| Future War 198X | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Tomoharu Katsumata Toshio Masuda |
| Written by | Kōji Takada |
| Produced by | Toru Yoshida |
| Starring | Kin'ya Kitaōji Masako Natsume |
| Narrated by | Ryo Ishihara |
| Cinematography | Hisao Shirai Michiyo Terao |
| Edited by | Yasuhiro Yoshikawa Yutaka Chikura |
| Music by | Seiji Yokoyama |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Toei Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Budget | ~600 million yen (US$6.5 million in 2023) |
Future War 198X (フューチャーウォー198X年,Fyūchā Wō Sen Kyū Hachi Ekkusu-nen) is a 1982 Japaneseanimescience fictionwaroriginal video animation directed byToshio Masuda andTomoharu Katsumata.[1] Set during theCold War in an unspecified year of the 1980s, the film details the outbreak ofWorld War III betweenNATO and theWarsaw Pact. It is partially inspired by the 1982 speculative war novelThe Third World War: The Untold Story bySir John Hackett.
Future War 198X was created byToei Animation, but was animated by outsourced animators. Prior to its release, the film sparked controversy in Japan over reports, based on an early script, that the film had a strongly pro-war narrative, and its production and release were boycotted by over 30 organizations; this led to the script being greatly reworked, shifting to ananti-war film by release.
Future War 198X was released on 30 October 1982. Retrospective reviews criticized the film as being slow-paced and having a weak, unconvincing message.
A Germandub was later released forhome video asNull Zeit (Zero Hour) inWest Germany andDas Ende aller Tage (The End of All Days) inEast Germany. An English version, also for home video, was released byWizard Video in Australia asFuture War; however, this was not a dub and instead had the original Japanese audio with English voiceovers, as well as a shortened runtime and licensed music replacing the originalfilm score. In March 2018, the Japanese version was distributed digitally for a single day throughPlayStation Video. Due to the film's limited distribution, especially internationally, copies ofFuture War 198X are considered particularly rare.[2]
In September 1985,[a] the United States conducts a televised test of "Space Ranger"—a crewedmissile defensespace weapon consisting of four laser-equipped modules and amother ship namedVoyager—atVandenberg Air Force Base, overseen by American researchers Burt Gains and Professor Brown. Gains believes Space Ranger could end nuclear war forever, but also fears it could worsen thenuclear arms race. The next day, he is kidnapped by Soviet spies who attempt to smuggle him back to theSoviet Union in anAlfa-class submarine for information on Space Ranger. U.S. President Gibson orders the submarine sunk to secure Space Ranger's secrets, and aP-3 Orion destroys it with anuclear torpedo, killing everyone aboard, including Gains. The sinking inflames tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union; as Gibson seeks a peaceful resolution, SovietPremier Orlov is offered a choice between a reasoned response byFirst Deputy Premier Kutsov and military retaliation by hawkishMinister of Defence Bugarin, but opts to simply place theSoviet Armed Forces on high alert. In the weeks after Gains' death, his close friend and fellow researcher, Japanese national Wataru Mikumo, is promoted to replace him as head of the Space Ranger project, and Wataru bonds with Gains' sister Laura. Meanwhile in Neinberg,West Germany, farm girl Marina and her boyfriend,British Army missile crewman Michael, prepare for the town's upcoming New Year celebrations, while off the coast ofHokkaido, theJapan Air Self-Defense Force intercepts a SovietTu-22.
On New Year's Eve, eliteSoviet Air Forces pilot Boris Sorenkuga, flying the experimental Su-28 Black Dragon bomber, defects to the West and lands at aWest German Air Force base near Neinberg. Fearing the loss of the Black Dragon's advanced technology to NATO, Orlov reluctantly allows Bugarin to authorize aSpetsnaz assault on the air base, but promptly has a heart attack. Though the Spetsnaz unit kills Sorenkuga and destroys the Black Dragon, Soviet forces cross theInner German border to support them, sparking direct conflict between NATO and the Soviets. Gibson rejects a suggestion by theSupreme Allied Commander Europe to launch afirst strike and tries to communicate with Orlov to no avail. The battle destroys Neinberg, killing several civilians including Marina; a vengeful Michael steals amissile carrier and launches itstactical nuclear missile against Soviet forces at the border, killing them but fatallypoisoning him with radiation. Wataru and Laura learn of the war while visiting Tokyo for the New Year, and Wataru rushes back to Vandenberg, leaving Laura despondent in an underground bar.
