What is “Armored Trooper VOTOMS”?
VOTOMS is the brainchild of Fang of the Sun Dougram creator Ryōsuke Takahashi and despite being developed in 1983, VOTOMS is still an on-going Japanese military science fiction franchise encompassing anime TV series, OVAs, video games, models, and toys. At about the time that Fang of the Sun Dougram was ending its run on Japanese television, Takahashi and Nippon Sunrise animation studio would continue the mecha-centered war stories with the VOTOMS 52 episode television show that aired on TV Tokyo from April 1st, 1983 through March 23rd, 1984. The 52 episode epic is normally divided into four somewhat equal parts detailing the misadventures of former elite armored trooper Gilgamesh Confederation soldier Chirico Cuvie. Much like Fang of the Sun Dougram, Takashasi would work with the same animation studio and the same mechanical designer, the famed Kunio Okawara, who also worked on Mobile Suit Gundam and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. Since the original TV anime series aired on Japanese airwaves in 1983 to 1984, VOTOMS has become one of the most iconic military science fiction animes of all time. This status as an anime legend resulted from VOTOMS being set in a great, more realistic war scenario, with a traumatized ace mecha combat pilot as the main character, and a kick ass mecha design to wrap in all up.
The Plot and Setting of VOTOMS
Armored Trooper VOTOMS takes place in another galaxy called Astragius that had been relatively at peace for over 500 years with the two major galactic powers: the Balarant Union and the Gilgamesh Confederation since the end of the 2nd Galactic War. That was until 7113 AC, when the need for colonial expansion to provide for its large population forced Balarant into bitter and bloody conflict with Gilgamesh over the possession of a single star system on their border. The war (called the 100 Years War or the 3rd Galactic War) would be fought with soldiers, starships, and a new type of armored power suit: the Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS or V.O.T.O.M.S. Developed in 7118 AC, the “machine trooper” rapidly became the primary weapon in this long war and soon after being improved, these one-man powered armor become known as the "Armored Troopers".

The Iconic Mecha of VOTOMS: The ATM-09-ST “Scopedog”

