I purchased the ADV Gatchaman set when it first came out and watched it. I'd expected it to be a little edgier, largely because I had seen the anime on Cartoon Network's 'Adult Swim', and I knew that Battle of the Planets was edited from it. So I was a bit surprised at what I discovered, and a tad disappointed.
A few months ago, I watched it again, and deduced that it was not intended for adults (although I overestimated the age of the intended audience). I also discovered Fanfiction dot net. I started thinking about the characters and the situations in the show. Oddly, I did a mental crossover with characters I hope to see published, and that resulted in my AU kicking off.
Berg Katse's past was never addressed, and I found his portrayal in the series to be lacking. I started thinking about his possible background, and how it could have shaped him. Instead of him being an unstable head-case, I thought he should be a credible and worthy threat to the ISO and its efforts towards helping the planet. That 280 IQ would get as much of a workout as my (normal) intelligence could manage. He would be cultured, charismatic, intelligent, capable of inspiring loyalty in his followers. As the defeats mount, he becomes more unstable.
Doctor Kozaburo Nambu became Berg Katse's opposite number. Also a genius, and with healthier relationships than Katse. He wants to save the world, but not by taking it over. Then he learns about the existence of Galactor, and has a new mission added to his life's work. The fics will be as much about the effects of the conflict on his life (and the lives of the SNT) as anything else.
Yes, yes, it's the pulp fiction genius vs. genius, but why not? Genius vs Dumb as a Box of Rocks is an unfair fight. The Genius will win.
Fair warning: the Science Ninja Team will be older when they finally appear. When I first came up with this AU, I thought it was canon that Nambu had raised and trained the whole team for some ten years, and I had problems with the idea of adopting and raising children for the purpose of fighting. So they're volunteers, and I will explain how Ken and Joe end up on the team. Yes, this will change things.
I don't know if there will be smut, but there will be adult themes and things will occur as they logically should.
