Genre Science fiction, Apocalyptic Magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine,Monthly Comic Ryū | ||
Genma Wars (Japanese: 幻魔大戦, Hepburn: Genma Taisen) is a science fiction manga that began in 1967. It was a collaboration in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and Shotaro Ishinomori.
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Harmagedon
Harmagedon: The Great Battle with Genma (幻魔大戦 ‒ハルマゲドン‒, Genma Taisen: Harumagedon) is a science fiction anime movie released in 1983. The movie was based largely on Kazumasa Hirai's first three Genma Wars novels. The movie was directed by Rintaro with character designs and script by Katsuhiro Otomo (of Akira fame). Keith Emerson was hired as the music director and composer of the ending theme. Madhouse did the animation.
Characters
The main characters are:
One of the main protagonists, a 2000-year-old warrior robot was summoned by Princess Luna to help defend Earth from evil.
One of the main protagonists, a Transylvanian princess with telepathic powers to see through the future.
One of the main protagonists, Azuma Jo has been repeated in countless anime, but was not really a prevalent archetype before Harmagedon. He can move objects with his psychic powers.
An elderly psionic warrior from India who's wise and shows no fear of destruction.
A psionic warrior from China; a female child disciplined in martial arts who's friends with Jo.
A psionic warrior and a teenaged gang boss from NYC who has the power to teleport and phase through walls.
An adult psionic warrior from Saudi Arabia.
The final psionic warrior, an adult Native American from Nevada.
Jo's girlfriend, who breaks up with him early in the movie.
Jo's best friend at school, who is sceptical on the existence of ESP.
Jo's older sister, and apparently his guardian. Jo is very attached to her.
One of the main antagonists, an evil servant of Genma Daioh
Another evil servant of Genma Daioh.
Availability
Genma Wars movie has been available in the US as Harmagedon on VHS and Laserdisc since 1992 and has been released on DVD twice, all times by Central Park Media, once as a very early, barebones, DVD release and a second time as a more robust release complete with a Rintaro commentary track.
Soundtrack
"Children of the Light" is the ending theme for Harmagedon, composed and sung by Rosemary Butler, Keith Emerson and others.
Bega's Battle
Data East used footage from the film Harmagedon to create a laserdisc video game titled Bega's Battle. It was released in June 1983. In the game, the player to take on the role of the robot Bega (Vega) whose goal was to stop the invasion forces of the alien Varga (Genma), while also rescuing his three friends who had been kidnapped by them. Even among laserdisc games Bega's Battle has become somewhat rare because many of the machines were converted into Cobra Command machines as part of a discount deal offered by Data East in exchange for the internals of the Bega's Battle arcade cabinet.
Similar to Astron Belt, the game used the footage mainly for backgrounds, while the actual gameplay was a shooting game with sprites laid over the video. Bega's Battle also used brief full-motion video cut scenes to develop a story between the game's shooting stages. Years later, this would become the standard approach to video game storytelling. Bega's Battle also featured a branching storyline. The Twin Galaxies world record for Bega's Battle was set by Steve Harris (later the founder of Electronic Gaming Monthly) on July 18, 1983.
Genma Wars: Eve of Mythology
Genma Wars: Eve of Mythology (幻魔大戦 ‒神話前夜の章‒, Genma Taisen: Shinwa Zen'ya no Shō) series has been released in the US under the name Genma Wars by Media Blasters on DVD, later re-released in a box set of the entire series. The release experienced controversy, as the licensor Enoki Films edited some footage to remove panning camera shots of female nudity, but strangely left rape and sex scenes intact.
Plot
Genma Wars is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where mankind has been subjugated by a demonical tribe known as Genma. The humans are reduced to little more than slaves for the Genma, who employ mutant armies of cyclopses, vampires, werewolves, highly intelligent simian soldiers, and other mythological beings, to keep the humans at bay. The authoritarian Genma leader, The Maoh King, desires to have an heir with immense, extraordinary power. He orders his men around the kingdom to abduct Hito women, who possess latent powers. The Maoh King is convinced that if he conceives a child with a Hito woman the child will possess amazing powers.
In one case, in exchange for the safety of her village, a Hito girl called Non submit to the Maoh King, and give birth to male twins, Loof and Jin. Loof is taken to grow up among the Genma, while Jin grows up under his mother' care, however she is labelled as a whore by her fellow kinsmen. Eventually, Loof and Jin encounter each other and plan revenge against their hated father. However, their father reveals he only created them, and the whole hybrid Human-Genma, to bring the war across the Earth, out of boredom. He throws his sons in a time portal, back to the present time, when the war was initiated, in order to stop their dystopic world.