The fighting rapidly escalates and spills out of Europe as additionaltheaters open in the Middle East, Central America, and the Pacific. China initially allies with the Soviets to invade much of East Asia, but racial tensions and disputes over occupied territory eventually lead China to attack theRussian Far East. Gibson receives aceasefire proposal from Orlov, but rejects its demands for massive territorial gains;Secretary of State Girard theorizes Orlov himself may not have sent it. Meanwhile in Moscow, Kutsov convenes thePolitburo to remove Bugarin and draft a proper ceasefire, but Bugarin arrives and launches a coup d'état, ordering Kutsov and the entire Politburo arrested for "treason".
Bugarin orders aSoviet Navyballistic missile submarine to strike theEast Coast withICBMs; the submarine's captain refuses, but the executive officer kills him and orders the launch. Gibson has a breakdown after ordering retaliatory strikes against Soviet cities and is reassured of his actions by Girard. Bugarin is confronted by Orlov, revealed to have survived the heart attack, who condemns his warmongering actions, but one of Bugarin's aides assassinates him before he can reach Gibson through theMoscow–Washington hotline. The nuclear exchange devastates Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Miami, Paris, Tokyo, and dozens of cities across the world, killing millions; despite the destruction, society remains intact and the war continues. Gibson, forced underground with the rest of the U.S. government, learns Vandenberg is still operational and orders the immediate launch of Space Ranger. Laura, having survived the destruction of Tokyo by staying in the bar (now a makeshift shelter), traverses the ruined city to find a way back to Vandenberg, where she plans to be with Wataru as the world ends. The fighting begins to slow as theanti-war movement swells: civilians in the once-fractured Middle East march through battlefields demanding peace; the Pope delivers a stirring speech against the war; and disillusioned soldiers on both sides begin deserting en masse.
Space Ranger is launched in time to counter another wave of Soviet ICBMs, but three laser modules are overwhelmed and destroyed, the fourth is crippled, and theVoyager is severely damaged, leaving Wataru as the last surviving crew member. In Moscow, Kutsov is released and confronts Bugarin, who reveals he plans to fire a final volley ofMIRV-loaded ICBMs at the last standing cities in the U.S., crushing all remaining opposition and allowing Soviet communism to reign uncontested. Realizing he has gone mad, Kutsov and Bugarin's former supporters attempt to stop him, but Bugarin manages to launch the ICBMs before being shot and killed. Laura arrives at Vandenberg, and Professor Brown allows her to board a shuttle sent to rendezvous with Wataru. In space, Wataru repairs the fourth module and, assisted by the crewed Soviet satelliteBaikal, manages to shoot down most of the MIRVs except one bound for Los Angeles. Unable to get a clear shot, Wataru flies theVoyager extremely close to the MIRV, destroying it but knocking him unconscious and throwing him into space. Gibson and Kutsov dispatch the American shuttle andBaikal to retrieve Wataru. As the spacecraft close in, Wataru regains consciousness to see the Sun rise from behind the battered Earth, its inhabitants now set onworld peace.[2]
It is unclear when production onFuture War 198X started, but it was primarily conducted byToei Animation. Most of the production staff had previously worked on theSpace Battleship Yamato franchise. Toei Animation's managing director Akinori Watanabe stated Toei's intention was to produce the film in a "realistic" art style with "Western-style images"; to this end, the film's aesthetic was mostly influenced by Japanese film illustratorNoriyoshi Ohrai, who also created illustrations, posters, and concept art.[3]
Production was assisted by formerJapan Self-Defense Forces Major General Iwano Masataka, the film's music was performed by theNew Japan Philharmonic, and the film's costumes were designed by French fashion designerAndré Courrèges. Production cost a total of approximately 600 million yen.[4]
In February 1981, Toei Animation's labor union received an early copy of the film's script and, after reviewing it, described it as "dangerous", citing a pro-war narrative that viewed nuclear warfare positively. In April 1981, the union announced inThe Asahi Shimbun that their members would not be participating in the film's production.[4][3] This forced the film's animation to be completed by outsourced animators.[5][6]
Future War 198X was controversial in Japan due to its depictions of nuclear war and the aftermath of war, and it was argued that the film glorified warfare, was right-wing propaganda, or was otherwise unsuitable for children to watch. The film was boycotted and protested by Toei Animation's labor union, joined by approximately 38 organizations, including the Japan Association for the Protection of Children, the Mothers Association of Japan, theJapan Teachers Union in Tokyo, and even the formation of a dedicated protest movement by these organizations called "Group Against 198X".[4][7] On 25 May 1981, a physical protest against the film's release was held at the Japan Education Center in Tokyo.[4][7] The goals of each organization reportedly differed:parent–teacher associations complained that war was being promoted in a positive light, while labor unions argued the Soviet Union was portrayed too negatively and criticized how Toei's animators were required to work on a film they ideologically disagreed with.[3] This controversy was timely, as Prime MinisterYasuhiro Nakasone was perceived to be staunchly militaristic and supportive of aJapanese nuclear weapons program, and over the years after theFuture War 198X controversy the anime industry's labor unions continued to lobby against Nakasone's policies.[3]
