Translated from the Cyborg 009 Perfect Book New Edition
Cyborg 009 "Mythos Cyborg Arc" Re-Collected Structure Draft
From Mythos Cyborg Arc Setting Documents
Edited and published by Aoyagi Makoto, who was with Ishimori Productions at the time. For details, see the interview from p. 176.
Cyborg 009
Mythos Cyborgs (00-number assassination arc)
Sakai Akiyoshi
1: A New Anxiety - Depicts the life of the cyborgs
2: First Challenge - 007 and 006 are targeted by the challenger
3: Second Challenge - 008 and 005, ditto
4: 00-number Assassination Order - Gilmore Base is destroyed
5: Fugitives - Pursued cyborgs, enemy assassins
6: (Vignette) - Assassins
7: (Vignette) - Assassins
8: A Life Staked on Betrayal - 004 as a member of the cyborg empire?
9: The End of a Cyborg Candidate - Fate of a man who wants to be a cyborg
10: (Vignette)
11: (Vignette)
12: Discovery of the Cyborg Empire - To Lunar World Base
13: The End of Odin
Theme
Cyborgs are superior to humans. Therefore, Odin believes that he is a god and has the right to rule over humans, and 009's group believes that cyborgs fight for the peace of humans. Through the battle between the two, we would like to reconsider what exactly a cyborg is.
Aim
This series will focus on the tragic battle of cyborg vs. cyborg, and will portray the limits of ability, capability, and performance, as well as the mechanics of the battles, in an interesting and spectacular manner.
A New Anxiety
Neo Black Ghost is gone and peace is restored to the world. The cyborg warriors, with the exception of 001, have forgotten their cyborg identity and returned to their daily lives as human beings.
Odin's whereabouts remain unknown. It seemed that the peace would last forever.
Gilmore planned to spend the rest of his life at ease with 001 at the new base, but life without the cyborgs was tasteless and lonely...
One day, Gilmore's attention was caught by a small article in the newspaper.
In a village in xxx country, a centaur with only the torso of a horse appeared and caused a great commotion... Gilmore felt a certain uneasiness. 001 also told him that suspicious psychic waves were heading for that village, and he foresaw a danger.
But it was not clear if it was connected to Odin, and so far no major incidents had occurred.
But Gilmore wanted to meet everyone and talk about it. The old man's loneliness made him even more anxious.
Gilmore took advantage of the fact that 001 was asleep to visit Joe in Japan. Joe was once again active as a racer. Seeing his gorgeous and vivid appearance, Gilmore failed to tell him about the important matter.
Gilmore then went to visit 004 in Germany and 007 in England. He wanted to see for himself what kind of life they were leading.
004 was sweating and driving the truck, and 007 was also absorbed in his first role as Hamlet. 007 was so proud that he told Gilmore about his talent as an actor, and took 006, who was just opening a Chinese restaurant in England, to dinner, where they enjoyed a pleasant meal together.
006 was also excited about his new restaurant. Despite their back-and-forth, Gilmore could feel a gust of wind in his heart. He should be happy to see them happy, but for some reason, a feeling of loneliness tightened Gilmore's chest...
Gilmore invited everyone to go see the 003 ballet being performed in France. He wanted everyone to enjoy and relax together once in a while, when there was no fighting going on. However, 007 and 006 both curtly refused Gilmore's invitation, saying that they had only just begun to sprout.
Gilmore could not tell them of his misgivings. So he flew to France in silence.
As Gilmore watched from the edge of the stage, his eyes filled with tears of incomprehension as he watched 003 dance Swan Lake in the spotlight to the applause of the entire audience.
"It's fine... they have the right to live their lives as human beings..."
Gilmore murmured, and a voice close to his ear said, "But I'm going with you, doctor." Gilmore turned around and saw Joe standing in front of him.
Joe had noticed Gilmore's attitude, contacted his friends, and flown to France. Both 002 and 004 were already in the back of the theater.
Gilmore felt a stirring in his chest; 005 and 008 were too busy with work to come, while 007 and 006 wanted to stay away from the fight; they have their own way of life.
"But we have nothing."
002 told the doctor, and 009 and 004 were the same. They have no siblings, no purpose in life, except to fight.
009 decided to go without informing 003. Gilmore and the others agreed: 003 still had a way to go as a ballerina...
