard configuration. |
Spacecraft
| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| Orbital Station #7 | Space station | 1 | Home of the Comet Blasters. Governed by Commander Miharu Ohzara. | |
| SAC-1B | Anti-comet space interceptor | 3+ | Carries a Trident Missile in the nose, which is launched along with the main body at an incoming comet. The ship's crew separates from the weapon module in an escape pod (the cockpit, basically), which is used to fly back to the space station. |
Land vehicles
| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| TELAR Transporter erector launcher A transporter erector launcher is a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles... |
Mobile launch platform for interceptor aircraft | 8+ | 8×8 mobile launch platform truck, for Zero-Length Launch (ZLL) takeoffs. They carry the interceptors from the hangars to the launch area. | |
| Small motorbike | Motorcycle | 4 | Kouchin Restaurant's delivery bikes, used by the 4 protagonists to deliver takeout orders. Also used to travel from the boarding house to the Shimoji Airbase when they wake up late. |
Aircraft
| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| Mikoyan MiG-31MS Mikoyan MiG-31 The Mikoyan MiG-31 is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed to replace the MiG-25 "Foxbat". The MiG-31 was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau based on the MiG-25.-Development:... |
Very-high altitude interceptor | 2 | Shimoji Island's new interceptor aircraft. Has increased payload and max speed over the TSR-2MS. Launched from the same TELARs. | |
| C-130 Hercules C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport... |
Four-engined turboprop transport | 1 | Carries support equipment and spare parts for the two MiG-31MSes, as well as the simulators for those planes. Is also Lud's transport. | |
| Vickers-Supermarine Type-559MS Vickers Type 559 -References:* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914. London:Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0 85177 800 3.* Butler, Tony. "Futile Rivals: F.155T - The Quest for "An Ultimate in Interceptors"". Air Enthusiast, No. 61, January/February 1996. Stamford, UK:Key Publishing. ISSN 0143 5450.... |
Experimental interceptor aircraft | 1 | An experimental interceptor aircraft air-dropped from the YB-60 at medium altitude. Equipped with an ultra-long-range radar, a very advanced flight computer and a simulation missile ("dummy missile") without warhead. Has two rocket engines. Has poor maneuverability. | |
| Convair YB-60 Convair YB-60 |-See also:-References:* Jacobsen, Meyers K. and Wagner, Ray. B-36 in Action . Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-89747-101-6.... |
Carrier aircraft | 1 | Converted jet bomber. Carries the Type-559MS experimental aircraft on the starboard wing between the fuselage and inboard starboard engine pod. |
Spacecraft
| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| Orbital Station #8 | Space station | 1 | The new home of the Comet Blasters. Built after the destruction of Orbital Station #7. Governed by Commander Earheart. | |
| Ilyushin Ilyushin Open Joint Stock Company «Ilyushin Aviation Complex» , operating as Ilyushin or Ilyushin Design Bureau, is a Russian design bureau and aircraft manufacturer, founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. Ilyushin was established under the Soviet Union. Its operations began on January 13, 1933, by... Il-SX1 |
Unmanned interceptor spacecraft | 2+ | Remote-controlled interceptor drone ship. Was supposedly used to avoid risking human lives in comet interception missions. |
Firearms
- Howa Type 64Howa Type 64The , is a Japanese battle rifle used exclusively by the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Japanese Coast Guard. It is a gas-operated, selective fire weapon which is chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round and uses a detachable 20-round box magazine. The Type 64 was never exported outside of Japan...
: This rifle was used by Mikaze and others at the shooting range in episode 4. - QBZ-95QBZ-95The QBZ-95 is an assault rifle manufactured by Arsenal 266, part of Norinco and Arsenal 296, under Jianshe Corp, China South for the People's Liberation Army, the armed forces of the People's Republic of China, Chinese People's Armed Police , and Chinese law enforcement. This weapon uses a...
