| Brave Exkaiser | |
 Cover art of the first DVD volume. | |
| 勇者エクスカイザー (Yūsha Ekusukaizā) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Katsuyoshi Yatabe |
| Produced by | Youichi Honma Takayuki Yoshii Shin Imai |
| Written by | Yasushi Hirano |
| Music by | Kohei Tanaka |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Original network | ANN (Nagoya TV) |
| Original run | February 3, 1990 – January 26, 1991 |
| Episodes | 48 |
Brave Exkaiser (勇者エクスカイザー, Yūsha Ekusukaizā, Sometimes translated as Brave Exkaizer or Brave Fighter Exkizer) is a Japanese animated television series produced by Sunrise. The series is directed by Katsuyoshi Yatabe and written by Yasushi Hirano with both character and mecha designs done by Masayuki Hiraoka and Kunio Okawara respectively. It aired on Nagoya TV from February 3, 1990, to January 26, 1991, compiling up to 48 episodes.
Exkaiser is the first installment in Takara and Sunrise's Brave series franchise, spanning up to 8 separate installments. It is generally one of the more influential anime in the 1990s, which revitalized the Super Robot genre in that time through both the series' reception as well as its toy sales. It would be later referenced and homaged in several other animated works.
Story
A group of space police led by Exkaiser are chasing after the Geisters, an evil gang of treasure thieves. Upon arriving on Earth, Exkaiser and his team, the Kaisers, house their spirits into vehicles all over Japan to create physical bodies for their energy-based forms. Exkaiser inhabits a car belonging to the Hoshikawa family and befriends a third grade boy named Kouta Hoshikawa. Exkaiser and his allies must unite their powers in order to fight the Geisters and prevent them from stealing Earth's artifacts.
Development
Brave Exkaiser was a co-production between Sunrise and Takara, with the latter producing the toyline based on the series. Sunrise, who was assigned to animate the series, planned the show to be a solo series and will not have any spinoffs nor start a franchise. It was also aimed for kids at that time.[1] Its premise was also based on one central theme: "Searching for One's Treasure",[2] reflecting the value of important things that can only be understood after losing.[3] This theme became the central point of the series's finale. While developing the mecha designs, Takara based the concept of the mechas from the Transformers toyline, as the concept of Alien Robots coming from space, though depicted them as Super Robots that combine both sophisticated and simple designs in their various forms, something that is later passed to the Transformers franchise in its later incarnations. In addition, the concept of a boy befriending a robot, a concept seen back in Transformers Victory was implemented in the series as seen in the bond between Exkaiser and Kouta.
Upon release of the anime, sales of the series' toys were among the highest in 1990 according to Takara, also describing it as their "best year" in sales. Though production narrowed down a bit due to the release of the Super Famicom in Japan in that same year with the year-end sales being slow due to a large amount of inventory of toys. Keiichi Tanaka, stated that "(In Kansai), There was no inventory left because we made adjustments by transferring between wholesalers at the end of the year."[4] Takara foresaw the potential of the series as a franchise not as a toys franchise but as "a series with a compelling storyline and drama for older audiences", which paid off in Brave future installments.
Media
Anime
Brave Exkaiser originally aired on Nagoya TV from February 3, 1990, to January 26, 1991, replacing Jushin Liger on its timeslot. Hidemi Miura performed both the series's opening and ending themes: "Gather Way" and "Korekara no Anata e" (これからのあなたへ, "To you in the future"). The series' music was composed by Kohei Tanaka, who would later compose music for The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, the final entry in the Brave series.
