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| Former soldier Jim is targeted by a violent criminal gang! |
Genesis Climber Mospeada: Showdown Concert at High Noon.
Original Air Date - Genesis Climber Mospeada: Oct. 16, 1983. Writer: Sukehiro Tomita. Director: Katsuhito Akiyama.
Robotech: Lonely Soldier Boy.
Original Air Date - Robotech: May 29, 1985.
Story Editor: Steve Kramer. Supervising Director: Robert V. Barron.
PLOT - MOSPEADA:
Stig, Ray, and Mint stop at a ramshackle shell of a town. The locals are under the thumb of a vicious criminal gang that hunts soldiers to turn them into the Inbit.
Their current target is Jim, who came to Earth years ago as part of the first liberation force. Jim has survived by keeping his head down and hiding his past. Somehow (never explained), the gang discovered his secret. They kidnap Jim's best friend, holding him hostage if Jim doesn't meet them for a showdown at the K. O. Corral (cue eyeroll).
Stig decides to help, and he receives some unexpected backup: Houquet, the young woman who came to their aid in the last town they visited; and Yellow Belmont, a popular singer who hides more than one secret...
PLOT - ROBOTECH:
Scott, Rand, and Annie stop at a ramshackle shell of a town that is plagued by ruffians who hate soldiers.
The gang's current target is Lunk, a former bio-maintenance engineer for the Robotech Expeditionary Forces. He's been hiding his past, but somehow (never explained), the gang discovered his secret. They kidnap Lunk's best friend, holding him hostage if he doesn't meet them for a showdown outside of town.
Scott decides to help, and he receives some unexpected backup: Rook, the young woman who came to their aid in the last town they visited; and Yellow Dancer, a popular singer who hides more than one secret...
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| Stig, Ray, and Mint are all unimpressed with the town. |
CHARACTERS:
Upon arriving in this dump of a town, Stig instantly blames the state of the place on the Inbit. Ray warns against blaming the aliens for everything, saying that the surrounding mess is mainly because of the humans who live here. This is a good note for both characters. Stig filters all he sees through the military conflict, while Ray - who has lived here all his life - knows that humans are capable of bad behavior with no need of outside intervention.
Advantage: Robotech.
NARRATION:
The Robotech narrator won't shut up. This gets particularly annoying when the writers decide that the themes and parallels are too subtle for us, with narration directly pointing out how Scott riding to the rescue of the kidnapped man is like a Western showdown. We go to commercial with the narrator further talking about how Scott is fighting against lawlessness and anarchy here. I'm still hungry, Mr. Narrator - can you spoon-feed me some more?
Advantage: Mospeada.
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| Yellow Belmont performs. In Mospeada, the performance is better. |
CUTS AND ALTERATION:
Opening Song: The episode opens with Yellow Belmont/Yellow Dancer singing at the town bar. Mospeada has Yellow Belmont's song evoking images of Earth before the war, with apple trees and fields, creating a sharp contrast when the episode cuts to Stig and Ray arriving in the desert dump that is their reality. Robotech doesn't show the same images, instead recycling close-ups of the instruments the band is playing. Also, Robotech doesn't even try to match the lyrics to the lip movements, which becomes rather distracting.
Mint's Reaction to the Town vs. Annie's: Mint agrees that the town is no place she wants to settle down, stating that she doesn't want to get married here. Robotech continues to wisely de-emphasize the child character's marital obsession, with Annie wondering what the locals do for fun... earning an amusing rejoinder from Rand that they probably sit around and watch their floorboards warp.
The Gang Leader Interrupts: In Mospeada, the gang leader cuts off Yellow Belmont by belligerently demanding who gave the singer permission to perform, an early tipoff to the gang's control over the town. Robotech inexplicably changes this so that the gang leader is snarling about how Yellow Dancer's music "stinks."
The Club Manager Talks About the Gang: When Stig asks about the gang in Mospeada, the club manager tells him that they run the town and will kill anyone who disobeys them. Robotech makes the gang less threatening, with the club manager instead describing them as "riff-raff." Is the riff-raff up to shenanigans, by any chance?
Yellow Dancer Becomes "Lancer": The episode ends with Yellow Belmont overcoming Stig's objections to a woman joining them (as opposed to another woman and a little girl?) by demonstrating that "she" is actually a man in disguise. Robotech decides this isn't enough, with "Yellow Dancer" renaming himself "Lancer" on the grounds that it suits him better. Because men don't dance, or a lance is like a penis, or... whatever.
Advantage: Mospeada.
INCIDENTAL MUSIC:
For the first time, I find myself quite liking the Mospeada incidentals. The battle scene that takes up most of the second half is accompanied by a score that conveys the right level of excitement, while still being light enough to maintain the general tone. Also, the song by Mospeada's Yellow Belmont is better than the very '80s ballad crooned by Robotech's Yellow Dancer.
Advantage: Mospeada.
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| A skirmish with the Inbit. Because a biker gang is hardly much of a challenge for our heroes. |
OVERALL ADVANTAGE - MOSPEADA:
After two straight episodes in which I preferred Robotech, Genesis Climber Mospeada finally ends up delivering the better version. Robotech doesn't change much, but its changes make the episode ever-so-slightly less effective. The gang comes across as less powerful and therefore less threatening, and the characters are just a hint flatter. The Robotech episode is still entertaining - but this time, Mospeada is simply better.
OTHER MUSINGS:
Showdown Concert at High Noon is an enjoyable outing. It moves quickly, and it shifts gears in the second half when the heroes, ready to face the gang, find themselves fighting the Inbit instead. As a story, though, this is pretty thin stuff - and yes, I wish it had been something other than a patented '80s "evil town" episode.
This installment is most notable for expanding the character roster: Houquet, the woman who rescued Stig and Ray, reappears and officially joins them; Yellow Belmont and Jim are added to the core group; and the Legioss fighter (which Robotech renames the Alpha) expands their hardware.
Jim is instantly likable, his character art emphasizing him as a "regular guy" and the animation making him noticeably more expressive than Stig and Rand. Yellow Belmont is the more intriguing character, and is clearly still hiding secrets even after the big reveal. Since I didn't actually get very far into "The New Generation" when I watched in the mid-'80s, I look forward to finding out more.
In the end, it's an engaging half hour, and it goes by quickly. I just wish the standalone story didn't feel like reheated A-Team leftovers.
Overall Rating: 7/10.
Previous Episode: The Broken-Hearted Girl's March/The Lost City
Next Episode: Survival Song Feeling/Survival
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