Tarabaman

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A long-running metaseries of costumed heroes with king crab-inspired aesthetics fighting fantastic alien or monstrous foes. The first series, Taraba Q, was released in 0044; its pilot episode featured scientists learning about a mysterious king crab from outer space. Subsequent episodes covered alien invasions, out-of-place artifacts, and supernatural abilities, often with vague allusions to the nature of the first episode's alien crab.

Tarabaman has undergone several reboots and reimaginings; the second series, Tarabaman, is better-known worldwide and set the tone for things that followed. Tarabaman is among Japan's most popular superheroes, and its near-uninterrupted five-decade run has made it a comforting, nostalgic figure and a way to connect the young and the old.

During the One Year War, Taraba Q was used as the broadcast material for testing alternative broadcast frequencies and methodologies less sensitive to the effects of Minovsky warfare. The first successful broadcast version has unusually sharp color, and the lower broadcast resolution covers up the worst-looking elements of the special effects. This version, usually referred to as "M-Color Q" by fans, is generally regarded as superior to the original broadcast despite the technical limitations imposed by the war, but has only been released as physical media in limited quantities at January 2nd Armistice Day events. A complete copy of M-Color Q usually commands a high price.

While at its most popular in Japan, Tarabaman is loved worldwide -- a fact that has come into sharp relief after the Britannian invasion of Japan; Tarabaman production has forked across the border. While production has continued in Free Japan, a high-gloss action movie titled Tarabaman: First Generation has entered production at Hi-TV's Area 11 branch, expected to release in 0098 or 0099.

Tarabaman Production History and Trivia

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Tarabaman Series

• Taraba Q - Aired in 0044. Started it all. Bears more resemblance to a supernatural investigation show than a hero show.
• Tarabaman - Aired 0045-46. The pivot to a giant hero show. The protagonists retain a small amount of king crab theming thanks to the name.
• Tarabaman S - Aired 0048. The first sequel to Tarabaman. Features Tarabaman's brother, a more experienced Tarabaman named S. S changes up some of the combat style, using visual lessons learned from the activities of Steel Jeeg.
• Taraba V - Aired 0049. Made by producers who weren't sure if Taraba or Tarabaman would be the style to keep going. Like Taraba Q, it was more of a supernatural investigation show than a giant hero show, but with occasional cameos from Tarabaman S characters (including Tarabaman S himself); it's rumoured that they shot those scenes during Tarabaman S production whenever the actors weren't busy because they often don't fit in perfectly with the rest of the V episode. Poorly regarded and generally just felt to be riding Tarabaman S's coattails, it barely finished its season and then was almost never mentioned again.
• Tarabaman Dynomite - Aired in 0058. Notable mainly for a kaiju resembling a suspiciously copyright-avoidant giant lizard coming out of the water, as well as for some of the more hamtastic and so-bad-it's-good editing in the series.
• Tarabaman 60 - Predictably aired in 0060. Generally agreed to be a response to the feelings of helplessness inherent to the Zentradi War, Tarabaman 60 is low on Tarabaman combat and gives a disproportionate amount of attention to its human defense team.
• Tarabaman Flash - Aired in 0063. Notable for multiple long-running arcs with zero 'episodic' storylines, but generally light hearted. A parallel dimension arc is a fan favorite.
• Tarabaman R - Aired in 0066. After introducing the concept of parallel dimensions in Tarabaman Flash, Tarabaman R doubles down, highlighting a new universe entirely.
• Tarabaman Luna - Aired in 0067. Tarabaman Luna continues the worldline of Tarabaman R, but takes place almost entirely on the moon. One of the first Tarabaman entries with significant amounts of filming in space, due to extensive investment by Von Braun-based companies.
• Tarabaman Éclatant - Aired in 0068. One of a handful of foreign-produced Taraba Series entries; this one was made in AEU France, and indeed aired in French! If you're from the OCU and you like this you have ENORMOUS hipster taste.
