New ROJ Episode 1 Notes

NEW RETURN OF JETMAN

"Yesterday's Heroes"
(Episode 1)
Production Notes
by Christopher Elam
© 2006-2012 Christopher Elam

 

New ROJ Episode 1 - "Yesterday's Heroes" was begun in May 2005 and wrapped principal writing on July 11, 2005. Some material in this story was cannibalized from a GUNMETAL BLACK/RETURN OF JETMAN crossover story that had been in the planning stages since late 2003.

After swearing I would never write another ROJ story, I changed my mind and created "New Return of Jetman." What can I say? I was inspired. New ROJ gave me a chance to use a lot of ideas that didn't otherwise have a home and also to return to the characters I love so much.

...Uh, except for the fact that most of them aren't in this episode. This was a deliberate move on my part, to establish that our heroes and the world have moved on from the Jetman era. Now, they have to reunite and do it all over again. Nah, no symbolism there. As the series progresses, there will be more insight into the main characters and where they are relative to when we last saw them at the end of ROJ. For this episode, though, most of them are on the sidelines as we establish the setting and the enemy.

• The main enemy of the series is Nemesis, a character first seen in Lewis Smith's story "Crossover" from 2000. In that tale, the villain brought together Lewis' characters Kienan Ademetria, Darken Blackangel, and Ronin for the express purpose of killing them. He failed, but that story established a lot of the groundwork for Nemesis as he will be portrayed in New ROJ (such as his origin and method of operation). "Crossover" was originally posted on the now-defunct House of Hardcore Forum, and is currently available online at http://www.fictionpress.com/s/334915/1/Crossover.
  
  
  
• The sequence with Nemesis is a reworked version of one of the few scenes completed for the Gunmetal Black/Return of Jetman crossover before the project was abandoned. It is heavily influenced by the 1970s output of comic book writer/artist Jim Starlin.
  
  
  
• Jet Phoenix is still living under the "Shinsei Hinotori" alias established at the end of ROJ Episode 14 (the "5 years later" epilogue).
  
  
  
• While Ken Tendo is still the commander of Skywatch (ROJ Episode 14), he has let his hair grow long again. This is meant to hint at his discontent, but it's also because he works better as a character with the long hair. Look, he just does.
  
  
  
• "Still cracking the security codes, I see!"..."The least I can do,"... - This is a callback to ROJ Episode 3, in which Ken cracks the security codes to break into Jet Phoenix's room.
  
  
  
• Michiru is with Gohan and Reiko in Hawaii... - Unsurprisingly, Hinotori and Michiru are still a couple. This bit establishes the whereabouts of some of the important characters who will be absent from the story.
  
  
  
• The Skyforce Supreme Council had been implied to be the former members of Goranger in ROJ Ep. 10, and it seemed illogical for them to be cutting Skyforce's budget. This is why I included the statement that all of them had left the council since the time of ROJ.
  
  
  
• The "Neo-Jetman exo-skeleton" refers to Neo-Jetman, the short-lived replacements of Jetman in episodes 40 & 41 of the TV series.
  
  
  
• All of the new super teams that have risen up have made them complacent. They're willing to let them do the work and leave Skyforce for mop-up operations." - When you think about it, this kind of thinking probably would happen if super teams popped up like weeds as they do in the sentai version of the universe.
  
  
  
• "Ryu's the Supreme Commander..." - Ryu Tendo, Red Hawk from the JETMAN TV series, and Ken's father. We learned he was up for the Supreme Commander post in ROJ Episode 13.
  
  
  
• I will speak more about Mika Katsuragi and her creation further down. Let me just say here that the fact that she has the same name as an actress from KAETTEKITA ULTRAMAN ("Return of Ultraman", 1971-72) was a surprise to me, as I thought I had coined an original name. The same goes for the fact that her name is a combination of the names of the original female members of CHODENSHI BIOMAN (1984-85), Mika Koizumi (Yuki Yajima) and Hikaru Katsuragi (Michiko Makino).
  
  
  
• "I never would've guessed she was only 15." - A sly reference to the fact that actresses in Japanese sci-fi programs often are much younger than the roles they are playing.
  
  
  
• Can you believe I didn't so much as mention Tokyo Tower in ROJ? Neither can I. I have rectified this oversight in this story.
  
  
  
• Akihabara is a district in Tokyo noted for a large number of electronics shops.
  
  
  
• Kei Mizuno was established as having a successful company called "Akaitaka Technologies" in ROJ Episode 14.
  
