Episode 21

Who is Sosai X?

(Insert standard disclaimer regarding spoilers and copyright infringement. Mail bombs, dead cats and death threats should be sent to the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago, 'cause that's where the boss is, leaving me back here to read all the films by myself this week.)

The last couple of episodes have been particularly interesting for me to watch, because I remember actually having seen the Battle of the Planets versions as a 9-year old on the other side of the pond, like I remember this one with the mechanical horses, and I remember the episode about the whales, and although I do not remember the precise storylines, I vaguely remember seeing the whales flipped over and the weights being dropped on the horses and such, and in a strange way it is kind of like being reunited with an old toy...

So the episode begins with the Narrator from Hell, and you'd think that after 20 Production Diaries that this guy would have kind of grown on me already, but he hasn't, and while we are shown an island, NfH tells us that it is an island built by the ISO to solve the problem of land shortage, and there's another reminder that this is a Japanese show, because land shortage is such a big issue, but when you stop and think about it, it isn't so much the issue of land not being there, it is more an issue of everyone wanting to live in the same place at the same time, I mean, in Japan we have our rural areas too, but anyway, the ISO built this island so that people could come play and exercise, and we see this amusement park, so apparently the example of the concept of "play" is an amusement park, as in sitting in some kind of contraption that will whirl you or carry you or spin you or throw you or flip at an outrageous speed, while you just sit there and feel the stimulus coming through your semicircular canals and your cerebellum goes crazy trying to figure out what is going on, as opposed to something like horseback riding or scuba diving or golf or tennis or some activity where you actually have to do your own moving, and in fact doing your own moving is what the fun is all about. And the Narrator from Hell continues to tell us that the main attraction of the facility is the Stadium, which is the largest of its kind, and today the Horse Grand Prix being held, and this Horse Grand Prix is supposedly known as the "Olympics for Horses" (whatever) and it is held every four years, and this is the third time this competition has been held, and that there were like hundreds of thousands of people there to see the horses, and we see Jinpei and Ryu shoulder their way into the front row, and there is this redheaded lady wearing a lavender dress, and a man with binoculars wearing a suit and a hat of a matching color that can't decide if it's navy blue or purple, or maybe it's just my television set, and both of them look understandably annoyed.

Jinpei is all this is so neat, a horse competition, and Ryu says that the winner of the competition is the Best Horse in the World, and he says that Number 5 will win, because it is, after all, his number, and Jinpei says that Number 4 will win, because, it is, after all, his number, and Ryu proposes that they make a bet where the loser has to buy the winner ramen, and the commentator tells us that the show competition is beginning, and we see the horses moving along a conveyer belt, which would annoy me a great deal if I were a horse (though in real life I was born in the year of the boar) where the horses are being scored on the basis of appearance, I guess, so the backs of heads we see in front of the conveyer belt are those of the judges, I suppose, and Number 4 gets a score of 9 out of 10, and Jinpei is all gloating, and then this white haired man with white eyebrows and a white beard (but no mustache) and black wire frame glasses that actually have SIDE FRAMES, unlike Dr. Nambu's glasses, whose existence surely must be some kind of exception to the standard Newtonian laws of gravity, but anyway, the Old Man says that Number 4 will not win, and Jinpei wants to know which one the man thinks will win, and he says Number 8, my horse, and Ryu and Jinpei are like huh and they look at Number 8, and he looks stocky and short legged, like a draft horse, and the crowd is booing, and the horse gets a score of 3 out of 10, and Ryu and Jinpei see the score and they laugh, and the Old Man tells them to save the laughter until the competition is over, and Jinpei whispers something to Ryu while he does little circles with his finger to indicate his opinion of the Old Man's mental status, and Ryu agrees, and the Old Man says again that his horse will win, and he has a sinister smile, and you begin to wonder if this isn't Berg Katze in disguise or something.

