Casshan: Robot Hunter
Humanity is defined by more than just flesh and blood, but by bravery, tenderness, and even love. In Casshan: Robot Hunter, humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction by the tyrannical rule of an android originally named BK-1 by his creator, Dr. Kotaro Azuma, but later adopting the moniker of "Black King". Pockets of resistance hold out, and among them is the young woman, Luna Kozuki, who seeks both the head of the resistance to deliver a secret weapon unto them to turn the tide of the war, and also the whereabouts of her former lover, Tetsuya Azuma. She soon discovers that Tetsuya has become "Casshan", the mythical savior of the human race in the face of their robotic oppressors.
|
|
Casshan: Robot Hunter was originally released in Japan as a short series of four "OVAs" (original video animations), but released in the United States by Harmony Gold as a feature anime film. It was adapted from a classic Japanese animated series from the 1970s, "Casshan", created by Tatsunoko Productions. It is a post-apocalyptic tale, were humanity is pushed to the brink of survival; but like similar tales such as Mad Max and The Terminator, the source of the global catastrophe is the product of humanity, the architects of their own ill fate. Black King was developed with a series of directives reminiscent of those introduced by Isaac Asimov as the "Three Laws of Robotics". However, the order which Dr. Azuma chose to place the most importance in--to safeguard the welfare of the environment--leads Black King to come to the conclusion that he "loves humanity so much, that he will protect the Earth even from themselves". His brand of "love", however, comes in the form of a vicious and despotic regime, full of cruelty, where humans are enslaved and forced to work in labor camps until they expire. Black King's robot empire shares more in common with the Third Reich of Nazi Germany, complete with the salutes his subordinates offer in praise and the banners with the cold and sharp, shuriken-like emblem of his army. Other moments in Casshan: Robot Hunter also recall World War II, such as the invasion of Europe to strike back at the robotic army by a naval assault, reminiscent of the Invasion of Normandy, or the forced rebuilding of a key bridge in Australia for a transport train for the android army, recalling the story featured in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai. For all of Black King's hateful subjugation of humanity, his culling of humanity from swathes of land on the Earth ironically results in him fulfilling his prime directive, causing these regions to sprout up in fertility, the Earth born anew in the absence of humanity reaping from it. A council of political leaders sheltered beneath NORAD selfishly (and yet understandably) observes, however, that regardless of the side effects of Black King's domination in fixing the planet they ruined, the Earth is humanity's to ruin. This attitude reflects the kind of closed loop which has always led to tragic war and, in this case, the advent of androids--or "neoroids", as they are sometimes called--to become the inevitable response to a system out of balance. The narrator of the film describes the setting as a new "dark age", albeit one where the black death is not a biological plague, but a machine one.
Casshan's existence, however, reflects that even Dr. Azuma understood that no solution to any problem can ever truly be final, and that Dr. Azuma understood that as a human, prone to fallibility, even his legacy would leave behind problems for which he must prepare. Casshan was created by a symbiosis of a robotic shell of superior craftsmanship, and the soul of his dying son, Tetsuya, who placed his consciousness in the robotic form just before dying following the assassination of him and his family by the newly risen BK-1. Casshan acknowledges that he is Dr. Azuma's son "twice over", both from a biological perspective as well as that he is also now the embodiment of his will to defend humanity from the Black King as an android. Aside from the exciting robotic battles and climactic confrontations Casshan surmounts in his efforts to aid the resistance, the spiritual conflict of Casshan: Robot Hunter comes in the form of Casshan's fractured sense of family and identity, both human and robotic. Luna desperately tries to remind Casshan that he possesses the heart of Tetsuya, in addition his memories, although Casshan struggles because he can't help but want the security--the same sense of security felt by Black King--that his humanity and his emotions are a burden in his efforts to achieve his ultimate mission. The irony is that the androids like Black King and his minions represent what is worst in humanity. His lieutenants like Akbone (who commandeers the slave camp called "Castle Promise") are backstabbing, conniving, and even hateful. The suggestion is that Black King created his subordinates, so ultimately they feel the same kinds of feelings he likely felt and wanted relayed in his army--a reflection of himself. But even this act of creation gives him no pleasure, and he threatens even his own minions when they disappoint him, suggesting that his artificial intelligence is so sophisticated and so human, that it is inevitable that he faces the same kind of shortcomings over which he criticizes humanity--his hatred for humanity is a reflection of his own self-hatred. As if part of some deeper doubt about his mission, he keeps a robotic duplicate of his creator, an icon-like religious statue of Dr. Azuma, to constantly repeat his directives to him and give him "faith". The idea of faith and spirituality is an undercurrent of Casshan: Robot Hunter, emphasized in Castle Promise when a resistance group speaks of how they wish for their savior, the mythical Casshan, to appear and give them salvation from their suffering. Casshan is treated largely like a messianic figure, and the first part of the film has moments which mirror the story of Christ, including Luna's nearly fatal crucifixion from which she is saved by Casshan, and even a betrayal by a member of the resistance. Black King is often called a "cybernetic devil", due to his apparent hatred of humanity and wish to destroy them. He is, in a sense, a fallen angel, whose original intent was to save humanity; when Casshan ultimately confronts him, Black King even tries to "tempt him" to join his cause, by explaining the purpose of his--and by association, his father's--legacy.
