The Super Dimension Century Orguss
Encyclopedia
is an anime
science fiction series. It inspired an OVA
sequel series called Super Dimension Century Orguss 02. Orguss was the second part of The Super Dimension
trilogy from Big West
, preceded by The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
and then followed by The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
.
Orguss was not localized in the United States as part of Robotech
as Southern Cross and Macross were. Instead, the anime Genesis Climber Mospeada
was used as the third segment of Robotech. Additionally, these three series are not sequels, prequels, or even in the same story universe as one another. They do share "The Super Dimension
" moniker in their titles and were presented by Big West. That was the only connection that each of the Super Dimension shows had with each other.
Of the Orguss 35 episodes, only 17 of them were available in English in dub-only format in the early 1990s on video tape from U.S. Renditions
, before the majority of the company's shows (excluding Orguss) were bought up by Manga Entertainment
. Manga Entertainment did however release Orguss 02 on both video tape and DVD.
On April 16, 2007, ImaginAsian
announced that they would broadcast Super Dimension Century Orguss on ImaginAsian TV, and would thereafter give the series its first complete North American DVD release, with the first 17 episodes also having the old U.S. Renditions dub.
s clash over the space elevator
. Far more dangerous than atomic, biological, or chemical weapons are dimensional weapons, such as the Space/Time
Oscillation Bomb. Despite the tremendous power of this bomb, it must be armed on-site by a team of engineers.
Desperately, the Freedom Space Corps launch an offensive to plant a Space/Time Oscillation Bomb and destroy the space elevator. During this attack, the engineers are forced to abort the mission and destroy the bomb before it can be properly armed. Enraged at the decision to abort and feeling that his comrades have died in vain, brash fighter pilot Kei Katsuragi haphazardly arms the bomb with severe repercussions.
A dimensional explosion transports Kei and his Bronco 2 variable fighter
to another world. There he is pursued for unknown reasons by the militaristic Chilam and aided by the Gypsie-like Emaan. Both sides have some unknown interest in Kei referring to him as a . Originally translated by US Renditions as "Differentiated Idioblast", it is more properly translated as "Singularity". In the ImaginAsian version, it has been translated as an "Idiosyncratic Point".
After Kei's fighter is damaged during a fight the Emaan modify it into the Orguss, the titular mecha
from the series.
game based on the original TV series was released in 1984 for the Sega SG-1000 game console in Japan and Europe.
This series is also included in the PlayStation 2
game Super Robot Wars Z released in 2008. In this game the plot of Orguss plays a central role, as it is the detonation of the Space-Time Oscillation Bomb (an event dubbed "Break the World
") that unites the heroes, villains, and locales from the various anime featured in the game. It returns in the game's sequel, Z2 with Kei and Athena is playable.
This series also appears in the 2010 videogame Another Century's Episode: R
for the Playstation 3
.
from the Orguss series can be seen fighting alongside other Macross Destroids in front of the bridge of the SDF-1 Macross
in the last episode of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. The mecha in question is shown holding a shield and a rifle in the other arm for a moment before being shattered by incoming enemy fire.
OVA
released in 1993 and based on the 35 episode TV series Orguss which forms much of the backstory to the OVA. It was released on DVD in the US and UK by Manga Entertainment
.
Taking place 200 years after the story of Orguss, the OVA deals with an early industrial society finding advanced mecha
weapons called Armors (referred to in Manga's translation as "Decimators") and how they are used in a series of wars. The story delves into the question of why these mecha are present in this world, and eventually deals with how they are sent back to where they came from.
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....
science fiction series. It inspired an 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...
sequel series called Super Dimension Century Orguss 02. Orguss was the second part of The Super Dimension
Super Dimension
Super Dimension may refer to:* The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a 1982 Japanese anime television series by Tatsunoko Production* Super Dimension Century Orguss, a 1983 Japanese anime television series by Tatsunoko Production...
trilogy from Big West
Big West Advertising
Big West Advertising Co., Ltd. is a Japanese advertising agency. They are known as one of the sponsors of the Macross franchise in Japan....
, preceded by The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
The Super Dimension Fortress Macross
is an anime television series. According to story creator Shoji Kawamori, it depicts "a love triangle against the backdrop of great battles" during the first Human-alien war....
and then followed by The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
The Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross
was the third Japanese animated series released under the "Super Dimension" moniker by the sponsor Big West. This 1984 science fiction robotic mecha series followed Super Dimension Fortress Macross created by Studio Nue with Artland and produced by Tatsunoko, and Super Dimension Century Orguss ,...
.