Then again, I suppose not, because we see two men in sunglasses, green gloves, white ascot ties, double breasted, belted coats and hats the same dark blue/ purple color I have previously described. One is looking through a pair of binoculars, the other is speaking into a walkie-talkie thing saying that they have found the doctor in question, like why don't they just carry a flashing neon sign that says "I am a part of the Evil Terrorist Organization in this anime series"?

The Commentator tells us that the next event is a race testing speed, jumping and stamina, and we get a shot of the Old Man wearing a lunatic grin, and then we get a shot of Ryu, and then we get a shot of Jinpei, and then we see the horses all lined up without riders at the gate, and the starting gun goes off and the gates are opened, and all the horses start off except for Number 8, which just stands there, so Jinpei and Ryu laugh, and the Old Man snerks and starts to play with one of the buttons on his jacket, and we hear a high pitched sound, like you'd think Ryu and Jinpei would notice the sound and realize that Something Is Rotten in the State of Denmark, or that at least someone's dog would start to go crazy, and there is something definitely unnerving about singing in the bathtub and realizing that the neighborhood dog howls every time you hit a high note, I mean, I'm no professional but I'm not that bad, I mean, at least I can sing on key most of the time, unlike some people I will not mention who actually get paid to sing, but at least the Japanese music industry is no longer in the early 80's where a young female recording artist who could actually sing on key was the exception and not the rule, and I really wish that people would stop making comments about the physical appearence of female musicians, I mean, just because there is a female music group that actually, goodness forbid, sells records because they make good music, as opposed to selling records because they have nice legs and have big boobs, doesn't mean that people have to go around pointing out that they don't have anorexic bodies with silicone breasts, but I degress. So, no, no dogs howl nor can Ryu or Jinpei hear that noise, and Number 8 gets a sinister glow in its eyes, and suddenly stands up on its hind legs, and then dashes out of the starting gate, and catches up with the rest of the horses, and Jinpei and Ryu look a bit incredulous, but they are not incredulous enough to think it strange that the Old Man is still playing with one of his jacket buttons, but apparently the beforementioned trenchcoat Galactors are more intelligent than Ryu and Jinpei (which is kind of a scary thought when you think about it) because we see that they, for one, are intently looking at the Old Man play with his button.

And so the race goes on, and apparently the horses are supposed to jump over an obstacle, only the trouble is that the obstacle becomes higher and higher so if you get there too late, it is too high to jump, and the first three horses make it, and you notice that the electronic scoreboard or whatever the thing is called when it is a race as opposed to a ball game has letters on it that are not letters of the Latin alphabet, nor are they hiragana or katakana, so you begin to wonder just what language is being used, and then the obstacle is too high for any of the horses to jump over, except for Number 8, which jumps over it without any problems. Jinpei says go 4 and Ryu says go 5, don't let 8 beat you, and the Old Man plays with his button some more, LIKE WE GET THE POINT ALREADY!

Apparently there is no ASPCA in the Gatch universe, because the next ordeal for the horses is to have a robot-shaped weight dropped on them from like about a couple of meters above their heads as they pass under this bridge-like contraption, which I suppose, is all right, only the Commentator informs us that the weights are ONE TON A PIECE, and you take into consideration the factor of, oh, I don't know, IMPACT of the darn things falling on the backs of the horses from a height of a couple of meters, and you'd think that the animal rights activists would have set a car bomb in this stadium parking lot about 8 years ago.

So Number 4 and Number 5 have their weights dropped on them, and they run for a while, but then they fall, and they are disqualified, not to mention likely paraplegic, and Number 8 has a weight dropped on it, and it crosses the finish line and throws the weight off its back, destroying a fence in the process, and you wonder if the robot weights were made of gold that the SNT reclaimed in episode 6, or maybe some sort of new metal like Whisker, because they certainly didn't look big enough to weigh a ton. Ryu and Jinpei look for the Old Man with the button, but he is already gone. The Commentator announces that the winner is Number 8, and we see the winning Horse and the Old Man at its side, beaming through a shower of confetti, and Ryu and Jinpei can't believe that it turned out just the way the Old Man said it would, and Jinpei says that it's strange, since the horse was so ugly.

