The 1980s were a tumultuous yet vibrant time for South Korea. Much of the same could be said of its nascent animation industry, which had begun using the experience garnered from outsourcing jobs for Japanese and American companies to pursue homegrown projects, with questionable results. Among the more unique efforts from time, however, is Micro Commando Diatron 5 (Micro Teukgongdae Daiyateuron 5; 1985): a film that, though a hack job in more ways than one, is entertaining in its own right.
If the name or imagery seems familiar, chances are it’s because you may have already seen snippets of it elsewhere. Joseph Lai had this spliced into the infamous Space Thunder Kids, while also distributing it separately around 1989-90 under the title Space Transformers. In actuality, this hour-long romp produced by Daekwang Planning is a spiritual adaptation of the Diaclone toy line, which later evolved into the Transformers franchise. Coincidentally, director Su-yong Jeong would go on to become a storyboard artist for the 1986-87 TV series and film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX754lNIY6Y
The alternate VHS opening title sequence for Space Transformers, as Joseph Lai’s dub version of Daitron 5 is called, notably retains the original Korean theme song, compared to the US dub, and features imagery that never shows up in the actual film. Circa 1989. (Source: YouTube)
Still, what makes this seemingly obscure Korean anime fascinating as both a historical artifact and a “so bad it’s good” schlock piece?
A Bait-and-Switch Voyage
On the surface, Micro Commando Diatron 5 follows the struggle between Earth and an invading alien armada. An enemy agent, however, slips through and poisons the cyborg Ivy, who’s responsible for the world’s defenses. With time running out, a crew consisting of teens Captain Chi/Cheol-i and Nancy, robot companion Baipam, and the titular Diatron 5 itself are shrunk down and sent inside the body to stop the evil forces. What ensues is a battle over the fate of all that’s good, on scales imperceptible to the naked eye.
In practice, that about as logical as the movie gets. In addition to the sheer flimsiness of having the planet’s entire defenses be in the hands of a defenseless girl, there is a jarring disconnect between the grand space premise, which is irrelevant for much of the plot, and the hijinks going on inside Ivy’s body. Neither are there any indications that the protagonists are even inside the cyborg at all. Instead, they find themselves in a miniature world, complete with forests, castles, and even fantasy-esque humanoid beings that they join forces with against robots and demon-like aliens led by an evil woman named Mary. You’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re watching an entirely different story, though unlike Space Thunder Kids, no splicing was involved.
Not that the rest of the work, in isolation, has much of an improvement. None of those casts are likable or memorable. So much so, indeed, that at first viewing, you wouldn’t even notice Nancy and Baipam inexplicably disappearing from view, while a romantic couple show up close to the end, only to just as quickly be killed off. Combined with nigh-nonexistent pacing, with scenes simultaneously being rushed and overly dragged out, the result could be described as a veritable hack job.
While by no means the best work to come out of the country, however, Diatron 5 isn’t without some merit. Even putting aside the Diaclone resemblance in the mecha and a handful of blatantly plagiarized designs used, notably a chibi-fied Scopedog from Sunrise’s Armored Trooper Votoms franchise as well as characters ripped off from Space Runaway Ideon (1981), the movie is generally original. You could also see, in sporadic bursts, the ambitious scope in trying to tie in a Fantastic Voyage (1966) plotline with a grand space opera, even if in practice devolves into a bait-and-switch mess. This isn’t to ignore just how dark the story itself could get for an ‘80s Korean anime, whether it’s the body count that piles up towards the climax, or how Captain Chi/Cheol-i isn’t particular about who he kills in getting the job done.
While these alone don’t exactly redeem the film, they nonetheless offer a more unfiltered glimpse at the birth-pains of South Korea’s animation scene in a way that Space Thunder Kids couldn’t. Moreover, said glimpse is at a pivotal point when the industry began finding its own voice rather than simply mimicking the Japanese and Americans.
So Bad it’s Hilarious
The whole, it’s been said, is more than the sum of its parts, which is just as true for Diatron 5. In this case, however, the execution elevates the movie from being plain horrible to so bad, it’s hilarious, especially when watching it with friends.
Watching everything wrong with Diatron 5 in motion, practically at the same time, can make for a surreal experience that more than makes up for their individual shortcomings. (Source: YouTube)
While Space Thunder Kids may give a taste of what to expect, the actual Korean anime is a sight to behold. The quality of the visuals could alternate wildly between semi-decent, detailed art and atrocious draft fodder, complete with laughably drawn backdrop and side characters that look straight out of a cheap children’s picture book. From fight scenes with sloppily recycled looping to the titular robot flying backward in space, you may wind up wondering what the animators were thinking, or whether they even cared.
Then, there’s the audio. Remarkably, there are two English-dubbed versions available: an American one under the original title distributed by Hosca Home Video Productions, and the Space Transformers rendition by Joseph Lai’s IFD Films & Arts Ltd. Not that either, or the original Korean release for that matter, is better than the other. Each rendition is “graced” with out-of-place atmospheric tunes (including what seems to be ice cream jingles) and atrocious sound mixing, such that it could be grating to listen after a while. At the same time, the foreign dubs have a certain amateurish charm to their performances that more than makeup for the reverb in the Hosca track or IFD’s tinny voice quality. This extends even to the “theme song,” in all its hilariously inept, garage band-tier glory.
It comes as a little surprise, then, that Diatron 5 was doomed almost immediately to flounder. Languishing in bargain-bins, for a time it risked sliding into oblivion, the circumstances behind its creation, as well as why two different dubs were made, likely to remain a mystery. Indeed, little else is known of what became of the staff involved after the ‘80s, with Su-yong Jeong known to have directed an Italian religious cartoon in 1996 before also vanishing into obscurity.
IFD Films’ “official” trailer for Diatron 5/Space Transformers. Whether in spite or because of, the likes of Joseph Lai selling it far and wide for cheap, the film has since found new life online. Circa 2018. (Source: YouTube)
Still, you have a fascinating, if hilarious, snapshot of South Korean animation history that’s been preserved ironically by those very ignoble channels. Thanks to such distribution, as well as people posting commentaries, if not entire recordings online in subsequent decades, it will live on indefinitely.
With all three versions, including the original dub, readily available and effectively public domain, what better time than now to experience this for yourself?
