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For the Pearl Jam
song, see Better
Man.
Betterman (ベターマン
?) is a Japanese anime
television series which began airing in
1999. It was created by Sunrise's internal "Studio 7" under
the direction of Yoshitomo Yonetani. Betterman uses
heavily Jungian symbolism and themes, such as Animus.
Plot
The series' plot focuses on the threat of "Algernon," a mutation
in the brain which causes an accelerated alteration in the sensory,
neural and nervous faculties. Those subjected to the phenomenon
become violently hostile, suicidal, and share a hive mind collective with
those who share the disease. Akamatsu Industries,
a group designated to research and counteract Algernon, head a
covert squadron of Neuronoids, robots piloted by
Dual Kinds to inspect areas exposed to contamination and
neutralize any threats brought thereabout. Keita Aono, a high
school student, is brought into the fold after a chance encounter
with a childhood friend, Hinoki Sai.
The titular hero of the series, Betterman, is a life form of
superior physical and mental capabilities via adaptation of
"seeds." Through the resulting consumption of these plants,
Betterman can metamorphose into situational combat forms. His most
common form is the humanoid "Betterman Lamia." Each transformation
allows Betterman to attain distinct physical-, psionic-, and
mobility-related abilities.
Algernon
Algernon, the name of which itself derives from the book "Flowers
for Algernon", is never completely understood until the final
moments of the series. Even then, it is left to the viewer to
deduce what Algernon exactly is. Algernon seems to be, as
mentioned, either a virus, or a sort of mutation. However, it is in
fact a natural method of preventing human perfection which is
understood to be the root of evil. The battle between Algernon and
Betterman is actually the process of human evolution. It is not
entirely impossible that Algernon is everything that it is
theorized to be.
Victims of Algernon show symptoms like those in the end chapters
of "Flowers for Algernon," (loss of intellect and emotional
control) but on a larger, more violent scale. Rage isn't the only
symptom, as insanity and bodily mutation are evident in many
cases.
Shared
continuity with The King of Braves GaoGaiGar
It should be also be noted that Betterman takes place
in the same world as The King of Braves
GaoGaiGar, as characters from both series make guest
appearances in the story, though only a few minor links are
visually made within the series itself (and only one minor
character from GaoGaiGar appears on a semi-constant basis).
Releases
Betterman is composed of 26 episodes, first aired on TV Tokyo from April 1, 1999
to September 30, 1999. It has been released in the USA (in DVD format) by Bandai Entertainment.
The dubbed English version from this DVD release has also aired on
the US cable network G4TV (Known as TechTV at the time of its airing) during the "Anime
Unleashed" rotation, premiering on December 30, 2002. Despite
this exposure, it is still a fairly unknown series to American
audiences. This is perhaps due to its plot, as it does not
underestimate the viewer and is generally considered quite
difficult to understand. Also, many different terms are used that
are never explained, but these terms are scientifically based and
often require broader knowledge concerning biology and other sciences.
Characters
Protagonists
- Keita Aono- The main human protagonist of the
series, whose point of view most of the story is seen from. Keita
is a seventeen year old high school student who, through a chance
reunion with his childhood friend Hinoki, finds himself recruited
as a Head Diver for Akamatsu Industries. He is quite different from
the typical mecha pilot seen in most anime, being rather awkward
and prone to panicking easily. However, on multiple occasions, he
shows his willingness to place himself in danger to protect those
he cares about. He has especially high readings as a Dual Kind, and
at one point is even able to pilot a Neuronoid by himself. This is
a result of a transplant of Dura mater he received as an infant, due to
a serious head injury, from a woman named Laurier Noir. Although he
shows an attraction to several girls throughout the series, he is
especially fond of Hinoki, and makes no secret of his desire to
pursue a relationship with her, despite the rather apathetic
attitude she often displays towards him. Keita is voiced by Kappei
Yamaguchi.
- Hinoki Sai- The daughter of a famous
paleontologist, who was orphaned when her parents and older brother
vanished during an expedition to the Ajanta Caves in India four years before
the start of the series. She was recruited as a Head Diver by
Akamatsu and Mode Warp shortly thereafter. Hinoki acts in a sullen
manner a majority of the time, and often derides her own
intelligence when asked questions that she can not, or does not
wish to, answer. She is a childhood friend of Keita, but had not
seen him in some time before their reunion in the first episode.