• Tarabaman Kai - Aired in 0071. The first Tarabaman entry fully produced in space, with most episodes taking place in the PLANTs. Kai is a little bleak by Tarabaman standards, and the sets are kind of cheap; the plot is kaiju-forward, and the Tarabaman himself usually spends several episodes struggling with the same kaiju.
• Tarabaman REBUILD - Aired 2Q 0080. A long-form feature film which was later expanded into four "episodes" with additional footage and scenes, the story was an interdimensional team-up of Tarabamen against a great menace, overcome ultimately through understanding. Memorable for both ubiquitous merchandising in less devastated areas as a mechanism of charitable fundraising, and due to heavy exposure in regional and colonial entertainment feeds. Imagery from REBUILD is often known even to non-Tarabaheads.
• Tarabaman X4 - Aired in 0083. Tarabaman X4 is an ambitious series that presents a generational story with several hosts for the titular Tarabaman. Despite this, it doesn't center the Tarabaman very much, and focuses much more on a supernatural investigation group similar to Taraba Q's. X4 is contentious; some people see it as a return to form, but others see it as an enormous slog.
• Tarabaman vs. Captain Zeon - Actually two unrelated properties, both coincidentally airing in 0089. The first is an official short in which the original Tarabaman defeats a gigantic Captain Zeon; this one's widely considered a late reaction to the Gryps War and not all that good. The second is a low-budget fan flick produced in Alba City, in which a lost Tarabaman battles Captain Zeon on Mars, only for both to join forces to defeat a kaiju with an eagle head and goat horns - widely considered to embody the "bad Federation" of Zeon lore. Nobody's figured out who to sue for this one yet.
• Tarabaman Zora - Aired in 0090. Tarabaman Zora sees the titular hero -- an uncomplicated, kind Tarabaman -- finally put a more-than-transient scar on Tarabaman Mika at the climax of the show.
• Tarabaman W - Aired in 0091. Tarabaman W features a Tarabaman who inherits the power through a book. While the fandom is sharply divided about the world-mechanics of this entry, it has earned a lot of love from people looking for a metafictional take on Tarabaman. There are a lot of episodes with surreal direction, and it's a lot more risque than usual for Taraba content.
• Tarabaman Hammer - Aired in 0093. Tarabaman Hammer is a fan favorite among the recent Taraba entries, and received two seasons and a movie. Hammer is a rarity among Tarabaman heroes -- one with a lengthy backstory as a villain, covered in side media.
  • Tarabaman Hammer: Junction Fight - 0096's Tarabaman movie, released in April 0096. Extensively features Hammer's human antagonist, Spike Parma, revealing him to be alive after the events of the second season. He becomes Dark Hammer, finally getting his own henshin item (an extremely popular fan demand). His status at the end of the movie is once again unclear.
• Tarabaman Tai - Aired in 0095 and finished in 0096. Tarabaman Tai centers a conflict between two Tarabamen -- Tai and Sei -- coming back into one another's lives as enemies decades after failing to protect a planet from the betrayer Tarabaman Mika. Tarabaman Mika is back, and sets his sights on Earth...
• Shin Tarabaman - Aired in 0096. Movie adaptation of the original Tarabaman with some thematics from S and Taraba Q sprinkled in.
• Tarabaman Rise - Began airing late 0096, finished May 0097, with a movie set to release in July. Rise is a retelling of R, suggesting that reimaginings of the R-verse trilogy are coming.
• Tarabaman Inferna - Set to begin airing August 0097. Tarabaman Inferna, as expected, takes place in the same universe as Rise, but rather than being set on the moon like Luna, R takes place on Mars. Unlike Luna, Inferna is not filmed on location. Prerelease footage suggests filming mostly takes place in Nouvelle Tokyo.
• Tarabaman: First Generation - Movie slated for release some time in 0099. Britannian-produced in Area 11. Production details are spotty, but seem to be forming around a sequel to the original Tarabaman that reimagines elements of S, 60, and Taraba V. Online discourse about First Generation is getting steadily hotter.