Orguss was not localized in the United States as part of Robotech
Robotech
Robotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
as Southern Cross and Macross were. Instead, the anime Genesis Climber Mospeada
Genesis Climber Mospeada
is an anime science fiction series created by Shinji Aramaki and Hideki Kakinuma. The 25-episode television series ran from late 1983 to early 1984 in Japan...
was used as the third segment of Robotech. Additionally, these three series are not sequels, prequels, or even in the same story universe as one another. They do share "The Super Dimension
Super Dimension
Super Dimension may refer to:* The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, a 1982 Japanese anime television series by Tatsunoko Production* Super Dimension Century Orguss, a 1983 Japanese anime television series by Tatsunoko Production...
" moniker in their titles and were presented by Big West. That was the only connection that each of the Super Dimension shows had with each other.
Of the Orguss 35 episodes, only 17 of them were available in English in dub-only format in the early 1990s on video tape from U.S. Renditions
U.S. Renditions
U.S. Renditions was a Special Projects Division of Books Nippan and one of the pioneers of anime home video distribution in North America. The division was originally founded in February 1987 by Kevin Seymour, David Keith Riddick, Sho Nagata and Satoshi Komatsu...
, before the majority of the company's shows (excluding Orguss) were bought up by Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
. Manga Entertainment did however release Orguss 02 on both video tape and DVD.
On April 16, 2007, ImaginAsian
ImaginAsian
ImaginAsian Entertainment is a multi-media company based in New York City. Its main feature is a television network, iaTV, which premiered in 2004 and which focuses on entertainment featuring people of East Asian and South East Asian descent. There is also some South Asian content...
announced that they would broadcast Super Dimension Century Orguss on ImaginAsian TV, and would thereafter give the series its first complete North American DVD release, with the first 17 episodes also having the old U.S. Renditions dub.
Basic synopsis
The year is 2065. The world is at war. The two superpowerSuperpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
s clash over the space elevator
Space elevator
A space elevator, also known as a geostationary orbital tether or a beanstalk, is a proposed non-rocket spacelaunch structure...
. Far more dangerous than atomic, biological, or chemical weapons are dimensional weapons, such as the Space/Time
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...
Oscillation Bomb. Despite the tremendous power of this bomb, it must be armed on-site by a team of engineers.
Desperately, the Freedom Space Corps launch an offensive to plant a Space/Time Oscillation Bomb and destroy the space elevator. During this attack, the engineers are forced to abort the mission and destroy the bomb before it can be properly armed. Enraged at the decision to abort and feeling that his comrades have died in vain, brash fighter pilot Kei Katsuragi haphazardly arms the bomb with severe repercussions.
A dimensional explosion transports Kei and his Bronco 2 variable fighter
Variable fighter
A Variable Fighter is a series of fictional transforming aerospace fighter mecha primarily designed by Studio Nue's Shoji Kawamori for the animated series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and later related projects...
to another world. There he is pursued for unknown reasons by the militaristic Chilam and aided by the Gypsie-like Emaan. Both sides have some unknown interest in Kei referring to him as a . Originally translated by US Renditions as "Differentiated Idioblast", it is more properly translated as "Singularity". In the ImaginAsian version, it has been translated as an "Idiosyncratic Point".
After Kei's fighter is damaged during a fight the Emaan modify it into the Orguss, the titular 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:...
from the series.
Crew of the Glomar
- Second Lieutenant of the Freedom Space Corps. Age 20. He was assigned on a mission to escort and provide cover to a group of engineers who were arming the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb in order to destroy the Space Elevator. When circumstances force the mission to abort, Kei decides to properly arm the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb himself. This resulted with Kei being transported 20 years into the future, where he is found by a group of tradesfolk from Emaan, believing him to be the Idiosynchratic Point. Aside from being a formidable pilot, Kei is also a womanizer, having several different girlfriends which he dates alternately before he met the Emaans, in which he begins a new romantic relationship with Mimsy. Even in his relationship with Mimsy, Kei still tends to flirt with any other woman that catches his eye.
- A 16 year old Emaan girl. In the Glomar, she serves as the Vice-Captain and provides battle info and tactics. Her interest in Kei at first was because he is the Idiosynchratic Point and thus was given orders by her family to return him to the Emaan country. As the series progresses, she begins to develop romantic feelings for Kei, even though she is engaged to Slay in order to bear children as she is at the peak of her fertility (see Shaya Thoov). Mimsy also acts as Kei's guide in learning the culture of the Emaans. Her family, along with Shaya's family, runs the Emaan country.
- Captain of the Glomar, she is also the head supervisor in the ship's marketing business as well as the Chief Operator of the Glomar's controls. Upon discovering Kei as an Idiosynchratic Point by Jabby, she is given orders to deliver Kei to the Emaan homeland as soon as possible. Shaya follows faithfully the Emaan customs and culture. Among those customs is dressing and taking baths even with men present and never being shy about it, which gives Kei an uncomfortable position of being a pervert when he and Shaya are together (this is because of the Emaan's biological nature as Emaan women lose their fertility at age 18, which at that point they are no longer courted by Emaan men and are considered no longer as 'females'). Her family, along with Mimsy's family, runs the Emaan country.
