Characters

Background

The world of Glorie was founded by the human race in an effort to find new worlds for humanity because the Earth had become uninhabitable as a result of a catastrophic nuclear holocaust. Relay stations have been established at Mars and Jupiter, and as a result the planet "Liberté" located in the Proxima solar system was colonized. The next planet, Glorie, was discovered in the Epsilon Eridani system. Similar in planetary scale and atmospheric conditions to Earth, Glorie still had an unexpectedly harsh natural environment. The planet has an elliptical orbit around the sun, with a cycle of 73 years. Sixty percent of the planet's surface area is land, and in the winter, fifty percent of that land is covered with glaciers. Originally the planetary temperatures in winter averaged between −5 and −30 °C (23 and −22 °F). Thanks to extensive military terraforming, Glorie was successfully turned into a suitable planet for terrestrial life.

The government of Glorie is independent from that of Liberté but is an ally to that planet. In the year 2120 (when this story takes place), Glorie is now a self-sufficient planet in terms of food and resources.

Southern Cross Army

The military organization (referred to as the Southern Cross Army) is under the jurisdiction of its prime minister. The units are divided among the Surface (land/sea) Forces and the Aerospace Forces.

The Surface Forces consist of:

• A.T.A.C. - the Alpha Tactics Armored Corps,
• C.D.U. - the Cities Defense Unit, and
• T.C. - the Tactics Corps and its specialized subdivisions:
  • RE.P. - the Reconnoitering Party,
  • CO.S. - the Cold Squad,
  • DE.S. - the Desert Squad,
  • MO.S. - the Mountains Squad,
  • FO.S. - the Forest Squad,
  • MA.S. - the Marsh Squad, and
  • NA.D. - the Navy Division.

The Aerospace Forces consist of:

• T.A.F. - the Tactics Air Force,
• T.S.C. - the Tactics Space Corps,
• C.D.F.C. - the Cities Defense Flying Corps, and
• T.A.S.C. - the Tactics Armored Space Corps.

There are also security forces and the Glorie Military Police (G.M.P.), which are independent but still directly affiliated with Supreme General Headquarters. Headquarters are located in every major city.

Each unit has a specialized robotic vehicle for combat campaigns. Among them are:

• ATAC-01-SCA Spartas: A one-man transformable hit-and-run vehicle used exclusively by the Alpha Tactics Armored Corps (A.T.A.C.). Each Spartas has the ability to transform into 3 modes: Sniping Clapper (a high-speed hovercraft), Walker Cannon (a GERWALK-like artillery emplacement which actually cannot walk but can make rocket-assisted jumps), and Battle Sniper (a humanoid robot form). Models differ depending on the rank of the individual and are upgraded throughout the conflict. By the time that the Auroran is introduced, the Spartas has been remodeled for effective space combat.
• TASC-01-SCF Logan: The Logan is a transformable aerial assault mecha used exclusively by the Tactics Armored Space Corps (T.A.S.C.). The mecha has two modes: Flying Cat (fighter) mode for high-speed aerial combat and Flying Walker (humanoid) mode which is suited for near ground assaults. The fighter has the ability to cover great distances but performs poorly in space and is consistently outfought by Bioroids in all early engagements of the war.
• TASC-02-SCF Auroran: The Auroran was a late development during the war, that was constructed to replace the Logan. It has the capability to transform into three different modes: Crusader (fighter), Cross Fighter (heavy combat helicopter), and Cosmo Sniper (humanoid). Though the new Cosmo Sniper mode was specifically designed to deal with the Zor Bioroid threat, the Auroran proves only moderately successful, since its debut coincides closely with an improved model of bioroid.
• TAF Sylphide: The Sylphide is a fighter used by the Tactics Air Force. This fighter can also be distinguished by a center tail as well as vertical surfaces mounted in the middle of each wing. The weaponry of the Sylphide includes two guns in the fuselage, two guns mounted on a ventral pod and four missile hardpoints (two on the outside of either lower engine nacelle).
• GMP Garm: The Southern Cross Glorie Military Police uses this mecha fielded exclusively for it. The unit is capable of identifying personnel and recording evidence in investigations. Its systems have access to the military legal code to assist in determining if the law has been broken.
• TC Salamander: The Tactics Corps uses the Salamander robot as their main combat robot for high-mobility heavy-weapons support. The arms have reinforced armor to assist in parrying attacks. There is a thruster in the rear to assist the mecha in leaping.

