The Complete Book Of Thunderbirds 2086

1 - My Opinion

This section of the book is meant to cast my own personal views and interest for the series. As there is too much to cover in simply this one chapter, this book will see my own views and interest throughout almost every part, but more explicitly in this part. Bearing in mind, this is just my opinion, and if your's differ that's perfectly fine.

Thunderbirds 2086 seems to hold a controversial place among the Thunderbirds fandom. There are a large number of fans who despise this iteration of the series. It is understandable why it is viewed this way. Looking at it plainly, without context, Thunderbirds 2086 would be a rather unfaithful remake of the classic Gerry Anderson production. Even with the contextual evidence in mind, some fans would still claim it to be a poor anime Thunderbirds-inspired series. For me, however, Thunderbirds 2086 is a very enjoyable anime series. If only others like me were able to appreciate 2086 all on its own thing, then I'm sure the show would have tested better in the minds of fans. I do not compare it to the original, neither do I Thunderbirds Are Go, because it would be entirely unfair and so therefore I appreciate both series all for their own wonderful things. The less said about the disastrous Turbocharged Thunderbirds and the abominable 2004 movie, the better thank you very much!

I only first heard of 2086 when reading Chris Bentley's excellent The Complete Book of Thunderbirds (Carlton Books, 2000) where several pages of the series were devoted to the book. I understood 2086 was an anime series influenced by Thunderbirds and was adapted to the western market under the Thunderbirds branding. It was not a continuation of the series but I was interested in the show. There were pictures of the Arcology, Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 4, and a list of the crafts that were featured in the series. But of course, for me, my Thunderbirds was and will always be the original Gerry Anderson production, so some of what was described had me aroused and thinking whether the changes were for good or bad. There was also a mention of 2086 in The Worlds of Gerry Anderson book by Ian Fryer (Fonthill Media, 2016).

I had also seen the opening titles of the series on YT, and was curious to see these other forms of lost Thunderbirds media I had also heard about. I barely made it through Turbocharged, but I would finally get around to seeing a glimpse of 2086 in around October 2017. I only made it around 10 minutes in. Amine wasn't really my thing either and thought it was highly unlike anything Thunderbirds related (as do many people when they start watching 2086). The only other anime series I have really sat down and watched was Pokemon when it used to be on CITV about a decade ago. Nevertheless, I decided to give the series a proper chance now I know what I was expecting. Around Spring 2018, I began to watch the series in full and actually really enjoyed it. No, it doesn't have the same sort of intensity and magic the original has, the ships, and the characters are all totally different, and the absence of Lady Penelope and Parker does go noticed. The stories were pretty strong, and I appreciated the show in its own right away from the 1960s Thunderbirds. I kept my eyes and ears peeled for hearing sound effects and music from the SUPERMARIONATION and live-action shows by Anderson. I would soon begin to begin investigating and finding out more about this series. 

Particular favourite episodes of mine include Space Warriors, Thunderbolt, Big Deal, MindMeld, but my favourite would be Kudzilla. It was quite scary on first watching. An accident in a lab causes a plant to grow to a monstrous size and its roots spread across the entire space complex. It released acid from its tendrils to spread across the base and it's up to International Rescue to stop the plant from spreading before it is too late. I suppose that kind of Day Of The Triffids concept, combined with an alien plant life spreading its tentacled like body causing havoc, has always appealed to me. Not to say that that is where my origin for it has stemmed from (no pun intended), Century 22 has done several similar works of a plant becoming an uncontrollable carnivore or octopus monsters devouring its victims.

I do also occasionally watch a bit of the original Japanese dub, not that I understand a word of it. It does remind me a bit of when I used to watch the Italian translation of Muzzy :). The Japanese dub used more of its original music and sound effects, whereas the 2086 dub uses sound effects and lots of music from previous Gerry Anderson series. 

I also found the science fiction appeal of the series engaging, from the ships to the planets explored, the robots turned bad, or the disaster scenarios provided. Since 2018, I have rewatched the series several times over (albeit in varying quality over the years on YT). Although it seems to have dwindled into lost ambiguity over its 40 years, in its home country and in the western market, it remains a highly enjoyable hidden gem. These are the Thunderbirds 2086...