Zillion 3D is a mod of Wolfenstein 3D by smokingsimon (aka 33Games) that is based on the Japanese anime and video game series Zillion. Released on March 25, 2014, it features twenty levels with four bosses within two episodes. Health items are now mostly fast food, bonus items are mostly electronics, and enemies alien Nozah or robots with laser guns. One of its central gameplay premises is that enemies are one shot killed, although often coming in swarms.
Back in the mid-1990s, the syndicated late night anime show "Japanimation" (that was literally what it was called) aired a handful of Zillion episodes as well as the movie set after the end of the series.
No way! Where was that aired? Never heard of it! Earliest I knew of what’s the Sci-fi channel in 95 airing some shows. Of course other things were in tv but they often hid their Japanese origins
This Zillion gun was the first partnership between sega and tectoy here in Brazil, and its financial success was decisive for the decision to let tectoy with the master system license here. The anime also was a huge hit in brazilian tv in the 80's. It was aired in the most famous kid's tv show in 1988. The anime is most well known than the games here.
I remember getting into the game first and then eventually the anime with the English VHS tapes later on! So, I don't know if it was super intentional, but in Bayonetta, you can eventually unlock a hidden weapon known as BAZILLION, which is a light phaser-styled weapon, even making an oddly 80s-styled sound effect each time it's used!
That’s cool! I wonder how many VHS copies they managed to distribute but they were semi popular at my video store back then. I rented all kinds of straight to videos, anime and otherwise. I’ll look up the bazillion I’m sure it’s a loving homage
MY GOODNESS!! This channel is good. I gasp so hard at the reveal of Zillion making a cameo appearance in the Michael and Janet Jacksom music video, Scream. Watched it as a kid and that scene as well as the MV forever lived in my mind. It's exciting when I finally find missing links like this, thanks to your video.
Amazing video, thank you for all the work you put into it. For so many of us western children of the 80s who grew up on curious games like this, tracking down the origins is like unearthing a sort of cultural heritage. Clearly the standalone Zillion master system game I played when I was a kid was just the tip of the iceberg. And you weren't kidding about the bangin anime OST, I'm off to go binge watch it now
Was actually playing Fantasy Zone a few hours before I saw this was posted so to be greeted with Opa Opa was a nice surprise. I remember playing Zillion at the neighbor's house a few times and being interested in the style more so than the game play. So many fond memories of those early days of anime and gaming blending together to become something more than the individual parts.
Two things that always puzzled me about Zillion, was the first game originally meant to be an adaptation of Impossible: Mission at some point before Sega slapped the Zillion license on it? Especially as Sega had a thing for licensing, then changing western games for their systems and arcade at the time, Choplifter, Pitfall II Etc. And, why did Sega release a light gun that looked like the Zillion gun, yet never release a light gun game for it? Again, some people suspect Assault City was originally meant to be a third Zillion game, as the enemies look like the Nozo, but no one's ever confirmed it.
Yeah I always found that confusing too. Back when it was new I just assumed Zillion was a light phaser game. I found nothing connecting the game to an attempt at being impossible mission. No Japanese source ever brings up the similarities either. Also since animation has a long lead time the whole thing could have been thought up without anyone knowing what that game was. Borgman/cyborg hunter is szillion 3, the weapons in the game say zillion right there! The maze navigation also calls back to the first game though they tried to make it semi 3D the best they could.
@@GTV-Japan Japanese sources probably didn't notice the comparison as Impossible: Mission was more a Western game for Western home computers, so out of their radar. But US Gold did port the game to the US a few years later, but I don't think it ever was released in Japan. But just another thought, Sega definetely were friends with Epyx, as they ported California Games 1 and 2 as well as World Games to the SMS.
Yeah that’s for sure. I guess why the light phaser was never used in game is that the gun was never sold in japan and so it would be kind of pointless then
@@GTV-Japan There was never a light gun at all in Japan? Saying that, Assault City was curiously released in Joypad only and light gun only versions (the light gun version is super rare)
I didn't know it wasn't English dubbed (only a few episodes were), I've watched it in Portuguese and I was actually surprised the entire main series actually aired here in Brazil back in the late 80's. I'll go look for the OVAs, 80's and 90's animes are the best. As I watched it recently, glimpses from a few scenes seemed familiar, maybe I watched a few episodes when I was a little kid. A friend of mine had Zillion II and we barely could make it through the first stage. Funny because we used to beat Bart vs. the World which isn't the easiest game for kids to beat.
I uploaded the episodes on my YT account, they're a bit rare, I haven't received any copyright notification, and it's been over a year. Yeah, you can tell France was a major anime dock for South America, usually, Dragon Ball Z and other anime based games are exclusive to France, specially the Super Nintendo games. I'm sure most late 80's and 90's animes were imported here in Brazil from there, Saint Seiya is called Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque in France and when brought here it kept it, just localizing as Os Cavaleiros do Zodíaco, which would be something like The Zodiac Knights. Yu Yu Hakusho for the Mega Drive is a rare case where it was released in Japan and Brazil only, I feel anime was stronger here than it was in the US, I may be wrong, though.
Zillion on the Sega Master System was the game that made me realize that cartoons like Voltron, that I loved as a kid, were from Japan. The Streamline Zillion videos were some of the first anime rentals I ever encountered. Sega's Zillion media mix made it to me just fine in the USA in the late 80s early 90s.
GTV, you can't imagine how happy you made me with this video: I watched this series when was a kid! Europe has a long and healthy history with anime. I'm from Spain and, for instance, my parents in the 70s hanged out with their friends on saturday evenings to watch Go Nagai's "Mazinger Z" and "Heidi, Girl of the Alps" (in which Hayao Miyazaki participated), end even my 1st birthday was themed about "Ulysses 31" in 1981. Here TV channels have a gap between the daily schedule start (6:00am) and the time when mainstream programs begin (9:00am), that is commonly filled with re-broadcasts, news loops or low budget content. During the early 90s, when there were only 6 channels in Spain, this gap was filled with content for kids that got up early (like me), many times anime from the 70s and 80s. And they aired this! I was sure that was the Master System gun! I was sure that was Opa-Opa! And couldn't understand why such a cool thing was relegated to a low low share time frame. I was alone, none of my friends watched this as it was too early... but now I know i was not mad. Thanks a lot!
That’s cool! I knew France had a lot of localized anime but haven’t heard much about Spain. All of these were in English too but they often hid their Japanese origins. Thanks for sharing your stories!!
I had the video tapes of Zillion from Streamline Pictures in the early 90s. In the opening credits I would see the Tri-Charger, but Streamline never put out any episodes that had them, which was disappointing. It was rare to see anything professionally produced that cost an arm and a leg to own. Suffice to say I watched these many times til anime got more mainstream. Thank you so much for covering this nostalgia gem!
That’s really cool! Thanks for sharing your story! I loved the glory days of straight to video. The true charger really starts to be used in the plot in episode 6, right after the English dub ends. Sad to say. Check my description there’s a link to all episodes in English and Japanese
People outside Japan really missed out. I like the idea of all the different media complimenting each other. Reminds me of how Pioneer made the OVA "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Oh Ki" with tie-in albums that functioned as OSTs, vocal albums, and CD dramas. I think the vocal songs reflected what was happening in the drama "episodes"(?). And then some of those vocal songs later received either new animations or AMVs that got released on LaserDisc. And they even produced their own English version of the show and vocal songs (only the ones that got used in the show sadly). But it's really cool what can come from one company branching out like that. If only they had made the CD dramas in English too. CD dramas are such a cool concept.
Falcom still releases radio drama disks for their Legend of Heroes: Trails series, but they don't get localized. substantial story beats take place during them, so luckily people translated them and uploaded to RUclips.
Once again it's thanks to your hard work and dedication I know where this came from. My only experience with Zillion was hearing from a friend the game was fun to play and although I never completed it I did enjoy it. I had no idea it was this huge and epic. Thank you again!
