Cyborg Grampa-G Prelude

In 1988, after several one-shots, mangaka Takeshi Obata (known at the time as Shigeru Hijikata) introduced the character that would lead to his very first serialized work! Who would have thought...it would have involved an eldery cyborg!? The very first "Cyborg Grandpa G" story is here!

Pilot 1: (subtitle: G-CHAN’S BODY IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT THAN SERIALIZATION!?)

(TN: There is a page before this, but the first page here is the first one that I have of the scans of “Cyborg Grandpa G” which I currently own)

134.
Kei: WH…WHAT!?
G: Oh…Morning already…

135.
G: Is it that slight? It’s me, me!
Eiichi: WHAA~~~!? ARE YOU JOKING, GRAND—PA—
Ai: YOU’VE FINALLY GONE SENILE, F**KING GRAMPS!

136.
G: What are you saying? I haven’t lost it yet. I’VE BEEN REBORN AS A CYBORG.
Kaizous: CY…CYBORG!?
G: I’ve been accumulating research for this day. Finally, I can become a modified human…From today, my name is…
G: CYBORG GRANDPA G!!
Eiichi: Wh…wh…what are you planning with those modifications!
G: I didn’t plan this. Don’t you understand what you’re seeing!

137.
G: With my atomic power from plasma nuclear fusion and a maximum output 2,000 horsepower, I’m going to take down the evil that has run rampant through this world.
G: This is for……the man who unconcerningly would cause war if it’s for money…
G: I’LL TAKE DOWN PROFESSOR SHAREKOUBE----!!
G: Oh?

138.
G: Muu~~it seems I can’t control it when excited…
Eiichi: YOU’VE DONE TOO MUCH ALREADY! Grandpa, you can’t test to use this thing you’ve made!
G: I’m not Grandpa…G-ch-a-n!
(TN: This joke really only works in Japanese and is one of the main jokes of the whole series: when Eiichi calls G-chan “grandpa”, he calls him “jiichan”, which is the Japanese word for “grandpa”. Of coruse, “Jii” can also be turned into the English letter “G”, therefore leading to the whole “G-chan” pun in the first place)
Eiichi: Right!
Eiichi: Uo, my hair! Haa haa.
Kei: I’m bleeding from my gums…
G: Hyo. I didn’t mean it, but radiation came out from my strain.
Eiichi: MY HAAAAIR
Kaizous: WAAAAAA
G: In that case, I’ll test my cyber power of justice by going on a walk.
Eiichi: DO—N’T JOKE AROUND! IN THAT FORM OF A FINAL WEAPON!
G: Ho ho ho, that’s the radiation~~!!

139.
Sign: Gift tickets for gifts
G: CYBORG GRANDPA
G: G!!
G: IT’S NOT RIGHT TO DO THAT IN FRONT OF THE CIGARETTE SHOP GRANNY!!
Girl: HYAA
Boys: HYAHAHAHAHA
Boy 1: Oh—drive it up more--!
Boy 2: Oh, how is this bike we stole!
Man: BUWAWA
Shirt: Father
Boy: What’s that?

140.
Boys: !?
Boy 1: WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!!
G: Youth right there. Stop—
G: I’m Cyborg G-chan! Stop or YOU’LL BE SMASHED!
Boy: WHA—WHAT WAS THAT AMAZING THING RUNNING NOW!
Kei: Heh…Let’s go ahead…huh.
Girl: WH…WHAT!! WHAT WAS THAT AMAZING THING RUNNING NOW!!
Ai: No one should speak of this.

141.
Boys: AH
Boys: WE’VE—HAD ENOOOUGH
G: You weren’t hearing what I was saying!!
Boys: Eh!?
G: SUBJUGATED!
Boys: Sa…Save us…Hey…is…this seri~~ous…
G: Do some mischief somewhere again. I’ll chase you down from the other side of the Earth!
G: Hm hm hm~m
Voice: Finally…I finally found you!

