Super Atragon

by Charles McCarter

In a somewhat cryptic opening, a most unusual Japanese submarine finds that it is not alone. The crew also discover, to their dismay, that their opponent is far from friendly. Some fifty-odd years later, a United Nations investigative team is sent to the South Pole to discover the reason for the sudden melting of the polar ice caps. They discover that their enemy is much more powerful than they, as the gigantic craft destroys U.N. ships with ease. All looks lost. However, a group of men and women are clandestinely working to prepare what may very well be man's last line of defense.
ATRAGON has all the ingredients needed for a successful science fiction show: a very cool ship (the Ra), an "alien" menace (can you call a subterranean species of humanoid 'alien'?), and an intriguing, funny, and sometimes mysterious cast of characters.
Along with the drama of the end of the world, there are other mysteries to be solved. Who is the mysterious Annette? Who is the commander of the Ra? And why was the Ra kept such a secret?
When I first saw this several months ago, I was immediately hooked by the pacing. The beginning is fast and doesn't let up. Then there is a large chronological shift (fifty years) and the viewer is deposited in the middle of an ongoing situation. From there, viewers follow the U.N. Team to the Antarctic where they discover and confront their enemy for the first--and most fatal--time. The action does not subside and battle sequences flow together seamlessly, intensifying the pace and heightening the suspense.

The mysterious enemy craft and its barrage of gravity lenses.

One of the gravity lenses crushes a UN jet fighter.

The animation quality is superior to most things I have seen lately. It is full and rich, and all aspects of this show--characters, tech and mechanical devices, and even the backgrounds and the environment are drawn with great care and skill. The tech designs for the 'alien' machinery and for the Atragon itself are somewhat retro, but it works. I especially enjoyed the gravity lenses, which have many destructive uses. A friend and I have nicknamed them "magnetic donuts" since that's about as advanced as they look.
Fully orchestrated and full of emotion and spirit, the music for this show adds, but never overpowers, which is exactly what background music should do. The music is very reminiscent of KISHIN HEIDAN, which also had a fantastic score. Fans of that show should also delight in this one.
So what's the catch? Isn't there always something wrong with these shows? It can't be perfect, can it? Well, it very nearly is. It is fun, entertaining, and very fast-paced action, with enough science thrown in along the way to help the plot along. The only thing wrong with this video in my opinion is the title. In Japanese, the title is SHIN KAITEI GUNKAN (somewhat literally,"New Undersea Battleship"). The translation is admittedly a bit wordy and awkward in English. However, the name of the ship is the "Ra", not the "Atragon." Apparently, however, A.D.Vision is hoping to cash in on the 1965 live-action movie, which was dubbed into English and titled ATRAGON by Sandy Frank Productions. (Yes, the same one whose films like TIME OF THE APES sometimes appear on Mystery Science Theatre).
One other disconcerting problem is that A.D. Vision is undergoing changes in its distribution. In their last press release, SUPER ATRAGON 2 and several other titles that were due to be released in the next two months "have been removed from the schedule until further notice."
Since the video itself is not problematic, I would heartily recommend this to fans of science fiction/adventure anime. I'd also suggest to those who don't normally enjoy this genre to give SUPER ATRAGON a try as well.