Satoshi Suyama (陶山智 Suyama Satoshi, November 28, 1937- October 27th, 2024) was a screenwriter, best known for his association with Tatsunoko Production and planning for the Science Ninja Team Gatchaman franchise, which he devised with Jinzo Toriumi.
Bio[]
Born in Sumida Ward, Tokyo as the eldest son of Nikkatsu screenwriter Tetsu Suyama. He would eventually join his father's workplace in 1958, and be assigned to the planning department. Suyama was in charge of the original story for the 1961 Shotgun Man, but his works in the planning department were not too favorable. During this period, he worked part-time on other companies' productions, writing scripts for Space Ace and Lightspeed Esper.
Tatsunoko and Rise of Career[]
While initially not a major planner for Tatsunoko works, Suyama would become associated with the company when he left Nikkatsu in December 1970 and became associated with the "Production #21" project, with the eventual result being the first Gatchaman series. Together with Jinzo Toriumi and his former Nikkatsu boss Osamu Jinno, the Tatsunoko Literary and Planning Department would become fully established.
He would continue to pen other screenplays at Tatsunoko, until becoming a freelancer after 1977 when after his boss' death, he, Toriumi, and Akiyoshi Sakai formed Tori Production. In addition to their only anime project Space Genie Daikengo,Tori Pro would continue to plan other Gatchaman-related works at Tatsunoko until the franchise's completion in 1980.
From there on, Suyama would pen some episodes of the Toei anime Beast King Go-Lion and work as a freelancer following Tori Pro's dissolution.
Hiatus and Career as Artist[]
Suyama would return to Tatsunoko in the late 1980s in an attempt to plan out new Gatchaman projects; unfortunately, these would be deferred and his attempt to work on a 1992 game adaptation ended when he was hospitalized for a cerebral infarction. From there on, Suyama would take it easy as he recovered from the stroke and went into a semi-retirement.
In 2000, he would enroll in Kodansha's Fame Schools as a form of rehabilitation and studied becoming an artist, graduating in 2002 and having plans to become a picture book author.
Death[]
Suyama would slip into obscurity over the years though, preferring a quieter and private life. His death was eventually announced via his former co-worker Takao Koyama on October 29, 2024, with him having passed two days prior.
Notable Quotes[]
"At the time, we had a little talk of killing him (Joe) off at the end. So, I thought, what should we do to achieve that? I didn't think of it at the time, but I later created the idea of Joe having a bullet or shrapnel in his head, so I thought it was about time to include that but I didn't really intend to incorporate it until he died. As the number of episodes increased and it was getting closer to the final episode, I realized the fans would say "You can't kill him!". So after thinking about it, I thought it would be better to show him as not yet dead or still alive, and that's how I wound up depicting him. Also, since the show had such high approval ratings, I knew that the talk of a "Gatchaman Part 2" would come up and I thought I had no choice but to include Joe too, so I left him in that state." - On the plans for the death of Joe at the end of the first series.
"(Initially, President X was supposed to be a computer...) So the appeal is that X's true identity is "some kind of incomprehensible object." The highly geometric shape is reminiscent of the monolith in "2001..." - Columbia DVD vol.5 liner notes
>The Science Ninja Team is formed in the first episode, but was there no plan for the people to gather together as a team?
That was the plan in the beginning. However, it was too complicated, so I left it out. It was Akiyoshi Sakai who opposed that. He said, "Isn't that unnecessary? Isn't it just a hindrance?" However, The Big Tori also had in mind that "We can write that whenever we want."
>Hisayuki-san said that when the series started, there was no plan at all for Red Impulse to die. Hisayuki-san hated the idea of that dad appearing in a mask like Red Impulse... He said something like, "I wanted to kill him if I had the chance" (laugh).
Yes, yes, I understood (laugh).
>Then, exactly one year later, he said that he killed him off in his own episode, and reported it to you after the fact that he had killed him.
Yes, yes, we were in the middle of the show, and I was fed up with that, but I had to hear it too. It was ridiculous. - On the death of Red Impulse, in Tatsunoko Pro Insiders
Body of Work[]
Planning (Tatsunoko-specific)[]
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Part 2 (rejected, attested to in 1977 interviews)
- Tekkaman the Space Knight- Developed from the above rejected pitch
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman 2 (rejected, uncredited publicly but may have very well co-wrote this planning with Toriumi as was their norm)
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman II
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman Fighter
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: The Adventure Game (scrapped)
He may or may not have also been involved in a seeming 1989 requel project for Gatchaman, that would have served as an alternative sequel to the original series.
Screenplay Credits (Tatsunoko)[]
- Space Ace
- Inakappe Taisho
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
- Kerokko Demetan
- The New Insect Story of Orphan Hutch
- Hurricane Polymar
- The Song of Ladybug
- Tekkaman the Space Knight
- Gowapper 5 Godam
- Paul's Miraculous Adventure
- Yatterman
- Ippatsu Kanta-kun
- Temple the Balloonist
- Take Off! Machine Hiryuu
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: The Movie
- Gatchaman II
- Gatchaman Fighter
- Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: The Adventure Game (scrapped)
Screenplay Credits (Other)[]
- Great Battle of the Flying Saucers (Toei) - Original concept that was developed into the screenplay by Shozo Uehara. Suyama, along with his co-planners Toriumi and Akiyoshi Sakai, were credited under the joint penname Sacre Burn.
- Combination Squadron Mechander Robo (Wako Productions)
- Super Supercar Gattiger (Wako Productions)
- Space Genie Daikengo (Tori Pro, Toei) - Also served as producer and executive producer
- Space Emperor God Sigma (Toei)
- Beast King Go-Lion (Toei) - Also storyboarded episode 17
Manga[]
- Microman- Serialized in TV Magazine, under the Tori Pro joint penname Wataru Hibiki.
- Secret Command Machine Detective 999- Serialized in TV Magazine, under the Tori Pro joint penname Wataru Hibiki.
- Ryuko Kyojin Gokaiser - Planned to have an anime and toyline, but the anime project fell through due to the lack of financing for Tori Pro (while a Takatoku toyline did come out). Serialized in TV-kun.
Trivia[]
- While Jinzo Toriumi was mostly in charge of naming the characters for Gatchaman, it was Suyama that suggested the name of "Berg Katse" for the main villain. Suyama would also be primarily responsible for coming up with the settings of the characters, based off the discussions with Toriumi and others in the planning meetings, although these were not necessarily set in stone during the production and some greatly diverged with the director Hisayuki Toriumi's influence as well.
- While Toriumi was a prolific planner at Tatsunoko, it would appear Suyama's contributions in that department were mainly for Gatchaman and only strayed outside that due to Tekkaman being taken from ideas for their rejected "Part 2" pitch.