Cut to Dr. Nambu, whose glasses don't have side frames, like maybe there's a wrinkle in the universe where the standard laws of gravity don't apply that surrounds Dr. Nambu's glasses, and Dr. N says that there's nothing strange about it, of course it would win, and Ryu wants to know what Dr. N means by that, and Dr. N says that the Old Man's name is Dr. Henjinman, and please excuse me while I go laugh my head off for ten minutes at the name, I mean, you'd think that by now I'd have developed immunity to these Tatsunoko names (the nation of Ameris, the nation of Hontowaaru, the greedy monster Ibukuron, the terrifying Icecander, the kingdom of Ruuman, not to mention the new metal Whisker), but henjin means "wierdo" in Japanese, and I still have yet to decide which are worse, Tatsunoko names, or Fred Ladd names (Dr. Pachydermus J. Elephant?!).

Apparently Dr. Henjinman went to the same school as Dr. N, and he was smart and was a dedicated researcher but he was very antisocial, and no one has spoken to him since graduation, and word is that he is experimenting with cyborgs, and Jinpei doesn't know what a cyborg is, and Ryu explains that the brain is real but the body is a robot, and Ken says so it's a percision made robot that looks just like the real thing, and Joe is all, so the horses were cyborg, and I do a double take because Joe is talking about cyborgs and the irony is a bit much, and Jun is all but that can't be, I saw them on television and they looked real, weren't they real Dr. N, and Dr. N says that he doesn't blame them for not believing it, but I would like to point out that the only one who said that they didn't believe that the horse wasn't real was Jun, and Dr. N adds that the horse was actually a very well made cyborg, and that they will understand if they watch the television closely, and he turns on the monitor, and we see what is supposed to be television footage of the race, and the horses are running, and Dr. N comments that the horse in question does not perspire, and does not blink, and takes off on the wrong foot when jumping, and Dr. N says so, you see, and Jinpei and Ryu are all angry that Dr. Henjinman (insert snerk at the name) cheated, and Dr. N points out that going public with all this will only cause confusion, and that likely all Dr. Henjinman wanted was to see how his creation would fare against real horses, but the real danger lies in some evil organization getting their hands on Dr. Henjinman's technology, and Ken is all so that is why you called us, and Dr. N says yes, I would like you to act as Dr. Henjinman's bodyguards, and Ken says we'll get on it right away, and they all turn to go, but Dr. Nambu stops Ryu and Jinpei and gives them a lecture about how children are supposed to bet, and that they should always behave in a manner worthy of the Science Ninja Team, and 1) Dr. Nambu needs to relax because how much does a bowl of ramen cost, I mean, the most expensive bowl of ramen I have ever had is 1000 yen, and that is in a restaurant in a ski resort, where you kind of expect the prices to rise in direct proportion to the altitude, 2) AS IF Ryu and Jinpei would care whether their daily activities are appropriate for that of the SNT if the identity of the team is supposed to be a big FREAKING SECRET 3) so apparently Dr. N has qualms about children betting, but not about children risking their lives to combat an Evil Terrorist Organization, so Ryu and Jinpei are supposed to behave like good boys when not doing the work of fully grown adults, like, DOUBLE STANDARD, ANYONE?

