Galaxy Boy Troop (partially found Japanese puppet TV series; 1963-1965)
Galaxy Boy Troop (銀河少年隊 - Ginga shounen-tai) was a Japanese TV series created by famed cartoonist/animator Osamu Tezuka. It was a combination of animated scenes and puppet characters, using the "supermarionation" method popularized by Thunderbirds.
Airing on NHK from April 7, 1963 until April 1, 1965, it ran 92 episodes.
The plot centered around young Rob, who led a squad of heroes around the galaxy in order to revive the Earth's sun and then to protect it from alien invaders. As typical of Osamu Tezuka, some of the characters had appearances/designs that are also used in many of his other creations (such as the moustached "Higeoyaji").
Only one full episode is known to survive today, that was found in France with French subtitles. It was renamed here Le Commando de la Voie Lactée ("Commando of the Milky Way"). Research seems to indicate that this episode is the 67th episode of the series. Episode 28 and animation sequences from Episode 87 also exist, but there is no audio for either. [1]
Despite its limited run, the show still had a bit of merchandise: an audio book with a CD (called a "phonomanga") and at least one coloring book.
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References
- ↑ Forum post about the series. Retrieved 18 Dec '16