Spring 1982

In the original storyline as aired in Japan, Dairugger XV was simply an exploration robot, as well as an intended peace-keeping force. The Earth is in a time of prosperity. The president of the Terran League (the “Galaxy Alliance” in Voltron) launches a mission to explore beyond the galaxy. After commencing its mission of exploration, the starship Rugger-Guard is attacked by a ship of the Galbeston Empire. Dairugger, the super robot, is deployed in order to defend the Earth. It is somewhat by fate that they must help the people of Galbeston find a new planet before it explodes, and liberate it from its despotic Emperor. In the Japanese version, it does not have anything to do with King of the Beasts GoLion, as opposed to the U.S. version, Voltron: Defender of the Universe.

There are three assault team units: Land, Air, and Sea. There are a total of 15 parts referred to as “Rugger,” which can combine together to form the super-robot Dairugger. The design of the 15 separate Rugger units came from the sport of rugby, since 15 players are required to form a rugby union. The U.S. version would rename the “Galbeston Empire” to “Drule Empire,” along with editing a fair amount of violence and sexual content to keep the show safe for general audience broadcast.

Nobita finds an stray dog and brings him home, little does he knows that the dog is actually a prince in his homeland, a world appart deep in the african “Smokers Forest” were the dogs evolved and have their own empire, so he and his friends take on a journey to take back the young prince to his homeland but when they get there things have changed…

(Source: ANN)

Patarillo! is set in a society much like ours in most ways, with one decided twist. The manga on which it is based is one of the much-read works produced for adolescent Japanese girls that features a healthy proportion of gay men and beautiful teenagers aka bishounen (beautiful boys). Most of the action takes place in Marinera, the land of eternal spring, located somewhere in the South Seas. The country is a major producer of diamonds; they provide much of the basis of conflict in the anime series. They come from one of the most prolific mines in the world, owned by the king of Marinera, the vertically challenged but horizontally endowed boy-king Patarillo himself. The International Diamond Syndicate – a huge semi- criminal organization/ secret society dedicated to taking over the world`s entire diamond supply- wants that mine and will stop at nothing to get it. In the early episodes they send off a number of bishounen assassins to do in Patarillo, which necessitates his having a bodyguard, the English MI6 agent, Major Jack (`Bishounen-Killer`) Bancoran. Bancoran`s nickname doesn`t mean he shoots bishounen in cold blood. The soubriquet comes from the fact that no male under the age of 17 can resist his sexual fascination. This, to Bancoran`s eternal disgust, includes Patarillo himself. The action switches often from Marinera to MI6 headquarters in London (London seems to be an easy two hour`s flight from the South Seas) or Bancoran`s palatial condo in the suburbs of same. (MI6, be it noted, looks a lot like Fritz Lang`s Metropolis, while Jack`s `apartment` bears a passing resemblance to Randolph Hearst`s spread.) The action also goes into the past and future and out into space. Patarillo evidently gets around.