However, as they were leaving, 003 stood in front of them.
While dancing on stage, she found Gilmore and the others and listened to everything they had to say.
"Why are you leaving me? I am one of you!"
003's eyes were filled with the joy of seeing the warriors and the renewed tension of the battle.
First Challenge
He knew something was up when Gilmore came to visit him, but 007 did not want to miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime role he had just landed. However, he was exhausted from all-night training, and when he returned home in the morning, what awaited him was a shabby apartment in poor living conditions.
For months on end, he would open the refrigerator and find nothing in there. At such times, he always went to 006's restaurant to be treated to a meal, but 006's attitude, which had become severe these days, was cold.
006 was also eager to turn his new restaurant into a first-class Chinese restaurant, so he couldn't afford to serve 007 who came in every so often just for a bite to eat.
"We're both going our own ways, and it's a lot of work. You will never make it big if you are dependent on others," sair 006, and 007 was so angry that they started fighting.
At that time, he remembered 003, who cooked hot meals for him at the Gilmore Institute. And the kindness of everyone...
Just as he was thinking that he should have gone to see 003 with Dr. Gilmore, 006 suddenly came to him for help.
006's store was attacked by a centaur cyborg. The fire that 006 breathed was no match for the fire breathed by the centaur cyborg, and he was barely able to escape through the depths of the earth.
007 was about to respond with, "I don't give a damn about that. You must protect yourself against any possible dangers on your own!" when the centaur cyborg appeared before him and attacked him as well.
007 disguised himself as a centaur and fought, but he was no match for the cyborg, so he became the smallest insect and tried to poke into the enemy's fist, but the enemy saw through his attempt and nearly crushed him.
The centaur cyborg could even accelerate with ease, and he could see through the clairvoyance of 006, who was escaping through the depths of the earth.
There was nothing they could do now but to fight together.
But they were no match for him. 007 and 006 were both beaten to a pulp, and just when they thought it was over, the centaur cyborg spoke up.
"Cyborg warriors, you must immediately report to 009 and his men. We cyborgs will gather to build a cyborg empire!"
The centaur cyborg disappeared, telling them that if they disobeyed, this time they would die. The two men were startled. The cyborg empire was exactly what Odin had said.
Had Odin really set out to achieve his goal...?
Second Challenge
After receiving a letter from Gilmore, 005 read 008 and decided to return to Gilmore Base.
But at the same time, 008, who is an animal protection officer in Africa, was attacked by a lion man (cyborg).
Animals were killed one after another, and 008, who was desperately chasing the poachers, learned that the culprit was a lion cyborg.
The lion cyborg encouraged 008 to join him, and in turn, attacked him. In the water it'd be one thing, but on land, 008 had no chance. His super gun is ineffective and he is hunted down, but is saved by the just-arrived 005, though even 005's strong arms were ineffective and were torn apart by the lion's claws...
They knew that a new day of battle had come for their fearsome challenger, and 005 decided to return to the Gilmore Institute with 008.
(This will revolve around the love of animals and 008's life in Africa)
00-number Assassination Order
The cyborg warriors gathered at the Gilmore base. Odin came to the Gilmore base and asked them to join him.
"Cyborgs are superior to humans. Therefore, they have the right to become gods and rule over mankind. Gather to build the cyborg empire!" he preached.
But the cyborg warriors, who believed they were born to save people, would not accept his sophistry.
They refused, and once again accepted the enemy's challenge.
Odin used Gamo to create a series of cyborgs in the likeness of Greek gods and had them destroy the Gilmore base, and then issued an order to assassinate Zero-Zero Numbers.
Each of these cyborgs was superior to the Zero-Zero Numbers.
Fugitives
The Gilmore base was finally destroyed, and 009 and his team escaped aboard the Dolphin II. They must embark on a wandering journey in search of the enemy cyborg empire.
A cyborg assassination squad awaits them on their way.
A Life Staked on Betrayal
Odin's quest to build a cyborg empire drove the cyborg warriors to the brink of despair. The Zero Zero Numbers, originally built as prototypes, were no match for the enemy's new cyborgs.
If they continued as they were, they would be killed at some point. A dark shadow was hovering over everyone's mind.
Then, of all things, 004 betrayed them and joined the cyborg empire. The unity of the group was shattered, and the members became increasingly desperate.