: This rifle was used by the security forces deployed from a C-17 landed at Shimoji airbase in episode 12. - HK MP5 submachine-gun: The research institute guards shot at the black sedan with this SMG during the car chase scene in episode 11.
- Glock 17: Mikaze was shot by Miharu with this pistol in episode 6 of Advance.
Missiles
5 different missiles have been known to be used in the 4 anime and OVA series.| Name | Image | Type | Number | Description |
| Trident Missile (Air, Regular) |
Air-to-air anti-meteor missile | Abundant | The main missile used throughout the Stratos 4 franchise by the ground-based interceptors, TSR-2MS and MiG-31MS. | |
| Trident Missile (Air, Powerful) |
Air-to-air anti-meteor missile | Scarce | Two of these missiles were used to shoot down Orbital Station #7 in Stratos 4: Return to Base. | |
| Trident Missile (Air, Dummy) |
Air-to-air anti-meteor missile (inert warhead) |
Abundant | These missiles are used during practice missions against "virtual" meteors. Also carried by the Type-559MS, which shot one against an actual meteor. | |
| Trident Missile (Space, Regular) |
Space-to-space anti-comet missile | Abundant | The main missile used by the space-based interceptors. Its 3 warheads produce 3 rings of plasma, which intersect and projects a powerful, hot beam at the target comet and pulverizes it into smaller pieces, some of which are then picked up by the Meteor Sweepers if the pieces fall into the Earth's atmosphere. | |
| Trident Missile (Special, Stratos 4) |
Space-to-space anti-comet missile | Scarce | The missile used by the SAC-0 "Stratos 4" in OVA ??. It is buried in a protective sheath, which is jettisoned at launch. |
Flight profile
Stratos 4 focuses on one such MS team, located on the island of Shimoji in Japan. The Shimoji MS squadron operates a fleet of TSR-2MS interceptors, each armed with one Trident anti-meteor hi-explosive missile, and equipped with an internal booster (named "Third Engine") and two booster packs (RATOs
JATO
JATO is an acronym for jet-fuel assisted take off. It is a system for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets....
).
The aircraft take off in a rocket-like manner where it is launched at an angle from a truck-mounted railed launchpad rather than taking off conventionally by runway (except in episode 10 and OVA 5 of Advance). For redundancy reasons, always two aircraft are launched together per dispatch. The pilots fly the aircraft in a prone position
Prone position
The term means to lie on bed or ground in a position with chest downwards and back upwards.-Etymology :The word "prone," meaning "naturally inclined to something, apt, liable," has been recorded in English since 1382; the meaning "lying face-down" was first recorded in 1578, but is also referred to...
. This is never explained; it is assumed to be used to counteract G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
. At mid altitude (30,000-40,000 ft), the boosters burn out and are dropped.
The TSR-2MSs rise swiftly into the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
, where they fly in an inverted position like the space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
before delivering their payload. The "Third Engine" is ignited while inverted. At high altitude (80,000-100,000 ft), jet throttle is reduced, then, at very high altitude (120,000-150,000 ft), "Third Engine" throttle is also reduced. Both aircraft return to an upright attitude, lock onto the target and fire the Trident missile one after another (within approximately 5 seconds apart).
The TSR-2MS is depicted in episode CODE 103: Decision Height as being able to fly high enough to reach low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
before it runs out of fuel and stalls. The TSR-2MS has no braking chute, but has an arresting hook for emergency landings. The aircraft that "gets the kill" is later painted with a red comet icon on the fuselage side.
With the meteor destroyed, the base returns to Standby.
Stratos 4 (2003-2004)
| CODE | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
Stratos 4 Advance (2005-2006)
| CODE | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
Stratos 4 Advance Final (2006)
| CODE | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
Theme music
Opening theme- 1st Priority by MelocureMelocurewas a Japanese pop duo consisting of and . They were signed to Columbia Music Entertainment. The duo's name is based on a pun on the term melodic hardcore.-History:...
