To bend X

Bomber X (X ボンバー - Ekkusu Bonbā ) is a Televised series of Japanese Animation (more precisely of Marionnette S animated) in 26 25 minutes episodes, created by Go Nagai in 1980. In France, the series was diffused starting from the September 21st 1983 on TF1 in the emission Vitamine . Been sulky in Japan, she on the other hand was an important success on the other side of the channel, under the name of “Fleet Star”.

Synopsis

At the end of the third millennium (in 2999), the troisème war of Space comes to end, and peace returned on Ground. However, a new threat is profiled already at the horizon: with the borders of the galaxy, King Artus, supreme leader of the Uranor Empire, covet a mysterious bearing the name of “One Force”, and supposed capacity to be on our planet. An imperial vessel surpuissant under the orders of the Commander Gorgona and the Admiral Karzul tackles and destroys the advanced base of Pluto-Alpha, before turning to the Earth. Impotent, the Office of Land Defense turns then to Doctor Ben, ordering Lunar Base and originator as a second of Bomber X, a combat very last thing cruiser; additionnellement, the Land Defense forces send their 3 more brilliant pupils (Cyril, Héraclès and Léo) in order to assist Ben in his mission. An young woman with the unknown origin of the name of Floriane joint soon to them, with its bodyguard Raspoutnik, kind of large yéti extraterrestrial. The crew also counts PP Adamsky, called PPP, a small yellow robot which spends its time to râler and to give orders.

Characters

Cyril (Shiro Ginga) : young hero androgyne of the series, which never separates from its silver plated helmet. It is sensitive, impetuous, and secretly in love with Floriane. In combat, Cyril controls the shuttle forming the head of the Great daN.

Héraclès (Bongo Heracles) : American black specialist in armament, resposable of the arsenal of Bending X; Héraclès shows sometimes a difficult nature, but it has also a heart of gold and is devoted to his comrades. It controls the shuttle forming the arms and the chest of the Great daN.

Léo (Bigman Lee) : small man comic fatty and, person in charge of the radar and the communications aboard Bomber. When it goinfre not of sugar refineries, it is that it is sleeping… In combat, it controls the shuttle forming the legs of the Great daN.

Doctor Ben (Doctor Ben Robinson) : ordering lunar and scientific base responsible for the development of the " X" project; , Ben is a man of peace and a chief of a great wisdom. He will find death towards the oddment, sacrificing himself to save the life of Floriane.

Floriane (Lamia) : extraterrestrial young woman of origin apparently , found by the father of Cyril, inside a space capsule failed on Mars whereas it was yet only one baby. She will play a crucial role in the search of Bomber X.

Raspoutnik (Karara) : bodyguard of Floriane, similar to a large yéti provided with small antennas. It was found at the same time as it, and never moves away from it; incompetent of speaking, it expresses himself only by growls. Floriane seems to have much affection for him. It is mortally wounded in the last episode and is aspired in space.

PPP (P.P.Adamsky) : small spherical Robot yellow working with Doctor Ben on the Lunar Basis. Authoritative and a tantinet snob, PPP spends his time giving orders and pester against the inefficiency of the three young pilots.

Commander Gorgona (To order Bloody-Mary) : commander-in-chief of the forces of the Uranor Empire, which with the strange characteristic to have two personalities in the same body: although of female appearance, it has an ocular prosthesis in the shape of mask which speaks sometimes in its place, and expresses then with a male-intonated voice. Dies in the explosion of its flagship.

Admiral Carzule (Captain Kozlo) : second in command of Uranor, and inefficient underling of Gorgona, it accumulates the failures vis-a-vis Bomber X and is systematically made blame by his mistress. He carries to him also an ocular implant, in his case having the shape of a millepede. He finds death at the time of an attack commits suicide on Bomber X, without to have received the recognition of Gorgona.

King Artus (King Germinated) : extraterrestrial emperor of Uranor, similar to a gigantic stone colossus. He is only seldom seen " in person " , and communicates with its troops by hologram. It is shown really only in the last episodes. With the difference of the other characters, King Artus is not a puppet, but an actor in costume.

Soldiers of Uranor : soldiers cyborgs with the pay of Uranor; they resemble robotized Fourmis humanoïdes, and generally control the space hunters of Uranor.

Caliban (Professor Gedora) : scientific officer of Uranor, working on board the flagship.

Captain Halley : mysterious Extraterrestrial captain , with the head of a spaceship in form of galleon called the " Céphale".