  
  
• "The Razor" is named after a character in the video BRAIN 17, a condensed English-dubbed version of the series DAI TETSUJIN 17 (1977). Think of him as looking like Japanese sci-fi stalwart Akihiko Hirata (Dr. Serizawa in GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS), because that's what I do.
  
  
  
• ...the original Jetman's allies from the world of Dimensia... - Rei, Kanna, and Dan were three heroes from another dimension which had been devastated by the Byram. They all lost their lives in battle, and Jetman inherited their Bird Garuda/Jet Garuda mecha. See JETMAN episodes 23 & 24 for more details.
  
  
  
• It's worth mentioning that the general public would not know the full details of Jet Phoenix's fate, nor the fact that he is an android based on Gai Yuki.
  
  
  
• "But still..." - One of the commonly-used phrases in movies dubbed into English in Hong Kong. File this one under "reference you'd never know is a reference."
  
  
  
• The sound effect "wikki wikki" is from the rap song "Jam On It" by Newcleus. An early hint of things to come.
  
  
  
• Mika not knowing her teammates' names is an idea I got from watching HYAKUJU SENTAI GAORANGER (2001-2002), in which the members referred to each other by their sentai colors almost exclusively. This also saved me the trouble of making up names for them and succinctly communicated their lack of respect for her.
  
  
  
• Duke Disco was originally a character proposed for another story. He started out as Duke Diskotos, brother of Lord Xenotos(!), and he was merely saddled with an unfortunate name. For the purposes of this story, his connection with Xenotos was dropped entirely, and the disco angle was played to the hilt.
  
  
  
• "Bubble Hell" - this phrase became a favorite of mine after it was used in the subtitles of the Taiwan bootleg of the BIOMAN movie.
  
  
  
• The Discotech Empire consists of sentai villain stereotypes with a disco twist. Le Freak is named after the hit by the band Chic. Autobahn is named not after the German highway, but rather the Kraftwerk song based on it. Kay C and Bee G owe their names to K.C. and the Sunshine Band and the Bee Gees, respectively.
  
  
  
• Yumei Sentai Funkyman was conceived as a somewhat silly theme for a team, though a hip hop sentai is probably a lot less unlikely than I'd like to think. The little details are perhaps what sell it best. The "bitch" at the end of their announcement is my small acknowledgment of Dave Chappelle's comedy series.
  
  
  
• Etsuko being "M.I.A." (as it were) also serves to give an update on one of the characters not in the story. Of course, it's more of a tease than anything else.
  
  
  
• "Indeed. Someone should tell them that 'dance action' fighting went out of fashion in 1979 though." - a very specific tribute to BATTLE FEVER J (1979-1980), which did indeed have "dance action" fighting.
  
  
  
• "Seven Spectrum Sphere" is a nod to Lewis Smith's SEVEN SPHERES LEGEND story.
  
  
  
• He looked for all the world like Mayor McCheese crossed with the Avenging Disco Godfather. - This sentence, with its references to both a McDonald's advertising character and a Rudy Ray Moore movie role, was how I described Boogie Burger to people. I liked it so much that I decided it had to be in the story. It's also worth noting that hamburger-headed villains are not unknown in tokusatsu (Japanese spfx productions).
  
  
  
• "Have it my way!" - a reference to the Burger King slogan "Have It Your Way!"
  
  
  
• Funkyman's cannon "F Bomber" and their robot "Boom Boxer" are incredibly juvenile, I know, but they still makes me laugh. Particularly the "Super Pimp Hand!" attack.
  
  
  
• Inazumajin X is a bit of a homage to Go Nagai's giant robot Mazinger Z, by way of the later Mazinkaiser. The name Inazumajin is a synthesis of the Japanese words inazuma ("lightning") and majin ("demon" or "demon god").
  
  
  
• Funkyman was created to die. I know that sounds harsh, but the reason they were brought into the story was to be killed off at the hands of Nemesis, thereby making him a credible threat. The only problem was that they were both goofy and borderline unlikeable. How could I make the reader care about what happened? Thus, Mika became a full-fledged character and, in many ways, the focal point of the story. Her death is jarring and tragic, and (hopefully) pulls you into Ken's emotions at the end.
  
  
  
• Nemesis disappears, but not before taunting our hero and introducing (via holograms) his henchpeople. We'll learn more about the various members of the Paradox Army as we go along, but I felt it important to establish their existence right from the start.
  

 

© Christopher Elam.