Gatchaman Crowds

Gatchaman Crowds
Promotional poster featuring main characters, (bottom left to right) Joe, Sugane, Paiman, Hajime, J.J., OD, Utsutsu, (top) Rui and Katze.
ガッチャマン クラウズ (Gatchaman Kurauzu)
Genre	Action, Science Fiction, Superhero
Anime television series
Directed by	Kenji Nakamura
Written by	Toshiya Ono
Music by	Taku Iwasaki
Studio	Tatsunoko Production
Licensed by	AUS: Hanabee NA: Sentai Filmworks UK: Animatsu Entertainment
Original network	NTV
Original run	July 12, 2013 – September 27, 2013
Episodes	13
Anime television series
Gatchaman Crowds insight
Directed by	Kenji Nakamura
Written by	Toshiya Ono
Music by	Taku Iwasaki
Studio	Tatsunoko Production
Original network	NTV
Original run	July 2015 – Scheduled

Gatchaman Crowds (ガッチャマンクラウズ, Gatchaman Kurauzu) is a 2013 anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production. It is the fifth Japanese-produced animation project based on the original 1972 anime series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, and is directed by Kenji Nakamura. The series aired on NTV between July 12, 2013 and September 27, 2013 and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. A second season of the series titled Gatchaman Crowds insight has been announced. The first season has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks and is showing on The Anime Network.

Plot

The series takes place in the early summer of 2015 and is set in the city of Tachikawa, Japan. A "second metropolis" of Tokyo, Tachikawa is protected by the Gatchaman, warriors who fight in special reinforced suits powered by the manifestation of their spiritual powers called NOTE. Following the introduction of their newest member, the energetic and cheerful Hajime Ichinose, the Gatchaman must deal with their greatest threat, an enigmatic alien creature bent on destroying Earth just like it did with several other planets in the past.

Characters

Hajime Ichinose (一ノ瀬 はじめ, Ichinose Hajime) /(G-101)

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (Japanese); Jessica Calvello (English)

The main protagonist, a 16-year old high school girl living in Tachikawa City, who is a new member of the G-Crew. She is powerful and energetic, has artistic spirit and is a bit strange but in a good way as she is an avid collector of stationery and usually gets overly excited when she finds an item that piques her interest. She is put under the responsibility of Sugane, but usually disobeys his orders and acts on her own. Her actions, despite seeming irresponsible at first, usually bring positive and unexpected results never before seen in Gatchaman activity. Her Gatchaman form has the appearance of girl with pink pigtails and fights with large scissors and other stationery-based tools. Her NOTE color is white.

Sugane Tachibana (橘 清音, Tachibana Sugane)(G-96)

Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (Japanese); Corey Herzog (English)

A boy who acts and talks like a samurai. He has been with the G-Crew for five years and is baffled by Hajime when she first joins, leaving him to think of things he had never thought were possible. Initially, he finds Hajime annoying and inconsiderate, but over time he begins to understand her more. His Gatchaman form is modeled after a swan and relies on samurai sword techniques. His Gatchaman form also displays incredible agility and the ability to stand on walls and ceilings. His NOTE color is black.

Joe Hibiki (枇々木 丈, Hibiki Jō)(G-89)

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); Ty Mahany (English)

A Tokyo University graduate who has been on the G-Crew for 10 years. He has feelings of despair and nothingness towards the human race and thinks the time-span of the world is limited. However, after meeting Hajime, his enthusiasm and passion for work revives. He works for the "Living Safety Department" of the town hall during the day, while wearing glasses and maintaining a clean, handsome appearance. However, at night, he lets his hair down (revealing some orange hair), removes his glasses, and becomes a heavy drinker and smoker. He calls Hajime "little lady" and himself an "old man". He has some interest in Hajime, but hides it by being distant towards her. His Gatchaman form is modeled after an oni and can manipulate flames, fly using jet propulsion, and launch its forearms. His NOTE color is red.

OD (O・D, Ō Dī)/(G-12)

Voiced by: Daisuke Hosomi (Japanese); Clint Bickham (English)

A moody, effeminate, half-alien man who runs the CAGE - the Gatchaman base of operations - in addition to being a part of the G-Crew. His catchphrase is "You're overdoing it!". He calls himself "a sad Gatchaman who can't transform," thus rendering him unable to participate in missions. Later, it is revealed that his Gatchaman powers are so strong, the entire world could be destroyed should he activate them. He displays a flamboyant, playful personality when around others, but possesses a grim, serious demeanor when alone. He has a cat named Altair (アルタイル, Arutairu), called "Al" for short. His NOTE Color is green.

