Zatch Bell! Attack of Mechavulcan

Japanese theatrical poster

The Blu-ray of the American release of Zatch Bell! 101st Devil and Attack of Mechavulcan.

The DVD of the American release of Zatch Bell! Attack of Mechavulcan.

Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Mechavulcan no Raishū (劇場版『金色のガッシュベル!! メカバルカンの来襲』, Gekijōban Konjiki no Gasshu Beru!! Mekabarukan no Raishū, lit. "Movie Golden Gash Bell!! Attack of Mechavulcan"), marketed as Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Attack of Mechavulcan on the official website and theatrical poster, is a 2005 Japanese animated film and the second movie based on the anime series Konjiki no Gash Bell!!. The first film was Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Unlisted Demon #101, which was released in 2004. This 85-minute film was released in Japan on August 6, 2005, but has not been dubbed in any other languages besides Japanese.

Fortunately, as of early 2018, Discotek Media announced that the Zatch Bell! movies will be released outside of Japan with Japanese audio and English subtitles on Blu-ray, with this movie titled as Zatch Bell! Attack of Mechavulcan, which was released on March 27, 2018 with Zatch Bell! 101st Devil packed together and published by Discotek Media.

On February 28, 2018, Discotek Media also announced individual DVD releases of these movies in English subtitles on April 28, 2018, alongside the English-subtitled DVD release of Toriko: Secret Recipe of Gourmet God.

Synopsis

As Kiyomaro races to catch the bus to seaside camp, little does he know that Dr. M2, a demonic magic scientist from the future, has sent out a robot to kidnap him. He's trapped in limbo with the mad magic scientist who wants to be his partner and an army of Vulcan robot lookalikes. Dr. M2 sends a robot to pretend to befriend Gash, keeping him away from Kiyomaro until M2 can abscond with the teen genius to the future. In the end, it comes down to saving the world with a little help from their friends...

Full Summary

The film begins with a mysterious figure, Dr. M2, rallying a group of robots that he calls Death Mechanics (which all look like gigantic robotic blue versions of Vulcan, a plastic box with wooden sticks for arms that Kiyo Takamine “gifted” to Zatch). He orders one of the units, Death 18, to kidnap Kiyo.

Meanwhile, Kiyo is rushing to get to the bus for Coast School, since he slept in late. He leaves Zatch behind, who chases after Kiyo. During the chase, Vulcan, who Zatch brought along with him, is partially broken. Stuck in a tree and unable to stop Kiyo, Zatch asks him if he’ll at least fix Vulcan, but Kiyo says that he’ll “make him a new one.” As Kiyo tries to chase the already-moving bus down, his friends spot him and try to tell the others to stop the bus. However, while they’re not paying attention, Death 18 swoops down from the sky and abducts Kiyo, carrying him away and leaving his friends baffled. Once Kiyo arrives at Dr. M2’s lab, he is contained inside an orange bubble. Dr. M2 then orders Death 18 to go down and distract Zatch to keep him away from Kiyo by making Zatch think that he’s his friend.

As Zatch walks home, he thinks about the previous versions, or “generations,” of Vulcan that had been ruined in the past (leading up to the third that he currently had), and how they are all important friends of his. Screaming out that Kiyo’s an idiot, Naomi, the local bully, believes that Zatch was talking about her, so she starts pummeling him. However, Death 18 comes down from the sky and interrupts her. As he’s about to harm Naomi, Zatch realizes that he looks just like Vulcan, and tells him not to hurt Naomi. Naomi runs off and Death 18 fixes Zatch’s Vulcan. Zatch thinks that Death 18 is another Vulcan that Kiyo built, and calls him “Yondaime,” or “Fourth Generation.” Zatch and Vulcan then ride in Yondaime’s giant mouth into town.

In Dr. M2’s lab, the demon explains that Kiyo is to be his new partner, and that he can take Kiyo to the future demon world. Dr. M2 shows Kiyo the Death Mechanics, but Kiyo tells him that they’re just rip-offs of Vulcan. To prove him wrong, Dr. M2 shows Kiyo a robotic model of Vulcan from the future that Kiyo will someday build; however, as a prototype, it’s loaded up with bugs. Dr. M2 had realized that the best way to fix the Death Mechanics was to have Kiyo repair them. Kiyo asks Dr. M2 whether the battle to decide the next ruler of the Demon World is still going on, but Dr. M2 simply states that he isn’t interested in that battle, leaving it vague. Dr. M2 offers again to bring Kiyo to the future, but he refuses. Dr. M2 tells him that the idiots of his time can’t understand him, but Kiyo says that Zatch changed his view of people around him.