Actually there are many comics based on Japanese properties that have been produced outside of Japan and many of those have been made with little to zero input from the owners of the properties in Japan and Eternity Comics has made many of these (Captain Harlock and Gigantor to name some of them and Lensman too but Lensman is really an American property). Also you forgot to mention that many of the mecha designs in Zillion came from Robotech II: The Sentinels (Robotech II was supposed to be a full length series but only about four episodes worth of animation was ever completed and so that was turned into a feature length movie; the Tri-Charger from Zillion is clearly a kind of Cyclone; the first Cyclones were in Mospeada and then Mospeada was adapted into the third part of Robotech I and then Robotech II was supposed to have Cyclones too but they were used in Zillion; there are many other examples of mecha/character designs being used and adapted from Robotech II to Zillion but this is one of the more obvious ones). Thanks for the video; I learned a lot.
I only knew about Triformation growing up, learning about the rest of the series recently. I need to play the first game! I have the Zillion blu-ray, but I haven't watched it yet. I LOVED seeing the intro on RUclips, with the amazing theme song. I had only heard the SMS version of that tune, so it was a system shock haha
That’s cool. The only print source from the 80s that was not Japanese that acknowledged the anime was a French magazine in 1987 that only mentions it in one sentence. I assumed it would come later but not being there I had no concrete evidence of anything. Thanks for sharing the info!
I first saw this game mentioned on Game Sack years ago but totally forgot it was based off an anime. The more you know. Lotta great videos this year. With that said, merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Well, that was another absolutely exceptional and incredible learning experience. I have seen the SMS cartridge of Zillion around a thousand times, I actually might even have it, I'm going to have to check, but I honestly had no idea of any of this history behind it, absolutely fascinating. I love this channel.
Imagine if SEGA and Tatsunoko's partnership lasted longer. We'd probably see a Tatsunoko produced Sonic anime well over a decade before TMS's Sonic X, maybe even beating out DIC's two Sonic shows to air. Or imagine an Alex Kidd anime that helped reinvigorate the brand.
That would be fun to have on top of the other stuff. I don't know how true it is, but to me, personally, it has often felt like Japan didn't care much about some of the media when it came out first and the west kind of made it the serious contender / franchise in the end. Note: When I say 'didn't care much' I kind of mean that, too, but think of it more like "didn't take it seriously", more like "ah yeah another fine product, NEXT!" Even with the peripheral media like manga/soundtracks. I think that's just something they did. A couple of days ago I was reminded of some old 90s/early 00s anime, Idol Project, Photon and Usagichan de cue. I found out that the first two in that list had soundtracks and original song CDs available, and UDC had a making of book released, and UDC is kind of garbage, outside of the fanservice (which I still find quite good :P ) So yeah, I think it's just something Japan did, add side media to it, and that the overseas stuff helped cement some franchises. SMB2 US is a really strong example, for example. I also doubt Metroid would have made it as far as it did, either. And probably many other ones, too.
Oh, right, one thing about Sonic from the west which I kind of find detrimental to the games, was the (misconception?) notion that Sonic has to be super duper super sonic fast. When in reality Sonic is more witty and 'speedrunner' fast, meaning, even when going slow, he's still faster than the average because he's quick on his feet and his mind. A higher focus on that would probably have prevented , or at least diminished/made better all those 'plays by itself' rail runner games he's in where you just bounce along a preset path into Extreme-G like race tracks. It's why I consider Sonic Mania the pinnacle of modern Sonics, hehe. It doesn't do that.
I really didn't know Zillion was an anime, let alone there was a part 1. I really didn't know it was so important. This is one of the few channels, where when I see a post, I know I'm getting that sweet 80's aesthetic with most likely some serious info.
I never knew anything about this series aside from the name, but I love how easy the names are to remember. JJ, Apple, and Champ is a great trio of names. Thanks for enlightening me on this!
Wow, I always wondered what the anime clip was in that MJ video, but never looked it up. Another unbelievable episode. All of your videos are timeless and deserve 1M+ views, sincerely mean that. I recommend it whenever I can.
Thanks! I really appreciate that. Also in scream there are clips of vampire hunter d, babel ni sei and Akira. I’d love a million views and maybe someday it will get there! Thanks for supporting the channel! 🌟
This was a fantastic video! I remember my brother having the games before I found the vhs of Zillion Beginnings. He spent a long while finally beating Zillion. I beat it a few years after. Great game, I would get lost in the dungeon so easily lol. Neither of us was a fan of the sequel game. Didn't like the vehicle parts and the walking parts were too few. We never beat that game but I have looked up an LP of it a bit ago to at least see the game in full. I did finally get my hands on the blue ray of Zillion. That 2018 one, finally after soooooo many years I got the see the rest of the anime.
Ohhh this argument! Who cares I say! Let some other sucker front the billion dollars to make the hardware! So there’s no Sega machine under the tv, so what? The games are what matters. You know recently there was the genesis/mega drive controllers for switch and a few people lamented, oh sigh. How sad Sega controllers on Nintendo. Oh the console war! 🎻 They have it wrong! Sega is everywhere. Who’s games are on what? Who is making controllers for whom? I laugh and know Sega is still just as good as ever and others are helping support them! 🦔
I remember playing this game as a kid. Didn't know anything about the tv series but I really loved running between rooms, backtracking until you get to the main computer and blow the whole thing up :)
Zillion has been aired in Brazil. I'm too old to recall if the toy was released before or after the show debut, but evetually it was being aired and the toy line was for sale. I might be a rerelease, but it did happen.
A few people have said they saw it on tv there too. The toy came after the show but it was essentially the same time, they said. Thanks for watching!!!
I loved the first game for it's gameplay and music. The second one wasn't as good, but I still enjoyed it as an action game. I remember my mind being blown when I discovered it was tied to an anime and that the music had vocals!
Remember playing this early on but never finishing. Finally beat it later in life and loved the experience. The most memorable was the music. Thank you for the top notch production and not slicing the video up with YT ads. Thoroughly enjoyed this retrospective and learned something new
@@GTV-Japan Worked well enough for me! lol Im always overjoyed anytime I see someone else remember Zillion. Thanks for another great trip through these fun memories! ;)
Since you are covering a Sega made mix media franchise I suggest you make a video about Magic Knight Rayearth, a series I liked a lot and had great great character and visual design.
Great episode! I think you've directly touched on what I always loved about SEGA over Nintendo. It's not that their games were better than Nintendo's, but it was their leaning on the side of anime culture in a way Nintendo didn't. I mean, you look at Mario and Zelda, which had official mangas and radio dramas (I think), but you don't think of them as anime. Then you look at something like Phantasy Star, Opa Opa, Space Harrier or Zillion, and you can't confuse those as being anything but anime. Especially, since as you you said, anime was very scarce back then, and for me 90s anime certainly holds a lot more nostalgia than anything of anime released in the 21st century. Also, the fact it crossed over with OPA-OPA, had a dedicated OVA and anime series, two games, and the whole rest of the "Media Mix" angle you were talking about at the intro is very cool. Not to mention the Sega Light Phaser being very clearly an on-point and on-brand cross promotion with the Zillion blaster itself. I'm impressed with how rich this series was, and I am disappointed that I've only just recently first heard of it. Again, great episode, and thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks I’m glad you liked the video! When I followed up on this video with Borgman I have the option that Sega was always more about a lifestyle rather than just a game. In that Sega had its hands in many pots. It had arcades it had toys and then some anime and tv games too. So the games were just one part of the complete package. With Nintendo it’s really just about the game and that’s all. Even when there are other things connected like clothes etc. thanks for watching!
Thanks! Glad you like it! From now until April I’ll be on break but go back into the archives and tell me what ya like. I always have time to reply to comments 🍺
Great video! The clip from Kujakuou really made me want a video that takes a deep dive into that series as well. Spellcaster was one of my favorite SMS games growing up, and it wasn't until the 2010s that a friend showed me Mystic Defender and I discovered that it was part of a series with many multi-media tie-ins.
Excellent video. I was more a Nintendo fan while growing up but today, I'm really into these kind of 80's japan pop culture. Thank you for your great work.
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. I be been steering away from Nintendo as of late. Mainly because it’s all been done 1000 times. More anime/game topics will probably be the future of the channel hete
Did you know? Many character and mecha designs from the aborted series, Robotech II: The Sentinels, were used for Zillion? Since Tatsunoko already had the designs and didn't want to waste them, they were repurposed for this project with Sega!
Some of these characters look a bit alike other anime stock characters I've seen in other anime. The purple hair girl look like Madoka Ayukawa from Kimagure Orange Road. She almost reminds me of Yuri from the Dirty Pair franchise given their hairstyle design and aesthetic of the time.