Personal armor

Every soldier of the Southern Cross Army is issued a personal combat suit known as an "arming doublet." The suit not only acts as protective armor but also improves combat performance. Each suit is equipped to serve different functions and can be altered depending on the mission requirements and needs of each division and rank. All suits are personally tailored for the physique of the individual, resulting in high mobility. Some variants of the arming doublet also have the ability to serve as self-sealed spacesuits.

Zor

The Zor (ゾル, Zoru) are a race who serve as the antagonists for the Southern Cross Army. The Zor were the former inhabitants of the planet Glorie, but they had to evacuate due to an apocalyptic war. Their advances in biotechnology surpass that of humanity, and the weapons they employ called "Bioroids" serve as a formidable enemy to the units of the Southern Cross. They operate in groups of three. Each member is responsible for one of three functions: information, decision and action. As a whole, they present a powerful threat, but if one member is lost to the group, then they lose their stability and become unable to function. Characteristically, the Zor are human in appearance, tall and slender with violet eyes, silvery hair and pale skin.

The Zor have a symbiotic relationship with a flower native to Glorie referred to as the Protozor, which, like them, exist in trinities.

Bioroids

Like the troops of the Southern Cross, the Zor rely on large humanoid mecha to spearhead military operations. The Zor mecha, called "bioroids," are considerably more advanced than their Southern Cross counterparts, based on a symbiotic interface that conveys the thoughts of the operator directly to the mecha. Because of this interface, Bioroids are effectively "alive," with the pilots acting as their "brains;" this increases the response promptness and makes their movements much more agile that those of the Southern Cross mecha. At the same time, there appears to be no pain-receptor feedback to the pilot, as bioroids are unaffected by direct hits unless the cockpit itself is damaged.

In addition to mentally centered control, bioroids have access to an array of weapons, including both advanced projectile and sustained-beam weapons held in one hand. Typical engagements also find the bioroids riding anti-gravity hovercraft equipped with their own strafing weapons, and it appears that the hovercraft can be summoned to their riders remotely.

Since the Zor are not a race suited for combat, they abduct personnel from the armies of the Southern Cross and Liberté forces, brainwash them, and use them as "biohuman" pilots for the bioroids. Southern Cross troops adapt slowly to the tactical imbalance they have versus bioroid forces but become ensnared as they start to gain ground in combat by the psychological deterrent of knowing that they are fighting their own kind. Even late in the war, Southern Cross troops demonstrate conflicting emotions over advances in weaponry, knowing that increases in their own kill rates paradoxically still mean greater death for humanity as a whole.

During the time of the conflict, many variations of the Bioroid are implemented by the Zor in order to adapt to the ever-changing battle conditions experienced on the field. The final version of the Bioroid embodies the Zor's own triplet model of operation, with each triple set representing thought, action, and reaction.

Home video

The series was released on DVD by ADV Films.^[5][6]

Staff

• Producer: Masanori Nakano
• Executive Producer: Kenji Yoshida
• Chief Director: Yasuo Hasegawa
• Script: Masanori Hama
• Original Character Designer: Kogawa Tomonori
• Sub-Character Designer: Hiroyuki Kitazume
• Anime Character Designer: Miyo Sonoda
• Mecha Designers: Studio Ammonite (design group) (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hirotoshi Okura, and Takashi Ono.)
• Animation Director: Yutaka Arai
• Series Editor: Jinzo Toriumi
• Planning: Akira Inoue, Yoshimasa Ohnishi
• Music: Ken Sato, Yuji Dan

Music

"Deja Vu of the Stars" (Hoshi no Déjà vu, 星のデジャ・ブー)

• Vocals: Yoko Katori

"Promise" (Yakusoku, 約束)

• Vocals: Yoko Katori