From: tzung@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (tzung-i.lin)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.anime
Subject: ROUJIN Z Synopsis!!!
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:48:40 GMT
Organization: AT&T

After watching Roujin Z the second time last night, I enjoyed the
OVA/movie evermore.  The humor, the warmth of the characters,
the twisted plot and the excellent animation kept me smiling
throughout the show.

The silly looking face of Naruko, the naive courage of a simple
but caring mind, Naruko's young friends who though are nobody
live lively and happily.  The "Don't underestimate Koseisho!" Teiraka
who at first seems too eager to protect Project Z, later becomes
a very warm person who fights side by side with Naruko.
And how can I forget the old bunch, the computer hackers?
The warm voice of Obachan, and the CAT!!!

The first time I saw Roujin Z, it is the animation and the plot that caught
my eyes and emotion.  The second viewing, it is these characters,
their personalities, which blend into the story so well, that
delighted my viewing.  (there is a minor inconsistency in character
personality developing, when Teiraka first saw Z001 can transform,
he has the same evil looking face as Hazeika which seems to 
indicate that he knows all this, which contridicts later plot)

But in general, you can seldom see the formular characters
we see for most anime: a young hero, dashing leading actor, cool ladies,
evil forces ... etc, in Roujin Z.

I think originality is the best element of the success of Roujin Z.

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			Synopsis for ROUJIN Z

			   by Tzung-I Lin

			      7/30/1992

It is Osaka, Japan in the near future.  Japanese society has grown
into one where elderly people are a major part of the social structure.
Taking care of the elderly has become an important issue in social 
benefit policy.  In a governmental meeting, officials promises
the problem will be solved by executing project Z.

Naruko is a young student nurse who volunteers to look
after an old man Takazawa who is too old to move.  One day when she 
was over at old man's place, a government official, Teiraka (sp?),
from Koseisho ("Enriching the Life", equivalent to the Department
of Health) took the old man away saying they got permission from
the old man's relative to experiment a new invention for taking
care of elderly peole. The apartment is left empty with a pet cat
scrtaching itself and the photo of the old man's wife 
who passed away some time ago.

Back at school, Naruko heard from her friends that their professor has got 
an invitation to a media conference for revealing of a new medicare
system.  Naruko, on hearing the news, hurries to the conference.

In the conference, Teiraka is demonstrating all the capability of the new
medicare system.  It is based on a sixth generation computer with
self learing ability.  It takes care all the necesary daily life
of elderly people: feeding, excercising, bathing, ... etc.
It is even powered by a small nucleur reactor.  All the media 
are very impressed.  Naruko protests loudly saying tht she feels
pitty for Ojiichan (a respectful name for an old man, it's Obachan for
old lady) since caring and loving is the most important thing.
Teiraka continues the demonstration saying caring is important, but Z001,
the codename for the new medicare system,  can compensate what love can't.

Coming back from the successful media conference, Naruko feels down.
Her friend tells her that sometihng is wrong with her PC.  When they
came back to the computer room, they found "NARUKO" printing 
on the screen repeatedly, which eventually becomes "Help! NARUKO!"

Naruko and her friends determined to find out what happened really
to Ojiichan.  They sneak into the government building and find
out where Ojiichan and the Z001 are.  While trying to disconnect
the Z001 so that they can rescue Ojiichan, Teiraka appears.  WHile 
they are arguing and fighting, Z001 suddenly sits up and wants
to leave the building to go home.  Somehow, Onichan's subconscious
has entered Z001 (that's why sending SOS message to Naruko's PC)
and Z001 becomes Onichan's subconscious.

Unable to stop the Z001, Teiraka and the system engineer from
the company who made Z001, Hazeika, watch Z001 took off with the group.
They are both amazed to see what Z001 can do.
There is a grin on Hazeika's face.

Z001 comes back to Ojiichan's place.  The pet cat jumps right into
the Z001 to welcome its old master.  But before Naruko and her friends 
can prepare Ojiichan's clothes, the policemen has circled in and
arrested them.  

Back in the hospital, Ojiichan is in Z001 dreaming about the past.
He and Obachan went to see the Big Budha statue.  They and their 
daughter playing in a seaside place with a '40 or '50 music 
playing in the backgroud.