It would not be until an early issue of Animerica Magazine that I learned of VOTOMS. According to the source material, the Scopedog was developed in 7198 AC, nearly in the middle of the 3rd Galactic War, and it became the primary foot soldier of the war. To counter the Gilgamesh Confederation new Armored Trooper, the Balarant Union developed the lesser B-ATM series that was an attempted copy of the Scopedog. Some of the Scopedog CLASS-II armored power suit would fall into the hands of private military contractors during and after the war. Often these mercenary suits were painted a different color to differ themselves from the military issue mecha. According to technical data, the standard Scopedog was just under four meters and weight in at 6.7 tons when loaded for combat. While the powerplant is unknown, mecha of this type rely on “Polymer ringers” as a mecha muscular system that requires a liquid that needs to be recharged. The Scopedog has an operational range of 218 hours of the polymer ringers before needing refueling. When it comes to armaments, the Scopedog has a vast array of offensive systems that can be mounted and in-hand.
Classically, the Scopedog is pictured with the GAT-22 30mm heavy box-fed machine gun and shoulder-mounted, magazine-fed grenade launcher. What gives the Scopedog its odd name comes from the tri-camera lens turret system that is slaved directly to the pilot's helmet HUD. While these bipedal walking one-man tanks were impressive, they could be taken out easily by several clean shots and due to this, the Scopedog used rollers in the feet to increase movement speed as defensive maneuver. Since the original series ran in 1983, the Scopedog mecha has been a daring of the Japanese modelling industry and mecha fans alike.
The Historical Context of Armored Trooper VOTOMS
This brings about an interesting element of imported anime titles in the US market during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. Before the advent of DVD, anime was sold on VHS or the rarer LaserDisc format. For anime in the typical TV series format, like VOTOMS, the US import companies like US Rendering would package two episodes of the anime on one VHS tape and sell it around $20 at various retailers like Hastings and Suncoast. For smaller series, like Bubblegun Crisis or even the compact OVA titles, the retail anime market in the US was more agreeable rather than the full TV series that would cost the consumer hundreds of dollars to collect.
These mammoth VHS series would also eat up a great deal of shelve space at the local Suncoast Video store, which could have been used for more OVAs. And it never failed that you would trip down to the local anime-friendly video retailer and they were sold out of the very tape you needed and then you would have to order it and it would take fucking six weeks to get it! That happened. Given the time and the state of the internet, it was extremely difficult to preview these series to see if they were worth the cash commitment. At times, you could rent a few of the episodes at your local Block Buster, as I did with Bubblegum Crisis. However, that varied greatly from region-to-region and store-to-store. These were some of the challenges that were overcome by the advent of DVDs, anime on cable, and the improved technology of the internet.
Armored Trooper VOTOMS in the West
When it comes to what anime titles were imported to the US back during the 1st and 2nd Wave of Anime in America, it was often more subjective and frankly odd than one might think. After all, the only reason Voltron is the Voltron that we know is due to a mistake made by Toei Animation resulting in World Events Productions receiving the tapes for Beast King GoLion rather than Future Robot Daltanious. Oddly, we did not get a dubbed Mobile Suit Gundam TV series, but somehow, we got Star Musketeer Bismark?! As we discussed in the article on Fang of the Sun Dougram, it almost does not seem fair to us fans of mecha anime that Dougram was never brought over to the western market and I think that same about the various VOTOMS titles that were never imported. For some reason, titles like Beast King GoLion, Macross, and Science Ninja Team Gatchaman were brought over to the shores of America, dubbed, altered for American media consumers, and then aired, feeding the Giant Robot Crazy. However, on the flipside, iconic military sci-fi mecha anime series like VOTOMS and fucking Mobile Suit Gundam were not given the same treatment. Much like Takahashi & Okawara other production, Fang of the Sun Dougram, VOTOMS would never be given the ROBOTECH treatment, but unlike Dougram, the original 1983-1984 VOTOMS TV show would be released for the home video market on VHS tape by Central Park Media’s US Manga Corps at around 1996 as the market for anime on VHS was heating up.
