Catacombs International GuideJapan
Catacombs International Guide
JAPANThanks to Haruo Toda
In Japan the series was titled スペース 1999 ("Space 1999"). Year Two episodes had an additional title translating to "Big Space Adventure Space 1999".
46 episodes were broadcast (Bringers Of Wonder part 1 and 2 were not shown on TV until a recent digital CS TV broadcast). The episodes had a new Japanese theme song to replace the Gray/Wadsworth themes (this was not included on the digital broadcast or on the DVDs).
The series was not networked, and, like the US and UK, film prints were circulated between regional stations. The second series was shown four years after the first, on a different network.
In Tokyo, Year One was shown on TBS on Sundays from 3rd April 1977 at 1600- 1656. From the 17th episode, another episode was added on Saturdays (that is, two episodes per week). The series finished on 25th September 1977.
Year Two was shown on another major Japanese TV network, TV Asahi, from 18th May 1981, every weekday until 19th June 1981. Again, the timeslot was 4pm; more inconvenient on weekdays.
There were several repeats, the last being in the early 1980s on TV Tokyo. In 1999-2000, the series was shown on the digital TV channel CS "Super Channel" (one channel of "PerfecTV!" - currently "SkyPerfecTV!"). (There may also have been a 1997 repeat). The "Super Channel" is one of the related businesses of "Tohoku Shinsha", a distributor of overseas visual programmes in Japan. They repeat a number of ITC series such as Thunderbirds and Stingray, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Prisoner, UFO as well as 1999.
Original Japanese theme song: Written by Ichiro Araki, sung by Tsunehiko Kamijo, both well known for TV themes (translation thanks to Haruo Toda, words copyright Ichiro Araki)
1.
What are you longing for in the night sky,
In the infinite Space where stars are shining?
Having no hopes of returning, strays this white star.
Moonbase ALPHA is the star wandering...
Ah, even today,
On the windows, tears of foreign stars lie.
2.
We'd have left all things on the Earth far behind,
Those were memories of love, hatred, and fighting,
Coming back again we don't know why, on this white star.
Moonbase ALPHA is the star wandering...
Ah, even today,
Pieces of drifting stars break our dreaming mind.
The dubbing sessions for Year 1 were one day a week, a few weeks before the actual broadcasts. Episode 13, Voyager's Return, was recorded on 8th June 1977 between 10:00 and 16:30, and broadcast on 24th July. Episode 14, Matter Of Life And Death, was recorded on 15 June between 10:00 and 16:30, then broadcast on 31th July.
In 2018, Gara Takashima dubbed the voice of Sandra for Message From Moonbase Alpha, when it was shown by the on-demand service of Tohokushinsha Film Corporation.
The original screening order shown here was also used on the DVDs. The Japanese episode titles were remarkably redolent of pulp science fiction/B-movies. Timeslots were 55 minutes (16:30-17:25).
| Nr | Date (Tokyo) | Japanese Title (Translation) | Original Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y1.01 | 3 April 1977 16:30 | 人類の危機!宇宙基地大爆発 Mankind at a Crisis! Big Explosion in the Space Base |
Breakaway | |
| Y1.02. | 10 April 1977 16:30 | もう地球へ帰れない! No Return to the Earth! |
Earthbound | |
| Y1.03. | 17 April 1977 16:30 | 宇宙船団大戦争 Big Battle with Space Fleets |
War Games | |
| Y1.04. | 24 April 1977 16:30 | 黒い太陽ブラック・ホール Black Sun - a Black hole |
Black Sun | |
| Y1.05. | 1 May 1977 16:30 | 怪奇!宇宙の子供誕生 Bizarre! A Birth of Space Child |
Alpha Child | |
| Y1.06. | 8 May 1977 16:30 | 宇宙冷凍人間の正体 True Colour (Character) of the Space Freezing Man |
Force Of Life | |
| Y1.07. | 15 May 1977 16:30 | 巨大宇宙都市出現! Coming of the Huge Space Town! |
Mission Of The Darians | |
| Y1.08. | 22 May 1977 16:30 | 宇宙天国の誘惑 Temptation of the Space Paradise |
Guardian Of Piri | |