In Casper the Friendly Ghost's haunted mansion...oops, excuse me, apparently it is Dr. Henjinman's house, full of cobwebs and old armor, only it's European armor, as opposed to Japanese, so you begin to wonder just what country this is, and we see Dr. Henjinman sitting at the table with his prize money and a glass and a bottle of wine or somesuch alcoholic beverage that only Evil People would dare drink in front of him, and he is all googly that he has won, and fantasizes that he will turn every living thing into a cyborg, and that he will reign as the king of the cyborg kingdom...um, whatever. And the door opens, and it's the two trenchcoats from the stadium, and they say Dr. Henjinman, we would like you to come with us, and they use proper formal forms and address and everything, like, it is nice to know that Galactor teaches these people correct Japanese, if nothing else, like how often am I screwing up my formal forms and addresses in daily speech, I mean, if I am talking about my department head to one of the technologists, it is proper for me to speak about him using formal form, but if I'm talking about the radiology department head with one of the surgeons, I am not supposed to talk about him using formal form, because as far as the surgeon is concerned, the head of the department of radiology and I are of the same group, and you're not supposed to use formal form for someone of your own group (radiology) when speaking to someone from another group (surgery) but I am supposed to use formal form when talking about the department head for surgery, except, of course, if I am outside the hospital and talking about the department head of surgery in my hospital with a radiologist from another hospital, in which case the department head of surgery would become one of my own group (said group being, in this case, my hospital), I mean, I've spoken the language nearly all my freaking life, and I still get it screwed up on a regular basis, and Dr. Henjinman says who are you, and the Trenchcoats say that they are taking him to Galactor, and Dr. Henjinman is all never heard of them, and the trenchcoats, still speaking in correct formal Japanese, say that they must have him come with them, and points a pistol at him, only it's not a pistol, it sprays some kind of green sleeping gas.

So by the time the Team arrives, Dr. H is gone, and Ken is all oh no, and Jun is all Dr. N was right, someone has kidnapped him, and Jinpei is all who'd want a wierdo like that, and Joe says what if it's Galactor, and Ryu and Jinpei are like huh and Joe says look, and points to the floor, and we see a Galactor pin or some kind of insignia on the floor, and Ken picks it up off the floor, and says there's no doubt about it, this is Galactor's mark, like no duh, and Jun says that they have to hurry and find Galactor's secret base, and Jinpei says that secret bases are hard to find, but Jun tells us in an especially annoying voice that the pin also acts as a small radio, which really makes no sense, because I could have sworn that in the stadium scene, the trenchcoats were using a hand held radio to say that they had the doctor in sight, and if I had such a handy, inconspicuous device to contact so apparently in Galactor, they teach correct formal Japanese but not how to stage a successful, evidence-free abduction, which would seem, to me, a more practical thing for a terrorist organization to teach, but then again, maybe Galactor believes in teaching its employees skills that can be used in lines of work other than terrorist activities.

So the trenchcoats bring Dr. H to Sosai "Giant Blue Chicken" X's audience chamber, and Berg "Purple Doberman on Speed (copyright Lori MacDonald-sama)" Katze is like welcome, you're working for us now, and you notice that PDOS doesn't use formal Japanese, so either he didn't take the standard Galactor course on formal Japanese, or considers himself of a higher social position than Dr. H, and Dr. H is like no thank you, and PDOS is like what are you talking about, and Dr. H says I don't work for anyone, and PDOS says that you'll be able to do the research you want, and you won't be working for free, and from the floor in front of him a table emerges, and there is a briefcase sitting on the table, and PDOS opens the briefcase, which is full of cash, like clich* much, and Dr. H is like all this, for me, and PDOS is all, do you still not want to work for us, and Dr. H goes into emotional conflict mode, like clich* much, and GBC gives Dr. H a big warm Galactor welcome, and tells him that Dr. H is to build the most powerful cyborg army in the history of the world, and Dr. H wants to know who the flickering image of poultry is, and PDOS says that it's the leader of Galactor, Sosai X, and GBC laughs an acoustically enhanced laugh, or maybe he just laughs into a large metal garbage can for effect or something, and GBC wants to know if he accepts their offer, and Dr. H says that there is one condition, and PDOS is all angry that Dr. H wants more, and you notice that PDOS is wearing lip gloss, and Dr. H says that he wants to be the second in command in Galactor, and PDOS is angry, and GBC is angry, and Dr. H says that GBC shouldn't underestimate him because he already knows GBC's true identity, and that GBC can't actually do things for himself, and all he does is give orders from there, and PDOS is shocked at such insolence, and GBC is upset, and Dr. H is all do you want me to tell everyone what you really are, you are in fact a...and GBC cuts him off, saying very well, I appoint you second in command of Galactor, and Dr. H gloats that he is the effective leader of Galactor, and that he will build his army and make his dreams come true, and laughs maniacally, and PDOS is all jealous.

