Sono Go no Sengoku Majin GoShogun (Image Album) - Liner Notes from Takeshi Shudo

 

Here's something interesting you guys might like!
Several years ago, I posted onto YT an English-subbed version of the drama dialogue featured in the image album "Sono Go no Sengoku Majin GoShogun"—the album itself was an adaptation of a novel of the same name, taking place after the TV show.

The vinyl record for the image album comes included with an insert booklet, of which there are liner notes from a certain somebody on the back page...show creator Takeshi Shudo! (I've only just recently found out it was Shudo this entire time lol)

For the longest time I've always wondered what comments Shudo left behind. Previously I wasn't able to get anyone to translate much stuff for me but that has now changed—I introduce to you all an English-translated version of the notes Shudo wrote for this album. Thanks to Windii for translating!

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"I'm not gonna die..."
-Takeshi Shudo

It has already been two years since "Warring States Devil GoShogun" ended its television run in an extremely low-key manner. Its existence should be forgotten by restless anime fans. The ratings weren't that great, and the toys and plastic models didn't sell that well.

Even for me, I was too busy protecting my pink-haired magical girl from a group of terrifying lolicon-obsessed boys to think about the boy who had flown to the ends of the universe. The production staff and cast are now all scattered and active in their own fields. Many things have happened, many encounters and partings have occurred. The only things that have not changed are their lack of sleep and the fact that their favorite foods are cup noodles, hot bento boxes, and health drinks... Even Big Soul, who is no God, hasn't the slightest idea how we could "SEE YOU AGAIN."

If I recall, "GoShogun" was a robot animation in which none of the main cast members died. If the main cast dies in a good-looking way, the popularity will increase temporarily. In fact, when "GoShogun" started, it was the heyday of such anime. At first, "GoShogun" had such a sacrifice prepared for one of the main cast members.

However, when the voices were decided by the exquisite casting of Mr. Matsuura, the sound director, and they started to come alive with the character designs, they appeared in my head night after night and started to scream.

"I'm not gonna die!"

Not only the main cast members, but also OVA, Keluna, and all the other mecha that appeared in the series began to shout. 

"We can't die!"

Their cries brightened up the originally gloomy storyline and turned it into a quirky robot anime like the one I gave you. Soon, the work itself began to rant and rave.

"We can't die... oh, hey! Original creator guy, if you put a 'Fin' on that, you'll never get away with it!"

Thus, the TV version ended with a final indicator of SEE YOU AGAIN, a rarity for a TV program. And their cries certainly lived on. What a bunch of stubborn runts...

(After Warring States Devil GoShogun)
Even if the stage of their lives changed from anime to novels, and even if the record company changed...? They are still alive! The frivolous original creator is now relieved...

I'm so glad that they didn't give it a title like "GoShogun Complete" or "Farewell GoShogun" or "GoShogun Perfect Edition"... Phew!

So, once again, SEE YOU AGAIN!

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Some notes:
1. "Keluna" refers to the character "Kernagul", from the Dokuga Crime Syndicate
2. I honestly don't remember anymore if the show makes any mention of this—I certainly couldn't find any English page that mentions it either, so: "Big Soul" is from GoShogun, a "discarnate entity of the universe" (according to Wikipedia JP). This is where the Beamler energy from the show drives its powers from.

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