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Force Five
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| Force Five | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | |
| Based on | (see below) |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Jim Terry Collins Walker |
| Music by | Shunsuke Kikuchi |
| Countries of origin |
|
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 130 (286 in original versions) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jim Terry |
| Editor | Stewart Nelsen |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | First-run syndication |
| Release | September 8, 1980 – December 4, 1981 |
Force Five is an American adaptation of five different anime television series. In the United States, this series was primarily shown only in New England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, though it did make brief appearances in other markets, such as Texas, and Northern California on KICU-TV 36. It was also shown in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on CFMT channel 47 and in Asia on Star Plus during the 1990s. It was produced by Jim Terry and his company American Way, and it consisted of five imported Japanese giant robot serials (originally produced in the mid-1970s by Toei Animation) in response to the popularity of the Shogun Warriors toy collection. Mattel was one of the sponsors of the series.
In an anthology style, the five shows were broadcast simultaneously with one episode of each serial assigned a specific weekday. Additionally, all of the shows were edited into two-hour films and marketed on video tape by Family Home Entertainment. In the UK, Krypton Force released several of these programmes but under different series titles.
Force Five series
[edit]Force Five consisted of the following five series:
| # | Series | No. of episodes |
Adaptation of | No. of episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Force Five: Gaiking | 26 | Dino-Mech Gaiking (1976) | 44 |
| 2 | Force Five: Danguard Ace | 26 | Planetary Robot Danguard Ace (1977) | 56 |
| 3 | Force Five: Starvengers | 26 | Getter Robo G (1975) | 39 |
| 4 | Force Five: Grandizer | 26 | UFO Robot Grendizer (1975) | 74 |
| 5 | Force Five: Spaceketeers | 26 | Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger (1978) | 73 |
Originally, Great Mazinger was meant to be among the five shows, but at the last minute was swapped out for Starzinger.[citation needed]
Notes
[edit]External links
[edit]Force Five
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Overview
Concept and Format
Force Five is an American adaptation anthology that packages five distinct Toei Animation mecha anime series into a syndicated weekday programming block for television audiences. In this format, one episode from a different series airs each weekday, creating a rotating wheel structure that presents serialized adventures across the five shows simultaneously. This anthology approach allowed stations to offer a consistent daily sci-fi lineup without committing to a single ongoing narrative.[7] Each episode in the Force Five package was edited to run approximately 23 minutes, enabling a five-episode daily block that totals about two hours of content. The overall package comprises 130 episodes, with 26 episodes selected and adapted from each of the five original series. This structure facilitated syndication flexibility, providing broadcasters with a full season's worth of material for weekday morning slots.[1] The themes of Force Five center on giant robot battles against alien invaders or monstrous enemies, with stories highlighting themes of heroism, teamwork, and human resilience in high-stakes sci-fi adventures. The source material consists of Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation between 1975 and 1979, which were re-edited and dubbed for American viewers to fit the anthology format. These narratives typically feature young pilots or teams operating massive mecha to defend Earth from extraterrestrial threats, blending action with moral lessons on unity and courage.[8] The five series included in the package are Gaiking, Danguard Ace, Starvengers (Getter Robo G), Grandizer (UFO Robot Grendizer), and Spaceketeers (Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger).[1]Sponsorship and Target Audience
Force Five was primarily sponsored by Mattel Toys, which sought to capitalize on the popularity of its Shogun Warriors toy line by adapting Japanese mecha anime series that featured compatible robots, such as Grendizer (localized as Grandizer) and Gaiking.[9] This sponsorship integrated the series directly with toy promotion, as the selected anime episodes showcased giant robots and battles that mirrored the die-cast figures and playsets in the Shogun Warriors collection, licensed from Japanese manufacturer Popy.[9] The program targeted children aged 6–12 in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s, positioning itself as action-adventure programming designed to stimulate interest in science fiction and mechanical toys among young boys.[9] Mattel's promotional strategy included television commercials and toy packaging that highlighted explosive robot confrontations and collectible features, encouraging viewers to purchase Shogun Warriors figures for reenacting the on-screen conflicts.[10] Produced amid the emerging trend of syndicated anime imports to American television, Force Five served as a cost-effective alternative to original animated content, compiling existing Japanese serials into an anthology format to fill programming slots and boost merchandise sales in a competitive market.[11] This approach predated larger successes like Voltron in 1984, helping to lay groundwork for the influx of toy-driven imported series during the deregulated broadcasting era of the 1980s.[11]Production
Development and Compilation
