Battle of the Planets, Vol. 2 - The Space Mummy / The Space Serpent
The early anime series that began in Japan asScience Ninja Team Gatchaman(1972-74) aired in the U.S. in two very different versions. ForBattle of the Planets(syndication, 1978), much of the violence was excised and the R2-D2-esque robot 7-Zark-7 was added;G-Force(Turner Broadcasting, 1986) was darker in tone and closer to the originalGatchaman. All three series focus on the adventures of five teenagers in bird suits. InBattlethey tackle the evil Spectra in "outer space," although the backgrounds are clearly Earth, whereG-ForceandGatchamanare set. Episode 3 illustrates the difference between the series: InBattle, when a whiny little boy gets in the way of a giant mummy attacking an airport, the evil Zoltar warns him away; inGatchaman, villainous Berg Katse tells the mummy to step on the child. Unrated; suitable for ages 10 up.--Charles Solomon