Crusher Joe
Crusher Joe is a series of science fiction novels written by Haruka Takachiho and published by Asahi Sonorama from 1977 to 2005. During the late 1970s one of the founding fathers of Studio Nue, Takachiho, decided that besides being a designer he would try his hand at penning novels. The result was Crusher Joe, a group of antiheroes who were not the typical self-sacrificing types but noble in their own right nonetheless.
Crusher Joe was made into an animated film in 1983 and two original video animation episodes in 1989. The film version won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1983. The film features several guest designs by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira Toriyama, Rumiko Takahashi and Hideo Azuma. In 2021, Takachiho revealed that he worked with Otomo on a sequel film "a long time ago." Otomo created a storyboard for the beginning of the sequel and gave it to Sunrise, but the project fell through. The movie and the OVA series were licensed for English release by Discotek Media in 2016.
A manga series illustrated by Yu Harii, titled Crusher Joe Rebirth, started in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Evening on 12 September 2017; the manga entered on hiatus in February 2022, and the magazine ceased its publication in February 2023. Its chapters have been collected in five volumes as of February 2022.
Plot
Enter the tale of the Crusher Council, a group of rugged individuals known for assignments ranging from transportation to terraforming and everything in between. In the early days of space exploration the Crushers took on the job of destroying asteroids and defining space lanes. Because of their work, they were nicknamed "Crushers" which eventually became their business moniker.Despite the rough and ready nature of the Crushers' work, they subscribe to a few steadfast rules. Unethical and illegal assignments are taboo, and any Crusher accepting one is barred from the Union. Of course, this presents problems for shady clients who try to trick the Crushers into accepting misleading assignments. They know that once the Union accepts a case the Crushers are honor-bound to follow it through. Among the various worlds, the Crusher Council has a stunning reputation, and among the Crushers, the most elite team is the one led by Crusher Dan and his successor, Crusher Joe.
Characters
;Joe;Alfin
;Talos
;Ricky
;Dongo
Cast
Novels
;Crusher Joe 1: Crisis on Solidarity Planet Pizanne;Crusher Joe 2: Extermination! The Space Pirates Trap
;Crusher Joe 3: The Final Secret of the Milky Way
;Crusher Joe 4: Cave of the Cult of the Dark God
;Crusher Joe 5: Treachery Toward the Galactic Empire
;Crusher Joe 6: Challenge of the Human-faced Demon Beasts
;Crusher Joe 7: The Beautiful Demon King
;Crusher Joe 8: Kukuru, the Haunted City
;Crusher Joe 9: The Phantom Beast Wormwood
;Crusher Joe 10: The Holy Virgin Dairon
;Crusher Joe Extra 1: Rainbow Hell
;''Crusher Joe Extra 2: The Doruroi Storm''
Video release
The 1983 film version was released on LaserDisc in 1996 with English subtitles. It was released on VHS in the United States by AnimEigo on 27 June 2000 in both dubbed and subtitled versions. A DVD released by AnimEigo on 23 September 2003 contained the original film and both OVA versions. All are now out of print. Discotek acquired the rights to retail the CJ movie and OVAs in English in 2016. The movie was released on June 20, 2020 while the OVA was released on August 25, 2020.A version of the 1983 film was released in the UK on VHS, under the name Crushers. Aimed primarily at children, this version was dubbed into English. Particularly violent/sexual references were cut.