- An android in the appearance of a little girl whom Kei bought from a small village. Her primary program is to faithfully serve the person who bought her, which in this case, was Kei. She is from the Mu race, a civilization known for its advanced machinery. Having a sophisticated AI, Mome possesses a variety of skills from cooking to nursing to repairing the Orguss with ease. Despite being an android, Mome is capable of expressing emotion and openly expresses her love for Kei and dreaming to be his wife.
- A dragon-like talking creature of the Glomar crew who came from an alternate Earth. Jabby appears having brown skin, large hind legs, long arms with three fingers, a tail, and a long neck. Jabby's tail is capable of detecting any dimensional activity nearby and thus allows him to sense Kei as an Idiosynchratic Point. It was him that proposed the name "Orguss" on Kei's newly built unit, named after the war god of his world.
- Mimsy's fiancé. Slay serves as the secondary operator of the Glomar whenever Shaya takes a break or if the ship is not on auto-pilot. Slay highly dislikes Kei, blaming him for all the trouble and loss of the Glomar's crewmembers from the Chilam because of his status as a Tokuiten. Slay also dislikes Kei for forming a romantic relationship with Mimsy, making them rivals for her affections.
- Twin sisters and the only members of the Glomar crew who are fighter pilots, aside from Kei. The Morabbas are the sisters' personal Drifand Class ships.
- The oldest member of the Glomar crew. His primary role in the ship is to negotiate with customers, persuading them to purchase whatever items the Glomar is selling. When asking for the name of Kei's newly built unit, he proposed the name 'Gamon'. He forms a close relationship with Kei.
- Chief Engineer of the Glomar who oversaw the building of the Orguss. Like Slay, Leeg blames Kei for the Chiram's attempt to pursure the Glomar and the death of some of its crewmembers. However, upon learning of Kei's role as an Idiosynchratic Point, he accepts him as part of the crew.
- Papty is a mother of two Emaan children and is often seen raising them. Her husband is killed in the first Chiram attack on the Glomar. When she is not raising her children, she works by providing maintenance and repairs to the Orguss and the Glomar. In one episode, she is seen putting her two children to sleep while simultaneously firing the Glomar's Machine Guns against enemy units.
- A Mu fighting robot. Taii's remains were recovered and later was rebuilt by Mome. Taii has a personality of an old veteran soldier and strictly observes the combat tactics in his programming, which makes him a nuisance to most of the crew. Taii is equipped with multiple missiles in his chest that gives him enough firepower to destroy a Chiram unit. His name means "Captain" in Japanese.
The Chirams
- Captain of the Chiram Army. Upon learning of the Idiosynchratic Point's appearance, he begins his campaign on capturing Kei, but fails due to Kei's ability as a pilot and his Orguss. Robert's repeated failures resulted with the Chiram assigning someone else to capture Kei, and putting his rank in jeopardy. This drives Robert to capture Kei by any means necessary.
- Lieutenant of the Chiram Army and Robert's right-hand man.
- Ace pilot of the Chiram and Kei's rival in combat. Age 20. Her skills as a fighter pilot equally match those of Kei's thanks to her intensive training from her mentor, Olson D. Verne. She has made it her personal goal to defeat Kei and deliver him to the Chiram. Unbeknownest to her, Kei is actually her biological father and Tina is her biological mother .
- Kei's best friend and Wingman in the Freedom Space Corps. He and Kei were together during the mission to destroy the Space Elevator. Like Kei, Olson was sent to the future. Upon his arrival, he met Tina and promised her that he will find Kei. Olson then joined the Chiram army and is assigned to pursue the Idiosynchratic Point, which he did not know was Kei himself. It is revealed that Olson is the second Idiosynchratic Point and that he and Kei are needed to restore the different worlds back to their former state. He also trained Athena in becoming Chiram's ace pilot. His name was created as a tribute to actor/director Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
and Science FictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
.
- Leader of the Chiram. Determined to save his people, he ordered his army to hunt down and capture the Idiosynchratic Point. He also ordered his engineers to develop a device as an alternative to the Idiosynchratic Point should his army fail. Jeffrey's goal is to restore the Chiram world and its people back to its former state, even at the expense of the other worlds and its inhabitants. This not only puts the Chiram at war with the Emaans, but also with the Mu race.
Other characters
- Kei's girlfriend before the explosion of the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb. Tina was pregnant with Kei's child before Kei was sent to the future. 15 years later after the Space/Time Oscillation Bomb exploded, a terminally ill Tina was met by Olson, who promised her he will find Kei. She died before Kei's reappearance 5 years later.
- Shaia's twin sister. She is a member of the Thoov family that runs the Emaan country and orders the capture of Kei to restore the Emaan world by any means necessary, even if it means destroying the Glomar and its crew.