An existential threat can only be stopped by an ancient technology that looks suspiciously similar to an NES Zapper. Naturally the military entrusts this ultimate task to a small group of teenagers. Oh anime.
The light phaser kicks the zapper’s ass and we all know it! Teenagers and the help of a small spaceship that constantly needs to collect coins and buy upgrades! Yeah you basically nailed it and how anime works if you can maintain the suspension of disbelief! Thanks for watching on day one as always!
@@GTV-Japan I liked the zapper, but did not like the LOUD clicking it does when the trigger's pulled. Captain N must have gotten a very good deal, then, his was quiet.
I thought the opening inclusion of Opa-Opa was just a charming and thoughtful SEGA nod but then, bam-5:51; Opa-Opa is a recurring character in the show itself. That is awesome! A wonderfully informative video on the subject with more indepth discussion on the video games of Zillion than even some solely focused on the games reviews. With it's co-creation by Tatsunoko, it does make me wonder why J.J. (or at least a Zillion reference) wasn't considered for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom; it'd have been a natural fit for the 'media mix' series.
I’m glad you liked the video! I think that would be cool to see but I’m certain Sega still has the right to use JJ in a game while tatsunoko does only for anime. Who knows for sure
Any new video from you is a treat, but it's doubly so when it's Sega related. I have the first game, but it feels like I have to track down the second game and series now. And maybe Cyborg Hunter.
@@GTV-Japan cool! I already have copies of Zillion II, Cyborg Hunter, and for good measure, Fantasy Zone on the way. Time to break out the Master System converter.
@@GTV-Japan it was genius on their part for the backwards compatibility. Now if I could just get my hands on a Mega Drive version to play my imports. Or even better, a mk III for that FM sound expansion.
Japanimation...I remember that. Robotech, Macross, Vampire Hunter D. Ranma 1/2, Tank Police, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in The Shell, Violence Jack, Street Fighter...I have watched so many. I also was quite the Zillion fan as well and had the first game on my Master System. I was an even bigger Fantasy Zone player that had both games for Sega's 8-bit console. I always thought Fantasy Zone was so much better than Stinger on the Nes (had that one too).
@@GTV-Japan I owned the first zillion game as a kid but only got as far as the red area. I just found out last week from this episode there was an anime and a second game!
I've only ever gotten glimpses of both this game and anime, merely glossing over it as nothing more than a cool piece of Japanese media from the 80s. However, I had no idea of this project's history and the sheer depth of its development. Forgive my broken record habit here, but I always gotta hand it to GTV for teaching me the coolest facts that I never would've found anywhere else!!
I’m glad to hear such a nice review of this video. I put links to the whole series so you can watch it. Take some time if you get a vacation this week and enjoy. Merry Christmas too!
Great stuff. I don't have much to add, but that's just because you were thorough! I've always felt like the media mix concept was borrowed from American toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel, from the early '80s, when Hasbro re-launched the GI Joe brand with action figures and accompanying cartoon, and Atari 2600 and Commodore games, and Mattel doing the same with Masters of the Universe. I guess that it could all really fall back to George Lucas and his merchandising campaign that launched alongside Star Wars, really...
I think what makes a media mix stand out is that it’s very difficult to determine who made what exactly. Whereas with a straight licensed deal it’s easier to tell. Thanks for watching as always 🍺
I always found Zillion interesting as a kid but never understood what I was supposed to do, or how the symbols worked... it was a game I'd pick up often but only get through about 30-40 minutes before getting confused and going to a different game. Now knowing all this I'm going to have to boot this up and try it, and see if I can find the anime! I much prefer the 80s and 90s style of anime to modern day stuff. Thank you again for another great Sega deep dive, and showing off amazing knowledge with polish!
Basically if you blast the containers to get the 4 random symbols to run the open door command and get your card back, you basically just go thru and eventually find the disks. So it’s not so bad but if you keep losing ID cards you get stuck. Good luck!
More facts, the anime reutilized animation from Robotech: the sentinels. Also had a spanish Dub in the L.A, by mix cast of mexican, salvadorian and from guatamela. Streets of fire great movie and the art of the covers soundtrack wow. Great video camarada and merry Xmas to You and the other members of channel.
What a great, comprehensive video! Zillion is a very good game if you knew how to play it. The Sega Master System definitely stands toe to toe with the NES if you compare their top twenty games. It's only when you get deep into the libraries that you realize how many more games there are for the NES.
Yeah that’s true and since most of us could buy/receive 20 or so games over 4-5 years then the traditional argument doesn’t really stand. I think looking back changes our perceptions which were very different when we had blinders on and only a limited source of information. Thanks for watching as always! 🍺
my favorite GTV vids are the ones where i learn something -- or -- when the vid is 30+ mins long...so this one nails both my categories for a fave episode few misc thoughts: i had no idea opaopa was looped into zillion... i grew up in alabama ,'86... i had a friend with a genesis; however, no light gun periphs.... the sega saturn's light gun was my favorite
Opa Opa is in every episode it seems but is usually in the background except episode 24 which is awesomely funny and cool. See now when people bring up the pre-sonic era as having “failed mascots” you can say that thousands of people saw him on tv every week!
It’s usually 40% on avg. shorter videos get 60-70 but the minutes overall are naturally less. The big 2 videos Mario world and sonic 1, both about an hour, have 16-17 minutes avg. however that factors in people who click on skim for 15 seconds and leave, which happened to everyone
Zillion is a classic great game that’s underrated!! Still wish someone would remaster zillion . So much fun. I still play it. First played it in I think 88
We used to call it "Japanime". If the story is that humanity arrived at the planet, only to have to fight off aliens, doesn't that make "humanity" the aliens? It's like when people talk about colonizing Mars and if there will be aliens. My answer "yes, there will be aliens once we get there." I first found this game in my emulator list of complete rom sets. It's one of those games I played for a couple of minutes before switching to another. I do remember liking the image of what's his name shooting the screen. So the name of characters in anime is always strange to me. Many times, they'll choose English names, or words, and the English listener is thinking, "What? Why name them that"? They are so strange with their naming schemes. I wonder if they do it because the name sounds odd to their ears.
If they ever remake the series and give it more modern coat of paint, I think the first order of business is to remove those hideous bulbous deformities from their faces. Yes, modern anime & manga does not take kindly to noses.
That's true! I always called them books on tape, because they would often come with a book to read along with, but whatever the proper english term for those were escapes me. Thanks for your comment! ^_^
This Show looks fun, I had only seen the master system game before . I knew it was an anime but didn't know it was connected to Sega that much very cool. Keep up the fun and informative videos.
Heh, I thought that was Sakura Wars. Though I guess that series is more prominently tied to the sparking the stage play spin off of games scene, even now with the ps4 game
i love this show! i remeber watch a lot whem i was a little kid! my cousin was older tham me and had a master system whit the game! the master system's games was tought!
Looking at my comments in your pinned post so not to repeat myself but just want to say this has been a very informative retrospective. Just wanted to see also add the gameplay of the first game is very similar to Impossible Mission so I wonder if Sega had looked at that game while developing this? Also begs the question if he's playing Master System in the future and Opa Opa exists in that world does that mean someone in the future copied Opa Opa after having played Fantasy Zone? 🤔
personally, I think no physical media has any value, when you can just browse certain websites and download it for free! I think $18 is much lower than what the original price was, so it's probably a good deal in that regard.
If I may let a different opinion, I think that a material edition of a book, film, game, music is the sole having a real value of propriety. Any reference online is precisely not free by requiring an internet service that we pay, the fact that we do not own it, it requires time to find if we can, also requires storage to keep it, without having the case, booklet, etc... If we have an interest for a realisation, it is better to buy a material edition. A 20 $ for an anime serie seems reasonnable. I just saw it on blu-ray at 48 $...
@Cinetiste it sold new for $90 if I recall. Why are DVDs so expensive in Japan? Anyway yeah nothing is truly free but try to make it as cheap as you can I say.
Dude this was a great video. I LOVE ZILLION. I have the in the begining and burning night VHS tapes as well as the Master System game. My phaser sadly has no cord any more :(. Rock Candy and Push are such good songs. I also have some early issues of the American manga. Its so cool to see Zillion get the GTV treatment. Hey btw. I uploaded a new version of a video dealing with the Gameboy song we were trying to figure out a while back. Check it out if you are bored. Was there any progress finding info. Ive been digging and cant find anything solid. Again awesome video. Fav. RUclipsr
@@GTV-Japan i found one of the kids in the comments of a RUclips video. He has a RUclips channel. Did you find anything resembling a lead? I also found a print add.