| Y1.09. | 29 May 1977 16:30 | 月が巨大惑星と衝突!? Moon is about to Collide with a Big Planet!? |
Collision Course | |
| Y1.10. | 5 June 1977 16:30 | 宇宙洞窟原始人の襲来 Attack of Primitive Space Cavemen |
The Full Circle | |
| Y1.11. | 12 June 1977 16:30 | 宇宙の悪魔・地獄のマシーン Space Devil, Infernal Machine |
The Infernal Machine | |
| Y1.12. | 19 June 1977 16:30 | 赤い太陽、最後の日没 A Red Sun, The Last Sunset |
The Last Sunset | |
| Y1.13. | 26 June 1977 16:30 | 宇宙の破壊者、核爆弾船 Space Destroyer, Nuclear Bomb Ship |
Voyager's Return | |
| Y1.14. | 3 July 1977 16:30 | 宇宙によみがえった死者 Living dead in Space |
Matter Of Life And Death | |
| Y1.15. | 10 July 1977 16:30 | 宇宙コンピュータの反逆 Revolt of the Space Computer |
Ring Around The Moon | |
| Y1.16. | 17 July 1977 16:30 | 宇宙戦艦ミサイル発射! Space Battleships, Launching the Missiles! |
The Last Enemy | |
| Y1.17. | 23 July 1977 16:30 | 宇宙墓場の怪獣現わる! Monsters Emerge From Space Tomb! |
Dragon's Domain | |
| Y1.18. | 24 July 1977 16:30 | 月が二つに分かれる時 When the Moon Splits into Two |
Another Time, Another Place | |
| Y1.19. | 30 July 1977 16:30 | 宇宙動物園の人間実験 Human Experimentation in the Space Zoo |
Missing Link | |
| Y1.20. | 31 July 1977 16:30 | 巨大な宇宙脳の攻撃 Attack of the Huge Space Brain |
Space Brain | |
| Y1.21. | 17 September 1977 16:30 | 永遠の生命の怪 Mystery of Everlasting Life |
Death's Other Dominion | |
| Y1.22. | 18 September 1977 16:30 | 宇宙悪霊の呪い The Curse of the Space Evil Spirit |
The Troubled Spirit | |
| Y1.23. | 24 September 1977 16:30 | 宇宙の細胞再生人間 Cell-regenerating Man of Space |
End Of Eternity | |
| Y1.24. | 25 September 1977 16:30 | 神よ!宇宙に新しい平和を O, God! Bring New Peace in Space! |
The Testament Of Arkadia | |
| Year 2 | ||||
| Y2.01 | 18 May 1981 16:30 | 脱出!変身惑星サイコン Escape! PSYCHON, the Planet of Metamorphosing |
The Metamorph | |
| Y2.02 | 19 May 1981 16:30 | 惑星ゴロスの反逆者 Traitors of Planet GOLOS |
The Exiles | |
| Y2.03 | 20 May 1981 16:30 | 宇宙アンドロイドの誘惑 Temptation of the Space Androids |
One Moment Of Humanity | |
| Y2.04 | 21 May 1981 16:30 | 怪奇!宇宙の変色殺人岩 Bizarre! Lethal Colour-changing Rock |
All That Glisters | |
| Y2.05 | 22 May 1981 16:30 | タイムトラベル あこがれの地球へ Time travel bound for the longing Earth |
Journey To Where | |
| Y2.06 | 25 May 1981 16:30 | 超宇宙からの来訪者 Visitor from out of Space |
The Taybor | |
| Y2.07 | 26 May 1981 16:30 | 惑星アーカノンの掟 The Rules of Planet ARCHANON |
The Mark Of Archanon | |
| Y2.08 | 1 June 1981 16:30 | 植物惑星ルートンの恐怖 Terror of the Plant Planet LUTON |
The Rules Of Luton | |
| Y2.09 | 2 June 1981 16:30 | 殺人コンピュータの陰謀 Intrigue of the Killing Computer |
Brian The Brain | |
| Y2.10 | 3 June 1981 16:30 | 偽りのユートピア Pseudo-utopia |
New Adam, New Eve | |
| Y2.11 | 4 June 1981 16:30 | 宇宙の稲妻!衝撃波 Space Lightning! Shockwave |
The A B Chrysalis | |
| Y2.12 | 5 June 1981 16:30 | SOS!月は地獄だ! S.O.S., The Moon is a Hell! |
Catacombs Of The Moon | |
| Y2.13 | 8 June 1981 16:30 | カルトン惑星破壊の種子 Planet KALTHON, Seed of Destruction |
Seed Of Destruction | |
| Y2.14 | 9 June 1981 16:30 | 生命維持システムを救え! Save the Life-supporting System! |
The Beta Cloud | |
| Y2.15 | 10 June 1981 16:30 | 四次元空間の恐怖 Fear of the Four-dimension Space |
Space Warp | |
| Y2.16 | 11 June 1981 16:30 | アンチ・ワールドからの侵略者 Intruder from the Anti-World |
A Matter Of Balance | |
| Y2.17 | 12 June 1981 16:30 | ラムダ変形超能力殺人事件 Murder Case of Lambda Supernatural Transformation Power |
The Lambda Factor | |
| Y2.18 | 15 June 1981 16:30 | 月よ動け!郷愁の惑星トーラ Move, Moon! TORA, the Planet of Nostalgia |
Seance Spectre | |
| Y2.19 | 16 June 1981 16:30 | 招かざる客ドルザック Dorzak, An Uninvited Guest |
Dorzak | |
| Y2.20 | 17 June 1981 16:30 | 植民地衛星エントラの悪夢 Nightmare of the Colonised Satellite ENTRA |
Devil's Planet | |
| Y2.21 | 18 June 1981 16:30 | 謎の宇宙知性体 Mysterious Space Intelligence |
The Immunity Syndrome | |
| Y2.22 | 19 June 1981 16:30 | マヤよ!永遠にアルファに... Maya! Forever is here, ALPHA... |
The Dorcons | |
| Not broadcast | SPACE: 2100 | The Bringers Of Wonder | ||
Copyright Martin Willey. Thanks to Haruo Toda.