However, 004 falsely claimed to be one of their own and rode into enemy territory to defeat Odin single-handedly. He thought that to deceive the enemy, he had to start with his friends, otherwise it would be impossible to defeat a man of Odin's stature.
But 004 failed miserably, and had to face his enemy, the cyborg Apollo. The battle between 004 and Apollo was fierce, but in the end, 004 was no match for Apollo.
When 004 was in danger, it was 009 who saved him, trusting 004 and calmly watching his actions.
Thus, the strong friendship between 009 and 004 defeated Apollo beyond their abilities as cyborgs...
(A chapter depicting the limits of performance as a cyborg and the tricks of the battle)
The End of a Cyborg Candidate
An old millionaire, who had acquired so much status and honor that he wanted nothing more in this world, feared only one thing: death.
He decided to give up all his wealth and become a cyborg. Once he becomes a cyborg, he can live forever.
However, after joining the cyborg empire and becoming a modified human, the millionaire was moved at Odin's command and eventually taken care of by Cyborg 009, and died a quick death.
The millionaire could have lived a much longer life if he had lived the rest of his human life with care...
Progression to the final episode
(Part One) Discovery of the Cyborg Empire
While challenging the cyborgs of the assassination squad sent by Odin, Cyborg 009 and his team finally learn that the enemy's headquarters are located on the moon.
009 and his team modify the Dolphin II and challenge the cyborg empire on the moon world.
(Part Two) The End of Odin
Odin's cyborg army awaits 009 and his team as they board the moon world.
The chapter depicts the bloody battle of 009 and the others to defeat Odin and his cyborg empire.
(*All reproduced portions are as they were in the original text)
Staff Interview
Suzuki Takeyuki
Toei Producer
Currently, he is the General Manager of Television Sales Promotion Department No. 2 and Deputy General Manager of Television Producers Group, Video Division, Toei Co. He is well known to special effects fans as a producer of the Super Sentai series. He has also produced animated works such as "Fighting General Daimos." With Ishinomori Shoutarou, he has produced various hits since Good Luck! Robocon.
―What made you decide to produce 009 at that time in the first place?
I have been in contact with Mr. Ishinomori since Robocon, and I had been looking for an opportunity to animate 009 for some time. I had hoped to do it sooner, but it was hard to find a broadcast slot or a sponsor. I even thought it was too late in the season. Mr. Ishinomori wanted to do it very much himself, and he said, let's colorize it and make a modern 009.
―What were some of the difficulties in gathering staff?
First of all, there was no room for production. Sunrise was not yet large, and I had my own productions. It was hard to make another series, but I really wanted to do it. So I rented a small staff room in Iogi. I started with no space and no staff. However, many people who have entered the animation industry said they want to do 009 at least once. The scriptwriters, Mr. Tsuji (Masaki) and Mr. Sakai (Akiyoshi), also wanted to work on 009. The staffing went smoothly. On the contrary, there were so many people who wanted to work on 009 that I wondered if it was all right for us to have so many people.
―Why did you hire Takahashi Ryousuke, who was directing Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi at the time, as director?
Basically, I was trying to make something heartfelt. I had no intention of making a gung-ho, action-oriented 009. That is why we chose Mr. Takahashi out of many people.
―I see. Unlike the old series, the drawings are very close to the original.
The first thing I discussed with Mr. Ashida (Toyoo), the animator, was that there are certain lines that Mr. Ishinomori has. I thought we should cherish that. Then, Mr. Ashida digested various of Mr. Ishinomori's works, including (Fantasy World) Jun. Then Ishinomori liked the drawings very much. He was really surprised at the finished product. Of course I liked it, too, and thought it would work out.
―The first part of the series is about Norse mythology. What is the reason for this?
When we first started planning this project, I was worried. Norse mythology is not popular in Japan. Even if you tried to collect books on the subject, they are not sold. I wondered if it would be okay. But Mr. Ishinomori wanted to do it. He asked why don't we focus on something that not everyone else is doing. It was interesting, after all.
―Did you encounter any problems in making the adaptation?
