IdeonReviews

Ideon Movie 1: Contact

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Summary

A Buff Clan ship, the Gram Zan, approaches the planet Solo, which they call “Logo Dau.” The leaders of the ship, Gije Zaral and Damido Pechi who have arrived here investigating a power known as the ‘Ide’ realize that the planet has been colonized by aliens. Suddenly, Karala Ajiba heads down to Solo on a Copola craft, ignoring Gije’s warnings, with her assistants Shiraku and Mayaya. The Gram Zan sends out two Copolas to follow her. Karala’s Copola lands in the woods. She and Mayaya get out on Gadakkas and realize that there’s a large excavation site nearby. Meanwhile, Kasha Imhof, riding on a motorbike, chases her friends Deck and Cosmo through the woods. The Buff Clan soldiers pursuing Karala fires upon the excavation site. Shiraku heads out in her Copola as well as the colonists start fighting back. Her Copola is blown up soon after. Cosmo and Deck’s hovercraft and Kasha’s bike are destroyed as they approach the excavation site. Probes return to the Gram Zan. Gije wonders how the aliens weren’t able to detect them arriving. Damido wonders if it has something to do with the Ide. One of the soldiers informs Gije that a battle has started. Gije says that he’s going to head down to the planet. Cosmo, Kasha and Deck arrive at a facility where three large armored trucks are stored. One of the archeologists, Dr. Formosa comes out to see them, but is immediately killed by debris. Deck tries to run away but Cosmo stops him, saving his life. Karala watches, fascinated as one of the colonist soldiers, Bes Jordan performs well in battle. Mayaya gives her a translation device which allows her to understand him. The Gram Zan sends its entire battalion of Dekka Baus and Gil Baus down to Solo. Damido himself heads down on a Gil Bau with his assistant Birasu. Cosmo and Deck get into one of the large trucks, the Sol-Conver. Cosmo says that it only seems to work when a child gets aboard. Kasha gets aboard another one, the Sol-Amber and both start driving out. Sheryl Formosa, a linguistic scholar is currently in the third vehicle, the Sol-Vainer and wonders why if it is going to move as well. Out in the fields a group of civilians including Sheryl’s sister Lin, Banda Lotta, Ashura Novak, Piper Lou and his mother decide to flee to excavation site two to hide from the attack. Lou’s mother heads out to the Solo city of New Lopia. The Sol-Vainer approaches Bes and he gets on along with some soldiers. Cosmo notices a gauge on the Sol-Conver lighting up strangely. Sheryl calls it the “Ide Sign.” The three trucks are fired upon by the Copolas. Suddenly, they start transforming. The Sol-Conver transforms into a head, shoulder and arms, the Sol-Vainer transforms into a torso and the Sol-Amber transforms into legs. The three combine to form one giant humanoid mecha, the Ideon. Sheryl and the Buff Clan soldiers call it a ‘Giant God’. The Copolas fire upon the Ideon but Cosmo is able to punch with its arm and destroy one of the Copolas. The Ideon stands up. Mayaya calls it the “Giant God of Ide.” The Ideon destroys another Copolas. Mayaya is horrified and runs away.

Gije’s squad of Dekka Bau crafts attack the city of New Lopia, destroying it. Lou’s Mother is killed during the attack. The Ideon walks through the woods. Deck tries to open the hatch only to realize that they are hundreds of feet up in the air. Cosmo and the others use the communication equipment on the Ideon to talk with each other. Sheryl is hesitant about them fighting using the Ideon since they haven’t been able to understand how to control it. Karala is picked up in a truck by colonists who think she’s one of them. Gije’s squad of Dekka Baus approaches the Ideon, which starts flying on its own. The civilians flee towards the second excavation site, where a large ship is buried in the ground. Karala wonders why the aliens of Logo Dau buried a ship here. Gije is shocked at the power of the Ideon. Damido tells Gije to retreat and that they’ll defeat the Ideon using the Gil Baus. The Gil Baus launch hooks into the Ideon and start transmitting an electrical current into it through wires. The Ide falls to the ground, and the Gil Baus are destroyed, including Damido’s. The Ideon gauge appears at full power. The Ideon destroys the remaining Gil Baus. Suddenly a light appears from the sky and the ship buried in the ground starts glowing. Karala realizes that the ship is actually ruins, and wasn’t made by the colonists. The large ship starts raising from out of the ground on its own. The Ideon lands aboard its deck and the two take off into space.