Taraba Kaiju

• Staghorn Beetle Man - Debuted in Taraba Q. Staghorn Beetle Man broadly resembles a human in a salaryman's suit, save that the suit is semi-transparent and, obviously, the beetle head.
• Pyrilite - Debuted in Tarabaman. A flaming bird kaiju specifically designed not to evoke a phoenix.
• Chezall - Debuted in Tarabaman. An apelike kaiju with a shaggy, hairy suit. Chezall recurs semi-regularly and has had its design iterated on a lot; "is it hairy?" is a recurrent image board meme about complaints about kaiju redesigns.
• Nalgus - Debuted in Tarabaman. Nalgus is the first Taraba Kaiju to get any serious hits in on Tarabaman. Not-so-coincidentally, it's also the first one with a substantially humanoid shape.
  • Super Nalgus - Debuted in Tarabaman Éclatant. The first battle with Super Nalgus is highly praised as the most physical fight in the series and has some of the best cinematography, but absolutely ruined the suits to an extent that it materially changed the show. The back half of Éclatant is light on Taraba combat and heavy on the human defense team as a result.
• Alien Zamiki - Debuted in Tarabaman S. Alien Zamiki, an alien capable of spoiling food and other goods by emitting poison smoke, reappears several times throughout the franchise. An Alien Zamiki usually has some elaborate scheme to engineer a war between humans. Appearances of Alien Zamiki change radically after the One Year War, however; representatives of the species become increasingly defeatist, almost mournful that humans are better at inventing excuses to go to war than an alien ever could. Alien Zamiki are also known for surreal sequences where they share remarkably human moments with Tarabamen or their hosts, including:
  • drinking with the Tarabaman in human form (Tarabaman S)
  • meeting the Taraba's host outside an EFSF recruitment office, particularly notable for not being part of the main thrust of the episode (Tarabaman Kai)
  • playing video games with the Tarabaman who transforms but remains human-sized (Tarabaman W)
  • encouraging Tarabamen Tai and Sei to reconcile, admitting that "it's no fun when things start out broken" (Tarabaman Tai)
• Darkstar - Debuted in Tarabaman S. A conquering alien king from the planet Dark, or so he claims. It's revealed at the end of Tarabaman S that he's actually a human who defeated the original holder of the identity and stole his power. There's a back-and-forth about classifying Darkstar's combat form as a kaiju, seijin, or kaijin, with a few holdouts who insist Darkstar's markings indicate he's actually the series's first Dark Taraba.
• Dynomite - Debuted in Tarabaman Dynomite. Dynomite, a sea dinosaur, has a modest fan following and usually appears in crossover movies in large-group kaiju shots. Spotting Dynomite is a fun exercise that all can enjoy.
• Lecrall - Debuted in Tarabaman 60... technically. Only shown briefly; while it was intended to have a deployable wing gimmick and flight capability, the suit engineering wasn't finished in time. The episode originally intended for it saw it have a brief fight with Duoz before ultimately being killed by the more powerful kaiju. Lecrall made its proper debut in Tarabaman Kai; the Lecrall toys for Tarabaman 60 have become increasingly uncommon.
• Duoz - Debuted in Tarabaman 60. The penultimate kaiju of the series, with powerful jaws that could crush a Tarabaman. Defeated by the series's human defense team, which were better suited to closing with Duoz without getting chomped.
• Metsumera - Debuted in Tarabaman Flash. Metsumera combines elements of the kaiju that debuted in Flash to form a heavy six-headed quadruped. Noted for being unusually direct and brutal for a Flash kaiju; while most of the kaiju in Flash attack entirely with special effects beams, Metsumera uses its enormous body weight as its primary weapon, mostly using its beams to pen the titular Tarabaman in.
• Tenne - Debuted in Tarabaman Éclatant. Tenne is the franchise's first heavy fortress-type kaiju, large enough to dwarf the titular Tarabaman (let alone the defense team's mix of VF clones and Zentradi battle pods).
  • Tenne Blaster - Debuted in Tarabaman Éclatant. The second form of Tenne, which consumes and integrates the weaponry of the show's Macross-class vessel. The name creates a dumb pun with Tarabaman S's Darkstar, since if you ignore the interpunct in the katakana it can also be read "Tenebrous Star."
• Gaiakku - Debuted in Tarabaman Kai. Gaiakku is another take on a sea dragon with a little less baggage than Dynomite and a powerful tail strike. It has one of the few fully articulated tails of a Taraba Kaiju (thanks to the space-based production). Subsequent versions of Gaiakku double down on the tail gimmick, making it flatter, wider, and more powerful.
• Grellon - Debuted in Tarabaman X4. Grellon is a vaguely plantlike kaiju that uses its toxic pollen to alter something. What it is Grellon alters has been changed in various appearances; in X4 it was able to adjust human brain chemistry, leading to a fight between two of the series's several Tarabaman hosts, but when it returned in Tarabaman Zora, its pollen was merely corrosive.
• Dark Hinoen - Debuted in Tarabaman X4. Dark Hinoen straddles the boundary between Taraba and kaiju, as the series's first female dark Taraba. Where her human form is a cute researcher girl, her Taraba form is distinctly androgynous. Her human form dies after she becomes a kaiju, nearly killing the first host of X4's unnamed Tarabaman.
  • Yaldagoaz - Debuted in Tarabaman X4. Dark Hinoen's kaiju form. An enormous kaiju everyone was sure was a special effect until the making-of DVDs, in which they revealed it was actually an elaborate puppet.
• Alien Aumerei - Debuted in Tarabaman X4. A nonexistent alien created in people's dreams by a powered-up Grellon during the third arc of the show. Alien Aumerei have recurred several times, but the question of whether they even exist remains ambiguous in every appearance.
• Tarabaman Mika - Debuted in a stage play in 0084. Tarabaman Mika is a black, blue, and red Tarabaman who has few redeeming qualities and nurses a grudge against all other Tarabamen. He has become one of the longest-lived foes of Tarabaman, despite some complaints that his color scheme suggested sub-rosa anti-Titans political subtext. (These complaints largely vanished when the Titans were defeated and Tarabaman Mika remained.)
  • Amatsu Mika - Debuted in Tarabaman Zora. An upgraded form of Tarabaman Mika, drawing on the power of Duoz and Nalgus. Defeated by Tarabaman Zora's Zoranium Dead End attack. Their whole battle was theater, with Mika's real goal being to allow Zora to kill him. Had Zora taken the bait, Tarabaman Mika would have fused with him, turning his strength to darkness; the plan fell apart thanks to Zora's unwillingness to kill his former friend.
• Gaialite - Debuted in Tarabaman Hammer. A fusion of Pyrilite and Gaiakku that wields the power of water and fire. Gaialite takes Gaiakku's tail gimmick to extremes, adding a powerful spike to the end in addition to further increasing the size. The spike also serves as a focus for a "fireball beam."

