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| Blue Comet SPT Layzner | |
 Japanese Blu-Ray cover of Blue Comet SPT Layzner | |
| 蒼き流星SPTレイズナー (Aoki Ryūsei Esu Pī Tī Reizunā) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mecha, Science fiction (alien invasion) |
| Created by | Hajime Yatate |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Produced by | Masuo Ueda Takahiko Kimoto Seiichi Ginya |
| Written by | Tsunehisa Itō |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Licensed by |
|
| Original network | NNS (NTV) |
| Original run | October 3, 1985 – June 26, 1986 |
| Episodes | 38 |
| Original video animation | |
| Act I& Act II (Compilation episodes) | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Produced by | Masuo Ueda Takahiko Kimoto |
| Written by | Tsunehisa Itō |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Released | August 21, 1986 – September 21, 1986 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes (each) |
| Episodes | 2 |
| Original video animation | |
| Kokuin 2000 (Alternative ending) | |
| Directed by | Ryōsuke Takahashi |
| Produced by | Masuo Ueda Takahiko Kimoto |
| Written by | Tsunehisa Itō |
| Music by | Hiroki Inui |
| Studio | Nippon Sunrise |
| Licensed by |
|
| Released | October 21, 1986 |
| Runtime | 56 minutes |
Blue Comet SPT Layzner[1] (蒼き流星SPTレイズナー,Aoki Ryūsei Esu Pī Tī Reizunā), sometimes translated asBlue Meteor SPT Layzner, is ascience fictionanime series produced bySunrise between 1985 and 1986. It was originally written by Tsunehisa Itō withRyōsuke Takahashi as series' director.[2][3]
The series focuses on analien invasion and subsequenttotalitarian worldoccupation and resistance in a timeline where theCold War continues.
The story takes place in the year 1996, where humanity is advanced enough to develop long-range space travel, as well as bases on both theMoon andMars. However,Cold War tensions between theUnited States and theSoviet Union have not ended; rather, they have escalated as both sides continue tomilitarize space, and the shadow of nuclear conflict looms over humanity both on and offEarth.
Meanwhile, on Mars, an exchange program created by theUnited Nations to promote peace and understanding is about to begin; the "Cosmic Culture Club"—consisting of 16 members, as well as their instructor Elizabeth—arrives at the UN Mars base, and are being welcomed by the staff. Among the passengers is Anna—a 14-year-old girl who serves as the narrator for the story.
Suddenly, four unidentifiedhumanoid robots classified as Super-Powered Tracers are detected, engaged in fierce combat with each other. The UN base is captured in the crossfire and quickly destroyed, eliminating all but six members of the "Cosmic Culture Club"—Elizabeth, Arthur, Roan, David, Simone, and Anna, leaving them stranded on the barren planet that has suddenly become a battlefield. As the battle ends, the lone SPT standing lands next to the terrified group and opens up revealing a pilot, who simply announces to them, "The Earth has been targeted".
The robots who destroyed the UN base were the creation of theGrados, an alien race, from the Udoria system, who came to theSolsystem for conquest, seeing an easy victory as the two superpowers raged against each other to exhaustion—however, this could also be described as an act ofpre-emptive self-defense; the Gradosian supercomputers have determined that humanity will eventually cease its in-fighting and become powerful enough to spread through the galaxy, feigning a deadly threat to even the far off Grados.
However, there were two Grados opposed to the plan: human astronaut Ken Asuka, assumed lost during a deep space mission but discovered by the Grados, and his son Null Albatro (his "human" name being Eiji). As the Grados prepared their invasion fleet, Eiji stows away on board one of the ships and steals their most powerful and advanced weapon, the SPT-LZ-00X Layzner before fleeing, seeking to warn humanity of its impending invasion. It was here where he was attacked. Aside from the Layzner, the surviving humans have now become very important to the Grados; as the only human passersby to the aliens and their power, the six are the only ones who can convince each belligerent power to stand down from destroying one another, and focus on the greater threat.
Blue Comet ran for 38 episodes from October 3, 1985 to June 26, 1986.[1] Episode 25 is a recap clip-show and episode 38 is replaced by the 3rd OVA, subtitledThe Last Act:Re-recording 2000 (LAST ACT 刻印2000,Rasuto Akuto Kokuin Nisen), that remakes and expands on its events to conclude the show after it was canceled with only 2/3rd of the plot concluded. The first 2 OVAs, subtitledAct I: Eiji 1996 (ACT-1 エイジ1996,Akuto Wan Eiji Sen Kyūhyaku Kyūjū Roku) andAct II: Le Caine 1999 (ACT-2 ル･カイン1999,Akuto Tsū Ru Kain Sen Kyūhyaku Kyūjū Kyū), summarize episodes 1–24 (Act I) and 26–37 (Act II).
BC was known to have aired in Japan via AT-X,[4] BS12[5] and on the Bandai Channel.[6]
The anime had an OP and two ED songs. The OP was Melos no Yōni Lonely Way (Like Melos, Lonely Way), composed by Hideya Nakazaki and performed by Airmail from Nagasaki. The first ED song, which was for episodes 1-25, was Go-fun Dake no Wagamama (Just 5 Minutes of Selfishness), also composed by Hideya Nakazaki and performed by Seiko Tomizawa & Airmail from Nagasaki. The second ED song, which was for episodes 26-38, was La Rose Rouge (The Red Rose), composed by Tetsuji Hayashi and performed by Seiko Tomizawa.
Blue Comet's mech designs were done by Kunio Okawara.[7]
In the summer of 2001,Bandai Entertainment announced plans to release the series in North America.[8] However, as withGiant Gorg, the plan was scrapped.[9] The complete series concluded the damaged, blue-tinted video masters from Sunrise, and were unable to acquire replacements.[citation needed] Bandai's license to this andGiant Gorg expired in 2005. In 2023,Discotek Media planned to release the series and the three accompanying OVAs on Blu-Ray, with fixed masters from the Japanese Blu-Ray release.[10]
A Japanese Blu-Ray release was done on September 18, 2013 with the Blu-Ray Box and the Recollections 1996-2000 Blu-Ray Box version.[11]
This series was included inSuper Robot Wars J for theGame Boy Advance[12] andSuper Robot Wars GC for theGameCube. It was also featured inShin Super Robot Wars (its debut) andSuper Robot Wars 64 with a primary storyline role of all theSuper Robot Wars it has appeared in. The anime also showed up in Super Robot Wars Operation Extend[13] and Super Robot Wars DD.[14]
The series also appears in theAnother Century's Episode games,[15] with the Layzner & Zakarl being playable in the first game and also the Greimkaiser & Bloodykaiser make appearances as CPU-only units. The sequel,Another Century's Episode 2, follows the basic plot of the series but adapts it to the setting produced by the combined plots of the anime involved. For example, Eiji's first appearance is just after the resolution ofMartian Successor Nadesico, and theSDF-1 Macross's fold removes the heroes from Earth long enough for Grados to establish control overManhattan. The heroes return in time to aid the resistance, and Eiji finally joins the team officially along withDomon Kasshu after they (and the player's current character) fight off the Demon Death Platoon and several Gundam Heads.
The series also appears in Harobots, since they're fromSunrise. Their units can act as 'wild' units or player units.
