Future War 198X was created by Toei Animation, but was animated by outsourced animators. Prior to its release, the film sparked controversy in Japan over reports, based on an early script, that the film had a strongly pro-war narrative, and its production and release were boycotted by over 30 organizations; this led to the script being greatly reworked, shifting to an anti-war film by release.
Future War 198X was released on 30 October 1982. Retrospective reviews criticized the film as being slow-paced and having a weak, unconvincing message.
A German dub was later released for home video as Null Zeit (Zero Hour) in West Germany and Das Ende aller Tage (The End of All Days) in East Germany. An English version, also for home video, was released by Wizard Video in Australia as Future War; however, this was not a dub and instead had the original Japanese audio with English voiceovers, as well as a shortened runtime and licensed music replacing the original film score. In March 2018, the Japanese version was distributed digitally for a single day through PlayStation Video. Due to the film's limited distribution, especially internationally, copies of Future War 198X are considered particularly rare.[2]
Plot
In an alternate September 1985,[a] the United States conducts a televised test of "Space Ranger"—a crewed missile defensespace weapon consisting of four laser-equipped modules and a mother ship named Voyager—at Vandenberg Air Force Base, overseen by American researchers Burt Gains and Professor Brown. Gains believes Space Ranger could end nuclear war forever, but also fears it could worsen the nuclear arms race. The next day, he is kidnapped by Soviet spies who attempt to smuggle him back to the Soviet Union in an Alfa-class submarine for information on Space Ranger. U.S. President Gibson orders the submarine sunk to secure Space Ranger's secrets, and a P-3 Orion destroys it with a nuclear torpedo, killing everyone aboard, including Gains. The sinking inflames tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union; as Gibson seeks a peaceful resolution, Soviet Premier Orlov is offered a choice between a reasoned response by First Deputy Premier Kutsov and military retaliation by hawkish Minister of Defence Bugarin, but opts to simply place the Soviet Armed Forces on high alert. In the weeks after Gains' death, his close friend and fellow researcher, Japanese national Wataru Mikumo, is promoted to replace him as head of the Space Ranger project, and Wataru bonds with Gains' sister Laura. Meanwhile in Neinberg, West Germany, farm girl Marina and her boyfriend, British Army missile crewman Michael, prepare for the town's upcoming New Year celebrations, while off the coast of Hokkaido, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force intercepts a Soviet Tu-22.
On New Year's Eve 1986, elite Soviet Air Forces pilot Boris Sorenkuga, flying the experimental Su-28 Black Dragon bomber, defects to the West and lands at a West German Air Force base near Neinberg. Fearing the loss of the Black Dragon's advanced technology to NATO, Orlov reluctantly allows Bugarin to authorize a Spetsnaz assault on the air base, but promptly has a heart attack. Though the Spetsnaz unit kills Sorenkuga and destroys the Black Dragon, Soviet forces cross the Inner German border to support them, sparking direct conflict between NATO and the Soviets. Gibson rejects a suggestion by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe to launch a first strike and tries to communicate with Orlov to no avail. The battle destroys Neinberg, killing several civilians including Marina; a vengeful Michael steals a missile carrier and launches its tactical nuclear missile against Soviet forces at the border, killing them but fatally poisoning him with radiation. Wataru and Laura learn of the war while visiting Tokyo for the New Year, and Wataru rushes back to Vandenberg, leaving Laura despondent in an underground bar.
The fighting rapidly escalates and spills out of Europe as additional theaters open in the Middle East, Central America, and the Pacific Ocean. China initially allies with the Soviets to invade much of East Asia, but racial tensions and disputes over occupied territory eventually lead China to attack the Russian Far East. Gibson receives a ceasefire proposal from Orlov, but rejects its demands for massive territorial gains; Secretary of State Girard theorizes Orlov himself may not have sent it. Meanwhile in Moscow, Kutsov convenes the Politburo to remove Bugarin and draft a proper ceasefire, but Bugarin arrives and launches a coup d'état, ordering Kutsov and the entire Politburo arrested for "treason".
