B’T X
The volume of anime available for consumption is vast, and though not as widely popular as before, there continues to be a fan base that clamors for films involving man and machine, mecha. While many mecha anime lean towards real-world scenarios, some mix the real world with fantasy. This mixture can delight fans, especially when it mixes mecha and magic. Add sentient machines, and you have a stew that leaves a good taste in the mouths of many.
“B’T X” (Bito Ekkusu), pronounced “Beat X,” is a Spring anime that aired from April 1996 to September 1996, lasting twenty-five episodes. It was written and directed by Masami Kurumada, who has worked on other anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Crusher Joe, and Dirty Pair. TMS Entertainment Studios handled the third anime in his (full) directorial resume. It was produced by TMS Entertainment, TMS-Kyokuchi, and Illumitoon Entertainment. The latter Illumitoon Entertainment handled the original dub release, which only lasted 14 episodes.
Beat X is a shonen anime and features the genres of Adventure and Sci-Fi but also includes bishonen and magical-boy genres. It is rated PG-13 and is currently licensed by Anime Midstream, which completed another full English dub and a 2018 DVD release. At the time of writing, B’T X is not available for streaming via the usual Mainstream outlets but can be found online via other means.
It is based on the manga written by Masami Kurumada, serialized in Shonen Ace from 1994-2000. Kurumada is best known outside of Japan for his manga, Saint Seiya. Saint Seiya combines Japanese folklore with Western Mythology. Within Japan, his early work Ring ni Kakero (Put it all in the Ring), a manga focusing on boxing, is the work for which he gained national recognition. It should be no surprise that B’T X follows themes found in his earlier works.
B’T X is set in a world where AI has grown leaps and bounds, and hyperintelligent robots exist alongside humans. Many of these beings resembling humans were thought to be the pinnacle of humanity’s technological prowess. That is until the creation of the “Beats.” Created by the nefarious Machine Empire, BT’s are distinguished from their oil needing counterparts by their need for human blood.
Each B’T requires a blood donor that makes that unit loyal to the donor. This symbiosis aligns man and machine on a divine level to the point that if the donor is powerful, the B’T is powerful, and if the donor dies, the B’T dies as well. Though bound by blood, each unit has a will of its own, as seen when B’T X refuses to obey Teppei.
Teppei Takamiya is the main protagonist of the story. As a typical Shonen MC with older brother Kotaro, Teppei grew up on the island of Kamui near Northern Japan. A typical Shonen MC with older brother Kotaro, Kotaro would raise Teppei until the former left for Berlin to study robotics. Teppei would remain on the island with a relative, but the two would be reunited five years later in China.
The story unfolds in Beijing, China, at the Machine Expo. Kotaro has caught the attention of the Machine Empire, and unbeknownst to him, agents have been sent for his capture. An acclaimed scientist specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics, Kotaro has been invited to lecture. Additionally, his brother Teppei who he has not seen in five years also set to arrive in China to see his brother. Teppei comes in time to protect his brother from one capture attempt, only to lose him in the second.
Kotaro is captured by Metal Face and Aramis and taken to the “Area.” The Area located in the Gobi Desert is the location of the Machine Empire. Teppei, who has held onto the ship via his “Messiah Fist,” is discovered by Metal Face and attacks Teppei leaving him wounded in the scrapyard near the Area. Teppei is left bleeding amongst the rubble, and his blood activates the legendary B’T X.
The Machine Empire under the Machine Emporer sought to bring peace to the world. But its true mission is world domination. To accomplish this, the Machine Emporer focused on creating cyborgs and B’Ts, which used human blood. These B’Ts based on various animals and mythological creatures and their donors would form the backbone of the Empire’s military.
The Machine Empire’s armies grew, so did the Emporer’s ambitions. The Emporer sought to create a Beat strong enough to adsorb a nuclear blast. This Beat was named Raphael or Raphaello and was designed to absorb organic and inorganic matter and assimilate it into its being. As Raphael grows, Aramis realizes it may be a threat. She has Kotaro kidnapped in the hopes that he may stop it from destroying the world.
The true nature of the Machine Empire flew under the radar of many. The Emperor’s followers were loyal, especially his Four Spirit Generals, who viewed the Emporer as a God. This was until five years prior, one of the Generals, Karen, discovered the true intent of the Machine Empire and its creation Raphael. Defecting, she escapes and is pursued by Lt. Metal Face and another Spirit General named Fou.
They trace her whereabouts to Kamui Island, where a young Teppei comes to her aid. Teppei is injured by Lt. Metal Face when he refuses to divulge Karen’s whereabouts. Teppei is given a blood transfusion from Karen, which saves his life. Karen was the original blood donor of B’T X; her Beat was taken back to the Area and thrown into the scrapyard.
B’T X follows the typical formula standard in most shonen anime. Teppei starts as the usual headstrong protagonist who uses his fists faster than his mind. When he does use his mind, it tends to be one-sided. He would be a complete washout if not for the lessons taught him by his brother Kotaro, his training from Karen, and X’s rational thinking. It is primarily these three, along with Teppei’s honor and force of will, that make Teppei a watchable character.
Similar in spirit, Kotaro and several of the Spirit Generals, Karen, Fou Lafine, and Hokuto, are given enough emotional content and screen time that the viewer can relate to them. The last Spirit General, Ron, is a crucial player and receives screen time though his interaction with Teppei is limited to episode 11 and again in episodes 23 and 24. It is pretty clear through storytelling that the Spirit Generals, each with varying feelings towards Teppei, will become secondary protagonists.
A few of the villains stand out in this anime, Most are there for plot armor or to show how the Machine Empire s an evil organization, but there are a few notable ones; Metal Face and Aramis, as well Misha and Camilla. The Machine Emporer is an antagonist spoken about in name only and is not revealed until B’T Neo, a fourteen-episode series released after the conclusion of B’T X.
B’T X has many characters in its 25 episodes, and it’s possible to drone on about them ad Infinitum. While many of them are standard fare, they are artistically distinguishable from one another. That is a plus for an anime and shows that effort was put into making a decent product. The animation is not bad, and while not as fluid as other anime TMS had been involved with, the action scenes were tolerable.
The animation, coupled with a good soundtrack and voice acting, allowed me to overlook a few shortcomings. A final word regarding the voice acting, I generally say sub over dub, but this is one instance where neither outshined the other. I’ve watched both and found them both decent.
This anime did not have a high budget, and the emphasis was placed on storytelling and the characters. This probably explains why B’T X goes from 0 to 60 in the matter of one episode. It establishes episode one as its thesis and immediately builds from that point. The two main protagonists are the brothers Teppei and Kotaro, balance one another, and seeing the story told from each brother’s perspective was enjoyable. Karen’s backstory is told through flashbacks, adding to good storytelling.
B’T X is a decent anime, but amongst a stack of similar anime, If greater attention to detail were allowed, B’T X might have become a pre-2000 era classic. The pacing is excellent, and while there is a bit of information overload, the anime does a decent job of reemphasizing information. This is good because, as mentioned earlier, Masami Kurumada’s works involve a great deal of mythology. There is a significant amount of mythology and references to other literary works in this anime.