Casshan was such a popular figure in Japanese animation that his legacy is felt in other works. The android torn between his soul and his machine body is a familiar trope, but the design of his appearance and fighting style has influenced a variety of video game cyborgs, like Raiden in the "Metal Gear" series, complete with protective face mask. Furthermore, the popular spin-off video game series, "Mega Man X", shares multiple similarities to Casshan: Robot Hunter. In that game, "X" is a "maverick hunter" (the name given to renegade androids), and seeks to overthrow the villainous Sigma, an android who was himself originally created to benefit mankind but turned to oppress his creators. Even Black King's secret project to integrate androids and the environment shares a similarity in its name--"Project Sigma"--and Casshan's robotic canine partner, Friender, recalls Mega Man's own ally, Rush. One of Casshan's greatest challenges is his wavering sense of identity and fidelity--to humanity and his family. This is assuaged in part when he seeks council with a robotic swan, which projects a holographic form of his late mother. However, the swan is shown to also keep congress with Black King, forging a familial link between them. Furthermore, although the holographic image of Tetsuya's mother claims that Black King is not his father as Casshan surmises, it is clear that, like Casshan, Black King carries the memories of Dr. Kotaro Azuma. Black King taunts Casshan that his father's soul is "trapped" within him, and secretly longed for "eternal life", just as he claims the dying Tetsuya did when he became Casshan. Black King claims that this is what all humanity longs for, hence the creation of neoroids as their successors. This ideological argument is also a reflection of the fractured family; although we know little to nothing of the Azuma family prior to the events in Casshan: Robot Hunter, it is clear that in the aftermath of this apocalypse, that Casshan, the swan, and Black King represent literal and metaphorical proxies in this schism. There is also a degree of irony in that Casshan gets his powers from the Sun, and is weak without its presence; as the "son", Casshan is forced to draw upon his own resources to confront the dark reflection of his father's legacy, rather than those bestowed exclusively upon him by his family.
Recommended for: Fans of a classic sci-fi story about a robotic hero struggling to save the world against a monster born in response to mankind's own predilection to ruining his own environment. Casshan: Robot Hunter is a highly influential anime, embodying some of the most identifiable and popular tropes of the genre.
