SPACE WARRIORS BALDIOS (1981) is a surprisingly good two-hour Japanese animated space saga that has long been overshadowed by its more famous brethren from the early '80s, ARCADIA OF MY YOUTH (the Captain Harlock feature), SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA, and the various features spun off from the GALAXY EXPRESS, YAMATO and GUNDAM series. Next to such stiff competition BALDIOS holds its own as an original, well-designed, and thoroughly gripping tale of interplanetary warfare in the year 2100. It originated as a TV series (1980-81) and includes footage from the unaired final episodes along with new footage designed to provide a suitable conclusion.
The plot has to do with a young pilot, Marlon, who flees Planet S-1 after his father is killed in the act of perfecting an anti-pollution mechanism that could have saved the ecologically doomed planet. Marlon arrives on Earth and is soon tracked there by the S-1 space fleet which launches a destructive invasion of Earth in a bid to wipe out the population to make room for their own people. Joining Earth's Blue Strike Force, Marlon pilots the Baldios, a transforming spacecraft/giant combat robot, which, like the fleet of S-1, is able to penetrate "pseudo-space," an alternate dimension that allows huge leaps across space and time.
Marlon is torn by his love for the clean skies and clear blue seas of Earth and the attraction of his own people on S-1, chief among them the military commander, Aphrodia, a beautiful woman who shares with Marlon a love for the sea, but is engaged in an intense love-hate relationship with him. Aphrodia saw Marlon kill her brother, who had just killed Marlon's father and his team of scientists. For most of the story, Aphrodia finds herself unable to reconcile her attraction to Marlon with her self-imposed code of vengeance. There's an overpowering tragic sense of two people caught up in an unnecessary conflict who'd much rather be engaging in romantic interludes. The melancholic romantic mood is underscored by several scenes of Marlon and Aphrodia alone together at various spots overlooking the sea which is depicted in lovingly animated shots of the rolling waves hitting the shore.
Since much of the animation was done for TV, the character movement is stiffer and the character design simpler than normal for a theatrical feature, although Marlon himself, a typically dashing long-haired young anime hero, is quite well drawn and has a number of expressive closeups. The technical design and intricate animation of spaceships and fighting vehicles are above-average and often quite thrilling. The animators brighten up the visual scheme by relying heavily on primary colors throughout. The Baldios fighting craft looks a bit too much like the title mecha suit featured in "Mobile Suit Gundam," but it has transforming capabilities drawn from other famed giant robots. There are many battles and scenes of mass death and destruction, all depicted in spectacular detail. One incredible sequence has tidal waves wiping out islands and coastal cities across the Earth after S-1 has melted the polar icecaps.
There are some interesting sci-fi concepts on display, including the notion of "pseudo-space," a dimension with backgrounds that suggest an underwater environment, where S-1's ships can disappear when the Earth ships pursue. The Baldios's ability to enter pseudo-space gives the Earth a fighting chance. Eventually, the question of why the inhabitants of Earth and S-1 are so similar is addressed, although the answer creates some plot holes that may not withstand much scrutiny.
Plot holes aside, the screenplay is packed with incident and moves at a breakneck pace, slowing down for the welcome (and all too brief) interludes between Marlon and Aphrodia. It's a compelling story, emotionally involving, and filled with intriguing characters. It may be just a little less sophisticated than the comparable GUNDAM, YAMATO and MACROSS movies, but it's still a worthy entry in the Japanese animated space sci-fi genre.
The U.S. dub is 98 minutes, 19 minutes shorter than the Japanese feature-length cut. Even without the Japanese version to compare it with, it is clear that battle scenes have been shortened and moments of bloodshed excised. Some needed dialogue scenes which would have filled in the backgrounds on some of the characters and their relationships seem to be missing as well.
