From: yuki@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp (ITO Takayuki)
Subject: Re: VIFAM
Reply-To: yuki@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Organization: Dept. of Info. Sci., Fac. of Sci, Univ. of Tokyo, Japan.
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 01:03:18 GMT

  Please split your too long sentence into some lines and remove
redundant blanks.

In article <4193@phred.UUCP> 
	jimn@phred.UUCP (Jim Nevermann) writes:

>Except for ownership of one robot kit (Wug or Wugu) and pictures of
>several more in an old Bandai catalog, I otherwise know virtually
>nothing about the series ROUND VERNIAN VIFAM. I posted on this about
>one year ago, but received an answer of little informative value. 
>Would someone else please give a very brief sysnopsis of what it's
>about. Is it more of a childrens show or what?

  Now I have almost no materials on Vifam, thus I can only depend on
my little memory...

  "Ginga Hyouryuu Vifam" (Galactic Drifting Vifam) is a robot anime on
TV (some OVAs were released later) by Nippon Sunrise.

STORY

  A colonial star of earth people was assaulted by aliens called
Cooktonians. Seven boys, six girls and a woman who had escaped from
this disaster got on board a spaceship named Janus, and wander in the
universe...
  Very roughly speaking, it's a future version of Jules Verne's "Deux
ans de vacances". To my regret I couldn't keep track with this series
till the last because the broadcasting was aborted in the area where I
had been lived. (;_;)

MAIN CHARACTERS	(spellings are not authorized :-)

	name			age (maybe)

Boys:	Scott Heyword		15
	Roddy Shuffle		14
	Berts Lyan		14
	Fred Shuffle		10
	Kentz Norton		 9
	Jimmy Erill		 7
	Marlo Jr. Bonnar	 5

Girls:	Clea Berbland		14
	Maki Lowell		13
	Sharon Publin		11
	Pench Eliza		11
	Cachua Piasson		10 (actually a Cooktonian)
	Luchina Prochette	 5

Man:	Melbin Clake		 42 (died)

Woman:	Kate Hazaway		 26 (died)

Character design by ASHIDA Toyoo.

MECHANICS

  Robots in this work are called "Round Vernians" (Vifam, Neofam,
Turanfam etc.) and "Wear Papettes". (Wug etc.)
  Mechanic design by OOKAWARA Kunio.

OTHERS

  This work strongly impressed me with its opening.
  The lyrics of the opening theme song "HELLO VIFAM" was all English. 
Even now I can remember it clearly:

	Wipe away all your tears
	Together we will conquer fear
	Come and give us your hand
	In search of new lands
	I wonder where you are my friend
	Tell us what is left
	In the end

	One day hate will disappear
	Then the way home will be clear
	Nothing is ever too late
	If you know how to wait
	I wonder where you are my friend
	Tell us what is left
	In the end

	Give us your courage, Vifam
	You are our image, Vifam
	United we must fight, Vifam
	Uncertainty of our might, Vifam

  Moreover, in the beginning of its opening animation, a mysterious
Z80 disassembly list was being displayed. :-) We used to say that
Round Vernians must be controlled by Z80s. :-)

>Since Bandai took the
>time and money to produce about ten kits from the series (some in
>different scales) VIFAM must have ome* effect on the Japanese TV market. 

  That is often the case with Bandai. Actually Vifam was not
necessarily so popular with common people (i.e. not anime fans) that
the broadcasting was aborted in some areas.

--
			ITO Takayuki <yuki@is.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp>
			Senior, Department of Infomation Science,
			Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, JAPAN.