In the Koseisho office, the minister is very angry about this Z001
breakaway inccident.  He questions where on the document did it
mention that Z001 can transform and why there is no detailed
documentation about the sixth generation computer.  Teikara feels
he was cheated by Hazeika and his company who provided Z001.
"Don't underestimate Koseisho!!" Teikara yelled at Hazeika who
just calmly place a phone call to someone.  When the minister answer
the phone, he becomes very polite and scared.  It's obviously someone
higher than the minister of Koseisho.

Back in school, Naruko and her friends are chating, her friends are
trying to cheer up Naruko by saying it's lucky for them to get out of
this event without being suspended in school.  Naruko noticed
that several old men who stay at the hospital have special talent
about breaking into other people's computer network.  She then comes
back again and ask one of the old patient to help her talk to Ojiichan.
The old man wouldn't want to miss the chance to chat with 
a sixth generation computer, hence he promises to help.
They tried with no luck.  Another old man joins in by setting up his computer
to study the architecture of the sixth generation computer of Z001.
They are amazed to find out that the core part of that self-learning
computer might be an advanced bio-computer from Pentagon!!

After some attempts, they finally access Z001, but not able to talk
to Ojiichan.  Naruko suddenly recalls that
she has a picture of Obachan (Ojiichan's wife), she runs off to get the
picture and asks the computer hackers, the old bunch, to program
or simulate her voice by studying her picture.  The old bunch then
input the skull structure and the muscle on the face to reconstruct
Obachan's voice.

On hearing Obachan's voice  from the medicare system, Ojiichan opens his
eyes.  Naruko talks with Ojiichan using Obachan's voice for a while,
then a nurse of governmental research finds out a lady voice in the
room, when she finds out that it's the computer that speaks, she fleas.

Teikara and Hazeika come to the room trying to stop Z001 while
Haruka and the old bunch are trying to remote control the Z001.
Finally Z001 carrying Ojiichan breaks away from the Hospital.

Z001 travels into a business section where Z001 hears the familiar
old song that Ojiichan and his wife love.  It breaks into
the store and stays there.  Haruko knows that the policeman will 
surround that area fast, being unable to remote Z001
again, she decides to go to that area trying to bring Ojiichan
away before the policemen do.  She asks her friends to take over
and stay with the old bunch while she is away.

Before Haruko can make to that place, the policemen has already 
set up a trap trying to stop Z001.  Z001 show up in front of
everyone (policemen, news agency reportors, bystnaders),
people are shocked to see it has grown into a giant thing by 
taking lots of things and combine with Z001 itself.  Haruko
hurries to the place and trying to stop the police, Z001 SPEAKS!!
Obachan's voice warns the police not to harm the girl.
The old bunch and Haruko's friends are shocked to find out
that Z001 speaks with its own mind!

At this stage, the personality of Obachan which is deeply embedded
in Ojiichan's memory transforms the computer to think like Obachan.
The self-learning circuitry has taken from Ojiichan's memory and
subconsciousness.  Z001 becomes Obachan.  

They, Ojiichan and Obachan, uh, I mean Ojiichan and Z001 :-), 
decide to break lose from the police trap.  The track trucks 
police set up are no match for Z001.  Z001 absorbs the track trucks
and break away.

Naruko aboards policeman helicopter with Teiraka and Hazeika.
While Teiraka is complaining Naruko's intervention, Hazeika is busying
preparing something.

Later they spot Z001 is taking the monorail track heading someaplce.
Hazeika finds out where Z001 is heading (from the floppy discs
that he seized from the old bunch), it's Kamakura, a seaside area.
Teiraka tries to stop Z001 and got accidentally dropped on Z001.
The policeman helicopter flies ahead to Kamakura while Hazeika
is calling his company to arrange something.  

Teiraka tries to reason with Z001, uh, Obachan.  Obachan says 
they only want to look at the sea.  Obachan then promises Teiraka 
that she will bring back Z001 after Ojiichan sees the sea.

