SF Dorama: Saru no Gundan - SF Drama: Army of the Apes

SF Dorama: Saru no Gundan

October 6, 1974 - March 30, 1975, 26 episodes

Opening Theme

Character Actor

Yurika Saito, Hiroko

Sakaki, Jiro Kaji, Masaaki

Izumi, Kasuko Tokunaga, Reiko

Godo Ushio, Tetsuya

Pepe Takita, Kazue

Prime Minister Bippu Ohmae, Wataru

General Geba Hatakeyama, Baku

Director Gobi Yanami, Joji

Secretary Sabo Watanabe, Takeshii

Director Ruza Takashima, Hiroshi

Narrator Yamada, Shunji

SF Dorama: Saru no Gundan (Science Fiction Drama: Army of the Apes) is the Japanese answer to "Planet of the Apes".

Izumi, Kasuko Sakaki, Jiro and Yurika

Izumi, Kasuko takes two children; Yurika and Sakaki, Jiro on a tour of a cryogenics lab. Jiro climbs into a cryogenic chamber. Before Izumi-sensei can get the boy out of there a volcano erupts causing an earthquake which shakes the building. As the ceiling starts to fall in Izumi places Yurika in a second cryogenics chamber before climbing into a third one herself. She assumes they'll be safe in the steel canisters. A piece of the ceiling lands on the control panel starting the freezing process. The earthquake destroys the lab and the cryogenic chambers are buried in the rubble. Time passes. Eventually the three metal canisters are dug up and carried to a new lab. The woman and two children thaw out. Searching the new lab they are horrified to discover that Earth has been taken over by intelligent, talking apes.

Godo Pepe

Eventually the three humans escape from the apes and meet the (last surviving?) man G�do who has been fighting for his survival, killing many apes. The four humans are then befriended by the ape child Pepe.

Bippu Geba, Bippu, Sabo, Gobi

A dispute arises among the apes. Some like Prime Minister Bippu, believe the humans are important for science and should be treated well. Others, such as the disgraced General Geb� want them dead. Ultimately a civil war erupts between the gorillas and the chimpanzees.

Sabo Gobi

Loyal to Prime Minister Bippu is his secretary Sabo. Loyal to Geba is his brother Director Gobi.

Ruza

The one eyed Ruza leads the chimpanzees.

The Episodes

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My thanks to Arislan, without his contributions of information, photos and the site to host it this page would not exist.

SF Dorama: Saru no Gundan © 1974-1975 Tsuburaya Productions
Pictures are for viewing only