Zillion (TV series)


Zillion is a Japanese anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production. It ran from April 12 to December 13, 1987, on Nippon Television, comprising 31 episodes.

Plot

The story takes place on the planet Maris in the year 2387. Around this time, the Nohzas civilization, led by Empress Admis, started a genocide program to kill all humans in order to lay eggs and reproduce on the planet. Three mysterious guns dubbed the "Zillion Weapon System" appear and three teen soldiers are chosen to wield them as a task force called White Nuts, whose purpose is to fight back against the Nohzas.

Main characters

  • JJ is he series' 16-year-old main protagonist and third member of the White Nuts. He is an avid fighter.
  • Champ is the 18-year-old primary leader of the White Nuts.
  • Apple is the 17-year-old female member and navigator of the White Nuts.
  • Amy Harrison is a primary assistant of Mr. Gord. She has a liking for J.J.
  • Mr. Gord is the commissioner/commander of the White Nuts.
  • Dave is a mechanic and assistant pilot, later member of the White Nuts.
  • Opa-Opa is White Nuts' companion robot and ally, and later member of the White Nuts.
  • Bernstein is the commander in Chief of Maris.

Nohzas

  • Admis is an empress of the Nohza Empire.
  • Baron Ricks is the main antagonist of the story and a leader of the invasion troops.
  • Navarro is a big Nohza soldier, filled with micromissiles, specially created to fight against the White Nuts, one of the three Nohza Warriors.
  • Solar is a flying Nohza woman, also specially built to fight the White Nuts, the second N.W., shaped somewhat like a wasp.
  • Gurdock is a soldier with stretchable arms, the third Nohza Warrior created to counter the White Nuts.

Equipment

Equipment of the White Nuts team:
  • Zillion is a mysterious weapon, impossible to analyze and reproduce. It fires a load of a strange substance, appearing as a red light that engulfs the target and disintegrates it. It uses a small red crystal for ammunition, unstable and also impossible to reproduce. One of the guns is destroyed in episode 10 and reconstructed afterwards by Dave, changing its initially "flat" design to a more ergonomic one. All pistols are then rebuilt, allowing the use of special accessories that change them into a sub machine-gun, used by Apple, or a precision sniper rifle, used by Champ.
  • Ridingcepter is a motorcycle an can carry a Sidecepter, a Cargocepter or a Cannoncepter.
  • Tricharger is a tricycle that can change into a versatile mobile suit. It has three forms, buggy form, kneeled form and armoretter form.
  • Big Porter is a Vertical Take Off and Landing vehicle, prepared to carry one of three special crafts, named:
  • * Submarine Aqua-Carried, a yellow small submersible
  • * Armoured Vehicle Land-Carried, a red battle tank
  • * Fighter Bomber Aero-Carried, a blue air-and-space fighter

Media

Anime

Despite the cult success of the video games, the Zillion anime received only a very brief release in the early 1990s in the United States. The first five episodes of the TV series, as well as the Burning Night OVA were dubbed and released on VHS by Streamline Pictures. The anime was featured in the music video for Michael and Janet Jackson's collaboration "Scream". Samples from the English dub of the anime were also featured in Del the Funky Homosapien's single "Cyberpunks".
In October 2018, Funimation has released the complete series and the OVA on a Blu-ray/DVD set with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