Although she usually acts uninterested in his romantic advances,
she shows on several occasions that she cares more for him than she
lets on. She also refers to him affectionately as "Kei-chan". She,
like Keita, is seventeen when the series begins. Hinoki is voiced
by Kyoko Hikami.
- Shigeru Akamatsu- The founder and president of
Akamatsu Industries. His company worked with Mode Warp in
developing the Neuronoids, and he actively assists in their attempt
to eliminate Algernon. He has an extremely inventive mind, and many
of his company's products, which range from toys to military
weapons, were his own ideas. His dedication to his company,
however, caused his wife to leave him some time earlier, which
still bothers him on occasion. Voiced by: Chafurin
(Japanese), Dave Pettitt (English)
- Sakura Akamatsu- Akamatsu's fifteen year old
daughter. She was born with the ability to tap into the "Limpid
Channel", allowing her to pick up the waves of consciousness in the
air around her. By picking up the random thoughts of other beings,
she is able to give useful, seemingly precognitive, information,
though often in a cryptic manner. However, she was also born with
extremely poor health, and she spends much of her time confined in
a special chair, known as a "Manage Machine". Although she is a
Dual Kind, she only is used as a Head Diver in emergency
situations, due to her weak constitution. Sakura is voiced by Junko Iwao.
- Miyako Asami- A Bio-medical Engineer who works
for Mode Warp. She works closely with Akamatsu Industries in trying
to understand and eliminate Algernon. She was recruited by the
mysterious "Director" to take part in the Dive Inspection several
years earlier, and thus is familiar with several of the antagonists
in the series. She is killed shortly after learning that she, as a
survivor of the Dive Inspection, is a carrier of Algernon. Miyako
is voiced by Houko Kuwashima.
- Shou Yanagi- A twenty-four year old Head
Diver, who is usually partnered with Kaede. Although he often shows
a collected personality in front of others, he suffers from
psychological trauma from when his younger brother was killed in an
accident while testing early Neuronoid models. Seeing Keita reminds
him of his brother, causing him to break down on several occasions.
He is a powerful hypnotist, and is able to hypnotize others merely
by looking into their eyes. He is devoted to his partner Kaede, and
after announcing her pregnancy, marries her before the final
battle. He is tragically killed along with his new bride when she
seemingly succumbs to Algernon and kills them both. Shou is voiced
by Shinichiro Miki.
- Kaede Kurenai- Shou's partner, and a powerful
psychic. Her dowsing
abilities are a great asset in her role as a Head Diver. She has a
past connection with Mammon and the Superhuman Federation, and much
of the latter part of the series deals with their attempts to
harness her powers. She marries Shou before the final battle, but
seemingly contracts Algernon and kills both of them. Their unborn
child somehow manages to survive and is rescued by one of the
"lizard girls". Kaede is voiced by Yuko Minaguchi.
- Lamia- The Betterman who the series in named
for. Lamia often shows up when the human protagonists are in
danger, transforming into one of his fighting forms to save them.
He seems especially intent on saving Hinoki, whose brother he bears
more than a passing resemblance to. It is later explained that by
eating the Vivele Fruit that grew from Hinoki's brother, he
inherited his memories, as well as some of his physical attributes.
His ultimate goal is to defeat Kankel, the enemy to all life on
earth and protect Hinoki, whom he believes may also produce the
revolutionary Vivele Fruit. Lamia is voiced by Takehito
Koyasu.
- Seeme- Lamia's constant companion, who usually
takes the form of a large, yellow, moth-like creature. She
occasionally is seen in a larger, four-legged form as well. In
extreme situations, she takes the form of Betterman Lume by
consuming pieces of the seed that came from Hinoki's mother,
appearing as a glowing female figure. Seeme is voiced by Tomoko
Kawakami
- Bodaiju- Another Betterman who appears later
in the series. He has a much darker skin tone and dresses in the
raiments reminiscent of a monk. Like Lamia though, he has the tell
tale characteristics of his species with red sclera, telepathic communication, and, of
course, the ability to take on different fighting forms. He first
appears to confront Lamia. Bodiju chastises the latter for twice
breaking the taboo regarding Forte (Lamia transforme into Forte
twice by then when his people regard the Forte Seed as weapon
reserved for the use of a "leader"). He is also critical of Lamia's
quest to protect Hinoki, thinking such efforts would be better
spent in the fight against the force named Kankel. The
confrontation turns into a battle between Lamia's Nebula form and
Bodiju's Turba. The fight ends in a draw, but Bodiju confronts
Lamia once more. After working together to survive a psychic's
illusion, Bodiju agrees to assist Lamia and Seeme. The alliance is
short lived as he is later slain by Kankel. Later on he psychically
aides Lamia, bringing him the necessary components of the seed of
Oltus (elaborating on his rivalry with Lamia by asking the latter
if he can handle Oltus). Voiced by: Kazuki
Yao
- Yakusugi- A mysterious priest, rumoured to be
over a hundred and twenty years old, who appears to offer aid to
the protagonists at unexpected times. Through his extreme physical
and psychological training, he has managed to become the pinnacle
of human ability. As such, he was selected as the test subject of
the Dive Inspection. However, he vanished when the experiment went
wrong. Kankel was born from him as a result, and though he is
connected to the creature, even Yakusugi can not keep it contained.