Cut to commercial.

Godphoenix flying over mountains. Ken asks Jun if the radar is working, and Jun says that thanks to the tracer, there should be no problem with direction, and Jinpei is like go Jun, like don't even get me started on how contrived it is that the dropped pin was a communication device, I mean, I know that the story has to be fit into a 25 minute time slot, but still, and Ryu points to the horses in the meadow below, and Ryu says that he'd like to live a peaceful life with the horses, and Ken says that this is not the time for that kind of talk, and Joe says that the horses may actually be Galactor cyborgs, and Jinpei says really? And I am like yes, really, even though these horses look much more sleek than the one in the stadium, and Jun tells Ken that the radar is telling her that the base is nearby. Ken tells Ryu to close in on the horses and check them out. The horses freak and start running. Ryu thinks it is strange. Ken says shut up and follow them, and instead of punting Ken's backside into the Lucy episode (hey, it's about a cyborg, maybe Wonder Boy Washio won't notice the difference), Ryu says roger, and he points out that the horses are headed toward the dam.

Suddenly the eyes on the horses flash, and the flowing manes fall off, and the flowing tails fall off, and the horses now have short manes and stubby tails and anntenae on their heads and red masks around their eyes and they look like donkeys more than they do horses, LIKE WHAT IS THE POINT OF GIVING THEM LONG MANES AND TAILS AND PRETTY BROWN COATS TO BEGIN WITH, and they kick at buildings and pipes and towers, and Ken is all so they were cyborgs after all, Jun is all oh no, the dam is going to break, and Ken tells Ryu to notify Dr. Nambu and ask for backup, and the cyborg donkeys destroy the dam some more by kicking at it, which makes sense, but when one of the donkeys fired some kind of laser beam from its anntenae at a tower and melted it, you really begin to wonder what the point of having these things look like horses is supposed to be.

So Ryu asks Dr. N for help over his bracelet, like if it called for using the bracelet, why didn't Ken just talk to Dr. Nambu himself, and you notice that for some reason, the turtleneck part of Ken's birdstyle is white instead of the usual blue in this shot, and Joe says that there's no reason to just sit around waiting, let's get them with the Bird Missiles, and Ken says that there's other stuff for us to do, the horses are going to go back to that pasture, so we will turn back and wait for them there, and Ryu is impressed at how clever Ken is, since children and fools are easily entertained, and, as Dr. N pointed out, Ryu is still a child, and Joe is like whatever.

So they are back in the pasture where they first found the horse/ donkey cyborgs, and you really wonder if Dr. N's backup got there in time, I mean, those donkeys were doing pretty darn quick work on that dam, and Ken, Joe, Jun and Jinpei are hiding behind a rock, only the Godphoenix is hiding behind the same rock, like WHAT ARE THESE KIDS SMOKING, I mean, the colors of the Godphoenix aren't exactly going to blend in with the landscape, and Ken asks Ryu if the donkeys are back yet, and Ryu, who is in the GodPhoenix is like no, are they really going to show, and then a button on Ryu's console flashes, and Ryu shouts they're here, and we see the herd of cyborg donkeys, and they stop in the middle of the pasture, and one of the donkeys brays/ hinneys, and the ground opens up, and there is an entrance, and the herd runs in, and Ken says so the Galactor base was under this pasture, just as I thought, Joe, Jun, Jinpei, let's go, and they run, and Ken shouts "Bird Flight!" and I guess this "announce what you are going to do before you do it" is a Japanese dramatic vehicle thing, because I don't remember ever seeing Spiderman announce that he is going to spin a spider web around the bad guys, and they glide through the entrance just as it closes, and Ryu is like I get to stay behind again, whatever, and am I the only one who feels sorry for Ryu?