Bes and the others arrive on the deck of the Solo Ship, which is using its DS Drive engine to travel at great speeds through space. Bes wonders why the ruins that they found from the Sixth Civilization didn’t start moving until they made contact with a seventh alien civilization. Karala and Mayaya are discovered as aliens. Kasha wants to kill them but it is decided to lock them up in cages instead. Mayaya is very scared and Karala tries to calm her down. Karala and Mayaya are tracked aboard the Buff Clan ship Dorowa Zan, which travels through Null space. The ship is led by Karala’s sister Harulu Ajiba and the officer Doku Jilbal. The Solo Ship crew have a meeting in the forest dome behind the bridge. Bes tells everyone that the two aliens are known as the Buff Clan and that they came to Solo searching for an infinite energy source known as Ide. Bes and Sheryl admit that they have no idea how the Solo Ship and Ideon are controlled.

Tekuno and Moera head to the cells to talk with Karala and Mayaya. Mayaya is suddenly shot and killed by someone hiding in the shadows. Moera lets Karala out of her cell and the two bring her with them. The civilians of the ship harass Karala as she walks by and the mysterious assassin tries to kill her again. Karala flees to the forest behind the bridge. The shooter is revealed to be Banda Lotta. Lotta wants to kill Karala due to all the death caused by the Buff Clan. Karala submits to Lotta and gives her permission to kill her. Lotta shoots at Karala but misses with all her shots. She falls to the ground, crying. Cosmo is impressed by Karala. Bes tells Cosmo to help Sheryl and Joliver with a giant cannon they found in the ship, the Ideon Gun. Joliver tells Cosmo that there’s a strange flow of energy going throughout it. Sheryl thinks the Ide is powering all the artifacts they have found. Later, Joliver asks Karala why the Buff Clan is after the Ide. Sheryl is upset about them letting Karala stay out of her cell. Karala tells them about the legend of the Ide, where the queen of the Buff Clan was captured by a powerful monster. Using the power of the Ide, a hero fought the monster. He was unable to defeat it and they both became stars. They continue to discuss the Ide. Sheryl thinks it caused the Buff Clan and Earth colonists to come in contact with each other.

Later, while moving some chickens into the forest, Cosmo asks Karala if they can talk. The Dorowa Zan tracks down the Solo Ship. Doku volunteers to head out and capture the Giant God. Sheryl tells Bes that she wants to head to Earth to use a powerful computer there known as Gloria to investigate the Ide. Cosmo asks Karala to reveal to him the Buff Clan’s military strength. The crew discusses whether they should go to Earth or not aboard the bridge. Later, Sheryl takes Karala hostage and brings her down to the cruiser Karioka, where Hatari and other crew members are preparing to head to Earth. Sheryl tells Karala that she’s here as insurance for when Bes comes after them. The Karioka takes off. The three Ideon units head out after it. Doku, hiding behind an asteroid with a group of Zigg Macks and Zlow Jicks watches and heads out with his forces in order to capture the Karioka. Cosmo thinks it was Karala’s idea to flee. Doku’s forces easily incapacitate the Karioka. Sheryl contacts them about Karala being aboard. Doku contacts the Dorowa Zan and tells Harulu about Karala. Harulu says that Karala is the reason for their conflict and that he can do with her as he pleases. Doku’s Zigg Mack takes the Karioka hostage. Harulu yells at Karala, who is held in the Zigg Mack’s hands along with Sheryl and says she should have killed herself for living among aliens. They argue about the Ide being in the hands of the Solo Ship crew. The three Ideon units approach the Buff Clan’s forces. Doku contacts them and demands the Giant God be exchanged for the hostages. Cosmo and the others get out of their mecha in their spacesuits. Cosmo plans to trick the enemy and dock after the hostages are released. He returns to the Ideo-Delta and tells Doku that they’ll exchange one unit at a time as the hostages are released. The Ideo-Delta transforms into its part of the Ideon and Cosmo gets out. The Zigg Mack releases Karala and Sheryl. Everyone gets aboard the Ideo-Buster and take off their spacesuits in order to trick the Buff Clan into thinking they’ve left. Tekuno sends out all of the spacesuits and the Zigg Mack releases the Karioka. Buff Clan soldiers start boarding the three Ideon units. Kasha immediately starts docking the units and they form the Ideon. Cosmo and the others quickly head to the main cockpit and kill the Buff soldiers. The Ideon destroys one of the Zigg Macks. Doku realizes that they’ve been tricked. His Zigg Mack tears at the Ideon with its claws. The Ideon detaches its shoulders and head and destroys the Zigg Mack. The battle over, the stowaways return to the Solo Ship. Karala takes all the blame and says she threatened everyone into joining her. Cosmo notices Sheryl quickly leaving and sneaks into a room after her. Sheryl admits that she was the one who led the group of stowaways and cries over being in Karala’s debt.

