6.8 /10 1 Votes
6.9/10 TV Studio Jin Productions Original network Fuji TV Network Fuji Television Language Japanese | 6.7/10 IMDb Directed by Kimio Ikeda First episode date April 1982 Number of episodes 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Produced by Shinji NakagawaTokizō TsuchiyaBanjiro Uemura Music by Kentarō HanedaKouji Makaino Genres Action fiction, Science Fiction Cast Similar Thunderbirds, Chris Cross, Lock 'N Load, American Candidate, Going to California | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thunderbirds 2086, known in Japan as Scientific Rescue Team TechnoVoyager (科学救助隊テクノボイジャー, Kagaku Kyūjo Tai Tekunoboijā), is a Japanese anime series loosely inspired by the original Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series Thunderbirds. The series was dubbed in English by ITC Entertainment, the original company who produced Thunderbirds, but is not officially recognised as part of Thunderbirds canon, due to the non-involvement of either Gerry or Sylvia Anderson. In addition to the English dub, the series contains music and sound effects from Anderson's series Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, UFO and Space:1999. A total of 24 episodes were produced, but only 18 were shown on Fuji TV in 1982.
Contents
Background
The series takes place in 2086 (with the dub setting being roughly twenty years after the original series with other dates seen on screen) and chronicles the adventures of TechnoBoyager (a portmanteau of "Technology", "Boy", and "Voyager") a rescue team portrayed in the dub as the "Thunderbirds" working for the International Rescue Organisation (in the Japanese version, the two entities are one and the same). Unlike the original International Rescue, which was small-scale and family-run, TechnoBoyager is a vast organisation comprising numerous branches and overseen by the Federation, this series' equivalent of the United Nations. Although the dub is called Thunderbirds 2086, the Tracy family, who ran IR in the original series, are not mentioned. In the dub, the Thunderbirds name is used to refer to the team, while in the original series the name merely referred to their vehicles. The animated series otherwise has notable similarities to the original, with most episodes revolving around a natural or man-made disaster which the TechnoBoyager/Thunderbirds team must investigate and help resolve. Unlike the original series, Thunderbirds 2086 also has an ongoing story arc, like many Japanese anime series. This one revolves around a breakaway independence group known as the Shadow Axis, led by the mysterious Star Crusher. There is a heavy intimation in the series that Star Crusher is not human and may be some kind of alien entity.
Base
Similar to the original show, the team's headquarters is an island in the Pacific. Its main building is a huge pyramid containing an entire city inside. It is known as the Arcology. Like the original International Rescue, a space station in orbit is maintained to monitor mayday calls. TB-6 is the space station in this series, similar in concept to Thunderbird 5. Both the Arcology and TB6 are home to many thousands of people.
Vehicles and characters
There are 17 vehicles, each with a different purpose and specialty. The craft are referred to using abbreviated designations containing "TB" (originally standing for "TechnoBoyager"; in the dub, it is portrayed as standing for "Thunderbird"), such as TB-1, TB-2, etc. Oddly, the introductory dialogue in the dub describes the characters as cadets, while all of the episodes give their rank as Captain, although Grant Hanson is the senior captain in charge of the group.
The vehicles are (with the exception of TB-8, 11, 14 (Mentioned Only), 15 and 16) described to a party of school children visiting Arcology in the episode 'Child's Play' and the remaining vehicles are shown in the 1983 Annual.
Commander Jared Simpson (same name in the original) is the commanding officer of the team and gives the heroes their missions. He is the "Jeff Tracy" figure of the animated series. He has a nephew, Skipper Simpson (Paul in the Japanese original), a young boy who idolizes the Thunderbirds and hopes to one day join their ranks.
Although an organisation numbering in the thousands, the same five-person team is always dispatched to the danger zones.