The Japan premiere of the film "Voltes V Legacy," a live-action version of the popular robot anime "Voltes V," which was made in the Philippines, was held on September 29th at Marunouchi TOEI (Chuo-ku, Tokyo), and Mitsuko Horie, the "Queen of Anime Songs" who sang the opening theme song of the anime, "Voltes V no Uta," appeared. Horie appeared in a special outfit made for "Voltes V," consisting of a red jacket, red hot pants, and boots with a large "V" on them, and sang "Voltes V no Uta" live. Fans gave her a thunderous applause, and Horie said, "I felt happy to be able to sing with everyone in unity. It was the best!"
"Voltes V Legacy" is a "Chodenji edited version" that was re-edited to add scenes that were not included in the Philippine version of the film, "Voltes V Legacy," and was shown for the first time in the world at the Japan premiere. It will be released on October 18th.
At the event, new information about "Voltes V Legacy" was also announced, revealing that Horie will voice Marianne Armstrong, the mother of protagonist Steve Armstrong and one of the developers of Voltes V, in the Japanese dub. Mikami Satoshi will play Hrothgar (Ned Armstrong), Yamanaka Seiya will play Richard Smith, Sagara Shintaro will play Oscar Robinson, and it was also announced that Suwabe Junichi, who plays Prince Zardoz, will also play the dual role of Zambozil, the emperor of the Boazan Empire.
Executive producer Shirakura Shinichiro also appeared at the talk session, jokingly greeting the audience, saying, "I'm here as a Voltes V fan from 1977, and as a fan of Horie Mitsuko," which drew laughter from the audience. Horie said about the main story, "I'm a bit worried about my voice acting... (laughs). It's great that it's so well-respected and all the good parts are well put together. It seems like they did a lot of research on the theme song, "Voltes V's Song," which was sung by a Filipino singer. They're good at Japanese and it seems like they studied the singing style before singing it, so I'm happy."
Producer Shirakura commented in surprise about the process of the filming in the Philippines, "I don't really know either." "I had heard that it was very popular in the Philippines, but when I heard that it was going to be broadcast in a live-action version, I thought it was a lie. After that, when the pilot video arrived from the Philippines, it was amazing, almost like the finished product, and I was like, 'Are you stupid!?' (laughs). I was surprised at how serious they were, from the CG to the design." Horie also exclaimed, "The battle scenes and CG are amazing. The size of the robots and the feeling of the crashing were reproduced, which was amazing." Producer Shirakura revealed the secrets of the production, saying, "I heard that the CG team kept making corrections one by one during the period when filming was suspended due to COVID-19, and that the quality was achieved through that process."
When Horie, who has visited the Philippines several times for the anime "Voltes V," was asked about the rumor that he was treated as a "state guest," he said, "I wouldn't say I was a state guest, but... I was treated as a VIP to a certain extent, and had an all-access pass to the airport. When I left the airport in my car, a police motorcycle led the way... I felt sorry while I was in the car." He talked about the enthusiasm of the locals. Horie said that when she first sang "Voltes V Song," there were hardly any anime songs by female singers, and when asked how she felt at the time she was offered the song, she said, "I really wanted to sing a robot anime. I was at that age, and I admired how cool it was. I was really happy to be able to sing it." As the only person involved in both the original anime and the live-action version, she expressed her feelings by saying, "I've decided that (Voltes V's Song) is a song that I will sing as long as I keep singing. I feel like it will be with me forever."
The live-action version was produced by GMA Network, a terrestrial television station in the Philippines. A movie and a 90-episode TV series were produced. The TV series was broadcast in the Philippines in 2023. A "Choudenji Respect TV Version," a re-edited version of the 90-episode TV series into 20 episodes, will be broadcast on TOKYO MX every Tuesday at 8 pm from November 12th.
"Choudenji Machine 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, Ippei Mine, and Megumi Oka, piloting the combined robot, the Chodenji Machine Voltes V, and fighting the invading army of the planet Boazan, led by Prince Heinel, who has come to Earth. The film was highly praised overseas for its dramatic portrayal of parent-child separation, shocking events surrounding the protagonist, confrontation with half-brothers, resistance to oppression and revolution, and more. It also became a hot topic in the Philippines, where the song "Voltes V" sung by Horie became popular.
