Copyright © Mito Project / Bandai Visual / TV Tokyo

A young teenager discovers his half-alien heritage and is thrusted into an epic adventure fighting aliens. Sounds like the premise of an animated mini-series on the WB network? Perhaps, but as the basic plot description for UCHUU KAIZOKU MITO NO DAIBOUKEN ("SPACE PIRATE MITO'S GREAT ADVENTURE", also translated as "STELLAR BUSTER MITO"), it only scratches the surface. There are many things about this series that are not what they seem.
The teenager in question is Mitsukumi Aoi. As a child, he received a bracelet from his father, but he never suspected a link between the bracelet and his ancestry. Awaiting his mother at the train station, little did he know that the truth about his parents would be revealed that day. The only thought on his mind, after a train arrives and departs without dropping off any passengers, is the whereabouts of his mother.
As if in response to Aoi's question, our attention is directed to outer space, where a battle is being waged. A pirate spaceship, the CHUUNAGON, is captured by a Galactic Patrol ship. The CHUUNAGON 's diminutive captain decides to take matters into her own hands and dons a suit which bears some resemblance to Aoi's mother. The captain steps outside her ship and announces her arrival as Space Pirate Mito. With her two henchwomen, the robotic Sabu and the shapeshifting Shin, by her side, Mito leads her crew on a charge into the Galactic Patrol ship.
The Galactic Patrol officers offer little opposition against the firepower of Mito and her crew. That is, until Ranban appears. Although he's easily disarmed by Mito, the Galactic Patrol leader causes her to drop a pocket holograph of Aoi. The pirate captain loses her composure and expends her efforts on breaking into Ranban's escape tube as he leaves with her holograph, leaving it up to Sabu and Shin to activate the enemy ship's self-destruct sequence and order a retreat back to the CHUUNAGON, carrying a protesting Mito with them.
With the command ship taken out, the CHUUNAGON easily escapes the Galactic Patrol fleet. Mito berates her henchwomen, but then she realizes the date and rushes off to Earth in a private craft. Meanwhile, back at the Galactic Patrol headquarters, Ranban assigns two agents, Nenga Mutsuki and Nenga Masatsuki, their next target: Aoi.
Aoi has given up on waiting at the train station, and returns home to discover Mito rummaging through some luggage. He grabs the pirate captain and asks her what she's doing there, but she struggles free and runs out the back of the house. Chasing her out there, Aoi finds instead only his mother, who claims that she didn't see any strange girl running around. Acting very affectionate, Aoi's mother tells him to prepare to visit his father.
Aoi's father died some time ago, so it is his grave that they visit. After they pay their respects, his mother mentions that there's something she wanted to tell him when he was old enough ... Unfortunately, she is interrupted by her senses picking up the presence of the Nenga twins. She sends Aoi for some water to wash his father's grave so that she can face Mutsuki alone. Aoi's mother and Space Pirate Mito are indeed the same person, as the ensuing duel proves that Mito doesn't do anything small despite her true size.
Mito has Mutsuki outgunned, but Masatsuki enters the action with a gadget that allows him to take over any machine. Converting a nearby construction crane into a robot, Masatsuki is able to threaten Mito with a weapon impervious to her firepower. Fortunately, Sabu and Shin arrive on the scene to knock over the robot, forcing the Nenga twins to flee. But unfortunately, Aoi catches up to the battle, just in time to discover the truth about his mother.
Watching this series, one wonders how liberating Imagawa Yasuhiro's GIANT ROBO must have been! ROBO's indirect influence on this series is evident in the visual designs, the animation, and soundtrack. The character designs are seemingly simple, which may not appeal to everyone, but they also have some hidden details. Take a close look at Aoi's eyes, for instance. The series features imaginative mecha design, like the soda machine robot in the second episode. The animation is accentuated with over-the-top action and dynamic poses. It works very well with the musical score to bring that epic feel to the series, reminiscent of the Errol Flynn swashbuckling movies. 3D CG is used for some of the spaceship scenes, and unfortunately, the usage feels gratuitous because it is not consistent.
With all the bright colors, simple designs and action sequences, UCHUU KAIZOKU MITO looks like a children's series, but there are elements that can be appreciated by the older crowd. In fact, when the series aired on TV Tokyo, it had the Tuesday 1:15 A.M.-1:45 A.M. timeslot, not the type of scheduling meant for kids unless they set their VCRs. The opening and ending title sequences accurately reflect the dual nature of the series. The opening animation packs a lot of action and visual humor to the energetic song "Hi! Ho!" At the other end of the spectrum, the wistful ending song "Karo" is played over a series of panning shots depicting Mito wandering around town after the rain.
The series also has some touches that give the plot more depth. There's the mystery behind the significance of Aoi's bracelet. There's so much more to know about Aoi's father. And there's the question of whether Aoi will finally accept Mito as his mother. Could you blame him when his mother appears younger than him? Mito's greatest adventure is not fighting agents of the Galactic Patrol; it's becoming a mother to her son. This is a promising set-up for a series, and hopefully it won't degenerate into a fight-of-the-week story because the Mitsukumi family drama seems so much more fascinating.
Apparently the series creators did something right because UCHUU KAIZOKU MITO was popular enough to a have a sequel which starts airing this month. The move is commendable because the original series starts off as an entertaining mix of action, humor, and drama. Living up to expectations and surpassing them, UCHUU KAIZOKU MITO deserves more attention.

Volume 1
Bandai Visual
VHS: BES-2320 2,800 yen
LD: BELL-1391 2,800 yen
25 min
Available now in Japan
Where to buy