Meanwhile, after venturing into town, Zatch and Yondaime go under a bridge and find graffiti. As the two start painting the walls themselves, Zatch paints “Yondaime” in Kanji onto the robot’s body. Zatch’s demon friends, Tia, Kanchome, and Ponygon, then arrive under the bridge. While Kanchome is terrified by Yondaime, Zatch explains that he is a present from Kiyo, so the five of them then play together in the park. As Dr. M2 opens the portal to the future to return with Kiyo, a dark cloud is created over the city. Citizens of Mochinoki Town are advised to leave, and there is mass panic. Zatch says that they should all go to investigate, but Yondaime’s programming makes him try to keep them all away. After much prodding from Zatch, though, Yondaime realizes that he and Zatch have become friends, and he changes his mind. The four demons get into Yondaime’s mouth and, revealing that he can fly, Yondaime soars towards the cloud.

Upon entering the dark cloud, they discover Dr. M2’s giant floating castle. Infuriated that Death 18 disobeyed his orders, Dr. M2 tries to reprimand him, but the robot doesn’t respond. Kiyo manages to break free from his prison and communicates with Zatch using a giant monitor on the side of the castle. Dr. M2 summons all of the Death Mechanics to fight off Zatch and the others, but Kiyo manages to get Zatch to fire his Zaker spell, blasting away the Death Mechanics’ missiles. The attack also tears a hole in a part of the castle, though, leaving Kiyo to fall from the sky; however, Yondaime manages to catch him.

Kiyo gets ready to attack the army of Vulcans, but Zatch, believing them all to be Vulcans and, therefore, all his friends, runs towards them to try to talk to them, while Yondaime keeps Kiyo restrained. The Vulcans don’t respond to Zatch’s words, though, and all begin to pummel him. Tia, Kanchome, Ponygon, and Yondaime all try to hold back the Vulcans from attacking him, but to no avail. As all of the Vulcans try to take Kiyo, Zatch yells at them to stop. They all stop momentarily, but are immediately called back to the castle by Dr. M2. One of Dr. M2’s lightning bolts hits Yondaime, reverting him to his original programming. Despite Zatch’s efforts, Yondaime flies off to join the others, who all fuse together with the castle to become one giant Vulcan.

As the giant Vulcan attacks the group, Megumi, Folgore, and Sunbeam all arrive in a car together to help fight it off. During the scuffle, Megumi casts Giga Ra Seushiru, causing the giant Vulcan’s attack to reflect back at it, making it collapse. Zatch asks again if they can stop attacking, saying that since they’re all Vulcans, they’re all his friends. Kiyo angrily snatches Zatch’s Vulcan from his hand, saying that it’s just a toy made from chopsticks and a paper box that he scrapped together. Zatch tearfully reminds Kiyo that Vulcan was the first friend that Kiyo ever made for him. Shaken by Zatch’s statement, Kiyo says that the only reason he wanted to go to Coast School was because his friends would be there. Kiyo had been alone, thinking that the world was boring and stupid, until Zatch had come along and taught him the importance of friends. Kiyo comes to tears as he says that, although Zatch made many friends for Kiyo, the only friend that he could give Zatch was a toy made of a paper box and chopsticks, yet Zatch still cherishes it so much. Everyone agrees that, because Vulcan is Zatch’s friend, he is their friend as well, and will help protect all of the Vulcans. With newfound understanding and determination, Kiyo comes up with a plan to stop the Vulcans without destroying them.

The four demon and human pairs coordinate attacks and trick Dr. M2 into opening the power reactor on the front of the enormous Vulcan to attack; however, before he can, Zatch and Kiyo jump in the way and fire Zakeruga at the reactor, destroying it. When the giant Vulcan collapses, Zatch sees that Yondaime is all right, and he hugs him.

Suddenly, the storm around them intensifies, and everyone realizes that if they don’t seal the time-space hole, then the entire Earth will be destroyed. Kiyo grabs Dr. M2, asking him to fix it. Dr. M2 reveals that if the destroyed reactor is fixed, the hole will close, but there would need to be a large amount of power to reactivate it. Zatch states that they could provide the power to activate the reactor, and Dr. M2 realizes that everyone’s combined power could repair it.