According to scans of the 1996 US Manga Corps one-page ads in publications like Animerica, the original VOTOMS TV show was being sold on the common format of two-episodes per tape. This made owning the *complete* Armored Trooper VOTOMS TV series comprised of 52 episodes an expensive venture, especially considering that each tape retailed at $24 or the boxset of each “stage” (example: the Kummen Jungle Wars) at a lower price point of $99. I did see some of the VHS tapes for Armored Trooper VOTOMS TV series at Suncoast stores in the DFW area, but they were not the complete collection and I did not take the plunge despite my love for military sci-fi mecha-based anime. Video tapes were not the only arrow in the VOTOMS quiver, there was the manga, video games, RPGs, and model kits to draw upon. With US Manga Corps rolling out the VOTOMS TV series on VHS, they also attempted to also print a VOTOMS limited comic book series via their “CPM Comics” imprint. I say, “attempted”, because it seems that only one issue was printed by CPM Comics and any information is extremely limited and/or conflicted.
According to the cover of CPM’s “Armored Trooper VOTOMS #1”, it was intended to be a limited four-issue series, but the only the first issue seems to exist. No online retailer or comic book data site has anything other than the first issue. This seems to me that it is highly likely that only one issue was printed. Then in July of 1997, CPM published a tradepaper back graphic novel collection called “Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Supreme Survivor” which is a prequel to the 1983 TV series that might have originally printed in Japan and then exported to the west via US Manga Corps. Today, this 112 page trade paperback commands a heavy price of nearly a thousand damn dollars and speaks to the rarity and popularity of VOTOMS in the US. But just the hell is it? From the Amazon preview of this expensive graphic novel, new information is presented inside via editorial by Tim Eldred. It seems that this was Supreme Survivor graphic novel was indeed a collection of the aborted comic book series with some nice extras thrown in, but VOTOM superfan Tim does not inform us why the limited series was halted at issue#1. Also from the limited preview on Amazon, I can safely assume that Tim Eldred and CPM Comics developed this VOTOMS work wholly in the United States and is not an translated manga. Given the subject matter of mechs battling one another, the MSF universe of VOTOMS lends itself easily to a video game shooter. At present, about 20 videos have been released with a VOTOMS theme for the Japanese market, with the majority of titles being released on the original PlayStation and PS2 consoles.
As far as I know, none of the VOTOMS games were officially released in the States. Now, there can be no real separation between the iconic mecha of VOTOMS and the fictional universe itself (just like Dougram). The Okawara designed Scopedog served as the ambassador to the Takahashi’s military sci-fi franchise, and to this very day, model kits and display pieces are made in lovely detail of the Scopedog APS at all price points. Since 1984, imported model kits of the mecha of the 100 Years War have been for sale in the US, and for many, this is how they learned of Armored Trooper VOTOMS (as the same was for Dougram). For more 12 years, the models were the only real product of VOTOMS in the US. In this new era of information and commerce, Armored Trooper VOTOMS has finally been able to be enjoyed in the west…just some 30 years late.
Why is VOTOMS Considered Military Sci-Fi?
At times, the label of military science fiction is loosely applied to a work to jazz it up or it is debated by the fan base, as the case is with Star Trek. However, it is amazing to read how many times the label of "military science fiction" is applied to the entire VOTOMS franchise by many sources. All of the titles, across all media types, are firmly rooted in military scenarios, military sci-fi tropes, and packed with service personnel, along with cool combat mecha. In addition, VOTOMS includes the cost of war on both society and the individual as we have seen with pilot Chirico.
The Impact and Legacy of VOTOMS
It did not take long during researching the subject of Armored Trooper VOTOMS that its impact and legacy are repeatedly praised in the genre of military sci-fi anime and mecha-centered anime. The majority of mecha in Japanese media were similar to metal giants like the Veritech, the RX-78-2 Gundam, and the prototype Combat Armor Dougram. However, the powered armor suits used in VOTOMS were only about four meters in height, did not tower over urban centers like the mechs from Battletech. Instead, they were on the ground and in the thick of battle, like normal infantry and the Scopedog APS were cranked out of factories like Ford Model Ts and were NOT customer one-off rare mecha, like the Dougram.
This set Armored Trooper VOTOMS apart automatically from the herd of giant-armed-robots-piloted-by-teenager trope populating anime and manga along with the main character. The adult Chirico is deeply affected by his actions during combat, he is haunted by the horrors of war, and he is in search of some sort of peace from his talent. This reintegration back to civilian society for a warfighter is a very topical issue today and it was rather refreshing in an anime of the time, but not isolated as some have claimed. VOTOMS had similar themes as Fang of the Sun Dougram, Space Cruiser Yamato, and even Macross. The themes and more realistic mecha design influence a whole generation of creators on both sides of the Pacific, including Dynamo Joe creator Doug Rice and the creation of the Heavy Gear Canadian mecha combat RPG.
The List of VOTOMS Anime:
VOTOMS: The Last Red Shoulder (1985)