When Lamia destroys Kankel, Yakusugi dies along with it. Yakusugi
is voiced by Yusaku Yara
- Chandi- A mysterious girl, though not having a
large part in the series, she's one of the lizard girl experiments.
She gained her own will and appears on a few occasions to save
Keita. Chandi is voiced by Houko
Kuwashima.
Antagonists
- Kazuho Heichin- An employee of Akamatsu
Industries, who attempts to kill his co-workers on several
occasions after contracting Algernon. He reprograms various types
of machines and robots to attack his former friends, which results
in the battles of the first several episodes. After being
apprehended, he is later killed and used to grow an Animus Flower
by BPL. Voiced by: Houko
Kuwashima
- Prof. Umezaki- The head scientist of BPL, who
took part in the Dive Inspection several years ago. Although his
laboratory is said to be developing new food sources, he is
actually developing various biological monsters, which he uses to
attack Mode Warp and Akamatsu Industries' employees. His biological
creatures, which range from massive beasts to killer insects, are
the primary threat of much of the first half of the series. He is
killed during the protagonists' attempt to attack his lab when one
of his own creations, which has gained self will, turns on him.
Voiced by: Osamu
Ichikawa (Japanese), Steve Olson (English)
- Mugito Mamon- A powerful psychic, and the
leader of the Superhuman Federation. His attempts to harness
Kaede's powers are the main threat faced by the protagonists in the
second half of the series. Mamon is a survivor of the Dive
Inspection who still hopes to create a superior human being through
psychic powers. He eventually does harness Kaede's powers long
enough to transform himself into the powerful Brahman, though he
still falls to Lamia during the final battle of the series. Voiced by:
Mugihito
- Kankel- A mysterious, incredibly powerful
being, which appears as a somewhat effeminate, shadow-like
creature. It is the unexpected result of the Dive Inspection, made
up entirely of cancerous cells. As such, it seeks to consume all
other life and assimilate it into itself, beginning with the
Bettermen, which it recognizes as its biggest threat. It is Lamia's
ultimate goal to defeat this creature, which he manages to do only
by transforming into the ultimate Betterman, OLTUS.
Betterman's
Transformations
Betterman
NEBULA
Distinctly recognizable by its massive forearms which serve as
highly resilient guards against enemy attacks. Nebula's form grants
Lamia aerial capabilities and allows him to fly at high-velocity
speeds. The signature ability of Nebula, Psycho Voice,
first allows Lamia to analyze his opponent’s complete physical
structure and to retaliate with a high-pitched voice attack which
uses the same wavelength as his enemy's composition, thus
eliminating it. This is the most frequently used transformation by
Lamia and has shown itself to be the most versatile.
Betterman
AQUA
This is an underwater form that can achieve a speed of
600 knots (1,100 km/h). In this form Betterman can inhale
and analyze his opponent’s bodily liquids and attack with similar
Psycho Fluid, breaking down the opponent's DNA
structure.
Betterman
TURBA
This orange form of Betterman uses compressed air and razor
sharp wind as weapons. Turba's capability is Psycho Calm.
In this attack, wind and sound are compressed into a small
spherical area. This makes attacks such as Psycho Voice
ineffective. The same organs can be used for jet propulsion. It
should be also noted that this is a form that Betterman Lamia does
not use. Instead it was used by Bodiju (he specifically chose it to
counter Nebula).
Betterman
LUME
This bright yellow female form of Betterman uses electromagnetic
radiation (electricity and various rays) as its weapons. Seeme
transforms into this form by consuming pieces of the seed that came
from Hinoki's mother.