@@GTV-Japan so im looking through the pony canyon discography from 1989. I know they worked with nintendo from your all night nippon video. Nothing is turning up as of yet but there's a lot of japanese i cant read. My guess is Nintendo may have used someone from their label. However if nobody can find the song the single was probably never released. Ive looked through translated comment sections of videoes. One japanese comment said Dozle san is singing. I looked into it and all i could come up with is the voice actor of Mr. Satan who did Dozles voice in gundam. The voice sounds very different obviously.
@@GTV-Japan I know right hey umm I'm just asking can you talk about the Sega theme parks next time? because I did see untold history through some obscure RUclipsrs. Oh speaking of Sega anime I remember the one Sega gem anime called Nadia and also there is Virtua Fighter anime to
Yeah that’s right. It is spell caster. It’s sometimes called peacock king that’s what kujaku ou means. It was a popular anime at the time. Weird how localization can erase any trace of something’s source material.
@@GTV-Japan Sega did the same thing with the Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳) games. It became Black Belt on the Master System with heavily modified sprites and level layout. The Genesis got Last Battle, which censored violence and renamed and recolored the characters. (The NES and Game Boy games retained the Fist of the North Star license, though.)
Yeah good point. There were a few other non Sega made games based on anime that hit the mark iii too and early mega drive. I think this might be the direction I’ll go towards more in the future.
@@GTV-Japan I am a huge American Zillion and Sega fan. I was lucky Ebay had posters, scrolls, vinyl records, and later found bakaBT had the entire series subbed. Even got a tattoo of Opa-Opa! I have been enjoying that game since 1987 and I still play it to this very day. You answered all of my questions I had burning for years.
The closest thing I can think of that America has done to this (make a game and show at the same-ish time) is with that game and Syfy show Defiance. Though like most American things, it was very bland and half-hearted when compared to its inspiration.
What is your favorite memory from Zillion? Was it the game? The Anime? The Light Phaser? Let's Discuss!
Zillion x SEGA Hard Girls OVA when?
@@vegetafan9922 no idea
@@GTV-Japan That's something only Sega can answer.
We got about 365 years to go. Probably
Not sure how you do it but I literally just bought Zillion! It's not a bad game either. 😁
Zillion 3D is a mod of Wolfenstein 3D by smokingsimon (aka 33Games) that is based on the Japanese anime and video game series Zillion.
Released on March 25, 2014, it features twenty levels with four bosses within two episodes. Health items are now mostly fast food, bonus items are mostly electronics, and enemies alien Nozah or robots with laser guns. One of its central gameplay premises is that enemies are one shot killed, although often coming in swarms.
What?! I’m going to have to find this! Thanks for the tip!
That’s really cool!
Back in the mid-1990s, the syndicated late night anime show "Japanimation" (that was literally what it was called) aired a handful of Zillion episodes as well as the movie set after the end of the series.
No way! Where was that aired? Never heard of it! Earliest I knew of what’s the Sci-fi channel in 95 airing some shows. Of course other things were in tv but they often hid their Japanese origins
Hey someone else who watched that 👍 The was the way I watched the ova as well.
This Zillion gun was the first partnership between sega and tectoy here in Brazil, and its financial success was decisive for the decision to let tectoy with the master system license here. The anime also was a huge hit in brazilian tv in the 80's. It was aired in the most famous kid's tv show in 1988. The anime is most well known than the games here.
Wow that’s cool! Thanks for the tip!
The symbols in the game were numbers mirrored... You blew my freaking mind!!!
Yeah I mean. Who knew?
I remember getting into the game first and then eventually the anime with the English VHS tapes later on!
So, I don't know if it was super intentional, but in Bayonetta, you can eventually unlock a hidden weapon known as BAZILLION, which is a light phaser-styled weapon, even making an oddly 80s-styled sound effect each time it's used!
That’s cool! I wonder how many VHS copies they managed to distribute but they were semi popular at my video store back then. I rented all kinds of straight to videos, anime and otherwise. I’ll look up the bazillion I’m sure it’s a loving homage
MY GOODNESS!!
This channel is good.
I gasp so hard at the reveal of Zillion making a cameo appearance in the Michael and Janet Jacksom music video, Scream. Watched it as a kid and that scene as well as the MV forever lived in my mind. It's exciting when I finally find missing links like this, thanks to your video.
Hey Rene thanks for enjoying the video! I left links for the whole series as well if you want to watch them
Amazing video, thank you for all the work you put into it. For so many of us western children of the 80s who grew up on curious games like this, tracking down the origins is like unearthing a sort of cultural heritage. Clearly the standalone Zillion master system game I played when I was a kid was just the tip of the iceberg. And you weren't kidding about the bangin anime OST, I'm off to go binge watch it now
Thanks I’m glad you liked the video. Check out the links. You should be covered for a long time!
Was actually playing Fantasy Zone a few hours before I saw this was posted so to be greeted with Opa Opa was a nice surprise. I remember playing Zillion at the neighbor's house a few times and being interested in the style more so than the game play. So many fond memories of those early days of anime and gaming blending together to become something more than the individual parts.
That’s cool! Opa Opa deserved more recognition. Thanks for watching as always!
Two things that always puzzled me about Zillion, was the first game originally meant to be an adaptation of Impossible: Mission at some point before Sega slapped the Zillion license on it? Especially as Sega had a thing for licensing, then changing western games for their systems and arcade at the time, Choplifter, Pitfall II Etc.
And, why did Sega release a light gun that looked like the Zillion gun, yet never release a light gun game for it? Again, some people suspect Assault City was originally meant to be a third Zillion game, as the enemies look like the Nozo, but no one's ever confirmed it.
Yeah I always found that confusing too. Back when it was new I just assumed Zillion was a light phaser game. I found nothing connecting the game to an attempt at being impossible mission. No Japanese source ever brings up the similarities either. Also since animation has a long lead time the whole thing could have been thought up without anyone knowing what that game was. Borgman/cyborg hunter is szillion 3, the weapons in the game say zillion right there! The maze navigation also calls back to the first game though they tried to make it semi 3D the best they could.
@@GTV-Japan Japanese sources probably didn't notice the comparison as Impossible: Mission was more a Western game for Western home computers, so out of their radar. But US Gold did port the game to the US a few years later, but I don't think it ever was released in Japan.
But just another thought, Sega definetely were friends with Epyx, as they ported California Games 1 and 2 as well as World Games to the SMS.
Yeah that’s for sure. I guess why the light phaser was never used in game is that the gun was never sold in japan and so it would be kind of pointless then
@@GTV-Japan There was never a light gun at all in Japan?
Saying that, Assault City was curiously released in Joypad only and light gun only versions (the light gun version is super rare)
No. There never was. No idea why other than that they already had the laser tag-ish toy already out
The cast of Zillion are descendants of Brazilians, supporting the Master System for eternity.
That’s very possible!
I've watched the anime around 2 years ago, loved the 80's style and vibe, great fun!
It was very well done and holds up well I think. Thanks for watching!
I didn't know it wasn't English dubbed (only a few episodes were), I've watched it in Portuguese and I was actually surprised the entire main series actually aired here in Brazil back in the late 80's. I'll go look for the OVAs, 80's and 90's animes are the best. As I watched it recently, glimpses from a few scenes seemed familiar, maybe I watched a few episodes when I was a little kid.
A friend of mine had Zillion II and we barely could make it through the first stage. Funny because we used to beat Bart vs. the World which isn't the easiest game for kids to beat.
Wow that’s cool! I’ve heard that but never found printed proof. France also seemed to get the anime or at least knew of it in the 80s
I uploaded the episodes on my YT account, they're a bit rare, I haven't received any copyright notification, and it's been over a year. Yeah, you can tell France was a major anime dock for South America, usually, Dragon Ball Z and other anime based games are exclusive to France, specially the Super Nintendo games. I'm sure most late 80's and 90's animes were imported here in Brazil from there, Saint Seiya is called Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque in France and when brought here it kept it, just localizing as Os Cavaleiros do Zodíaco, which would be something like The Zodiac Knights.