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Our Family Car is an Alien!?" "Boku n Chino-sha wa eirian!?" (ボクんちの車は宇宙人（エイリアン）!?) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Yasushi Hirano | February 3, 1990 |
| 2 | "Save the Liner Motorcar!" "Rinia mōtākā o tasukete!" (リニア・モーターカーを助けて!) | Toshifumi Kawase | Yasushi Hirano | February 10, 1990 |
| 3 | "The Chaotic Blackout" "Daiteiden de dai Konran" (大停電で大こんらん) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Yasushi Hirano | February 17, 1990 |
| 4 | "The Mars Orbital Rocket Launches!" "Kasei iki roketto shi~ppatsu!" (火星行きロケットしゅっぱーつ!) | Raita Hiroshi | Hideki Sonoda | February 24, 1990 |
| 5 | "The Pharmacy is Empty!?" "Kusuriyasan ga karappo!?" (薬屋さんがカラッポ!?) | Shinji Takamatsu | Mami Watanabe | March 3, 1990 |
| 6 | "Our Sunken Ship Expedition Party" "Bokura chinbotsu-sentan kentai" (ボクら沈没船たんけん隊) | Directed by : Raita Hiroshi Storyboarded by : Mitsuo Fukuda | Keiko Maruo | March 10, 1990 |
| 7 | "Danger Turns Round at the Amusement Park!" "Yuenchi de kiken ga guruguru!" (遊園地でキケンがぐるぐる!) | Toshifumi Kawase | Keiko Maruo | March 17, 1990 |
| 8 | "I'm a Jet Pilot" "Boku wa jettopairotto" (ボクはジェットパイロット) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Hideki Sonoda | March 24, 1990 |
| 9 | "A Disturbance at Hanamiyama's Buddha" "O Hanamiyama wa daibutsu sawagi" (お花見山は大仏さわぎ) | Raita Hiroshi | Mami Watanabe | March 31, 1990 |
| 10 | "Swing Big! Dome Stadium" "Dai yure! Dōmu kyūjō" (大ゆれ! ドーム球場) | Shinji Takamatsu | Yasushi Hirano | April 7, 1990 |
| 11 | "Large Discovery at the Ancient Ruins" "Kodai iseki de dai hakken" (古代遺跡で大はっけん) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Hideki Sonoda | April 14, 1990 |
| 12 | "The Cake Has No Source!" "Kēki no moto ga nai!" (ケーキのもとがない!) | Toshifumi Kawase | Keiko Maruo | April 21, 1990 |
| 13 | "Great Explosion at Mt. Fuji!?" "Fujisan dai bakuhatsu!?" (富士山大バクハツ!?) | Raita Hiroshi | Yasutaka Ito | April 28, 1990 |
| 14 | "Mom is in Trouble!!" "Taihenda! Mama ga!" (たいへんだ! ママが!) | Shinji Takamatsu | Mami Watanabe | May 5, 1990 |
| 15 | "Beware of the Dream Thief" "Yume dorobō ni goyōshin" (夢ドロボーにご用心) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Yasushi Hirano Shuichi Iwazaki | May 19, 1990 |
| 16 | "Run! Supercar" "Hashire! Sūpākā" (走れ! スーパーカー) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Hideki Sonoda | May 26, 1990 |
| 17 | "Protect the Computer" "Konpyūta o mamore" (コンピュータを守れ) | Toshifumi Kawase | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | June 2, 1990 |
| 18 | "Time Has Messed Up" "Jikan ga mechakucha" (時間がめちゃくちゃ) | Raita Hiroshi | Keiko Maruo | June 9, 1990 |
| 19 | "The Rainbow Waterfall Has Flooded" "Nijinotaki wa dai kōzui" (虹の滝は大洪水) | Shinji Takamatsu | Keiji Oba | June 16, 1990 |
| 20 | "The Targeted Bride" "Nerawareta Hanayome" (ねらわれた花嫁) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Mami Watanabe | June 23, 1990 |
| 21 | "The Burning Movie Village" "Moeru Eigamura" (燃える映画村) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Takeshi Takaba | June 30, 1990 |
| 22 | "Fuuko's Tanabata Story" "Fūko no Tanabata Monogatari" (フーコの七夕物語) | Toshifumi Kawase | Keiko Maruo | July 7, 1990 |
| 23 | "Find the Idol!" "Aidoru wo Sagase!" (アイドルを探せ) | Raita Hiroshi | Norio Kashima | July 14, 1990 |
| 24 | "Go! Go! Luxury Liner" (Go! Go! 豪華客船) | Shinji Takamatsu | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | July 21, 1990 |
| 25 | "The Lost at Sea Virus" (海に消えた病原菌（ウイルス)) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Yasushi Hirano Keiji Oba | July 28, 1990 |
| 26 | "The Panda Cub Competition" (子パンダ争奪戦) | Directed by : Mitsuo Fukuda Storyboarded by : Futa Morita | Mami Watanabe | August 4, 1990 |
| 27 | "Defeat the Meteor Shower!" (流星群をぶっとばせ!) | Toshifumi Kawase | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | August 11, 1990 |