As Dr. M2 floats in the sky in the core of his castle, the four demons cast a series of spells to channel power into the reactor, ending with Kiyo casting Zatch’s most powerful spell, Bao Zakeruga, to guide it. However, their efforts are unsuccessful, and the temporarily closed gate opens once more. Yondaime then flies up, attaching himself to the reactor. Dr. M2 realizes that Zatch could strike the reactor still active in Yondaime to get the main reactor working again, but Zatch says that he could never shoot Yondaime. As Zatch cries, Yondaime begins talking to him; however, the one sending the message through Yondaime is in fact the Vulcan prototype, which is revealed to contain Kiyo’s recorded voice. He says that they will always be friends, whether they are together or apart; he speaks not only as Yondaime, but also as the future Kiyo who no longer has Zatch with him. Redetermined, Zatch and Kiyo launch a gigantic Bao Zakeruga, which crashes through Yondaime and splits into three heads, starting up the reactor. As Dr. M2 sits in the castle, holding the prototype Vulcan in his lap, he quietly wonders to himself if the transmission element that Zatch and Kiyo used to guide the reactor can guide even himself. The three Bao Zakerugas fly into the cloud, successfully closing the hole and leaving Dr. M2’s fate unknown. The giant Vulcan then separates back into the smaller Vulcans, who fly away into the sky. Zatch asks Kiyo if he can ever see Yondaime again, but Kiyo responds that he’ll build him an even better Vulcan—an even better friend.

Cast

• Dr. M2: Shigeru Chiba
• Zatch Bell: Ikue Ōtani
• Kiyo Takamine: Takahiro Sakurai
• Megumi Oumi: Ai Maeda
• Tia: Rie Kugimiya
• Parco Folgore: Hiroki Takahashi
• Kanchomé: Masami Kikuchi
• Kafk Sunbeam: Hozumi Gōda
• Ponygon: Satomi Kōrogi
• Hiroshi Yamanaka: Kazunari Tanaka
• Mochinoki Middle School's Principal: Masaaki Tsukada
• Suzy Mizuno: Tomoko Akiya
• Hana Takamine: Wakana Yamazaki
• Kane: Wataru Takagi
• DS18/4th Generation Vulcan 300: Ayaka Saitō
• Miss Wriggle: Mari Adachi
• Naomi: Shihomi Mizowaki

Soundtrack

See also: Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Movie: Attack of Mechavulcan Original Soundtrack

Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Movie: Attack of Mechavulcan Original Soundtrack (劇場版 金色のガッシュベル!! メカバルカンの来襲 オリジナルサウンドトラック, Gekijōban Konjiki no Gasshu Beru!! Mekabarukan no Raishū Orijinaru Saundotorakku) is the fourth original soundtrack of the Konjiki no Gash Bell!!/Zatch Bell! anime to be released and is based on this movie. The soundtrack was released by Interchannel and King Records on August 3, 2005 in Japan only.

Most of the songs in Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Movie: Attack of the Mecha-Vulcan Original Soundtrack were composed by Kow Otani. The third opening theme of the Konjiki no Gash Bell!! anime, "Mienai Tsubasa" (見えない翼, lit. Invisible Wing)—which was also used as the opening theme of Konjiki no Gash Bell!! Movie 2: Attack of the Mecha-Vulcan—was composed (including lyrics) and arranged by Michihiko Ohta and sung by Takayoshi Tanimoto. "Chichi wo Moge!" (チチをもげ!) was composed and arranged by Nobuhiko Kashiwara, lyrics written by Makoto Raiku (creator of Konjiki no Gash!!) and Akatsuki Yamatoya, and sung by Parco Folgore's voice Japanese actor Hiroki Takahashi. "Kaze o Ukete" (風をうけて, lit. "Feel the Wind") was composed by Ryoji and arranged by Kow Otani and the original version was sung by Aya Ueto, but only an instrumental version appears in the movie and soundtrack.

Theme songs

1. "Kaze o Ukete" by Aya Ueto
2. "Kasabuta" by Chiwata Hidenori
3. "Mienai Tsubasa" by Takeyoshi Tanimoto

Gallery

External links

• Official website (Japanese)

References

Episode Guide