Armored Trooper Votoms


Armored Trooper VOTOMS is a military science fiction mecha anime series that has undergone several incarnations. The original 1983 television series was created by Ryosuke Takahashi and Sunrise, featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi's previous series, Fang of the Sun Dougram, VOTOMS continued the trend towards hard science in the mecha anime subgenre. The series was supplemented by numerous original video animation releases, and also inspired a number of spin-off works whose media ranges from serialized light novels to video games. The TV anime was originally licensed by the now-defunct Central Park Media who released the series on DVD and VHS. Currently, it is licensed by Maiden Japan, a unit of Section23 Films, who also released all OVA other then Armor Hunter Mellowlink.

Plot

The Gilgamesh and Balarant nations had until recently been locked in a century-old galactic war whose cause was long ago forgotten. Now, the war is ending and an uneasy truce has settled. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper, a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. Both the Armored Troopers and their pilots are also known as VOTOMS. However, since Armored Troopers have extremely thin armor, and use a highly combustible liquid in their artificial muscle, their pilots have a very low chance of survival, and are commonly referred to instead as "Bottoms", the lowest of the low.
The series follows a main character named Chirico Cuvie, a special forces Armored Trooper pilot and former member of the Red Shoulder Battalion, an elite force used by the Gilgamesh Confederation in its war against the Balarant Union. Chirico is suddenly transferred to a unit engaged in a suspicious mission, unaware that he is aiding to steal secrets from what appears to be his own side. Chirico is betrayed and left behind to die, but he survives, is arrested by the Gilgamesh military as a traitor, and tortured for information on their homeworld. He escapes, triggering a pursuit extending across the entire series, with Chirico hunted by the army and criminals alike as he seeks the truth behind the operation. He is especially driven to discover the truth of one of the objects he was assigned to retrieve in that operation: a mysterious and beautiful woman who would become his sole clue to unravelling the galactic conspiracy.

Anime

''Armored Troopers VOTOMS'' (TV series)

A 1983 52 episode anime television series.

Cast

Armored Trooper Votoms: The Last Red Shoulder is a 50-minute OVA released on August 21, 1985. The storyline takes place after the Woodoo storyline in the TV series. It details Chirico meeting with his old comrades in his old military unit, and their plan to get revenge on General Pailsen.

''The Big Battle''

A 1986 60-minute OVA. Takes place near the end of the series. The storyline features Chirico and his comrades participating in a mecha gladiatorial match.

''The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition, released as Origin of Ambition by Maiden Japan, is a 60-minute OVA released in 1988. The storyline serves as a prequel to the main series and especially The Last Red Shoulder. It details Chirico's time in the Red Shoulder elite military unit and his encounters with General Pailsen.

''Armor Hunter Mellowlink''

Armor Hunter Mellowlink is a twelve episode anime science fiction action OVA series spinoff of Armored Trooper Votoms. It premiered on November 21, 1988. It takes place in the same universe as Votoms, but the two stories are entirely independent of each other.
Mellowlink is the story of a soldier whose unit is sacrificed on the battlefield for reasons unknown. Although he was not meant to survive, the main character, Ality Mellowlink, manages to survive only to be framed for a crime he did not commit. Mellowlink escapes his captors and begins hunting down his former commanding officers, both to get revenge for his dead platoon members and to find out the nature of the conspiracy that led to their death.
The series is available for download on Bandai Visual's official website and the Japanese DVD boxset was released on December 6, 2006. The series was previously issued twice on laserdisc, once as six individual volumes, and once as a three disc box set along with the two soundtracks.

''Brilliantly Shining Heresy''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Brilliantly Shining Heresy is a 5-episode OVA series released in 1994. It is a sequel to the original TV series.

''Pailsen Files''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Pailsen Files is a 12-episode OVA series that was released from October 26, 2007 to August 22, 2008. It was also released as a feature film on January 17, 2009. It is a prequel to the main series and a sequel to
The Red Shoulder Document: Roots of Ambition.

''Phantom Chapter''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Phantom Chapter, released as Genei - Phantom Arc by Maiden Japan, is a 6-part OVA series that was released from March 26, 2010 to October 27, 2010. It is a sequel to the original TV series and Brilliantly Shining Heresy.

''Case: Irvine''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS Case;Irvine, an OVA that follows the story of Irvine Lester, a repairer of the tank-like robotic Armored Trooper mecha in the VOTOMS story world.

''Votoms Finder''

Votoms Finder, an "alternate universe" OVA that centers around Aki Tesuno, a Bottoms guard for scrap salvagers and a pilot of a robotic mecha called an At or Altro.

''Alone Again''

Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Alone Again, released as Chirico’s Return by Maiden Japan, is a 2011 50-minute OVA that serves as sequel to the Brilliantly Shining Heresy and prequel to the Phantom Chapter.
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Games

Video games

VOTOMS has appeared in numerous video games since the series' original airing.
For a limited time the Armored Trooper Votoms - Uoodo and Kummen game included a Red Shoulder Custom model. Chirico also figures in the Sunrise Eiyuutan game for the PlayStation 2

Role-playing

VOTOMS was a direct inspiration for the Heavy Gear role-playing game. VOTOMS also has its own official role-playing game, , developed by R. Talsorian Games and using the Fuzion system.