Captain Custer (Captain Caster) : Ordering base Pluto Alpha, in the past instructor of Cyril and his friends, who disappears at the time of the first attack of Uranor. He will be tortured then will undergo a washing of brain, before returning, transformed into cyborg from now on devoted to Uranor. Its ocular implant points out a scorpion. During a duel with Cyril, it recovers the memory and, corroded by shame, asks its former student to remove it.

Professor Ginga : Celebrate scientific and father of Cyril, which mysteriously disappeared from the Lunar Base shortly after the operational startup of the Project X.

Matched

Xanta Bomber/Bomber X (X-To bend) : prototype of space cruiser revolutionary, developped at the point at the end of the Third War of Space. Although still at the experimental stage and not having even undergone tests of combat, it represents the last hope of the Earth vis-a-vis Uranor. It has an important armament, of which the frontal Duet-laser, and powerful Rayon Xanta, only weapon able to inflict heavy damage with the flagship de Gorgona. Bomber X also transports 3 hunters of combat able to combine to form a single giant robot:

Hunter " Cerveau" (Brainder) : hunter controlled by Cyril, forming the head of the Great daN.
Hunter " Corps" (Jumbody) : heavier hunter controlled by Héraclés, forming the chest and the arms of the Great daN.
Hunter " Jambes" (Legstar) : hunter which can evolve/move on the ground, controlled by Léo, and forming the legs of the Great daN.

the Great daN (Big Dai-X) : giant robot resulting from the union of the three hunters carried by Bomber X. Although able to operate in space, it before will be very used in the missions on the surface of planets, where its force makes wonder. The Great daN has an important armament, in particular a version " miniature" Xanta ray which proves devastator.

Céphale : mysterious ghost ship whose form points out that of a galleon, travelling through the space, and whose crew carries sometimes help to Bomber X.

Cruiser of Uranor : gigantic spaceship of more than 1km600 length, whose aspect points out that of a catfish vaguely, and being used as a basis of operation for the forces of Uranor. In addition to its surpuissant armament, it transports several escadrilles of flying fortresses and space hunters.

Flying fortresses of Uranor : vessels heavily armed escort ships, resembling ants giant, able to carry up to six hunters in the middle of the engagements. Carzule is often present at edge of the machine of head.

Hunters of Uranor (Fighters Germinated) : space hunters forming large troops of Uranor; although they appear frightening vis-a-vis the regular forces of the Earth, they will not make the weight vis-a-vis Bomber X.

Astro-hunters of Land Defense (EDF Fighters) : space hunters of the defense forces of the Earth; there exists about it of two types: the first comparable ones with fighter plans, and the seconds, resembling rather machines in the shape of disc.

Episodes

1: The attaque
2: The otage
3: Force One
4: The base secrète
5: The vessel fantôme
6: The hole noir
7: Survivors of the hole noir
8: The anger of king Artus
9: Triumph of the mal
10: Sea of the arbres
11: The battle field of the éternité
12: The déserteur
13: In the search of One
Force 14: The secrecy of Floriane
15: The bomber in perdition
16: Stopping of mines
17: The planet rainbow
18: With the help of Floriane
19: Cyborg
operation 20: Retrouvailles
21: Hours of the desespoir
22: Target: Terre
23: End of the Terre
planet 24: The century nouveau

Comments

The use of Marionnettes for this series is due to the series the Sentinels of the air , although the process of animation is different here; here, they are not indeed any more marionettes, but puppets known as " with tige" , animated by in lower part, which allows a more precise control, but limit also the movement. To bend X dissociates also its model by a more complex scenario, which follows a directing wire clearly, like by special effects and an esthetics more required (one will retain in particular the very successful appearance of the officers of the Uranor Empire). Moreover, many elements allow of the indentifier as a typically Japanese production, in particular the introduction of a giant robot (in fact an actor in costume), the Great daN, in certain scenes of combat; it is necessary to say indeed that the original screenplay (moreover very dark) is due to the mangaka Go Nagai, father of Goldorak and different multiples Japanese robots… We know all that the French credits To bend X were interpreted by Lionel Leroy, but what one knows less it is that the English credits were interpreted and written by Brian May (the guitarist of the group Queen), which was itself a follower of the series. Of or an album solo in 1983 under the name of " Star Fleet Project ".

See too

External bonds

Card of the series on SciFi-Universe
Card on planet Youth
Web site in English on Fleet Star/X-To bend

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