Yu Yu Hakusho for the Mega Drive is a rare case where it was released in Japan and Brazil only, I feel anime was stronger here than it was in the US, I may be wrong, though.
Zillion on the Sega Master System was the game that made me realize that cartoons like Voltron, that I loved as a kid, were from Japan. The Streamline Zillion videos were some of the first anime rentals I ever encountered. Sega's Zillion media mix made it to me just fine in the USA in the late 80s early 90s.
You beat the zillion to one odds! Thanks for sharing your story
@@GTV-Japan I did. Thanks for the video!
GTV, you can't imagine how happy you made me with this video: I watched this series when was a kid!
Europe has a long and healthy history with anime. I'm from Spain and, for instance, my parents in the 70s hanged out with their friends on saturday evenings to watch Go Nagai's "Mazinger Z" and "Heidi, Girl of the Alps" (in which Hayao Miyazaki participated), end even my 1st birthday was themed about "Ulysses 31" in 1981.
Here TV channels have a gap between the daily schedule start (6:00am) and the time when mainstream programs begin (9:00am), that is commonly filled with re-broadcasts, news loops or low budget content. During the early 90s, when there were only 6 channels in Spain, this gap was filled with content for kids that got up early (like me), many times anime from the 70s and 80s. And they aired this!
I was sure that was the Master System gun! I was sure that was Opa-Opa! And couldn't understand why such a cool thing was relegated to a low low share time frame. I was alone, none of my friends watched this as it was too early... but now I know i was not mad. Thanks a lot!
That’s cool! I knew France had a lot of localized anime but haven’t heard much about Spain. All of these were in English too but they often hid their Japanese origins. Thanks for sharing your stories!!
Never knew that's where Opa Opa came from. Always learning something new on GTV.
Watch some of the episodes! Opa Opa is pretty funny. Thanks for watching on day one as always!
I had the video tapes of Zillion from Streamline Pictures in the early 90s. In the opening credits I would see the Tri-Charger, but Streamline never put out any episodes that had them, which was disappointing.
It was rare to see anything professionally produced that cost an arm and a leg to own. Suffice to say I watched these many times til anime got more mainstream. Thank you so much for covering this nostalgia gem!
That’s really cool! Thanks for sharing your story! I loved the glory days of straight to video. The true charger really starts to be used in the plot in episode 6, right after the English dub ends. Sad to say. Check my description there’s a link to all episodes in English and Japanese
People outside Japan really missed out. I like the idea of all the different media complimenting each other. Reminds me of how Pioneer made the OVA "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Oh Ki" with tie-in albums that functioned as OSTs, vocal albums, and CD dramas. I think the vocal songs reflected what was happening in the drama "episodes"(?). And then some of those vocal songs later received either new animations or AMVs that got released on LaserDisc. And they even produced their own English version of the show and vocal songs (only the ones that got used in the show sadly). But it's really cool what can come from one company branching out like that. If only they had made the CD dramas in English too. CD dramas are such a cool concept.
Yeah I agree! It’s hard to believe anime and games would have such things but that’s Japan for ya. They got ya covered! Thanks for watching!
Falcom still releases radio drama disks for their Legend of Heroes: Trails series, but they don't get localized. substantial story beats take place during them, so luckily people translated them and uploaded to RUclips.
That’s cool! And they get translated is double cool!!
The first Zillion game looks highly reminiscent of 1984’s “Impossible Mission”, albeit with more lasers.
Yeah. I can see the comparison!
@@GTV-Japan STAY.... FOREVER!!!!!
Once again it's thanks to your hard work and dedication I know where this came from. My only experience with Zillion was hearing from a friend the game was fun to play and although I never completed it I did enjoy it. I had no idea it was this huge and epic. Thank you again!
Hey! Welcome back! Glad you liked it! Check the description for links to the whole anime series!
@@GTV-Japan That is very cool! You know I would never miss a video from my favourite channel.
Cheers 🍻
Today marks 35 years since Zillion aired on Nippon TV!
Celebrate!!! OpaOpa would approve! 🍺
I had no idea Cyborg Hunter was based on Sonic Soldier Borgman! I have to get that now!
I’m almost done watching all the episodes to make a video about that show!
"Product Partnership" is technically the legacy term for "media mix" stateside.
Great vid.
Thanks for the language point!👍
Actually there are many comics based on Japanese properties that have been produced outside of Japan and many of those have been made with little to zero input from the owners of the properties in Japan and Eternity Comics has made many of these (Captain Harlock and Gigantor to name some of them and Lensman too but Lensman is really an American property). Also you forgot to mention that many of the mecha designs in Zillion came from Robotech II: The Sentinels (Robotech II was supposed to be a full length series but only about four episodes worth of animation was ever completed and so that was turned into a feature length movie; the Tri-Charger from Zillion is clearly a kind of Cyclone; the first Cyclones were in Mospeada and then Mospeada was adapted into the third part of Robotech I and then Robotech II was supposed to have Cyclones too but they were used in Zillion; there are many other examples of mecha/character designs being used and adapted from Robotech II to Zillion but this is one of the more obvious ones). Thanks for the video; I learned a lot.
I"m glad you liked it and made it part of your day, thanks!
I only knew about Triformation growing up, learning about the rest of the series recently. I need to play the first game! I have the Zillion blu-ray, but I haven't watched it yet. I LOVED seeing the intro on RUclips, with the amazing theme song. I had only heard the SMS version of that tune, so it was a system shock haha
Nice!
We got the Anime here in Brazil too, back when the Master System was released with the light-phaser, PLUS we got the standalone laser-tag thing.
That’s cool. The only print source from the 80s that was not Japanese that acknowledged the anime was a French magazine in 1987 that only mentions it in one sentence. I assumed it would come later but not being there I had no concrete evidence of anything. Thanks for sharing the info!
I first saw this game mentioned on Game Sack years ago but totally forgot it was based off an anime. The more you know.
Lotta great videos this year. With that said, merry Christmas and happy holidays!
Thanks. Merry Christmas to you too! Take care. And of course come back to chat anytime
Well, that was another absolutely exceptional and incredible learning experience. I have seen the SMS cartridge of Zillion around a thousand times, I actually might even have it, I'm going to have to check, but I honestly had no idea of any of this history behind it, absolutely fascinating. I love this channel.
I’m glad you liked it! The show really is good so I recommend watching a few episodes
Imagine if SEGA and Tatsunoko's partnership lasted longer. We'd probably see a Tatsunoko produced Sonic anime well over a decade before TMS's Sonic X, maybe even beating out DIC's two Sonic shows to air. Or imagine an Alex Kidd anime that helped reinvigorate the brand.
One can only dream…
That would be fun to have on top of the other stuff. I don't know how true it is, but to me, personally, it has often felt like Japan didn't care much about some of the media when it came out first and the west kind of made it the serious contender / franchise in the end.
Note: When I say 'didn't care much' I kind of mean that, too, but think of it more like "didn't take it seriously", more like "ah yeah another fine product, NEXT!"
Even with the peripheral media like manga/soundtracks. I think that's just something they did.
A couple of days ago I was reminded of some old 90s/early 00s anime, Idol Project, Photon and Usagichan de cue.
I found out that the first two in that list had soundtracks and original song CDs available, and UDC had a making of book released, and UDC is kind of garbage, outside of the fanservice (which I still find quite good :P )
So yeah, I think it's just something Japan did, add side media to it, and that the overseas stuff helped cement some franchises. SMB2 US is a really strong example, for example.
I also doubt Metroid would have made it as far as it did, either. And probably many other ones, too.
Oh, right, one thing about Sonic from the west which I kind of find detrimental to the games, was the (misconception?) notion that Sonic has to be super duper super sonic fast.
When in reality Sonic is more witty and 'speedrunner' fast, meaning, even when going slow, he's still faster than the average because he's quick on his feet and his mind.
A higher focus on that would probably have prevented , or at least diminished/made better all those 'plays by itself' rail runner games he's in where you just bounce along a preset path into Extreme-G like race tracks.
It's why I consider Sonic Mania the pinnacle of modern Sonics, hehe. It doesn't do that.
I really didn't know Zillion was an anime, let alone there was a part 1. I really didn't know it was so important.
This is one of the few channels, where when I see a post, I know I'm getting that sweet 80's aesthetic with most likely some serious info.
Thanks for watching the video! If you have time check out some episodes in the links I left in the description box.