So PDOS says Doctor, the cyborg horse plan was a great success, and Dr. H yells at PDOS to call him Fuku-sosai, (which means assistant/ leiutenant sosai), and PDOS is all apologetic, and says fuku-sosai-sama, Sosai X-sama has ordered that the horses be sent into the city and cause confusion, and PDOS must be pretty darn flustered because he's using double addresses ("Sosai X-sama",) a definite no-no in correct Japanese usage, and Dr. H doesn't want to, and PDOS is all are you going to disobey GBC's orders, and Dr. H is like whatever, and stomps out, with Green People following him.

So the cyborg donkeys are in a large room, and we see Jinpei's bolos clatter to the floor, and a green person with rifle comes to investigate, and Ken knocks him out, and then knocks another out, and chews out Jinpei for being careless, and Jinpei is like whatever, and Jun says be careful Jinpei, and Ken says that he and Jun will find Dr. H, and Joe and Jinpei will blow up the base, and they go their separate ways.

GBC wants to know why PDOS hasn't sent in the cyborg donkeys to attack the city, and PDOS says that Dr. H won't allow it, and Dr. H is all, I made them, they are mine, and I'll decide what to do with them, and GBC goes ballistic are you going to disobey my orders, and Dr. H is all what do you plan to do about it, and PDOS has his little laser pistol thing in his hand ready to execute him, and Dr. H points out that if PDOS shoots, it will be the end of the cyborg plan, and he is right, and PDOS is all upset, and Dr. H gloats that the time has come for him to become the leader of Galactor, you've basically provided me with the means to do what I wanted all along, and cackles, and we notice that Ken and Jun are peeping through an opening, for, I don't know, the air conditioning system or something, which would be a practical thing to have, the base being underground and all, and GBC says you claim to know what I really am, but I've always known what you wanted all along, and Dr. H says we'll see who's more powerful, you or me, and he runs toward the hologram/ screen thing, and PDOS is all stop and fires his laser pistol, but Dr. H jumps over the beam, and he stops in front of the hologram/ screen and says Sosai X, you are in fact a...and before Dr. H can say "Giant Blue Chicken", PDOS presses a button, and the image of GBC disappears, and there is a flash of light, and Dr. H grimaces, and collapses, and Jun and Ken freak, and PDOS notices them, and so there's really nothing else for Ken and Jun to do but to jump out of their hiding place and glide down to the floor, and Jun says Kagaku Ninja Tai, and Ken says Gatchaman, which is appropriate, of course, because Gatchaman is apparently only used to describe G-1, and while we are talking about Gatchaman, some English speaking fans have suggested that the Tatsunoko writers would not have named the series this if they had known that it sounded like "gotcha, man" but my suspicion is that they ACTUALLY KNEW IT ALL ALONG, and for those of you who think that they wouldn't do something so tasteless knowingly, I have three words for you; Ibukuron, Whisker, and Dr. Henjinman.

PDOS is upset at his uninvited guests, and Ken makes a little speech about the relationship between the Science Ninja Team and evil in this world, blah blah blah, and PDOS pulls a lever, and announces that GBC's orders have gone into effect and that shortly the town will be in a state of utter confusion, because the cyborg donkeys will be smashing it to bits, like if all he had to do was to pull the freaking lever, why didn't he just ignore Dr. H and pull the freaking lever, and we see the cyborg donkeys leaving the base, only they each have a green person riding it, and Dr. H grabs at PDOS's cape, and PDOS says oh, you're still alive, and Ken throws the Birdrang at PDOS, only he jumps up, and it looks as if Ken has hit not PDOS but Dr. H with the Birdrang, and PDOS jumps up to a ledge, and he looks like he is about 6'4" and 120 lbs in this shot, and he is all nyah, nyah, I win, see you round, and runs away, and Ken is all no fair, and Ken really needs to smell the coffee, since when does an Evil Terrorist Organization, especially one from a 70s Tatsunoko Anime, care about fair? So the escape rocket is launched, and Ken and Jun leave the base while taking down Green People and helping Dr. H escape.