The Dorowa Zan decides to follow the Solo Ship into Null Space. Harulu curses Karala. Bes shows Karala a star map and asks her to show him where the Buff Clan homeworld is. Karala seems hesitant to do so. Sheryl yells at Lin for letting Lou play aboard the bridge. Hatari tracks something to the right. Suddenly, the Dorowa Zan appears directly above the Solo Ship. Karala helps Sheryl analyze the flow of the Ide, which is currently low. Cosmo and the others get aboard the Ideon. Harulu orders the Dorowa Zan to attack as it departs from Null Space. Suddenly a radio transmission comes in telling Harulu to meet them at specific coordinates in space. Joliver intercepts the message and Karala translates it. The Solo Ship uses its DS Brake to follow the Dorowa Zan as it departs from Null Space. The Dorowa Zan arrives at the specified coordinates only for the Solo Ship to DS Out immediately below it moments later. Hatari wants to escape but Bes says they can’t since they’ll be fired at. Sheryl tells Lotta and Lin to get spacesuits on and be ready for hand to hand combat. Harulu sends out dozens of soldiers to take over the Solo Ship. The Buff Clan soldiers and Solo Ship crew fight each other, with many casualties. The Ideon launches and punches right through the Dorowa Zan. Soldiers arrive at the Solo Ship bridge but are all killed. The Solo Ship flies off as the Dorowa Zan blows up. The bridge detaches from the ship and flies away. Cosmo tries to destroy it but the Ideon is attacked by an oncoming Heavy Mobile Mecha, the Ganga Lubu. Cosmo’s side is cut badly by debris during the fight. The Ganga Lubu gets away. The heavily injured Cosmo passes out.

Harulu meets with Daram Zuba aboard a nearby moon. Harulu thanks him for the help in battle. Daram apologizes for taking so long to arrive since he wanted to watch the enemy. Daram asks Harulu to meet back up with her father Doba and asks her to get more reinforcements for him. Harulu notices Gije is among Daram’s men. The Solo Ship nurse Rapoh tells Bes that Cosmo needs a blood transfusion. Karala volunteers to give Cosmo some of her blood. Aboard the Solo Ship bridge she reveals the location of the Buff Clan homeworld. Rapoh arrives and tells Karala that she can use her blood. Sheryl says Karala revealed the Buff Clan’s location because she’s in love with Bes. Bes says she wouldn’t sell out her planet for love. Sheryl realizes Earth, Solo and the Buff Clan homeworld line up in a straight line and wonder if its a coincidence or not. The blood transfusion is performed. Cosmo has a dream where he talks to the Ide, a being made up of the consciousness of hundreds of millions of people. The Ide tells Cosmo that it needs new power to preserve its own existence. Cosmo argues with the Ide, telling it that they won’t sacrifice themselves to become a part of the Ide. The Solo Ship DS Outs near Earth.