142.
Sharekoube: You~~he’s really failed to escape from my influence! Because of him, my plans have been ruined!
Sharekoube: IF ONLY HE HADN’T RUN OFF, THEN I WOULD HAVE BEEN A CYBORG BY NOW!! G-CHAN, YOU WILL REALIZE THE POWER OF THE DUAL TIME AS BOTH GREAT MILLIONAIRE AND GENIUS SCIENTIST SHAREKOUBE!!
G: I’M HOME—Ah—that was fun.
G: Fuo fuo, it’s been a while since I got hungry from running amuck. Mother, fo—od!
G: What, they’re ignoring me and have already eaten?
G: Actually, Ai……I saw you this morning! You looked great!

143.
G: HYO!?
G: WH…WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON!?
Voice: IT’S BEEN 10 YEARS, G-CHAN.
G: Hyo! That voice!!
Sharekoube: IT’S ME, SHAREKOUBE. WITH THE OPENING OF YOU PLAYING WITHOUT CARE, I TOOK YOUR FAMILY. IF YOU WANT THEM BACK, THEN BRING YOUR EXAMPLE TO THE FRONT OF TSURUOKA FOUNTAIN PARK! IF YOU COME QUIETLY, THEN WE’LL LET THINGS FLOW UP THROUGH NOW.
G: YOU’RE A COWARD FOR LAYING A HAND ON MY FAMILY--!!
Sharekoube: SELF DESTRUCT.
G: UOCCHI!

144.
G: SHAREKOUBE’S FINALLY MADE HIS MOVE. IF I DON’T ACT QUICKLY! (out loud) CYBORG G-CHAN SCRAMBLE!
G: ALIGNMENT 2-H, POINT 105 SE—T!!
G: READY SET
G: G-CHAN TAKE OFF!!

145.
Picture: THANKS FOR MAVERICK TSURUOKA “THE FIGHT –TATAKAI—“ (I’m worthless)

146.
Kei: YOU IDIOT—SLIME GRAMPS—
(TN: Kei is referring to the simple “slime” monsters of the Dragon Quest series, which actually is a good representation of Sharekoube’s head)
Ai: LET US GO, ONION GRAMPS!
Eiichi: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US, BULB GRAMPS!
(TN: I think I made “rakkyo” as “onion” in another entry, but since “tamanegi” is one type of onion and “rakkyo” is another…and that’s not even getting into “negi”, I adjusted it a bit)
Sharekoube: This is for that strong-justiced G-chan…you’re bait to lure him.
Kei: WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH OUR F**KING GRAMPS? I DON’T KNOW YOU, BUT YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO INVOLVE US--!!
Sharekoube: Hmph, so I’ll tell you. Well…long ago, he was a genius scientist under me---!
Sharekoube: And then………Oh! Hey, do you hear that--!?
Kaizous: ………
Sharekoube: ?

147.
Sharekoube: BABI!!
Kaizous: GRAMPS--!?
G: You’re unfair, Sharekoube—
G: How could you be there when you have no connection to my family!
G: THAT SHOWS YOU’VE SOLD YOUR SOUL TO THE DEVIL! THOUGH YOU DON’T DESERVE SYMPATHY THOUGH A SIMILAR SCIENTIST, I DO HAVE TEARS FOR YOU!

148.
Sharekoube: That’s hilarious. You stole a file for the creation of modified humans which you were striving for in a collaborative development with me. Aren’t you the unfair one for having the nerve of modifying yourself into a cyborg!!
Kaizous: HE STOLE IT?
Sharekoube: YOU ALL HEARD ME!!
Sharekoube: My name isn’t as known as this gramps, but I’m effectively a genius scientist who’s going to be the best in the world.
G: That’s me!!
Sharekoube: Ten years ago, applying our research on cranial nerves, we attempted to be the first in the world with cyborg research. If it was successful, Japan would have taken over this field, dance into the top in the world and it would be the greatest invention since the rice cooker.
Sharekoube: BUT…WITH OUR RESEARCH 50% COMPLETE, BEFORE WE COULD TAKE OFF ON THE MODIFICATION STAGE—G-CHAN SET MY RESEARCH ON FIRE, TAKING OUT MY MODIFICATION CREATION FILES AND DECEIVED ME ON HIS WHEREABOUTS!!
Kei: THAT F**KING GRAMPS~~
Ai: So then—you’re not a villain either—
G: I deceiving you……