- Leader of a rebel group aiding the Glomar Crew. Joan's home country, which is a dominant female society, was under the oppression of its ruler, Queen Marie, and requests the Glomar crew for aid. After Joan's country is freed from Marie's control, she provided sanctuary to the Glomar crew from their pursuers. It was Joan's appearance that gave clues to Kei about the different worlds of Earth being merged as one. Joan is loosely based on the national hero of France, Joan d'arc while Queen Marie is loosely based on Marie AntoinetteMarie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette ; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was an Archduchess of Austria and the Queen of France and of Navarre. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I....
.
Production
- Original Story: Studio NueStudio NueStudio Nue is a Japanese design studio formed in 1972 by Naoyuki Kato, Kenichi Matsuzaki, Kazutaka Miyatake, and Haruka Takachiho...
- Direction: Noburo Ishiguro and Yasuyoshi Mikamoto
- Character Design: Haruhiko MikimotoHaruhiko Mikimotois a Japanese anime character designer, illustrator and manga artist. Mostly active during the 1980s, during that decade he rose to promience and is considered one of the top character designers of his time....
- Mechanical Design: Kazutaka MiyatakeKazutaka Miyatakeis 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...
- Art Direction: Yoshiyuki Yamamoto
- Director of Photography: Masahide Ueda
- Music: Kentaro Haneda and Casey Rankin
- Opening Theme: "Hyouryuu (Sky Hurricane)"
- Lyricist - Miura Kousuke
- Composer / Arranger / Singer - Casey Rankin
- Music Direction: Seiji SuzukiSeiji Suzukiis a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet . A native of Chiryū, Aichi and graduate of Nihon University, he was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 1995 after serving in the city assembly of Chiryū for one term...
- Producer: Toshitsuga Mukaitsubo
- Executive Producers: Yutaka Fujioka and Yoshimasa Onishi
- Music Direction: Seiji Suzuki
Episode list
- Space-Time Destruction
- Lonely Wolf
- Pretty Machine
- Caravan
- Lovers
- Vanishing Point
- I Love You
- Runaway
- Revolution
- Barbarians
- Dummy
- Chiram Girl
- Caspian Crater
- Operation D
- The Idioblast
- The Factory
- Seventeen
- Sisters
- Time Slip
- Broken Through
- Father
- Reside or Decide
- Destroyer
- Mu
- Chiram Soldier
- Breakdown
- Message
- Come Back Lover
- Choice
- Outsider
- Children
- Lost World
- Last Charge
- Battlefield
- Space-Time Creation
Videogames
A shoot 'em upShoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
game based on the original TV series was released in 1984 for the Sega SG-1000 game console in Japan and Europe.
This series is also included in the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The 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...
game Super Robot Wars Z released in 2008. In this game the plot of Orguss plays a central role, as it is the detonation of the Space-Time Oscillation Bomb (an event dubbed "Break the World
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
is an anime television series, acting as a sequel of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED by Sunrise. It retains most of the staff from Gundam SEED, including Director Mitsuo Fukuda. Set two years after the original Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, the plot follows the new character Shinn Asuka, a soldier from ZAFT,...
") that unites the heroes, villains, and locales from the various anime featured in the game. It returns in the game's sequel, Z2 with Kei and Athena is playable.
This series also appears in the 2010 videogame Another Century's Episode: R
Another Century's Episode: R
, abbreviated as A.C.E.: R, is a mecha action video game developed by From Software and published by Banpresto and Namco Bandai. It was released for the PlayStation 3 on August 19, 2010...
for the Playstation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Macross cameo
A mechaMecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
from the Orguss series can be seen fighting alongside other Macross Destroids in front of the bridge of the SDF-1 Macross
SDF-1 Macross
The SDF-1 Macross is a fictional interstellar transforming spacecraft from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, an anime science fiction series that aired in Japan in 1982–1983, and its American adaptation Robotech...
in the last episode of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross. The mecha in question is shown holding a shield and a rifle in the other arm for a moment before being shattered by incoming enemy fire.
Super Dimension Century Orguss 02
, also known as Orguss 02, is a 6 episode animeAnime
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
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...
released in 1993 and based on the 35 episode TV series Orguss which forms much of the backstory to the OVA. It was released on DVD in the US and UK by Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment is a producer, licensor and distributor of Japanese animation in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Australia and New Zealand...
.
Taking place 200 years after the story of Orguss, the OVA deals with an early industrial society finding advanced 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:...
weapons called Armors (referred to in Manga's translation as "Decimators") and how they are used in a series of wars. The story delves into the question of why these mecha are present in this world, and eventually deals with how they are sent back to where they came from.
External links
- Orguss at Gears Online
- Orguss 02 at Gears Online
- Orguss Viewer's Guide