Other Media

• Tarabaman Climax Coliseum (0085) - A fighting game featuring virtually every Taraba up to this point as well as most recurring kaiju. Despite a somewhat bloated roster, Climax Coliseum is well-received for having excellent suit models and a really robust model viewer. Generally agreed to be worth 70G as a model viewer that happens to have a fighting game attached.
• Tarabaman X4 Omega (0088) - A very unique cross-genre game released after a minor likeness rights issue put it in limbo for a few years. Includes survival-stealth segments as the show's investigation team on foot, similar but more action-tilted segments in the investigation team's mecha, and character action-style boss battles as the Taraba. Also includes between-mission management segments. The story has multiple branching paths that rejoin; losing the second-to-last fight of the standard route after keeping one team member who dies in the television cut alive opens up a new route past the normal ending that covers content rumored to have been cut from X4's TV broadcast. The franchise has twice alluded to X4 Omega's extended route being the actual canon ending of the show (insofar as canon matters in a sprawling metaseries like this), though it's never been made explicit.

Plot Summaries of Tarabaman Shows

The following are rough plot summaries of Tarabaman shows in greater detail than the brief ones above.

Tarabaman Éclatant

Set on the fictional planet Espoir, Tarabaman Éclatant sees a colonizing Macross fleet taking its first steps on what appears to be a (mostly) habitable new world. The vessel's primary defense team happens upon a pair of statues, one monstrous and one recognizable as a Tarabaman, while exploring; when a Zentradi crew member touches the statue, she becomes one with the essence of the power within it... but releases the monstrous being within the other statue as well!

Éclatant seeks to meet the isolating nature of space travel with warmth; the titular Tarabaman and his host are both 'alone' (the former displaced through space, the latter as a minority Zentradi member of a mostly-human exploration fleet) but come to understand each other through the lens of their own loneliness.

While the show's "A" plot is of course fighting kaiju from past Taraba shows powered up by Tenne, the monstrous presence released alongside Tarabaman Éclatant, the show also gets plaudits for a shockingly-accurate depiction of the first two years of setting down a Macross-class fleet's colony modules. Multiple kaiju undergo re-gimmicks to make them present issues that would damage a fledgeling colony.

Tarabaman X4

Tarabaman X4 starts in 0030, and follows a team of Federation supernatural experts from different blocs brought under the banner of ENLIL, officially an OCU mobile weapon test corps but unofficially given a mandate to research and investigate strange happenings during natural disasters. During their pursuit of a genetically modified elephant that threatens the Sapporo Snow Festival, they find a familiar shape (the show's as yet unnamed Tarabaman) doing battle with it. Their priority shifts on the spot to discerning the true nature of their mysterious guest.

Internal tensions mount as the team argues over how to engage the Tarabaman (codenamed X1), and whether it is friend or foe. A romantic subplot sees one of the team members take up with an OCU Engineering Corps member in Sapporo for the snow festival only to find out that her new partner is the Taraba's human host. The first cour ends with Dark Hinoen seemingly killing the Taraba and his host and causing a cataclysmic event in Sapporo.

30 years pass before the second cour begins. This cour follows a seemingly-unrelated young woman working with ENLIL as part of its research staff; this is a more traditional Taraba show, with the girl taking the form of the Taraba (a slightly femmed-up variation on X1's suit codenamed X2) and fighting monsters throughout the Earth Sphere while still performing her work with ENLIL. It's revealed near the end of the second cour that her father was X1's host, who succumbed to wounds from his battle with Dark Hinoen a year after the battle; the light passed to her, apparently, after his death. The new Taraba fights Dark Hinoen, and seemingly loses the power after defeating Yaldagoaz.

Another 21 years pass after the end of the second cour before the third cour begins; X2's host passes a henshin item on to someone who failed to pass muster for ENLIL. ENLIL's new mandate focuses more on destroying monsters than researching or investigating them, and their mobile weapons look more and more like mobile suits during this chapter. While at first we see ENLIL and the new Taraba (X3) at odds with each other and even coming to blows on two occasions, they ultimately come together in finding the real force behind more than 50 years of attacks and incidents. (Tarabaman X4, proper, comes when it's revealed that ENLIL's defense force weaponry was designed from the start by the leading lady from the first cour to turn into armor for the Taraba. This in turn leads to greater cooperation and the passing of the light from host to host in the third-cour team.)