149.
G: SHAREKOUBE, WITH HOW YOU THINK OF JAPAN, YOU WERE GOING TO CONTROL IT! THAT WAS YOUR REASON! YOU WERE GOING TO SELL A LARGE AMOUNT OF HUMAN MODIFIED CYBORGS AS WEAPONS FOR THE ARMIES OF THE WORLDS, THEN USE THE MONEY TO MODIFY YOURSELF INTO AN INVINCIBLE CYBORG AND RULE JAPAN FROM THE SHADOWS!
Sharekoube: GYO!! You…you finally realized.
G: For realizing that, I somehow had to stop your plans, so I turned myself into a cyborg and determingly pledged to fight you!!
Sharekoube: If that’s how it came, I’ll take those files by force!!
G: Modified from what I borrowed from a construction site, MURDER WEAPON “SAFETY #1!!”
G: HYO!?

150.
Kaizous: ……
Sharekoube: Fufufu, I have six secret areas underneath this park!! So then, G-chan, can you win against my emotionless murder machine?
Ai: Wh…what’s that!?
Eiichi: But! He’s more for real than G-chan!
G: I won’t give you the file…I’ll fight!
G: URYA---!!
G: Wa—you aiming for me--!!
Kaizous: DOWWA—HE’S FIRING WITHOUT CARE--!

151.
G: Hyo, I’m out of ammo!
Kei: Because you fired them when he wasn’t there!!
G: Uoo, he’s big and fast!!
G: MUU!!
G: I destroyed his blizzard pipe!

152.
Narrator: Those aren’t Salonpas but emergency regeneration magnetic tapes attached to damaged areas of G-chan’s cyber body!!
G: Hyo!
G: SO AFTER A SHORT REST, I COUNTER!
Sharekoube: Smart thinking~~
G: Urya! Come at me from anywh~~ere!

153.
G: HYO----!!
Kaizous: HE—DID IT!
Sharekoube: Safety #1, I don’t remember making you as soft!!
Sharekoube: S—o, don’t go after that file anymore. Destroy G-chan!!

154.
G: !
Sharekoube: A CYBORG’S HEAD IS HIS WEAKNESS. TURN HIS BRAIN INTO NUKAMISO!!
(TN: this is actually a bit of a pun: “brain” is “noumiso” in Japanese, and Sharekoube tells “Safety #1” to turn it into “nukamiso”, which is a rice bran usually used for pickling)
G: GYAA

155.
Sharekoube: Hoho—He’s fallen. He’s fallen.
Kaizous: Gra…
Kei: YO…YOU’RE NOT HUMAN—
Ai: YOU’RE NOT HUMAN AT ALL—
Sharekoube: Even with your babbling, now you know my plan. I’ll brainwash you and you’ll forget slickly!
Sharekoube: I’m the man called the greatest genius scientist in history…I’ve gained fame and prestige without siding with justice. I’m too good—
Sharekoube: Oh well, I’ll temporarily work on Safety #1 in place of a modified human.
Sharekoube: Oyo?

156.
G: YOU’VE BECOME STUPID, SHAREKOUBE!!
Sharekoube: Wha—you’re not dead!!
Kaizous: G-CHAN!!
G: UN—FORGIVABLE!

157.
G: FULL THROTTLE CYBER POWER! STRONGER G!!
Sharekoube: OYOYO--!?

158.
Sharekoube: OYO--!? Your metallic body should contract like muscle…this is stupid, it can’t be, you idiot…………!
G: You’re naïve. There’s one more part of my body that isn’t mechanical aside from my brain. That’s my burning blood!!
G: My body is made up of a shape-memory alloy. My blood flows inside it. And thus, when my blood boils with my anger reaching its peak, the shape-memory alloy of my body reacts and my armor thickens, becoming this form—
G: WHERE I CAN USE 100% OF MY 2,000 HORSEPOWER CYBER POWER!
Sharekoube: Th…that’s a bluff. Go, Safety #1, your power is greater.