The most difficult thing was that the setting of 009 was in the Cold War structure. However, the social situation was changing rapidly. The Berlin Wall was still in place at the time, but tensions between East and West have thawed, and the situation is now different from the setting that was created. It was difficult to reconcile the two. That said, we couldn't destroy the confrontational structure of 009. By doing so, I was afraid that the viewers would feel that it was old-fashioned. That was the most difficult part. In retrospect, the theme of Norse mythology given to me by Ishinomori was a bit too heavy, perhaps too large for a TV animation.
―How did you come up with the basic concept for the anime adaptation?
I've been working on the Super Sentai series for a long time, but as far as group heroes go, 009 is much earlier, so it's kind of the origin point. The main thing is friendship. How do they help each other to fight? They should make the best of their abilities while compensating for each other's weaknesses. I would like to emphasize the importance of this mutual assistance. In an age when more and more children are being born alone, and when they no longer play with friends, I would like to show them what it means to live by helping each other. I also wanted to depict the sadness of the cyborgs, who have had their bodies modified with a scalpel. The difficult part was that I talked with Ishinomori many times, but the story was inevitably dark. I wondered if I could do something about that. And you really can't get rid of the darkness that cyborgs have. It was a natural consequence of the fact that it was difficult to create something as crisp and clear as Sentai.
―The strength of Mr. Ishinomori's works lies in the shadows, after all.
Whether it is Masked Rider or Kikaider, he has his own unique image of human beings. They are never cheerful heroes at heart.
―In an interview at the time, you said that we must not let children think that cyborgs are cool and that they want to become cyborgs, and that we must show them that although they are cool, they must not become cyborgs.
That was the basic idea. We must not let a cyborg like Joe out there. That's why it is very difficult to handle it well. With ordinary heroes, they look cool and I want to be like them, but with Ishinomori's heroes, I don't want to be like them. The drama that the character originally possesses will eventually lead up to a catastrophe somewhere in the end, which is Ishinomori's method.
―The existence of cyborgs itself is a tragedy that has been brought about by war and the munitions industry.
It was very difficult to depict the love among the nine, especially that of Joe. I wondered if the little ones would really understand it.
―Did you get a direct response from fans to the production site?
Yes, we did. When the decision was made to produce the series, there were very high expectations that it would finally come to fruition, and when it was over, people wondered why. The ratings were good, and we were preparing the next project (Editor's note: Mythos Cyborg arc). I even had Ishinomori draw rough sketches. But we didn't have anything to sell, so the character 009 was at a disadvantage as a sponsor. I was often told by my seniors that one had to be able to sleep with the toy, but there were many aspects of 009 that weren't true to that. So, sales of the toys were difficult.
―It was a time when robot animation was the mainstream. Wasn't it difficult to push a character-driven work in such an era?
Yes, it was. It was very interesting for the creators to put the characters in the foreground, but it was difficult to do so in terms of toys. But if we gave them weapons, they would not have the characteristics of cyborgs, and I thought that would not be right either. It would have been better to have them ride a giant robot, but it was clear that 009 would not do that. There was no way to expand the toys. I knew I had to do something about the part of 009 that was appreciated as 009.
―I hear you had a hard time with the casting...
We didn't have the budget for that sort of thing. And yet there are nine people in the cast, which is a lot. But we wanted to be extravagant. When we tried to achieve the ideal casting, we ended up with a huge budget overspend. So I went to the president of Aoni Production and asked him about the casting, and finally, thanks to the divine power of 009, he agreed to do it. The voice actors said they would do 009, and they had no complaints about the guarantee. As for Joe, I liked Mr. Inoue's voice, so I was very interested in working with him.
―Nowadays, people have the impression that Joe = Inoue Kazuhiko.
I was grateful, since I also got to have Mr. Noda (Keiichi) as Mr. Gantz for Robocon. Normally, I don't think we would have been able to gather such a splendid group of people.
―So everything has come together under the keyword "if it's 009, I'll do it"?
Yes, that's right. I asked Mr. Sugiyama (Kouichi) to do the music, and he was very supportive. From the beginning, I really wanted to make a symphony and release it.
―And that's how the theme song was composed by Hirao Masaaki, right?
I was asked, why Mr. Hirao? On the contrary, I wanted to use him so much that they said so. I wanted to use the popularity and warmth that Mr. Hirao has. I had no intention of making an action-type theme song. So I met with Mr. Hirao and explained the situation to him. Though he also asked me why him (laughs).