Utsutsu (うつつ)/(G-99)

Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai (Japanese); Carli Mosier (English)

A first-year student attending the Tachikawa Private Academy for the Gifted. She works as a volunteer taking care of the flowers at the Tachikawa City International Greenery Garden. She does not have a very positive image of herself, and fears getting closer to others. The only one she can initially speak to normally is OD, with whom she lives, though she eventually warms up to Hajime and the other members. Her catchphrase, and just about the only thing she would originally say to anyone is "I'm gloomy (うつうつします, utsuutsu shimasu)", which is a pun on her name. Utsu-su has the ability to create perfect, independent copies of herself, which are connected to her by a mild mental link, effectively allowing her to be in multiple places at once. She also exhibits an ability to drain life energy from living things with her right hand and give it to others with her left, though overusing the latter puts her life at risk unless she takes life force from something else. This trait also carries over to her Gatchaman form, modeled after a girl wearing a hooded outfit, which possesses two extendable arms ending in large, clawed hands. Her NOTE color is yellow.

Paiman (パイマン)/(G-3)

Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)

An alien Gatchaman dispatched on Earth by J.J and the longest running member of the G-Crew, going back hundreds of years. He has complete trust and respect for J.J. and his prophecies, mostly because J.J. made him team leader. He also gives the team their orders. Paiman demands respect, tact, and obedience from his fellow Gatchaman, but he is often ignored, especially by Hajime. He has a similar appearance to pandas, but absolutely hates being referred to as one. Despite this, he has a large collection of panda merchandise stashed in his room. His Gatchaman form transforms him into a large wheeled beast form that can travel at high speeds and carry other passengers. However, his cowardice means it is rarely put to good use during battles. His NOTE color is pink.

J.J. Robinson (J・J・ロビンソン, Jē Jē Robinson)

Voiced by: Katsuji Mori (Japanese); Leraldo Anzaldua (English)

A member of the board of trustees, and the guardian of Earth. He is a man who has looked after lives born in the galaxy for many years. With the power to create NOTES from the essence of other beings, he chooses select individuals to join the Gatchaman and assigns missions to them based on his forecasts. He claims that there is an enemy existence that will be impossible to repel with the powers of science. J.J. is often seen making origami birds, each one representing a member of the G-Crew or another major player in the conflict. J.J. is portrayed by the same actor who voiced Ken the Eagle from the original series in the 1970's.

Rui Ninomiya (爾乃美家 累, Ninomiya Rui)

Voiced by: Ayumu Murase (Japanese); Shannon Emerick (English)

A boy living on the top floor in the high-class mansion-apartment building Glorious Tower Toyosu in Tokyo's Koto ward. His trump card is his superb intellect. He is trilingual, being able to speak English, Japanese, and Chinese. After educating himself using educational websites and learning how to write code from hackers around the world, he developed the social networking service "GALAX" with over 200 million users worldwide. He believes that the current society is flawed and claims that it is his duty to improve it for the better, thus "upgrading the world". When in public, Rui crossdresses to disguise himself, usually as a blonde girl in punk rocker fashion, and is known by GALAX users as LOAD. He also possesses his own NOTE, colored purple with a different logo on the cover, forced upon him by Berg Katze, but he refrains from using its powers despite Berg's attempts to make him do so and later its logo changes to the same one seen on those used by the Gatchamen, implying that he has become one of them. Among GALAX users, Rui selected one hundred individuals, known as The Hundred, to use a system known as CROWDS to assist in disasters. Upon meeting Hajime and confirming the existence of Gatchaman, Rui attempts to persuade her, Utsu-tsu and Sugane to stop being Gatchaman, as the concept of "superheroes" would be obsolete in the upgraded world. Rui also believes that people would become too reliant on Gatchaman to solve problems and prevent disasters. After Katze takes over the GALAX network using his form, Rui joins the Gatchaman in attempting to thwart him.

Berg Katze (ベルク・カッツェ, Beruku Kattse)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); David Wald (English)

An androgynous, mysterious individual who is named after a main villain from the original series. Katze has the power to assume anyone's identity by kissing them, which is used to frame people for various crimes. Katze also displays powers of levitation and teleportation. Both Paiman and OD seem to know about Katze, who also possesses a NOTE, golden in color with a unique symbol. According to them, Berg Katse is a malicious being whose purpose is to destroy all life in the universe by turning the individuals of the planets it attacks against each other, leading them to mutually annihilate themselves. By the end of the series Hajime and Katze become one.

X (Ekkusu)

Voiced by: Sakura Tange (Japanese); Jenni Strader (English)

X is an artificial intelligence created by Rui to oversee GALAX and perform data mining on all information gathered from its users around the world to assist with his plans. Rui sees it as his only friend and the only one he can actually trust, until Berg Katse hijacks it by stealing Rui's form. Just like Katze, X is named after President X, a main villain from the original series.

Episode list

The opening theme is "Crowds" by White Ash whilst the ending theme is "Innocent Note" by Maaya Uchida.

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No.	Title	Original airdate

External links

• GATCHAMAN Crowds Website
• Gatchaman Crowds (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia