Jetter Mars: Q&A

[Saruta]

Jetter Mars is a more "normal" boy - quite destructive at times, often hating study, etc.

This actually makes him more interesting to some boys, but perhaps less appealing to fangirls?

I like Miri a lot, but some of this has to do with a name coincidence that was probably not intentional. "Miri" sounds like a shortened Tolkien-Elven name; such short names are in common use among Tolkien fans. Elven women are known for being able to heal humans and animals. Miri does just the same for robots and mechanisms!

An elven robot, not an "imitation elf" but an "elf of the robot world" - just wow. But I doubt Tezuka meant the reference. Although he was so universal one never knows - it MIGHT have been intentional. Especially if there was a significant Tolkien fandom in Japan at the time (is there a way to check this?)

[AprilSeven]

That's a fascinating question, Saruta! I'm a big Tolkien fan (having read his works back in the '70's when he was still alive . . . and so was Dr. Tezuka. I'd love to find out if they were aware of each other and - hopefully - familiar with each others works. Frodo has very Astro-like qualities, and again, a lonely hero with an older guardian watching over him.

[F-Man]

And interesting aspect is that Miri is Japanese for "physical beauty".

[Saruta]

AprilSeven: Tezuka was a Tolkien fan? You sure? I didn't know this. If he was, the elven reference is quite possibly intentional.

F-Man: interesting indeed. She is not really the "hottest" of Tezuka women (in my view even of Tezuka women robots, Olga is much sexier). But, that's for us, and the one who named her inworld was her father - and this just means HE cared for beauty. For machine beauty? And he created that sort of power?

Oops. Too bad all we know about Dr. Kawashimo, we know from him appearing in somewhat brief sequences of a children's anime series. He takes one of the first places now in the list of Tezuka characters I'd like to meet. (After Olga and the real Dr. Saruta).

[Astro Forever]

The Russian dub of Jetter Mars is NOT a fandub.

It sounds like a fandub because it is over the Japanese sound, and becaose it obviously has one or two male voices trying to sound "different" for all the cast including females. But this is just because it's low-budget. It was made in the very early 90s for a TV channel named "2x2", which was, at the time, a new and somewhat experimental channel.

It was shown on TV. I watched some of it as a schoolboy in Moscow. I did not really like it. I like it much better now though.

I'm willing to edit the first post of the topic. How about "It was also dubbed in Russian. The poor sound quality and lack of voice variety was due to the low bugdet of the production"?

Edit: just to keep what the original sentence was:

It was supposedly also dubbed into Russian, however this may be a fan-dub considering its poor dubbing quality.

[Saruta]

Thanks! Corrected version:

"It was also dubbed in Russian and shown on TV. The poor sound quality and lack of voice variety were apparently due to the low budget of the production".

This corresponds better to what I really know. The TV screening was a fact, as is the announcement in the dub that is is for the 2x2 channel. The budget thing is conjecture.

[F-Man]

This could be added too:

I found digital rentals for those who still wanna see the series in Japanese without paying $300.

http://www.videx.jp/detail/anime/v_a_toeianimation/atoa0308_0000/index.htm?ref=search

It's 20 dollars for the whole series (30 days). The first episode is also offered for free. Expires 2012/04/30.

Make sure to run the video test using the two buttons at http://www.videx.jp/info/faq_pc.php to verify that your PC supports the videos on that site.

EDIT: oh right I'm a mod. >_> Hummm I'll get to it.

[Astro Forever]

Okay Saruta, thanks! I suppose F-Man will edit it also, otherwise I'll do it.

EDIT: oh right I'm a mod. >_> Hummm I'll get to it.

Thanks for the laugh!

[Saruta]

The old Russian "fandub" reference is present aongside the new text now - please fix if possible

[F-Man]

Ok, should be good now.