―It really is a great song, isn't it?
Yes, it turned out to be a very wonderful song. When I went to Mr. Hirao's house and asked him if he was going to come over when the song was finished, he played the guitar and sang in front of me. It was hard for me to ask him to fix it. I could say that if he gave me a cassette, but when he sang in front of me, it was difficult to say so (laughs). It is a luxury to be able to hear Mr. Hirao sing in front of me. I play the guitar myself, so when I have a theme song, I try to play it at home with the sheet music. So I can easily recognize songs that are difficult to sing. Such songs may be good as background music, but they will not be handed down to future generations. It is not good if children find it difficult to sing. I think your songs are really easy to sing.
―What is the position of 009 in the mind of you, the producer?
It is a work that I really felt good about, was blessed with a wonderful staff, and was a lot of fun to work on. It ranks first or second in my history of works. Ishinomori was also very pleased with it. It is a work that is a producer's dream. It is rare to work with a group of top-notch people and have so much fun doing it. It is a great responsibility to make an animation of a traditional manga, but the love of the people involved in 009 really made it possible. I was happy to work on it. I would love to do it again.
Reporting by: Editorial Department, Composition by: Yamada Nabisco
Staff Interview
Aoyagi Makoto
Former planning staff of Ishimori Productions
Chairman of the Ishinomori Shoutarou Fan Club. At Ishimori Productions, he was involved in a wide range of activities including manuscript management and the production of proposals for books, mooks, and video works. Currently, he is working for Fusosha. His understanding and passion for Ishimori's works is stronger than anyone else's. He has personally edited and published collections of setting materials based on the Mythos Cyborg Arc project, which ended in vain.
―First of all, could you tell us about your involvement with 009?
I used to work for Mr. Ishinomori as a so-called "planning staff," and at that time, Toei's head office approached me with the idea of making 009. At that time, the producer at Toei's head office was Suzuki Takeyuki. He was also of the younger generation at that time, so I was asked to work together with him as a team of young people. I was mainly involved in the color TV series and the subsequent Legend of the Super Galaxy.
―What specific instructions did Mr. Ishinomori give you?
I reported to Mr. Ishinomori on the progress of the animation production each time and received his OK on the direction of the project, but basically, he told me that I could do as I liked to a certain extent as long as it did not deviate from the flavor of 009. Naturally, we asked him to create the characters, so we told him about the story we were going to tell and what we wanted to see in the characters, including the scenario. The way we created the series was to first put together the overall concept in about 13 episodes, and then have 3 or 4 scenario writers come in and discuss about 6 episodes' worth of story with everyone. Next was the plot. At this point, we had some idea of what kind of characters we wanted, so we would create the characters and hand them over to the scenario writers and ask them to create them in this image. There were quite a few times when we did that.
―How did Sunrise become the actual production staff for the new series?
Toei's head office originally did not have a production staff, so we had to outsource the production to an external company. Sunrise had done a robot series called "Voltes V" before 009, and the staff was stable, and the series did well and received good ratings, so we decided to ask Sunrise to do 009 as well. At the time, one of the staff in charge of production was Iwasaki (Masami), and he invited Director Takahashi (Ryousuke) to join us. When I asked him what he had been doing, he answered, "Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi," and to be honest, everyone's reaction was, "Are you sure about this?" But when I actually talked to him, I realized that he has a very good sensibility. Director Takahashi's order was to have Joe shed tears in the opening animation. Some people asked why he cried in a battle story, but as the lyrics of the theme song say, the cyborgs are not fighting because they want to fight, but because they have to protect someone. If it were true, they would not fight, but would rather live as normal people in their daily lives. Those tears have such an impressive meaning. There were many objections, but I am glad that I pushed through. I think it really brought out the cyborgs as human beings.
―Was there someone who was in charge of the overall series structure?
No, there was not. Rather, we worked as a group. Producer Suzuki, myself, Director Takahashi, and writers such as Mr. Tsuji (Masaki) and Mr. Sakai (Akiyoshi) gathered together to discuss, and based on the results, each scenario writer put it together.
―I understand that you had a lot of trouble with the Space Tree arc (episodes 1-9(.