(Ritsuko OkazakiRitsuko Okazakiwas a Japanese singer-songwriter born in Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture. She first made her professional debut with the single, Kanashii Jiyū / Koi ga, Kiete Yuku.-Personal:...
& Megumi HinataMegumi Hinatais a Japanese singer, lyricist and musician. She is currently signed to Mellow Head.-Biography:Megumi Hinata began learning to play the piano at the age of four, and said she first became interested in music in the latter half of elementary school, which she spent in the United States...
)
Ending themes
- Himawari by Melocure (eps. 01-12)
- So Far, So Near by Melocure (ep. 13)
- Rainbow Kind of Feeling by Melocure (first OVA series)
- Chiisa na Uta by Megumi Hinata (second OVA series: Stratos 4: Advance)
Original soundtrack
- 01 - S.S. Keikaku
- 02 - 1st Priority (TV size)
- 03 - Mikaze no Theme
- 04 - Uturo
- 05 - Suisei Sekkin
- 06 - Hijyou Keikai Taisei
- 07 - Kunren
- 08 - Kunrensei no Nichijyou
- 09 - Ashita wo Yume Mite
- 10 - Nigiyaka na Nakama-Tachi
- 11 - Akogare
- 12 - So Far, So Near (TV size)
- 13 - Kinkyuu Hasshin
- 14 - Geigeki Kaishi!!
- 15 - Kyodai Suisei no Kyoui
- 16 - Semarikuru Kiki
- 17 - Hisho! Stratos4
- 18 - Yujyo
- 19 - Madoromi
- 20 - Heiwa Heno Inori
- 21 - Himawari
Character song album
- 01 - 1st Priority
- 02 - Tojei Jikake no Tsubasa
- 03 - Mabushii Kara
- 04 - Doko ni Ite mo
- 05 - Sabishii Mama de
- 06 - So Far, So Near (Acoustic version)
- 07 - Himawari (TV size)
- 08 - Unnamed BGM 1
- 09 - Unnamed BGM 2
- 10 - Unnamed BGM 3
- 11 - Unnamed BGM 4
- 12 - Unnamed BGM 5
- 13 - Unnamed BGM 6
- 14 - Unnamed BGM 7
- 15 - Himawari (Original karaoke)
Trivia
- In episode CODE 108: Go Gate, Dita Liebely and Meia Gisborn appear as cameos.
- In Stratos 4 Advance OVA episode CODE 206: Lost Position, the movie being shown is reminiscent of VandreadVandreadis a Japanese anime series directed by Takeshi Mori and created by Gonzo and Media Factory animation studios. It also utilizes well-animated characters and cleanly rendered CG action sequences....
.
- Most of the seiyū who provide the voices for the characters in the series also provide the voices for the characters in VandreadVandreadis a Japanese anime series directed by Takeshi Mori and created by Gonzo and Media Factory animation studios. It also utilizes well-animated characters and cleanly rendered CG action sequences....
. This anime was also directed by Takeshi Mori. - In episode 11 of the TV series, there is a chase between a few cars. In one scene, the license plate is shown. The car has a European license plate with a "D", which stands for Germany. The complete code is "BYA-AD-2003". Note that "BYA" is not an official beginning of a German license plate.
- In Mikaze and Shizuha's room, there is an official US Air Force F-15 EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
Poster. The poster is first seen in episode one and again in other episodes. - The four main characters of Mikaze, Shizuha, Ayamo and Karin make a cameo appearance in Najica Blitz TacticsNajica Blitz Tacticsis an anime television series by Studio Fantasia. It premiered across Japan between October 4, 2001 and December 27, 2001. The show is similar to that of Agent Aika—both being directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima and animated by Studio Fantasia—with much of the same content.Though Najica was later...
as the 4 C'zNs (Four Seasons idol groupJapanese idolIn Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
) under the names Haruka, Akina, Fuyuki and Natsuyo. - In the ending sequence of episode 9, an image reminiscent of the Zeon fortress A Baoa Qu can be seen.