List of episodes

  1. "My Name Is J.J." : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  2. "Attack the Enemy of the High Skies" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  3. "0.1 Second Chance!" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  4. "Trap of the Shapeless Ninja Squadron" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  5. "Apple Order Violation!?" : written by Mami Watanabe
  6. "Take Off, Tricharger" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  7. "Struggle 'Til Death! J.J. vs. Ricks" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  8. "Strike the Oceanfloor Base!" : written by Mami Watanabe
  9. "Stolen Zillion" : written by Mami Watanabe
  10. "Flames! Ricks' Counterattack" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  11. "Birth of New Zillion!" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  12. "Attack! Triple Shoot" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  13. "Angry Shutter Chance" : written by Mami Watanabe
  14. "Nightingale of the Battlefield" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  15. "Life Or Death!? Confrontation of Fate—Part. 1" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  16. "Life Or Death!? Confrontation of Fate—Part. 2" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  17. "Tears! Let's Search J.J." : written by Mami Watanabe
  18. "The Beautiful Noza's Challenge" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  19. "Match! Let's Throw the Coin" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  20. "Kick with a Broken Heart" : written by Mami Watanabe
  21. "Clash! The Sniper" : written by Takao Koyama
  22. "Great Victory from a Lie!" : written by Takashi Yamada
  23. "Terror! Demon's Bio Weapon" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  24. "Great Adventure! Warrior Opa-Opa" : written by Mami Watanabe
  25. "Gentle Fugitive Apple" : written by Takashi Yamada
  26. "Revenge Demon Ninja!" : written by Haruya Yamazaki
  27. "Extraordinary Rebel Ricks" : written by Mami Watanabe
  28. "Mystery!? Zillion Power" : written by Mami Watanabe
  29. "Heroic! Ricks Dies!?" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  30. "Planet Maris on the Corner!" : written by Tsunehisa Ito
  31. "Last Shoot for Victory" : written by Tsunehisa Ito

Music

; Opening
  • "Pure Stone" by Risa Yuuki
; Closing
  • "Push!" by Risa Yuuki
  • "Rock Candy" by Risa Yuuki

OVA

Zillion: Burning Night, known in Japan as Red Photon Zillion: Songstress's Nocturne, is a Japanese direct-to-video anime release by Tatsunoko. It is also referred to as Red Bullet Zillion: Burning Night and Zillion: Burning Night Special. It was released on June 21, 1988.
According to Toshinori Otsuri, it is inspired by Streets of Fire.

Plot

In the peaceful aftermath of the Nozsa wars, the charismatic heroes known as "White Nuts" have changed career paths to becoming music making rock stars. Their music career would soon be interrupted by a new threat of colonial settlers. Apple is kidnapped by the sadistic ODAMA Clan, a family of ruthless killers. Located in a heavily fortified mountain retreat, J.J. and company attempt a rescue mission with their laser weapon Zillion, but the former Knights only have a limited supply of Zillium for the Zillion guns. A mysterious stranger named Rick, a wondering bodyguard for the ODAMA Clan, turns out to be an old lover of Apple.

Video games

Two games were made based on the series, both by Sega for the Master System: Zillion, an action game similar in play style to Metroid and Impossible Mission, and a sequel, Zillion II: The Tri Formation, which was a faster-paced game involving a powered armor mecha which transformed into a motorcycle.

Publications

Zillion Creations 1 and Zillion Creations 2 were released in 1987 and 1988, respectively. These books offer an in-depth look at the equipment and characters from the series.
In 1993, Eternity Comics published a comic book adaptation of the series, written by Tom Mason and illustrated by Harrison Fong.

Toy

A Zillion-based laser tag toy line also by Sega was also released in Japan and Brazil. The design of the gun, which was also featured in the series released in 1987, was reused from the Master System Light Phaser light gun which was released in 1986 in North America, Europe and Brazil.
Later in the series, Sega and Tatsunoko changed the design of the anime series' guns, simultaneous with a cosmetic change in the laser tag guns on which they were based.
In 2009, a Brazilian man used the toy in a hostage crisis situation where a woman was held for more than 10 hours. The Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2010 cited it as the "Longest police stand-off with a videogame peripheral".

Development

After the production of the anime, Tatsunoko Production and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, the producer of Zillion, established IG Tatsunoko to obstruct the dispersing of the excellent staffs of Tatsunoko branch which had done actual production. Therefore, Zillion is considered to be Production I.G's first work.
The anime's mechanical designs were done by Studio "Ammonite".