I never knew anything about this series aside from the name, but I love how easy the names are to remember. JJ, Apple, and Champ is a great trio of names. Thanks for enlightening me on this!
Yeah, but in the story its actually their "code names" their real identities are never known...
The first Master System game is very much "inspired" by Impossible Mission. And Impossible Mission was "inspired" by Elevator Action.
I can see how it’s elevator action inspired
Wow, I always wondered what the anime clip was in that MJ video, but never looked it up.
Another unbelievable episode. All of your videos are timeless and deserve 1M+ views, sincerely mean that. I recommend it whenever I can.
Thanks! I really appreciate that. Also in scream there are clips of vampire hunter d, babel ni sei and Akira. I’d love a million views and maybe someday it will get there! Thanks for supporting the channel! 🌟
Zillion reminds me of Mospeada so much right down to the transforming bikes. Such a great underrated anime.
Yes I agree. Too underrated
This was a fantastic video! I remember my brother having the games before I found the vhs of Zillion Beginnings. He spent a long while finally beating Zillion. I beat it a few years after. Great game, I would get lost in the dungeon so easily lol. Neither of us was a fan of the sequel game. Didn't like the vehicle parts and the walking parts were too few. We never beat that game but I have looked up an LP of it a bit ago to at least see the game in full. I did finally get my hands on the blue ray of Zillion. That 2018 one, finally after soooooo many years I got the see the rest of the anime.
That’s a really cool story! I found the bike stages of zillion 2 difficult to control and should have been done differently.
I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, but I didn't know about any of this. Thanks a zillion!
You’re welcome!
DAAAAAAAAAAAAANNGGGG All these commercials there was a WHOLE generation of games before Sonic and Before Alex Kidd
That’s because Sega has always been awesome!!
@@GTV-Japan It WAS!!
That’s the spirit!
@@GTV-Japan It makes me sad y know, Sega could have been right where nintendo is today (console wise)
Ohhh this argument! Who cares I say! Let some other sucker front the billion dollars to make the hardware! So there’s no Sega machine under the tv, so what? The games are what matters. You know recently there was the genesis/mega drive controllers for switch and a few people lamented, oh sigh. How sad Sega controllers on Nintendo. Oh the console war! 🎻
They have it wrong! Sega is everywhere. Who’s games are on what? Who is making controllers for whom? I laugh and know Sega is still just as good as ever and others are helping support them! 🦔
18:32 - This shot borrows heavily from... The Graduate's wedding scene. :)
I know... That's what I was thinking! :)
Yes it does!
I remember playing this game as a kid. Didn't know anything about the tv series but I really loved running between rooms, backtracking until you get to the main computer and blow the whole thing up :)
That’s cool! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and memories! I left a link so everyone could watch the entire series. So go check it if you have time!
Zillion has been aired in Brazil. I'm too old to recall if the toy was released before or after the show debut, but evetually it was being aired and the toy line was for sale. I might be a rerelease, but it did happen.
A few people have said they saw it on tv there too. The toy came after the show but it was essentially the same time, they said. Thanks for watching!!!
I loved the first game for it's gameplay and music. The second one wasn't as good, but I still enjoyed it as an action game. I remember my mind being blown when I discovered it was tied to an anime and that the music had vocals!
Dang… looks like I have a ‘zillion’ reasons to check out the anime and the video games 😂
It’s a great show. I recommend
I certainly do. To Ebay!!!
Remember playing this early on but never finishing. Finally beat it later in life and loved the experience. The most memorable was the music. Thank you for the top notch production and not slicing the video up with YT ads. Thoroughly enjoyed this retrospective and learned something new
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. Check the links for full episodes in English and Japanese
The title screen always gives me goose bumps, that music is unlike anything else! :)
I tied so hard to give it an effect like the game had but it didn’t look right. Oh well thanks for watching on day one like always!!
@@GTV-Japan Worked well enough for me! lol Im always overjoyed anytime I see someone else remember Zillion. Thanks for another great trip through these fun memories! ;)
No problem! Actually I’m surprised how many people remember it! I put a link to all the episodes so go watch them when you have time
@@GTV-Japan Way to go above and beyond, Ive always wanted to see the anime, cant wait to binge em!
I figured it would make good Christmas viewings
Since you are covering a Sega made mix media franchise I suggest you make a video about Magic Knight Rayearth, a series I liked a lot and had great great character and visual design.
Sure! If I can ever get out of the 80s! I’ll add it to the list if maybes for 2022. Thanks for the suggestion
Great episode! I think you've directly touched on what I always loved about SEGA over Nintendo. It's not that their games were better than Nintendo's, but it was their leaning on the side of anime culture in a way Nintendo didn't. I mean, you look at Mario and Zelda, which had official mangas and radio dramas (I think), but you don't think of them as anime. Then you look at something like Phantasy Star, Opa Opa, Space Harrier or Zillion, and you can't confuse those as being anything but anime. Especially, since as you you said, anime was very scarce back then, and for me 90s anime certainly holds a lot more nostalgia than anything of anime released in the 21st century.
Also, the fact it crossed over with OPA-OPA, had a dedicated OVA and anime series, two games, and the whole rest of the "Media Mix" angle you were talking about at the intro is very cool. Not to mention the Sega Light Phaser being very clearly an on-point and on-brand cross promotion with the Zillion blaster itself. I'm impressed with how rich this series was, and I am disappointed that I've only just recently first heard of it. Again, great episode, and thanks for sharing this with us.
Thanks I’m glad you liked the video! When I followed up on this video with Borgman I have the option that Sega was always more about a lifestyle rather than just a game. In that Sega had its hands in many pots. It had arcades it had toys and then some anime and tv games too. So the games were just one part of the complete package. With Nintendo it’s really just about the game and that’s all. Even when there are other things connected like clothes etc. thanks for watching!
This is such a fantastic channel, I love this content
Thanks! Glad you like it! From now until April I’ll be on break but go back into the archives and tell me what ya like. I always have time to reply to comments 🍺
Great to see some more Master System love. Good stuff GTV. Also first 🥛
🍪!! Thanks buddy! There are a few seeds I planted here that can be more SMS based videos next year!
"This is GTV one in a zillion" that's when you know it's going to be a great episode
That was a great opening.
Thanks 🙏
A had a Master System and a Light Phaser gun. They were largely avaible here in Brazil back in the day.
nice! i heard once someone in brazil tried to rob someone with one.
@@GTV-Japan LOL. Never heard of this one, but could be possible 🤣🤣
Great video! The clip from Kujakuou really made me want a video that takes a deep dive into that series as well.
Spellcaster was one of my favorite SMS games growing up, and it wasn't until the 2010s that a friend showed me Mystic Defender and I discovered that it was part of a series with many multi-media tie-ins.
Yeah it’s another series that has a fun history. These days the game would just be sold as is. I think that loses some of the fun
I love the design of the light phaser
I know! It looks kind of real and very cool!
@@GTV-Japan It's also a weapon in Phantasy Star Online called the *Ruby* *Bullet* (which is an obvious reference to the crystal inside the gun).
Yeah I mentioned that near the end. I also like how the theme song is called pure stone, referring to the zillionium in the show
Man I love that 80s/90s asthetic on anime
Me too! I can’t watch anything modern. It’s looks to “perfect” and the hand drawn style was beautiful
@@GTV-Japan So it’s not just me then
Excellent video. I was more a Nintendo fan while growing up but today, I'm really into these kind of 80's japan pop culture. Thank you for your great work.
check out some of his videos on the SG-1000
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. I be been steering away from Nintendo as of late. Mainly because it’s all been done 1000 times. More anime/game topics will probably be the future of the channel hete
I think the term "Synergy" is the American equivalent of a "Media Mix".
Ooh good one. A good mix will make who created what with a show indistinguishable, and I think that’s certainly true in Zillion. Thanks for watching!
25:50 Or maybe Brazil won the space wars and Tec Toy spread the Master System across the galaxy.
That’s what I think.
Did you know? Many character and mecha designs from the aborted series, Robotech II: The Sentinels, were used for Zillion? Since Tatsunoko already had the designs and didn't want to waste them, they were repurposed for this project with Sega!
For example, the Haydonites from Robotech II: The Sentinels were repurposed into the Noza.
This I did not know!