159.
G: ATOMIC PUN…
G: CH!!
G: OK, SUB COMPUTER! CALCULATE HIS WEAKNESS! MAKE A CONCENTRATED ATTACK!
Narrator: G-chan is said to have one more brain. This sub computer is within his organs and can analyze an enemy’s weakness with a calm, precise decision!
Computer: If you ram him in the guts, his body will break apart and he’ll explode.
Narrator: However, this brutal place occasionally gets hurt!!

160.
G: Understood! This is going to consume a large amount of energy. SPEED OF SOUND JU—MP
G: SUPER BURNING HOT SPECIAL STRONGEST ROYAL STRAIGHT THUNDER CORE ATOMIC ENERGY G ATTA—CK!!

161.
G: Fu—
Sharekoube: Oyo--!
Sharekoube: G…G-chan, you weren’t too late now. Can’t…I live together with…you again?
Sharekoube: G-chan! Don’t you want status and prestige!? This could be for our country!
Sharekoube: Right…this super cyborg power would be our national military…If we go by my plan; we’ll become the strongest country in the world! G-chan would want Japan someday to be a country with the greatest scientific progress in the world……

162.
G: I love my country, but—I love people more!
G: I can’t have a world where people become weapons for killing! (You haven’t seen “Full Metal Jacket”, Sharekoube--)
(TN: Obviously a reference to the classic 1987 Stanley Kubrick film)
Voice: GET UP—F**KING GRAMPS—WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU DONE, GRANDPA

163.
G: Um! I have smashed Sharekoube’s desire this time, but he’s extremely per—sistant! He could come and attack with a powerful weapon again. Therefore, I thought that we had to strengthen our equipment here.
Eiichi: WHAT EXCUSE WILL WORK FOR THE BOSS?
Ai: YOU~~DIDN’T YOU GIVE ME A BODY WHERE I CAN’T BE A BRIDE!!
Kei: Great, it’s so cool…
Captions: (right to left)
CYBORG MOTHER Q
CYBORG FATHER H
CYBORG SISTER I
CYBORG STUPID BRAT K
G: I’VE GONE AND DONE MODIFICATION SURGERY ON ALL OF YOU OVERNIGHT!!

TN: It's sort of strange witnessing the birth and evolution of a manga series, particularly backwards (blame the first pilot from a "special issue" being in the final volume while the one after in vol. 3), but in some ways you can see certain aspects and matters that end up connected or evolving a series into what it ends up as. I know this was at the end of vol. 4, but I sort of wanted to do this first so I could make sure that it was done when I get to the end of the series real soon. One thing I n0ticed about this version of the G-chan origin tale is...well, it feels a little less like a comedy. Sure it still has the crazy "old man cyborg fighting his rival" concept, but aside from the concept and a couple bits it felt more like a more action-based series with funny stuff in it. And speaking of concepts, something dawned on me doing this particular, more serious one-shot: I think Jii-chan G is a parody of Robocop! Don't ask how I came to this conclusion but somehow just seeing concepts and ideas here being less ludicrous made me connect it more with that movie than with anything in manga/ anime like the original intention. G-chan is still atomic powered like the one after this, but at least we sort of get Stronger G this time and a really cool final attack against Sharekoube's robot. Sharekoube, meanwhile, felt more like a menace than a strange, onion headed man...surprisingly, doing these earlier stories makes me appreciate how cool Obata made him in the actual stories. Finally, there are two major concepts that sort of will be brought up again when we get to the final three chapters of the series...I won't tell you which but some of the concepts here, as well as in the next one-shot that was in vol. 3, will be returning in full force in the finale of the story! (and with these done, the final six chapters will be coming soon!)

BTW: there is one other one shot in vol. 4 that Obata did in 1987...it's called "Long Shoot" but since it has nothing to do with Jiichan-G, I'll put it up in it's own section.