Betterman
FORTE
This is the strongest type of body that Betterman can obtain
with common seeds. In this form Betterman greatly increases in
height. Forte's method of defeating an opponent involves seeing an
opponent's "breaking point" and using the Sliding Saber on
his head to strike in this location (referred to as Psycho
Glory). Opponents are then reduced to ash. This is somewhat
similar effect to Tsukihime's Shiki Tohno's ability to see and
cut one's "lifeline" and ultimately killing if done so. It is also
notable that Forte-type Betterman should be used only by "a
leader," but Betterman Lamia has broken this rule more than
once.
Betterman
OLTUS
This the final and ultimate form which Lamia adopts in the final
episode. Like "Forte," Betterman grows in size and gains a dark
brown color opposing the white "Nebula." Using the ultimate power
of "Psycho Birth," Betterman can regenerate his cells indefinitely;
even if thrown into molten lava. Lamia gains the power of Oltus
when his Master, friend, and his companion give him three seeds,
which combine into one. After this, Lamia confronts the final
enemy, "Bestman."
Glossary
- Animus Flower A strange flower that grows from
the heads of those who died while infected with Algernon. The fruit
that these flowers bear is what a Betterman consumes to transform.
Animus as Jungian term means "true inner self," more precisly
women's inner masculinity. Animus seeds in Betterman are physical
methods of releasing one's inner self in various forms.
- Best Man Project A project, organized by a man
known only as "Director", to create a perfect, immortal human.
Specialists from various fields were gathered for this project,
which culminated in the Dive Inspection. After the experiment's
failure, the survivors of the project split up, creating various
organizations to continue the pursuit of human perfection on their
own. Mode Warp, BPL, and the Superhuman Federation were all founded
in this manner.
- BPL One of the spinoffs of the Best Man
Project, founded and headed by Prof. Umezaki. Although its original
intent was to create new food sources, it wound up only creating
biological horrors.
- Dive Inspection The ultimate goal of the Best
Man Project, where scientists and other experts attempted to create
a perfect, immortal human. Using Priest Yakusugi as a test subject,
they attempted to rewrite his DNA to cause his cells to reproduce
infinitely, effectively making him immortal. However, something
went wrong during the experiment, and many people present were
killed. Unknown to the participants, their experiment resulted in
the creation of the destructive being known as Kankel.
- Dual Kind A term used to describe individuals
who can connect their minds to another using a special substance
known as Linker Gel. By combining their neural energy, two dual
kind can create a large amount of power. Aside from this, dual kind
have no other special powers or abilities. It can be argued that
Dual Kinds have limited access to the collective unconscious.
- Head Diver The term used to describe Dual Kind
that pilot Neuronoids.
- Mode Warp One of the groups that splintered
from the Best Man Project. Mode Warp works closely with Akamatsu
Industries in creating the Neuronoids and battling the threat of
Algernon. The only notable member of this group is Miyako
Asami.
- Neuronoid Robots jointly created by Akamatsu
Industries and Mode Warp. As the machine is powered by Linker Gel,
two Dual Kind are required to pilot it. Each Neuronoid has two
forms: The "Accept Mode", which is equipped with a variety of
sensors used for surveying and analysis, and the "Active Mode",
used in combat situations. A Neuronoid's most powerful ability is
the Synapse Attack, where particles from the environment
surrounding the machine are drawn in, and then unleashed in a
powerful blast. Due to the rate at which Linker Gel becomes
unusable, the Neuronoids can only remain active for a short time,
which is one of their major handicaps. Neuronoids use living brain
matter in their construction. Although human brains were originally
used in early models, the current Neuronoids piloted by the
protagonists use the brains of primates and dolphins.
- NEO New Environment Organization, parent
company of Mode Warp.
- Superhuman Federation One of the groups that
splintered off from the Best Man Project, made up of individuals
with psychic abilities. Although they use their abilities for
business purposes, their true goal is to continue the work of the
Best Man Project, and create a superior being. Bakuto Mammon, the
leader of the organization, is especially interested in recruiting
Kaede for this.
Other
Media
Although the show is not focused entirely on the mechanical
Neuronoids, Betterman made an appearance in the Super Robot
Wars series of games. It appeared in Super Robot Taisen
Compact 3 for the Wonderswan Color.
The original soundtrack of Betterman was released in 1999.
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