Gatchaman - Episode 12 "The Gluttonous Monster Ibukuro"

Delicious sweets in danger! The world's sugar stock is under attack by a giant robot mecha Cockroach named Ibukron! Attack the snow mountain base! Bird Tower! Install a time bomb! Attack!

Curated by Christopher Belz

Total Runtime: 0:22:05

Sun, Dec 17

Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (科学忍者隊ガッチャマン Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman^?) is a 5-member superhero team that is composed of the main characters in several Japanese anime created by Tatsuo Yoshida and originally produced in Japan by Tatsunoko Productions and later adapted into several English-language versions. It is also known by the abbreviated nameGatchaman.

The original series, produced in 1972, was eponymously named Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman and is most well known to the English-speaking world as the adaptation titled Battle of the Planets. The title is unofficially called G-Force (not to be confused with the subsequent 1980s English-language adaptation of Gatchaman, known as G-Force: Guardians of Space). Tatsunoko also uses the official translation Science Commando Gatchaman, as shown in numerous related products and media.

The original 1972 Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman series was followed by two sequel series, Gatchaman II (1978) and Gatchaman Fighter (1979). In 1994, the original series was remade as a condensed OVA series (seeGatchaman (OVA)). Additionally, the original and sequel series were adapted and translated into several English-language versions, with the most well known being Battle of the Planets. Because the English-language versions are notoriously inconsistent not only with one another but also with the original Japanese series, viewers most familiar with the English versions often experience some confusion upon re-examining the series after a long hiatus.

The first feature film was released in 1978. A second feature film version ofGatchaman had been in production by Imagi Animation Studios for release in 2012, but was ultimately canceled due to the studio's financial problems.

12	"The Gluttonous Monster Ibukron" "Ōgui Kaijū Ibukuron" (大食い怪獣イブクロン)
The world's raw material for sugar gets stolen by the Galactor mecha, Ibukuron, and the world emergency sugar is getting very low. Ryu and Jinpei rush out into the street to buy candies. Just then, they get the order from Nambu to move out in order to follow Ibukuron and find the secret base. During the pursuit, the God Phoenix gets drawn toward the mecha by its strong magnetic force it uses to suck in the raw materials. Ken uses this force to sneak into the interior of the mecha, along with Joe and Ryu. However, the interior turns out to be a sugar factory and the three team members get sucked into the production process. They almost fall into a huge cooking pot filled with seething raw material, but somehow manage to escape. But then they enter a centrifuge and are rendered completely helpless. Meanwhile, Ibukuron has arrived at the base in a snow mountain and Jun and Jinpei sneak into its nuclear energy chamber. They turn off the power source, but get caught by the enemy. With the power turned off, Ken and the others can escape and arrive to rescue them. Just before escaping, Jun installs a time bomb and, as a result, the base disappears in the middle of an avalanche. The Science Ninja Team distributes the sugar, which they won back from Ibukuron, in a park. The children are now happy again.