The Earth tells the Solo Ship that they won’t accept them because they’re being pursued by aliens. They will only be allowed to resupply on the moon. A meteor passes by towards the Earth, the third one they’ve seen so far. Karala says the same thing has happened to her Earth. The Gerowa Zan arrives from out of Null Space. Aboard the bridge, Daram and Gije wonder if this is the home planet of the Solo Ship crew. Gije volunteers to head out in the Heavy Mobile Mecha Barume Baram. The Solo Ship is re-supplied on the moon. Moera yells at Fard for not helping. Fard, Ashura and Piper Lou play aboard a transport chair and head into the Ideon. The Gerowa Zan launches the Barume Baram as well as a number of Adigos. The Buff Clan’s forces fight the Earth’s aboard the moon. Bes orders the re-supplying to stop so they can get away. Rapoh says goodbye to Moera as he heads aboard the Ideon. The Solo Ship takes off from the moon and the Ideon launches. Bes asks Cosmo to cover Sheryl as she heads down to the moon to use the Gloria computer. The Solo Ship and Ideon battle the Buff Clan. Lotta tells Bes that the children are missing. Moera has difficulty with the controls, which aren’t working very well. The children come into the bridge. Sheryl, Joliver and Colbock sneak into the Moonland base and use the Gloria computer. Cosmo realizes that the children have come aboard the Ideon and tells them to sit down. The Adigos latch upon the Ideon and attack. During the fight Moera is killed. The Barume Baram separates in two and surrounds the Ideon. Using a ‘Gel spread’ it attacks the Ideon, causing great mental anguish among the pilots. On Moonland, Gloria states that the Ide’s power is infinite. Soldiers arrive and demand that they stop using Gloria. Colbock is killed, but Joliver and Sheryl escape using knock out gas. The Barume Baram closes in on the Ideon. The children cry out and suddenly the Ideon starts moving on its own. Joliver loses track of Sheryl on the moon after an explosion. Suddenly beams of light, the ‘Ideon Swords’ appear out of the Ideon’s wrists. Cosmo and the others wake up and using the Ideon Swords, slice right through the Barume Baram. Gije escapes in the escape capsule. The Ideon blows up the Gerowa Zan using the Ideon Swords.

The Barume Baram’s escape capsule crashes on the moon and Gije is the only survivor. Gije notices Sheryl passed out nearby. The Solo Ship and Ideon return to the moon. Rapoh and Fard cry over Moera’s death. A capsule containing his corpse is launched out into space. Sheryl wakes up in a storeroom aboard the Solo Ship, with Gije watching over her. Gije tells Sheryl that he has looked at her data on the Ide. Sheryl thinks he wants to blow up the Solo Ship but Gije says that his goal is to find out as much as he can about the Ide, particularly about whether it is a symbol of altruistic power. Later aboard the bridge Sheryl reports the findings from Gloria to the crew. She still doesn’t know what the secret is to controlling the Ide though and says that the entire universe could be destroyed if its power is released. Joliver explains that the Ide is the will of the Sixth Civilization, bound in and converted to energy aboard the Solo Ship and Ideon. He explains that the Ide acts in response to self-defensive instincts and acted during the last battle in order to protect Lou. Karala says that the Ide will destroy others to protect its own existence and that may have been the fate of the Sixth Civilization. Sheryl says they’re being taken in by the Ide. Gije reveals himself to the crew. Kasha asks Cosmo how the enemy has suddenly appeared among them. Cosmo thinks the Ide is testing them.

Commentary

As a compilation of the TV series, this movie can be viewed as a mixed bag. No matter which way you approach it, compressing an entire TV series into a movie that is less than 90 minutes long is going to be very difficult. And as a result, we have some major cuts. The entire Kyaral/Kitty Kitten storyline is absent. So is the entire Earth storyline and the evolution of Gije from a nemesis to well trusted member of the Solo Ship crew. In fact, while meant to summarize the first 38 episodes of the series, this movie only really summarizes the first 32. That said, given the extremely short amount of space to summarize the series, I thought the creators did pretty well. The original storyline of how the crew discovers the Ideon and Solo Ship and how the Buff Clan vs. Solo Ship conflict begins is left pretty much intact. Luckily, the lousy episodes and storylines that existed in the first half of the series are gone entirely. Two of the better episodes from the series, episodes 15 and 21, appear almost entirely intact. And the creators do a pretty good job at combining three battles near the end of the series (from episodes 27, 29 and 32) into one to conclude the movie. There are a few notable plot changes, primarily the revised deaths for Damido, Mayaya and Daram, as well as all mention of the “Ome Foundation” (although this remains in the second movie). The new animation, when it appeared, was enjoyable, as was the entirely new score. Although very short, the ending theme is a favorite of mine. Considering the short running time they had, I think this movie for the most part was a success. It was my first exposure to Ideon and certainly was interesting enough for me to check the second movie and TV series out as well.

Overall Rating
4/5

Ideon Info

Director(s):
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Toshifumi Takizawa (movie 2)

Writer(s):
Sukehiro Tomita
Ken’ichi Matsuzaki
Yuuji Watanabe
Hiroyasu Yamaura
Arata Koga

Mechanical Designer(s):
Submarine
Kunio Okawara

Character Designer:
Tomonori Kogawa

Musical Composer:
Koichi Sugiyama

Format:
39 episodes; 2 movies

Airdates:
Japan 05.08.1980 – 01.30.1981

Theatrical Release:
Japan 07.10.1982 – 08.10.1982

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