Casshan's existence, however, reflects that even Dr. Azuma understood that no solution to any problem can ever truly be final, and that Dr. Azuma understood that as a human, prone to fallibility, even his legacy would leave behind problems for which he must prepare. Casshan was created by a symbiosis of a robotic shell of superior craftsmanship, and the soul of his dying son, Tetsuya, who placed his consciousness in the robotic form just before dying following the assassination of him and his family by the newly risen BK-1. Casshan acknowledges that he is Dr. Azuma's son "twice over", both from a biological perspective as well as that he is also now the embodiment of his will to defend humanity from the Black King as an android. Aside from the exciting robotic battles and climactic confrontations Casshan surmounts in his efforts to aid the resistance, the spiritual conflict of Casshan: Robot Hunter comes in the form of Casshan's fractured sense of family and identity, both human and robotic. Luna desperately tries to remind Casshan that he possesses the heart of Tetsuya, in addition his memories, although Casshan struggles because he can't help but want the security--the same sense of security felt by Black King--that his humanity and his emotions are a burden in his efforts to achieve his ultimate mission. The irony is that the androids like Black King and his minions represent what is worst in humanity. His lieutenants like Akbone (who commandeers the slave camp called "Castle Promise") are backstabbing, conniving, and even hateful. The suggestion is that Black King created his subordinates, so ultimately they feel the same kinds of feelings he likely felt and wanted relayed in his army--a reflection of himself. But even this act of creation gives him no pleasure, and he threatens even his own minions when they disappoint him, suggesting that his artificial intelligence is so sophisticated and so human, that it is inevitable that he faces the same kind of shortcomings over which he criticizes humanity--his hatred for humanity is a reflection of his own self-hatred. As if part of some deeper doubt about his mission, he keeps a robotic duplicate of his creator, an icon-like religious statue of Dr. Azuma, to constantly repeat his directives to him and give him "faith". The idea of faith and spirituality is an undercurrent of Casshan: Robot Hunter, emphasized in Castle Promise when a resistance group speaks of how they wish for their savior, the mythical Casshan, to appear and give them salvation from their suffering. Casshan is treated largely like a messianic figure, and the first part of the film has moments which mirror the story of Christ, including Luna's nearly fatal crucifixion from which she is saved by Casshan, and even a betrayal by a member of the resistance. Black King is often called a "cybernetic devil", due to his apparent hatred of humanity and wish to destroy them. He is, in a sense, a fallen angel, whose original intent was to save humanity; when Casshan ultimately confronts him, Black King even tries to "tempt him" to join his cause, by explaining the purpose of his--and by association, his father's--legacy.
Casshan was such a popular figure in Japanese animation that his legacy is felt in other works. The android torn between his soul and his machine body is a familiar trope, but the design of his appearance and fighting style has influenced a variety of video game cyborgs, like Raiden in the "Metal Gear" series, complete with protective face mask. Furthermore, the popular spin-off video game series, "Mega Man X", shares multiple similarities to Casshan: Robot Hunter. In that game, "X" is a "maverick hunter" (the name given to renegade androids), and seeks to overthrow the villainous Sigma, an android who was himself originally created to benefit mankind but turned to oppress his creators. Even Black King's secret project to integrate androids and the environment shares a similarity in its name--"Project Sigma"--and Casshan's robotic canine partner, Friender, recalls Mega Man's own ally, Rush. One of Casshan's greatest challenges is his wavering sense of identity and fidelity--to humanity and his family. This is assuaged in part when he seeks council with a robotic swan, which projects a holographic form of his late mother. However, the swan is shown to also keep congress with Black King, forging a familial link between them. Furthermore, although the holographic image of Tetsuya's mother claims that Black King is not his father as Casshan surmises, it is clear that, like Casshan, Black King carries the memories of Dr. Kotaro Azuma. Black King taunts Casshan that his father's soul is "trapped" within him, and secretly longed for "eternal life", just as he claims the dying Tetsuya did when he became Casshan. Black King claims that this is what all humanity longs for, hence the creation of neoroids as their successors. This ideological argument is also a reflection of the fractured family; although we know little to nothing of the Azuma family prior to the events in Casshan: Robot Hunter, it is clear that in the aftermath of this apocalypse, that Casshan, the swan, and Black King represent literal and metaphorical proxies in this schism. There is also a degree of irony in that Casshan gets his powers from the Sun, and is weak without its presence; as the "son", Casshan is forced to draw upon his own resources to confront the dark reflection of his father's legacy, rather than those bestowed exclusively upon him by his family.
Recommended for: Fans of a classic sci-fi story about a robotic hero struggling to save the world against a monster born in response to mankind's own predilection to ruining his own environment. Casshan: Robot Hunter is a highly influential anime, embodying some of the most identifiable and popular tropes of the genre.