Is that a Gun in your Pants?

by Ben

May 13, 2005

Henshin… transform…. combine… call it what you will, but in Japanese anime, and in now many American cartoons, the idea of something that is *more than meets the eye* is has always been appealing to us. It goes back to our fundamental appreciation for tools and objects with multiple functions, even something as simple as a pocket knife. It's always more convenient to pack as many functions into a single tool as possible, and this has in the last few decades extended into our idea about the machines and tools we expect in our future. I mean, who wants just a car when you can have a giant fighting robot too? This article will be two components, a history of henshin, and a discussion of henshin itself.

In America, the appearance of transforming heavy machines started to become popular in the mid 1980's, when my generation was heavily exposed to Voltron, The Transformers, Robotech and many other anime series that were making the transition. That isn't to say it was always limited to robots. We had our share of super heroes who transformed back in the day such as He-man. It wasn't until after the anime boom that America cartoons started to get the hint and take off with the same ideas. MASK, Centurions, the Silverhawks. Still trying to keep the human aspect of the show alive, mixing man and machine became very popular in both countries.

It was in the early 1990s that someone at Saban decided to bring the idea of transforming robots to the masses, and it was then that the Power Rangers made their debut. To this day, Power Rangers is I believe the only henshin series in America that has remained on television without being cancelled or solely syndicated for over 10 years. It was the beginning of a new introduction of how to make a henshin show applicable to the American audience. It was followed by a number of shows almost identical in their original Japanese content but dramatically different in their final American inceptions. The most famous of these flops was VR Troopers and Beetleborgs. Each lasted a little under 2 seasons. The truth was, the audience focus changed. While Power Rangers aimed for the 7-13 audience, VR Troopers tried to be too serious, and aimed for a slightly older audience, while Beetleborgs did exactly the opposite, aiming for a younger audience. While all of this was happening in US, henshin shows were being made in droves in Japan. The late 80s and 90's were the age of henshin. The Brave series, Gundam, Transformers, Tekkaman and numerous others. This age has been extending into even today, with shows like Gundam SEED DESTINY, Machine Robo Rescue, Macross Zero and more.  The Generation of the 80's just doesn't like to let go, and because of that, Henshin remains strong.

Now, Henshin isn't a perfect technical thing. Rarely if ever is does a robot transformed look battle ready or as it should when the transformation is complete. Through the magic of cinematography, magic and or technical wizardry never quite explained, sometimes components mysteriously disappear. Take a look at a transformer from the golden age of the 80's and then look at its toy counterpart. The difference is astonishing, and the toy, not having access to that magic and technical wizardry is a lot more bulky and immobile than the robot we watched on television. The same has applied to numerous other shows as well, but it is not always the case. Some examples of good henshin are the Zeta Gundam and Voltron.  The Zeta Gundam, being a machine meant for war use and trying for a very realistic look does transform without the removal of any components, and can feasibly be made to work in a real world environment. Voltron on the other hand, though not using any of those magic or technical changes, is not as realistic strictly because of the way the joints are designed. The fact that you would put the optical sensors from what would've been the head of the unit suddenly in the feet… that's just asking for a busted camera eye.

Now henshin doesn't always have to be a complete change. The Freedom Gundam uses henshin in two of its weapon systems, its railguns and plasma cannons. The cannons normally sling over its back as part of its wing system, while the rail guns fold up to form a protective skirt for the suit. It is a very common situation where as a major weapon will be hidden in a military suit to both protect it and keep its existence hidden from an attacker, and that the suit must transform to utilize it. In Gundam X, the Gundam Virsago requires transforming its hands and body in order to use its main sonic cannon, turning it from a mobile suit into temporarily a stationary cannon. Henshin, is and has been a critical factor in making machines of the future multi-use tools. It is reasonable to expect that the same trend will continue to exist in our future visions of the future. There is a very good reason we do not see henshin in modern technology, and that reason is cost. It's the same reason it is so rare to see transforming machines in these fantasies of our future. Everything costs money and resources, and in general, putting more money into a cannon fodder mecha isn't usually a good idea.  So for now, I guess I'll settle for my Boy Scout knife…. HENSHIN!

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