VOTOMS: Big Battle (1986)

The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition (1988)

Armor Hunter Mellowlink (1988)
This 12 episode OVA that aired from November of 1988 to April of 1989 and the first VOTOMS title that did not include the character of Chirio. Instead, the OVA focuses on Mellowlink Arity, soldier blamed for taking military equipment on the path of revenge. This OVA has positive reviews and it does not look it was imported due to an interesting developed. According to the translator for the fansub of Mellowlink, the masters of this VOTOMS entry were destroyed in a flood. It is hinted that US Manga Corps was eyeing this for release and may have done some work on it prior to the flood.
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Brilliantly Shining Heresy (1994)

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Pailsen Files (2008)

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Phantom Chapter (2010)

VOTOMS Finder (2010)

Case: Irvine (2010)

Alone Again (2011)

The VOTOMS Video Games


The Models and Toys of VOTOMS

The VOTOMS RPG

Is VOTOMS Worth Watching Today?
Many speak of the legacy and impact of the original 1983 series along with the many VOTOMS OVAs, but it is important to take those praises with a grain of salt. The original series is very good in parts and does often earn its legacy…however, it is also muddled, wandering, and the focus on “prefect soldiers” is a well-worn trope of military science fiction. The majority of the OVAs were not imported and the fansub on these is hit-or-miss, but the OVAs containing more about the 100 Years War seem to the better of the lot. I think if you are a fan of classic mecha anime, it is worth checking out on a streaming serve first before making the investment in the hard media. One of the elements I was not expecting in the 1983 TV series was the quality of the animation was not as good as other anime titles of the same time or even before. This was true of Dougram as well, though…maybe it has something to do with Sunrise? Another element I found odd was the mecha combat. Some of the scenes were dynamic and compelling, but some lacked any energy or assumed realism. Anyway, there is something in the vast VOTOMS universe to satisfy your mech cravings that was developed by one of the masters of mecha-centered anime.
Next Time on FWS...
From the castle sieges of the 15th century to the modern battlefields of the 21st, one of the few remaining weapon systems used then and now is the mortar. Today, the mortar is a critical infantry support indirect fire weapon that is deployed and improved. However, this important weapon system is poorly represented in science fiction, making one of the rarest weapon systems in all of science fiction. In the next installment of FWS Armory we will be diving into the mortar!
Fun fact, Suidobashi Heavy Industries Kuratas primary inspiration was Armor Trooper VOTOM. Kogoro Kurata was a big fan of the show as a kid.
ReplyDeleteCool dude! Wish the future post is about smart munitions from the 50 cal EXtreme ACcuracy Tasked Ordnance (AKA EXACTO) to the 155mm M982 Excalibur!
ReplyDeleteReally love the VOTOMS series, always have. And the Scopedog is just a great mech design.
ReplyDeleteThe name is a cross-language pun.
ReplyDeleteIn the VOTOMS universe, AT are treated more like individual infantrymen than like vehicles. They are mass-produced in incredible numbers, easy to operate with minimal training, and cannot be effectively armored against common weapons of the time (you mention Mellowlink, which shows that a man-portable rifle weapon is able to defeat AT armor). As a result of this, AT tactics tend toward infantry-wave assaults and attrition warfare.
This means that AT pilots are generally not thought of very highly. They seldom live through more than a few battles, they receive little training or pay, they certainly don't give orders to anyone or take part in tactical planning. As such they're often called "Bottoms", seeing as how they're at the bottom of every conceivable heirarchy.
And the Japanese tongue generally confuses "B" and "V" sounds, so "bottoms" becomes "vottoms", and that became "VOTOMS"...
The acronym, as with most JSF acronyms, was thought up to fit the word. GUNDAM has an acronym--"General-purpose Utility Non-Discontinuity Augmentation Maneuvering-weapon System. The Veritech Fighter's "Guardian" mode is called the "Gerwalk" in the original Macross property, and the acronym there is "Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Kneejoint".
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ReplyDeleteIn the Pailsen Files, the Polymer Ringer fluid is described by Kochak to be producing a temperature of 0.76 eV, which translates to a flame temperature of 8,819 degrees Kelvin, suggesting the fuel is a cyanogen compound with multiple triple bonds.
ReplyDeleteA real-world CN-based substance, dicyanoacetylene produces a flame temperature of 5,260K when burned in O2 and 6,000K when burned in O3. Both of these compounds are highly unstable and explosive, just like the Polymer Ringer fluid.
At these temperatures, the reaction products become completely ionized, so the purple glow of burning PRF is plausible too, because nitrogen plasma can be purple with the correct ionization state.