Bugarin orders a Soviet Navyballistic missile submarine to launch on the U.S.; the submarine's captain refuses, but the executive officer kills him and launches ICBMs at American cities including Washington, D.C.. Gibson has a breakdown after ordering retaliatory strikes against Soviet cities and is reassured of his actions by Girard. Bugarin is confronted by Orlov, revealed to have survived the heart attack, who condemns his warmongering actions, but one of Bugarin's aides assassinates him before he can reach Gibson through the Moscow–Washington hotline. The nuclear exchange devastates New York City, Chicago, Miami, Paris, Tokyo, and dozens of cities across the world, killing millions, but despite the destruction, society remains intact and the war continues. Gibson, forced underground with the rest of the U.S. government, learns Vandenberg is still operational and orders the immediate launch of Space Ranger. Laura, having survived the destruction of Tokyo by staying in the bar (now a makeshift shelter), traverses the ruined city to find a way back to Vandenberg, where she plans to be with Wataru as the world ends. The fighting begins to slow as the anti-war movement swells: civilians in the once-fractured Middle East march through battlefields demanding peace; the Pope delivers a stirring speech against the war; and disillusioned soldiers on both sides begin deserting en masse.
Space Ranger is launched in time to counter another wave of Soviet ICBMs, but three laser modules are overwhelmed and destroyed, the fourth is crippled, and the Voyager is severely damaged, leaving Wataru as the last surviving crew member. In Moscow, Bugarin, confronted by a recently freed Kutsov, reveals he will fire a final volley of MIRV-loaded ICBMs at the last standing cities in the U.S., crushing all remaining opposition and allowing Soviet communism to reign uncontested. Realizing he has gone mad, Kutsov and Bugarin's former supporters attempt to stop him, but Bugarin manages to launch the ICBMs before being shot and killed. Meanwhile, Laura arrives at Vandenberg, and Professor Brown allows her to board a shuttle sent to rendezvous with Wataru. In space, Wataru repairs the fourth module and, assisted by crewed Soviet satellite Baikal, manages to shoot down most of the MIRVs except one bound for Los Angeles. Unable to get a clear shot, Wataru flies the Voyager extremely close to the MIRV, destroying it but knocking him unconscious and throwing him into space. As the American shuttle with Laura aboard flies to rescue him, the Soviet Union dispatches Baikal to meet them, and Gibson and Kutsov watch the rescue from their respective spacecraft's camera feeds. As the rescue spacecraft close in, Wataru regains consciousness to see the Sun rise from behind the battered Earth, its inhabitants now set on world peace.[2]
Cast
Kin'ya Kitaōji as Wataru Mikumo (Robert Manning in the English version)
It is unclear when production on Future War 198X started, but it was primarily conducted by Toei Animation. Most of the production staff had previously worked on the Space Battleship Yamato franchise. Toei Animation's managing director Akinori Watanabe stated Toei's intention was to produce the film in a "realistic" art style with "Western-style images"; to this end, the film's aesthetic was mostly influenced by Japanese film illustrator Noriyoshi Ohrai, who also created illustrations, posters, and concept art.[3]
Production was assisted by former Japan Self-Defense Forces Major General Iwano Masataka, the film's music was performed by the New Japan Philharmonic, and the film's costumes were designed by French fashion designer André Courrèges. Production cost a total of approximately 600 million yen.[4]
Controversy
In February 1981, Toei Animation's labor union received an early copy of the film's script and, after reviewing it, described it as "dangerous", citing a pro-war narrative that viewed nuclear warfare positively. In April 1981, the union announced in The Asahi Shimbun that their members would not be participating in the film's production.[4][3] This forced the film's animation to be completed by outsourced animators.[5][6]
Future War 198X was controversial in Japan due to its depictions of nuclear war and the aftermath of war, and it was argued that the film glorified warfare, was right-wing propaganda, or was otherwise unsuitable for children to watch. The film was boycotted and protested by Toei Animation's labor union, joined by approximately 38 organizations, including the Japan Association for the Protection of Children, the Mothers Association of Japan, the Japan Teachers Union in Tokyo, and even the formation of a dedicated protest movement by these organizations called "Group Against 198X".[4][7] On 25 May 1981, a physical protest against the film's release was held at the Japan Education Center in Tokyo.[4][7] The goals of each organization reportedly differed: parent–teacher associations complained that war was being promoted in a positive light, while labor unions argued the Soviet Union was portrayed too negatively and criticized how Toei's animators were required to work on a film they ideologically disagreed with.[3] This controversy was timely, as Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone was perceived to be staunchly militaristic and supportive of a Japanese nuclear weapons program, and over the years after the Future War 198X controversy the anime industry's labor unions continued to lobby against Nakasone's policies.[3]
