A special video has been released on YouTube in which director Mark A. Reyes V, who worked on the film "Voltes V Legacy," a live-action adaptation of the popular robot anime "Voltes V," released in the Philippines, reveals the secrets of the mecha design. Director Reyes, who is one of the biggest "Voltes V otaku" in the Philippines and made his own dream of making a live-action version come true, says, "I had a strong desire not to change the design of Voltes V from the original anime." "It's not that I wasn't allowed to make changes, it's that I didn't want to. I wanted to express the image of Voltes V in the anime as it is. Of course, we modernized the texture and strengthened the gimmicks of the movements such as fighting, flying, and combining," he explained.
The live-action version reproduces the design of the original anime, while evolving the details and texture to be accepted by modern audiences. The action scenes have been enhanced with a sense of metal weight and gimmicks for unleashing various weapons, making Voltes V feel more realistic.
On the other hand, some parts of the enemy beast fighters have been changed from the anime. In the anime, the design resembled a real animal, but "it's OK for an anime, but it feels strange when it's a live-action version. We made it scarier and tougher while keeping the basic parts of the design."
"Voltes V Legacy" is a "Super Electromagnetic Edited Version" that adds scenes that were not included in the Philippine version of the film "Voltes V Legacy" and has been re-edited. The Philippine production team remastered the entire film for release in Japan and improved the quality of the CG. Subtitled and dubbed versions will be released. Release date: October 18th.
The live-action version was produced by Philippine terrestrial television station GMA Network. A film and a 90-episode TV series were produced. The entire TV series was broadcast in the Philippines in 2023. A TV series specially edited for Japan will be broadcast on TOKYO MX this fall. The original 90-episode Philippine version is also scheduled to be released in Japan.
"Voltes V" is a legendary robot anime that aired in Japan from 1977 to 1978. It depicts the five characters, the protagonist Kenichi, the brothers Gozo, Mine Ippei, and Oka Megumi, piloting the combined robot Voltes V, a super electromagnetic machine, and fighting against the invading forces of the planet Boazan, led by Prince Heinel, who has come to Earth. It depicts the separation of parents and children, shocking developments surrounding the protagonist, confrontations with his half-brother, resistance to oppression and revolution, and was highly praised overseas for its high level of drama. It was also a hot topic in the Philippines, where the opening theme song "Voltes V no Uta" sung by Horie Mitsuko was also popular.
