Japanese anime television series
Thunderbirds 2086 is the English dubbed version of the Japanese anime series , loosely inspired by the original Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series "Thunderbirds". The English dub was produced by ITC Entertainment, the original production company for "Thunderbirds," although Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson were not involved.
The series includes music and sound effects from "Thunderbirds" and Anderson's other series: "Stingray", "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons", "Joe 90", "UFO," and "". A total of 24 episodes were produced, but only 18 were broadcast on Fuji TV in 1982.
Background.
The series takes place in 2086 and chronicles the adventures of a rescue team called the "Thunderbirds" ("TechnoBoyager" in the Japanese version, a portmanteau of "technology" and "voyager" with the last part coming out as "boyager" due to V's and B's being switched around in the Japanese language), who work for the International Rescue Organization (IRO). In the Japanese version, the two entities are the same.
Unlike the original "Thunderbirds", in which the International Rescue organization was small-scale and family-run, "Thunderbirds 2086" depicts it as a vast organization with numerous branches controlled by the Federation, the series' equivalent of the United Nations. Although the English version is called "Thunderbirds 2086", the Tracy family, who ran International Rescue in the original series, is not mentioned. In the English version, "Thunderbirds" refers to the team, while in the original series, it merely refers to their vehicles. The animated series otherwise has notable similarities to the original, with most episodes revolving around a natural or man-made disaster that the Thunderbirds team must investigate and help resolve.
Unlike the original series, "Thunderbirds 2086" also has an ongoing story arc revolving around a breakaway independence group known as the Shadow Axis, led by the mysterious Star Crusher. There is a strong suggestion in the series that Star Crusher is not human and may be some kind of alien.
Voice cast.
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Vehicles and characters.
"Thunderbird 2086" features 17 vehicles, each with different characteristics and purpose. Each craft's name contains the abbreviated designation "TB", which stands for "TechnoBoyager" in the Japanese version and "Thunderbird" in the English version.
The vehicles are described to a party of school children visiting Arcology in the episode "Child's Play" (except TB-8, 11, 14 (mentioned only), 15, and 16). The remaining vehicles are shown in the 1983 "Thunderbirds 2086" annual.
Commander Jared Simpson (same name in the Japanese version) is the commanding officer of the team and gives the heroes their missions. He is the "Jeff Tracy" figure of the animated series. He has a nephew, Skipper Simpson (named Paul in the Japanese version), a young boy who idolizes the Thunderbirds and hopes to one day join their ranks.
Oddly, the introductory dialogue in the English version describes the characters as cadets, while all of the episodes rank them as captains. Grant Hanson is the senior captain in charge of the whole group.
Team base.
Similar to the original show, the team's headquarters is an island in the Pacific, known as "Arcology". Its main building is a huge pyramid containing an entire city inside. Like the original International Rescue, a space station in orbit is maintained to monitor mayday calls; in this series, the space station is Thunderbird 6. Both Arcology and TB-6 are home to thousands of people.
Episodes.
The original run of Thunderbirds 2086 in Japan was cancelled after only eighteen of its twenty-four episodes aired in 1982. The remaining six episodes were finally aired during a 2008 rerun on the Home Drama Channel.
In total, only three countries broadcast the show in its entirety: the United States in 1983, Australia in 1984, and Malaysia in 1985. The 1986 broadcast in the United Kingdom fared worse than the original Japanese broadcast, being cancelled after only thirteen episodes aired. Around 1985, Spain aired Spanish dubs of four episodes under the title "Pájaros Trueno 2086".
References.
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