Some of these characters look a bit alike other anime stock characters I've seen in other anime. The purple hair girl look like Madoka Ayukawa from Kimagure Orange Road. She almost reminds me of Yuri from the Dirty Pair franchise given their hairstyle design and aesthetic of the time.
An existential threat can only be stopped by an ancient technology that looks suspiciously similar to an NES Zapper. Naturally the military entrusts this ultimate task to a small group of teenagers. Oh anime.
The light phaser kicks the zapper’s ass and we all know it! Teenagers and the help of a small spaceship that constantly needs to collect coins and buy upgrades! Yeah you basically nailed it and how anime works if you can maintain the suspension of disbelief! Thanks for watching on day one as always!
@@GTV-Japan I liked the zapper, but did not like the LOUD clicking it does when the trigger's pulled.
Captain N must have gotten a very good deal, then, his was quiet.
Must have had a silencer!
I thought the opening inclusion of Opa-Opa was just a charming and thoughtful SEGA nod but then, bam-5:51; Opa-Opa is a recurring character in the show itself. That is awesome!
A wonderfully informative video on the subject with more indepth discussion on the video games of Zillion than even some solely focused on the games reviews. With it's co-creation by Tatsunoko, it does make me wonder why J.J. (or at least a Zillion reference) wasn't considered for Tatsunoko vs. Capcom; it'd have been a natural fit for the 'media mix' series.
I’m glad you liked the video! I think that would be cool to see but I’m certain Sega still has the right to use JJ in a game while tatsunoko does only for anime. Who knows for sure
Any new video from you is a treat, but it's doubly so when it's Sega related. I have the first game, but it feels like I have to track down the second game and series now. And maybe Cyborg Hunter.
Thanks I’m glad you liked it! And in cyborg Hunter, the Zillion lives on!
@@GTV-Japan cool! I already have copies of Zillion II, Cyborg Hunter, and for good measure, Fantasy Zone on the way. Time to break out the Master System converter.
Power base converter is a great piece of hardware
@@GTV-Japan it was genius on their part for the backwards compatibility. Now if I could just get my hands on a Mega Drive version to play my imports. Or even better, a mk III for that FM sound expansion.
The fm sound is awesome! I’m games that have it …
This franchise looks great!
That’s a great username you got there!
Japanimation...I remember that. Robotech, Macross, Vampire Hunter D. Ranma 1/2, Tank Police, Ninja Scroll, Ghost in The Shell, Violence Jack, Street Fighter...I have watched so many. I also was quite the Zillion fan as well and had the first game on my Master System. I was an even bigger Fantasy Zone player that had both games for Sega's 8-bit console. I always thought Fantasy Zone was so much better than Stinger on the Nes (had that one too).
Fantasy Zone was kind of funny because it has shops!
Great video my friend, Zillion is one of my top 3 Master System games, so this was a great watch. Thanks!
That’s great to hear! Thanks for watching!
These episodes are so well done. I am surprised you don’t have more subscribers.
44k! That’s a lot!! But I appreciate the sentiment! Maybe I’ll get to 100k someday
@@GTV-Japan I owned the first zillion game as a kid but only got as far as the red area. I just found out last week from this episode there was an anime and a second game!
@@GTV-Japan lol, the floppy disk thing hasn’t aged well. We just automatically assume floppy discs will still be used hundreds of years from now.
And I’m about to write the video for the follow up anime and third game where the zillion rides again! Expect it in September!
Yeah well you can always make believe that in the future the cloud is monitored and so they only way to transmit data is the old fashioned way ahah
I've only ever gotten glimpses of both this game and anime, merely glossing over it as nothing more than a cool piece of Japanese media from the 80s. However, I had no idea of this project's history and the sheer depth of its development. Forgive my broken record habit here, but I always gotta hand it to GTV for teaching me the coolest facts that I never would've found anywhere else!!
I’m glad to hear such a nice review of this video. I put links to the whole series so you can watch it. Take some time if you get a vacation this week and enjoy. Merry Christmas too!
@@GTV-Japan Sounds like the perfect holiday treat!! Christmas came early, that's for sure!! Many thanks~!! ^w^
@@elfiebranford9330 sure go for it! We know regular tv is terrible this time
Of year with reruns aplenty!
I love the way your produce your videos! Keep it up!!
Thanks for the support! Always another one on the way soon.
Great stuff. I don't have much to add, but that's just because you were thorough! I've always felt like the media mix concept was borrowed from American toy companies like Hasbro and Mattel, from the early '80s, when Hasbro re-launched the GI Joe brand with action figures and accompanying cartoon, and Atari 2600 and Commodore games, and Mattel doing the same with Masters of the Universe. I guess that it could all really fall back to George Lucas and his merchandising campaign that launched alongside Star Wars, really...
I think what makes a media mix stand out is that it’s very difficult to determine who made what exactly. Whereas with a straight licensed deal it’s easier to tell. Thanks for watching as always 🍺
In the Streamline Pictures dub, the White Nuts were addressed as the White Knights.
Yes. That’s true. And the most sensible change
@@GTV-Japan I'll live with it. Works fine.😊
I suppose it was like trying to form a new word similar to astronaut.
@@GTV-Japan Sounds that way.
I always found Zillion interesting as a kid but never understood what I was supposed to do, or how the symbols worked... it was a game I'd pick up often but only get through about 30-40 minutes before getting confused and going to a different game. Now knowing all this I'm going to have to boot this up and try it, and see if I can find the anime! I much prefer the 80s and 90s style of anime to modern day stuff.
Thank you again for another great Sega deep dive, and showing off amazing knowledge with polish!
Basically if you blast the containers to get the 4 random symbols to run the open door command and get your card back, you basically just go thru and eventually find the disks. So it’s not so bad but if you keep losing ID cards you get stuck. Good luck!
@@GTV-Japan holy crap, legit thank you, I'm going to absolutely run this one back at my next opportunity with this knowledge in hand!
Awesome!
I was just thinking about this when you uploaded the video wow.
Three people have said that. I must have esp.
Amazing video! So detailed! Great job as usual!
Thanks ! I’m glad you liked it. I left links to The Whole series so go watch it if you have time
This is so 80's, love it
awesome! enjoy!
Opa-Opa with eyes looks slightly cursed, not gonna lie
That’s part of why JJ gives him fake eyebrows.
Now, this is what i familiar with. My cup of coffee.
Enjoy ☕️!!
More facts, the anime reutilized animation from Robotech: the sentinels. Also had a spanish Dub in the L.A, by mix cast of mexican, salvadorian and from guatamela. Streets of fire great movie and the art of the covers soundtrack wow. Great video camarada and merry Xmas to You and the other members of channel.
No way! Well that’s cool
To know!
Merry Christmas my friend. And here’s to 22!
I'm going nuts hearing the vocal theme of the inside planet theme for the first time in the background. Wish I could find it
Just look up the zillion soundtrack the song is called pure stone. There’s even an English version
What a great, comprehensive video! Zillion is a very good game if you knew how to play it. The Sega Master System definitely stands toe to toe with the NES if you compare their top twenty games. It's only when you get deep into the libraries that you realize how many more games there are for the NES.
Yeah that’s true and since most of us could buy/receive 20 or so games over 4-5 years then the traditional argument doesn’t really stand. I think looking back changes our perceptions which were very different when we had blinders on and only a limited source of information. Thanks for watching as always! 🍺
fantastic channel! i love all your episodes!
Thank you very much!
my favorite GTV vids are the ones where i learn something -- or -- when the vid is 30+ mins long...so this one nails both my categories for a fave episode
few misc thoughts: i had no idea opaopa was looped into zillion... i grew up in alabama ,'86... i had a friend with a genesis; however, no light gun periphs.... the sega saturn's light gun was my favorite
Opa Opa is in every episode it seems but is usually in the background except episode 24 which is awesomely funny and cool. See now when people bring up the pre-sonic era as having “failed mascots” you can say that thousands of people saw him on tv every week!
