ROJ Episode 3 Notes

RETURN OF JETMAN

"Grand Designs"
(Episode 3)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2003-2010 Christopher Elam

 

These notes are based on material originally posted on February 11, 2003 on the now-defunct OWARI Message Board (formerly http://pub14.ezboard.com/bowari, currently http://owari.yuku.com/).

Episode 3 - "Grand Designs" wrapped principal writing on July 29, 2002. An earlier version of this story, written by Lewis Smith and edited by the present author in 1995-96, was slated to appear in OWARI #4 in 1997. That issue was delayed by two years, and ROJ fell between the cracks in the meantime.

This particular installment is unusual in that it breaks from the established sentai "formula" quite sharply in terms of plot. This was Lewis' idea when he was developing the series in the 1990s, though it had more to do with searching for a fresh angle to explore his characters rather than a desire to be a maverick storyteller. Jet Phoenix and Green Wyvern get the bulk of the action this time around, though I've made an effort to give everyone something to do. There is also a bigger focus on individual personality quirks than ever before in this tale.

• In the 1990s version of this story, Green Wyvern slew two characters who were written out of the new series entirely. I substituted Dystron in their place, since I didn't have a whole lot for him to do for the remainder of the series if I'd kept him around. Besides, his sudden (and slightly comical) death scene adds a layer of unpredictability to the story. After being presented as an important character in the first episode, he's rather abruptly dispatched at the beginning of this one.
  
  
  
• The fallout from Jet Phoenix's "injury" in the prior episode begins here, and leads to the key development of the plot. Also, please note the delicious pseudo-science of "space drive boosters". Hey, I needed a way to get him into space relatively quickly!
  
  
  
• Green Wyvern's real name "Kei Mizuno" was inspired by actress Kumi Mizuno, who starred in such Toho sci-fi films as MATANGO (1963), GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO (1965), and GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1966).
  
  
  
• Gohan's hologram scenario is, of course, based on the classic anime AKIRA (1988). This was a much more topical reference in 1996.
  
  
  
• In the 1990s incarnation, Green Wyvern's arrival on Earthship 2 played out somewhat differently. This was actually due to some of my editorial tinkering, which occasionally veered off into the "huh?" category. After Lewis wrote his original draft, I crafted a small fight scene here based on the conceit that one of the crewmembers was actually Mari (a.k.a. Bijinda) from the TV series KIKAIDA 01! While this scene had some merits, I chose to excise it completely and return to something closer to Lewis' original vision. In the end, I think we can all be grateful for that decision.
  
  
  
• The English phrase "cool guy" is actually seen in the closing credits montage of JETMAN as a description for Gai Yuki. A terrible pun? Absolutely. Irresistible? Definitely.
  
  
  
• The sequence with Gohan and Reiko is loosely based on a scene involving Reiko and Gai (Tendo) which Lewis cut from one of his early drafts of Part 3. I liked the way it played out, so I decided to salvage it and see what I could do with it.
  
  
  
• SUPER MYSTERY MAGAZINE first appeared in GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH (1991). However, Michiru Oshima is not named after the composer of the same name. The identical names are really and truly a coincidence.
  
  
  
• The Bimotion Buster is the final cannon from CHOJU SENTAI LIVEMAN (1988-89) and the Dairenrod is a weapon from GOSEI SENTAI DAIRANGER (1993-94). As for why they are in a Skyforce storeroom, well...I plead artistic license on that question.
  
  
  
• Green Wyvern's terrible secret - that she is the daughter of one of the original Jetman volunteers - is the brainchild of ROJ series creator Lewis Smith. That group, which was only seen twice in the series (ep. 1 and a flashback in ep. 33), is usually forgotten even by hardcore Jetman fans. Making Green Wyvern the child of one of them allows her to have a connection to the original series without a convoluted explanation as to how she is tied to one of the team and yet still a mystery woman. It also adds at least one layer to the motives for her actions.
  
  
  
• Gai Yuki did in fact play saxophone, as first established in the second episode of JETMAN. It was one of those minor character details that would crop up from time to time.
  
  
  
• The author of the book CONTACT WITH OTHER WORLDS is Ryu Hoshikawa, a.k.a. Dyna Black from KAGAKU SENTAI DYNAMAN (1983-84). That character's greatest dream (the theme of DYNAMAN's members was that they all had grand dreams) was to meet aliens. Of course, he wanted to meet friendly aliens, which isn't quite what has happened in ROJ. Still, research is research!
  
  
  
• Gai Yuki's romantic feelings for Kaori Rokumeikan (Kaori Tendo in ROJ) were a recurring plot point in JETMAN. Aaaaand it looks like they might be one in ROJ too, don't you think?
  
  
  
• Toranza is a character from the JETMAN TV series. He will be discussed more thoroughly in the notes for Episode 4.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.