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Mint sets her sights on a young tribal prince. |
Genesis Climber Mospeada: Mint's Wedding March.
Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Jan. 8, 1984. Writer: Kenji Terada. Director: Mari Kobayashi.
Robotech: Annie's Wedding.
Original Air Date - Robotech: June 13, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MOSPEADA:
Running low on HBT, Stig and his group land in a forest, where they decide to construct a giant raft to take them and their mechs down the river. They've only just started work when they're captured by a primitive tribe who are determined to sacrifice them to appease their god.
The nearby dam has begun releasing water, which the tribesmen believe is a sign of their god's anger. Stig persuades the tribe's leader to allow him and Jim to fix the problem. Once they succeed, they go from prisoners to honored guests.
Meanwhile, Machuda, the leader's son, has taken Yellow prisoner, declaring that he has claimed a wife... which earns raucous laughter when it's revealed that his "wife" is actually a man. When the Inbit attack again, the headstrong youth puts himself in danger in an ill-advised attempt to prove himself. Mint then comes up with a plan to make him a man in the eyes of the tribe - and to maybe snag herself a position as tribal princess in the process!
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
Running low on protoculture, Scott and his group land in a forest, where they decide to construct a giant raft to take them and their mechs down the river. They've only just started work when they're captured by a primitive tribe who are determined to sacrifice them to appease their god.
The nearby dam has begun releasing water, which the tribesmen believe is a sign of their god's anger. Scott persuades the tribe's leader to allow him and Lunk to fix the problem. Once they succeed, they go from prisoners to honored guests.
Meanwhile, McGruder, the leader's son, has taken Lancer prisoner, declaring that he has claimed a wife... which earns raucous laughter when it's revealed that his "wife" is actually a man. When the Inbit attack again, the headstrong youth puts himself in danger in an ill-advised attempt to prove himself. Annie then comes up with a plan to make him a man in the eyes of the tribe - and to maybe snag herself a position as tribal princess in the process!
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Prisoners of the tribe - and possible sacrifices! |
CHARACTERS:
I've often found Mint annoying, but she's actually fairly likable in this episode. Yes, an internal voice over lets us know that she recognizes the advantages of marrying the tribe's future leader: housing, servants, authority. But she first notices Machuda when the tribe is laughing at him, and she seems driven as much by compassion as greed. Also, her plan works with Scott's overall strategy against the Inbit, rather than disrupting it. On the whole, a rather good showing for someone who's generally my least favorite character.
Also welcome is that Ray is kept entirely as a supporting figure. I like Ray - but so do the writers, often at the expense of the other characters, so I actually find it a relief to see him in the background for a change.
Advantage: None.
NARRATION:
Robotech's introductory narration is fairly good this time, drawing a direct line between the revelations of last episode about the Invid experiments with evolution and the aliens' creation of a new form in this episode. The narrator mostly stays out of the way once the episode starts, which means that the voice over never feels intrusive.
Advantage: None.
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An Inbit "Grab" prepares for a transformation. In Robotech, this involves a lot more technobabble. |
CUTS AND ALTERATION:
Lancer Takes Watch to Slack Off: Mospeada's Yellow volunteers to take watch as a matter of procedure. Robotech's Lancer does it in order to avoid the physical labor of building the raft, prompting grumbling from Lunk and Rand.
Rand and Annie Don't Try to Get Out of Working: Ray and Mint both declare their lack of interest in building the raft, prompting Houquet to ask if they'd prefer to be left in the jungle to "play Tarzan" instead. Outside of a quip from Annie offering to "supervise," neither she nor Rand tries to get out of working in Robotech.
Added Technobabble as the Invid Soldier is Transformed: In the first half of the episode, there's a cutaway to the nearby Inbit fortress. Here, an Inbit "Grab" is transformed into a new form, while the Inbit leader talks about the need to evolve into an ultimate form in order to survive. This is largely the same in Robotech, with the Invid soldier transformed into an "Enforcer." The Regess indulges in considerably more technobabble before the transmutation, though, presumably to make things more "sci fi."
Peekaboo Nudity Removed: When Mint goes to talk with Machuda, there's a moment when one the straps of her dress falls away, revealing one breast. Robotech removed this shot for broadcast - and, probably because of Annie's portrayal as underage, it has not been put back in for the remaster.
The Invid Are "Overlords": Machuda tells Mint that the Inbit have made changes that have harmed the valley. Robotech makes the tribe's understanding of the Invid more primitive, with them referring to the aliens as "overlords" and hating them for driving the livestock away. In fairness to the Robotech writers, this is at least consistent with the tribe somehow mistaking a dam malfunction for a god's anger.
Rand Wants to Rescue the Tribe: In Mospeada, Ray observes the tribesmen preparing to fight the Inbit and proposes to Stig that they should engage in a joint operation. Robotech's Rand instead puts it in terms of them rescuing the primitive tribesmen from a battle they can't win.
The Regess Narrates All Invid Actions (Again): As per usual, all the movements of the Invid have voice over from the Regess, ordering them to perform each action that occurs. Mospeada leaves the Inbit actions silent, trusting the viewer to follow along.
Lancer Quips About the River God's Anger: After they defeat the Inbit, Mospeada's Yellow remarks that they will need to convince the tribe that their god smited the aliens in anger. Robotech changes this, with Lancer instead making a quip about the river god's anger being understandable, since the Invid would annoy anybody.
Advantage: None. None of these changes has much impact on the viewing experience.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
Both scores are used well. This is an episode with a significant amount of action, though, and I found that the Robotech incidentals boosted the action scenes more than the Mospeada score did.
Advantage: Robotech.
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Stig and Ray watch as the tribe prepares for battle. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE - NONE:
Changes are minor, as usual; and in this case, none of the changes annoyed me. I'd rate the viewing experience of this one as being essentially the same in either version.
OTHER MUSINGS:
I have an issue with the tribe's intent to sacrifice Stig's group. The Inbit only invaded a little over thirty years ago (Robotech's Invid, only a little over a decade ago). Even assuming that the tribe lived a primitive life before the invasion, they should still recognize the dam as manmade technology. Them mistaking a technical fault for their god's anger may pay tribute to old jungle adventures, but it doesn't ring true.
That aside, this is a generally enjoyable episode. It's silly at its core, but it moves along at a rapid pace. It also features a rare, good characterization of Mint, and the action scenes are well-animated and sharply edited.
It's definitely not a highlight, but it's fun to watch. A solid effort overall.
Overall Rating: 6/10.
Previous Episode: Sandstorm Playback/Sandstorm
Next Episode: The Ballad of Breaking Up/Separate Ways (not yet reviewed)
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