The above three pictures give an example of the differing styles of the Gatchaman series. The first picture is taken from Gatchaman 1 (The basis for G-Force - Guardians of Space and Battle of the Planets). The second picture shows the civvies used in Gatchaman 2 and F (The basis for Eagle Riders). The third picure is taken from the OVAs.
After being fortunate enough to have seen episodes of all three of the english translations of Gatchaman, some of the original plus the OVAs, here are some of my likes and dislikes about each series. They are of course just my personal opinion.
Battle of the Planets
Likes
- The theme music.
- The version most suitable for young children.
- The nostalgia value. I grew up on this series.
Dislikes
- 7-Zark-7 : enough said. Actually my chief complaint about him is that he takes up all that screen time for very little purpose.
- Keyop's speech impediment. He is too valuable a character to waste in this way.
- The stark difference in style between Sandy Frank's animation and the original.
G-Force, Guardians of Space
Likes
- Keeps closer to the original storyline.
- Characters are more rounded than in BOTP.
Dislikes
- The ever present dance track.
- The names. Dirk Daring, Ace Goodheart!!
Eagle Riders
Likes
- That we finally have an English version of the 2nd and 3rd series of Gatchaman.
- The Gatch 2 parts are generally done quite well.
Dislikes
- The campiness of it. In particular the "Global Good" lines and Mallanox's voice.
- Naming Count Egobossler "Happy Boy".
- The series starts to fall apart at the end with the storyline jumping all over the place, due to a poor translation of Gatch F.
The OVAs
Likes
- The new team uniforms.
- Katse's look.
- Some of the new tricks up the team's sleeve, such as the bird hologram.
- That many of the themes in the original series were touched upon, from Ken's father to Jun's crush on Ken.
- The soundtrack. The concessions to the original music were greatly appreciated.
Dislikes
- The civvies for Ken, Jo and Jun.
- A lot of plot is covered, at the expense of character development.
The Original
Likes
- The Dare Da opening theme
- The characters seem more rounded, in particular Jo. I felt like I truly understood his actions and personality. Dr. Nambu also appears to be a more human person than his counterparts in the other versions.
- Jinpei's voice. He actually sounds like a child.
- Jo's deep voice.
Dislikes
- Jun is weaker than her counterparts in the other versions.