Armored trooper
VOTOMS
Perfect Soldier
Debuting in 1983, Armored Trooper VOTOMS is a series animated by Sunrise and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi. Like it’s spiritual predecessor, Fang of the Sun Dougram, VOTOMS takes the real robot subgenre of mecha further into the hard science fiction direction than Gundam did before it. The series takes place shortly after an uneasy truce was called in the 100 year war between the Gilgamesh and Balarant solar systems, and follows Chirico Cuvie, a Gilgamesh soldier who’s taken along for an unusual mission - and left for dead after seeing something he wasn’t meant to. The series’ main plot follows Chirico’s exploits as he seeks the truth behind the mission, and tries to come to terms with his own place in the war.
The series is well known for it’s iconic mecha designs, especially the Scopedog, which received a life-size statue in Inagi, Japan - hometown of Kunio Okawara, the series’ mechanical designer. The utilitarian military aesthetic of the mecha in the series, as well as the unique pilot suits and variety of different settings utilized throughout the series’ run make VOTOMS a visually unique experience. It is also known for using very little stock footage, a practice that was common in mecha anime during this era, and thus having much more dynamic action sequences than many of it’s contemporaries.
VOTOMS would go on to have several follow-up installments, including several OVA sequels and prequels, two sidestory OVAs, an AU OVA, and numerous video games. The series’ influence can be clearly seen in many series, with Chirico Cuvie himself being a character that has been expied in many mecha and other anime series since. The skating movements that the armored troopers use to traverse and engage in combat for in the show would also become a mainstay concept of mecha design, with other Sunrise shows such as Panzer World Galient and Code Geass implementing similar systems in their mecha, as well as series by other companies, including Guilty Crown and Obsolete. The world and mecha design of VOTOMS were direct inspirations for the Heavy Gear tabletop game.
Despite it’s renown, VOTOMS has never aired in the United States and has not received an English dub. A pilot dub of the first episode was recorded by the now-defunct Central Park Media, but it was not completed beyond that episode and the series was released only in the original Japanese with English subtitles. To date, every installment of the series except for the Armor Hunter Mellowlink spin-off OVA has received an English subtitled home video release.
Release Timeline
1983
Armored Trooper VOTOMS (52 ep. TV series)
1985
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Last Red Shoulder (1 ep. OVA)
1986
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: The Big Battle (1 ep. OVA)
1988
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Origin of Ambition (1 ep. OVA)
Armor Hunter Mellowlink (12 ep. OVA series)
1994
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Brilliantly Shining Heresy (5 ep. OVA series)
1996
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Supreme Survivor (graphic novel)
1997
Armored Trooper VOTOMS Gaiden: Blue Knight Berserga Story (PS1 video game)
2007
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Pailsen Files (12 ep. OVA series)
2010
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Genei ~ Phantom Chapter (6 ep. OVA series)
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Case;IRVINE (1 ep. OVA)
VOTOMS Finder (1 ep. OVA)
2011
Armored Trooper VOTOMS: Chirico’s Return (1 ep. OVA)
Where to watch?
Currently, the entire franchise is exclusively available to stream on HiDive. The only exception is Armor Hunter Mellowlink, which has not received an official English release yet. Fansubs are available online for that installment.