The April 1982 issue ofAnimage covered the controversy in an article by Koichi Kato, in which severalFuture War 198X staff members, including Toei managing director Akinori Watanabe, provided details on the film's development and responded to criticisms, interspersed with commentary from parent–teacher association members and labor union officials.[4][3] Watanabe denied that the film was pro-war or promoted right-wing beliefs, instead positioning the film as a "movingGuernica" and stating "showing the audience what would happen if World War III broke out is a true suggestion for peace."[4] Animation director Tomoharu Katsumada also stated he would never make a pro-war film, having himself lived throughWorld War II as a child.[4] Both notably criticized the idea that the film was intended for youth to begin with, and lambasted the anime industry's standard of pandering to the toy and figurine industry to market to children (the film featured real weapons that were not toys, making marketing this way difficult).[4][3]
In the May 1982 issue ofAnimage, theFuture War 198X staff's response was criticized byGundam animator and character designerYoshikazu Yasuhiko in his monthly column in the magazine.[8][3] Yasuhiko criticized Watanabe's response as "reeking of hypocrisy", opined the film did not deserve its high budget, and argued the medium of anime was "unsuitable for a serious consideration of war".[8] Yasuhiko had made a statement on that topic in the April 1982 issue, opining it was better to not touch upon war and politics if one was unable to handle that subject matter correctly;[9] in this context, Yasuhiko believedFuture War 198X did not have a serious grasp on war and politics and would be unable to properly communicate its messages to an audience.[3]
In response to the controversy, director Toshio Masuda rewrote the film to take on a strong anti-war theme by its release.[10]
Future War 198X was initially intended to be screened at theCannes Film Festival, but this never happened.[3]
A German dub was released in West and East Germany. The German dub removed particularly bloody and violent scenes, reducing the film's runtime by approximately 10 minutes. The film was reportedly also released in Italy. It was later aired on Greek television dubbed inGreek, most recently onET3 in the mid-1990s.
An English version of the film was released onVHS in Australia byWizard Video. This version was not a full English dub, but instead retained the original Japanese dialogue while providing an English voiceover that summarized the events of each scene. It featured music byTangerine Dream,Asia, andRush. Scenes relating to Japan's involvement in the war were also removed, and the character Wataru Mikumo was renamed "Robert Manning". This English cut was only 90 minutes long, compared to the original Japanese version's length of 125 minutes long, and the German cut's length of 115 minutes.[2][11][12]
From 30 to 31 March 2018,Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia distributedFuture War 198X throughPlayStation Video in Japan only, marking the first and only time the film had been officially distributed in a digital format.[13]
Matteowatz, reviewingFuture War 198X in an article about it inAnimétudes, described the film as "pretty bad". His criticism particularly centered on the film's supposed stance that, per Watanabe, "there are no good guys"—which he noted was not true, with the film instead presenting the United States as ultimately saving the world from a crisis started by the Soviet Union. He also noted the film placed a significant focus on Japan and the country's military capabilities, with a Japanese protagonist ultimately saving humanity, placing the Japanese perspective at the forefront.[3]
Sean O'Mara, writing inZimmerit, criticized the film as being "drawn-out" and "ugly". He greatly criticized the anti-war theming as "tacked on" and "unconvincing", arguing the ending sent the message that nuclear war can be won and that "as much as war sucks, having the best technology is still the most important thing". He also compared the film to the stronger anti-war messages of 1983'sWarGames andThe Day After, describingFuture War 198X in comparison as "exploitive; reveling in the imagery of the war without much consideration for the potential outcome." However, he did praise Ohrai's artwork for the film, but still argued it was "befitting of a much more interesting film".[6]
anime-games.co.uk noted Ohrai's artwork did not accurately reflect the content of the film, which they described as "mostly talking" and lacking much footage of the effects of the nuclear exchange or the actual war itself. They greatly criticized the film's ending as drastically downplaying the effects of global nuclear war (Earth and the survivors recover unusually quickly, and all of humanity bonds together for peace), describing it as "completely implausable and undercut[ting] the drama of everything that came before it".[2]
Reviewing the English version of the film,Vintagecoats criticized the unusual narration style, sound design, and rock music score as detracting from the dramatic experience and "drain[ing] all the potential color from the world of this film".[11]
Anime historian David Merrill was quoted as describingFuture War 198X as "a big, tedious sludge of a picture".[6]
A novelization ofFuture War 198X was published byJitsugyo no Nihon Sha in 1982, written by Masataka Iwano, who also worked on the film as a planning coordinator.
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