Yes, we did. ...There are giants in the story, you know. I created the character data for the magazines, but it was very difficult to explain the Titans. If they were really fighting against a god, they could have appeared, but I didn't want to take the story to that point. I wanted to keep the story as a battle against cyborgs and emphasize the more life-sized aspects.
―In the end, the Odin plot point was not settled until the end. The Mythos Cyborg project, which ended in a mirage, must've left you with some regrets...
There were indeed regrets. That's why Odin is coming out again. You could see Odin on the other side of the triplets. In the end, it ended up staying a mystery. The Mythos arc is very popular among the fans, and I like it, too, and we all agreed that it was definitely interesting as a piece of art.
―You have previously compiled the planning setting document for the Mythos arc into a book.
As for the book, I had already finished the planning, so I talked to Toei about it, and we were able to publish it with a proper publishing contract.
―What was the reason why the Mythos Cyborg arc was not made after all?
Basically, it's a matter of sponsorship. Whether the toys sell or not. Unfortunately, in the case of 009, the sales were not so good. The production side did not know what would happen, but we decided to go ahead with the planning as much as we could. By the way, the scenario in the book is a first draft. That's why the writers were having fun writing it. We were still at a stage where we have a lot of freedom.
―There's the question of whether or not this would have happened as it did if the TV adaptation had gone forward in reality...
Of course that's true. There is a high possibility that gags and conversation scenes would have been cut out during the storyboarding stage. It takes up a lot of time. Action scenes may look long, but they can be cut into small segments, so you can get a lot of action in there. However, I am glad that I was able to preserve this in some form. If this kind of thing were to be scattered, it would really disappear, so once it is in a book, it will remain somewhere. I myself am a member of Ishinomori's fan club, so I know how important it is to preserve these things. It would be sad to see the drawings (rough sketches of the characters) that he made disappear.
―Do you still have regrets about the fact that the Mythos arc ended in the planning stage?
After all, that sadness became a book, so yes.
―So the TV series ended and the next was The Legend of the Super Galaxy. How did Ishinomori feel about the quality and reputation of this work?
Mr. Ishinomori's stance on animated adaptations was to do whatever we wanted to a certain extent, wasn't it? He didn't directly say anything bad about other people or their works. However, I was personally told several times that we should try to make it science fiction (laughs).
―You drew the materials and the storyboards for Stargate yourself, didn't you?
I drew a lot of traits for each one of the settings. I was told to be careful with the spaceships in particular, as they are very difficult to shape. I also made a plastic model for the animation, and drew while looking at it.
―By the way, I've always wondered why Mr. Outa Gosaku did the comic book version of Super Galaxy (laughs)? I understand Sugar (Satou), but...
Ah. He was originally the chief at (Ishimori Productions') studio in Sakuradai before he went to Dynamic Productions, and I knew him just before I joined the company, when I was a fan and frequented Ishimori Productions, so I think I probably initiated (Outa's comic book adaptation). He was also very pushy. When I was in the fan club, I would visit him at his studio and when it got late, he would let me stay over, but if I wanted to stay over, he would ask me to help him (laughs). I still remember the scene in Fantasy World Jun when the cherry petals were falling (laughs).
―But the Outa version of 009 was nothing but a brilliant Outa work, in many ways (laughs).
Yes, it looks a bit spherical and round-faced. The characters are also unrefined, in the good sense of the word (laughs), in a way that is unique to Outa's work. He is a bit muddy. He has a slightly different muddiness from Ishinomori's, and it has a unique impact. That's what makes it interesting.
―Now, lastly, from yous point of view, as someone who was by Ishinomori's side, what is the attraction of 009?
I thought that this was the work in which Ishinomori could express his anger most straightforwardly among Ishimori works. While he is a storyteller, he has surprisingly rarely depicted the passion in battles. I think that as he continued to draw 009, it gradually became harder and harder for him to see who he was fighting against, and as he got older, he gradually came to understand that the world's structure would not change easily even if he tried to change it, and he became angry at that... he thought that if he traced back to the root of the problem, he could "fight against the gods." I did not discuss this directly with him, so this is something I thought about in my own way. So, in a sense, I don't think it needed to be completed. Of course, I think he wanted to complete it. But since 009 remained the character who could express his anger the most in Ishimori's works, I feel that it was something that he should not have ended.
Reporting by: Editorial Department, Composition by: Ogawa Yuuko
