The last anime I plan to follow through the summer season is Gatchaman Crowds , a new sequelto /reimaginging/show based on the classic 1972 series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (also known as Battle of the Planets or G-Force in the West) from Tatsunoko . With such a big reputation behind Gatchaman , anticipation was running rather high for this series. But did the first episode deliver? In this first episode we are introduced to our main character, 16-year old highschool girl Hajime Ichinose. Chosen to become the latest member of the Gatchaman Crew (or G-Crew for short), she is quickly introduced to the rest of the team, including serious samurai boy Sugane, the quiet Jō, effeminate male O.D., bikini-clad lolicon Utsu-tsu and their leader - panda-like alien Paiman. The Gatchaman's mission is to protect the Earth from alien attacks, primarily from identities known as MESS. Using special notebooks called NOTEs, the G-Crew are able to transform into armoured fighters, using an ...