The rule for next year is 25 minutes max per video. Need more uploads made faster but ones everyone stays till the end
@@GTV-Japan understood....i'd be curious to see the analytics on video length vs retention/duration viewed
you shine in the ~25 min format
It’s usually 40% on avg. shorter videos get 60-70 but the minutes overall are naturally less. The big 2 videos Mario world and sonic 1, both about an hour, have 16-17 minutes avg. however that factors in people who click on skim for 15 seconds and leave, which happened to everyone
Zillion is a classic great game that’s underrated!! Still wish someone would remaster zillion . So much fun. I still play it. First played it in I think 88
It would be cool to have it done with hi vision graphics! Thanks for watching ⭐️
We used to call it "Japanime". If the story is that humanity arrived at the planet, only to have to fight off aliens, doesn't that make "humanity" the aliens? It's like when people talk about colonizing Mars and if there will be aliens. My answer "yes, there will be aliens once we get there."
I first found this game in my emulator list of complete rom sets. It's one of those games I played for a couple of minutes before switching to another. I do remember liking the image of what's his name shooting the screen.
So the name of characters in anime is always strange to me. Many times, they'll choose English names, or words, and the English listener is thinking, "What? Why name them that"? They are so strange with their naming schemes. I wonder if they do it because the name sounds odd to their ears.
The names are often chosen to be memorable and sound exotic especially if it’s not set in Japan
If they ever remake the series and give it more modern coat of paint, I think the first order of business is to remove those hideous bulbous deformities from their faces. Yes, modern anime & manga does not take kindly to noses.
Oh yeah. I guess rhinoplasty is outlawed on Maris
The albums were named “The Shooting Master” and “White Nuts”…… wow
Excellent commentary GRV plz keep it up
I think this will be the direction for next year. Thanks for watching
Audio dramas exist also in the West and were huge in the past but still exist today.
That's true! I always called them books on tape, because they would often come with a book to read along with, but whatever the proper english term for those were escapes me. Thanks for your comment! ^_^
This video deserves a zillion views!
That’d be quite a long number! Good thing RUclips abbreviates view counts so when it does it’ll just say “1Z views” thanks for watching as always
Never really knew of this anime until now now I am going to give it a watch bought the blue Ray box set
Cool! But you can save your money. I put links to the whole series here
This Show looks fun, I had only seen the master system game before . I knew it was an anime but didn't know it was connected to Sega that much very cool. Keep up the fun and informative videos.
Hey thanks for coming back! I left a link to the whole series so why not check it out??
@@GTV-Japan Thanks So much I will. I always watch your vids , quality content .
Thanks for the support!
@@GTV-Japan always
Heh, I thought that was Sakura Wars. Though I guess that series is more prominently tied to the sparking the stage play spin off of games scene, even now with the ps4 game
i love this show! i remeber watch a lot whem i was a little kid! my cousin was older tham me and had a master system whit the game! the master system's games was tought!
It has a steep learning curve but can be fun. Thanks for watching!
Looking at my comments in your pinned post so not to repeat myself but just want to say this has been a very informative retrospective. Just wanted to see also add the gameplay of the first game is very similar to Impossible Mission so I wonder if Sega had looked at that game while developing this?
Also begs the question if he's playing Master System in the future and Opa Opa exists in that world does that mean someone in the future copied Opa Opa after having played Fantasy Zone? 🤔
It’s possible that in that timeline Fantasy Zone did not exist or Dave modeled Opa off the game Opa
@@GTV-Japan The latter would be an incredible feat in engineering. 😄
Would you say the anime is worth buying physically for $18? It’s currently on sale on Amazon and I remembered this retrospective you put up!
personally, I think no physical media has any value, when you can just browse certain websites and download it for free! I think $18 is much lower than what the original price was, so it's probably a good deal in that regard.
If I may let a different opinion, I think that a material edition of a book, film, game, music is the sole having a real value of propriety.
Any reference online is precisely not free by requiring an internet service that we pay, the fact that we do not own it, it requires time to find if we can, also requires storage to keep it, without having the case, booklet, etc...
If we have an interest for a realisation, it is better to buy a material edition.
A 20 $ for an anime serie seems reasonnable. I just saw it on blu-ray at 48 $...
@Cinetiste it sold new for $90 if I recall. Why are DVDs so expensive in Japan? Anyway yeah nothing is truly free but try to make it as cheap as you can I say.
Dude this was a great video. I LOVE ZILLION. I have the in the begining and burning night VHS tapes as well as the Master System game. My phaser sadly has no cord any more :(. Rock Candy and Push are such good songs. I also have some early issues of the American manga. Its so cool to see Zillion get the GTV treatment. Hey btw. I uploaded a new version of a video dealing with the Gameboy song we were trying to figure out a while back. Check it out if you are bored. Was there any progress finding info. Ive been digging and cant find anything solid. Again awesome video. Fav. RUclipsr
Hey thanks! Glad I could deliver! As far as the game boy song. It’s a dead end.
@@GTV-Japan i found one of the kids in the comments of a RUclips video. He has a RUclips channel. Did you find anything resembling a lead? I also found a print add.
@@GTV-Japan can you point me in the direction of anything and Ill use my digging skills best I can.
No. I’ve given up. If you hit paydirt maybe we can turn it into something
@@GTV-Japan so im looking through the pony canyon discography from 1989. I know they worked with nintendo from your all night nippon video. Nothing is turning up as of yet but there's a lot of japanese i cant read. My guess is Nintendo may have used someone from their label. However if nobody can find the song the single was probably never released. Ive looked through translated comment sections of videoes. One japanese comment said Dozle san is singing. I looked into it and all i could come up with is the voice actor of Mr. Satan who did Dozles voice in gundam. The voice sounds very different obviously.
I love Zillion I remember this anime but at the time I didn't know it was a Sega anime now since I found this anime again I'm glad to know
I’ll continue this story later this year because Sega has always had a hand in some anime since 87
@@GTV-Japan I know right hey umm I'm just asking can you talk about the Sega theme parks next time? because I did see untold history through some obscure RUclipsrs. Oh speaking of Sega anime I remember the one Sega gem anime called Nadia and also there is Virtua Fighter anime to
Well. One thing at a time. I’m still on master system!! 😪
@@GTV-Japan Ooh I'm sorry I got carried away 😄🙂 I just get excited when I hear Sega stuff
That’s because Sega is awesome
At 1:35 Kujaku is that Spellcaster? Was that the name in Japan? The guy you were controlling was dressed just slightly different.
Yeah that’s right. It is spell caster. It’s sometimes called peacock king that’s what kujaku ou means. It was a popular anime at the time. Weird how localization can erase any trace of something’s source material.
@@GTV-Japan Oh wow, didn't know it was an anime as well. Thanks for the extra tidbit!
I might cover that later. I often insert footage to Remin d me or to have episodes connect. But certainly I’ll be covering Borgman next year
@@GTV-Japan Sega did the same thing with the Fist of the North Star (北斗の拳) games. It became Black Belt on the Master System with heavily modified sprites and level layout. The Genesis got Last Battle, which censored violence and renamed and recolored the characters. (The NES and Game Boy games retained the Fist of the North Star license, though.)
Yeah good point. There were a few other non Sega made games based on anime that hit the mark iii too and early mega drive. I think this might be the direction I’ll go towards more in the future.
Incredible video. Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
@@GTV-Japan I am a huge American Zillion and Sega fan. I was lucky Ebay had posters, scrolls, vinyl records, and later found bakaBT had the entire series subbed. Even got a tattoo of Opa-Opa! I have been enjoying that game since 1987 and I still play it to this very day. You answered all of my questions I had burning for years.
Wow you’re die hard. Well I’m working on the next Sega anime now. Give it time and it’ll be here this year. Halfway thru watching the eps now
10:31 Simpsons did it.
...no wait! Zillion did it first!
Ha ha good eye!
The closest thing I can think of that America has done to this (make a game and show at the same-ish time) is with that game and Syfy show Defiance. Though like most American things, it was very bland and half-hearted when compared to its inspiration.
1:12 cross-media ? Or maybe it's just in french.
I think so. I can understand that easily but I’ve never heard that term.
What if they would've made an Episode of the Anime Series where they had a Crossover with Alex Kidd ???
Then Alex Kidd would be suiting up on the Tri-Charger I guess!
I know the fantasy zone game so the character is from this ohhh ok that's why I watch GTV you get good information.
Thanks my friend!
@@GTV-Japan the season finale was a good have a great Christmas and if you don't celebrate have a great Christmas 😂
Thanks and of course I celebrate Christmas! Same to you! Merry Christmas! 🌲
@@GTV-Japan that's great have a great time with loved ones. Merry Christmas
You too! I’ll be done releasing videos till April but of course I’ll still be around reading comments