| 28 | "Regain the Stars!" (夏を取り戻せ!) | Directed by : Hideaki Oba Storyboarded by : Kunihisa Sugishima | Yasushi Hirano | August 18, 1990 |
| 29 | "The Piggy Bank That Died in the Sky" (空に散った貯金箱) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Keiko Maruo | August 25, 1990 |
| 30 | "Papa is a Non-Smoker" (パパは禁煙中) | Shinji Takamatsu | Fumihiko Shimo | September 1, 1990 |
| 31 | "Secret of the Geoglyphs" (地上絵のひみつ) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Hideki Sonoda | September 8, 1990 |
| 32 | "It’s Here! Super Giant Fusion" (出た！ 超巨大合体) | Toshifumi Kawase | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | September 22, 1990 |
| 33 | "The Friend is a Young Kabuki" (友だちはカブキ小僧) | Hideaki Oba | Mami Watanabe | September 29, 1990 |
| 34 | "Our Olympics" (ぼくらのオリンピック) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Keiko Maruo | October 6, 1990 |
| 35 | "A Concert for the Braves" (勇者に贈る音楽会) | Shinji Takamatsu | Fumihiko Shimo | October 13, 1990 |
| 36 | "The Halloween Monster" (ハロウィンの怪物) | Toshifumi Kawase | Keiko Maruo | October 20, 1990 |
| 37 | "The Monster Library" (かいぶつ図書館) | Mitsuo Fukuda | Fumihiko Shimo | November 3, 1990 |
| 38 | "The White Horse That Becomes the Wind" (風になれ 白い馬) | Hideaki Oba | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | November 10, 1990 |
| 39 | "Aim to be a Space Pilot" (めざせ宇宙パイロット) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Yasushi Hirano | November 17, 1990 |
| 40 | "Devastating! Geister Base" (壊滅！ガイスター基地) | Shinji Takamatsu | Mami Watanabe | November 24, 1990 |
| 41 | "Mario and Juliet" (マリオとジュリエット) | Directed by : Kiyotaka Ohata Storyboarded by : Futa Morita | Fumihiko Shimo | December 1, 1990 |
| 42 | "The Fire Truck Mobilizes" (消防車 出動せよ!) | Hideaki Oba | Keiko Maruo | December 8, 1990 |
| 43 | "Takumi Likes School?!" (タクミは学校が好き?!) | Directed by : Hiroshi Ishiodori Storyboarded by : Kunihisa Sugishima | Yasushi Hirano Shuichi Iwazaki | December 15, 1990 |
| 44 | "There’s a Lot of Santas" (サンタさんがいっぱい) | Shinji Takamatsu | Mami Watanabe | December 22, 1990 |
| 45 | "The Great Adventure in the Pyramid" (ピラミッドで大冒険) | Hiroshi Ishiodori | Hideki Sonoda | December 29, 1990 |
| 46 | "The Offshore Oil Trap" (海底油田の罠) | Directed by : Kiyotaka Ohata Storyboarded by : Kunihisa Sugishima | Yasushi Hirano Yasutaka Ito | January 12, 1991 |
| 47 | "The Snow Country’s War" (雪国の決戦) | Hideaki Oba | Yasushi Hirano Atsuhiro Tomioka | January 19, 1991 |
| 48 | "A Real Treasure" (本当の宝物) | Directed by : Hiroshi Ishiodori Storyboarded by : Mitsuo Fukuda | Yasushi Hirano | January 26, 1991 |
Video games
Brave Exkaiser appears in the two Brave Saga games which were published by Takara and released on the PlayStation in 1998 and 2000 respectively as well as appearing in Brave Saga: Shinsou Astaria for the Game Boy Color in 2001 and later New Century Brave Wars for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. In 2003, Brave Exkaiser appears in Kikou Heidan J Phoenix + for the Xbox as an unlockable mech. In 2019, Brave Exkaiser appeared in the Super Robot Wars X-Ω mobile game, making it the third Brave series to debut in the Super Robot Wars franchise, after GaoGaiGar's debut in 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha and Might Gaine's debut in Super Robot Wars V.
References
- ↑ TARKUS（五十嵐浩司）新紀元社編集部（大野豊宏・大野智子） (2004-11-13). "勇者エクスカイザー THE WORLD of EXKIZER". 勇者シリーズメモリアルブック 超勇者伝承. 新紀元社. p. 26. ISBN 4-7753-0298-1.
- ↑ TARKUS編「PART 5 [勇者たちの足跡] アニメーション監督インタビュー 谷田部勝義」『大勇者伝説 サンライズ・ロボットトイコレクション[勇者・エルドラン編] 』メディアワークス、2007年5月15日、ISBN 978-4-8402-3824-3、82
- ↑ 大百科 1990, pp. 145
- ↑ 田中圭一Twitter 2018年5月22日付。
Works cited
- 酒井征勇, ed. (1990-09-05). 勇者エクスカイザー大百科. ケイブンシャ.
External links
- 勇者エクスカイザー (Japanese)
- Brave Exkaiser (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