The April 1982 issue of Animage covered the controversy in an article by Koichi Kato, in which several Future War 198X staff members, including Toei managing director Akinori Watanabe, provided details on the film's development and responded to criticisms, interspersed with commentary from parent–teacher association members and labor union officials.[4][3] Watanabe denied that the film was pro-war or promoted right-wing beliefs, instead positioning the film as a "moving Guernica" and stating "showing the audience what would happen if World War III broke out is a true suggestion for peace."[4] Animation director Tomoharu Katsumada also stated he would never make a pro-war film, having himself lived through World War II as a child.[4] Both notably criticized the idea that the film was intended for youth to begin with, and lambasted the anime industry's standard of pandering to the toy and figurine industry to market to children (the film featured real weapons that were not toys, making marketing this way difficult).[4][3]
In the May 1982 issue of Animage, the Future War 198X staff's response was criticized by Gundam animator and character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko in his monthly column in the magazine.[8][3] Yasuhiko criticized Watanabe's response as "reeking of hypocrisy", opined the film did not deserve its high budget, and argued the medium of anime was "unsuitable for a serious consideration of war".[8] Yasuhiko had made a statement on that topic in the April 1982 issue, opining it was better to not touch upon war and politics if one was unable to handle that subject matter correctly;[9] in this context, Yasuhiko believed Future War 198X did not have a serious grasp on war and politics and would be unable to properly communicate its messages to an audience.[3]
In response to the controversy, director Toshio Masuda rewrote the film to take on a strong anti-war theme by its release.[10]
Release
Future War 198X was initially intended to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival, but this never happened.[3]
A German dub was released in West and East Germany. The German dub removed particularly bloody and violent scenes, reducing the film's runtime by approximately 10 minutes. The film was reportedly also released in Italy. It was later aired on Greek television dubbed in Greek, most recently on ET3 in the mid-1990s.
An English version of the film was released on VHS in Australia by Wizard Video. This version was not a full English dub, but instead retained the original Japanese dialogue while providing an English voiceover that summarized the events of each scene. It featured music by Tangerine Dream, Asia, and Rush. Scenes relating to Japan's involvement in the war were also removed, and the character Wataru Mikumo was renamed "Robert Manning". This English cut was only 90 minutes long, compared to the original Japanese version's length of 125 minutes long, and the German cut's length of 115 minutes.[2][11][12]
Matteowatz, reviewing Future War 198X in an article about it in Animétudes, described the film as "pretty bad". His criticism particularly centered on the film's supposed stance that, per Watanabe, "there are no good guys"—which he noted was not true, with the film instead presenting the United States as ultimately saving the world from a crisis started by the Soviet Union. He also noted the film placed a significant focus on Japan and the country's military capabilities, with a Japanese protagonist ultimately saving humanity, placing the Japanese perspective at the forefront.[3]
Sean O'Mara, writing in Zimmerit, criticized the film as being "drawn-out" and "ugly". He greatly criticized the anti-war theming as "tacked on" and "unconvincing", arguing the ending sent the message that nuclear war can be won and that "as much as war sucks, having the best technology is still the most important thing". He also compared the film to the stronger anti-war messages of 1983's WarGames and The Day After, describing Future War 198X in comparison as "exploitive; reveling in the imagery of the war without much consideration for the potential outcome." However, he did praise Ohrai's artwork for the film, but still argued it was "befitting of a much more interesting film".[6]
anime-games.co.uk noted Ohrai's artwork did not accurately reflect the content of the film, which they described as "mostly talking" and lacking much footage of the effects of the nuclear exchange or the actual war itself. They greatly criticized the film's ending as drastically downplaying the effects of global nuclear war (Earth and the survivors recover unusually quickly, and all of humanity bonds together for peace), describing it as "completely implausable and undercut[ting] the drama of everything that came before it".[2]
Reviewing the English version of the film, Vintagecoats criticized the unusual narration style, sound design, and rock music score as detracting from the dramatic experience and "drain[ing] all the potential color from the world of this film".[11]
Anime historian David Merrill was quoted as describing Future War 198X as "a big, tedious sludge of a picture".[6]
Novelization
A novelization of Future War 198X was published by Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha in 1982, written by Masataka Iwano, who also worked on the film as a planning coordinator.
Notes
^The 1980 Summer Olympics are stated to have occurred five years prior to the events of the film.
^ abYasuhiko, Yoshikazu (December 1982). "連載最終回 月づきの雑記帳 おしまいにあたってのいろいろなこと…" [Moongazing Notes Final Entry – So Many Things to Say at the End]. Animage (in Japanese). Tokuma Shoten. pp. 144–145.
^Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu (April 1982). "連載04 月づきの雑記帳 政治のこと…" [Moongazing Notes #04 – On Politics…]. Animage (in Japanese). Tokuma Shoten. pp. 134–135.