Ryu sees the rocket, and mutters something about Galactor. Whatever. He heads for the entrance, and sure enough, Joe and Jinpei are there, and then Ken and Jun join them, and Jinpei is all gee, you're late, we were worried, and Ken says we have a bit of a situation, and he explains about the donkeys headed for the city, and asks Dr. H if he has any ideas about what to do, and Dr. H gasps something about pressing a button on the donkey's backs, and how the self destruct device is in his...but before he finishes his sentence, he slumps over, and his glasses (with side frames) fall to the ground and shatter, I mean, how strange is it that this man's glasses that have side frames will fall to the ground and shatter, while Dr. Nambu's glasses, which do not have side frames can stay on his nose, and a drop of liquid falls down Ken's face, and I think it is persperation, but maybe it was a tear, and Jun says in an UNBELIEVABLY annoying voice that they have to catch up with the horses or something terrible will happen, and Ken is all, let's hurry, and the charges Joe and Jinpei set take effect, and we see the GP flying, so we know that it didn't like, get caught in the blast or anything.

So the GP has caught up with the stampede of donkeys, and Ryu comments that it is kind of a shame that they have to destroy the cyborg donekys after all the trouble that went into making them, and maybe we should just let the cyborg donkeys do their thing so that Ryu can see how much trouble will go into trying to rebuild the TOWN in question after the donkeys are through with it, and Ken says that the town is getting closer, so they have to hurry, so Joe and Jun and Jinpei and Ken glide out of the GP on the backs of the horses and start pressing buttons to activate the self destruct mechanism, all the while knocking green people off the backs of the donkeys and avoiding getting hit by gunfire, and then they regroup and Ken tells Ryu to help Dr. H press the self destruct button, and we get a shot of Ryu and Dr. H , and we get a shot of Ken and Joe looking concerned, and we get a shot of Jun and Jinpei looking concerned, and then Ken, get this, yells at Ryu to hurry it up, and Ryu is holding Dr. H's hand to the button on his jacket, only Dr. H isn't so much pressing the button as much as he is playing with it, but as long as it works I suppose we shouldn't complain, because the donkeys all explode, just outside the city limits, and Jinpei cheers, and Dr. H is lying on the floor with his eyes closed and a placid look on his face, and Ryu is all Doctor with tears in his eyes, and the rest of the Team is looking down with tears in their eyes, and this is where Zark tells us that the Team got the doctor to the hospital (as if) but this is Gatchaman, so NhH of course has to have the last word, telling us that if the power of sceince is used for evil, people will be no different from the cyborg donkeys, and that the SNT will not rest as long as there is evil on this earth.

Um...I think the whale episode was better. This episode had way too many loopholes in logic(um...the dropped pin is a radio?).

However, this episode is interesting in that it is, I believe, the first time the Science Ninja Team encounters Sosai X. There have been suggestions that they suspected that there was a higher power than Berg Katze (in the Ghost Ships episode, Jun ponders that Galactor may act the way it does because someone orders it to do so, and this is after they know about Berg Katze), but there was no direct visualization of the hologram thing with the acoustically enhanced voice until now.

Unfortunately, there was no on-screen assessment by the Team on what they saw. I would have liked to see how they analyzed the situation...Berg Katze standing in front of a flickering hologram, and Dr. Henjinman shouting that he knew the hologram's true identity.

Then again, that would take the fun out of the 80+ more episodes, wouldn't it?

(^-^)/))