The development of Force Five originated as a syndication package created by Jim Terry Productions in collaboration with Toei Animation, the Japanese studio behind the original mecha series, while American Way Entertainment managed U.S. distribution and marketing. This partnership leveraged Toei's existing library of giant robot anime to create an accessible anthology for American audiences, building on Jim Terry's prior experience adapting Japanese content for Western markets.[12] The compilation process centered on selecting five titles from Toei's 1970s mecha lineup—UFO Robot Grendizer, Getter Robo G, Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace, Dino Mech Gaiking, and Sci-Fi West Saga Starzinger—to form a cohesive block emphasizing action and adventure themes. Originally, Great Mazinger was slated for inclusion, but licensing complications led to its replacement with Starzinger, ensuring the package could proceed without delays. Episodes were chosen specifically for their self-contained narratives, facilitating easy rotation in daily syndication slots without requiring viewers to follow extended arcs.[13] In total, the package comprised 130 edited episodes drawn from the 286 episodes of the original Japanese series, with approximately 26 episodes per show to balance runtime and variety across the anthology. This selection prioritized high-energy stories suitable for children, avoiding complex plotlines that might confuse casual viewers. Development occurred between 1979 and 1980, timed to ride the wave of popularity from successful anime imports like Star Blazers, which had debuted in U.S. syndication earlier that year and demonstrated strong demand for dubbed Japanese animation.[14][15]Adaptation and Editing
The English dubbing for Force Five was produced by Jim Terry Productions, which recorded new voice tracks using non-union actors in Los Angeles to overlay the original Japanese audio. Scripts were adapted by rewriting dialogue to streamline complex plots, eliminate Japanese cultural elements, and adjust character names for Western audiences; for instance, in the Grandizer segment (adapted from UFO Robot Grendizer), the protagonist Duke Fleed became Orion Quest.[1][6] Editing for the U.S. market involved significant cuts to shorten episodes for syndication, typically reducing runtime from 25 minutes to around 20, while removing or toning down scenes of violence, nudity, and other potentially objectionable content to align with children's programming standards of the era. Americanized narration was added at the beginning of each episode to provide context and recap previous events, enhancing accessibility for young viewers unfamiliar with serialized anime formats. The original scores composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi for the Japanese series were largely retained, with only minor adjustments to sync with the new dialogue and edits, preserving the dramatic orchestral style that defined the super robot genre.[1][3] Specific censorship included excising smoking scenes—such as those involving adult characters in Grandizer—and mitigating depictions of large-scale destruction in battles to avoid excessive gore or peril, ensuring compliance with FCC guidelines for broadcast television aimed at children under 12. These modifications sometimes altered narrative flow but prioritized broad appeal over fidelity to the source material. In the 1980s, the edited episodes from Force Five were further compiled into approximately two-hour feature-length films by Family Home Entertainment for VHS distribution, repackaging the anthology segments as standalone movies with additional bridging narration to create cohesive stories.[2]The Series
Anthology Structure
Force Five operated as a syndicated anthology block, presenting one 23-minute episode from each of five distinct Japanese mecha anime series on a rotating weekday schedule to form a cohesive weekly programming unit. The rotation assigned Danguard Ace to Mondays, Starvengers to Tuesdays, Spaceketeers to Wednesdays, Grandizer to Thursdays, and Gaiking to Fridays, ensuring viewers encountered a different series daily while maintaining narrative progression within each over the course of the week.[16] This structure was designed to deliver variety and build familiarity with multiple heroes and storylines, cycling through the block to sustain long-term engagement for young audiences.[17] Episodes were selected in a non-chronological order, prioritizing standalone adventures that minimized cliffhangers and required little prior context, which facilitated casual viewing and reduced dependency on sequential airing.[18] Each series contributed 26 edited episodes to the package, resulting in a 130-episode season spread across five days per week, often incorporating brief recaps at the start of episodes to refresh viewers' memory after weekend breaks and accommodate school schedules.[19] This approach emphasized accessibility for children, allowing the block to function as self-contained daily installments despite the ongoing arcs in the original Japanese productions.[20] Not all episodes from the original series were adapted into the Force Five format; instead, the selection abbreviated story arcs to fit the 26-episode limit per show, omitting later developments and focusing on introductory and mid-range conflicts to keep the content suitable for syndication and target demographics.[18] This curation ensured the anthology remained dynamic without overwhelming viewers with extended continuity.[21]Individual Series
The Force Five anthology featured five distinct mecha anime series, each adapted for American audiences with 26 episodes selected and edited from the originals.[22]| English Title | Original Title | Year | Episodes in Force Five | Key Plot Elements |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaiking | Daikū Maryū Gaiking | 1976 | 26 | A psychic boy pilots a dinosaur-like robot to battle an alien empire invading Earth.[3] |
| Danguard Ace | Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace | 1977 | 26 | An interplanetary defense team fights mechanical beasts threatening human colony planets in a resource-depleted future.[4] |
| Starvengers | Getter Robo G | 1975 | 26 | Three pilots combine their vehicles into powerful Getter robots to combat the invading Hyakki Empire.[5] |
| Grandizer | UFO Robo Grendizer | 1975 | 26 | An alien prince protects Earth using his UFO robot against invaders from the Vegan Empire.[6] |
| Spaceketeers | SF Saiyūki Starzinger | 1977 | 26 | A group of cosmic musketeers escort a princess across space to revive a dying planet, battling mechanoid foes along the way.[23] |