They come to a tunnel beyond which lies the Kamakura's coast line.
A lot of police force has been set up with a heavy truck blocking the tunnel.
A news reportor van is also here.  Teiraka come down from Z001
and asks Hazeika to move the heavy truck saying he already got
Z001's promise.  Hazeika grins and says how can you trust a break
away robot, and that the company won't tolerate such a defect
product to run around.  He then releases his secret weapon --
a fully operational military robot based on the same sixth
generation computer, codename Alfa.  Teiraka now realizes that 
he has been cheated all along, he teams up with Naruko trying
to save Ojiichan.

Z001 and Alfa have a big fight, Teiraka and Naruko root for Z001.
Z001 finally defeats Alfa and enters the tunnel, Naruko follows.
Teikara demands Hazeika to take full responsibility. 
After knocking down Hazeika to the ground, he also follows Naruko 
into the tunnel.  Hazeika sits up, and the helicopter behind him 
starts to shake.

Just when Naruko think they are going to make it near the end of the tunnel,
Alfa with the helicopter on its back crashing in the tunnel and
stops the movement of Z001. Amid a big fight, Z001 asks Naruko and
Teriraka to take care of Ojiichan.  Naruko's friend show up just
in time with the news van.  Z001 pushes Alfa out of the tunnel,
the van also follows.  But Alfa is too much for Z001 and Obachan,
its mechanical lines surrounds the van and crushing it.
Naruko escapes from the van, but Ojiichan and Teiraka are trapped
in the van. "Don't underestimate Koseisho!!" Teiraka cries out
with his last strength trying to protect Ojiichan.

Right on this most critical moment, the old bunch successfully
reconnect themselves to Z001 and tell Naruko that the only way to
stop Alfa is to destroy its bio-computer, the brain of Alfa.

Naruko doesn't know what to use to destory the bio-computer with.
Teiraka fights to get his hand out of the van holding an oxygen
container.  The old bunch tells Naruko that they would help her to locate 
the bio-computer.  Hazeika also arrives and sees Naruko runs off
to the bio-computer.  He follows her trying to stop her.

Finally she reaches the top of a pile of "things" that Z001
and Alfa accumulated and sees the brain.  She plugs the oxygen 
container into the brain and cries out "Obachan, it's all yours!"
Naruko is thrown to the ground by Alfa.  Obachan, uh, Z001,
emerges from the pile of things, and ignites the oxygen container.
A huge explosion  destroys Alfa.  

The old bunch in the hospital all feel exciting and relax, 
a never before satisfying smile floats on everyone's face.
They are the unamed heros behind an important social event.

Naruko saw the Z001 brain fell off the huge pile to the seaside.
She cries out: "Obachan!!" and runs toward the Z001 brain.
Teiraka also brings Ojiichan to join Haruko and "Obachan".
Obachan says to Ojiichan that "We shall meet again soon"
and dies.  Ojiichan says to himself "yes, we shall meet soon .."
and passed out.  While Naruko is crying over "Obachan"'s death,
Ojiichan's pet cat comes out from inside the Z001 brain and
runs off.

Several days later, naruko and her friends are on their way to
visit Ojiichan in the hospital.  In front of the hospital,
reportors circles Teiraka and asks what really happens to
this event.  The news release only says an accident of an
ambulance was involved, and Hazeika was arrested.  One news reportor
asks Teiraka whether Koseisho is experimenting a military robot
on the medicare system.  Teiraks replies, all they did, at least what
he did are from the kind motivation of solving the elderly 
medicare problem, the steps maybe too hasty, but they mean no harm.

Inside the hospital, Takazawa asks Naruko to let him go
see the sea, Naruko keeps comforting him down by saying
after his health is improved, she will take him to the seaside.
takazaka is till mumbling to himself, "the sea, the sea ..."
Suddenly, s amll earthquake, and the hospital shakes.
Naruko's eyes are wide opened with disbelief, the past days's
experience flashes back.  The earth shakes again, this time,
it's no dream.

On the horizon, something really, realy huge is moving its steps 
slowly towards the hospital, with its heavy "foot" crumbling
on the ground.  A Big Budha statue with lots of things around it
shows up outsied the window of Takazawa and Naruko.  Takazawa's
pet cat is comfortly resting on Budha's shoulder with a content smile.

"My darling, let's go to the seaside together!"  Obachan says.